"Then who is in charge?" the commander demanded, rising to his feet, his ale forgotten.
"No one, sir," said the spy. "The city is in chaos."
"Well, well." The commander chuckled. "Perhaps Mina was right, and prayers are answered after all. Gentlemen," he said, looking around at his officers and staff, "no sleep for us tonight. We ride to Sanction,"
One down, thought Gerard to himself, tramping off behind the commander"s aide. One to go.
Not the easiest, either, he thought gloomily. Hoodwinking a half-drunken commander of the Dark Knights had been goblin-play compared to what lay ahead-extricating one kender from the herd. Gerard could only hope that the Dark Knights, in their infinite wisdom, had seen fit to keep the kender gagged.
"Here they are," said the aide, holding up a lantern. "We have them penned up. Makes it easier."
The kender, huddled together like puppies for warmth, were asleep. The night air was cold, and few had cloaks or other protection from the chill. Those who did shared with their fellows. In repose, their faces looked pinched and wan. Obviously the commander wasn"t wasting food on them, and he certainly wasn"t concerned about their comfort.
The kenders" manacles were still attached, as were their leg irons and-Gerard breathed a hefty sigh of relief-their gags were still in place. Several soldiers stood guard. Gerard counted five, and he suspected there might be more he couldn"t see.
At the bright light, the kender lifted their heads and blinked sleepily, yawning around the gags.
"On your feet, vermin," order the Knight, Two of the soldiers waded into the pen to kick the kender into wakefulness. "Stand up and look smart. Turn toward the light. This gentleman wants to see your dirty faces."
Gerard spotted Ta.s.slehoff right away. He was about three-quarters of the way down the line, gaping and peering about and scratching his head with a manacled hand. Gerard had to make a show of inspecting every single kender, however, and this he did, all the while keeping one eye on Tas.
He looks old, Gerard realized suddenly. I never noticed that before.
Tas"s jaunty topknot was still thick and long. Gray streaks were noticeable here and there, however, and the wrinkles on his face were starkly etched in the strong light. Still, his eyes were bright, his bearing bouncy, and he was watching the proceedings with his usual interest and intense curiosity.
Gerard walked down the line of kender, forcing himself to take his time. He wore a leather helm to conceal his face, afraid that Tas would recognize him again and make a glad outcry. His scheme did not work, however, for Ta.s.slehoff shot one inquisitive look through the eyeslits of the helm, saw Gerard"s bright blue eyes, and beamed all over. He couldn"t speak, due to the gag, but he gave a wriggle expressive of his pleasure.
Coming to a halt, Gerard stared hard at Tas, who-to Gerard"s dismay-gave a broad wink and grinned as wide as the gag would permit. Gerard grabbed hold of the kender"s topknot and gave it a good yank.
"You don"t know me," he hissed out from behind the helm.
"Ofcourseldont," mumbled the gagged Tas, adding excitedly, "Iwa.s.sosurprisedtoseeyouwherehaveyoubeen-"
Gerard straightened. "This is the kender," he said loudly, giving the topknot another yank.
"This one?" The aide was surprised. "Are you sure?"
"Positive," said Gerard. "Your commander has done an outstanding job. You may be certain that Mina will be most pleased. Release the kender immediately into my custody. I"ll take full responsibility for him."
"I don"t know . . ." The aide hesitated.
"Your commander said I was to have him if I found him," Gerard reminded the man. "I"ve found him. Now release him."
"I"m going to go bring back the commander," said the aide.
"Very well, if you want to disturb him. He looked pretty relaxed to me," Gerard said with a shrug.
His ploy didn"t work. The aide was one of those loyal, dedicated types who would not take a c.r.a.p without asking for permission. The aide marched off. Gerard stood in the pen with the kender, wondering what to do.
"I overplayed my hand," Gerard muttered. "The commander could decide that the kender is so valuable he"ll want to take him himself to claim the reward! Blast! Why didn"t I think of that?"
Ta.s.slehoff had, meanwhile, managed to work the gag loose, dislodging it with such ease that Gerard could only conclude he"d kept it on for the novelty.
"I don"t know you," don"t know you," said Ta.s.slehoff loudly and gave another conspiratorial wink that was guaranteed to get them both hung. "What"s your name?" said Ta.s.slehoff loudly and gave another conspiratorial wink that was guaranteed to get them both hung. "What"s your name?"
"Shut up," Gerard shot out of the corner of his mouth.
"I had a cousin by that name," observed Tas reflectively.
Gerard tied the gag firmly in place.
He eyed the two guards, who were eyeing him back. He"d have to act quickly, couldn"t give them a chance to cry out or start a racket. The old ruse of pretending to find scattered steel coins on the ground might work. He was just about to gasp and stare and point in astonishment, readying himself to whack the two in the head when they came over to look, when a commotion broke out behind him.
Torchlight flared up and down the road. People began shouting and rushing about. Doors slammed and banged. Gerard"s first panicked thought was that he"d been discovered and that the entire army was turning out to seize him. He drew his sword, then realized that the soldiers weren"t running toward him. They were running away from him, heading for the road house. The two guards had lost interest in him entirely, were staring and muttering, trying to figure out what was going on.
Gerard heaved a sigh. This alarm had nothing to do with him. He forced himself to stand still and wait.
The aide did not return. Gerard muttered in impatience.
"Go find out what"s going on," he ordered.
One guard ran off immediately. He stopped the first person he came to, then turned and pounded back their direction.
"Malys is dead!" he shouted. "And so is that Mina girl! Sanction is in turmoil. We"re marching there straight away."
"Malys dead?" Gerard gaped. "And "And Mina?" Mina?"
"That"s the word."
Gerard stood dazed, then came to his senses. He"d served in the army a good many years, and he knew that rumors were a copper a dozen. This might be true-he hoped it was-but it might not be. He had to act under the a.s.sumption that it wasn"t.
"That"s all very well, but I still need the kender," he said stubbornly. "Where"s the commander"s aide?"
"It was him I talked to." The guard fumbled at his belt. Producing a ring of keys, he tossed them to Gerard. "You want the kender? Here, take "em all."
"I don"t want them all!" Gerard cried, aghast, but by that time, the two guards had dashed off to join the throng of troops ma.s.sing in the road.
Gerard looked back to find every single kender grinning at him.
Freeing the kender did not prove easy. When they saw that Gerard had the keys, the kender set up a yell that must have been heard in Flotsam and surged around him, raising their manacled hands, each kender demanding that Gerard unlock him or her first. Such was the tumult that Gerard was nearly knocked over backward and lost sight of Ta.s.slehoff in the mix.
Bleating and waving his hand, Ta.s.slehoff battled his way to the front of the pack. Gerard got a good grip on Tas"s shirt and began to work at the locks on the chains on his hands and feet. The other kender milled about, trying to see what was going on, and more than once jerked the chains out of Gerard"s grip. He cursed and shouted and threatened and was even forced to shove a few, who took it all in good humor. Eventually-he was never to know how-he managed to set Ta.s.slehoff free. This done, he tossed the keys into the midst of the remaining kender, who pounced on them gleefully.
Gerard grabbed the bedraggled, disheveled, straw-covered Ta.s.slehoff and hurried him off, keeping one eye on Tas and the other on the turmoil among the troops.
Tas ripped off his gag. "You forgot to remove it," he pointed out.
"No, I didn"t," said Gerard.
"I am so glad to see you!" Tas said, squeezing Gerard"s hand and stealing his knife. "What have you been doing? Where have you been? You"ll have to tell me everything, but not now. We don"t have time."
He came to a halt, began fumbling about for something in his pouch. "We have to leave."
"You"re right, we don"t have time for talk." Gerard retrieved his knife, grabbed Tas by the arm and hustled him along. "My horse is in the stable-"
"Oh, we don"t have time for the horse either," said Ta.s.slehoff, wriggling out of Gerard"s grasp with the ease of an eel. "Not if we"re going to reach the Knights" Council in time. The elves are marching, you see, and they"re about to get into terrible trouble and-well, things are happening that would take too long to explain. You"ll have to leave your horse behind. I"m sure he"ll be all right, though."
Tas pulled out an object, held it to the moonlight. Jewels sparkled on its surface, and Gerard recognized the Device of Time Journeying.
"What are you doing with that?" he asked uneasily.
"We"re going to use it to travel to the Knights" Council. At least, I think think that"s where it"s going to take us. It"s been acting funny these past few days. You wouldn"t believe the places I"ve been-" that"s where it"s going to take us. It"s been acting funny these past few days. You wouldn"t believe the places I"ve been-"
"Not me," said Gerard, retreating.
"Oh, yes, you," said Ta.s.slehoff, nodding his head so vigorously that his topknot flipped over and struck him in the nose. "You have to come with me because they won"t believe me. me. I"m just a kender. Raistlin says they"ll believe you, though. When you tell them about Takhisis and the elves and all-" I"m just a kender. Raistlin says they"ll believe you, though. When you tell them about Takhisis and the elves and all-"
"Raistlin?" Gerard repeated, trying desperately to keep up. "Raistlin who?"
"Raistlin Majere. Caramon"s brother. You met him in the road house this morning. He was probably mean and sarcastic to you, wasn"t he? I knew it." Tas sighed and shook his head. "Don"t pay any attention. Raistlin always talks like that to people. It"s just his way. You"ll get used to it. We all have."
The hair on Gerard"s arms p.r.i.c.kled. A chill crept up his back. He remembered hearing Caramon"s stories about his brother- the red robes, the tea, the staff with the crystal, the mage"s barbed tongue . . .
"Stop talking nonsense," said Gerard in a decided tone. "Raistlin Majere is dead!"
"So am I," said Ta.s.slehoff Burrfoot. He smiled up at Gerard. "You can"t let a little thing like that stop you."
Reaching out, Tas took hold of the Knight"s hand. Jewels flashed, and the world dropped out from under Gerard"s feet.
24.
The Decision.
Then Gerard was young, a friend of his had concocted a swing for their entertainment. His friend suspended a wooden board, planed smooth, between two ropes and tied the ropes to a high tree branch. The lad then persuaded Gerard to sit in the swing while he turned him round and round, causing the ropes to twist together. At that point, his friend gave the swing a powerful shove and let loose. Gerard went spinning in a wildly gyrating circle that ended only when he pitched out of the swing and landed facedown on the gra.s.s.
Gerard experienced exactly the same sensation with the Device of Time Journeying, with the notable exception that it didn"t dump him facedown. It might as well have, though, for when his feet touched the blessed gra.s.s, he didn"t know if he was up or down, on his head or his heels. He staggered about like a drunken gnome, blinking, gasping, and trying to get his bearings. Wobbling about beside him, the kender also looked rattled. "As many times as I"ve done that," said Ta.s.slehoff, mopping his forehead with a grimy sleeve, "I never seem to get used to it."
"Where are we?" Gerard demanded, when the world had ceased to spin.
"We should should be attending a Knights" Council," said Ta.s.slehoff, dubious. "That"s where we wanted to go, and that"s the thought I thought in my head. But whether we"re at the be attending a Knights" Council," said Ta.s.slehoff, dubious. "That"s where we wanted to go, and that"s the thought I thought in my head. But whether we"re at the right right Knights" Council is another question. We might be at Huma"s Knights" Council, for all I know. The device has been acting very oddly." He shook his head, glanced about. "Does anything look familiar?" Knights" Council is another question. We might be at Huma"s Knights" Council, for all I know. The device has been acting very oddly." He shook his head, glanced about. "Does anything look familiar?"
The two had been deposited in a heavily forested tract of land on the edge of a stubbly wheat field that had long since been harvested. The thought came to Gerard that he was lost yet again, and this time a kender had lost him. He had no hope that he would ever be found and was just about to say so when he caught a glimpse of a large stone building reminiscent of a fortress or a manor. Gerard squinted, trying to bring the flag fluttering from the battlements into focus.
"It looks like the flag of Lord Ulrich," said Gerard, astonished. He looked all around him more closely now and thought that he recognized the landscape. "This could could be Ulrich manor," he said cautiously. be Ulrich manor," he said cautiously.
"Is that where we"re supposed to be?" Tas asked.
"It"s where they were holding the Knights" Council the last time I was here," said Gerard.
"Well done," said Ta.s.slehoff, giving the device a pat. He dropped it back carelessly into his pouch and stared expectantly at Gerard.
"We should hurry," he said. "Things are happening."
"Yes, I know," said Gerard, "but we can"t just say we dropped out of the sky." He cast an uneasy glance upward.
"Why not?" Tas was disappointed. "It makes a great story."
"Because no one will believe us," Gerard stated. "I"m not sure I believe us." He gave the matter some thought. "We"ll say that we rode from Sanction and my horse went lame and we had to walk. Got that?"
"It"s not nearly as exciting as dropping out of the sky," Tas said. "But if you say so," he added hurriedly, seeing Gerard"s eyebrows meet together in the middle of his forehead.
"What is the horse"s name?" he asked, as they started off across the field, the stubble crunching beneath their feet.
"What horse?" Gerard muttered, absorbed in his thoughts that continued to whirl, even though he was, thankfully, on solid ground.
"Your horse," said Tas. "The one that went lame."
"I don"t have a horse that went lame . . . Oh, that horse. It doesn"t have a name."
"It has has to have a name," said Tas severely. "All horses have names. I"ll name it, may I?" to have a name," said Tas severely. "All horses have names. I"ll name it, may I?"
"Yes," said Gerard in a rash moment, thinking only to shut the kender up so he could try to sort out the puzzle of the strange mage and the extremely fortuitous and highly coincidental discovery of the kender in exactly the right place, in exactly the right time.
A walk of about a mile brought them to the manor house. The Knights had transformed it into an armed camp. Sunlight glinted off the steel heads of pikes. The smoke of cook fires and forge fires smudged the sky. The green gra.s.s was trampled with hundreds of feet and dotted with the colorful striped tents of the Knights. Flags representing holdings from Palanthas to Estwilde flapped in the brisk autumn wind. The sounds of hammering, metal on metal, rang through the air. The Knights were preparing to go to war.
After the fall of Solanthus, the Knights had sent out the call to defend their homeland. The call was answered. Knights and their retainers marched from as far as Southern Ergoth. Some impoverished Knights arrived on foot, bringing with them nothing but their honor and their desire to serve their country. Wealthy Knights brought their own troops, and treasure boxes filled with steel to hire more.
"We"re going to see Lord Tasgall, Knight of the Rose and head of the Knights" Council," said Gerard. "Be on your best behavior, Burrfoot. Lord Tasgall doesn"t tolerate any nonsense."
"So few people do," said Tas sadly. "I really think it might be a better world all the way around if more people did. Oh, I"ve thought of your horse"s name."
"Have you?" Gerard asked absently, not paying attention.
"b.u.t.tercup," said Ta.s.slehoff.
"That is my report," said Gerard. "The One G.o.d has a name and a face. Five faces. Queen Takhisis. How she managed to achieve this miracle, I cannot say."
"I can," Ta.s.slehoff interrupted, leaping to his feet.
Gerard shoved the kender back into his chair.
"Not now," he said, for the fortieth time. He continued speaking. "Our ancient enemy has returned. In the heavens, she stands alone and unchallenged. In this world, though, there are those who are willing to give their lives to defeat her."