Dragons of the Autumn Twilight - Margaret Weis [23]
“Where’s the kender?” Flint grumbled as they plunged through the forest.
“Tas is meeting us at the lake,” Tanis replied.
“Lake?” Flint’s eyes grew wide in alarm. “What lake?”
“There’s only one lake around here, Flint,” Tanis said, trying hard not to smile at Sturm. “Come on. We’d better keep going.” His elvensight showed him the broad red outline of Caramon and the slighter red shape of his brother disappearing into the thick woods ahead.
“I thought we were just going to lie low in the woods for a while.” Flint shoved his way past Sturm to complain to Tanis.
“We’re going by boat.” Tanis moved forward.
“Nope!” Flint growled. “I’m not getting in any boat!”
“That accident happened ten years ago!” Tanis said, exasperated. “Look, I’ll make Caramon sit still.”
“Absolutely not!” the dwarf said flatly. “No boats. I took a vow.”
“Tanis,” Sturm’s voice whispered behind him. “Lights.”
“Blast!” The half-elf stopped and turned. He had to wait a moment before catching sight of lights glittering through the trees. The search had spread beyond Solace. He hurried to catch up with Caramon, Raistlin, and the Plainsmen.
“Lights!” he called out in a piercing whisper. Caramon looked back and swore. Riverwind raised his hand in acknowledgment. “I’m afraid we’re going to have to move faster, Caramon—” Tanis began.
“We’ll make it,” the big man said, unperturbed. He was supporting his brother now, his arm around Raistlin’s thin body, practically carrying him. Raistlin coughed softly, but he was moving. Sturm caught up with Tanis. As they forced their way through the brush, they could hear Flint, puffing along behind, muttering angrily to himself.
“He won’t come, Tanis,” Sturm said. “Flint’s been in mortal fear of boats ever since Caramon almost accidentally drowned him that time. You weren’t there. You didn’t see him after we hauled him out.”
“He’ll come,” Tanis said, breathing hard. “He can’t let us youngsters go off into danger without him.”
Sturm shook his head, unconvinced.
Tanis looked back again. He saw no lights, but he knew they were too deep in the forest now to see them. Fewmaster Toede may not have impressed anybody with his brains, but it wouldn’t take much intelligence to figure out that the group might take to the water. Tanis stopped abruptly to keep from bumping into someone. “What is it?” he whispered.
“We’re here,” Caramon answered. Tanis breathed a sigh of relief as he stared out across the dark expanse of Crystalmir Lake. The wind whipped the water into frothy whitecaps.
“Where’s Tas?” He kept his voice low.
“There, I think.” Caramon pointed at a dark object floating close to shore. Tanis could barely make out the warm red outline of the kender sitting in a large boat.
The stars gleamed with icy brightness in the blue-black sky. The red moon, Lunitari, was rising like a bloody fingernail from the water. Its partner in the night sky, Solinari, had already risen, marking the lake with molten silver.
“What wonderful targets we’re going to make!” Sturm said irritably.
Tanis could see Tasslehoff turning this way and that, searching for them. The half-elf reached down, fumbling for a rock in the darkness. Finding one, he lobbed it into the water. It splashed just a few yards ahead of the boat. Tas, reacting to Tanis’s signal, propelled the boat to shore.
“You’re going to put all of us in one boat!” Flint said in horror. “You’re mad, half-elf!”
“It’s a big boat,” Tanis said.
“No! I won’t go. If it were one of the legendary white-winged boats of Tarsis, I still wouldn’t go! I’d rather take my chances with the Theocrat!”
Tanis ignored the fuming dwarf and motioned to Sturm. “Get everyone loaded up. We’ll be along in a moment.”
“Don’t take too long,” Sturm warned. “Listen.”
“I can hear,” Tanis said grimly. “Go on.”
“What are those sounds?” Goldmoon asked the knight as he came