Dwarven Nations - Hammer And Axe Part 47

"It took all my strength to ,gain control of the orb; Raistlin replied, his eyes on the ceiling above his bed. "It will require much mare study before I learn how to use it."

"Study . . :' Tanis repeated. "Study of the orb?"

Raistlin flicked him a glance, then resumed staring at the ceiling. 'No," he replied. "The study of books,, written by the ancient ones who created the orb.

We must go to Palanthas, to the library of one Astinus, who resides there:'

Tanis was silent for a moment. He could hear the mage's ''breath rattle in his lungs as he struggled to draw breath.

What keeps him clinging to this life? Tanis wondered sillentlv.

It had snowed that morning, but now the snow had charged to rain. Tanis could hear it drumming on the wooden roof of the wagon. Heavy clouds drifted across the sky. Perhaps it was the gloom of the day, but as he looked at Raistlin, Tanis felt a chill creep through his body until the cold seemed to freeze his heart. "4Vas this what you meant, when you spoke of ancient spells?" Tanis asked.

"Of course. What else?" Raistlin paused, coughing, then asked, "When did I speak of . . .ancient spells?" ; "When we first found you;" Tanis answered, watching the mage closely. He noticed a crease in Raistlitis forehead and heard tension in his shattered voice.

"What did I say?"

"Nothing much;" Tanis replied warily. "Just something about ancient spells, spells that would soon be yours:"

"That was all?"

Tanis did not reply immediately. Raistlin's strange, hourgla.s.s . eyes focused on him coldly. The half-elf shivered and nodded. Raistlin turned his head away. His eyes closed. "I will sleep' now;" he said softly. "Remember, Tanis. Palanthas."

Tanis was forced to admit he wanted to go to Sancrist for~ purely selfish reasons. He hoped against hope that Laurana and Sturm and the others would be there. And it was where he hadi promised he would take the dragons...o...b.. But against this, 'n had to weigh Raistlin's steady insistence that they must go to'

the library of this Astinus to discover how to use the orb.

His mind was still in a quandary when they reached Flotsam Finally, he decided they would set about getting pa.s.sage on ship going north first and decide where to land later.

But when they reached Flotsam, they had a nasty shack's There were more draconians in that city than they had seen o their entire journey from Port B'alifor north. The streets werI~, crawling with heavily armed patrols, taking an intense interest in strangers. Fortunately, the companions had sold their wag before entering the town, so they were able to mingle with, crowds on the streets. But they hadn't been inside one -city gat, five minutes before they saw a draconian patrol arrest a 6umals for "questioning:'

This alarmed them, so they took rooms in the first inn they came to-a run-down place at the edge of town.

"How are we going to even get to the harbor, much less bwJ pa.s.sage on a ship?"

Caramon asked as they settled into they shabby rooms. "What's going on?"

"The innkeeper says a Dragon Highlord is in town. The dra, Ionians are searching far spies or something;" Tanis muttere uncomfortably. The companions exchanged glances.

"Maybe they're searching fcr us;" Caramon said.

"That's ridiculous!" Tanis answered quickly-too quickly.

"We're getting spooked. How could anyone know we're here? Or know what we carry2"

"I wonder-" Riverwind said grimly, glancing at Raistlin, The mage returned his glance coolly, not deigning to answer.

"Hot water For my drink;" he instructed Caramon.

"There's only one way I can think of;"

Tanis said, as Caramon brought his brother the water as ordered. "Caramon and I will go out tonight and waylay two of the draganarmy soldiers.

We'll steal their uniforms. Not the draconians-" he said hastily, as Caramon's brow wrinkled in disgust. "The human mercenaries. Then we can move around Flotsam freely:"

After same discussion, everyone agreed it was the only plan that seemed likely to work. The companions ate dinner without much appet.i.te-dining in their rooms rather than risk going into the common room.

"You'll be all right?" Caramon asked Raistlin uneasily when the two were alone in the room they shared.

"I am quite capable of taking care of myself;' Raistlin replied. Rising to his feet, he hadpicked up a spellboak to study, when a fit of coughing doubled him over.

Caramon reached out his hated, but Raistlin flinched away- "Be gone!" the mage gasped. "Leave me be!" Cararnon hesitated, then he sighed. "Sure,. Raist;' he said, and left the roam, shutting the door gently behind him.

Raistlin stood far a moment, trying to catch his breath. Then he moved slowly across the room, setting dawn the spellbook. W_th a trembling hand, he picked up one of the many sacks that Caramon had placed on the table beside his bed. Opening it, Raistlin carefully withdrew the dragon orb.

Tanis and Cararnon-the half-elf keeping his hood pulled lo,,v aver his face and ears-walked the streets of Flotsam, watching far two guards whose uniforms might fit them. This would have been relatively easy :Ear Tanis, but finding a guard whose armor fit the giant Cararnon was more difficult.

Whey both knew they had better find something .quickly. More than once, draconians looked them over suspiciously. Two draconians even flopped them, insisting roughly an knowing their business. Caramon replied in the crude mercenary dialect that they were seeking employment in the Dragon Highlord's army, and the draconians let them go. But both men knew it was only a matter of time before a patrol caught them.

"I wonder what's going on?" Tanis muttered worriedly.

"Maybe the war's heating up for the Highlords:' Caramon began. "There, look, Tanis. Going into that bar-"

"I see. Yeah, he's about your size. Duck into that alley. Well wait until they come out, then-"The half-elf made a motion of wringing a neck. Caramon nodded.

The two slipped through the filthy streets and vanished into the alley, hiding where they could keep on eye on the front door of the bar.

It was nearly, midnight. The moons would not rise tonight_'' The rain had ceased, but clouds still obscured the sky. The two men crouched in the alley were soon shivering, despite theiPl'' heavy cloaks. Rats skittered across their feet, making the~q cringe in the darkness. A drunken hobgoblin took a wrong t and lurched past them, falling headfirst into a pile of garbage, The hobgoblin did not get back up again and the sternch near ' made Tanis and Caramon sick, but they dared not leave t vantage point.

Then they heard welcome sounds-drunken laughter human voices speaking Common.

The two guards they been waiting for lurched out of the bar and staggered) tow them.

A tall iron brazier stood on the sidewalk, lighting the '

The mercenaries lurched into its light, giving Tanis a dose I at them. Both were officers in the dragonarmy, he sawn.

promoted, he guessed, which may have been what they celebrating. Their armor was shining new, relatively cleaQl, '

undented. It was good armor, too, he saw with satisfac'

Wade of blue steel, it was fashioned after the style of I-lighlords' ow-n dragon-scale armor. -: "Ready?" Caramon whispered. Tanis nodded. x Cararnon drew his sword. "Elven sc.u.m!" he roared ht deep, barrel-chested ba.s.s.

"I've found you out, and now y come with me to the Dragon Highlord, spy!"

'You'll never take me alive!" Tanis drew his own sword; x At the sound of their voices, the two officers staggered-, stop, peering bleary-eyed into the dark alley. .- The officers watched with growing interest as. Caraman.

Tanis made a few pa.s.ses at each other, maneuvering themselves into position.

When Caramon's back was to the officers and Tanis was facing them, the half-elf made a sudden move. Disarming Cararnon, he sent the warriors sword flying.

"Quick! Help me take him!" Caramon bellowed. "There's a reward out for him-dead or alive!"

The officers never hesitated. Fumbling drunkenly for their weapons, they headed for Tanis, their faces twisted into expressions of cruel pleasure. "That's it! Nail 'im!" Caramon urged, waiting until they were past him. Then-just as they raised their swords -Caramon"s huge hands encircled their necks. He slammed their heads toget)-er, and the bodies slumped to the ground.

"I-furry!" Tanis grunted. He dragged one body by the feet away from the light.

Caramon followed with the other. Quickly they began to strip off the armor.

"Phew! This one must have been half-troll;'

Cararnon said, waning his hand to clear the air of the foul smell.

"Quit complaining !" Tanis snapped, trying to figure out how the complex sgstem of buckles and straps worked. "At least you're used to wearing this stuff. Give me a hand with this, wiII our."

'Sure:' Caramon, grinning, helped to buckle Tanis into the armor "An elf in plate armor. What's the world coming to?"

"Sad times:' Tanis mutterer). "When are we supposed to meet that ship captain GrliLiam told you about?" "He said we could find her on board around daybreak:'

"The name's Maquesta Kar-thon;" said the woman, her expression co.3i and businesslike. "And-iet me guess-you're not officers in the dragonarmy, Not unless they're hiring elves these lows'

Tanis flushed, slowly drawing off the helm of the officer. "ls it that a"oviaus?'*

beard is very shrugged. "Probably not to anyone else. The ery good-perhaps I should say half-elf, of course. And the helm hides your ears. But unless you get a mask, those pretty, almond shaped eyes of yours are a dead give-away. But tern' na. many draconians are apt to look into your pretty eyes, are they.?^ Leaning back in her chair, she put a booted foot on a table, and regarded him coolly.

Tanis heard Caramon chuckle, and felt his skin burn.

They were on board the Perechon, sitting in the captain's cabin, across from the captain herself. Maquesta Kar-thon was one of the dark-skinned race living in Northern Ergoth. Her people had been sailors for centuries and, it was popularly believed, could speak the languages of seabirds and dolphins. Tanis found himself thinking of Theros Ironfeld as he looked at Maquesta. The woman's skin was shining black, her hair tightly curled and bound with a gold band around her forehead. Her eyes were brown and shining as her skin. But there was the glint of steel from the dagger at her belt, and the glint of steel in her eyes.

"We're here to discuss business, Captain Maque-" Tanis stumbled over the strange name.

"Sure you are;" the woman said. "And call me Maq. Easier for both of us. It's well you have this letter from Pig-faced William, or I wouldn't have even talked to you. But he says you're square and your money's good, so I'll listen. Nor, where're. you bound?" '

Tanis exchanged glances with Caramon. That was the ques-' tion. Besides, he wasn't certain he wanted either of their desti nations known. Palanthas was the capital city of Solamnla,~ while Sancrist was a well-known haven of the Knights.

'Oh, for the love of-" Maq snapped, seeing them hesitate. Her eyes flared.

Removing her foot from the table, she stared a them grimly. "You either trust me or you don't!"

"Should we?" Tanis asked bluntly.

Maq raised an eyebrow. "How much money do you have "Enough;" Tanis said. "Let's just say that we want to north, around the Cape of Nordmaar. If, at that point, we s ' find each other's company agreeable, we'll go on. If not, we pay you off, and you put us in a safe harbor: "Kalaman;' said Maq, settling back. She seemed amu "That's a safe harbor As safe as any these days. Half money now. Half at Kalaman. Any farther is negotiable:"

"Safe delivery to Kalaman" Tanis amended. "Who can promise?"' Maq shrugged. 'Ys a rough time year to travel by sea." She rose languidly, stretchinrz like a Caramon, :standing up quickly, stared at E.er .admiringly: "It's a deal;" she said. "Come on. I'll show you the ship:'

hlaq led them onto the deck. The ship seemed fit and trim as far as Tanis, who knew nothing about ships, could tell. Her voice and manner had been cold when they first talked to her, but when she showed them around her ship, she seemed to warm up. Tanis had seen the same expression, heard the same warm tones Maq used in talking about her ship that Tika used when talking about Caramon. The Perechon was obviously Maq's only love.

The ship was quiet, empty. Her crew was ash.o.r.e, along with her first mate, Maq explained. The only other person Tanis saw on board was a man sitting by himself, mending a sail. The man looked up as they pa.s.sed, and Tanis saw his eyes widen in alarm at the sight of the dragon armor.

"Nocesta, Berem;' Maq said to him soothingly as they pa.s.sed. She made a slashing motion with her hand, gesturing to Tanis and Caramon. "Nocesta. Customers.

Money."

The man nodded and went back to his work.

"Who is he?" Tanis asked Maq in a low voice as they walked toward her cabin once more to conclude their business.

"Who? Berem?" she asked, glancing around. "He's the helmsman. Don't know much about him, He came around a few months back, looking for work. Took him on as a deckswab. Then my helmsman was killed in a small altercation with- well, never mind. But this fellow turned out to be a d'amngood hand at the wheel, better than the first, in fact. He's an odd one, though. A mute. Never .speaks. Never goes ash.o.r.e, if he can help it. Wrote his name down for me in the ship's book, or I wouldr't have known that much about him. Why?" she asked, noticing Tanis studying the man intently.

Berem was tall, well-built. At first sight, one might guess him to be middle- aged, by human terms. His hair was gray; his face was clean-shaven, deeply tanned, and weathered from months spent on board ship. But his eyes were youthful, clear, and bright. The hands that held the needle were smooth andstrong, the hands of a young man. Elven blood, perhaps, Tanis thought, but if so at wasn't apparent in any of his features.

"I've seen him somewhere," Tanis murmured. "How about you: Cararnon? Do you remember him?"

"lash, come on;" sand the big warrior. "We've seen hundreds of people this past month, Tanis. He was probably in the audience at one of our shows."

"No." Tanis shook his head. "When I first saw him, I thought of Pax Tharkas and Sturm . . . ."

"Hey I got a lot of work to do, half-elf;' Maquesta said. "You coming or you gonna gawk at a guy st.i.tching a sail?" 3 She climbed down the hatch. Caramon followed clumsily,' III5 Sword and armor clanking. Reluctantly, Tanis went after them. But he tamed for one final look at the man-and caught the man regarding him with a strange, penetrating gaze.

"All right, you go back to the Inn with the others. I'll buy the..., supplies.

We sail when the ship's ready. Maquesta says about four days:"

I wish it was sooner;' muttered Caramon.

"So do I;" said Tanis grimly. "There's too d.a.m.n many dray ' ions around here.

But we've got to wait far the tide or such thing. Go back to the inn and keep everyone inside. T your brother tolay in a store of that herb stuff he drinksbe at sea a long time. I'll be back in a few hours, after I get ',' supplies:'

Tanis walked down the crowded streets of Flotsam, no giving him a second glance in his dragon armor. He would glad to, take it off. It was hot, heavy and itchy.

And he trouble remembering to return the salutes of draconians goblins. It was beginning to occur to him-as he saw respect his uniform commanded-that the humans they the uniforms from must have held a high rank. The tho was net comforting. Any moment now, someone might nize his armor.

But he couldn't do without it, he knew. There were draconians in the streets than ever today. The air of ternsi Flotsam was high. Most of the town's citizens were sta borne, and most of the shops were closed-with the ex of the taverns. In fact, as he pa.s.sed one closed shop another, Tanis began to worry about where he was buy supplies far the long, ocean voyage.

Tanis was musing on this problem as he stared into a shop window, when a hand suddenly wrapped around W., and yanked himn to the ground.

The fall knocked the breath from the half-elf's body. He struck his head heavily on the cobblestones and-for a moment-was groggy with pain. Instinctively he kicked out at whatever had him by the feet, but the hands that grasped him were strong. He felt himself being dragged into a dark alley.

Shaking his head to clear it, he strained to look at his captor. It was an elf!

His clothes filthy and torn, his elven features distorted by grief and hatred, the elf stood above him, a spear in his hand.

"Dragon man!" the elf snarled in Common. "Your foul kind slaughtered my family- my wife and my children! Murdered them in their beds, ignoring their pleas far mercy. This is for them!" The elf raised his spear.

"Steak! It mo dracosali! Tanis cried desperately in elven, struggling to gull off his helmet. But the elf, driven insane by grief, was beyond hearing or understanding. His spear plunged downward. Suddenly the elf's eyes grew wide, riveted in shock.

The spear fell from his nerveless fingers as a sword punctured him from behind.