Dwarven Nations - Hammer And Axe Part 30

"I-I know it is important to end this war. Your people and the Silvan eyes will go back to their homes and let the Kaganesti live in peace. There is that reason and-" Silvara was silent for a moment, then she spoke so softly Laurana could barely hear her. "You are the first person who ever knew the meaning of my name." Laurana looked at her, puzzled. The girl seemed sincere. But Laurana didn't believe her. Why would she risk her life to help them? Perhaps she was a Silvanesti spy, sent to get the orb? It seemed unlikely, but stranger things Laurana put her head in her hands, trying to think. Could they trust Silvara-at least enough to get them out of here? They apparently had no choice. If they were going into the mountains, they would have to pa.s.s through Kaganesti lands.

Silvara's help would be invaluable.

"I must talk to Elistan," Laurana said. "Can you bring him here?"

"No need, Laurana," Silvara, answered. "He has been waiting outside for you to awaken:"

"And the others? Where are the rest of my friends?"

"Lord Gilthanas is within the house of your father, of course-" Was it Laurana's imagination, or did Silvara's pale cheek flush when she said that name? "The others have been given 'guest quarters: "

"Yes;' said Laurana grimly, "I can imagine:'

Silvara left her side. Creeping quietly across the floor of the room, she went to the door, opened it, and beckoned.

"Laurana?"

"Elistan!" She flung her arms around the cleric. Laying her head on his chest, Laurana shut her eyes, feeling his strong arms embrace her tenderly. Everything will be fine now, she knew. Elistan will take charge. He'll know what to do.

"Are you feeling better?" the cleric asked. "Your father-"

"Yes, I know;' Laurana interrupted him. She felt a dull ache in her heart whenever her father was mentioned. "You must decide what we are to do, Elistan.

Silvara has offered to help us escape. We could take the orb and leave tonight:"

"If that is what you must do, my dear, then you should waste no more time;'

Elistan said, sitting by her in a chair.

Laurana blinked. Reaching out, she grabbed hold of his arm. "Elistan, what do you mean? You must come with us-"

"No, Laurana;' Elistan said, grasping her hand tightly in his own. "If you do this, you will have to leave on your own. I have sought help from Paladine, and I must stay here, with the elves. I believe if I stay, I will be able to convince your father that I am a cleric of the true G.o.ds. If I leave, he would always believe I am a charlatan, as your brother brands me:'

"What about the dragon orb?"

"That is up to you, Laurana. The elves are wrong in this. Hopefully, in time, they will come to see it. But we do not have centuries to talk this over. I think you should take the orb to Sancrist:"

"Me?" Laurana gasped. "I can't!"

"My dear;" Elistan said firmly, "you must realize that if you make this decision, the burden of leadership will be upon you. Sturm and Derek are too caught up in their own quarrel and, besides, they are human. You will be dealing with elves-your own people and the Kaganesti. Gilthanas sides with your father.

You are the only one who has a chance to succeed:"

"But I'm not capable-"

"You are more capable than you give yourself credit for, Laurana. Perhaps everything you have been through up to now has been preparing you for this. You must waste no more time. Farewell, my dear:" Elistan rose to his feet and laid his hand on her head. "May Paladine's blessing-and my own-go with you:'

"Elistan!" Laurana whispered, but the cleric was gone. Silvara quietly shut the door.

Laurana sank back into her bed, trying to think. Elistan is right, of course.

The dragon orb cannot stay here. And if we are going to escape, it must be tonight. But it's all happening so fast! And it's all up to me! Can I trust Silvara? But why ask? She's the only one who can guide us. Then all I have to do is get the orb and the lance and free my friends. I know how to get to the orb and the lance. But my friends Laurana knew, suddenly, what she would do, She realized she had been planning it in the back of her mind even as she talked to Elistan.

This commits me, she thought. There will be no taming back. Stealing the dragon orb, fleeing into the night, into strange and hostile country. And then, there is Gilthanas. We've been through too much together for me to leave him behind.

But he will be appalled at the idea of stealing the orb and running away. And if he chooses not to go with me, would he betray us?

Laurana closed her eyes for a moment. She laid her head down wearily on her knees. Tanis, she thought, where are you? What should I do? Why is it up tome? I didn't want this.

And then, as she sat there, Laurana remembered seeing weariness and sorrow on Tanis's face that mirrored her own. Maybe he asked himself these same things.

All the times I thought he was so strong, perhaps he really felt as lost and frightened as I do. Certainly he felt abandoned by his people. And we depended on him, whether he wanted us to or not. But he accepted it. He did what he believed was right.

And so must I.

Briskly, refusing to allow herself to think any further, Laurana lifted her head and beckoned for Silvara to come near.

Sturm paced the length of the crude cabin that had been given to them, unable to sleep. The dwarf lay stretched out on a bed, snoring loudly. Across the room, Ta.s.slehoff lay curled in a ball of misery, chained by his foot to the bedpost.

Sturm sighed. How much more trouble could they get into?

The evening had gone from bad to worse. After Laurana had fainted, it had been all Sturm could do to hold back the enraged dwarf. Flint vowed to tear Porthioslimb from limb. Derek stated that he considered himself to be a prisoner held by the enemy and, as such, it was his duty to try and escape; then he would bring the Knights down to recover the dragon orb by force. Derek was immediately escorted away by the guards. Just when Sturm got Flint calmed down, an elflord appeared out of nowhere and accused Ta.s.slehoff of stealing his purse.

Now they were being held under double guard, 'guests' of the Speaker of the Suns.

"Must you pace about like that?" Derek asked coldly.

"Why? Am I keeping you awake?" snapped Sturm.

"OE course not. Only fools could sleep under these circ.u.mstances. You're breaking my concen "Hsst!" Sturm said, raising his hand warningly.

Derek instantly fell silent. Sturm gestured. The older knight joined Sturm in the center of the room where he was staring up at the ceiling. The log house was rectangular, with one door, two windows, and a firepit in the center of the floor. A hole cut in the roof provided ventilation.

It was through this hole Sturm heard the odd sound that caught his attention. It was a shuffling, sc.r.a.ping sound. The wooden beams in the ceiling creaked as though something heavy was crawling over it.

"A wild beast of some sort;' Derek muttered. "And we're weaponless!"

"No;' Sturm said, listening closely. "It's not growling. It's moving too silently, as if it didn't want to be heard or seen. What are those guards doing out there?"

Derek went to the window and peered out. "Sitting around a fire. Two are asleep.

They're not overly concerned about us, are they?" he asked bitterly.

"Why should they be?" Sturm said, keeping his eyes on the ceiling. "There's a couple of thousand elves within the sound of a whisper. What the-'

Sturm fell back in alarm as the stars he had been watching through the hole were suddenly blotted out by a dark, shapeless ma.s.s. Sturm reached down swiftly and grabbed a lag from the smoldering fire, holding it by the end like a club.

"Sturm! Sturm Brightblade!" said the shapeless ma.s.s. Sturm stared, trying to remember the voice. It was familiar. Thoughts of Solace flooded his mind. "Theros!" he ,gasped. "Theros Ironfeld! What are you doing here? The last I saw you, you were lying near death in the elven kingdom!"

The huge blacksmith of Solace struggled down through the opening in the ceiling, bringing part of the roof with him. He landed heavily, waking the dwarf, who sat up and peered, blearyeyed, at the apparition in the center of the cabin.

"What-" the dwarf started up, fumbling for his battle-axe which was no longer by his side.

"Hush!" the smith commanded. "No time for questions. The Lady Laurana sent me to free you. We're to meet her in the woods beyond the camp. Make haste! We have only a few hours before dawn and we must be across the river by then:' Theros strode over to look at Ta.s.slehoff, who was trying without success to free himself. "Well, master thief, I see someone caught you at last:'

"I'm not a thief!" Tas said indignantly. "You know me better than that, Theros.

That purse was planted on me-"

The smith chuckled. Taking hold of the chain in his hands, he gave a sudden heave and it split apart. Ta.s.slehoff, however, did not even notice. He was staring at the smith's arms. One arm, the left, was a dusky black, the color of the smith's skin. But the other arm, the right, was bright, shining silver!

"Theros;' Tas said in a strangled voice. "Your arm-"

"Questions later, little thief;' the smith said sternly. "Now we move swift and now we move silent:"

"Across the river;' Flint moaned, shaking his head. "More boats. More boats. . .

"I want to see the Speaker;' Laurana told the guard at the door to her father's suite of rooms.

"It is late;' the guard said. "The Speaker is sleeping:"

Laurana drew back her hood. The guard bowed. "Forgive me, Princess. I did not recognize you:" He glanced at Silvara suspiciously. "Who is that with you?"

"My maid. I would not travel at night by myself:"

"No, of course not;" the guard said hurriedly as he opened the door. "Go ahead.

His sleeping room is the third one down the hall on your right:"

"Thank you;" Laurana answered and brushed past the guard. Silvara, m.u.f.fled in a voluminous cape, swept softly after her.

"The chest is in his room, at the foot of his bed;" Laurana whispered to Silvara. "Are you sure you can carry the dragon orb? It is big and very heavy."

"It's not that big;" Silvara murmured, staring perplexed at Laurana. "Only about so-"She made a gesture with her hands roughly the shape of a child's ball.

"No;" Laurana said, frowning. "You have not have seen it. It is nearly two feet in diameter. That's why I had you wear that long cape:'

Silvara stared at her in wonder. Laurana shrugged. "Well, we can't stand here arguing. We'll figure something out when the time comes:'

The two crept down the hallway, silently as kender, until they came to the bedroom.

Holding her breath, fearing that even her heartbeat was too loud, Laurana pressed on the door. It opened with a creaking sound that made her grit her teeth. Next to her, Silvara shivered in fear. A figure in the bed stirred and turned over-her mother. Laurana saw her father, even in his sleep, put out his hand to pat her rea.s.suringly. Tears dimmed Laurana's eyes. Tightening her lips resolutely, she gripped Silvara's hand and slipped inside the room.

The chest stood at the end of her father's bed. It was locked, but the companions all carried a copy of the small silver key. Swiftly Laurana unlocked the chest, and lifted the lid. Then she nearly dropped it in her amazement. The dragon orb was there, still glowing with the soft white and blue light. But it wasn't the same orb! Or, if it was, it had shrunk! As Silvara said, it was now no more than the size of a child's playing ball! Laurana reached in to take it.

It was still heavy, but she could lift it easily. Gingerly grasping it, her hand shaking, she raised it from the box and handed it to Silvara. The Wilder elf immediately hid it beneath her cloak. Laurana picked up the wood shaft of the broken dragonlance, wondering, as she did so, why she bothered taking the broken old weapon.

I'll take it because the knight handed it to Sturm, she thought. He wanted him to have it.

At the bottom of the chest lay Tanis's sword, Wyrmslayer, given him by Kith- Kanan. Laurana looked from the sword to the dragonlance. I can't carry both, she thought, and started to put the lance back. But Silvara grabbed her.

"What are you doing?" Her mouth formed the words, her eyes flashed. "Take it!

Take it, toot"

Laurana stared at the girl in amazement. Then, hastily, she retrieved the lance, concealed it beneath her cloak, and carefully shut the chest, leaving the sword inside. Just as the lid left her cold fingers, her father rolled over in his bed, half-sitting up.

"What? Who is there?" he asked, starting to shake off has sleep in his alarm.

Laurana felt Silvara trembling and clutched the girl's hand rea.s.suringly, warning her to be silent.

"It is I, Father," she said in a faint voice. "Laurana. I-b wanted to-to tell you I am sorry, Father. And ( ask you to forgive me:"

"Ah, Laurana:" The Speaker lay back down on his pillows; closing his eyes. "I forgive you, my daughter. Now return to your bed. We'll talk in the morning:"

Laurana waited until his breathing became quiet and regular.

Then she led Silvara from the room, gripping the dragonlance firmly beneath her cloak.

"Who goes there?" softly called a human voice in elven.

"Who asks?" replied a clear elven voice.

"Gilthanas? Is that you?"

"Theros! My friend!" The young elflord stepped swiftly from the shadows to embrace the human blacksmith. For a moment Gilthanas was so overcome he could not speak. Then, startled, he pushed back from the smith's bearlike hug.

"Theros! You have two arms! But the draconians in Solace cut off your right arm l You would have died, if Goldmoon hadn't healed you:"

"Do you remember what that pig of a Fewmaster told me?" Theros asked in his rich, deep voice, whispering softly. "'The only way you'll get a new arm, smith, is to forge it yourself!' Well, I did just that! The story of my adventures to find the Silver Arm I wear now is a long one-"

"And not for telling now;' grumbled another voice behind him. "Unless you want to ask a couple of thousand elves to hear it with us:"

"So you managed to escape, Gilthanas," said Derek's voice out of the shadows.

"Did you bring the dragon orb?"

"I did not escape;" Gilthanas returned coldly. "I left my father's house to accompany my sister and Sil-her maidthrough the darkness. Taking the orb is my sister's idea, not mine. There is still time to reconsider this madness, Laurana:" Gilthanas turned to her. "Return the orb. Don't let Porthios's hasty words drive away your common sense. If we keep the orb here, we can use it to defend our people. We can find out how it works, we have magic-users among us:"

"Let's just turn ourselves over to the guards now! Then we can get some sleep where it's warm!" Flint's words came out in explosive puffs of frost.

"Either sound the alarm now, elf, or let us go. At least give us time before you betray us;' Derek said.

"I have no intention of betraying you;' Gilthanas stated angrily. Ignoring the others, he turned once more to his sister. "Laurana?"

"I am determined on this course of action;' she answered slowly. "I have thought about it and I believe we are doing the right thing. So does Elistan. Silvara will guide us through the mountains-" "I, too, know the mountains;' Theros spoke up. "I have had little to do here but wander them. And you'll need me to get you past the guards:"