Baldur's gate II_ throne of Bhaal - Drew Karpyshyn [64]
"Why should Bhaal aid our efforts?" Saladrex asked. "He is a human god."
"Yet the Lord of Murder understands the glory of dragons," Abazigal assured them. "He assumed the form of a great wyrm to sire me-the heir to his immortal legacy. Surely this is proof that he understands dragons are the pinnacle of creation and humans are fit only for servitude.
"If your human slaves are forced to pay homage to Bhaal, what is that to you, Saladrex? Nothing. And Bhaal will not care if his followers are forced to serve dragonkind, so long as they are also forced to worship him."
From the sneer curling up Saladrex's great green lip, Abazigal knew the wyrm was not yet convinced.
"I assure you, mighty Saladrex, this alliance will be beneficial to both Bhaal and the dragons. As the offspring of both parties I will look after the interests of each side fairly."
Saladrex snorted. "Perhaps you speak the truth, but we few gathered here are not enough. We will need to recruit other dragons to the cause. The ancient reds will need to join us before others will agree, and they will be loath to follow you. None of my ilk will trust a mongrel half-breed."
Abazigal bowed his head respectfully, accepting the insult as the truth it was. "I shall not always be a mongrel," he said softly. "When my father is reborn, he will grant me any boon I request. And I shall ask of him to make me into a true dragon of pure blood."
There was laughter from the assembled dragons, and Abazigal kept his head bowed, unable to face the humiliation of their mockery. Saladrex was not laughing.
"If Bhaal truly understands the majesty of dragons," the green wyrm whispered beneath the roaring mirth of the others, speaking so that only Abazigal could hear, "he may indeed grant your wish. Seek me out when you have the pure blood of a true dragon, and I will join your cause. Together, we will unite the others."
His heart bursting with gratitude and relief, Abazigal raised his head-but Saladrex was already gone, his powerful wings flapping as he rose up into the morning sky. The other dragons, still laughing at the half-breed who would become one of them, also took flight.
Their beating wings stirred up great clouds of dust and dirt and created powerful whirlwinds and eddies that battered Abazigal's body. The half-dragon held his ground, determined not to show any weakness in the face of those he would call his peers. He stood in the same spot long after the dragons had vanished, the promise of Saladrex repeated over and over in his jubilant mind.
* * * * *
It was late afternoon on the fourth day when Abdel finally reached the northern tip of the Alimir Mountains. Here the trail of the young dragon that had fled with Jaheira grew cold. There were no witnesses to the beast's passing in this remote, inhospitable region, no trees or grasses flattened by the great winds that traveled in the wake of its flight to indicate the wyrm's direction.
Here in the foothills there was only hard stone, baked by the sun and carved by the winds of the centuries. The full range of the Alimir Mountains stretched far to the south, extending well beyond the limits of Abdel's vision. If the beast made its lair deep within the range, Abdel might never find it, or his lover.
Melissan had told him the creature worked for Abazigal, and Abazigal was one of the Five. He had to maintain frequent contact with the others in his covert group to help orchestrate their war to eradicate the Bhaalspawn. It would be necessary for the wizard to keep himself appraised of events in the lands beyond the edges of his mountain kingdom, and this task would be made simplest if Abazigal located his enclave in the northernmost reaches of the range. It was only logical to assume Abazigal's pet, as Abdel believed the young red dragon that had taken Jaheira to be, would also have made its lair in the northern tip of the range.
Still, Abdel knew scaling the dozens of peaks and spires within even a single day's march would