Red Robe To Black
Raistlin Majere stared over the railing of the ship at the swirling waters of the Blood Sea of Istar. Around him were Tanis, Tika, Caramon, Riverwind, and Goldmoon. And of course, the crew of the ship. They were heading for the maelstrom. The maelstrom was a spinning blood-red whirlpool of death. Above them flew a blue dragon, with a rider. Raistlin had just seen the rider's face. His half-sister, Kitiara, flew on the dragon above them, ready to kill them all, her childhood friends and her half-brothers. Raistlin felt a coughing fit overcome him as his brother threw him to the deck, trying to protect him from the falling timber of the ship. What was the idiot doing, trying to squash him? He knew, although he was not looking, when the ship entered the spinning maelstrom, and he felt his heart constrict in the familiar fear of death. The coughing fit stopped, but another threatened to overcome him. He thought desperately how to save himself.
It is Tanis who led them into this mess, Raistlin thought. Let him get them out. But I can save myself. He reached into the pocket of his robes, feeling the familiar, comforting presence of the dragon orb in its nondescript sack. When Caramon got off him, he stood and used his staff for balance. He felt the warm of the staff go through him, and he calmed down enough to think rationally. He must use the orb to escape from certain death. The rest could help themselves. Raistlin did not want to risk himself for them. They had never liked him. The only one who ever had was Caramon, and Raistlin didn't even want to risk himself for his brother. The event in the Tower was not far from the front of his or his twin's mind these days. Caramon knew what Raistlin was capable of. Caramon understood, or thought he did. Raistlin, leaning upon his staff, headed down the stairs toward the captain's cabin. He withdrew the orb from its sack. It was the size of a marble, but as he looked at it, it grew bigger. Or was it he who grew smaller? A myriad colors swirled inside the orb, dizzyingly. Raistlin felt the presence of the spirits in the orb. He put his hands on the orb, and other hands reached for his. They tried to pull him down, down into deep darkness. But Raistlin had done this before. He took firm grip of the hands and kept himself afloat. The dragons inside the orb realized who he was. The hands ceased trying to pull him down. Then Raistlin heard footsteps on the stairs. He cursed and looked up. Caramon stood in the doorway, his face white as a corpse's, Tanis right behind him. Raistlin glared at them both angrily. Raistlin began to cough, clutching at his chest with one hand. Tanis tried to step toward him, but Raistlin raised his hand wardingly.
"Don't come near me, Tanis!" Raistlin wheezed.
"What are you doing?"
"I am fleeing certain death, Half-Elf!" He laughed sardonically.
"What do you think I am doing?"
"How?" Tanis asked, and Raistlin could see the fear in his eyes.
"By using my magic. And the magic of the orb. It is quite simple, really, though probably beyond your weak mind. I now have the power to harness the energy of my corporeal body and the energy of my spirit into one. I will become pure energy--light, if you want to think of it that way. And, becoming light, I can travel through the heavens like the rays of the sun, returning to this physical world whenever wherever I choose!"
Tanis regarded Raistlin in amazement.
"Can the orb do this for all of us?"
"Possibly," Raistlin said. "But I won't chance it. I know I can escape. The rest are not my concern. You got them into this blood-red death, Half-Elf. You get them out!"
Tanis's face flushed red. Raistlin, despite his cursed vision, saw the half-elf's features clearly, and they were contorted in rage.
"At least, your brother--was Tanis began.
"Noone." Raistlin said, narrowing his golden eyes.
"Stand back!"
Tanis began to rush toward Raistlin. Raistlin gave a twitch of his wrist, and a silver dagger slipped into his hand. He held it up, and the half-elf stopped, meeting Raistlin's eyes.
"All right." Tanis said, frowning heavily.
"You'd kill me without a second thought, but you won't harm your brother. Caramon, stop him!"
Caramon stepped forward. Raistlin, feeling a jolt of irritation at the delay, rased his dagger warningly.
"Don't do it, Caramon. Come no closer."
Caramon hesitated.
"Go ahead, Caramon." Tanis said.
"He won't hurt you."
Raistlin met his brothers eyes, and he saw the fear and pain in them. Caramon knew what the half-elf did not.
"Tell him, Caramon. Tell him what I am capable of doing. You remember. So do I. It is in our thoughts every time we look at one another, isn't it, my dear brother?"
Raistlin saw the confusion on the half-elf's face.
"What's he talking about, Caramon?"
Caramon blanched.
"The Towers of High Sorcery ...was He hesitated.
"But we are forbidden to speak of it! Par-Salian said--was
"That doesn't matter now!" Raistlin said.
"There is nothing Par-Salian can do to me now. Once I have what has been promised me, not even the great Par-Salian will be able to face me! But that is none of your concern. This is."
Raistlin began to tell his story.
"The last test in the Tower of High Sorcery was against myself. I failed. I killed my brother. Or I thought I did. Turns out it was just an illusion. An illusion created to teach me the depths of my hatred and jealousy. Thus, they thought to purge my soul of darkness. What I truly learned was that I lacked self-control. But since it was not part of the real Test, my failure did not count against me. Except with one person."
"I watched him kill me!" Caramon said in an anguished tone.
"They made me watch so that I would understand him!"
Caramon's head dropped into his hands, his body convulsed with a shudder.
"I do understand! I understood then! I'm sorry! Just don't leave without me, Raist! You're so weak! You need me--was
"No longer." Raistlin said, with a soft sigh.
"I need no longer."
Raistlin remembered the Silvanesti dream, remembered this happening. He had told Tanis. He had said that the dream could predict the future. And with him and his brother, it had.
Raistlin looked into Tanis's eyes, seeing the horror there.
"Go ahead, Caramon!" Tanis said hoarsely.
"Don't make him come near me, Tanis." Raistlin said gently.
"Look at his face. He knows I am capable of doing what I say. I killed him once, I can do it again! Farewell, my brother. Farewell, Half-Elf."
With that, Raistlin put his hands on the orb and raised it into the light of the flaming candle. The colors swirled even more dizzyingly than before, and he felt the ecstasy of the magic flow through him. Next thing he knew, he was on the steps of the Great Library in Palanthas, exhausted and bleeding. He was aware of the aesthetics rushing around him, and then he passed out. When he awoke, he was in a cell in the Library, refusing water and food. The one thing he wanted was to see Astinus. When Astinus appeared, Raistlin demanded to see the room where the scrolls and spellbooks of Fistandantellus were kept. Astinus obliged. Raistlin looked through the books, tryfffind somey he could read. However, he could read none of the books or scrolls, and he felt frustration go through him. Furiously, he hurled the books from him and fell to the floor. He heard aesthetics outside trying to enter, but some force kept them out. Astinus was allowed to enter, however.
"You did not find what you sought?" he asked as Raistlin clenched his hand over the robes Astinus wore.
"The key ... lost in time ... fools!" Raistlin's hand clenched on the robes, he felt death trying to claim him. "So simple! Everyone knew it ... no one recorded it! The key! All I need ... lost!"
"So this ends your journey, old friend." said Astinus without compassion.
Raistlin raised his head with great effort.
"You do know me! Who am I?"
"It is no longer important." Astinus said, beginning to walk out of the room.
A piercing shriek came from behind him, and Raistlin grasped Astinus's robes tightly.
"Don't turn your back on me as you have turned it from the world!" Raistlin shrieked.
Astinus turned toward him.
"Turn my back on the world?" he said. Emotion rarely marred the face of Astinus, but this blow struck his placid soul like a pebble thrown into a river.
"Daily, I chronicle the lives of every being who has walked upon this world. I have seen what you were, I see what you are. I hold in my hand the Sphere of Time, which you made for me, old friend, and I see everything! I feel every pain, every tear, every drop of blood. It is all my own! I have borne children, I have murdered children! I have committed the foulest deeds, made the noblest sacrifices!"
Raistlin felt deays cold grip reaching for him. He prayed to Lunitari for just a few more minutes of life, to hear what Astinus would say next. He knew it was important. It would save him.
"On the last perfect day, the three gods, Paladine, god of good, Takhisis, Queen of Evil, and Gilean, Lord of Neutrality will lay the three Keys of Knowledge on the altar. And I will laall my books, the lives of every person who has ever walked on this world, on the altar. And at last, the world will be complete!"
"The keys of knowledge!" Raistlin gasped exultantly.
He loosened his hand and fell back to the floor. He reached into his pouch and pulled out the orb.
"I know who you are." he said.
"And I beseech you! Aid me now as you aided me in the Tower and in Silvanesti! The bargain is struck! Save me, and you save yourself!"
Raistlin felt death's grip on him. He slid into the soothing darkness. But the darkness was interrupted. An old, wrinkled man stood before him in black robes.
"Great O." Raistlin said, bowing.
"Rise." said the man in a cold, chuel voice. His dark eyes were filled with knowledge of countless centuries, and Raistlin remembered the dark tales of how he had survived through the centuries. He remembered the Test.
"You must do one thing before we get the key." Fistandantellus said, coldly.
"You must change those red robes a few shades darker."
Raistlin nodded his head. Fistandantellus handed Raistlin the black velvet robes of deepest black, with silver runes etched on the velvet. Raistlin stripped off his robes and slid on the black robes. The velvet felt warm and soft against his skin. His staff was clutched in his hands. Raistlin and Fistandantellus disappeared into the darkness, on the way to see the queen.
A/ation: Raistlin, Caramon, Fistandantellus, Tanis, Riverwind, and Goldmoon, Astinus, and the gods belong to Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. I would like to thank Alice Beckat for encouraging me to write another fanfic. I would also like to thank Margaret and Tracy for writing the series in the first place. The next chapter should be on the site shortly. In the meantime, your reviews are appreciated. Thanks,
Mrs. Majere