Dragons of Winter Noght by Weis, Margaret

“I command you! Stop!”

The red halted in his flight, staring upward in astonishment. The voice was strong and clear, and it came from the figure of a Dragon Highlord, But the Dragon Highlord was certainly not Toede! This Dragon Highlord, although heavily cloaked and dressed in the shining mask and dragon-scale armor of the Highlords, was human, to judge by the voice, not hobgoblin. But where had this Highlord come from? And why? For, to the red dragon’s amazement, he saw that the Highlord rode upon a huge blue dragon and was attended by several flights of blues.

“What is your bidding, Highlord?'” the red asked sternly. “And by what right do you stop us, you who have no business in this part of Krynn?”

“The fate of mankind is my business, whether it be in this part of Krynn or another.” The Dragon Highlord returned. “And the might of my swordarm, gives me all the right I need to command you, gallant red. As for my bidding, I ask that you capture these pitiful humans, do not kill them. They are wanted for questioning. Bring them to me. You will be well rewarded.”

“Look,” called a young female red. “Griffons!”

The Dragon Highlord gave an exclamation of astonishment arid displeasure. The dragons looked down to see three griffons sweeping up out of the smoke. Not quite half the size of a red dragon, griffons were noted for their ferocity. Draconian troops scattered like ashes in the wind before the creatures, whose sharp talons and ripping beaks were tearing the heads from those reptile-men unlucky enough to have been caught in their path.

The red snarled in hatred and prepared to dive, his flight with him, but the Dragon High lord swooped down in front of him, causing him to pull up.

“I tell you, they must not be killed!” the Dragon Highlord said sternly.

“But they’re escaping!” the red hissed furiously.

“Let them.” the Highlord said coldly. “They will not go far. I relieve you of your duty in this. Return to the main body. And if that idiot Toede mentions this, tell him that the secret of how he lost the blue crystal staff did not die with Lord Verminaard. The memory of Fewmaster Toede lives on-in my mind-and will become known to others if he dares to challenge me!”

The Dragon Highlord saluted, then wheeled the large blue dragon in the air to fly swiftly after the griffons, whose tremendous speed had allowed them to escape with their riders well past the city gates. The red watched the blues disappear through the night skies in pursuit.

“Shouldn’t we give chase as well?” asked the female red.

“No,” the red male replied thoughtfully, his fiery eyes on the figure of the Dragon Highlord dwindling in the distance. “I will not cross that one!”

“Your thanks are not necessary, or even wanted,” Alhana Starbreeze cut off Tanis’s halting, exhausted words in mid-sentence. The companions rode through the slashing rain on the backs of three griffons, clutching their feathered necks with their hands, peering apprehensively down at the dying city falling rapidly away beneath them.

“And you may not wish to extend them after you hear me out,” Alhana stated coldly, glancing at Tanis, riding behind her. “I rescued you for my own purposes. I need warriors to help me find my father. We fly to Silvanesti.”

“But that’s impossible!” Tanis gasped. “We must meet our friends! Fly to the hills. We can’t go to Silvanesti, Alhana. There’s too much at stake! If we can find these dragon orbs, we have a chance to destroy these foul creatures and end this war. Then we can go to Silvanesti.”

“Now we are going to Silvanesti.” Alhana retorted. “You have no choice in the matter, Half-Elven. My griffons obey my command and mine alone. They would tear you apart, as they did those dragonmen, if I gave the order.”

“Someday the elves will wake up and find they are members of a vast family.” Tanis said, his voice shaking with anger. “No longer can they be treated as the spoiled elder child who is given everything while the rest of us wait for the crumbs.”