tmpdjpkup by The Dragons

Author:The Dragons
Language: eng
Format: epub

Chapter 6

Nestmates

3553 PC

Darlantan coiled along the crest of the high Kharolis, content to

allow the sun to glisten from his silver scales. He felt the

warm breeze of summer ruffling his wings and tugging at

the mane that had begun to bristle around his jowls. Lord

of all within his sight, the silver dragon was pleased to

reflect on his own invincibility.

The Valley of Paladine was a sprawling landscape

below, vast and peaceful, but somehow confining as well.

Darlantan realized the great mountain-flanked vale was

shrinking in the same way the grotto had seemed to

diminish so many centuries ago.

He knew it would soon be time to move, to once more

fly toward new corners of Krynn. Of course, he had often

explored the regions beyond the valley. He and his nest-

mates were well known among the griffons, Ravenclaw's

descendants, who dwelt in the High Kharolis, as well as to

the elves of the vast woodlands. Touching the curling bell

of a ram's horn that Darlantan wore on his silver chain, he

thought with deep affection of one elf in particular.

As to his nestmates, in the last dozen centuries, the grow-

ing dragons had spread far from the grotto. Smelt had

learned a multitude of languages and become a fixture

among mankind. Dar knew that many a city or town con-

sidered the benevolent brass dragon to be its special bene-

factor. Whole realms had been freed from the threat of ogres

or lizard men, and Smelt was welcomed far and wide, feted

to feasting and drinking whenever he appeared, and

always finding partners for the conversation that was as

important as food to the sociable brass dragon.

Burll and Blayze had taken more solitary paths. The

bronze male had at last grown tired of the competition

with his more quick-witted brothers. Burll had disap-

peared once, more than a thousand winters ago, returning

only after many centuries, smelling of brine and fish. Now

he spent much of his time in some distant, secret lair,

revealing to Darlantan only that he dwelt beside an

unimaginably huge tract of water.

Blayze had become increasingly irritable, taunting and

fighting his nestmates relentlessly. He had killed many of

the griffons of the High Kharolis, so that even Darlantan,

who had always gotten along with the hawk-faced preda-

tors, had ultimately lost track of Ravenclaw's clan. Finally,

after an acid-spitting incident in the grotto itself, Aurican,

Darlantan, and Smelt had together chased the hot-

tempered copper away from the high ridges. Occasionally

one of the others encountered him in the Kharolis

foothills, but always the copper dragon had fled these

meetings, using his superior quickness to escape.

Certainly Blayze, too, had established a secret lair and

probably gathered treasures there. Darlantan and the oth-

ers would have welcomed him back at any time—in fact,

the silver dragon couldn't even recall the nature of the

argument that had resulted in Blayze's hasty exile. But it

had been a hundred or more winters since the other nest-

mates had so much as seen their copper kin-dragon.

The females of all the metals had remained close to the

grotto, bringing Patersmith morsels of food and dwelling

in the ancestral cavern of their kind. The last time

Darlantan had visited was scores of winters ago, and then

he had been surprised to discover

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