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Chapter Four: A Fleeting Desire, Paladine Reveals
Kaira Ondrus stared in astonishment at the old man walkin into the room. This was Paladine?
"Fizban!" Tasslehoff Burrfoot exclaimed. The Kende hurridly rushed over to the newcomer and threw his arms around his waist.
The man called Fizban patted Tas on on the head.
"Say, who are you again?" Fizban asked him.
"Tasslehoff!"
"Hmm... Sounds familiar... Ah yes, I remeber now," he answered.
"Old One, why'd you use him as a vessle to appear to us?" Raistlin Majere spoke up.
"I did that? Can't remember it... Are you sure that's what I did?"
Kaira sighed. This couldn't be Paladine, the man was too lousy... too forgetful...
Fizban looked at her in the eyes, and she held her breath. In the Old One's eyes she saw wisdom beyond his apparent age.
"I am Paladine, young one," Fizban assured.
Kaira gulped and adverted her eyes to the floor.
The Old Man looked at Raistlin.
"As you have probably figured out by now, I've come to tell you something, something important. Something dangerously secret," Paladine informed.
"Yes Old One, I know," Raisltlin replied softly.
"Also, I have to admit that I'm sorry to have appeared to you in a mental state. Takhisis's hold on your soul is strong,"
Raistlin lowered his eyes. "Yes, Paladine, I know,"
"Another thing is that we must have your twin here, or I can't reveal anything to you."
Kaira swore that she heard Raistlin quietly groan.
"So," Fizban looked at Tasslehoff. "Me and..."
"Tasslehoff," the Kender answered.
"Yes, me and Tasslehoff will go speak to..."
"Caramon," Tas replied.
"Will go speak to Caramon and bring him here," he finished. "And then I'll tell you the deadly news."
"Will you be able to get in my Tower, Old One?" Raistlin asked.
"This Tower? Oh yes, I believe so. The ghouls and stuff can't hurt me, nor am I afraid of them. Nothing can kepp me out, not even Fistandantilus." Fizban looked once more at Tas. "Come on now, let's go get that boneheaded warrior." He looked at Kaira. "You stay with this young mage," then he ushered Tasslehoff out of the door, leaving.
Kaira wanted to protest, to tell the god that she didn't want to be left in an evil tower, with a majorly evil mage and a dark elf. But Fizban was already gone. Her heart failed her, her stomach was in her throat. Thia was not why she came to Palanthas... some vacation this was turning out to be...
Dalamar was a nice guy, she had to admit. But Raistlin? He was pure evil!
Raistlin started to unexpectedly cough. Hunching over, he made a gesture to Dalamar as if to say, "it's okay, I'm fine, it'll pass." And Dalamar relaxed, watching Raistlin dubiously.
Kaira relaxed slightly. With his apprentice here, Raistlin wouldn't try anything... right? She silently berated herself. Why was she worrying? Raistlin didn't like her! Except she had on unappropriate clothing... and Rasitlin was staring at her funny...
"Quit it, Majere," Kaira hissed as the mage continued to stare at her.
He smiled mysteriously and looked away, his coughing spasm over with.
--
Raistlin looked at Kaira.
His eyes stared at her hungrily. His golden eyes, which saw nothing but death and decay and night, saw only the figure of a beautiful woman who parted the darkness. He wanted her as his own, but knew she wouldn't love him, especially if he forced himself on her...
--
"Ow," Fizban mumbled, stubbing his toe on a stationary rock for the tenth time in the past two mibnutes. He looked at the Kender, "are you sure that this is the only was to get to that Inn?"
"Positive," Tasslehoff replied cherrily. "Otherwise someone might see us. That's why we must take the back rode,"
"I'm quite fond of the front rode," he mumbled in reply.
Eventually they came up to the back of a building. A tree led up to the top of the building, about five feet away from it.
"Here we are," Tas informed.
"Where's the door?" Fizban asked, eyeing the Sleeping Dragon Inn suspiciously.
"At the front of the building," Tas replied matter-of-factly.
"So why are we back here?"
"Because we're sneaking into the room,"
"... We are?"
"Yes, we are," Tasslehoff smiled warmly.
"... How are we going to do that?"
"Climb up that tree," Tas pointed to the lone tree.
"... No..." Fizban answered simply.
"But Fizban!" Tas began to protest.
"No. I don't like trees!"
--
"I can't believe I'm climbing up a tree," Fizban grumbled, climbing beneath Tas. "We could have just gone the simple, quick way. But no, it had to be the tree,"
"Oh, it's not that bad," Tas called down. "We're almost there,"
"How many floors up are we?"
"Five!"
"Five?!" Fizban exclaimed. "How many floors are there?!"
"Fifeteen!"
"What kind of an Inn has fifeteen floors?!"
"Oh, how many floors does the Inn have? I thought you meant how many floors until Caramon's room! There's twenty floors!"
"Twenty?!"
"This is the main Inn in Palanthas," Tas explained.
"I know that!"
Fizban couldn't believe it. An Inn with twenty floors? That was absurd!
After ten more minutes, and hundreds of unrecognizable mumblings late, they reached floor fifeteen. Then something dawned on Fizban.
"Young one, how are we going to get in when we're five feet away? And the window is closed."
"Like this!" Tas fumbled about in a pouch with one hand, keeping hold of the tree with his other, his legs wrapped around the trunk. With an, "aha!" Tas drew forth a rock from his pouch. He threw it at the window...
--
Caramon lay in bed, half asleep, thinking of his twin.
He barely heard the shattering of glass. But he clearly heard a thump, and a scream with the crash of a lantern. His mind fixed on those many nights with his brother, the night's with those dreams of his. His mind registered only one thought: Raistlin!
He sat up quickly, turning on his lantern. Then he turned to face the dirrection of the scream.
He sighed, it was only Fizban laying in a pile of glass from the window and the lantern, and the appologizing Kender, who was trying not to laugh.
Caramon wiped his hand across his wet eyes and asked, in a choked voice, "where's that Kaira chick, Tas?"
"In Raistlin's Tower," Tas answered. "It was quite interesting, Caramon. You see, we got stuck on the edge of the Shoikan Grove, afraid, and then we entered it. You see, laughing and merriment keep the spectral heads at bay, which I might add looked quite cool, because they feed off of fear, or so Raistlin once told me," Caramon flinced at the name of his twins, tears beginning to flood his eyes again. Only Fizban seemed to notice however, and Caramon wiped his eyes angrily as Tas continued, "So, we got to the bottom of the Tower when hands reached up and frabbed her, Kaira that is. And she screamed as I tried to save her. Then they stopped, the heads, and we looked up to see him, Dalamar. Dalamar is a dark elf, he's your brother's apprentice, he calls him, Dalamar calls Raistlin, his Shalafi. And he told us-"
Caramon was so upset and exausted that he allowed Tas to prattle on for a good thirty minutes, relating every detail in his mind's eyes.
"And that's how we ended up here, me and Fizban of course," Tas finished.
"So you need me to come to Raist-Raistlin's Tower?" Caramon asked, stumbling over his twin's name.
"Yes," Tas nodded.
"Let me think about it," he saud. After a few minutes, an impatient Kender, and a very hurt magi later, Caramon finally said, "no."
"Why not?!"
"Because I don't want to speal to Raist... Raistlin,"
"Then don't! Just come!"
"No Tas,"
"You don't understand! Fizban needs you there!"
"No, youdon't understand, Tas," Caramon said in a thick voice. "I don't wasnt to speak to, or see, him!"
Tas was silent for a moment (me: he was?! Oh my god! The world is ending!!), then, "you're the biggest wimp I've ever known." Caramon looked at Tas with a hurt expression. "Just because he hurt you feelings, you're going to give up that easily? If so, I don't think I know you, and I understand Raistlin's opinion on not wanting your help anymore,"
This had done it, Tas knew it the second he finished. Caramon started to sob violently, picking up a pillow and shoving it into his face, falling back on his bed.
"Um, Caramon? I'm sorry... I didn't mean it that way... well, I did, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings... Um, Caramon?" Tas looked at Fizban, then Caramon. He plopped himself on the floor in depression. "Alot of use I am," he muttered to himself.
--
Raistlin started to cough again, and this time he sent Dalamar off to make his herbal brew.
Kaira felt like screaming. Now she was alone with the mage, who immeadiatly stopped coughing after his appreantice left.
He looked at her hungrily, and she flushed, turning around.
"Kaira," he said.
She ignored him, her heart beating fast in her chest.
"Kaira," he repeated.
Once more she ignored him.
"Kaira," he pursued.
This time she heard the creaking of the bed and slow footfalls. She felt her heart beat faster. She forced her teeth to stop chattering in fright, and she closed her eyes tightly.
"Kaira, look at me," he ordered softly.
She refused to answer the mage. She wanted nothing to do with him.
"Kaira, look at me," he repeated.
She balled her hands up into fists to keep them from shaking. Her nails bit into her palms. She heard the footfalls stop and felt velvet against her legs.
"Kaira, look at me," he ordered. His voice was harsh and commanding, yet soft.
She felt as if her head would split in two. She started to tremble. She calmed herself. not willing to show this man any weakness.
"Kaira," his voice came in a lethal whisper. Tight hands turned her arounf fiercely. She felt his nails dig into her bare shoulders.
She kept her eyes closed.
"Look at me," and his hands were so tight that that was exactly what she did. She opened her eyes to stare at rthe face of the angry magi.
"Go away, Raistlin," Kaira managed to hiss.
She felt the warmth of his body against her cold one. His grip tightened, making her flinch.
"Kaira,"
"W-what?" she stuttered, tears of pain forming in her blue eyes.
The next instant she felt her body pressesm against his. His arms were wrapped around her, her arms were trapped under his. His lips locked with hers.
She forced herself not to cry in pain at the fierceness of his kiss. She felt herself being turned as Raistlin turned her around. She felt his hands travel up her back and under her long brown hair, to the conector of her loincloth-like shirt.
She felt her shirt fall to the ground behind her. Raistlin edged her backwards. Kaira felt the bed against her legs as she felt the mage's hands trail down to her actual loincloth, yanking it so it fell off.
She was naked, and she was afraid. This was how she thought it would turn out...
Tears fell down her delicate face as the most evil man on all of Krynn had her laying on his bed, trapped beneath his body.
His hands trailed sown her thighs as his mouth lingered on her lips, traveling sown to her neck. His hands traveled beneath her frozen body.
"Raistlin, please," she muttered. He ignored her.
The young man leaned upwards, so half of his body was elivated. He held Kaira's arms down as he looked into her wet eyes.
"You are so vulnerable," he muttered softly.
"And you're the sickest bastard in the world," Kaira replied, starting to struggle and scream.
Once more his lips were locked with hers. preventing her from screaming. Her hands were free, so she started to pound and tear at the robes and his back.
Then a simple word, "Shalafi?" echoed through the room. A gasp of, "Raist?" came next, followed by, "you're in trouble!" from the Kender and a powerful, "is this truly how you should act, my boy?"
Raistlin forze, as did Kaira.
Strong hands gripped Raistlin and flung him off of her. Immeadiatly Kiara jumped up.
"Thanks Caramon," Kaira muttered, pulling on her clothes angrily. After all, Raistlin saw her naked, why not the rest of the group too?
"You are currupt, my boy," Fizban informed Raistlin. Sneerin, Raistlin pushed himself off the floor, where Caramon had tossed him. He turned to face Tas.
"Burrfoot," he hissed.
Startled, the Kender snatched his hand out of his pouch. He had thought he had eed forgotten.
Apparently not.
"Put it back," the mage growled.
"Put what back?" Tas asked with wide eyed innocence.
"You clearly know 'what,'" Raistlin's soft whisper had an edge of lethality in it. "If you don't, I'll meak the great worm, Catyrpelius, real. You remember that, don't you?"
Tas gulped. He remember this so-called great worm. Raistlin had once used flash powder to create the illusion of a spell, so the hobgoblins and Fewmaster Toede wouldn't mess with their belongings, especially the Disks of Mishakal. Apparetly this worm would rise from the Abyss and suck the bloos from your veins until you were nothing more that a dried husk, or so Raistlin had put it. And while Tas thought the prospect of being turned into a dried husk would be quite interesting, for he had no doubt in his Kender mind that Raistlin could and would make the worm real, he didn't particularly feel up tp dying right now... Now when Fizban was going to send them on a journey, that's for sure.
"So, what will it be?" Raistlin asked.
Sighing, Tas reached into one of his pouched and pulled out one of Raistlin's many night blue bounded spellbooks, and put it back on the bedside table.
"And?"
Again Tas sughed and pulled out about six silver pieces, setting them on the spell book's cover.
"You change the topic quite quickly, my boy," Fizban stated. "WHat so you have to say for yourself?"
Raistlin's hands clenched. Je turned around to retort, but thought better of it.
Tas smiled, glad that the great worm had been forgotten about, and bounded up to Kaira's side.
Dalamar turned towards the door.
"I'll leave you five to speak of matters," Dalamar said.
"No, no, my boy, please stay," Fizban insisted. "Your presense is quite welcomed here."
Dalamar silently obeyed, shutting the door and staying near the back wall.
"Now then," Fizban started. "Sit down. it's quite a long and shocking story."
Raistlin unconciously sat down, his eyes on Kaira. Caramon saw this and frowned. Gently he pulled Kaira to a chair out of his brother's line of sight. He stood guard next to her. Tas plopped himeslf on the floor, crossed legged. Dalamar remained standing by the door.
"Okay," Fizba began. "It all started with the Cataclysm, When the foery mountain struck Krynn, a monster rose from the depths of the planet. Us gods call it the Dead One, known for it's ability to change it's shape into whatever form it will. It was created by black magic thousands of years before Krynn existed.
"I has lived deep in the bowls of the planet," he continued, "residing in a cavern far beneath the planet's crust. It hordes treasure, like a dragon. However, it's a fact, that the Dead One is not a dragon."
"Then what is it?" Tas asked, exited.
"It's simply nothing," Fizban answered. It's nothing, but everything."
"A riddle," Caramon sighed.
"Is it, my boy?" he asked mysteriously. "Or is it not?"
Caramon didn't reply.
"No," Fizban continued. "This creature might just be worse than Takhisis herself." Everyone, everything was deadly silent. No one dared breath, as if in fear that this so-called Dead One would appear...
Dragonlance © Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman
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Hope you enjoyed!
Next time on When The Dark Arises: The Dark Desire
When Tas sees a bright light and leaves, what will happen? And how will the twins react to an act of betrayal?