Legends of the Dragonrealm, Vol II - By Richard A. Knaak Page 0,274

the lips of the lord of the dragon clan. Silesti knew that. “I offer my cooperation, too… provided Dru Zeree is the final arbiter.”

Though he had expected that something such as this would eventually develop, Dru wanted desperately to decline. He had performed more than his share in the name of the Vraad race. All he wanted now was to rest. Yet he knew that an uneasy triumvirate, which was what had apparently formed here, had more chance for stability than a simple alliance between two rivals left unchecked. It would be up to Dru to keep the peace, as he had so many times already.

Barakas was nodding, his eyes having flashed to Dru in time to note the sorcerer’s reaction at being chosen for the unwanted position. “Agreed, if Master Dru also agrees.”

He had no choice. “I agree.”

No one even suggested they shake hands.

Dru exhaled slowly, relieved that this, at least, was over for the moment. There were other matters demanding his attention, matters that had twisted his gut throughout the Tezerenee recovery. “Silesti! My daughter and my… my bride. Did they cross safely?”

Silesti shifted his stance, looking more like a child caught at some mischief than a master sorcerer. “No one has emerged since the group that arrived immediately after you. I sent Bokalee back in to see what was the matter.” The Vraad looked embarrassed. “He still has not come back.”

“Not returned? And you left me unsuspecting?” Dru searched for the first available mount. A winged drake belonging to one of Silesti’s new followers was the nearest. Without a word to the others, he raced off toward the animal.

“Master Dru!” Gerrod called. “Wait!”

“Zeree!” bellowed the patriarch.

They were nothing to him at the moment. His success in bringing the Vraad race to the true world and of binding, if not actually healing, the wounds between the Tezerenee and the rest would mean little if Sharissa and Xiri failed to cross before Nimth was sealed off by the guardians.

“Give me that!” he ordered. The stunned rider handed the reins over to him. Dru leaped onto the drake’s back and urged the creature upward. It fought for a moment, uncertain as to what this stranger was doing riding it, but Dru’s raging will overwhelmed it. Spreading its massive wings, the drake rose swiftly into the heavens.

The trip across was a blur, even more so than the last. Dru stared at the transposed landscapes without seeing them. Visions of Sharissa and Xiri, even of loyal Sirvak, were all he saw. The drake, which had begun to renew its struggles when it had first realized its new rider intended on reentering the ghost lands, flew as swiftly as it could, as much out of fear of the sorcerer as of the unsettling region around them.

Nimth welcomed Dru back with a storm that made his own rage a minuscule thing in comparison.

He had underestimated both the speed and the danger. Whirlwinds were everywhere. Lightning dotted the ground with craters. Dru made out what might have been the scorched remains of one or more Vraad, but he was too high up and the weather too fearsome to take the time to look closer. He only prayed that those he searched for were not among the dead.

The haze that represented the worst of the magical storm had not quite reached the castle, but it was closing fast. If what he had seen so far was only the precursor, Dru knew that no one would survive the maelstrom before it died.

Droplets splattered both rider and drake and the mage’s first thought was that it was, against all odds, actually raining. That thought died as his mount roared in agony and Dru discovered that the liquid was burning holes in his clothing.

As he steered the injured animal down to the courtyard, he made out several Vraad trying their best to organize one final cross-over. There had to be several hundred. More than a few would die before the rest made it. He was gratified to see, however, that the remnants were working in as orderly a fashion as possible. They had evidently already suffered the effects of the acidic rain, for most of them resembled nothing more than walking piles of cloth and armor.

How could his estimates have been so off, he wondered. What could have pushed the storm to greater intensity?

Several Vraad spread out as he landed. He handed the shrieking beast to one of those who dared to wait despite the danger. “How long before