Brothers Majere by Weis, Margaret

Caramon wasn’t paying attention. The big man was vainly trying to sooth the babbling kender.

Raistlin lifted the ring warily, holding it in the palm of his hand. Almost immediately, he heard the silken whisper: Put me on. Put me on.

He stared at it, thinking he had seen the ring somewhere before.

No, he realized. I haven’t seen it! I’ve seen where it is supposed to be!

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Shavas’s necklace—the opal she wore around her neck. Closing his eyes, he pictured the golden band fitting around the top of the jewel where it attached to the chain. Swiftly, he thrust the ring into one of his pouches.

The kender began to writhe and thrash about, screaming, “In my head! In my head! In my head!”

“I can’t help him, Raistlin!” said Caramon, looking up at his brother with pleading eyes. “Can’t you do something?”

“No, my brother,” said Raistlin softly. “But there is one here who can.” l>

Bast bent down, touched Earwig’s forehead. The kender blinked and rubbed his eyes.

“Hi, Caramon! Why are you holding me^- Hey! You’ve been in a fight!” Earwig cried accusingly, pointing at the blood on the warrior’s sleeve. He sprang to his feet. “You’ve been in a fight, and you let me sleep through it again!”

“Earwig,” said the confused warrior. “I— Wait!”

The kender lashed out with his small foot and kicked Caramon in the shins.

“Ouch! Drat it. Earwig. Let me explain—”

“What must we do?” Raistlin asked the Cat Lord.

Bast’s long, white teeth flashed. “You must decide. I cannot intervene.”

“It seems to me, my lord,” said Raistlin dryly, “that you have already intervened!”

“I have done nothing. The choices have always been yours.”

Yes, thought Raistlin. You are right. The choices have always been mine. Now it is up to me to put together what I have learned.

“Mereklar itself is the gate spoken of in the prophecy. Tonight, when the Great Eye forms, the Dark Queen will try to use its magic to open the gate.”

“How do you know that?” Caramon asked, looking at his brother dubiously.

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“From the model in the dead wizard’s cave. You saw the lines glowing then. I have seen the lines glowing ever since I was in the Black Cat Inn. I didn’t know what they were until the wizard touched me. He gave me his knowledge, to avenge himself on the one who had destroyed him.”

Caramon struggled to his feet. His shoulder wound had reopened. A trickle of blood poured down his arm. “So how do we keep the gate from opening?”

“When the gate opens, it will act as a door for any to enter or leave. However, only one side of the door allows access to a place, and the other only allows access from a place.”

‘That is correct,” the Lord of Cats said. “The manner in which this gate is created allows only one person to enter at a given point.”

“And that point would be the corners of the city walls, where the portal will be formed, giving us three from which to enter,” said Raistlin. “I need to know how the portal was formed, my lord. You said you cannot choose for us, but apparently you can aid us in some way. Tell me what I need to know.”

‘There is an altar that will be used by the Dark Queen when the Great Eye forms. Destroy it, and the gate closes.”

Caramon shook his head. “But how do we destroy this thing? I mean, we don’t even know what it looks like!”

“Yes, you do,” said Bast. “I will enter by the southeast corner.”

“Enter where?” Caramon demanded. “Would someone tell me what’s going on!”

“Enter the city of Mereklar that lies beneath the city of Mereklar, my brother,” said Raistlin. ‘The city shown in the wizard’s model. The city where Lady Shavas’s house does not stand.”

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“What’s in its place?” Caramon asked, almost positive he didn’t want to know.

“A temple to the Dark Queen,” answered the Cat Lord. “We must hurry. Time grows short.”

“What about them?” Caramon demanded, pointing at the men standing around the dais.

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