Dwarven Nations - Hammer And Axe Part 13

"If not?" she prompted, her face pale.

"Well, a few have been known to waken on their own funeral pyres;" Raistlin said coolly. "I don't believe that is likely to happen to us, however:"

Breathing more easily, he sat down, ducking involuntarily as a spent arrow .fluttered overhead and fell to the floor behind him. He saw Laurana's hand tremble then and realized she was not as calm as she was (arcing herself to appear.

"Are you intending that we take this?" sere asked.

"It will save us from being tortured by draconians."

"Haw do you know that?"

"Trust me;' the mage said with a slight smile.

Laurana glanced at him and s.h.i.+vered. Absently, she wiped blood-stained fingers on her leather armor. The blood did not come off, but she didn't notice. An arrow thudded next to her. She didn't even start, just stared at it dully.

Caramon appeared, stumbling out of the smoke of the burning common room. He was bleeding from an arrow wound in the shoulder, his own red blood mingling oddly with the green blood of his enemy.

"They're breaking down the front door;" he said, breathing heavily. "Riverwind ordered us back here:"

"Listen!" Raistlin warned. "That's not the only place they"re breaking in!"

There was a splintering crash at the door Leading from the kitchen to the back alley.

Ready to defend themselves, Caramon and Laurana whirled gust as the door shattered. A tall, dark figure entered.

"Tanis!" Laurana cried. Sheathing her weapon, she ran toward him.

"Laurana!" he breathed. Catching her in his arms, he held her close, nearly sobbing in his relief. Then Caramon flung his huge arms around both of them.

"How is everyone?" Tanis asked, when he could talk.

"So far, so good;" Caramon said, peering behind Tanis, His face fell when he saw he was alone. "Where's-"

"Sturm's lost;" Tanis said wearily. "Flint and Tas are across the street. The kender's pinned under a beam. Gilthanas is about two blocks away. He's hurt;"

Tanis told Laurana, "not badly, but he couldn't make it any farther:"

"Welcome, Tanis," Raistlin whispered, coughing. "You have come in time to die with us:"

Tanis looked at the pitcher, saw the black pouch lying near it, and stared at Raistlin in sudden shock.

"No;' he said firmly. "We're not going to die. At least not like th-" he broke off abruptly. "Get everyone together:"

Caramon lumbered off, yelling at the top of his lungs. Riverwind ran in from the common room where he had been firing the enemy's arrows back at them, his own having non cut long ago. The others followed him, smiling hopefully at Tanis.

The sight of their faith in him infuriated the half-elf. Someday, he thought, I'm going to fail them. Maybe I already have. He shook his head angrily.

"Listen!" he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the noise of the draconians outside. "We can try and escape out the back! Only a small force is attacking the Inn. The main part of the army isn't in the city yet:"

"Somebody's after us," Raistlin murmured.

Tanis nodded. "So it would appear. We haven't much time. If we can make it into the hills-"

He suddenly fell silent, raising his head. They all fell silent, listening, recognizing the shrill scream, the creak of giant leather wings, coming nearer and nearer.

"Take cover!" River-wind yelled. But it was too late.

There was a screaming whine and a boom. The Inn, three stories tall and built of stone and wood, shook as if it were made of sand and sticks. The air exploded with dust and debris. Flames erupted outside. Above them, they could hear the sound of wood splitting and breaking, the thud of falling timber. The building began to collapse in on itself.

The companions watched in stunned fascination-paralyzed by the sight of the gigantic ceiling beams shuddering beneath the strain as the roof caved in onto the upper floors.

"Get out!" Tanis shouted. "The whole place is-"

The beam directly above the half-elf gave a great groan, then split and cracked.

Gripping Laurana around the waist, Tanis flung her as far from him as he could and saw Elistan, standing near the front of the Inn, catch her in his arms.

As the huge beam above Tanis gave way with a shuddering snap, he heard the mope shriek strange words. Then he was falling, falling into blackness.-and it seemed that the world fell on top of him.

Sturm rounded a corner to see the Inn of the Red Dragon collapse in a cloud of flame and smoke as a dragon soared in the sky above it. The knight's heart beat wildly with grief and fear.

He ducked into a doorway, hiding in the shadows as same draconians pa.s.sed him- laughing and talking in their cold, guttural language. Apparently they a.s.sumed this job was finished and were seeking other amus.e.m.e.nt. Three others,, he noticed-dressed in blue uniforms, not red-appeared extremely upset at the Inn's -destruction, shaking their fist at: the red Dragon -overhead.

Sturm felt the weakness of despair sweep over him. He "Tanis?"

sagged against the door, watching the draconians dully, won- "Yes. He came through the back door, just before the dragon dering what to do next. Were they all still in there? Perhaps. .h.i.t the Inn. They were all together, in the very center. I was they had escaped. Then his heart gave a painful bound. He saw standing beneath a doorway. Tanis saw the beam breaking, He a flash of white. threw Laurana. I caught her, then the ceiling collapsed on top "Elistan!" he cried, watching the cleric emerge from the rub- of them. There's no way they could have-"

ble, dragging someone with him. The draconians, swords "I don't believe it!"

Flint said fiercely, leaping into the rubble.

drawn, ran toward the cleric, calling out in Common for him to Sturm grasped hold of him, yanked him back.

surrender. Sturm yelled the challenge of a Solamnic knight to "Where's Tas?"

the knight asked the dwarf sternly.

an enemy and ran out from his doorway. The draconians The dwarf's face fell.

"Pinned under a beam;' he said, his face whirled about, considerably disconcerted to see the knight. ( gray with grief and sorrow. He clutched at his hair wildly, Sturm became dimly aware that another figure was running knocking off his helm. "I've got to go back to him. But I can't with him. Glancing to his side, he saw the flash of firelight off a leave them- Caramon-" The dwarf began to cry, tears metal helm and heard the dwarf roaring. Then, from a door- streaming into his beard. "That big, dumb ox! I need him. He way, he heard words of magic. can't do this to me! And Tanis, too!" The dwarf swore. "d.a.m.n Gilthanas, unable to stand without help, had crawled out it, I need them!"

and was pointing at the draconians, reciting his spell. Flaming Sturm put his hand on Flint's shoulder. "Go back to Tas. He darts leaped from his hands. One of the creatures fell over, needs you now.

There are draconians roaming the streets. We'll clutching its burning chest. Flint leaped on another, beating it be all-"

oven the head with a rock, while Sturm felled the other dracon- ^, Laurana screamed, a terrifying, pitiful sound that pierced ion with a blow from his fists. Sturm caught Elistan in his arms r Sturm like a spear. Turning, he caught hold of her just as she as the man staggered forward. The cleric was carrying a started to rush into the debris.

woman. "Laurana!" he cried. "Look at that! Look at it!" He shook her "Laurana!" Gilthanas cried from the doorway. in his own anguish. "Nothing could be alive in there!'

Dazed and sick from the smoke, the elfmaid lifted her glazed ! "you don't know that!" she screamed at him in fury. tearing eyes. "Gilthanas?" she murmured. Then, looking up, she saw away from his grasp. Falling onto her hands and knees, she the knight. tried to lift one of the blackened stones. "Tanis!" she cried. The "Sturm;' she said confusedly, pointing behind her vaguely. stone was so heavy, she could only move it a few inches.

"Your sword, it's here. I saw it-" Sturm watched, heartsick, uncertain what to do. 'Then he Sure enough, Sturm saw a flash of silver, barely visible had his answer. Horns!

Nearer and nearer. Hundreds, thousands of horns beneath the rubble. His sword, and next to it was Tanis's. The armies were invading He looked at sword, the elven blade of Kith-Kanan. Moving aside piles of tan, who nodded in sorrowful understanding. Both men stone, Sturm reverently lifted the swords that lay like artifacts hurried over to Laurana.

within a hideous, gigantic cairn. The knight listened for move- "My dear;'

Elistan began gently; "there is nothing you can do ment, calls, cries. There was only a dreadful silence. for them. The living need you. Your brother is hurt, so is the "We've got to get out here;' he said slowly, without moving. kender. The draconians are invading. We must either escape He looked at Elistan, who was staring back at the wreckage, his now, and keep fighting these horrible monsters, or waste our fare deathly pale. "The others?" lives in useless grief. Tanis gave his life foe you, Laurara. Don't "They were all in there;' Elistan said in a trembling voice. let it be a needless sacrifice:'

"And the half-elf . . :' , Laurana stared up at him, her face black with soot and filth streaked with tears and blood. She heard the horns, she heard Gilthanas calling, she heard Flint shouting something about Ta.s.slehoff dying, she heard Elistan's words. And then the rain began, dripping from the skies as the heat of the dragonfire melted the snow, changing it to water.

The rain ran down her face, cooling her feverish skin.

"Help me, Sturm;' she whispered through lips almost too numb to shape the words.

He put his arm around her. She stood up, dizzy and sick with shock.

"Laurana!" her brother called. Elistan was right. The living needed her. She must go to him. Though she would rather lie down on this pile of rocks and die, she must go on. That was what Tanis would do. They needed her. She must go on.

"Farewell, Tanthalas;' she whispered.

The rain increased, pouring down gently, as if the G.o.ds themselves wept for Tarsis the Beautiful.

Water dripped on his head. It was irritating, cold. Raistlin tried to roll over, out of the way of the water. But he couldn't move. There was a heavy weight pressing down on tap of him. Panicking, he tried desperately to escape. As fear surged through his body, he came fully to consciousness. With knowledge, panic vanished. Raistlin was in control once more and, as he had been taught, he forced himself to relax and study the situation.