"I only hope Marthaen is continuing to open the gate from time to time as he promised," Kharendaen said, shielding her face from the blowing sand with her mate's chest as they huddled together in the shelter of a group of large boulders. "We've been gone for a long time, and Marthaen may have given up hope."
"This isn't our only hope," Thelvyn said, bringing his own head around to escape the sting of the windblown sand, "but it may be our best opportunity."
They hadn't waited long when they suddenly sensed a flare of power, followed by the distinctive presence of an open worldgate. Thelvyn lifted his head sharply, startled that the gate should open only a short time after they had arrived. Then he realized that Marthaen might be opening the passage often, fearful because of their delayed return and aware that they might need to escape hastily. Even so, Marthaen would open the gate only briefly, perhaps no more than a few seconds at a time. The dragons had to reach it in a hurry.
They emerged from their shelter and leapt down through the boulders at a run until they came to a relatively flat shelf where they could jump into the air. They were flying blind in the thick dust, but they had no problem finding their way, drawn by the unmistakable source of magic. But almost at once Thelvyn began to sense that something was wrong. Suddenly he knew they were not alone.
The magic shifted form, and abruptly the fierce wind died and the air around them became as still as death. The wind-born sand fell to the ground, leaving only the gray dust hanging in the air like thick fog. He became aware of several vast, dark shapes moving through the dust, and a moment later three massive steel warriors emerged out of the grey darkness, towering shapes moving slowly and deliberately amid an escort of the smaller forms of the Masters. Thelvyn was forced to turn sharply, passing almost directly beneath the head of one of the metal warriors.
A dark shape hurtled down from above as one of the Masters darted in, striking Kharendaen in the middle of her back and driving her downward. The large amber dragon already had her neck in a death lock, but in the next moment she crashed heavily into the side of a low dune. The impact broke her opponent's hold, sending both of them tumbling. Kharendaen was shaken by the blow. The amber dragon rose unsteadily and shook its head, then snarled fiercely as it turned toward Kharendaen, moving in to finish the kill. She lifted her head and blinked, finding herself staring into his fangs, her eyes round with fear.
Thelvyn had circled back tightly, and now he dived to the attack, dropping down with braced legs to strike the gemstone dragon's back with crushing force. His head darted in for a death grip, but at the last moment, he suddenly leapt over the Master's sprawled form and dragged his mate out of the way. In the next instant, the massive head of one of the steel warriors thrust down out of the dense grey dust, striking the side of the dune with a tremendous explosion of sand that nearly buried the two dragons, crushing the amber dragon and driving his broken body deep into the sand.
Thelvyn shook the sand from his back and wings before he grabbed Kharendaen by her shoulders and pulled her free, half carrying her quickly to one side. The warrior pushed its head on through the side of the dune as easily as if it had been a drift of snow, and the two dragons were lifted up and sent tumbling by an avalanche of sand. This time Kharendaen was able to regain her wits, recovering from the impact that had forced her from the air. But the sky was no safe place for them, crowded with the circling forms of the Masters waiting for their own turn to attack. Tucking away their wings tightly, the dragons dropped their heads low and ran as fast as they could, struggling for purchase in the loose sand.
Even on foot, they could move along with surprising speed, their long, leaping gait carrying them across the dunes back toward the questionable safety of the islands of boulders that rose in clusters out of the sand. They ran in an evasive path that the Masters could not easily follow on the wing. When the dragons reached the boulders, the warriors could not easily maneuver their way through the maze of large stones where the visibility was severely limited, and they were left behind.
Then the dragons spread their wings and leapt into the air. In moments, they disappeared into the cloud of swirling dust, escaping the pursuit of the Masters.
"Are you all right?" Thelvyn asked, flying close at his mate's side.
"I wasn't harmed," she insisted, trying not to pant.
Thelvyn paused, having seen the shadowy form of one of the Masters following less than a hundred yards behind them, nearly hidden in the blowing dust. He could not allow any pursuit, since he had always suspected that what one of the Masters knew was known to them all. Without warning, he lifted his head and dropped his tail, using his wings and sails to catch the wind and slow him abruptly. It was a daring move on his part, even more daring than he was aware, and the results were much more drastic than he had expected. Caught completely unprepared, the gemstone dragon crashed heavily into the middle of his back, knocking them both from the sky. With the dunes only a few yards below, they had no time to recover.
Thelvyn's luck turned at that point. The gemstone dragon crashed heavily onto the middle of his back on the long slope of a high dune, and a moment later Thelvyn fell tail first right on top of his enemy. The impact sent them both sliding on their backs down the side of the dune. Thelvyn was somewhat shaken by the fall and struggled to catch himself, while the gemstone dragon was stunned and apparently more seriously injured. Kharendaen appeared out of the clouds of dust a moment later, having circled back. She dived sharply to the attack, taking the large amber dragon by the neck before it was even aware of its danger.
"Leave him be," Thelvyn said, seeing that their enemy was already helpless. "We have to get away from here while we still have the chance."
Kharendaen seemed unwilling at first to release her victim, possessed momentarily by battle fury. All the fear and desperation of the last few days were taking a toll on her, leaving her at the mercy of her draconic instincts, and for the moment, she wanted only to lash out at her enemies. Thelvyn was startled, but he also learned something about dragons at that moment.
If even the proud, self-possessed cleric could be overcome by her instincts, was it any wonder that most dragons had a problem remembering to act civilized when they became enraged?
The moment passed swiftly. As if startled by her own fury, Kharendaen released her hold and stepped back from the body of the gemstone dragon. Then the dragons turned and scurried up the side of the dune, spreading their wings as they vaulted out over the crest. Moments later, they disappeared into the wind-driven clouds of dust and sand, taking care to make certain that they were not being followed. Thelvyn set an evasive course at first, in an effort to prevent the Masters from guessing his next destination. Of course, he could hardly leave clues about something that he had not yet decided. For the moment, he had no idea of what he should try to do next or where they should go.
The brief but furious battle had once more aggravated his back, not enough to be a serious problem, but he was in some pain. That and the need to pay attention to his course as they flew low over the dunes, nearly blind in the clouds of dust, left him unable to give much serious thought to his options for the moment. Within a few miles, they came entirely by chance upon another of the tumbled outcrops of stone that emerged like islands in the sand. He circled around quickly to find a sheltered place where they could rest while he gave some serious thought to the problem of finding another way home.