Author's note: This was a really difficult chapter. I agonized over it before finally posting it, deciding that I needed some opinions other than mine. I hope the version of Raistlin I've created feels right. That was probably my biggest concern writing this as he is the one character I don't want to screw up. Let me know what you think.

Delano and Raistlin walked up the stairs that emptied into a hallway. Walking up to the door of the first room on the right, Delano paused. Looking at the door, memories came flooding back and a genuine smile (one that his face hadn't known in five years) spread across his face.

"Well," Raistlin hissed. "Are we going in or not?" Delano supposed that tone usually made others flinch, but he just found it funny.

Looking back at Raistlin, Delano laughed. "You don't remember this room, do you?" He unlocked the door and walked in, expecting Raistlin to follow him. The room was like all the others in the inn: a bed against one wall, dresser against another and a table with chairs and a lamp next to the window.

Raistlin was taken aback. His eyes drilled holes into the back of Delano's head as his friend walked into the room. No one has been this flippant with Raistlin in years, and the last one that had had regretted it. Opening his mouth to say something, he paused. This was the one man on Krynn he allowed to get away with murder. Taking a sip of his wine, Raistlin smiled and walked into the room. He had missed his friend dearly. "No. Should I?"

"Why, Raistlin, I'm surprised. No memory at all?"

"Stop trying my patience," Raistlin hissed as he set down his wine glass on the table. "Out with it."

Delano took a sip of his wine then set the glass down on the table near Raistlin's. Standing there, he looked over Raistlin, taking in the sight that was his best friend. The golden skin suited him, in a twisted sort of way. If anyone could pull off looking normal with golden skin, it was Raistlin. "As much trouble as I went through eight years ago getting you and Lissel in this room, how could you not remember?"

Raistlin groaned. Now he remembered. Delano spent an entire year trying to get Raistlin to lay with a girl, and he finally succeeded that night eight years ago, thanks to a stolen bottle of red wine. In fact, it was the same wine they were drinking now. Looking at his friend, Raistlin smiled. Even though he would never openly admit it, he did have a few fond memories of what he now considered his previous life. And they all revolved around Delano.

Returning his smile, Delano embraced Raistlin. "I've missed you," he said as a tear came to his eye. They stood in that embrace for a few moments before Raistlin broke it.

"You were always far more sentimental than I," Raistlin said as he noticed the tear in Delano's eye. "However, you didn't bring me in here to talk about old times."

Leave it to Raistlin to ruin a good moment. Wiping the tear from his eye, Delano grabbed his wine glass, walked over to the foot of the bed, and sat down. Raistlin sat down in one of the chairs next to the table, noticing that his cough hadn't bothered him since Delano walked into the inn. Whether that was from the power emanating from his old friend or the simple fact that it was his old friend, Raistlin didn't know. "You always preferred beds to chairs," he said with a smirk, surprising himself as he said it. He had spoken that statement before he thought about it, a bad habit that Delano brought out in him.

Delano looked up in surprise before he returned Raistlin's smirk. "Yes, a habit I failed to instill in you. So, my friend isn't totally gone. Try as you might, those new eyes of yours don't hide your soul as well as you want them to."

"You are the only one that can read them, it seems." Raistlin stared at Delano over the rim of his wine glass as he took a sip. "Though, it looks like my old friend is 'totally gone.' What have you done? Why is the Conclave saying you're dead? Why is there an aura around you I don't recognize? What kind of power do you have?"

Delano tried, but he couldn't even hold the gaze of his best friend. He looked at the floor. Raistlin raised an eyebrow at that. This wasn't like his old friend at all. Delano was never one to avert his gaze under questioning. Actually, Delano used to stare down people questioning him, a trait that got him out of trouble more than a few times. Something was wrong. "Delano," Raistlin said softly, "talk to me."

Hearing the tone in which Raistlin spoke, Delano slowly looked up to meet his friend's gaze. Raistlin had used that tone only once before and that was after a brutal battle with a group of trolls in which all of the companions had suffered injuries, though Delano's was the only life threatening one. Delano had saved their lives, but at the cost of a spear lodged in his chest puncturing a lung. Raistlin sent the others for help while he sat on the ground with his friend's head in his lap. Fearing his best friend was going to die, Raistlin talked to him to try and keep him conscious. He used the same tone then as he had just used.

Delano took a sip of his wine and stood up. Raistlin saw his friend's face harden, but what surprised him was the hardening of his eyes. They took on a look that he had seen before. It was the look of a man who knew everyone hated him, but didn't give a damn. Raistlin didn't like it. That look didn't suit Delano, who was always lively and gregarious. It was preposterous to think of him as a solitary being. Raistlin, on the other hand, was fine being alone. It was Delano who kept dragging him out to social gatherings, inviting him into conversations, gods, had even gotten him laid. Now, the friend that had done all those things for Raistlin was gone. In his place was a cold and broken man. Raistlin shivered.

"I almost didn't come tonight," Delano said. "In fact, the only reason I'm here is that I couldn't think of another destination to teleport to."

"Of all the places on Krynn, how come Solace was the only one?"

"I only had a few seconds to think. I jumped out the window of a four story building in Palanthas and the stone street was approaching faster than I would have liked."

Raistlin suppressed a smile. "She was married?"

"A fact she neglected to tell me."

Raistlin's mind finally registered what Delano just told him. "Wait, you teleported while falling?"

The smile that showed on Delano's face was one Raistlin had never seen on his friend before. It was malicious even for a black robe. "I impressed myself with that one. I wish Par Salian could have seen it." His hatred for the head of the Conclave dripped off the name as he said it. "Nothing said leaves this room, understand?"

Raistlin's eyes narrowed. The way that last statement came out sounded like an order. He would put up with a lot from his friend for old time's sake, but no one gave him an order. Raistlin put down his glass and stood up, his eyes never leaving Delano's. The situation was getting intense for a friendly chat, and Raistlin was beginning to feel uneasy in his old friend's presence. "Answer my questions or I'm leaving," he hissed.

Regarding his childhood friend, Delano saw him slipping away, like the others. Not him too, he thought. "Sit down and hear me out. If afterwards you never want to see me again, I'll understand."

That gave Raistlin pause. This was definitely not his old friend. "Fine," he said as he sat back down.

"Let's start over, shall we? Can we agree that what is said here stays between us?" The young mage nodded. "Can we also agree to forget the rules of the Conclave and talk about the Test? I won't ask about yours, but without hearing about mine, you won't understand." Raistlin regarded his friend for a moment, then slowly nodded.

Delano began pacing. "They tried to kill me Ray." Raistlin smiled at the sound of the nickname Delano used to use when just the two of them were talking. "That asshole Par Salian can deny it all he wants, but I know that was his intent. He was afraid of me from the moment I walked into the Tower." Raistlin thought back to the day they both walked into the Tower and remembered the apprehension in Par Salian's eyes as he looked upon the two young men, especially Delano. "I don't know if Laddona and Justarius felt the same or if Par Salian made them go along with it, but I was set up to fail from the beginning. The Test was nothing I couldn't handle until I began walking up the stairs in some tower. A dark elf appeared at the top of the stairs in front of the door leading out. I remember thinking how pathetically easy he was to kill, and as I was casting the last spell that would kill him, he shimmered and split into three. I stepped into the doorway next to me, cursing under my breath, and prepared a different spell. I stepped back onto the staircase and managed to bind two of them. I turned to the third firing off a fireball. Then, covering it with acid, it died and I turned to the other two thinking to kill them off one at a time. Imagine my surprise when the two became six."

Delano stopped pacing and went to stand in front of the window, staring out at the night sky. Raistlin could see him begin to shake in anger. Suddenly wondering if it was safe for him to be in the room, Raistlin looked over at the door, judging the distance. Delano was not someone you wanted to be around when he was seething in anger, and that was before the Test. That was the old Delano. This new man that stood at the window Raistlin didn't know, and was obviously more powerful. His fits of rage could be vastly more destructive.

Delano placed his hands on the windowsill and resumed talking. "I froze and two of them threw spells at me. I was blasted through the door next to me. I landed on a table that collapsed when I hit it, and part of the wall next to the door fell on me. I was pinned down, not strong enough to free myself. One of the dark elves appeared in the doorway, and calling to mind the strongest spell I knew, I sandwiched him between the wall across from the doorway and a boulder the size of the table you were sitting at downstairs, killing him. The other dark elves hesitated after that, I think, since it was a few moments before I saw them."

Turning from the window, Delano walked over to the bed to pick up the wine glass he set on the floor. He took a sip, then looked at Raistlin. "What was I supposed to do? I was pinned under a ton of rock with five dark elves just outside the room. None of the spells I had remaining could save me. Sure, I could have killed a few of them, but five on one for a novice mage is a death sentence. I panicked. I tried to recall the spells I already used, but you know as well as I do that that was impossible. I could only remember bits and pieces of them. From my studies I knew that Magius created many of his own spells, so I decided to give it a shot. What could it hurt?" Delano paused to finish the wine in his glass, then laughed. "What could it hurt indeed."

Raistlin listened to all this in silence. Almost being killed by a dark elf himself during his Test, he could understand the desperation. But six? "What spell was it?"

"I didn't create it from scratch. I pieced together the distorted remnants of the other spells in my mind. Now that I think back on it, I was a fool. I had no idea what would happen, if anything. Little did I know it would become an object of debate for the Conclave. They were furious. And a little frightened, I think. Even the gods of magic were upset."

Raistlin shuddered. Upsetting the gods of magic was the worst thing a mage could do. "Well?"

"I suppose I tapped a plane of existence not known to the Conclave. Whether the gods knew about it or not I don't know." Delano sighed, then looked at Raistlin. "I summoned a demon."

"You what?" Raistlin was stunned. His eyes widened, his heart rate increased and his mouth went dry. He tried to grab his glass off the table to take a sip and wet his mouth, but his arm wouldn't obey him. After a few minutes of stunned silence, with Delano looking like he was on trial, Raistlin finally managed to grab his glass and downed the last of his wine. "So, you're possessed now?"

"No, no, no. Nothing like that." Delano walked over to the window and looked out at the road leading into Solace. "Hmm, the goblins seem to have a patrol guarding the entrance into town now. They really are serious about that staff they're looking for." Delano stared out the window for a few long moments, drumming his fingers quietly on the windowsill. "I was scared Ray," he said to the window. "The demon appeared out of thin air. I had never seen a demon before. Only in the book that we found at the school was there any mention of demon summoning at all – half a page, and all of it highly negative. That demon appeared and I was sure the Abyss would be the next place I would see."

Raistlin remembered the book Delano was talking about and there were only two outcomes that summoning a demon could produce: possession or death. Also, Delano never admitted to being scared. He just never used that word. Uneasy? Yes. Shook up? Yes. Alarmed? Startled? Yes and yes. But never scared or frightened. In fact, Raistlin used to tease him that he was part kender. Then, before the red robe could take that chain of thought any further, Delano turned from the window and looked at him.

"The demon stood there glaring at me, and looked extremely upset. It took a step towards me thrashing its tail about and I swear it was getting ready to attack me, to attack the being that had the audacity to summon it. I tried to back away from it, but being pinned under a fallen wall, I could do little more than move my upper body back a foot or so. I had never been so frightened in my entire life. I closed my eyes and prayed to whatever god was listening that death would be quick, for I had done something unspeakably bad." Delano leaned his back against the windowsill. "I heard the demon walk up to stand next to my head. Well, I decided then that if I was going to die at the hands of a demon, I was going to look it in the face while it killed me. This was the first demon I had ever seen, so I was curious about how it planned on killing me. I looked it right in the eyes, and it seemed shocked. It lowered its arm, bent down until I could feel its breath and peered into my eyes."

"I had never seen eyes like the ones this creature possessed before. The entire eye was gold except for a red dot in the center. As it looked into my eyes, those red dots grew 'til they covered most of the gold, then shrank again in what seemed like disbelief then understanding. It straightened back up and spoke in a strange male voice. 'What is the situation?' How I understood him then I'll never know, I guess the spell did that, because he spoke in a tongue I've never heard nor read before. So, I told him what was going on and he seemed to think for a second. He cast a few fireballs through the door and hole where the wall used to be. He then put up a firewall covering the door and hole, took a few steps back and told me how to send him back. Looking at the wall he created, he turned to me and said, 'Send me back, wait one minute, then summon me again.' What was I supposed to do? I sent him back, then panicked 'til I realized I still remembered the words to the summon spell. That was a very long minute."

Delano left the window and walked back over to the bed. He started to sit down, then began fiddling with something on his left hip. After a few seconds, he produced a sword and scabbard, threw them on the bed and sat down. Raistlin saw the sword, but wasn't about to interrupt Delano.

"I summoned him again, oddly feeling my strength return. He appeared, glanced at me and nodded. He looked over at his still burning firewall then told me how to summon another demon. I just stared at him. 'Don't worry, we're not here for conquest,' he told me. And, you know," Delano fixed Raistlin's gaze with his, "strangely, I believed him. So I cast the spell he told me. Another demon appeared, this one obviously female. She looked at the first demon, then at the firewall. She studied it for a second, then turned and walked over to me. She knelt beside my head and looked into my eyes. Her eyes were different from the first one's: solid white with black at the corners and a purple dot in the center. Her purple dots grew and she began to smile. 'I think you're right,' she said to the other demon while still peering into my eyes. 'We're going to help you. Let's get you out from under this wall, shall we?' She giggled as she stood up and the two demons proceeded to extract me from the rubble."

"There I was, standing by the fallen wall staring at them not knowing what to do. I must have had my mouth open in surprise because the female laughed. 'Come on; let's take care of those pesky dark elves. We'll explain a few things afterwards.' The other one nodded at me. Well, I figured, why not? I mean, I was in so deep that following through with it was the only logical choice. Once the firewall burned out, we proceeded to fight the dark elves." Delano got up from the bed, absentmindedly grabbed his staff with his left hand and walked over to the window.

He stared out the window for a moment. Placing his right hand on the windowsill, he resumed his story. "Par Salian must have had an active hand in my Test, because the dark elves were not just waiting there. They had been busy. They were killing off one elf at a time, growing in numbers. We saw nine of them out there. Nine. We quickly learned to destroy the bodies of the ones we killed lest they rise into three more. I'm surprised we lived through it."

"After the battle we were all lying on the floor wounded and exhausted. I laid there for a few moments, then crawled over to the demons to see if they were okay. They fared better than I did, so I was relieved that I hadn't gotten them killed. We all rested for a few moments more, then they got to their feet so I did the same." Delano sighed. Raistlin did notice that it was a sigh of contentment, not of regret or dread. Delano liked this memory. "I learned their names, they learned mine. His was Zangthyk and hers was Bexta. They looked at each other for a moment, nodded, then Bexta walked up to me. 'There hasn't been one like you in a very, very long time Delano,' she said as she ran her fingers across my chest. She looked over at Zangthyk and he nodded. She looked back to me and placed her right hand on my shoulder. 'Ooo, I'm going to enjoy this. You are so cute.' She caressed my cheek with her left hand. 'Don't worry Delano, this is not going to hurt.' She giggled. 'In fact, this is going to feel ecstatic for the both of us.' I saw Zangthyk begin to cast a spell. 'What . . . what are you going' I managed to get out before she placed a finger on my lips. 'Shhh,' she cooed. 'It's my first time too. Don't worry, I don't bite.' Then she winked at me. She began to glow light red as Zangthyk cast his spell. She then cast one of her own and added purple to the red." Delano leaned against the wall with his shoulder, lost in the memory. "She placed both of her hands on my cheeks then kissed me. Not just on the lips, it was a deep kiss. Out of habit I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. I began to feel a buzzing in my lips and tongue that slowly radiated out to fill my head, then down my spine spreading throughout my entire being, causing my body to glow the same color as her. It was the most wonderful feeling I have ever felt. The kiss lasted until both of us stopped glowing, something like two minutes. She broke the kiss and pulled her head back, staying in my embrace. 'Wow . . . that was amazing,' she whispered."

"'That's enough, we need to get back.' Zangthyk seemed anxious to go. 'Maybe sometime in the future we'll see just how far that kiss goes,' Bexta told me while caressing my cheek again before breaking the embrace and turning to go." Delano came out of his memory trance and turned to look at Raistlin. "I asked them what just happened and Bexta looked at me over her shoulder. 'We have given you something that Krynn has not seen before in a mortal. That kiss was more than just pleasure; it was also our magic flowing into you. We'll explain more at a later date, seeing as how this is your Test and we need to leave and everything. Call one of us when you have some free time. Don't fret your cute little head over it, Master Warlock,' she said as she grinned. 'Time for you to send us back.' So, I did, I sent them back."

Delano leaned his staff against the wall and left the window to walk over and stand in front of Raistlin. "When I awoke after finishing the Test – wait. I didn't wake up, I was woken up. I was dragged from the bed, placed in chains and brought before an emergency meeting of the Conclave. I never thought I'd see so much anger and fear in the eyes of the most powerful mages on Krynn. They decided I was too dangerous to live." Raistlin saw Delano clench his fists in anger. "All I tried to do was survive! I wasn't ready to die so I reached out to the only thing I could think of: I summoned Bexta." Delano laughed. "You should have seen the faces of those mages. She took one look around, ran over to me and took me with her to her home plane. I assume that's why the Conclave considers me dead. They didn't get to kill me themselves, but I disappeared with a demon, so they must have figured I would never return. The demon plane is . . . interesting. Well, interesting doesn't do it justice. Mind-reeling is more accurate. It took awhile for my senses to adjust. When I finally made it back to Krynn, two years had passed. I learned many things, but now I feel like I don't belong here anymore; if that makes any sense."

Delano looked at Raistlin expectantly, but the red robe was too stunned to speak. This was too much to take in. He slowly got up, retrieved his staff, and walked out of the room closing the door behind him. Delano watched his friend leave. Once the door closed, he walked over to the window and looked at the night sky over Solace.

"Well, what did you expect?" He turned his head and looked over at the sword. There it sat where he threw it in a scabbard so black it seemed to absorb the light. He shook his head and turned to his staff. He reached over and caressed the soft wood with his left hand. He sighed a little and picked it up. The staff felt comforting in his hand. "I probably would have done the same thing."

Raistlin stood in the hallway deep in thought. Anyone walking down the hallway would have assumed he was staring at the wall. This was a lot to digest. Demons helping him? Living with them on their home plane? A kiss transferring magic? If anyone other than Delano had told him that, he would have called them a liar and walked away. But Delano had never lied to him before. Even still, had he not seen the drastic change in his old friend personally, he wouldn't have believed it. And, to be honest, the story made sense. He had wondered why there were so many high ranking mages in the Tower when he himself woke up after his Test. And the way they told him about Delano's fate irked him. Like they were glad he was dead. Raistlin was rather upset about his friend, but Par Salian kept insisting that there were complications during Delano's Test and that death is an understood part of the process. Raistlin persisted with his questions (he refused to believe that his friend would allow himself to be killed), but the other mages were adamant about the conversation being over. What –

"Raist, is everything okay?" Caramon was walking up the stairs to the hallway. Raistlin and Delano had been gone for awhile and the rest of the companions were getting worried.

"Dammit, not now Caramon!"

Caramon stopped mid-step, looked down and turned around to go back downstairs. "Okay Raist." Muttering some curses, Raistlin returned to his thinking.

Another thing that was bothering him was how uncomfortable he now felt in Delano's presence. The two had been best friends. Actually, more than that, more like brothers. Raistlin suffered Caramon, but he enjoyed being around Delano; at least he used to. The elation he had felt upon seeing Delano alive was snuffed out by the change in his friend and the story he just heard. Not to mention the power that emanated from Delano. It was different, so different in fact, that it lent credence to the story. And, so different that Raistlin had to admit he was a little scared of it. He had always thought that the two of them would grow in power together, become the two most powerful mages on Krynn. What Delano claimed to be now was . . . He needed to understand. He needed this to make sense in his mind. And yet . . . would things have turned out differently if the situations were reversed? I need some questions answered before I can figure all this out, he thought. And if this turns out to be true and I can trust him like I did before . . . He took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled so he could gather himself. Making up his mind, he turned to walk back into the room. He reached out his hand for the doorknob, stopped, then smiled to himself as he knocked. Besides, maybe Delano can do what Par Salian couldn't: fix his lungs and get rid of the cough.

Delano turned away from the window when he heard the knock. I guess the laundry is done, he thought. He walked over to the door, opened it, and stood in surprise as he saw the source of the knock.

"May I come in?" Raistlin asked.

Delano stepped back and gestured for Raistlin to come in. He closed the door and turned around. His friend was standing there next to him. He just stared at the red robe.

"Before I take one more step into this room," Raistlin hissed, "I need some questions answered."

"By all means."

"Is 'warlock' the demon's term for one they allow to summon them?"

"Yes. And these robes I'm wearing denote my status as one, according to them."

"Where does your power come from? It's obviously not from one of the gods of magic, a fact which I believe is the reason you drew their ire."

"That's not something I can fully explain."

Raistlin's eyes narrowed. "Can't? Or won't?"

"Both. I can't fully explain it, so I won't."

"I see." Raistlin looked at the door then back to Delano. "My patience is far thinner than it was before the Test. I'll give you more latitude than anyone else, but any more word games dancing around my questions and I'm walking away."

Delano paused for a moment to consider his words before he opened his mouth. "Ray," he said as he took a step towards the red robe, causing his old friend to involuntarily take a step back. The young warlock noticed. "Huh," he said as he smirked. "So, how much of your bravado is an act? Are you unsure of your own abilities?"

Raistlin cursed himself for showing weakness. He met Delano's gaze. "No. I'm unsure of yours."

"Fair enough." Delano turned and walked over to the window, leaving the young mage standing by the door. "My power comes from the demon plane."

Raistlin was torn. On the one hand was his desire to remain consistent. He had declared that he wasn't taking another step into this room without some answers, and Delano had ignored that declaration by walking away, expecting him to follow while half answering one question. Raistlin should have walked out right then – if he were being consistent. But, on the other hand, he had an uncanny feeling, a certainty, that this power his old friend now possessed would have a major role in shaping the future of Krynn. The fact that it was his old friend with the power was the only reason he felt even remotely comfortable around it. He intended to remain comfortable around it. Making up his mind, he slowly walked over to the bed. "That's rather vague."

Delano turned from the window and smiled a little as he saw Raistlin by the bed instead of still standing in front of the door. "No more vague than saying yours comes from Lunitari."

Raistlin regarded the warlock a moment. "Fine. Why did they help you? What did they hope to accomplish by giving you power they had never given another mortal before?"

"I'm not sure." Delano left the window to sit in one of the chairs by the table. He placed his elbows on his knees and rubbed his temples with his fingers. "It was hard to get a clear answer to that question myself. The general consensus amongst the demons was the same, but they all went about explaining it differently. Basically, they were tricked into occupying the plane in which they currently reside."

"By whom?"

"Hiddukel."

"Why?"

"Every demon has a different answer to that question."

Raistlin walked from the bed to the other chair by the table and sat down. He looked at Delano's staff, looked over to the sword on the bed, then glanced at Delano who was still rubbing his temples with his fingers. Where have you been and what have you seen, my friend? he asked silently. "So, the ancient gods are real?"

"Yes." Delano sat up and looked at Raistlin. "Everything worshipped since the Cataclysm was false. It's a shame the Seekers apparently have so much power now. They're completely wrong."

Raistlin sat there staring into Delano's eyes. He was telling the truth, that much was certain. What he was trying to read was the warlock's soul. Those sky blue eyes under blonde eyebrows were never easy for the mage to read, even when they were children. One thing he could tell: there was a new depth to them, a vastness brought about by experience that should have far exceeded his age. Raistlin smiled. They both might have changed drastically, but they were still kindred spirits.

"Why are you carrying a sword?"

"A sword?" Delano had forgotten all about it. He looked over at the bed. "Oh. Oh yeah. That's a present for Caramon. I had some help enchanting it a few years ago. Once I give it to him, the sword will bind to him. As long as Caramon is alive, it can't be damaged. Not even by dragon fire."

"Not even by dragon fire?" Raistlin asked as he raised an eyebrow. "That's a bold statement."

"That's what I was told."

Raistlin snorted and stood up. He walked over to where Delano's staff was leaning against the wall next to the window. He picked it up while setting his own against the wall.

"Does it have a name?" he asked as he turned the staff in his hand, looking it over.

"Does yours?"

"Mine was once held by a very powerful mage, one you have mentioned already tonight."

Delano's eyes widened. "That is the Staff of Magius?"

Raistlin smiled. "It is. Par Salian gave it to me as a sort of apology for my 'transformation.'"

"Let's agree not to speak that name." Raistlin looked over and shrugged his shoulders in acquiescence. Delano stood up, walked over to the window and picked up Raistlin's staff. He looked at it in admiration. "Nice. I can feel the power in it."

Raistlin chuckled. "I'm glad you approve." He looked at the silver dragon at the head of Delano's staff. "I can feel the power in this one, but something's off, like I shouldn't be holding it." He handed it to Delano and retrieved his own.

"This is Dragonblade. The demons gave it to me, said it used to reside on Krynn a very long time ago." Delano said a word and the bottom of the staff turned into a blade. Raistlin's eyes widened at that. "Apparently, this blade his severed the heads of dozens of dragons, and the little silver dragon at the top supposedly has the ability to breathe dragon fire. I haven't figured that out yet." He said another word and the blade disappeared. Looking at Raistlin, he asked, "You done interrogating me now?"

Raistlin regarded his friend for a moment while he chose his words. "I'll admit seeing you was a shock. I spent the last five years thinking you were dead. And now you show up a completely different person claiming to have abilities that shouldn't exist. The power I feel emanating from you worries me since it is alien to me. To be honest, I'm not sure if I feel comfortable around you." Raistlin paused a moment to let his words sink in and to gauge Delano's reaction. He thought he detected a hint of sadness cloud his friend's eyes. "What proof do I have that you're not possessed?"

Delano opened his mouth to speak then caught himself. Well, he thought, that's a legitimate question. In all honesty, I'm not sure I would trust me either. "What proof do you require?"

Raistlin thought about that for a second. He wasn't sure. What kind of proof could Delano possibly have? "I'm not sure. This is a mighty wild tale you have told me."

Delano walked away from the window and went to stand by the foot of the bed. He stared at the door for a few moments while thinking. Nodding as he made up his mind, he spoke without turning around. "Would you like to meet one of them?"

"One of the demons?"

"Yes." Delano turned around to look at his friend. A look of apprehension shone in the red robe's eyes. "Don't worry. You won't be harmed unless you attack me."

Raistlin swallowed as he collected his thoughts. Meet a demon? How much do I trust this new Delano? He moved closer to the window, prepared to jump out if need be. "Very well."

Delano walked over to the door and cast a spell that placed a magical lock on it. He came back over to the foot of the bed, raised his hand and uttered a phrase in a language of magic Raistlin couldn't understand. A purple glow appeared around his hand and spread up to his elbow, then shot back down his arm and onto the floor where the young man was pointing. The glow swelled to the size of a human before disappearing, leaving a creature in its place. What stood there almost caused Raistlin to drop his staff. An exotic creature looked over at Delano, who nodded, then at Raistlin. The mage immediately understood what caused his friend to fondly remember this demon. She stood there in all her demonic glory: milk-white skin faded to purple around her eyes and nipples; her arms got progressively more purple from the elbow to the fingertips and legs that did the same from the knees down; black and purple horns grew out of her forehead and curved to follow the plane of her shoulders; a deep purple leg-length tail came from the bottom of her spine; large black hooves adorned her legs instead of feet; a perfect human female body and face. The only thing she wore was a dress covering her from the waist to the ankles with slits all the way up the sides that were so wide the dress had no choice but to leave the entirety of her legs visible; nothing at all covering her from the waist up.

Raistlin couldn't move. Even with his cursed eyes, he was sure that this creature was the most beautiful thing he would ever see. So he stood there, mouth agape, mind frozen, his hand barely holding onto his staff.

"So, this is the one?" she asked Delano in the demonic tongue as she looked over to the young warlock. "You didn't mention the gold skin and cursed eyes."

"I didn't know about that until today. That happened during his Test," Delano replied in the same tongue. "We should probably talk in Common," he told her.

"But I like our language. It rolls off the tongue and flows so nicely," she pouted.

Delano laughed. "He can't understand us."

"Fine." She sauntered over to stand in front of Raistlin, who was still frozen in place. She reached up and placed a finger under his chin, slowly closing his mouth for him. She giggled. "You shouldn't stare with your mouth open like that. You might attract flies." She looked him over for a few seconds and frowned. "You poor thing. Who gave you those eyes?"

Raistlin's mind finally caught up with the present as it registered her question. "They were a cruel punishment given to me by Par Salian to teach me 'patience.'"

"Patience?" asked Delano.

"Those eyes show the passage of time on all they gaze upon," she told the young warlock. "That old man in white gave you those eyes?"

"Indeed," Raistlin replied. "You must be Bexta."

The demon smiled. "That I am." She snapped her fingers as she walked over to Delano and her horns folded back along her head and became deep purple tattoos that faded to black at the back of her scalp. She leaned her head against the warlock's right breast and draped her left arm across his back on his left shoulder. Noticing Raistlin's surprise, she winked at him. "Those can get in the way during . . . intimate moments." She ran her right hand up Delano's chest to his cheek and turned his head as she gazed up at him. "Has Del told you how we met?"

It was Raistlin's turn to smile. "Del?" The mage chuckled. "I haven't heard him called that since we were children. And yes, he explained many things – at least all we have time for. Though, he did leave out a description of you."

Delano grinned down at Bexta's emerging frown. "Don't look at me like that. No words of mine could have done your beauty justice. He needed to see you in person."

She pondered that for a second, then smiled as she pulled Delano's head down and kissed him. "You're lucky I like you," Bexta said as she spun away from the young warlock and walked back over to Raistlin. "It's been a pleasure, Raistlin Majere. Maybe sometime in the future I'll allow you to ask those questions I see in your eyes." She looked back over at Delano. "And Del, a room with a bed does us no good if there isn't time enough for play." She winked and the warlock sent her away.

"Play?" Raistlin chuckled. "You took her up on her offer, didn't you? I'll wager she taught you a great many things about the art."

Delano was staring at the place Bexta just vacated. He looked up at his friend with a smile on his face. "Oh yes. She is pure ecstasy in bed. In fact, she might have been too good. How am I going to find a mortal to satisfy me now?"

"Such is the cost of the forbidden fruit."

Delano sighed. "Perhaps you're right." He looked around the room before settling his gaze on Raistlin. "So . . ."

Raistlin walked over and stood in front of Delano. They regarded each other for a few moments, then Raistlin smiled. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"With these eyes of mine, I will never see beauty in this world. Being a demon, Bexta will never age. I see her just as you do. Thank you."

Delano smiled. "Still friends?" Raistlin nodded. "Do you still trust me?"

"I'm working on that," replied the young mage. "I'll let your actions speak for themselves. Besides, what better way to see a man's character than by the way he acts?"

"Still as logical as ever." Delano walked over to the bed to pick up the sword. "You were the only one I felt I could relate my story to who wouldn't either run away or try to kill me upon hearing it."

"And if I had tried to kill you?"

"I would've felt really bad about killing you," Delano said as he turned back to Raistlin and smiled.

"Is that so?" Raistlin returned the smile. "At least you haven't completely changed. Still as arrogant as ever."

"Said the pot calling the kettle black."

"Indeed. Come on, the others are wondering. Caramon already came up looking for us while I was in the hallway." Raistlin looked back to the spot where Bexta had been standing. "And I think we should keep your little demon secret just that, a secret."

Delano sighed. "Unfortunately, I think you're right. Especially Sturm, if he shows up. He's liable to try and kill me. Hopefully we can have a quiet night of reminiscing and drinking. I'll bet Kitiara would get a kick out of it, though." They started walking towards the door.

"With Tanis hanging all over her? When would you find the time to show her?"

"You forget who you're talking to," Delano laughed.

"Do you still fancy her?" Raistlin asked in a serious tone.

Delano stopped at the door and looked at his old friend for a moment. "No, Ray, I don't. I made that abundantly clear years ago. That's the only reason Tanis even had a chance with her."

"I'm not sure she ever fully got over you," Raistlin said wistfully.

"Not my problem. She made her choices; she can live with 'em. Though," Delano laughed, "I would like to see if she learned any new tricks."

"How you can be so powerful and spend so much time thinking about sex is beyond me," the mage muttered shaking his head.

Delano grinned at his friend. "Magic and sex. The two greatest things in life."

"So you keep telling me."

"Oh, don't let Caramon say anything about me taking the Test once you decide to drop that bomb on the rest of them. And let me talk to Caramon about my powers. I'll tell him something safe that makes sense to him."

"Consider it done, as long as you don't summon one of your friends."

"Well, now that that's settled, let's go get some more wine." Delano cast a spell breaking the magical lock on the door. "Tika sure has turned out nicely. I wonder what her nipples look like."

Raistlin shook his head and smiled. Some things never change. "I believe Caramon fancies her."

"Oh?" Delano grabbed the door handle and laughed. "In that case, I'll leave her to him. He would never forgive me if I took another girl from him." He opened the door and turned to wait on Raistlin. The red robe just shook his head as he walked out the door.