Tanis looked at the pitcher, saw the black pouch lying near it, and stared at Raistlin in sudden shock.
“No,” he said firmly. “We’re not going to die. At least not like th-” he broke off abruptly. “Get everyone together.”
Caramon lumbered off, yelling at the top of his lungs. Riverwind ran in from the common room where he had been firing the enemy’s arrows back at them, his own having non cut long ago. The others followed him, smiling hopefully at Tanis.
The sight of their faith in him infuriated the half-elf. Someday, he thought, I’m going to fail them. Maybe I already have. He shook his head angrily.
“Listen!” he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the noise of the draconians outside. “We can try and escape out the back! Only a small force is attacking the Inn. The main part of the army isn’t in the city yet.”
“Somebody’s after us.” Raistlin murmured.
Tanis nodded. “So it would appear. We haven’t much time. If we can make it into the hills-”
He suddenly fell silent, raising his head. They all fell silent, listening, recognizing the shrill scream, the creak of giant leather wings, coming nearer and nearer.
“Take cover!” Riverwind yelled. But it was too late.
There was a screaming whine and a boom. The Inn, three stories tall and built of stone and wood, shook as if it were made of sand and sticks. The air exploded with dust and debris. Flames erupted outside. Above them, they could hear the sound of wood splitting and breaking, the thud of falling timber. The building began to collapse in on itself.
The companions watched in stunned fascination-paralyzed by the sight of the gigantic ceiling beams shuddering beneath the strain as the roof caved in onto the upper floors.
“Get out!” Tanis shouted. “The whole place is-”
The beam directly above the half-elf gave a great groan, then split and cracked. Gripping Laurana around the waist, Tanis flung her as far from him as he could and saw Elistan, standing near the front of the Inn, catch her in his arms.
As the huge beam above Tanis gave way with a shuddering snap, he heard the mage shriek strange words. Then he was falling, falling into blackness.-and it seemed that the world fell on top of him.
Sturm rounded a corner to see the Inn of the Red Dragon collapse in a cloud of flame and smoke as a dragon soared in the sky above it. The knight’s heart beat wildly with grief and fear.
He ducked into a doorway, hiding in the shadows as same draconians passed him-laughing and talking in their cold, guttural language. Apparently they assumed this job was finished and were seeking other amusement. Three others, he noticed-dressed in blue uniforms, not red-appeared extremely upset at the Inn’s -destruction, shaking their fist at the red Dragon -overhead.
Sturm felt the weakness of despair sweep over him. He “Tanis?”
sagged against the door, watching the draconians dully, won- “Yes. He came through the back door, just before the dragon
wondering what to do next. Were they all still in there? Perhaps hit the Inn. They were all together, in the very center. I was
they had escaped. Then his heart gave a painful bound. He saw standing beneath a doorway. Tanis saw the beam breaking, He
a flash of white. threw Laurana. I caught her, then the ceiling collapsed on top
“Elistan!” he cried, watching the cleric emerge from the rub- of them. There’s no way they could have-”
ble, dragging someone with him. The draconians, swords “I don’t believe it!” Flint said fiercely, leaping into the rubble.
drawn, ran toward the cleric, calling out in Common for him to Sturm grasped hold of him, yanked him back.
surrender. Sturm yelled the challenge of a Solamnia knight to “Where’s Tas?” the knight asked the dwarf sternly.
an enemy and ran out from his doorway. The draconians The dwarf’s face fell. “Pinned under a beam,” he said, his face
whirled about, considerably disconcerted to see the knight. ( gray with grief and sorrow. He clutched at his hair wildly,
Sturm became dimly aware that another figure was running knocking off his helm. “I’ve got to go back to him. But I can’t
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