“The Great Eye?”
“Don’t interrupt me, if you want to know what’s going on. This year’s Festival of the Eye is going to be different from most others because all three moons, including the black moon Nuitari, are moving to rare conjunction. They will form the Great Eye-an orb of red, silver, and black hovering in the night sky, looking down upon Krynn with unfathomable intent.”
Raistlin paused, gazing at his brother with his own golden hourglass eyes.
“This has occurred once before in the history of the world-during the Cataclysm.”
Caramon shook his head. “Look, the Festival of the Eye happens every year. You’ve never been sick before. Except that once.”
“And on that night of the Festival-the night I was so strangely ill-my books showed the convergence of the two visible moons-Lunitari and Solinari. That is something that occurs more frequently, but still not often. Now, this year, according to my reading, that convergence will happen again. My calculations further confirm that the third-the black moon of the ancient, forgotten goddess Takhisis, Queen of Darkness-will cross over them, forming the Great Eye. What I felt so many years ago was the early gathering of mystic power that is going to be freed during the upcoming festival. Much is explained,” he added, thinking of the white line, understanding now why he could see it.
“Maybe to you, but not to me,” Caramon grunted, yawning. He glanced at his brother uneasily. “Is this sickness likely to happen again?”
But Raistlin was lost in thought and didn’t answer.
Earwig walked back up Southgate Street, past the rows and blocks of houses. “Everyone sure likes this necklace,” he said to himself proudly. “I’m really glad I found it. Gosh, I’m tired, though. Being a great warrior and getting kissed by beautiful women really takes a lot out of a guy.”
The kender made his way back to Barnstoke Hall, where he was delighted to find the street littered with dice and game pieces. He picked them all up and stuffed them into his pants pockets, wondering where they had come from.
The large and unfriendly servant was still guarding the door to the inn. The kender kindly let the man rest and went around to the back of the inn, where he crawled up the trellis and climbed into a window.
“I’ll just stop by and tell Caramon about my adventure,” he said, going up to the twins’ door and knocking on it loudly.
A bleary-eyed Caramon threw open the door. “You!” He glowered at the kender. “Do you know what time it is?”
“No,” said Earwig cheerfully. “But I can find out if you want. There’s a clock in the hall. I-” The kender’s mouth flew open. He stared.
“Raistlin’s staff!”
“Yeah, so what?”
“But it was … I mean I tried to … It just disa-!”
“See you in the morning, Earwig!” growled Caramon as he slammed the door, nearly taking off the kender’s inquisitive nose.
“How wonderful! It must have come back all by itself! Still,” Earwig added, miffed, “you’d think it would have said something before it let me go to all that trouble looking for it.”
Yawning, he started to go to his room, but couldn’t remember where it was. He sneaked down into the dark dining hall, undid his pack, rolled out his sleeping mats, and fell asleep under the main table.
Chapter 10
“You little monster!”
The woman’s scream echoed through the inn, awakening Caramon. The next instant, footsteps pounded up the stair and fists banged on the door.
The fighter turned quickly to observe Raistlin, hoping the mage wouldn’t wake from his slumber. A muscle in his brother’s face twitched, and he stirred restlessly in his sleep.
Caramon leaped to his feet, fatigue leaving his muscles as he stormed toward the door. Flinging it open, he faced the proprietor he had met briefly last night.
“Stop that racket!” whispered Caramon loudly. “My brother is sick!”
“Please, kind sir! I know you are important people-friends of the councillor’s-but you must help me!” The proprietor pointed down the stairs. “Your friend is assaulting my patrons!”
“My friend?” The warrior looked around the room to see if he’d forgotten somebody. Realization glimmered. “Earwig!” he groaned.
“Please, sir, please!” The innkeeper pulled on Caramon’s arm, attempting to tug him out the door.
The fighter came to a dead standstill and looked the proprietor directly in the eye. “Don’t let anything disturb my brother, understand?” He held a thick finger in front of the proprietor’s face for emphasis.
“Of course not,” the innkeeper said, swallowing hard. “Now would you please come reason with your friend, sir?”
“Reason? With a kender? That’ll be a first!” the warrior muttered under his breath, closing the door softly behind him.
Caramon walked into the room, and his eyes widened in disbelief. Earwig stood on a small oaken table in the corner of the dining hall, hoopak in his hand, threatening the staff of the inn. Something white and frilly was on his head.
One of the cooks, a large portly man, brandished a huge butcher knife. “I’ll chop off your ears!” he threatened, advancing on the kender.
“Cut out my eyes, too,” taunted the kender. “Then I won’t have to look at your ugly face!” Thwop! The hoopak flew out and slapped the man on the nose.
“Come on! Who’s next? I’m the mighty warrior, Earwig Lockpicker!” He waved his staff in a wide arc as others attempted to approach. “Admired by men! Beloved by women!”
Heaving a sigh, Caramon moved forward. Seeing his friend, Earwig warned, “Stay away from me, sir. I’m in the throes of the famous Kender Berzerkergang, which has not been seen on Krynn for hundreds of years!”
Caramon grabbed the staff as it arced toward his head, the wood making a loud slap on his palm that caused many in the room to wince in sympathetic pain.
“That’s enough, Earwig.” The warrior wrenched the hoopak from the kender’s hand.
“Draw your sword, Caramon! Cut them down!” Earwig shrieked, jumping from the table. “They attacked me!”
“Attacked you?” Caramon stared at the kender. “What in the name of the Abyss is that on your head?”
Earwig’s face went from righteous anger to bland innocence in less time than it takes to tell it. “It’s my hair, Caramon.”
The warrior eyed the lacy headpiece wrapped around the kender’s topknot. The headpiece looked familiar. It was-
“A garter!” the fighter said suddenly. Caramon’s face flushed deep crimson. Reaching out, he snatched the piece of feminine underclothing from the kender’s head. “I’ve heard of kender swiping lots of things!” he hissed into Earwig’s ear, shaking the kender until his teeth rattled. “But how did you manage to steal this?”
“The problem, sir,” the innkeeper spoke, stepping from the doorway where he had waited until the battle was over, “is that this … person … attempted to … to steal-”
“Steal!” Earwig’s eyes widened in indignation. “A kender … steal?” He could barely speak for the injustice of the accusation.
“Sir,” the proprietor continued. “A young lady was sitting down to breakfast when this person … uh …”
Ignoring the flustered innkeeper, Caramon gazed sternly at Earwig. “What happened?” he asked with a sigh, knowing that he was in for a long and convoluted explanation.
“Well, last night I went to pick up Raistlin’s staff that he left in the street, only when I reached out to grab it, the staff disappeared. I thought I’d better go look for it-you know, Caramon, how much your brother thinks of that staff. Well, anyway, I went back out-”
“I locked you in your room!” thundered the innkeeper. “Councillor Shavas wouldn’t want him walking around town after dark,” he added hastily, for Caramon’s benefit. “The little fellow might get hurt.”
“Hunh,” grunted Caramon, frowning.
“Well, anyway,” continued Earwig, deciding magnanimously to overlook being called “little fellow,” “I walked around the town, and I saw a lot of cats, and I found this bar that looked like fun. And it was! A man there tried to kill me, Caramon! With a knife! What do you think of that? I fought him off. Thwack! Over the head with my hoopak. Then the most beautiful girl I ever saw in my life kissed me on the cheek. Just as if I’d been you, Caramon! By then I was getting kind of tired, so I came back here and found all these game pieces lying on the ground, so I picked them up and climbed back up the trellis and in through the window-”