said so. My map was drawn before the Cataclysm struck and
took the sea away. But you have to take me with you, Cara-
mon! I’m supposed to meet Lady Crysania. She sent me on a
quest, a real quest. And I completed it. I found” – sudden
movement caught Tas’s attention – “oh, here she is.”
He waved his hand, and Tika and Caramon turned to see the
shapeless bundle of clothes standing in the door to their bed-
room. Only now the bundle had grown two black, suspicious
eyes.
“Me hungry,” said the bundle to Tas accusingly. “When we
eat?”
“I went on a quest for Bupu,” Tasslehoff Burrfoot said
proudly.
“But what in the name of the Abyss does Lady Crysania want
with a gully dwarf?” Tika said in absolute mystification. She
had taken Bupu to the kitchen, given her some stale bread and
half a cheese, then sent her back outside – the gully dwarf’s
smell doing nothing to enhance the comfort of the small house.
Bupu returned happily to the gutter, where she supplemented
her meal by drinking water out of a puddle in the street.
“Oh, I promised I wouldn’t tell,” Tas said importantly. The
kender was helping Caramon to strap on his armor – a rather
involved task, since the big man was considerably bigger since
the last time he’d worn it. Both Tika and Tas worked until they
were sweating, tugging on straps, pushing and prodding rolls
of fat beneath the metal.
Caramon groaned and moaned, sounding very much like a
man being stretched on the rack. The big man’s tongue licked
his lips and his longing gaze went more than once to the bed-
room and the small flask Tika had so casually tossed into the
corner.
“Oh, come now, Tas,” Tika wheedled, knowing the kender
couldn’t keep a secret to save his life. “I’m sure Lady Crysania
wouldn’t mind -”
Tas’s face twisted in agony. “She-she made me promise and
swear to Paladine, Tika!” The kender’s face grew solemn. “And
you know that Fizban – I mean Paladine – and I are personal
friends.” The kender paused. “Suck in your gut, Caramon,” he
ordered irritably. “How did you ever get yourself into this con-
dition, anyway?”
Putting his foot against the big man’s thigh, Tas tugged. Car-
amon yelped in pain.
“I’m in fine shape,” the big man mumbled angrily. “It’s the
armor. It’s shrunk or something.”
“I didn’t know this kind of metal shrinks,” Tas said with inter-
est. “I’ll bet it has to be heated! How did you do that? Or did it
just get real, real hot around here?”
“Oh, shut up!” Caramon snarled.
“I was only being helpful,” Tas said, wounded. “Anyway, oh,
about Lady Crysania.” His face took on a lofty look. “I gave my
sacred oath. All I can say is she wanted me to tell her every-
thing I could remember about Raistlin. And I did. And this has
to do with that. Lady Crysania’s truly a wonderful person,
Tika,” Tas continued solemnly. “You might not have noticed,
but I’m not very religious. Kender aren’t as a rule. But you
don’t have to be religious to know that there is something truly
good about Lady Crysania. She’s smart, too. Maybe even
smarter than Tanis.”
Tas’s eyes were bright with mystery and importance. “I think
I can tell you this much,” he said in a whisper. “She has a plan!
A plan to help save Raistlin! Bupu’s part of the plan. She’s tak-
ing her to Par-Salian!”
Even Caramon looked dubious at this, and Tika was pri-
vately beginning to think maybe Riverwind and Tanis were
right. Maybe Lady Crysania was mad. Still, anything that
might help Caramon, might give him some hope –
But Caramon had apparently been working things out in his
own mind. “You know. It’s all the fault of this Fis-Fistandoodle
or whatever his name was,” he said, tugging uncomfortably at
the leather straps where they bit into his flabby flesh. “You
know, that mage Fizban – er – Paladine told us about. And
Par-Salian knows something about that, too!” His face bright-
ened. “We’ll fix everything. I’ll bring Raistlin back here, like we