Leading the advance of the dragons, Thelvyn, once more wearing the Collar of the Dragons, made use of his sharp eyes to search out the scene of battle ahead. Making his decision quickly, he turned his head toward Marthaen, flying a short distance away to his right, and nodded. The First Speaker nodded in response and then turned to head swiftly over the mountains to the west. The largest part of the combined force followed him, some eight hundred dragons in all, leaving Thelvyn with only two hundred. Marthaen would lead his forces quickly against the invaders in western Rockhome; Jherdar was leading an army of a thousand more dragons into
Rockhome from the east. Thelvyn's first concern was to liberate Dengar and help the dwarves to begin to restore order to their land.
The attacking dragons circled out over the valley before turning again so that they could descend in a rapid glide toward the escarpment, soaring on stiff wings with the sails of their tails dropped slightly to reduce their speed. Kharendaen began to drift to one side, prepared to lead a contingent of dragons against four Masters in the valley below. Thelvyn led the remaining forces against the rest of the Masters on the escarpment above, selecting as his own target the largest of the amber dragons, a proud warrior easily his own size who stood just before the ruined gate.
Thelvyn dived down to land at the very top of the ramp, intending to turn the remaining speed of his flight into a swift run that would carry him into battle. For the first time in weeks, he was betrayed by his lack of experience. Dragons were not quite as agile on the ground as he had anticipated. Because his forelegs were shorter than his powerful hind legs, he slipped on his second stride and collapsed heavily onto his deep chest. The amber dragon stepped forward to catch him, tossing him backward with such force that Thelvyn was almost tumbled backward off the escarpment. Even while he was struggling to rise, he lifted his head to see two of the younger gold dragons in his company hurtle themselves upon the amber dragon, who caught them with astonishing ease and easily tossed them aside.
That was enough to make Thelvyn pause, crouching low in a menacing gesture and hackling to discourage his opponent from an immediate attack. He needed an instant to think. Something seemed very wrong. When he had fought them in their own world, the Masters had seemed no more powerful than his world's dragons, either in their magic or in their native strength and speed. Yet now they were easily three times stronger. He reminded himself that Mystara was in fact their true home, the world where their kind had originated centuries before. Whether it was because they were home, or perhaps because of some enchantment, the gemstone dragons were suddenly far stronger, and far more dangerous.
Thelvyn began to wonder if he had come to trust too much in his fighting abilities as a dragon, forgetting his inexperience. Still crouching low in a menacing pose, he began to circle slowly around the amber dragon to buy a few moments more to consider his next move. The first thing that came to his mind was a trick that Kharendaen used successfully to put a dragon on his back. Suddenly he sprang forward toward his opponent. At the very last moment, he ducked his head low, driving his neck and shoulders under the chest of the amber dragon and then thrusting himself upward.
He had no idea what happened next, except that he was abruptly hurtled to the ground with such force that his breath was torn from his chest and his sight turned dark for a long moment. He hardly even recalled what he had been doing until the amber dragon's jaws suddenly fastened tight about his throat, seeking a death grip. For now, he could do nothing more than struggle weakly, still fighting for breath. At that moment, he could not have saved himself.
A pair of gold dragons in Thelvyn's bodyguard suddenly leapt upon the amber dragon from either side, desperate to protect the Dragonking. They should have been able to overwhelm the gemstone dragon easily, even though it was somewhat larger than either of them. As the golds ripped into its folded wings, it reluctantly released its death grip and arched its long neck to roar in pain and fury. Then it shook free from the two attacking dragons and tossed them aside easily, hurtling them across the plain before the gate of Dengar. Finally the gemstone dragon turned back to the Dragonking, determined to destroy its principal enemy while it could.
Thelvyn had been struggling to regain his breath and rise to a standing position, but suddenly he relaxed and lifted himself purposefully. For the first time since he had taken possession of it, the Collar of the Dragons began to surge with power, filling him in turn with renewed energy. He recalled that the collar was said to enhance the powers of its wearer, but no one had been able to tell him just what it could do or how he might command it. Now he understood that the collar had been created in anticipation of this very need, enhancing his abilities to make him more than an equal to the greatest of the Masters.
The amber dragon paused, as if puzzled by Thelvyn's sudden confidence. Then it elected to attack immediately, hoping perhaps to catch him off his guard, leaping forward with its head down in a tactic intended to strike him in the chest and sweep him backward over the edge of the escarpment. In response, Thelvyn rose abruptly to his hind legs and struck the amber dragon with a backhand smash against the side of its head. The blow had force enough to halt the creature's lunge and send it tumbling heavily onto its back, stunned by the impact.
The amber dragon struggled feebly for a moment, then shook its head and tried to rise. But even as it turned back to face him, Thelvyn struck the alien dragon a second blow that left it almost senseless. This time Thelvyn did not wait for his enemy to recover, but stepped forward to grab the amber dragon by the tail. Half-dragging the alien dragon, he carried it to the edge of the escarpment, its weak struggles unable to break his crushing hold. Commanding all his enhanced strength, Thelvyn tossed the amber dragon well out over the edge of the steep cliff, then drew a sharp breath to release a blast of dragonfire. The amber dragon disappeared in a tremendous explosion of fire, and its broken form fell in a fiery trail into the forest far below.
Thelvyn turned quickly, fearful for the safety of his fellow dragons, but he saw that he had little reason to be concerned. The other gemstone dragons seemed to lack the tremendous power of their leader, and the dragons had them vastly outnumbered. The Masters were getting the worst of it, and the death of their leader convinced them that they had had enough. Fighting to break free from the packs of dragons harassing them relentlessly, they leapt into flight and retreated to the north. But the dragons were not about to give up the battle so easily, and a dozen of them pursued the fleeing gemstone dragons into the sky.
For a moment, Thelvyn watched the retreating aliens and wondered whether he should follow them. His plan was to catch the Masters by surprise, which he seemed to have done, and drive them not only from Rockhome but from his world before they could summon forces to organize a counterattack. He decided instead that he could spare a minute more to speak with the dwarves. The dwarven defenders looked as if they needed some reassurance, still struggling to throw the last of the invaders from the wall.
When he turned back to face the city, he was surprised to see Korinn Bear Slayer waving to him from the north wall of the ruined gate. Dwarves built the highest walls in the world, and Thelvyn had to stretch his hind legs to lift his head level with the young dwarf. The soldiers along the wall cheered loudly.
"Everyone seems happy to see me," he commented wryly. "Did they perchance think I would not come?"
"Not for a moment," Korinn declared. "Not to complain, but you might have arrived just a bit sooner."
"Not really," Thelvyn replied. "I had to wait until I had gathered the numbers necessary to destroy the Masters or drive them from our world before they can get organized to strike back against us. I must go after the Masters as soon as possible, but you still have a large army to deal with here. Do you think you can handle the problem if I leave a few dragons behind with you?"