“Never mind,” said Earwig softly.
” ‘Bye!” shouted the kender, waving the pouch. “Say ‘hi’ to Cousin Tas for me!”
The journey back to the Black Cat was long and tiring for both brothers. They had to stop often to rest. Near midday, Raistlin turned off the path and entered the forest. Caramon, as usual, stopped to wait for him, but this time Raistlin glanced back and gestured.
“Come, Caramon.”
“Sure. Is something wrong?” the warrior asked in concern.
“We must speak.”
Caramon felt himself grow cold. The warrior had awakened from a deep, nightmare-ridden sleep to find himself lying in a bed in Barnstoke Hall, his brother watching over him, guarding his rest. Raistlin had
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treated his brother’s wounds and told him that it was all over, it was time to leave Mereklar.
“Then the city’s safe?” Caramon had asked.
“I’ll tell you all later, my brother!” Raistlin had said, “When I feel the time is right.”
That time, seemingly, was now.
The twins left the road. Walking into a sparse forest, they picked their way carefully through the undergrowth. Raistlin moved slowly, his strength waning. Caramon grimaced with every step.
“Does your shoulder hurt?” Raistlin asked.
“Like fire,” Caramon admitted.
“I will change the dressings.”
The mage’s slender hands, which could be gentle when he wanted them to be, ministered to Caramon’s wound, washing it with cool water from the stream. Raistlin spread a salve of his own invention over the inflamed area. Caramon grunted, sighing in relief as the balm eased his pain.
Raistlin settled himself on the bank of the stream and stared for long moments into the rippling water. Caramon waited in trepidation. He had never seen his brother so withdrawn, so silent and preoccupied.
“Shavas is dead,” said Raistlin suddenly.
“What?” Caramon gasped. “Dead! How—”
“I killed her.”
Caramon made a strangled sound. Raistlin glanced up at him. His twin was gazing at him in horror. The expression on his brother’s face was familiar. Raistlin had seen it once before—in the Tower of High Sorcery. The mage’s thin lips twisted in bitterness.
“Perhaps I should explain—”
“Yes, perhaps you should!” Caramon’s voice grated harshly.
“I will start at the beginning. Since her banishment from the world, the Dark Queen has always sought a
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to reenter. She lacks the strength to do so on her own, and so she decided to attempt to take advantage of the power unleashed by the Great Eye.
‘To this end, she sent her agents into Mereklar. The gods of neutrality were tricked by Takhisis and her cohorts into building the city, not knowing, at the time, that they were forging an entrance from the Abyss into the world.
“The gods of good discovered the plot, however, and constructed the city’s three gates in such a way that they would close if the forces of evil tried to escape. In addition, to make amends for the part he played in the trickery, the Cat Lord offered his services and those of his kind to guard the city. But that, my brother, is another story and one which I have neither the breath nor the inclination to relate.”
“Agents?” said Caramon, regarding his brother skeptically. “Who were the Dark Queen’s agents in Mereklar?”
“The nine members of the council—”
“But there were ten members,” interrupted Caramon.
“And Lady Shavas,” Raistlin concluded softly.
The warrior rose to his feet, glaring at his brother in anger.
“Sit still, Caramon, and listen!”
Pierced by Raistlin’s golden-eyed stare, Caramon subsided and reluctantly sat back down.
“The council members were, in fact, demons from the Abyss who murdered the original members and took their form and features. Lady Shavas was …” Raistlin hesitated.
“Was what?” Caramon demanded.
“An … evil wizardess,” the mage lied, his gaze leaving his brother, moving to gaze at the water. ‘This is the chain of events as I have been able to reconstruct it.
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‘The demons arrived in Mereklar and, aware of the prophecy, immediately began to get rid of the city’s cats. They reduced the feline population slowly, in hopes that they would not arouse suspicion, but it didn’t work. The townspeople became upset and demanded action. To keep up the pretense, the Dark Queen’s agents were forced to appear to be interested in hiring someone to solve the mystery. That was why they posted that reward announcement.”