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To strike there would be brave and futile, and would probably mean the end of
dragonkind.
Windrush nodded without replying. "SearSky! Your counsel!
To his surprise, the great black dragon hesitated. "Strike at the east camp
of the Enemy!" SearSky finally called.
Windrush flared flame from his nostrils. That, at least, was more sensible.
The Enemy's east camp was a large gathering place of drahls and Tar-skel
dragons-no easy target, by any means. But it was within a day's flight, and
it was a target where they might have some hope of hurting the Enemy more than
they would be hurt themselves. At least, they might, if they flew with this
kind of rage in their hearts, but kept clear thinking in their heads.
"Longtouch!" Windrush called. "Your counsel?"
"East camp of the Enemy!"
"Deepclaw! Your counsel!"
"Black Peak!"
"Stronghold! Your counsel!"
"East camp!" thundered Stronghold.
"Stonebinder .
The roll call continued. The greatest number, in the end, favored the east
camp. Certainly, it was the only place that Windrush could in
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conscience lead his dragons with even the slightest hope of meaningful
victory. When the roll call was finished, Windrush sat silent for a few
moments as the other dragons fumed among themselves. Finally he looked across
the gathering and thundered, "Listen, then! Gather in three flights, two
watches before the next dawn, to strike the east camp of the Enemy! Prepare,
brothers-but do not speak of the target beyond this vale! Gathering
dismissed!"
A triumphant cry went up. Even those dragons who had wanted the greater
targets voiced their approval. In truth, most of them did not care much about
the target, only that they struck somewhere.
Windrush watched as the dragons flew from the vale. His anger at
WingTouch's death had not left his thoughts. But he could only hope that the
dragons' anger, and the recent feeding, would be enough to fuel their bold
action tomorrow.
Upon his return to the main encampment, Windrush was told that
Farsight was urgently looking for him. He found his brother on a high
outcropping, searching the camp with his silvery-clear eyes. The younger
dragon looked deeply disturbed, and Windrush assumed that he knew why.
"Farsight!" he called, shouting up to his brother.
Farsight leaped down with half@furled wings. "Windrush, we must speak! Can
you fly with me now?"
Windrush agreed, and the two took to the air at once.
Farsight urged them to fly northward, where they would be less likely to
encounter others. "I missed you at the leaders' meeting!"
Windrush said when they were alone in the sky.
"I heard about WingTouch," Farsight muttered, his voice heavy with grief.
"I'm afraid I have other distressing news, for your ears alone."
"More bad news! First I must tell you-we fly against the east camp of the
Enemy tonight. I trust that WingTouch's spirit will go with us.
But I too have news that I have not yet spoken aloud. It concerns
FullSky and the ifflings, and it gives me hope."
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"FullSky!" Farsight's eyes flashed. "You are full of surprises!
If you can offer hope, then I will be grateful indeed.
Because I must tell you what I overheard last night, in the darkness of the
mountains. Windrush, we have a traitor among us......
By the time the two dragons had shared all of their news with each other, they
had flown well north of the main encampment. Somber and silent, they circled
back the way they had come. Farsight was cheered to learn that FullSky lived
and fought with them, and that the ifflings were reaching out to the static [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]