Raistlin stalked off. Encountering his brother, he snapped at him. "Caramon, make me my tea! I feel nauseated."
Caramon looked from Sturm to Flint-hunched up on the bed-to his twin, who was as furious as he had ever seen him.
"Uh, sure, Raist," said Caramon unhappily, and he hurried to do as he was told.
Sturm rested his hand on Flint"s shoulder. "You did right," he said. "I am proud of you and deeply ashamed of myself."
Sturm cast Raistlin a dark glance, then went to confess his sins and ask forgiveness in prayer.
Ta.s.slehoff and Tanis came back inside to find the room silent, except for Sturm"s whispered words to Paladine. Tas felt so much better, now that he"d unburdened himself, that he dumped out the contents of his pouches and sorted through all his treasure, finally falling asleep in the midst of the mess.
Flint was exhausted, but he could find no solace in sleep, for sleep would not come. He lay in his bed in the darkness, sometimes drifting off, only to jerk fearfully to wakefulness, thinking that the aurak again had hold of his boot and was dragging him into the pit. At last Flint could stand it no longer. He rose from his bed, slipped out the door, and sat down upon the door stoop.
He gazed into the night. Lights sparked, but they were not the sharp, cold crystalline glitter of the stars, whose beauty never failed to pierce his heart. They were the lights of Thorbardin-larvae trapped inside lanterns until they grew old enough to chew through solid rock.
Flint heard the door open and he jumped to his feet, fearing it might be Sturm or Raistlin come to plague him. Seeing it was Tanis, Flint sat back down.
The half-elf sat beside him in silence that was comfortable between the two of them.
Flint said at last, "I had the Hammer, Tanis, the true Hammer." He paused a moment, then added gruffly, "I switched them. I let Arman think he"d found the real one, when, in truth, he found the false.
"I guessed as much," said Tanis quietly after a moment. "But in the end, you did what was right."
"I don"t know. If Arman had been holding the true Hammer, maybe he wouldn"t be dead."
"The Hammer couldn"t have saved him from the aurak"s poison. And if you had not not been in possession of the Hammer when you fought the draconian, the Hammer of Kharas would now be in the hands of the Dark Queen," said Tanis. been in possession of the Hammer when you fought the draconian, the Hammer of Kharas would now be in the hands of the Dark Queen," said Tanis.
Flint thought this over. Perhaps his friend was right. That didn"t make what he"d done any better, but maybe, in time, he could forgive himself.
"Reorx told me the dwarf who found the Hammer would be a hero, Tanis. His name would live forever." Flint snorted. "I guess that only goes to show the G.o.ds don"t know everything."
"I wouldn"t be so sure of that," said Tanis.
Afterword.
New readers to this series will note many unanswered questions and unresolved mysteries at the end this book, questions such as: how, why, and by whom Raistlin was led to Skullcap, and why haven"t the good dragons entered the war against the Dark Queen? Since this volume is one of the "lost" stories that occurs in the middle of the series, we have deliberately left these questions and other issues unresolved for the time being. Those interested in finding out the answers, and following the further adventures of Raistlin, Caramon, Tanis, Sturm, Flint, Ta.s.slehoff, and all the rest, are encouraged to continue their sojourn in the world of Krynn.
Suffice it to say, Hornfel was given the real Hammer of Kharas, and in return, he and the other Thanes permitted the refugees and the heroes to find safe haven in Thorbardin. The war rages on, however, and no place is truly safe for anyone. For those interested in learning what happens next, this story continues in Dragons of Winter Night Dragons of Winter Night, Volume Two of the Dragonlance Chronicles Chronicles.
The Lost Chronicles series will continue with more stories that were never told in Volume 2, Dragons of the Highlord Skies Volume 2, Dragons of the Highlord Skies, forthcoming in 2007.
Dragons of the Highlord Skies will relate the adventures of the two women who play major roles in the life of Tanis Half-Elven: the mysterious Kitiara uth Matar and Tanis"s childhood sweetheart, Laurana. As the Blue Lady, Kitiara, pursues the war across Ansalon, she forms an unholy alliance with the dread death knight, Lord Soth. Meanwhile Laurana, Sturm, Flint, and Ta.s.slehoff, divided from the rest of the companions during the battle of Tarsis, venture south into the dangerous realm of Icereach in search of one of the fabled dragon orbs. will relate the adventures of the two women who play major roles in the life of Tanis Half-Elven: the mysterious Kitiara uth Matar and Tanis"s childhood sweetheart, Laurana. As the Blue Lady, Kitiara, pursues the war across Ansalon, she forms an unholy alliance with the dread death knight, Lord Soth. Meanwhile Laurana, Sturm, Flint, and Ta.s.slehoff, divided from the rest of the companions during the battle of Tarsis, venture south into the dangerous realm of Icereach in search of one of the fabled dragon orbs.
About The Author.
Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman have been writing best-selling Dragonlance novels for over twenty years. As partners, they have written over thirty novels. Together, alone, and with different writing partners, they have written close to a hundred books, including novels, collections of stories, roleplaying games, and other game products.
Their first collaboration, Dragons of Autumn Twilight Dragons of Autumn Twilight, was published in 1984, and the continuing series, set in the fantasy world of Krynn, has sold over twenty million copies worldwide, and has been translated and published in twenty foreign languages.
The primary narrative of the Dragonlance saga is contained in Chronicles and Legends, and the subsequent Weis and Hickman books: The Second-Generation The Second-Generation (a collection of novellas), (a collection of novellas), Dragons of Summer Flame Dragons of Summer Flame, and The War of Souls trilogy.
The Lost Chronicles series is an informal sequel to the Dragonlance Chronicles, long-awaited by fans of Dragonlance, that reveals untold tales from the original, cla.s.sic epic.
Dragonlance, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast, Inc., in the U.S.A. and other countries. 2006 Wizards.