Palin seized hold of Tasslehoff, who was hovering on the threshold. Palin was about to haul him bodily inside the Tower, when he was considerably disconcerted to find a gnome planted on the threshold, as well. The gnome had his hands shoved into his pockets and was looking about. Apparently, from his expression, he was not much liking what he saw.
“Eh?” said Palin, staring at the gnome. “Who are you?”
“Short version: Conundrum. I’m with her.” The gnome pointed a grimy finger at Goldmoon. “She stole my submersible. Cost a lot of money, submersibles. And who’s going to pay? That’s what I want to know. Are you going to pay for it? Is that why we’re here?”
Conundrum held up a small fist. “Cold, hard steel. That’s what I want. No wizard stuff. Bat’s eyes.” The gnome sniffed disdainfully. “We’ve got a vault full of them. Once you’ve ruled out ball bearings, what good are they?”
Keeping a firm grip on Tasslehoff’s collar, Palin dragged the kender, kicking and squirming, over the door stoop. Conundrum followed on his own, his small, quick eyes taking in everything and dismissing it all out of hand.
Goldmoon said nothing in response to Dalamar’s greeting. She barely looked at him or at Palin. Her gaze went around the Tower. She stared at the spiraling staircase that went up into darkness. She glanced around at the chamber in which they stood. She looked, and her eyes grew wide. Her face, already pale, went ashen.
“What is this I feel?” she asked, her voice low and filled with dread.
“Who is here?”
Dalamar shot Palin a glance that said I told you so. Aloud, he replied,
“Palin Majere and I are the only two here, Healer.”
Goldmoon looked at Palin and seemed not to recognize him, for almost immediately her gaze went around him, past him, beyond him.
“No,” she said softly. “There is someone else. I am meeting someone here.”
Dalamar’s dark eyes flashed. He silenced Palin’s startled exclamation with a glance.
“The person you are expecting has not yet arrived. Will you wait in my library, Healer? The room is warm, and there is spiced wine and food.”
“Food?” The gnome perked up, then was immediately cast back into gloom. “Not bat’s brains, is it? Monkey toes? I won’t eat wizard food. Ruins the digestion. Pork rinds and tarbean tea. That’s more like it.”
“It has been nice seeing you again, Palin, and you, too, Dalamar,”
Tasslehoff said, wriggling in Palin’s grip, “and I wish I could stay for dinner, because the monkey toes sound delicious, but I have to be running along—”
“I will show you to the library in just a moment, Healer,” Dalamar said,
“but first I must settle our other guests. If you will excuse me—”
Goldmoon didn’t appear to hear. She continued to stare around the Tower, searching for something or someone. The sight was unnerving. Dalamar glided over to Palin, plucked at his sleeve. “Regarding Tas—”
“What regarding me?” Tas asked, eyeing Dalamar suspiciously.
“You recall what Mina said to you, Majere? About the device?”
“Who said?” Tas demanded. “Said what? What device?”
“Yes,” said Palin. “I remember.”
“Take him and the gnome to one of the student rooms in the north wing. The first one in the corridor will do. It is a room that has no fireplace,” Dalamar added with grim emphasis. “Search the kender. When you find the device, for mercy’s sake, keep it safe. Don’t go tossing bits of it around. Oh, and you might want to remain hidden in that wing of the building. Our guest should not find you here.”
“Why be so mysterious?” Palin asked, irritated by Dalamar’s smug tone. “Why not just tell Goldmoon that the person coming to see her is her foster daughter, Mina?”
“You humans,” Dalamar returned disparagingly. “So quick to blurt out everything you know. Elves have learned the power of secrets. We have learned the value of keeping secrets.”
“But what can you hope to gain—”
Dalamar shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe something. Maybe nothing. You tell me that the two of them were once close. Much may come out of the shock of a sudden reunion, the shock of recognition. People say things they never intended in such circumstances, especially humans, who are so swayed by wayward emotions.”
Palin’s expression hardened. “I want to be there. Goldmoon may appear young, but that is only a facade. You speak glibly of the shock to her to see this child that she once dearly loved, but such a shock might be fatal.”
Dalamar was shaking his head. “Too dangerous—”
“You can arrange it,” Palin said firmly. “I know you have ways.”
Dalamar hesitated, then said ungraciously, “Very well. If you insist. But the responsibility is entirely yours. Remember that this Mina saw you though you were hidden behind a wall. If you are discovered, I can do nothing to save you.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to,” Palin returned crisply.
“Meet us in the library, then, once you have those two locked up tight.”
Dalamar jerked a thumb at the kender and the gnome.
The dark elf turned away, then, pausing, glanced back over his shoulder. “I suppose, by the way, Majere, that the significance of the gnome has occurred to you?”
“The gnome?” Palin was taken aback. “No. What—”
“Recall your uncle’s history,” Dalamar said and his voice was grim. Returning to Goldmoon, he led her up the winding stairs. He was gracious and charming, as he could be when he wanted. Goldmoon followed where he led, moving as one who walks in sleep, with no conscious awareness of where she was or where she might be going. The youthful, beautiful body walked and took her with it.
“Significance of the gnome,” Palin repeated in disgust. “Gnomes . . . my uncle’s history . . . what does he mean? Always so damn mysterious...”
Muttering to himself, Palin hauled the reluctant Tasslehoff up the stairs. Palin paid no attention to the kender’s pleadings and excuses and lies, some of them quite original. His attention was focused on the small and wizened gnome who was trudging up the stairs alongside, complaining the entire way about the pains in his legs and extolling the virtues of gnomeflingers over stairs. Palin couldn’t find any significance to the gnome whatsoever. Not unless Dalamar intended to install gnome-flingers.
He escorted the two to the room mentioned, pried Tas’s fingers loose when the kender tried to cling to the doorjamb, and shoved him bodily inside. The gnome clumped in after, talking of building code violations and asking about yearly inspections. Casting a wizard-lock spell on the door to keep his reluctant guests inside, Palin turned to confront Tasslehoff.
“Now, about the Device of Time Journeying—”
“I haven’t got it, Palin,” Tas said quickly. “I swear by the beard of my Uncle Trapspringer. You threw all the pieces at the draco-nians. You know you did. They are scattered all over the Hedge Maze—”
“Hah!” the gnome shouted and went to stand in a corner with his head pressed against the wall.
Tas was going on at a desperate pace.”—the pieces of the device were scattered all over the Hedge Maze, along with pieces of the draconians.”
“Tas,” Palin interrupted sternly, mindful of the passing time and wanting to hasten this along. “You have the device. It came back to you. It must come back to you, even if it is in pieces. I thought I had destroyed it, but the device can’t be destroyed, any more than it can be lost.”
“Palin, I—” Tas began, his lip quivering.
Palin steeled himself, expecting more lies. “What is it, Tas?”
“Palin... I saw myself!” Tas blurted out.
“Tas, really—”
“I was dead, Palin!” Tas whispered. His normally ruddy face was pale. “I was dead and I... I didn’t like it! It was horrid, Palin. I was cold, so very cold. And I was lost, and I was frightened. I’ve never been lost, and I’ve never been frightened. Not like that, anyway.