I DO NOT own Dragonlance or any of the characters read in this Fict with the exception of Farren Timechaser, Theogaroth Half-Elven, Amethyst Nightshade, Ryun Nightshade and Aeram Silverleaf.
Chapter Four: It's a Trap!
Goldmoon had risen from the brush and was walking determinedly to the road, pushing aside tree branches and brambles. Riverwind jumped to his feet and crashed through the shrubbery after her.
"Goldmoon!" Tanis risked a piercing whisper.
"I must know!" was all she said.
The clerics, hearing Goldmoon's voice, glanced at each other knowingly, nodding their hooded heads. Tanis sensed trouble, but before he could say anything, Caramon jumped to his feet.
"The Plainsmen are not leaving me behind in a ditch while they have all the fun!" Caramon stated, plunging through the thicket after Riverwind.
"Has everyone gone mad?" Tanis growled. He grabbed Tasslehoff by his shirt collar, dragging the kender back as he was about to leap joyfully after Caramon.
"Flint, watch the kender. Raistlin-"
"No need to worry about me, Tanis," the mage whispered. "I have no intention of going out there."
"Right. Well, stay here." Tanis said to me as he rose to his feet and slowly started forward but not quite leaving the brush.
"I am the bearer of the blue crystal staff," Goldmoon said, approaching the leader of the clerics, her head held proudly. "But we did not steal it; the staff was given to us."
Riverwind stepped to one side of her, Sturm to the other. Caramon came charging through the brush and stood behind her, his hand on his sword hilt, an eager grin on his face.
"So you say," the cleric said in a soft, sneering voice. He stared at the plain brown staff in her hand with avid, black, gleaming eyes, then reached out his wrapped hand to take it. Goldmoon swiftly clasped the staff to her body.
"The staff was carried out of a place of great evil," she said. "I will do what I can to help your dying brother, but I will not relinquish this staff to you or to anyone else until I am firmly convinced of your rightful claim to it."
The cleric hesitated, glanced back at his fellows. I saw them make nervous, tentative gestures toward the wide cloth belts they wore tied around their flowing robes. Unusually wide belts, with strange bulges beneath them-not, I was sure, made by prayer books.
Ahead of us Tanis swore in frustration, making the same observation and wishing Sturm and Caramon were paying attention. But Sturm seemed completely relaxed and Caramon was nudging him as though sharing a private joke. Tanis raised his bow cautiously and put an arrow to the string.
The cleric finally bowed his head in submission, folding his hands in his sleeves. "We will be grateful for whatever aid you can give our poor brother," he said, his voice muffled. "And then I hope you and your companions will return with us to Haven. I promise you that you will be convinced that the staff has come into your possession wrongly."
"We'll go where we've a mind to, brother," Caramon growled.
Every bone in my body wanted me to scream a warning to the Plainsmen as they approached the cart and I prayed that the lesson I gave Goldmoon this morning stuck.
I saw a flurry of movement. Goldmoon screamed. There was a flash of blue light and a cry. Goldmoon sprang backward as Riverwind jumped in front of her. The cleric lifted a horn to his lips and blew long, wailing notes.
"Caramon! Sturm!" Tanis called, raising his bow. "It's a tra-"
A great weight dropped on the half-elf from above, knocking him to the ground. Strong hands groped for his throat, shoving his face deep into the wet leaves and mud. The man's fingers found their hold and began squeezing. Tanis fought to breathe, but his nose and mouth were filled with mud. He tore frantically at the hands that were trying to crush his windpipe. The man's grip was incredibly strong.
Flint tore forward a log in his hands. Hitting the creature over the head and driving the weight off his friend. Tanis staggered to his knees, his breath coming in painful gasps. Wiping mud from his face, he looked up to see Flint. But the dwarf's eyes were not on him. They were on the body at his feet.
"By all the gods," Raistlin breathed, creeping up to Tanis "What is that?"
I knew they saw the Half-Dragon creatures but I sprang past them even though the sight startled me, the descriptions had not done the foul creatures justice.
I burst onto the road and saw Riverwind; he was staring wide-eyed in terror at the thing in the cart, his face deathly white, his breathing swift and shallow-a man who wakes from a nightmare to discover it is reality.
"Behind you!" I shouted at Goldmoon who put her new skills to good use as the staff glowed brilliantly.
Sturm had already moved to defend Riverwind but was shocked at the man's horror. Sturm plunged his sword into the creature's back. The thing screamed and whirled around to attack, wrenching the sword from the knight's hand. Slavering and gurgling in its dying rage, the creature wrapped its arms around the startled knight and bore him into the muddy road. Sturm knew the thing that grasped him was dying and fought to beat down the terror and revulsion he felt at the touch of its slimy skin.
The screaming stopped and I saw the creature go rigid. The knight shoved the body over and quickly started to pull his sword from the creature's back. The weapon didn't budge! He stared at it in disbelief, and then yanked on the sword with all his might, even putting his booted foot against the body to gain leverage. The weapon was stuck fast. Furious, he beat at the creature with his hands then drew back in fear and loathing. The thing had turned to stone!
I knew I had seconds to act leaping to the knight's aid.
"Caramon!" Sturm yelled as another of the strange clerics leaped toward him, swinging an axe. Sturm ducked, felt a slashing pain, and then was blinded when blood flowed into his eyes. He stumbled, unable to see, and a crushing weight bore him to the ground.
Caramon was attacked by two of the Draconian's I knew Raistlin would be there in a moment and hastened to Sturm's side tackling the creature atop of him. Pinning it with some trouble I saw Tanis break out of the brush "I'm fine!" I barked at him seeing his indecision about aiding me or Sturm.
The creature grabbed my arm that was around its neck in a vice like grip, shifting my position I snapped its neck. I cursed in Spanish instantly realizing my mistake as a stone hand held me fast in a crouching position.
I watched Tas and Flint argue with some amusement knowing exactly what they were talking about as Tas killed a Draconian. Tanis threw himself on the ground to avoid some magical fire just ahead of them. I then gave a frightened squeak at the sight of a Draconian lunging at me with its curved sword.
Pulling against the stone I swung my staff at its legs knocking them from beneath it. Tas was there in an instant and killed the creature while it was down.
"I'm stuck!" I confessed to the Kender whose face was as serious as I had ever seen it. Our combined strength set me free.
Tas sprang away to his original goal and I headed for Flint who was about to get his axe stuck in the creatures chest. Swinging my staff I brought the creature to his knees and Flint lobbed off its head.
Shortly after Tanis, Riverwind and Goldmoon ran out of the smoke.
"Help Sturm," Tanis told Goldmoon. Then he turned to Flint, "Where are Caramon and Raistlin? And where's Tas? I told him to stay here-"
"Blasted kender nearly got me killed!" Flint exploded. "I hope they carry him off! I hope they use him for dog meat! I hope-"
"In the name of the gods!" Tanis swore in exasperation before plunging back into the smoke.
I was kneeling by Sturm worriedly even though I knew he would live I placed his head in my lap as Goldmoon moved to heal him.
The staff flashed blue and he sat up, giving both of us a grateful weary smile. When Tanis returned with the others Sturm was standing.
"The staff healed him?" Tanis asked Goldmoon.
She coughed. "Not completely. Enough so that he can walk."
"It has . . . limits," Raistlin said, wheezing.
"Yes-" Tanis interrupted. "Well, we're heading south, into the woods."
Caramon shook his head. "That's Darken Wood-" he began.
"I know-you'd rather fight the living," Tanis interrupted. "How do you feel about that now?"
The warrior did not answer.
"More of those creatures are coming from both directions. We can't fight off another assault. But we won't enter Darken Wood if we don't have to. There's a game trail not far from here we can use to reach Prayer's Eye Peak. There we can see the road to the north, as well as all other directions."
"We could go north as far as the cave. The boat's hidden there." Riverwind suggested.
"No!" yelled Flint in a strangled voice. Without another word, the dwarf turned and plunged into the forest, running south as fast as his short legs could carry him.
Pursing my lips to keep from grinning I followed. We stumbled through the thick woods as fast as we could and soon reached the game trail. Caramon took the lead, sword in hand, eyeing every shadow. His brother followed, one hand on Caramon's shoulder, his lips set in grim determination. The rest of us came after, our weapons drawn.
But we saw no more of the creatures.
"Why aren't they chasing us?" Flint asked after we had traveled about an hour.
Tanis scratched his beard-he had been wondering about the same thing. "They don't need to," he said finally. "We are trapped. They've undoubtedly blocked all the exits from this forest. With the exception of Darken Wood. . . ."
"Darken Wood!" Goldmoon repeated softly. "Is it truly necessary to go that way?"
"It may not be," Tanis said though I knew it was. "We'll get a look around from Prayer's Eye Peak."
Suddenly we heard Caramon, walking ahead of them, shout. Running forward, Tanis found Raistlin had collapsed.
"I'll be all right," the mage whispered. "But I must rest."
"We can all use rest," Tanis said.
No one answered. All sank down wearily, catching our breath in quick, sharp gasps. Sturm closed his eyes and leaned against a moss-covered rock. His face was a ghastly shade of greyish white. Blood had matted his long moustaches and caked his hair. The wound was a jagged slash, turning slowly purple. I knew that the knight would die before he said a word of complaint.
Tanis eyed him for a moment "Don't worry," Sturm said harshly. "Just give me a moment's peace." Tanis gripped the knight's hand briefly, and then went to sit beside Riverwind.
I watched them talk as I settled near Flint and Tasslehoff. I noticed then there was a long crack running down the wood of my staff. If I hit anything with it now I knew it would shatter.
Flint also noticed "It was a good staff but the wood was too soft to be of much use to you." He was already whittling away as he sat.
I nodded in agreed silence then he said something I did not anticipate "I could craft sturdier one for you, nobody should walk about weapon less these days." As he spoke he did not look up from his carving.
I was stunned "I-I, Thank you Flint." I blushed and turned my attention to Tas who was sorting through his belongings.
In them I spotted my notebook and lip gloss, not to surprised I thanked him for finding them in the rush to leave and took them back relieved he had not 'found' any of the other books in my bag.
I turned my attention back to the conversation just in time to hear Riverwind say, his glance flickering over everyone. "You have saved our lives more than once and I have been ungrateful. But"-he paused-"it's all so strange!"
"It's going to get stranger." Raistlin's voice was ominous.