"I told him to sing the truth next time. Sturm Brightblade wasn't a paragon of virtue and courage. He was a man and he had the same fears and faults as the rest of us. Sing about that!"
Tanis sneezed again. "Blast this damp! The cold eats into the bone. And we'll be spending the night on our knees in a mouldy old tomb. Where the blazes did I put my handker — "
Well, of course, it was in his pack.
"Is this it, Tanis? You dropped it," I said, coming out of the fog.
Once they were over being amazed, they were all very happy to see me. Laurana hugged me (she is so beautiful!) and they asked me where I was going and I told them and then they didn't look so happy.
"You were supposed to invite him to come," said Laurana.
(She either said that or "You WEREN'T supposed to invite him to come." I wasn't certain. She was talking so softly I had to strain my ears to hear.)
"I didn't," said Tanis, and he glared at Caramon.
"Not me!" said the big man emphatically.
"Oh, don't worry," I said, not wanting them to feel bad that they'd each forgotten to invite me. "I have my own invitation. It found me, so to speak." And I held it up.
They all stared at it and looked so amazed and astonished that I thought I better not say who had sent it to me. Like I said, Tanis always groans whenever I mention Fizban.
Tanis said something in a low voice to Caramon that sounded like, "It will only make things worse if we try to get rid of him… follow us… this way, keep an eye on him."
I wondered who it was they were talking about.
"Who are you talking about?" I asked. "Who'd follow you? Keep an eye on who?"
"I'll give you three guesses," Tanis growled, holding out his hand to me and pulling me up to ride behind him.
Well, I spent the rest of the trip to the Silver Dragon Mountain guessing, but Tanis said I never got it right.
CHAPTER TWO
"I asked you not to bring the kender," said Lord Gunthar.
He thought he was talking in a low voice, but I heard him. I looked around, wondering where this other kender was that they were talking about.
I knew it couldn't be me, because I'm one of the Heroes of the Lance.
We were standing in the Upper Gallery that is inside the Silver Dragon Mountain. It is a large room with dragonlances all around one end and it is meant for formal celebrations like this one. We were all of us dressed in our very best clothes because, as Tanis said, this was a reverent and solemn occasion. (I was wearing my new purple leggings with the red fringe that Tika sewed for me and my buckskin shirt with the yellow and orange and green bead work that was a gift from Goldmoon.)
There were lots of knights in their shining armor and Caramon (Tika was home with the babies) and Laurana were there and some other people I didn't know. Lady Crysania was expected any minute. It was very exciting, and I wasn't the least bored, or I wouldn't have been if I could have walked around, talking to people. But Tanis said I was to stay close to him or to Caramon or Laurana.
I thought it was sweet that they wanted me close by them that much, and so I did what Tanis said, though I pointed out that it would be more polite if I were to mingle with the other guests.
Tanis said that on no account was I to mingle.
"I didn't bring him," Tanis was telling Lord Gunthar. "Somehow or other he got hold of an invitation. Besides, he has a right to be here. He's just as much as hero as any of us. Maybe more."
Again I wondered who Tanis was talking about. This person sounded like an interesting fellow to me. Tanis was going to say more except he sneezed. He must have caught a really nasty cold out there in Foghaven Vale. (I've often wondered why we say "you've caught a cold." I mean, no one I ever knew went out after a cold. And I never heard of anyone going cold-chasing. It seems to me that it would make more sense to say the cold's caught you.)
"Bless you," Lord Gunthar said, then he sighed. "I suppose there's no help for it. You'll keep an eye on him, won't you?"
Tanis promised he would. I gave him his handkerchief. Odd, the way he kept losing it. Lord Gunthar turned to me.
"Burrfoot, my old friend," he said, putting his hands behind his back. A lot of people have a habit of doing that when we're introduced. "So glad to see you again. I hope the roads you travel have been sunny and straight." (That is a polite form of greeting to a kender and I thought it very fine of the knight to use it. Not many people are that considerate.)
"Thank you, Sir Gunthar," I said, holding out my hand.
He sighed and shook hands. I noticed he was wearing a very nice set of silver bracers and a most elegant dagger.
"I hope your lady wife is well?" I asked, not to be outdone in politeness. This was, after all, a Formal Occasion.
"Yes, thank you," said Gunthar. "She… um… appreciated the Yule gift."
"Did she?" I was excited. "I'm really glad she liked it. I always think of the time Fizban and I spent Yule at your castle, right after
… er… after…"
Well, I almost told the story I wasn't supposed to tell, right there! Which would have been terrible 1 I caught myself in time.
"I–I mean right before the Council of Whitestone. When I broke the dragon orb. And Theros smashed the rock with the dragonlance. Has she used it yet?"
"The lance?" Gunthar seemed somewhat confused.
"No, no, the Yule present," I corrected him.
"Well… that is…" Gunthar looked embarrassed. "The wizard Dalamar advised us that we shouldn't…"
"Ah, so it WAS magical." I nodded. "I had a feeling it might be. I wanted to try it myself, but I've had a couple of experiences with magic rings and while they've certainly been interesting experiences, I didn't feel like being turned into a mouse or being magicked into the castle of an evil wizard just at that particular time. It wasn't convenient, if you know what I mean."
"Yes," said Lord Gunthar, tugging on his moustaches. "I understand."
"Plus, I think we should share experiences like that. It's selfish to keep them all to ourselves. Not that I'd want your lady wife to be magicked into the castle of an evil wizard. Unless she really felt inclined for the trip, that is. It does make a nice change of pace. For example, did I ever tell you about the time that I was — "
"Excuse me," said Lord Gunthar. "I must go welcome our other guests."
He bowed, checked to see that he was still wearing his bracers, and left.
"A very polite man," I said.
"Give me the dagger," Tanis said, sighing.
"What dagger? I'm not carrying a dagger."
Then I noticed I WAS carrying a dagger. An elegant dagger decorated with roses on the hilt. Imagine my surprise!
"Is this yours?" I asked wistfully, because it was such a truly elegant dagger.
"No, it belongs to Lord Gunthar. Hand it over."
"I guess he must have dropped it," I said, and gave it to Tanis. After all, I have my own dagger, which I call Rabbitslayer, but that's another story.
Tanis turned to Caramon, saying something about tying someone's hands and head up in a sack. That sounded extremely interesting, but I didn't hear who it was they were talking about because I suddenly saw someone I wasn't expecting to see.
Someone I didn't want to see.
Someone I wasn't supposed to see.
I felt very strange for a moment, kind of like you feel right after you've been clunked in the head and right before you see all the stars and bright lights, then everything goes dark.
I looked at him very closely. And then I realized it couldn't have been him because he was too young. I mean, I hadn't seen this knight for ten years and I guess he must have aged during that time. So I was feeling a little better, when I saw the other knight. He was standing a little ways behind the first man I'd seen. Then I realized that the younger man must be his son. I still hoped I might be wrong. It had been ten years, after all.