“No,” said Silvara sadly. “That is true. It is too true-as I fear your friends may discover to their bitter regret.”
The companions, fear closing around them, sat together in silence broken only by Gilthanas’s choking sobs. The torches sent shadows dodging and dancing around the quiet tomb like undead spirits. Laurana remembered Huma and the Silver Dragon. She thought of that final, terrible battle-the skies filled with dragons, the land erupting inflame and in blood.
“Why have you brought us here, then?” Laurana asked Silvara quietly. “Why not just let us all take the orb away?”
“Can I tell them? Do I have the strength?” Silvara whispered to an unseen spirit.
She sat quietly for a long tine, her face expressionless, her hands twisting in her lap. Her eyes closed, her head bowed, her lips moved. She covered her face with her hands and sat quite silly. Then; shuddering, she made her decision.
Rising to her feet, Silvara walked over to Laurana’s pack. Kneeling down, she slowly and carefully unwrapped the broken shaft of wood that the companions had carried such a long and wean, distance. Silvara stood, her face once mare filled with peace. But now there was also pride and strength. Far the first time, Laurana began to believe this girl was something as powerful and magnificent as a dragon, Walking proudly, her silver hair glistening in the torchlight, Silvara walked aver to strand before Theros Ironfeld.
“To Theros of the Silver Arm,” she said; “I give the power to forge the dragonlance.”
Book Three
The Red Wizard and His wonderful Illusions!
Shadows crept across the dusty tables of the Pig and Whistle tavern. The sea breeze off the Bay of Balifor made a shrill whistling sound as it blew through the ill-fitting front windows that distinctive whistle giving the inn the last part of its name. Any guesses as to how the tavern got the first part ended on sight of the innkeeper. A jovial, kind-hearted man, William Sweetwater had been cursed at birth (so town legend went) when a wandering pig overturned the baby’s cradle, so frightening young William that the mark of the pig was forever imprinted on his face.
This unfortunate resemblance had certainly not impaired William’s temper, however. A sailor by trade until he had retired to fulfill a life-long ambition of keeping an inn, there was not a more respected or well-liked man in Port Balifor than William Sweetwater. No one laughed more heartily at pig jokes than did William. He could even grunt quite realistically and often did pig imitations for the amusement of his customers. But no one ever-after the untimely death of Peg-Leg Al, called William by the name “Piggy”.
William rarely grunted for his customers these days. The atmosphere of the Pig and Whistle was dark and gloomy. The few old customers that came sat huddled together, talking in low voices. For Port Balifor was an occupied town-overrun by the armies of the highlords, whose ships had recently sailed into the Bay, disgorging troops of the hideous dragonmen.
The people of Port Balifor-mostly humans-felt extremely sorry for themselves. They had no knowledge of what was going on in the outside world, of course, or they would have counted their blessings. No dragons came to burn their town. The draconians generally left the citizens alone. The Dragon Highlords were not particularly interested in the eastern part of the Ansalon continent. The land was sparsely populated: a few poor, scattered communities of humans and Kendermore, the homeland of the kenders. A flight of dragons could have leveled the countryside, but the Dragon Highlords were concentrating their strength in the north and the west. As long as the parts remained opened, the Highlords had no need to devastate the lands of Balifor and Goodlund.
Although not many old customers came to the Pig and Whistle, business had improved for William Sweetwater. The draconian and goblin troops of the Highlord were well paid, and their one weakness was strong drink. But William had not opened his tavern for money. He loved the companionship of old friends and new. He did not enjoy the companionship of the Highlord’s troops. When they came in, his old customers left. Therefore, William promptly raised his prices for draconians to three times higher than in any other inn in town. He also watered the ale. Consequently, his bar was nearly deserted except for a few old friends. This arrangement suited William fine.
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