“She’s right, little thief!” Theros grabbed Tas arid pulled him away from the hole. “If you fell in there, you might tumble through to the other side of the world.”
“Really?” asked Tasslehoff breathlessly. “Would I really fall through to the other side, Theros? I wonder what it would be like? Would there be people there? Like us?”
“Not like kenders hopefully!” Flint grumbled. ‘-Or they’d all be dead of idiocy by now. Besides, everyone knows that the world rests of the Anvil of Reorx. Those falling to the other side are caught between his hammer blows and the world still being forged. People on the other side indeed!” He snorted as he watched Theros unsuccessfully try to replace the plate. Tasslehoff was still staring at it curiously. Finally Theros was forced to give up, but he glared at the kender until Tas heaved a sigh and wandered away to the stone bier to stare with longing eyes at the shield and sword.
Flint tugged Laurana’s sleeve.
“What is it?” she asked absently, her thoughts elsewhere.
“I know stonework,” the dwarf said softly, “and here’s something strange about all this.” He paused, glancing to see if Laurana might laugh. But she was paying serious attention to him. “The tomb and the statues built outside are the work of men. It is old. . . .”
“Old enough to be Huma’s tomb?” Laurana interrupted.
“Every bit of it.” The dwarf nodded emphatically. “But yon great beast outside”-he gestured in the direction of the huge stone dragon-“was never built by the hands of man or elf or dwarf.”
Laurana blinked, uncomprehending.
“And it is older still,” the dwarf said, his voice growing husky. “So old it makes this”-he waved his hand at the tomb-“modern.”
Laurana began to understand. Flint, seeing her eyes widen, nodded slowly and solemnly.
“No hand of any being that walks upon Krynn with two legs carved the side out of that cliff,” he said.
“It must have been a creature with awesome strength-” Laurana murmured. “A huge creature-”
“With wings-”
“With wings,” Laurana murmured.
Suddenly she stopped talking, her blood chilled in fear as she heard words being chanted, words she recognized as the strange, spidery language of magic.
“No!” Turning, she lifted her hand instinctively to ward off , the spell, knowing as she did so that it was futile.
Silvara stood beside the altar, crumbling rose petals in her hand, chanting softly.
Laurana fought the enchanted drowsiness that crept over her. She fell to her knees, cursing herself for a fool, clinging to the stone bench for support. But it did no good. Lifting her sleep-glazed eyes, she saw Theros topple over and Gilthanas slump to the ground. Beside her, the dwarf was snoring even before his head hit the bench.
Laurana heard a clattering sound, the sound of a shield crashing to the floor, then the air was filled with the fragrance of roses.
The kender’s startling discovery.
Tasslehoff heard Silvara chanting. Recognizing the words of a magic spell, he reacted instinctively grabbed hold of the shield that lay on the bier, and pulled. The heavy shield fell on top of him, striking the floor with a ringing clang, flattening the kender. The shield covered Tas completely.
He lay still beneath it until he heard Silvara finish her thank. Even then, he waited a few moments to see if he was going to turn into a frog or go up in flames or something interesting like that. He didn’t-rather to his disappointment. He couldn’t even hear Silvara, Finally, growing bored lying in the darkness on the cold stone floor, Tas crept out from beneath the heavy shield with the silence of a falling feather.
All his friends were asleep! So that was the spell she cast. But where was Silvara? Gone somewhere to get a horrible monster to come back and devour them?
Cautiously, Tas raised his head and peered over the bier. To his astonishment, he saw Silvara crouched on the floor, near the tomb entrance. As Tas watched, she rocked back and forth, making small, moaning sounds.
“How can I go through with it?” Tas heard her say to herself. “I’ve brought them here. Isn’t that enough? No!” She shook her head in misery. “No, I’ve sent the orb away. They don’t know how to use it. I must break the oath. It is as you said, sister the choice is mine. But it is hard! I love him-“
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