Rivals (short story)

Rivals is a short story written by Richard Lee Byers. It was published in Dragon magazine 343, and later republished in The Year of Rogue Dragons Omnibus. It narrates the first encounter between Dorn Graybrook and Raryn Snowstealer.

Summary
Raryn Snowstealer and Dorn Graybrook travel independently to Pilver's Creek in the Moonsea to pursue a bounty for a white dragon. After Dorn saves Raryn from a band of bullies, he explains that the people of the Moonsea are prejudiced against nonhumans; despite his advice, Raryn decides to try and pursue the bounty anyway. The local mayor, Stevvin Hightower, is reluctant to hire Dorn, who is a fugitive bondsman who has slain his master; however, having seen him in the arena before, he agrees to hire him. Raryn pleads a case that he is a better tracker, and that he could find the dragon; Stevvin decides to hire both, and pay them according to their relative contributions. They are joined by Stevvin and a small band of Red Plume warriors.

Along the way, Raryn attempts to teach Dorn some tracking skills, and later reveals that rather than a dragon, the creature is a cryohydra. Stevvin still needs it slain; they find the reptile slightly torpid, and manage to slay it quickly; after its death, Stevvin turns on them and captures the two, intent on claiming both the bounties for the dragon and for Dorn. His men capture Raryn as well; the dwarf warns them that the hydra has a mate that may return at any moment, but the warning goes unheeded. Raryn and Dorn manage to free themselves, but while they try to sneak out, the cryohydra returns, and they decide to stay and fight; after the battle, Raryn and Dorn take Stevvin hostage, claim their reward, and flee together by sailboat.

Index

 * Characters


 * Fauna


 * Flora


 * Creatures


 * Ethnicities


 * Locations


 * Magic


 * Deities


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 * Equipment


 * Other