near – and then the dragon turned its attention to me. I
prepared myself to die in that moment – but a new shadow
flicked past, and in the next instant a huge silver dragon
flashed overhead. Its rider – a golden-haired elf – thrust a
heavy dragonlance through the white’s wing, and then the
great silver broke the wyrm’s neck with a single bite.
“With a salute of thanks, I recognized Gilthanas – and
then we two parted and rode on, seeking the scattered
troops of the beleaguered enemy.”
All this time the Golden General kept the Knights of
the Crown – most numerous of the knightly orders – in
reserve. Sir Patrick and Sir Markham no doubt chafed at
this delay. It is perhaps well for the sensitivities of this
historian that I find no exact record of their remarks, as
they were forced to sit idle and watch the orders of the
Sword and Rose acquit themselves with glory.
Meanwhile, the men of Palanthas met the charge of
baaz draconians with pike and shield, while companies of
irregular sword-and-buckler men harassed the flanks of
the White Wing. In the sky, the battle raged fierce and
costly for both sides. The powerful good dragons
eventually slew the last of the whites and their riders, but
not before nearly two dozen of them perished – including
two silvers and a gold.
Then, as sunset began to cast its shadows across the
field, Laurana sent in the Knights of the Crown – five
hundred armored riders on eager steeds, charging with
their lances, in a thunderous rush that swept the battered
remnants of the White Wing from the field. By nightfall,
the evil forces were in full retreat, though Laurana ordered
a pursuit that continued into the following day. Only when
she was convinced that the enemy troops were beyond
reassembling did she order her army again to concentrate,
turning about to resume the advance toward Dargaard and
Kalaman.
From here, Excellency, I depart to follow in the path
of that great march. My eventual destination is that great
seaport – though on the way, I shall, of course, stop to
examine the scene of Laurana’s greatest triumph.
It is for this purpose, therefore, that tomorrow I
embark for Margaard Ford.
Until that time I endeavor in the service of history,
Foryth Teel
*****
To the Great Astinus, Lorekeeper of Krynn,
I return to the Vingaard River again, Excellency, as did
Laurana’s army. It becomes increasingly clear to me how
the Golden General employed this great flow of water as
the keystone of her campaign – using it to screen her
movements, defend her force, and – by crossing
unexpectedly – surprise her enemy.
After the Battle of the Narrows, Laurana resumed her
northeastward push, but misgivings clearly began to grow
among the knights. Palanthas and the High Clerist’s tower
lay too far behind them, now, and the forces of the Dark
Lady were known to be mustering at Dargaard.
The losses from this battle – the first pitched fight
since the High Clerist’s Tower – had been high. We can
only guess at the heartache the Golden General must have
felt. Did each fallen knight remind her of her dear friend –
the stalwart Brightblade? Elves had fallen, and Laurana
well knew that each of those deaths had cut short many
centuries of life. And the human foot soldiers who had
rallied to her cause – surely their loss, too, was as bitter a
waste to the elf woman.
Mellison’s diary tells us that Laurana retired early to
her tent for the nights following that battle, foregoing the
camaraderie that had begun to grow between the captains
and their general. For three days the army marched
steadily, but not frantically. Laurana made certain that the
troops and dragons had opportunities to rest, that the
horses could graze on the newly sprouted grass beginning
to carpet the plain. Spring storms to the east shrouded the
Dargaard Mountains, but the skies over the army remained
clear.
Finally, on the fourth day after the Battle of the
Narrows, the scouting dragons reported back. The Red
Wing was on the march, and had been discovered to the