"Are you ready?" Waylan asked.
"To battle a dark mage's spell and be sicker than I've been since I ate Uncle Trapspringer's Goblin stew that time? Why not?"
Waylan smiled slightly and went back into the house.
"Tanis, I don't want him in there, just in case. Will you stay out here with him?'
"Of course, Tas."
"Kender aren't afraid of much, but it might be a long night. Would you come with me, Sturm?"
The knight nodded. "I'll stay with you Tas. Until the end."
The Kender sighed. "Well, let's get this over with."
With a look and smile back at Flint, Tasslehoff went inside with Sturm.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Do you see how the amber is glowing?" Waylan asked. "It is receptive to the curse, that much I do know. From what I've seen before, you just take it and ride the effects out. Just will the curse away."
"Tas, I...thank you." Caramon choked.
Tas smiled and squeezed his friend's hand. "I'll bring him back, Caramon. I can be very stubborn, you know."
There was nothing else to say. The room grew quiet as the three witnesses watched Tasslehoff pick up the amber stone. They waited a few minutes.
"Are you sure, Waylan?" the Kender asked, growing restless. "I don't feel..."
Suddenly Tas jolted, his eyes losing focus. His face turned sheet white, and he started to sway.
"Oh Sturm, I think...I think it's working after all.."
The knight lay Tasslehoff down as they settled in for the ordeal.
"How much longer?" Sturm asked. "I don't know how much more he can take of this."
Tasslehoff had remained conscious, but he had emptied his stomach and was now shivering violently.
"It's a good sign." Waylan assured. "Look, the Mage's fever breaks even now."
Raistlin was starting to move slightly.
"Raist..." Caramon asked. "Raist, can you hear me?"
The mage lapsed into silence.
"What happened?" Caramon asked. "He was almost coming to..."
Waylan shook his head. "He's already weakened. He's lost his fight."
They heard a thud and Sturm's exclamation, and turned to see Tasslehoff staggering over to Raistlin's bedside. All of them were too shocked to react.
"Now you listen to me you pasty, miserable, two-bit carnival act." the Kender said in the inimitable fashion that only his kind could muster, grabbing the mage's shirt and twisting it in his hands. "I've been coughing my lungs up all night. If you think you're going to get nice and cozy Up There after all this, you've got another thing coming. Now get up!"
No one moved. Then, slowly, Raislin's eyes opened, and he gave the Kender a look that would spook the dead.
"Oh, Raist!" Caramon cried, going to his brother. "Thank the Gods!"
Tasslehoff slumped back into Sturm's arms, exhausted but laughing with relief.
Tanis and Flint rose as Waylan appeared in the doorway.
"What happened?"
"Come see for yourself." Waylan grinned.
They rushed inside to find Raistlin rapidly recovering and Tasslehoff clearly far from dead.
"Hullo Flint." Tas smiled wearily. "I told you that you wouldn't be getting rid of me."
"Just my luck." Flint muttered, as everyone judiciously ignored him wiping a tear from his eye.
"Pasty, miserable, two-bit carnival act." Raistlin rasped. "You do take a chance, Kender."
"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures." Tas answered reasonably.
"I would not suggest such measures in the future, but I owe you much, Kender. "
"That's alright." Tas grinned. "Just put it on my bill."
They sat in silence, the sun shining. Tasslehoff had offered to come back to check on Raistlin while the others stayed at the watering hole right outside Solace that they used for cleaning up.
"He was worried, you know." Tas said quietly.
Raistlin didn't answer.
"Sometimes I don't think you know what you have in him." the Kender continued, uncharacteristically subdued. "I don't know where my family is now, and I would give anything just to know if they're alright. You're very lucky, Raistlin. You have no idea how much."
"I wonder where my lucky charm is?" the mage asked bitterly. "He doesn't usually leave me alone this long."
"I fear he may have had to take a longer, more discreet route home." the Kender answered too innocently.
Raistlin raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid he has suffered a loss. Tragic. So tragic."
"Tasslehoff!" a voice roared in the distance. "Where are my clothes? So help me, I'll kill you!"
Snickering, Tas ran off like a rabbit.
Raistlin didn't smile, but slowly, ever so slowly, his mouth twitched.
There would be hard times, of course, and no happy ending. But when a time came that the Kender lay dying of poison as chaos reigned around them, Raistlin did not forget. And for a little while, he was touched by grace as he repaid his debt.
"To battle a dark mage's spell and be sicker than I've been since I ate Uncle Trapspringer's Goblin stew that time? Why not?"
Waylan smiled slightly and went back into the house.
"Tanis, I don't want him in there, just in case. Will you stay out here with him?'
"Of course, Tas."
"Kender aren't afraid of much, but it might be a long night. Would you come with me, Sturm?"
The knight nodded. "I'll stay with you Tas. Until the end."
The Kender sighed. "Well, let's get this over with."
With a look and smile back at Flint, Tasslehoff went inside with Sturm.
"What do I do?" he asked.
"Do you see how the amber is glowing?" Waylan asked. "It is receptive to the curse, that much I do know. From what I've seen before, you just take it and ride the effects out. Just will the curse away."
"Tas, I...thank you." Caramon choked.
Tas smiled and squeezed his friend's hand. "I'll bring him back, Caramon. I can be very stubborn, you know."
There was nothing else to say. The room grew quiet as the three witnesses watched Tasslehoff pick up the amber stone. They waited a few minutes.
"Are you sure, Waylan?" the Kender asked, growing restless. "I don't feel..."
Suddenly Tas jolted, his eyes losing focus. His face turned sheet white, and he started to sway.
"Oh Sturm, I think...I think it's working after all.."
The knight lay Tasslehoff down as they settled in for the ordeal.
"How much longer?" Sturm asked. "I don't know how much more he can take of this."
Tasslehoff had remained conscious, but he had emptied his stomach and was now shivering violently.
"It's a good sign." Waylan assured. "Look, the Mage's fever breaks even now."
Raistlin was starting to move slightly.
"Raist..." Caramon asked. "Raist, can you hear me?"
The mage lapsed into silence.
"What happened?" Caramon asked. "He was almost coming to..."
Waylan shook his head. "He's already weakened. He's lost his fight."
They heard a thud and Sturm's exclamation, and turned to see Tasslehoff staggering over to Raistlin's bedside. All of them were too shocked to react.
"Now you listen to me you pasty, miserable, two-bit carnival act." the Kender said in the inimitable fashion that only his kind could muster, grabbing the mage's shirt and twisting it in his hands. "I've been coughing my lungs up all night. If you think you're going to get nice and cozy Up There after all this, you've got another thing coming. Now get up!"
No one moved. Then, slowly, Raislin's eyes opened, and he gave the Kender a look that would spook the dead.
"Oh, Raist!" Caramon cried, going to his brother. "Thank the Gods!"
Tasslehoff slumped back into Sturm's arms, exhausted but laughing with relief.
Tanis and Flint rose as Waylan appeared in the doorway.
"What happened?"
"Come see for yourself." Waylan grinned.
They rushed inside to find Raistlin rapidly recovering and Tasslehoff clearly far from dead.
"Hullo Flint." Tas smiled wearily. "I told you that you wouldn't be getting rid of me."
"Just my luck." Flint muttered, as everyone judiciously ignored him wiping a tear from his eye.
"Pasty, miserable, two-bit carnival act." Raistlin rasped. "You do take a chance, Kender."
"Well, desperate times call for desperate measures." Tas answered reasonably.
"I would not suggest such measures in the future, but I owe you much, Kender. "
"That's alright." Tas grinned. "Just put it on my bill."
They sat in silence, the sun shining. Tasslehoff had offered to come back to check on Raistlin while the others stayed at the watering hole right outside Solace that they used for cleaning up.
"He was worried, you know." Tas said quietly.
Raistlin didn't answer.
"Sometimes I don't think you know what you have in him." the Kender continued, uncharacteristically subdued. "I don't know where my family is now, and I would give anything just to know if they're alright. You're very lucky, Raistlin. You have no idea how much."
"I wonder where my lucky charm is?" the mage asked bitterly. "He doesn't usually leave me alone this long."
"I fear he may have had to take a longer, more discreet route home." the Kender answered too innocently.
Raistlin raised an eyebrow.
"I'm afraid he has suffered a loss. Tragic. So tragic."
"Tasslehoff!" a voice roared in the distance. "Where are my clothes? So help me, I'll kill you!"
Snickering, Tas ran off like a rabbit.
Raistlin didn't smile, but slowly, ever so slowly, his mouth twitched.
There would be hard times, of course, and no happy ending. But when a time came that the Kender lay dying of poison as chaos reigned around them, Raistlin did not forget. And for a little while, he was touched by grace as he repaid his debt.