Caught in the Open

In which Master Davian ponders questions that were raised during his adventure, not least of which is whether The Order exists to protect Saramond from dragons, or if the dragons served to give Masters like Davian a purpose so they are not tempted to enslave the world.

In which the beautiful Lareina suddenly appears, leading the survivors of Stelnregon to safety, and Davian finally confronts the rogue Master Arandor face to face.

In which Davian, Hahr'ohld, and the King's Guard sally forth -- and are attacked by dragons under the control of the rogue Master, Arandor.

In which Davian briefly falls under the power of the rogue master, Arandor, and the strange man from the stars demonstrates the power of his weapon -- and then watches as it's destroyed by a falling dragon.

In which Davian learns that the man who commands the dragons is a rogue Master of The Order named Arandor -- and that Commander Orson is not a military commander, in spite of his mighty dragon-killing weapon. Worse, Orson appears to be deathly afraid of seeing another dragon, much less killing one, and he wants nothing more than to find his ship and go home.

In which Davian and his companions discover the charred and smoking remains of the great city Stelnregon and the handful of defenders who survived. They also learn that for the first time, the dragons of Saramond have joined forces -- a development that could mean the end of humankind.

In which the stranger, Commander Orson, demonstrates that his odd-looking weapon is powerful enough to kill a dragon -- sometimes even by accident.

In which Master Davian and his companions meet an oddly dressed stranger with the power to speak directly to Davian's mind -- like a dragon.

In which Master Davian, Fosdric, and Brother Galthorn come across a dragon killed by an unknown weapon of incredible power. They note that the road they travel is unnaturally empty, and as night falls, an angry orange glow illuminates the night sky over their destination, the great city of Stelnregon.

In which Master Davian's headaches grow stronger as the companions continue toward Stelnregon, and he begins to suffer from confused and disturbing dreams. Also, Fosdric and Brother Galthorn discover why it's unhealthy to be near a Master of The Order during an electrical storm.