The Clever and Cunning Fox
Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story.
Notes: Stepping out of the original text. Wish me luck.
The Inn of the Last Home
Kitsune smiled as she looked upon the town of Solace. For her, it was like being a tourist in a famous location. For the Majere twins, it was a bittersweet return to their home after 5 years.
Solace was built on a major crossroads in a wide, fertile valley in the heart of Abanasinia. It was perhaps the most unique town on the continent of Ansalon. With only a few exceptions, all the businesses and dwelling places of Solace were built among the branches of mighty vallenwood trees.
The people of Solace were hale, hearty, and trustworthy folk who were generally open and polite to strangers, even in these strange times. In the shaded branches of the giant vallenwood trees, the townsfolk lived in relative peace.
Kitsune hid her frown as that peace was about to be shattered forever. Solace was ostensibly under the control of High Theocrat Hederick of the Seekers religious sect. Behind the scenes, however, a horrible, fat and stinking, Hobgoblin named Fewmaster Toede pulled Hederick's strings.
From what she could remember of the original story, Hederick apparently believed Toede and his hobgoblins were mercenaries protecting the town. In reality, they were advance scouts for the now approaching Dragonarmies. At Toede's request, Hederick was searching for the Blue Crystal Staff, believing falsely that if he found it, Solace would be left alone by however was behind the Hobgoblins mercenaries.
Looking at the twins, Kitsune could see that they were spotting the differences that time and circumstances had wrought.
Situated at a crossroads, most people traveling through Abanasinia ended up passing through Solace. It was good for business for the residents of Solace to be accepting of strangers. Lately, however, travelers had been bringing odd tales from the hinterlands: Strange beasts, missing farmers and villagers, travelers vanishing without a trace. As a result, Solace's fabled friendliness had been tainted by a trace of suspicion in recent weeks.
Despite the fact that they were locals, the twins were being treated as strangers and suspicious ones. Even her small appearance was dragging weary interest and anxiety. Her red and white outfit was almost as bad as the red robes of Raistlin Majere.
Caramon, oblivious to the icy silence of his brother, began to comment about what Kitsune could see. The Town Square was not so much a true town square as a large cleared area located between the intersections of several roads, this patch of land served as a meeting place for the inhabitants of Solace. Here itinerant merchants set up market-stalls or parked their wagons, traveling troupes of players gave performances, and children and adults played at sports like goblin ball and kender keep-away. Celebrations such as Spring Dawning were also held here.
The group stopped at Theros Ironfeld's Smithy since Caramon needed some help with his primary weapon. His longsword broke in a fight with an ogre and he wasn't satisfied with his current one.
Built of stone and located just off the Town Square, the smithy was one of the few buildings on ground level. The great bellows roared as the forge fire burnt hot. The sounds of hammering and clanging could be heard throughout Solace. And in the center of this was Theros Ironfeld.
Human, powerfully built male, towering over everyone, Theros was a master blacksmith, carpenter and builder. Kitsune knew that he hadn't been in town for long, having just finished a large job for the elves of Qualinesti before setting up shop in Solace. The young fox-spirit rapidly learned that he had a gruff, no-nonsense demeanor. While discussing prices with Caramon, he showed he didn't easily suffer fools, kender, or people who wasted his time.
Still, his speed and expertise as he put a new blade on Caramon's broken sword was worthy of respect. This was truly a master of his art. She waited for him to finish his work before extracting a weapon from her back that raised the eyebrows of Raistlin.
"Master Ironfeld? What can you tell me about this?" She presented a silvery flat metal ring of 15 inches. It was shaped like a Chakram with an outer sharpened edge and one quarter-segment had a padded grip. Engraved runes adorned its surface.
The blacksmith took the offered weapon and expertly examined it, making it ring lightly on his anvil. "Old, very old... Pre-Cataclysm at the very least... Runes seems to be Dwarven but... No, that's a human reproduction of Minotaur runes... I think... This is a reproduction of the weapon of a legendary female minotaur warlord from before Istar... Yep! That's it! It's a copy of the "Chalikar"!"
Kitsune blinked. "Chalikar? The "Circle"? What was its power?"
"Don't know, legend says that it could fly through the battlefield before returning to hand and that the elements themselves helped its bearer." Theros gave back the weapon. "Sorry, can't help much more than that."
"Hum... Well, thank you nonetheless, Master Ironfeld." Kitsune looked at the weapon and shook her head as she put it in its back sheath. A glorified Chakram, the weapon of a female warlord? Really, Paladine? Knowing the humor of the god, she also doubted that it was a mere reproduction.
The three companions walked back to their original destination. Caramon laughed as he pointed the "Trough" to Kitsune. The Trough was a disreputable watering hole that catered to those who had nefarious business to conduct, those who would rather not show their faces in public, or those addicted to dwarf spirits. The Trough was built on the ground, since no one who had been drinking dwarf spirits should be climbing trees. Its signboard featured a pig wallowing in swill. Chuckling, Caramon said of the Trough that "the barmaids are deaf, the tavern-keeper mute, and all of them are blind," to better ensure the privacy of its patrons. He blushed when Kitsune asked him how he could know without visiting if it was so disreputable.
Sardonically, Raistlin mentioned that a few stupid bets may have been taken in the past by some idiots he shouldn't name.
The Inn of the Last Home rested cradled high in the boughs of a vallenwood tree, its worn steps winding around the heavy trunk up to the familiar, for the twins, carved door. Warm laughter and cooking smells drifted down tickling Kitsune's keen ears and nose and making her watering at the mouth. For returning patrons, the Inn seemed timeless, unchanging. The wooden bar wove around living branches of the tree, its burnished glow deepening with each year. The delicate windows of stained glass behind the bar were being polished by Otik Sandath, the barkeeper.
Otik was a middle-aged man, short and rotund, with pudgy hands, a cheerful smile and the owner of the famous Inn of the Last Home. Otik was well-known for his ale, with a reputation for excellence spread far and wide, but he was perhaps even better known for his secret recipe for spiced potatoes.
He turned and waved, recognizing and smiling at the twins, and motioned the barmaid in their direction.
Kitsune opened her senses and feelings to the establishment. The low murmur of voices filled the inn. An old man wove stories in the corner by the hearth, to the delight of the crowd gathered about him. Fizban. The current avatar of Paladine. Kitsune felt the anger of her ordeal battering at the dam of her willpower. She was about to jump at the throat of the meddling old man and strangled him with his beard when something drew her attention.
On two chairs, near the storyteller, a man and a woman sat together and spoke quietly. Riverwind and Goldmoon. Inconceivable and yet it wasn't possible to not recognize them.
Riverwind was the tallest man Kitsune had ever seen so far. Caramon, at six feet, would come only to this man's shoulder. But Caramon's chest was probably twice as big around and his arms three times as big.
Although Riverwind was bundled with the furs barbarian tribesmen lived in, it was obvious that he was thin for his great height. His face, though dark-skinned, had the pale cast of one who has been ill or suffered greatly. Kitsune's heart went to them. She knew about their past trials and unfortunately it had only been the beginning.
Goldmoon had thrown her hood back and the sunlight shone on her face and hair. The woman's face was like the face of a marble statue: classic, pure, cold. But it was her hair that captured the fox-spirit's attention. Few had ever before seen such hair, especially on the Plainsmen, who were usually dark-haired and dark-skinned. No jeweler spinning molten strands of silver and gold could have created the effect of Goldmoon's silver-gold hair shining in the sunlight.
The barbarian couple wasn't supposed to be here now. They should have been brought in by Sturm Brightblade later in the evening and yet they were here.
Having delivered the last drinks on her tray, the barmaid stepped toward the group with a smile and showed the twins and Kitsune to a table near the fire-pit with seven chairs. The young girl recognized Tika Waylan at her red hair. If her memory was right, her mother died when she was very young and her father was abusive and neglectful. At the age of ten, she ran away. Four years later, she was taken in by Otik, whom she was trying to rob, who raised her as his own. She was a strong, lovely, and friendly young woman, but if any customer got too friendly with her, she did not hesitate to show him the business end of a cast-iron skillet.
Caramon frowned. Something about the barmaid seemed familiar. The hair? The intelligent glint of her eyes? His eyes widened. Could this be Tika, the fourteen years little girl who swept the tavern floors a short five years ago? He laughed with her as they recognized each other. The Inn never changed, but surely its people did...
Rumors and Facts
Kitsune sighed in relief as she finished her plate of spiced potatoes. "All right. First things first." She turned to Raistlin. "Master Majere, would you accept a consultation from me?"
Raistlin turned sharply to the young girl and his cursed eyes narrowed. No, still no pity or condescension in it. "True, you're a healer. You're not going to pretend to cure me, are you?"
"Of course not. I don't even know if I can do something yet. And since you did consult with your peers, I'm not going to critic their work. So, what is the treatment you're following."
Raistlin shook his head. She wasn't playing by the rules he knew. A little irritating. "Infusion of Marjoram and several minor ingredients."
Kitsune waited and blinked when nothing more came. "That's... all? Just a potent herbal tea to treat your cough? Nothing else?"
"What more could be done, if the curse couldn't be broken?"
"Well, I practice a holistic approach. I don't treat the causes directly, but I help and reinforce the mechanisms around the infliction. Treating your cough is good, but it must be followed."
Raistlin frowned and focused on her words. "By what?"
"Overall tonics to fortify your body and reduce the effect of your cough and reduced endurance. A high-protein diet to put some meat on your bones. Very light specific exercises to promote a better circulation and respiration. A more homeopathic dosage of Marjoram to treat your symptoms and having the tea only in case of cough flaring. Can't do anything about the eyes, but I have an alchemical preparation that should dull the metallic coloration of your skin. It would be temporary and need to be applied periodically, but you would have a tanned skin with a golden metallic shine and not a golden metallic skin."
Raistlin blinked and blinked again. Nope, Kitsune wasn't following the rules of the game. She had simply threw down the board and was presenting another and different game.
Of course, it wasn't that simple. Kitsune didn't convince the red wizard to follow blindly her recommendations. He accepted with good grace the change in his dosage. He was cautious about the food she prescribed. The tonics will have to wait until he was satisfied with the effect of her proposed changes and he wasn't about to even listen about "very light exercises" indeed. The skin dye, however was an affront for him and the pains he endured for his Test at the Tower of Wayreth. The interest and badly disguised hope of his brother Caramon felt like acid in his heart.
Asking and receiving permission from the twins, Kitsune began to circulate around the inn with her smile, asking questions about the Blue Crystal Staff.
She rapidly charmed the inn's patrons, but the answers she found were... rather vague or third-hand rumors...
Otik shrugged as she sip an ale at the bar. "A magical staff! I bet it was forged by something from that terrible Darken Wood." His eyes took a dark tone as he quietly added. "Cursed place, that forest is." Well, more exactly, it was a fiercely defended place, but she supposed she would see in the near future.
Despite a friendship blooming at first sight, Tika wasn't much of help. "I just serve the ale; I don't want anything to do with the affairs of Seekers and mages." Sensible advice from a sensible young girl and still they were about to be thrown into the deep from a boot to the ass.
She managed to strike some conversation by playing a few dice games with a man at a table. "Yeah, I saw some strange men wearing hoods asking about a crystal staff just the other day, over by the town square. Queer folk. Didn't seem to be from around here, guessing by their manner of speech."
A man seated near the Storyteller joined in the dialogue. "Now that you mention it, a Holy Guard, one of them stuffed-shirt Seeker types from Haven, rode through town two days ago, hassling people about some crystal staff or some such thing. He said that anyone who knew anything should get to Haven, posthaste, and tell... uh... Seeker High-and-mighty about it. Let me tell you, Hederick seemed none to happy about that guy being here. Bah! Politics! Don't get involved, that's what I say." She was reminded of a scene in "The Lord of the Rings" when a Hobbit encouraged Frodo to mind his business.
Another man snorted in his glass. "Well, some folk might not like the Seekers much, but there's one of them that's not all bad. That Elistan fellow, the High Seeker. He's down there in Haven, on the council. He's a decent man, was kind to my family when we went down there last spring. Wise, too. He'll know what to do." Elistan? Going to Haven was unfortunately a loss of time. There was only one place in Krynn to go about the crystal staff.
With some trepidation, she finally approached the Old Storyteller, Fizban. The old man whirled to her as if he was only waiting for her and took on a wild-eyed expression, his intense eyes pinning the fox-spirit in place. "I foresee a great and terrible destiny in your eyes. There is a Blue Crystal Staff which you and others must return to Xak Tsaroth! There, a few days hence, you shall all face your greatest peril in contest for the greatest gift given to man."
Kitsune felt her blood turning to ice and fleeing her face. Her legs trembled as she step back. Only the strong and solicitous hand of Goldmoon prevented her to collapse on the floor. Caramon and Raistlin, who had observed the young girl from the beginning, noticed that a brief but awkward silence falls over the Inn as the other patrons look askance at the old man's strange declaration.
A girl gulped at a table and tried to restart a normal conversation. "It was probably from Darken Wood. I hear the ruins there are full of gems and steel pieces... 'Course, I never heard of anyone coming out of there alive, so who knows?"
A young boy by the fire sighed dreamily. "I saw the White Stag up on Prayer's Eye Peak just a few days ago! My Nana used to say that anyone who could catch the White Stag would be blessed by the old gods. When I was little I used to believe her."
Still held up by Goldmoon, Kitsune breathed deeply to regain her composure. She managed a small, but still genuine smile to the beautiful chieftain's daughter. "Thank you, Lady."
But Goldmoon was interested in something else. Her sky-blue eyes locked on the emerald eyes. "Where did you learn about this blue crystal staff."
It was less a question than a demand, but Kitsune wasn't offended. She calmly answered in a low voice that only Goldmoon and Riverwind, looming over her, could hear. "In a recurring dream... There was a shinning staff with a blue crystal inserted at the top. I felt warmth and peace at its sight. There was a town built in the vallenwood trees, I felt the need to go there as fast as possible. Finally, there was two silhouettes with no distinctive features. One clad in darkness and one radiating light. They were locked in an eternal conflict."
Goldmoon exchanged a look with Riverwind and her eyes lingered on a staff leaning behind her chair. "Can you described more exactly this staff?"
"At first, it was a simple, plain and unadorned quarterstaff and then it transformed into a 6 feet long rod of flawless blue crystal. It was crowned with an ornamental headpiece, resembling two crescent moons that are connected at the back with the horns pointing down and upwards. In the center of the piece was a fist-sized flawless sapphire." She whispered. "In fact, it was exactly like your own staff."
The hand holding her own squeezed more forcefully. Riverwind stared at her with a stormy face and whispered back harshly. "What are your intentions towards the Chieftain's Daughter?"
Kitsune shrugged. "Nothing. The staff is yours. My dream simply asked me to be there. What do you want to do with it?"
The non-confronting attitude of the young girl seemed to reassure Goldmoon, but Riverwind still looked at her with suspicion. His eyes darted towards the twins at their table. "And your companions?"
"I met them this morning. They are on their own quest and more are about to regroup in this inn after a five years absence to discuss what they found and what they'll do. They were searching for any signs of the ancient true gods."
"A sign..?" Riverwind almost spat and held a bitter smile. "It seems that the gods have a laugh at us and play the same cruel games on all of us."
Goldmoon appeased his lover with a simple hand to his shoulder and released Kitsune from her vise. "We're... not sure about the nature of the staff. We determined to go to Haven and ask the wise men at the temple about the staff."
Kitsune shook her head. "They can't help you. While they have faith and knowledge, they don't hold any power except physical. They might be wise, but I don't think they know anything about this staff since they are searching for it in a rather abrupt manner. According to what I heard from the barmaid, when you'll see the High Theocrat Hederik tonight, you'll understand." She frowned. "In fact, the only person apart me and you knowing about this staff and being not interested in his possession had just spoken..." She turned to Fizban. "And in an almost prophetic way."
Goldmoon wet her lips. "What do you know about Xak Tsaroth?"
"Master Majere knows more than me." She shrugged. "Once a human thriving city on the central eastern coast of Abanasinia. The city was wealthy and followed the ancient gods. It was destroyed during the Cataclysm. It is now surrounded by the Cursed Lands between the Eastwall Mountains and the Newsea."
Riverwind seemed brought down by the news as his mind flash-backed to his ordeal when he obtained the blue crystal staff from the ruins of a city that he now could name Xak Tsaroth. Kitsune bit her lips in frustration. "Chieftain's Daughter? Would you allow me to help your bodyguard? I'm a healer."
"I don't need help!" Riverwind was vehement.
"Please beloved, let her help you. You have just weathered a bad fever and the... last two days..? didn't help."
The Plainsman sighed. "Only for you, Goldmoon." Riverwind found himself sulking while nursing an herbal tea and grimacing when chewing a few medicines I gave. Goldmoon sent the fox-spirit back to the twins after a promise to talk together after the reunion of the group was finished.
Caramon smiled at the young girl. "So? Good news, bad news?"
Kitsune frowned. "Difficult to say. Perhaps a later potential problem. I'm not the only one here for the blue crystal staff." She turned to Raistlin. "They would like to receive advice about what they should do and would like to listen to ours after the end of your reunion, Master Majere."
"Oh? About what?"
"Xak Tsaroth. It seems that your quest about the ancient gods is about to have surprising discoveries, right in your native home."
The mage's eyes narrowed. "I don't believe in coincidences."
"Neither do I. We're being set up. Me, you, them and probably the rest of your comrades. Willing or not, if we continue on this path, we'll be in the thick of it." She smiled at the twins. "And yet, I think I couldn't ask for better companions."
Caramon laughed. "Wait until you meet Tanis Half-Elven, Flint Fireforge, Sturm Brightblade, Tasslehoff Burrfoot and our sister Kitiara Uth Matar. Then, you'll have real companions."
The Companions of the Lance
As the day passed and the evening drew near, the comrades of the twins entered in small groups or alone the inn.
First was the kender Tasslehoff. He yelled and pointed at Caramon and rushed to hug the giant. The kenders were a race of people considered by many on Krynn to be as much a nuisance as mosquitoes. Small-boned, a kender rarely grew over four feet tall. This particular kender had a slight build and perpetually childlike face that made him seem smaller. He wore bright blue leggings that stood out in sharp contrast to his furred vest and plain, home-spun tunic. His brown eyes glinted with mischief and fun and his smile seemed to reach to the tips of his pointed ears. Especially when he saw Kitsune smiling at him. He dipped his head in a bow, allowing a long tassel of brown hair, his pride and joy, to flip forward over his nose. Then he straightened up, laughing.
"A new face! I didn't know we could bring in new friends! I, fair maiden, am Tasslehoff Buurfoot. The road is my home and my Hoopak is yours!" The hoopak staff was a kender invention: The hoopak's bottom end was copper-clad and sharply pointed and the top end was forked and held a leather sling. The staff itself was made out of a single piece of supple willow wood. Although scorned by every other race on Krynn, the hoopak was more than a useful tool or weapon to a kender, it was his symbol. "New roads demand a hoopak," was a popular saying among kenderkind. It was always followed immediately by another of their sayings: "No road is ever old."
Kitsune stood up and drew a perfect curtsey. "And I, my good Kender, am Kitsune of Whitestone. What is mine is now yours." That drew bewildered looks around her. In regard to personal belongings, kender had a relatively loose definition of what was "theirs". In a kender home, a relic was anything that hadn't disappeared after three weeks. Kender had the unique "handling" ability which allowed them to "find" objects unconsciously. If a kender were to walk through a crowd of people, just like Tasslehoff did, it would be unlikely if the kender's pouches were not bulging with the belongings of at least half the people here. If anyone cornered a kender and ask him about it, the kender would truthfully reply that "it must have fallen into my pouch. It's a good thing that I found it or somebody else might have taken it." Because of their naivete in regards to personal belongings, the worst name you might call a kender was either a "cut-purse" or a "thief", for they truly believed that they were neither, it was an accident, remember?
The seconds to enter was the group of Tanis Half-Elven and the Hill Dwarf Flint Fireforge. At that moment, all the tables and chairs were occupied except where the twins and Kitsune were.
Tanis was the product of the rape of a Qualinesti Elf woman by a human brigand. Called Tanthalas by his mother Elansa Sungold, he was the de facto leader of the group. He was generally indecisive, but when confronted with a task or danger, would decisively take command while listening to the advices of his companions and weighting them with his head and heart. He had, however, serious trouble coming to terms and finding a balance with both his human and elven sides. The half-elven was 6 feet tall, wide-set, with tan skin, green eyes and shoulder-length brownish-red hair. He wore a beard that Kitsune knew served to hide his elven heritage in the lands hostile to his mother race. He was an excellent archer and bear a composite longbow along a longsword and several daggers. He was clad in a leather armor and moccasins. He let Caramon hugged him effusively before searching for Raistlin.
Flint Fireforge was an old dwarf of 148 years. He was the soul of the group. The elder who took under his wing a very disparate group and made them what they were now. He was just over half the height of Tanis in size, with a barrel-shaped chest, forge-hardened arms twice the size of the average human, a thick black beard and steel-blue eyes. Kitsune knew that he was queasy about heights, scared to death of boats and water because of an accident with Caramon, had the habit of talking to himself and being allergic to horses. He also shaped toys out of wood for children, which he would gave away without charging a cent. His metal working skills were among some of the best in Abanasinia. He was clad in studded leather armor and wield a trusty hand-ax. A wooden shield protected his back and several daggers pointed from his belt. He was grumbling after the enthusiastic hugs of Caramon but almost swallowed his tongue when he saw what happened to Raistlin.
Sensing the critical time, Kitsune turned to the mage. "May I, Master Raistlin?"
The wizard was about to lash at the dismay, pity and disgust of his comrades, but was distracted by the young girl. His cursed eyes seemed to pierce through her being. "Why not? Can't be worse than mangling my own explanations."
Kitsune turned to Flint and Tanis. "I am Kitsune of Whitestone, a healer. In no particular order: Yes, it's a magical curse. No, we don't know yet who cast it. Yes, we're going to kick his ass. Yes, we're searching for a cure. Yes, it hurts. And no, it's not contagious."
Tanis and Flint blinked simultaneously and looked at each other. The young girl had the assurance of a much older person. The two long-lived companions were reminded of the old and wise among their people. Raistlin disguised a chuckle under his cough, he was enjoying the discomfiture of his leader and his elder.
Still, Tanis and Flint asked a few more questions to the twins. Tanis was almost outraged that Raistlin had been chosen so young to pass the dangerous and lethal Test of the Tower of High Sorcery. He wasn't sure that the power gained by Raistlin was worth the damage to his health and, he perceived, to his soul. Flint was more pragmatic and was of the same advice of Caramon about what to do with the one who cursed his skin like that. It involved several edged objects moved vigorously and repeatedly. He passed about the subject of the eyes "gifted" by a White Robe Wizard. Magic was best left to the magic-users.
"Ale!" said Flint, clearing his throat and licking his lips as if he would wash a bad taste out of his mouth. "Where is that kender? I suppose he stole the barmaid..."
"And here we are!" cried Tas's cheerful voice. The barmaid loomed behind him, carrying a tray of mugs.
Caramon grinned. "Now, Tanis! Guess who this is. You, too, Flint. If you win, I'll buy this round."
Glad to take his mind off Raistlin's dark tale and the mystery of the young Healer, Tanis stared at the laughing girl. Red hair curled around her face, her green eyes danced with fun, freckles were lightly splattered across her nose and cheeks. Tanis seemed to remember the eyes, but beyond that he was blank.
"I give up." he sighed. "But then, to elves humans seem to change so rapidly that we lose track. I am one hundred and two, yet seem no more than thirty to you. And to me those hundred years seem as thirty. This young woman must have been a child when we left."
"I was fourteen." The barmaid laughed and set the tray down on the table. "And Caramon used to say I was so ugly my father would have to pay someone to marry me."
"Tika!" Flint slammed his fist on the table. "You're buying, you great oaf!" He pointed at Caramon.
"No fair!" The giant laughed. "She gave you a clue."
"Well, the years have proved him wrong," Tanis said, smiling. "I've traveled many roads and you're one of the prettiest girls I've seen on Krynn."
Tika blushed with pleasure. Then her face darkened. "By the way, Tanis." She reached in her pocket and drew forth a cylindrical object. "This arrived for you today. Under strange circumstances."
Tanis frowned and reached for the object. It was a small scroll-case made of black, highly polished wood that drew a look from Kitsune as she identified the wood as... Darkwood, the same lightweight and hard as metal wood she used with her crossbow. He slowly removed a thin piece of parchment and unrolled it.
His heart thudded painfully at sight of the bold, black handwriting and Kitsune cursed the one who wrote it, knowing the torments that Tanis will feel for a long time.
"It's from Kitiara." he said finally, knowing his voice sounded strained and unnatural. "She's not coming."
There was a moment's silence. "That's done it." Flint said. "The circle is broken, the oath denied. Bad luck." He shook his head. "Bad luck."
"Why?" Kitsune simple word drew the attention of all the companions. "Your comrade DID take the time to write and send a note to you. If she would have broken an oath, she wouldn't have done that." The companions appeared mollified at that, but they still felt betrayed.
Raistlin leaned forward. He and Caramon exchanged glances as thoughts passed wordlessly between them. It was a rare moment, for only great personal difficulty or danger ever made the twins' close kinship apparent. Kitiara was their older half-sister.
"Kitiara would not break her oath unless another, stronger oath bound her." Raistlin spoke their thoughts aloud.
"What does she say?" Caramon asked.
Tanis hesitated, then licked his dry lips. "Her duties with her new lord keep her busy. She sends her regrets and best wishes to all of us and her love..." Tanis felt his throat constrict. He coughed. "Her love to her brothers and to..." He paused, then foiled up the parchment. "That's all."
"Love to who?" Tasslehoff asked brightly. "Ouch!" He glared at Flint who had trod upon his foot. The kender saw Tanis flush. "Oh," he said, feeling stupid. Kitsune knew that Tanis and Kitiara had been lovers and that the half-elven did feel his two halves reconciled in her arms. Unfortunately, the first love of the dark-haired warrior was power. She would hesitate, but she would kill Tanis and even her brothers if need be. The fox-spirit didn't want to think about the short liaison between Sturm Brightblade and Kitiara Uth Matar.
"Do you know who she means?" Tanis asked the brothers. "What new lord does she talk about?"
"Who knows with Kitiara?" Raistlin shrugged his thin shoulders. "The last time we saw her was here, in the Inn, five years ago. She was going north with Sturm. We have not heard from her since. As for the new lord, I'd say we now know why she broke her oath to us: She has sworn allegiance to another. She is, after all, a mercenary."
"Yes..." Tanis admitted. He slipped the scroll back into its case and looked up at Tika. "You say this arrived under strange circumstances? Tell me."
"A man brought it in, late this morning. At least I think it was a man." Tika shivered.
Kitsune's eyes narrowed. "I see who you mean. He was that fellow wrapped head to foot in clothing of every description. You couldn't even see his face. His voice was hissing-like and he spoke with a strange accent..." She frowned. "A familiar one... Where did I hear this particular accent..?"
Tika nodded. "He said 'Deliver this to one Tanis Half-Elven'. I told him you weren't here and hadn't been here for several years. 'He will be' the man said. Then he left." Tika shrugged. "That's all I can tell you. The old man over there saw him." She gestured to the old storyteller sitting in a chair before the fire. "You might ask him if he noticed anything else."
Tanis turned to look at an old man who was telling stories to a dreamy-eyed child staring into the flames. Flint touched his arm.
"Here comes one who can tell you more." The dwarf said.
"Sturm!" Tanis said warmly, turning toward the door.
Everyone except Raistlin turned. The mage relapsed into the shadows once more. Sturm was more intolerant against magic than the rest of the group combined. He wasn't happily anticipating their encounter.
At the door stood a straight-backed figure dressed in full plate armor and chain mail, the symbol of the Order of the Rose on the breastplate. A great many people in the Inn turned to stare, scowling. The man was a Solamnic Knight, and the Knights of Solamnia had fallen into ill-repute up north. Rumors of their corruption had spread even this far south. The few who recognized Sturm as a long-time former resident of Solace shrugged and turned back to their drinking. Those who did not, continued to stare. In these days of peace, it was unusual enough to see a knight in full armor enter the Inn. But it was still more unusual to see a knight in full armor that dated back practically to the Cataclysm!
Sturm received the stares as accolades due his rank. He carefully smoothed his great, thick mustache, which, being the ages-old symbol of the Knights, were as obsolete as his armor. He bore the trappings of the Solamnic Knights with unquestioned pride and he had the sword-arm and the skill to defend that pride. Although people in the Inn stared, no one, after one look at the knight's calm, cold eyes, dared snicker or make a derogatory comment.
Kitsune sensed another break-point in the evolution of the Companions of the Lance. She stood up to greet the knight. Sturm Brightblade was a man of 29 years with blue eyes and black hair. Kitsune knew he was coming back from a very sobering journey from Solamnia. The tales he heard from his mother about his father and Huma revealed themselves to be ashes in his mouth. Huma was held in derision by the current knighthood and Sturm had been forced to sell off his ancestral lands to cover the debts his father owed. The only things he came back to Solace was the armor and sword his father wore when he was a knight. Sturm also abandoned Solamnia before he could manage to be inducted into their ranks and was merely a squire. And yet, apart for a handful among the Solamnic Knights, Kitsune would have bestowed full knight status only to this man, true incarnation of the honor that should have guided the knights.
She bowed to the approaching man. "Deghnyah Kharas. (Well met knight.) Oth Tsarthon e Paran? (Is our meeting between us in friendship?)"
Sturm Brightblade was petrified. After all the humiliations endured, after all the insults and the spats at his back. Someone, a young lady of fair birth, no doubt, was greeting him properly. Even the knowledge that he wasn't truly a knight was soothed by the almost luminous emerald gaze that shone genuinely at him.
He managed to recompose himself and bowed back. "Deghnyah Paranaith. (Well met friend.) Est Sularus oth Mithas. (My Honor is my life.)"
Flint grumbled about silver tongue, but the meeting of Sturm and the rest of the group went more smoothly than what should have happened. Sturm frowned heavily at Raistlin, but nonetheless was more concerned into helping the mage and bringing justice to the one who cursed him. That the young Healer was helping the wizard made her an integral part of the group without question. Even Raistlin managed to tone down his sarcastic and cutting remarks.
"Good!" said Flint. "Well, we're all here. What news?"
"All?" Sturm looked at Tanis questioningly. "Kitiara?"
"Not coming. She is under an oath to a lord, although she send us news that she couldn't come." Tanis replied steadily. "We were hoping perhaps you could tell us something."
"Not I." The knight frowned. "We traveled north together and parted soon after crossing the Sea Narrows into Old Solamnia. She was going to look up relatives of her father, she said so perhaps... That was the last I saw of her."
The Decision
The group began to tell their respective stories more in detail. Of interest were the adventures of Tas. Despite the harsh words of Flint that didn't believe a word of it, Kitsune knew that Tas didn't lie. He really had an adventure with a magical portal and helped putting out a very big fire in the city of Kendermore. Her own tale was relatively well received and she thought that Tanis had latched on her out-of-time experience to explain what he was feeling about her.
She listened attentively about the original quest of the companions who searched for any signs of the ancient true gods. In vain. Since three centuries and the Cataclysm, the gods remained silent, True Healing no longer exist and all the true priests and clerics had disappeared. Those who proclaimed to have True Healing were charlatans and arcane magic-users abusing the credulity of desperate people. No changes compared to her memories about the Dragonlance Chronicles, still a good thing.
After all the stories, Kitsune brushed the subject of the Blue Crystal Staff that so many searched for recently. Tanis, Flint and Tas confirmed that the hobgoblin Fewmaster Toede was looking for it, but not why. Raistlin and Caramon talked about the attitude of the Seekers militia in Solace and Sturm nodded as he also encountered a guard that asked him the same thing.
Apart from Caramon, Raistlin and Tas, they were visibly skeptical about the dreams of Kitsune who wasn't offended. However, the barbarian couple drew more interest.
In better health but still worried and suspicious, Riverwind stayed up behind Goldmoon as she began her story. It was a story of tragic love that tugged at the heartstrings of Kitsune, Tanis, Sturm, Tas, Caramon and Flint. The Chieftain's Daughter falling in love with a humble shepherd. Goldmoon talked about the long years waiting for the return of her beloved tasked with an impossible task: Finding a proof about the existence of the ancient gods since Riverwind refused the Ancestor cult of the Que-Shu tribe or more exactly because the chieftain didn't want him to court his daughter. Years later, Riverwind came back bearing the Blue Crystal Staff but he was very delirious from a bad fever and had forgotten many things that happened during his odyssey. Goldmoon managed to use the staff to heal her beloved. The Plainsman then presented himself to the chieftain with the staff who didn't answer to Riverwind. As the tribe was about to stone her beloved, Goldmoon threw herself at him and the staff answered by teleporting them near Solace. They didn't know what to do next, but so far had heard about two possibilities: One was the Seeker council at Haven and one was the almost prophetic proclamation of the old storyteller about Xak Tsaroth.
Kitsune saw a complication. "It is easy to prove what happened, but not here. Look discreetly at my left."
The group glanced to the fire-pit. One other person listened to the old man. This was a man dressed in the rich brown and golden robes of a Seeker. He sat at a small round table, drinking mulled wine. Several mugs stood empty before him and, even as the group watched, he called sourly for another.
"That's Hederick." Kitsune whispered. "The High Theocrat and I don't like how much he's drinking."
The man called out again, glaring at Tika. She bustled quickly over to help him. He snarled at her, mentioning poor service. She seemed to start to answer sharply, then bit her lip and kept silent. The old man came to an end of his tale. The boy sighed.
"Are all your stories of the ancient gods true. Old One?" He asked curiously.
Goldmoon saw Hederick frown and understood what Kitsune meant when she said she'll understand by just watching the Theocrat. There was nothing but trouble at talking to this man or worse showing or merely mentioning the blue crystal staff.
Tanis had also a bad feeling. "Let's pay our tab and get out of here." He looked at Flint. "It's been five years, but you think your house could lodge all of us at least for this night?"
The dwarf sighed. "My house has been sitting empty. Roof probably leaked, ruined the furniture." He shook his head. "If you don't fear fighting 5 years of dust and clutters and help renovating a little, sure."
The group slowly departed for the dwarf's house. Even Riverwind seemed happy to be out of the Inn. Kitsune kissed goodbye to Tika like a sister. They were fated to meet again after all. She felt elated at having the whole group of the Companions of the Lance together and leaving Solace earlier. They weren't fleeing under the cover of the night, and the bonds being forged weren't imposed by circumstances. She glanced at Fizban and caught a merry wink. Well, now she had the official endorsement of a major god of Krynn.
They exited the Inn without problems and followed Flint to his house. As predicted it wasn't in very good shape. A little elbow grease, a few buckets of water from the nearby well and a few swear words as Flint assessed the damage to his furniture and tried to repair some. Rapidly the companions found themselves sharing a light soup, courtesy of Kitsune, around the hearth of the house. For a while the natives of Solace were transported back into the past when such a thing was regular.
Tanis smiled as the warmth brought by his comrades healed his soul a little. He looked at Goldmoon and Riverwind. "How do we proceed?"
"I do not know." Goldmoon faltered as they were about to truly test the staff. "I... I haven't had it very long."
Kitsune drew her dagger drawing the stares of everyone and cut a long line on her left forearm. She held it out to Goldmoon. Slowly, her face pale, the woman touched her with the staff. It transformed from its plain aspect into the famous blue crystal staff they all heard about and began to glow blue. Kitsune felt a slight shock tingle through her body.
Even as they all watched, the blood on her arm vanished, the skin became smooth and unscarred, the pain eased and soon left her completely. She flexed her arm and presented it to Tanis and Raistlin.
"True healing!" Tanis said in awe.
Raistlin sat down near the hearth, rubbing his thin hands in the warmth of the fire. His golden eyes seemed brighter than the flames as he stared intently from the healed arm of the young girl to the blue crystal staff now resting across the woman's lap.
"What do you think?" asked Tanis.
He shook his head. "I'm almost sure it's the genuine article." He turned to Goldmoon. "If I might examine it?"
Goldmoon nodded and held out the staff. The mage stretched out his long, bony arm, his thin hands grasping for it eagerly. And were suddenly intercepted by the firm hands of Kitsune. Raistlin blinked at the weird action from the Healer.
"Be careful, Master Majere, my eyes are showing me that this object is aura-locked."
"Aura-locked?" frowned Caramon. "What's that mean?"
Raistlin nodded as if he understood everything and not only what the fox-spirit was saying. "It means that only the true pure in heart can manipulate this object safely. I can't because I choose neutrality in my approach of magic. No red or black for that matter robed wizards could even touch this object. Caramon, take the staff."
Reluctantly, Caramon stretched out a hand and touched the staff. Nothing happened. Caramon gripped the staff, lifted it in his huge hand, and grinned.
"See there." Raistlin gestured like an illusionist showing off a trick to the crowd. "Only those of simple goodness, pure in heart..." His sarcasm was piercing through his lecture voice."...may touch the staff. It is truly a sacred staff of healing, blessed by some god. It is not magic. No arcane magic objects that I have ever heard about have healing powers."
"What about you, brother." The words of Caramon seemed to brought a heavy slab of ice as Raistlin sharply turned to him, his golden eyes seemed to incinerate his twin. "No." Raistlin whispered so low they almost couldn't hear him. "The staff will not heal me. Do not waste it on me. If it is a blessed artifact... its sacred power is limited. My body was my sacrifice... for my magic. This damage is permanent. Nothing can help..."
"How do you know?" Kitsune's words seemed to shock the mage. "I am not talking about your sacrifice. I know those things and only experience and time can rebuild them. But that's not all in your case."
Raistlin Majere gazed at the fox-spirit. Never before had the companions been so aware about the formidable power hidden in his frail body. Ice was churning in their veins and they felt something like just before a storm in the air.
The red wizard sardonically chuckled. "Yes... After all I have no hope... What do I risk in trying, right..? Goldmoon, give her the staff."
Calmly, Kitsune took the staff in hand. She knew that several among the companions wouldn't have been surprised if the staff defended itself against her. She smiled at the artifact and called upon Mishakal, goddess of healing, in her mind. The Blue Crystal Staff flared and a blue-white halo radiated from her. Her emerald eyes glowed with her own power. She didn't touch Raistlin, she only brandished the staff. "Begone from here, evil one and trouble us no more!"
The blue light intensified and enveloped the mage in its sacred radiance. All distinctively heard something screaming and a dark haze or cloud was expunged from Raistlin's body.
Caramon reacted in alarm and threw himself over his brother, knocking him down, attempting to protect him from what he perceived as an attack.
"Caramon! You stupid idiot ox! Get off of me! You're crushing me!"
"Raistlin! You're all right!" The giant promptly get off his brother. "You're..?" Caramon's eyes widened as he looked at his prone sibling. In fact all the companions were looking flabbergasted at the mage.
"What?!" Irritated, Raistlin get up, grasping the shoulder of his twin as leverage. He stopped himself as he gazed at his hand. His normal-looking hand...
Kitsune smiled with wet eyes as she grasped her mirror and offered it to the red robe.
Raistlin looked at a face he didn't see for five years now. His skin had regained her normal coloration and while he still looked gaunt, he didn't feel the permanent weakness from after the Test of sorcery.
He frowned. He still had white hair, his golden irises and hourglass pupils. Par-Salian DID gift him with that. This changed... everything. He was now truly indebted to the young healer and Goldmoon by association. But first he had to survive the bone-creaking hugs of his brother and the embarrassment of his crying thank you.
After the companions regained their composure in front of the miracle pulled from the Blue Crystal Staff, they still had a decision to take. Flint retook a flask of wine that Tas "found" somewhere in his house and served everyone.
For Tanis, this quest was the quest of Goldmoon and Riverwind. He was of the same advice as Raistlin and didn't thing that the Seekers of Haven could help them with the staff. At worse, they'll take it and try to use it to inflate their reach and power.
Xak Tsaroth seemed the only true lead. Looking at his friends and companions, Tanis took a fateful decision.
"I am Tanis Half-Elven. The brothers are Caramon and Raistlin Majere. The knight is Sturm Brightblade. Flint Fireforge carries the wine and Tasslehoff Burrfoot is our clever locksmith. You are Goldmoon, he is Riverwind and she is Kitsune. There... We are strangers no longer and we would be honored to walk at your sides during your quest, for we also searched for the signs of the ancient gods."
Goldmoon truly smiled for the first time with wet eyes and even Riverwind slowly nodded to the group.
This night, the companions managed to find a troubled sleep. Tanis found himself awake in the middle of the night. He frowned as he saw that Kitsune was absent. His rather fast exit from the house also awoke his friends that followed after him.
Tanis sighed in relief as he found immediately the missing healer just outside the door. She was gazing upon the firmament and seemed to be trembling from the night cold.
Goldmoon looked up into the starry heavens, then stiffened and caught her breath in alarm.
"What is it?" Riverwind asked, staring up.
The others exiting the house, heard Goldmoon's gasp and saw her eyes transfixed by the same thing that Kitsune was looking in the night sky.
Caramon poked his brother. "Raist, what is it? I don't see anything."
Raistlin cast back his hood and searched the night sky. Then he stiffened, and his eyes widened. Reaching out with his still thin, bony hand, Raistlin clutched Tanis's arm, holding onto it tightly as the half-elf involuntarily tried to pull away from the mage's surprisingly strong grip. "Tanis..." Raistlin whispered, his restored breath nearly gone. "The constellations..."
"What?" Tanis was truly startled by the pallor of the mage's now healthy skin and the feverish luster of his strange eyes. "What about the constellations?"
"Gone!" rasped Raistlin and pointed at the two horrible black holes in the night sky. Each shaped like a dragon of legend. "The constellation known as the Queen of Darkness and the one called Valiant Warrior. Both gone! She has come to Krynn, Tanis, and he has come to fight her. All the evil rumors we have heard are true. War, death, destruction..." His voice died in mortal terror and he wobbled on his feet.
Caramon held him. "C'mon, Raist." he said soothingly."Don't get so worked up. It's only a bunch of stars."
"Only a bunch of stars..." Tanis repeated flatly.
Sturm had pull his heavy cloak, draping it on the trembling shoulders of the fox-spirit and coaxed her back to the house. Her voice filtered through the dark night, white with fear. "You simply don't understand the scale of this event... A star is a sun like ours... Only incommensurable distance make them seem like tiny sparks... No mortal force could even hope of slightly affecting only one... May the gods be with us and not against us..."
There was great difficulty in reaching sleep for the rest of the night.
Notes: Chalikar is another name for a Chakram and do mean "circle". Yep, I truly give Xena's weapon to my character... Well, almost, since I can only throw a melee weapon for now and no ricochets.
Yes! I bypassed all Fizban meddling. No pursuit in the cold of the night and no attention draw to the group. But don't worry, the old coot will show himself later.
And yes! I nipped Fistandantilus problem in the beginning. No more weakness for Raistlin! How? Easy, the Blue Crystal Staff can cast "Remove Curse" at the 20° level and is a sacred artifact from the Goddess Mishakal. Well, of course, the problem isn't completely solved and Raistlin still could turned to the Darkside. But at least, Kitsune can offer cookies... with chocolate chips...