Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol II - By Richard A. Knaak Page 0,266

with the Tezerenee. “And what has Silesti done?”

“He insists this is your task to perform. Your decision will be his decision.” The choice did not sit well with the messenger.

“That means you need to cross-over.” Gerrod’s voice wavered. “They’re my cursed kin. I’ll go with you, make certain they haven’t something else in mind.”

The unspoken reason was that he, like Rendel, did not care for the idea of separating from the one person who preserved his existence. A Tezerenee was a Tezerenee to the other Vraad.

“There will be no one to watch this end.”

“Sharissa can do it. The familiar will guide her and that—your elfin friend—will be here to aid her, also.” Gerrod indicated the next group of Vraad, who were already departing. “It works on its own now that they understand cooperation. She won’t have much to do. The bulk of the storm is still beyond us,” he added, jerking in sharp, sudden pain. “Thankfully. We should be back before it reaches your land. We should be finished here before it grows too wild.”

Dru’s hands stung. “Then let’s be done with it. Give me but a moment to contact my daughter.”

“I’ll retrieve a pair of mounts.”

He nodded absently, his mind already reaching out. Sharissa?

Father?

Gerrod and I must be gone to the other side. The Tezerenee have arrived. I want you to watch things while I am gone. Xiri and Sirvak will aid you. I’m certain.

Her fear was evident, but she held it in check. I understand. It won’t be anything terrible?

I don’t think either side can afford a battle. If the Tezerenee have sent someone, it means they want to talk. Barakas would not talk if he held the advantage.

Good luck, then.

I leave it to you to tell Xiri and Sirvak. Watch the storm. What we’ve experienced is no more than a prelude. The worst is still coming. If it looks as if it will roll over the area before everyone is through… He held back for a breath, wondering what she would do if it depended on her. Even he would have been hard-pressed to come up with a solution. At last, he simply finished, Send them all through, but not in a rout. A rush will kill more than the storm will.

You’ll be back before that, won’t you?

I should be. He broke contact, hoping his own emotions had not influenced her. It was not possible to maintain complete confidence in the face of the storm and no contact whatsoever with the guardians, whom he had expected to see long before this. Were they waiting to see if the Vraad had enough sense to complete the task themselves? There was so much that made so little sense where the guardians and their enigmatic masters were concerned.

“Get down, damn you!”

Tiel Bokalee’s steed, a black animal that reminded Dru of the missing Darkhorse—would the creature from the Void ever find his way back?—in both form and temperament, reared and kicked at the ground. Bokalee managed to bring the horse under control, cursing because he had to risk himself physically rather than simply use his sorcery. Any excess use strengthened the growing assaults of the storm, something no one wanted.

A tiny figure scurried over Dru’s feet. He started to look down, but agony ripped his knees and he ended up half sprawled on the courtyard floor. Rats or magical imps became secondary to merely surviving the pain.

It turned out to be a mercifully short attack with no aftereffects save an uncontrollable fear that standing would bring about a relapse. Gerrod had just been returning with a pair of mounts, but he let them wander loose as he rushed to Dru’s side.

“Are you all right? What happened? I heard a horse shrieking.…”

“He was spooked. Something tiny, but probably spawned by the storm, like my pain.” Dru recalled the chaos of Melenea’s citadel and realized that there must be less time than he had calculated earlier. “Forget it. Let’s move on.”

With Bokalee leading them, they departed the citadel grounds and, before long, entered the shadowy ghost lands.

I will not fear this, Dru repeated to himself over and over again. He could not forget his first encounter and the chaos that had precipitated. They had no idea if the path through would remain open indefinitely. He had been told that the intrusions had been instigated by the mind of the land, the thing that had once been the individuals of the founding race, but not once had the guardian really said that they still