Part 45 (1/2)
”Then, Lord Gunthar,” the Speaker said, ''the elves declare that-from this time on-we are at war!”
Humans and elves bath headed for the dragon orb that sat upon its golden stand, its milky white insides swirling gently within the crystal. Gunthar shouted For order time and again, banging the hilt of his sward upon the table. The Speaker spoke a ie4v words sharply in elven, staring hard at his son, Porthios, and finally order was restored.
)3u t the atmosphere snapped I_ke the air before a storm. Gunklrar talked. The Speaker answered'. The Speaker talked. Gunthar answered. The dark-skinned mariner lost his temper and made a few cutting remarks about elves. The lord of the Silvanesti reduced him to quivering anger with his sarcastic rejoinders. Several of the knights left, only to return armed to the teeth. They came to stand near Gunthar, their hands on their weapons. The elves, led by Porthios, rose to surround their own leaders. Gnosh, his report held fast in his hand, began to realize he warn”t going to be asked to give it.
Ta.s.slehoff looked around despairingly for Elistan. He kept hoping desperately the cleric would come. Elistan could calm these people down. Or maybe Laurana.
Where was sheT There'd been no ward of his friends, the elves had told the kender coldly. She and her brother had apparently vanished in the wilderness. l shouldn't lave left them, Tas thought. l shouldn't be here. Why, why did this crazy old mage bring me7 I'm useless! Maybe Fizban could do something? Tas looked at the mage hopefully, but Fizban was sound asleep!
”Please, wake up!” Tas begged, shaking him. ”Somebody's got to do something!”
At that moment, he heard Lord Gunthar yell, ”The dragon orb is not yours by right! Lady Laurana and the others were bringing it to us when they were s.h.i.+pwrecked! You tried to keep it on Ergoth by force, and your own daughter-”
”,Mention not my daughter!” the Speaker said in a deep, . harsh voice. ”I do not have a daughter:'
Something broke within Ta.s.slehoff. Confused memories of Laurana fighting desperately against the evil wizard whoj guarded the orb, Laurana battling draconians, Laurana tiring her bow at the white dragon;.
Laurana ministering to him sari tenderly when bed been near death. To be cast off by her owl people when she was working so desperately to save them,~ when she had sacrificed so much ...
”Stop this!” Ta.s.slehoff heard himself yelling at the top of his voice. ”Stop this right now and listen to me!” ~ Suddenly he saw, to his astonishment, that everrjone haac stopped talking and was staring at him.
Now that he had his audience, Tas realized he didn.'t ha ^ any idea what to say to all of these important pecVie.But knew he had to say something. After all, he thought, this is fault-I read about these d.a.m.n orbs.. Gulping, he slid off ~~'
bench and walked toward the Whitestone and the two host' groups cl.u.s.tered around it. He thought he saw-out of the corner of his eye-Fizban grinning from under his hat.
”I-I . . .” The kender stammered, wondering what to say. He was saved by a sudden inspiration.
”I demand the right to represent my people;' Ta.s.slehoff said proudly, ”and take my place on the advisory council:'
Flipping his ta.s.sle of brown hair over his shoulder, the kender came to stand right in front of the dragon orb. Looking up, he could see the Whitestone towering over it and over him. Tas stared at the stone, s.h.i.+vering, then quickly turned his gaze from the rock to Gunthar and the Speaker of the Suns.
And then Ta.s.slehoff knew what he had to do. He began to shake with fear. He- Ta.s.slehoff Burrfoot-who'd never been afraid of anything in his life! He'd faced dragons without tremb;ing, but the knowledge of what he was going to do now appalled him. His hands felt as if he'd been making s...o...b..a.l.l.s without gloves on.
His tongue seemed to belong in some larger person”s mouth. But Tas was resolute.
He just had to keep them talking, keep them from guessing what he planned.
”You've never taken us kenders very seriously; you know,” Tas began, his voice sounding too loud and shrill in his own ears, ”and I can't say I blame you much.
We don't have a strong sense of responsibility, I guess, and we are probably too curious for own goad-but, I ask you, how are you going to find out anything if you're not curious?”
Tas could see the ;Speaker's face turn to steel, even Lord Gunthar was scowling.
The kender edged nearer the dragon orb.
”4Ire cause lots of trouble, I suppose, without meaning to, and occasionally some of us do happen to acquire certain things which aren't ours. But one thing the kender know is-' Ta.s.slehoff broke into a run. Quick and lithe as a mouse, he sipped easily through the hands that tried to catch him, reaching the dragon orb within a matter of seconds. Faces blurred ar ound hinn, mouths opened, shrieking and yelling at him. But they were too late.
Ir, one swift srnocth movement, Ta.s.slehoff hurled the dragon ors at the huge, gleaming Whitestone.
The round, gleaming crystal-its insides swirling in a3itation-hung sus~emded in the air for long, long seconds. Tas wondered if the orb had the power to halt its flight. But it DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES.
was just a fevered impression in the kender's mind.
The dragon orb struck the rock and shattered, bursting into a thousand sparkling pieces. For an instant, a ball of milky white smoke hung in the air, as if trying desperately to hold itself together. Then the warm, springlikebreeze of the glade caught it and swept it apart.
There was intense, awful silence.
'She kender stood, looking calmly down at the shattered dragon orb.
”We know;” he said in a small voice that dropped into the dreadful silence like a tiny drop of rain, ”we should be fighting dragons. Not each other.”
No one moved. No one spoke- Then there was a thump.
Gnoeh had fainted.
The silence broke-almost as shattering as the breaking of the orb. Lord Gunthar and the Speaker bath lunged at Tas. One caught hold of the kender's left shoulder, one his .right.
”What have you done?” Lord Gunthar's :ace was livid, his; eyes wild as he gripped the kender with trembling hands.
”Yore have brought death upon us all!” The Speaker's finget bit into Tas's flesh like the claws of a predatory bird. ”You haves5 destroyed our only hope!”
”And for that, he himself will be the first to die!”
I3nrthios-tall, grim-faced el5lord-loomed above the cow Bring kender, his sword glistening in his hand. The lend stood his ground between the elven king .and the knight, ' small face pale, his expression. defiant. He had known when commited his crime ahat death would be the penalty.
Tanis will be unhappy over what I've done” Tas than sadly. But at least he''II hear that I died bravely.
”Now, now, now. . :” said a sleepy voice. ”No ones going t die! At least not at this moment. Quit waving that swo around, Porthios! Someone lI get hurt:”
Tas peered out from under a heaving sea of arms and s.h.i.+n arrnar to see Fizban, yawning, step over the inert body of gnam.e and totter toward them. Elves and humans made Ecr [-,:m. to pa.s.s, as if compelled to do so by an unseen force Porthios whirled to face Fizban, so angry that saliva bubbl or, his lips and his speech was nearly incoherent.
”Beware, old man, or you will share in the punishment['
”I said quit waving that sword around;” Fizban snapped irritably, wiggling a finger at the sword.
Parthios dropped his weapon with a wild cry. Clutching his stinging, burning hand, he stared down at the sword in astonishment-the hilt had grown thorns!
Fizban came to stand next to the elflord and regarded him angrily.
”You're a fine young man, but you should have been taught some respect for your elders. I said to put that sword down and I meant it! Maybe you'll believe me next time!” Fizban's baleful gaze switched to the Speaker. ”And you, Solostaran, were a good man about two hundred years ago. Managed to raise three fine children-three fine children, I said. Don't give me any of this nonsense about not having a daughter. You have one, and a fine girl she is. More sense than her father. Must take after her mother's side. Where was I? Oh, yes. you brought up Tanis Half-Elven, too. You know, Solastaran, between the four of these young people, we might save this world get.
”Now I want everyone to take his seat. Yes, you, too, Lord Gunthar. Come along, Solostaran, I'll help. We old men have to stick together. Tao bad you're such a d.a.m.n fool:”
Muttering into his beard, Fizban led the astounded Speaker :a his chair.
Porthios, his face twisted inpain, stumbled back to his seat with the help of his warriors.