Legends of the Dragonrealm: Shade by Richard A. Knaak

headed toward a faintly visible copse of skeletal trees. The drake lord’s forked tongue darted out as he approached, the only sign possibly belying his calm demeanor. One mailed hand slowly clenched, ready to unleash whatever power might be necessary.
    As the wickedly barbed trees became a little clearer, so, too, did a shape just within the copse. It was tall, though not as tall as Ravos, and although cloaked, it was still clearly feminine.
    Your Royal Highness . . . , said the voice in his head, its tone both respectful and yet, underneath, hinting of mockery.
    “Leave my mind,” growled Ravos. “I warned you of that last time!”
    “As you wish,” the silhouette replied in a low, throaty voice. “I merely thought here you might prefer our discussion to be more private.”
    Ravos sneered. “The ears of a few soldiers or beasts mean nothing to me, especially when those ears can be easily removed.”
    The duke spoke with a crispness and lack of sibilance more remarkable due to his crimson, forked tongue. Ravos was considered a throwback even among his own kind. More of the younger drakes had qualities that, for lack of a better word, were more human .
    In the duke’s eyes, more human meant weaker.
    The shadow coalesced more, becoming the necromancer Kadaria. That she bore great resemblance to something human did not make her weaker in Ravos’s eyes. He knew that she was something far more ancient, more versed in the arts, than even the Dragon Kings.
    “The bargain is kept,” she stated with a smile that made the three crimson bands on each side of Ravos’s throat pulsate. Those bands were a perfect match for the markings that had once denoted the egg from which he had hatched as containing a potential heir. All other drake eggs were unmarked and eggs such as Ravos’s were rare and prized. Even more rare was that he also bore those markings, for most hatchlings did not.
    It was just one of several reasons the drake felt certain that destiny was on his side.
    His fist loosened as he digested the good news. “The last obstruction is removed, then. The fools are in place.”
    “And the secrets of the libraries will soon be open to us. Assuming all goes well for you.”
    “Have no fear of that,” Ravos hissed. “Penacles shall again have a drake for a ruler and the lionbird’s head will decorate a pole.” He gestured at the misty landscape. “Upon my signal, my sire will allow the vapors to spread beyond Lochivar as they have never before.”
    Kadaria’s face sank deeper into the shadows that formed most of her, but her amusement remained quite evident. “And does he know that the longer he makes use of the ‘gift’ we brought him the nearer he approaches death?”
    “He is happy to have his power back. I thought it thus unnecessary to bother him with that detail.”
    The necromancer chuckled. “We look forward to welcoming him to our domain.”
    “And you are welcome to him.” The duke shifted in impatience. “The lionbird and his wizard friends are no doubt awaiting my appearance. There are a few things I must attend to before the attack is launched. You promise that the hooded one will also not interfere. See to it that he does not. He is the only question mark in my mind.”
    “He is a question answered. He has concerns of his own.” She didnot elaborate and Ravos, who knew nothing of the circumstances currently surrounding the sorcerer Shade, did not care. Everything he had learned about the Lords of the Dead had indicated that they were even more interested in keeping the legendary spellcaster contained than he was. From what he gathered, there was something very personal involved.
    “So be it, then.” The duke did not bid her farewell, but rather simply turned his anxious drake around and headed back toward his mighty force. Whether she stayed or disappeared was of no concern to him. They were allies, but only due to their similar aims. They had made agreements both sides pretended