The kender picked up the looped metal that twisted around and back into itself with no apparent purpose, with no specific form. Shaking the wire, he heard a small sound come from within—a sound of glass rattling against metal. He held it up to the light and saw a bead in the center of the coils. Earwig gazed at it for many minutes, fascinated by this mysterious object, until he grew bored and added it to his collection.
The kender went from body to body, collecting gold and diamonds and other precious things, holding them in his hand, feeling their weight and shape, only to toss them aside, forgotten, as he reached down to pick up an old writing quill with a bright silver tip, a piece of purple glass, and a wood carving of an eagle, no bigger than the middle of his palm. Worth and values set by other races mean nothing to kender. Curiosity makes them desire anything that enchants their eye, regardless of what they already hold in their hands.
“Well, did you find anything?” Caramon asked.
“That’s it,” said Earwig proudly, pointing at the blanket. “Well, aren’t you going to look at it?” he asked, noting Caramon’s hesitation.
“I guess so,” said the big man heavily, starting to kneel down. “But it shivers my skin to paw through posses-
sions of the dead.”
“Why? You took their weapons.”
“That’s different.”
“How? 1 don’t understand—”
“It just is! All right?” Caramon glared at the kender.
“You are too squeamish, Brother,” said Raistlin in his soft voice, coming up to stand behind them. “Move over. You’re blocking the light. 1 have no superstitious fear of a dead man’s personal belongings.”
The mage bent down. His slender, delicate hands ran lightly over the objects scattered before him. Some he lifted and inspected with an expert eye. Earwig watched eagerly.
“Those are the biggest diamonds I’ve ever seen. Did you ever see any that big, Raistlin?”
“Glass,” remarked the mage, tossing the ring aside in contempt.
Earwig appeared slightly crestfallen, but cheered up again. “That golden chain is quite heavy, isn’t it, Raistlin?”
“It should be. It’s lead. What’s this?”
The mage lifted a silver charm between thumb and forefinger. Holding it in his palm, he exhibited it to his brother. Caramon, looking at it, made a face.
“Ugh! Who would wear that?”
“I would!” said Earwig, staring at the trinket longingly.
The charm was shaped into the likeness of a cat’s skull, with tiny rubies in the eye sockets.
“Which one was wearing this?” Raistlin asked.
Earwig thought. “None of them. I found it in the grass, over there.” He pointed near Raistlin’s neatly rolled-up blankets.
“The leader,” grunted Caramon.
“Yes,” Raistlin agreed, staring at the charm. A shudder
DRAQONLANCE Pneluoes
passed through his body, his hand trembled. “It is evil, Caramon. A thing of darkness. And it is old. Its time stretches back before the Cataclysm,”
“Get rid of it!” said the warrior tersely.
“No, I — ” Raistlin hesitated, then turned to Earwig. “Would you truly like to wear this?”
“Oh, yes!” sighed the kender. “Wow! A ‘thing of darkness’!”
“Raist — ” began Caramon, but his brother shot him a swift, warning glance, and the big man hushed.
Threading the skull on a silver chain that was among the loot, the mage slipped it over the kender’s neck. Raistlin murmured soft words, touched the metal chain with his fingers. Earwig, his face bright with pleasure, stared at his new necklace in awe.
Raistlin rose and stretched his thin body, then began to cough in the chill morning air. Turning, he made his way back to the fire. Caramon followed.
“What do we do with that stuff?”
“Leave it. There is nothing of value.”
Glancing back, Caramon saw Earwig happily stuffing as much of the treasure as he could into his packs and pouches.
“You’ve made the kender a target, Raistlin,” said the big man.
The mage knelt by the fire, his thin body huddling near for warmth. “Not a target, brother,” he corrected coolly. “Bait.”
“Either way, he’s in danger. Whoever wore that might be looking for it. He’ll know the kender was a witness to his crime. What were those words you said over the necklace? Some sort of protective spell?”