When he reached the end of the street, he glanced back again, hoping to give her same sort of sign. Let her know he understood. Let her know he'd been a fool. Let her know he
But the curtain was drawn.
Chapter 5
The riot. Tas disappears. Alhana Starbreeze.
"Foul knight . . "
A rock struck Sturm on the shoulder. The knight flinched, though the stone could have caused him little pain through his armor. Tanis, looking at his pale face and quivering moustaches, knew the pain was deeper than a weapon could inflict.
'The crowds grew as the companions were marched through the street and word of their taming spread. Sturm walked with dignity, his, head held proudly, ignoring the taunts and jeers. Although their guards shoved the crowd back time and again, they did it half-heartedly and the crowd knew it. More rocks were thrown, as were other objects even less pleasant. Soon all of the companions were cut and bleeding and covered with garbage and filth.
Tanis knew Sturm would never stoop to retaliation, not on this rabble, but the half-elf had to keep a firm grip on Flint. Even then, he was in constant fear the angry dwarf would charge past the guards and start breaking heads. But, in watching Flint, Tanis had forgotten Tasslehoff.
Besides being quite casual in respect to other people's property, kenders have another unendearing characteristic known as the "taunt." A,II kenders possess this talent to a greater or lesser degree., It is hoses their diminutive race has managed to thrive and survive in a world of knights and warriors, trolls and hobgoblins. The taunt is the ability to insult an enemy and work him into such .a fever pitch of rage that he loses his head and begins fighting wildly and erratically- Tas was a master at the taunt, though he rarely found a need to use it when traveling with his warrior friends. But Tas derided to take full advantage of this opportunity.
He began to shout insults back.
Too late Tanis realised what was happening. In vain he tried to shut him up. 'Las was at the front off the line, the half-elf at the hack, and there was no way to gag the kender.
Such insults as 'foul knight" and 'elven scum' lacked imagination, Tas felt. He derided to show these people exactly how much range and scope for variety were available in the Common language. Tasslehoff's insults were masterpieces of creativity and ingenuity: Unfortunately, that,, also tended to be extremely personal and occasionally rather crude, delivered with an .air of charming innocence..
'7s that your nose or a disease? -Can those fleas crawling on your body do tricks? Was your mother a gully dwarf?" were only the beginning Matters went rapidly dawn hill from there.
The guards began eyeing angry crowd in alarm, while the constable gave the order to hurry the prisoners' march. What he had seen as a victory procession exhibit ing trophies of conquest appeared to be disintegrating into a full-scale riot.
'Shut that Kender up!" he yelled furiously.
Tanis tried desperately to reach Tasslehoff, but the struggling guards acid the surging crowd made it impossible. Gilthanas was knocked off his feet. Sturm bent over the elf, trying to protect him. Flint was kicking and flailing about in a rage. Tanis had just neared Tasslehoff when he was hit in the face with a tomato and momentarily blinded.
"Hey, constable, you know what you could do with that whistle? You could-"
Tasslehoff never got a chance to tell the constable what he might do with the whistle, because at that instant a large hand plucked him up out of the center of the melee. A hand clapped itself over Tas's mouth, while two more pairs of hands gripped the Kender's wildly kicking feet. A sack was popped over his head, and all Tas saw or smelled from that point on was burlap as he felt himself being carried away,
Tanis, wiping tomato from hisstinging eyes, heard the sound of boated feet and mare shouts and yells. The crowd hooted and jeered, them brake and ran. When he could finally see again, the half-elf glanced around quickly to make certain
everyone was all right. Sturm was helping Gilthanas rise, wiping blood from a cut on the elf's forehead. Flint, swearing fluently, plucked cabbage from his beard.
"Where's that blasted ken de r!" the dwarf roared. "I'll-" He stopped and stared, fuming this way and that. "Where is that blasted Kender? Tas? So help me-"
"Hush!" Tanis ordered, realizing Tas had managed to escape.
Flint turned purple. 'Why that little bastard)" he swore. "He was the one got us into this and he left us to-"
"Shhhl" Tamil said, glaring at the dwarf.
Flint ducked and fell silent.
The constable hustled his prisoners into the Hall of Justice. It was only when they were safely inside the ugly brick building chat he realized one of them was missing.
"Shall we go after him, sari" asked a guard.
The constable thought a moment, then shook his head in anger. "Don't waste your time," he said bitterly. 'Do you know what it's like trying t0 fin) a kender who doesn't want to be found? CST. let him go We've still got the important ores. Have them wait byre white I inform the Counciclass="underline" '
The constable entered a plain wooden door, leaving the companions and their guards standing in a dark, smelly hallway A tinker lay in a corner, snoring noisily, obviously having taken too much wine. The guards wiped pumpkin rind off their uniforms and grimly divested themselves of carrot tops and other garbage that clung to them. Gilthanas dabbed at the blood on his face. Sturm tried to clean his cloak as best he could.
The constable returned, beckoning from the doorway.
"Bring them along:"
As the guards shoved their prisoners forward, Tanis managed to get near Sturm. "Who's in charge here?" he whispered.
"If we are fortunate, the Lord is still in control of the city;" the knight replied softly. "The Tarsian lords always had the reputation for being noble and honorable:' He shrugged. "Besides, what charges do they have against us? We've done nothing. At the worst, an armed escort will make us leave the city."
Tanis shook his head dubiously as he entered the court room. It took some time for his eyes to adjust to tile dimness of the dingy chambers that smelled even worse than the hallway. Two of the Tarsian council members held) oranges studded with cloves up to their noses.
The six members of the council were seated at the bench, which stood upon a tall platform, three upon either side of their Lard, whose tall chair sat in the center. The Load glanced up as they entered. His eyebrows raised slightly at the sight of Sturm, and it seemed to Tanis that his face softened. The Lord even nodded in a gesture of polite greeting to the knight. Tanis's hopes rose. The companions walked forward to stand before the bench. There were no chairs. Supplicants or prisoners before the council stand to present their cases.
"What is the charge against these men?" the lord asked.
The constable gave the companions a baleful glance.
"Inciting a riot, milord;' he said.
"Riot!" Flint exploded. "We had nothing to do with any riot! It oral that rattle-brained=
A figure in long robes crept forward from the shadows to whisper in his Lordship's ear. None of the companions had noticed the figure as they entered. They noticed it now.