Flint had reluctantly, and only after much persuasion, revealed the presence of the village. He refused to say how he knew about it, but Tanis suspected that this was where the old dwarf had been captured by gully dwarves a few years before and imprisoned, the details of which harrowing ordeal Flint never discussed.

Riverwind indicated a rolled-up map tucked in his belt. He had drawn the map last night in consultation with Flint and one of Ta.s.slehoff"s maps.

"I know where the village is located," said Riverwind. "It is on the other side of the mountains, and as of now, we have no way of crossing those mountains."

"There"s a pa.s.s," Flint said stolidly.

"You keep saying that, but my people have scouted the area and they can"t find any sign of one."

"Are your people dwarves? When they are, come talk to me," Flint grunted. He carried both a battle-axe and a pick-axe in a harness on his back. He adjusted these more comfortably then glowered at Tanis. "If we"re going, we should be going, not standing around here palavering."

"We"ll be off, then. We"ll blaze a trail for you to follow if you have to. I hope you-"

He halted in mid sentence, a shiver of fear clenching his gut. His flesh crawled, and the hair on the back of his neck p.r.i.c.kled. The old wives would have said someone was walking across his grave. Goldmoon had gone pale and Riverwind"s breath came fast, his hands clenched. Flint whipped out his axe, searching for the foe, but the feeling pa.s.sed, and no enemy appeared.

"Dragons," said Flint grimly.

"They are up there," Goldmoon said, shivering and hugging her cloak close around her, "watching us."

Riverwind stood with his head tilted back, searching the skies. Tanis joined him, but neither could see anything in the pale blue dawn. Both looked at each other and acknowledged the truth.

"Whether we see them or not, they"re up there. Make the people ready, Riverwind. If trouble does come, you won"t have much time to escape."

Tanis stood a moment more, searching for some word of hope or comfort. He couldn"t find any to give. Hefting his pack, he and the dwarf started off down the path.

Flint paused to shout back over his shoulder. "Bring pick-axes!"

"Pick-axes!" Riverwind repeated, frowning. "Does he mean for us to hack our way through the mountains? I don"t like this. I begin to think I made the wrong decision. Our people should have gone off on their own."

"Your reasons for making this decision were sound, my husband. Not even the Que-Kiri warriors challenged you when you told them your decision. They are sensible enough to realize that there is safety in numbers. Do not start second guessing yourself. The chieftain who looks behind while he walks forward will stumble and fall. That is what my father always said."

"d.a.m.n your father!" Riverwind said angrily. "His decisions were not always right! He was the one who ordered the people to stone me, or have you forgotten that, Chieftain"s Daughter?"

He stalked off, leaving Goldmoon to stare after him in astonishment.

"He didn"t mean it," said Laurana, coming up the hillside to stand beside her. "Sorry, I couldn"t help overhearing. He is worried, that is all. He bears a great responsibility."

"1 know." Goldmoon sighed bleakly. "I am no help, I fear. He is right. I should not keep comparing him to my father. I meant to offer advice; that is all. My father was a wise man and a good chief. He made a mistake, but it was because he did not understand." know." Goldmoon sighed bleakly. "I am no help, I fear. He is right. I should not keep comparing him to my father. I meant to offer advice; that is all. My father was a wise man and a good chief. He made a mistake, but it was because he did not understand."

She looked after her husband and sighed again. "I love him so much, yet it seems I hurt him more than I would hurt my worst enemy."

"Love gives us a power to hurt that hate cannot match," Laurana said softly.

She looked after Flint and Tanis, who were shapeless forms in the gray dawn, descending into the valley.

"Did you come to say good-bye to Tanis?" Goldmoon asked, seeing the young woman watching them.

"I thought he might want to say good-bye to me," Laurana replied. "I waited, but he didn"t come." She shrugged. "Apparently he doesn"t care."

"He does, Laurana," said Goldmoon. "I"ve seen the way he looks at you. It"s just..." She hesitated.

"I can"t compete with a memory of a rival," Laurana bitterly. "Kitiara will always be perfect to him. Her kisses will always taste sweeter. She is not here to say or do the wrong thing. I cannot win."

Goldmoon was struck by what Laurana had said. Competing with a memory. That was what she was forcing Riverwind to do. Small wonder he resented it. She went to find him to make her apology, which, since they were newlyweds, she knew her tender "I am sorry" would be well received.

Laurana stood looking after Tanis.

"Hullo, Tika!" Tas shoved open the screen to the cave and bounded inside, remembering at the last moment to knock. "Did you go shivery all over just a few moments ago? I did. It was a dragon! I thought I"d better hurry over to protect you! Ouch!" he said loudly, tumbling over a lump in the darkness.

"Tika?" Tas reached out his hand. "Is that lump you?"

"Yes, it"s me." She didn"t sound pleased about it.

"What are you doing sitting in the dark?"

"Thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"That Caramon Majere is the biggest numbskull in the whole wide world." There was a pause, then she said, "He went to Skullcap with his brother, didn"t he?"

"I guess so. Tanis said he did."

Tika glared at him. "I sent Sturm to Tanis to stop him from going! Why didn"t he?"

"Tanis thinks there might be something important in Skullcap. I don"t know about Sturm," Tas said, settling himself in the darkness beside Tika. He sighed longingly. "Skullcap. Doesn"t that sound like a perfectly wonderful place to you?"

"It sounds horrid. It"s a trap," said Tika.

"A trap? Now I wish I"d gone! I love traps!" Tas was disconsolate.

"Not those kind of traps," Tika said scornfully. "I mean Raistlin"s leading Caramon into a trap. I"ve been up all night thinking through it. Raistlin"s going because of that awful old dead wizard, that Fistandoodle or whatever his name is. Caramon told me all about him and about that wicked book of his-the book Raistlin sneaked out of Xak Tsaroth. That wizard was an evil man, and that place is an evil place. Raistlin knows that and he doesn"t care. He"s going to get Caramon killed."

"An evil place that belonged to an evil wizard, and it"s filled with traps!" Tas sighed longingly. "If I hadn"t given Tanis my solemn promise that I"d stay here to protect you, Tika, I"d go there in a minute."

"Protect me!" Tika was indignant. "You don"t need to protect me. No one does. Caramon"s the one who needs protecting. He"s got about as much sense as a goatsucker bird. He has to be warned about that brother of his. Tanis won"t do it, so I guess it"s up to me."

Tika threw off the blanket she"d had draped over her shoulders. The cave was growing lighter by the minute, and Tas could now see that she was dressed for travel in men"s trousers and a man"s shirt and a leather vest that Tas thought looked rather like one that Flint had once owned. Tas remembered the dwarf complaining about it being missing. He"d actually accused the kender of walking off with it!

Tika"s sword that she didn"t know how to use very well lay on the table, next to her shield, which she did did know how to use, though not in quite the way the shield"s maker had intended. The shield had a dent in it from where she"d bashed a draconian over the head. know how to use, though not in quite the way the shield"s maker had intended. The shield had a dent in it from where she"d bashed a draconian over the head.

Tas leapt up in excitement. "Tanis made me promise solemnly that I"d protect you, so if you go to Skullcap, then I have to go with you!"

"I"m not going to Skullcap. I"m going to find Caramon and keep him from going. I plan to talk some sense into him."

Tas offered his opinion. "I think it might be easier to fight an evil wizard in Skullcap than talk sense into Caramon."

"You"re probably right. But I have to try." Tika picked up the sword, intending to buckle it around her waist. "Have they been gone long?"

"Since before dawn, but Raistlin walks pretty slowly. We can catch up-"

"Shush!" Tika cautioned.

Someone was outside the screen. Sunlight glinted on blonde hair.

"Laurana!" Tika groaned softly and hurriedly laid the sword back on the table. "Not a word, Tas! She"ll try to stop us!"

"You"re awake!" Laurana said, entering the cave. She stopped to stare in amazement at Tika"s garb. "Why are you dressed like that?"

"I... uh... am going to wash my clothes," said Tika. "All my clothes."

"Were you going to wash your sword, too?" asked Laurana, teasing.

Tika was spared the need to tell another lie, for Laurana kept on talking. "You"re in luck. You"ll have company. Maritta has deemed this laundry day. All the women are going to take their clothes and bedding down to the stream. Tas, you can help. Grab those blankets..."

Tas flashed Tika an agonized glance.

Tika shrugged, helpless. She couldn"t think of any way out of this.

Tas, staggering beneath a mound of blankets, was leaving the cave when Tika grabbed hold of him. "We"ll sneak away when the women go to lunch," she whispered. "Watch me! When I signal, you come running!"

"Don"t worry about getting a late start," Tas whispered. "Caramon"s big feet will be easy to track, and Raistlin walks really, really slow."

Tika trudged after Tas and Laurana down to the stream. She could only hope the kender was right.

Chapter 7.

Dray-yan"s plan. Grag"s opinion of it.

Dray-yan sat at the large obsidian table in the late Lord Verminaard"s chambers and drank the last of his lordship"s elven wine. The aurak made a mental note to order the com-mander charged with battling the elves to send him another barrel. As he sipped the wine, Dray-yan reviewed the events of the past several days, judging how they would affect his future plans. The aurak draconian was pleased with how some things had turned out, not so pleased with others.

The red dragons dispatched to Pax Tharkas by Her Dark Majesty had, as expected, seen through Dray-yan"s illusion of Verminaard. Insulted at the idea of being ordered about by draconians, whom the dragons called disparagingly "rotten egg yolk," the dragons had been on the verge of leaving.

Commander Grag took his prayers and plans to Queen Takhisis. She had graciously listened to him, and pleased with his ideas, she commanded the reds to remain in Pax Tharkas and to go along with Dray-yan"s schemes, at least for the time being. Grag informed Dray-yan that the queen was backing him only because she had no other commander she could spare to run the Red Dragonarmy. Dray-yan"s command was temporary. With success, it might become permanent.

Using the reluctant and grumbling help of the red dragons, Grag was able at last to reopen the pa.s.s blocked by the rock fall. Draconian troops marched into Pax Tharkas, though not in great numbers. The Red Dragonarmy was stretched thin. There were enough draconians to man the fortress, but not enough to use to work in the iron mines. Commanders in the field were desperate for weapons and armor. Steel was a more valuable commodity than gold. Dray-yan had to either regain his labor force or find new venues. He decided to do both.

Grag dispatched troops after the refugees. They picked up the trail immediately and followed it to a pa.s.s blocked by an avalanche and further blocked by new snow fall.

The reds declared that clearing this pa.s.s would be extremely difficult. Further, they made it clear to Dray-yan that clearing pa.s.ses was tedious, boring, and unprofitable. In other parts of Ansalon, dragons were burning cities and raiding villages, not picking up rocks. The reds would not clear the pa.s.s, and if he did not come up with some sort of interesting and agreeable work for them, they were going to go elsewhere.

Dray-yan considered asking Takhisis to again intercede with the dragons, but he could not stomach the thought of once more crawling to his queen begging for help. Takhisis did not like whiners, and her supply of favors was limited. She liked commanders who took the initiative and went ahead with their own plans and ideas, leaving her free to move on with her own schemes.

Dray-yan dropped the idea of marching his army through the pa.s.s. He conceived another idea, one that he hoped would win him recognition and praise from the Dark Queen.

Dray-yan did his own reconnaissance in the guise of Lord Verminaard and discovered where the refugees were hiding. He had the pleasure of seeing them run panic-stricken before him like sheep. He could only imagine their dismay as they witnessed the return of the man they"d thought they"d killed.

Having flown over the area, Dray-yan was satisfied that his plan would work. His idea would require him to do a good deal of persuading, but he hoped the dragons might find it diverting and would agree to go along with it. He was less certain how Commander Grag would feel about it.

No time like the present to find out.

Dray-yan sent a messenger ordering Grag to attend him. Rather, Lord Verminaard sent the messenger. Dray-yan found it exhausting keeping up the charade, which required that he use his illusion magic every time he wanted to stick his head out the door and shout for a minion. He looked forward to the day when he could bury Verminaard once and for all. Hopefully, if this plan worked, that day would not be long in coming.

Grag arrived and was invited to partake of the wine. The commander refused, stating he was on duty.

"What do the blue dragon scouts report?" Dray-yan asked.

"One flew over the valley this morning at about dawn. The humans remain in the caves," Grag replied. "They appear to be planning to stay there for the winter, for the dragon saw no signs of any preparations being made to leave."

"Why should they leave?" Dray-yan asked with a shrug. "They do not think we can come through the pa.s.s."

"They"re right. We can"t," said Grag grimly.

"True, but there is more than one way to skin a human. I have a plan."

Dray-yan explained his idea.

Grag listened. First he was incredulous and stared at Dray-yan as though he"d gone mad. As Dray-yan elaborated, however, patiently explaining how this could be done, Grag began to realize that the aurak might be right. This could could be done! The plan was daring, bold and dangerous but not impossible. be done! The plan was daring, bold and dangerous but not impossible.

"What do you think?" Dray-yan asked finally.

"The reds must be convinced."

"I will undertake to speak with them myself. I believe they will agree."

Grag thought so too. "My troops will need to time to train."

Dray-yan eyed him, frowning. He hadn"t counted on this.

"Is that necessary?"

"Consider what you are asking them to do, yes!" Grag returned heatedly.

Dray-yan considered, before waving a clawed hand in resignation. "Very well. How long?"

"A month."

Dray-yan snorted. "Out of the question."

"The humans are not going anywhere."