The mage withdrew his hand.
Dalamar collapsed upon the floor, clutching his chest, moan-
ing. Raistlin walked around him without even a glance. The
dark elf could hear him leave the room, the soft swish of the
black robes, the door opening and closing.
In a frenzy of pain, Dalamar ripped open his robes. Five red,
glistening trails of blood streamed down his breast, soaking
into the black cloth, welling from five holes that had been
burned into his flesh.
CHAPTER 10
Caramon! Get up!
Wake up!”
No. I’m in my grave. It’s warm here beneath the ground,
warm and safe. You can’t wake me, you can’t reach me. I’m hid-
den in the clay, you can’t find me.
“Caramon, you’ve got to see this! Wake up!”
A hand shoved aside the darkness, tugged at him.
No, Tika, go away! You brought me back to life once, back
to pain and suffering. You should have left me in the sweet
realm of darkness below the Blood Sea of Istar. But I’ve found
peace now at last. I dug my grave and I buried myself.
“Hey, Caramon, you better wake up and take a look at this!”
Those words! They were familiar. Of course, I said them! I
said them to Raistlin long ago, when he and I first came to this
forest. So how can I be hearing them? Unless I am Raistlin….
Ah, that’s –
There was a hand on his eyelid! Two fingers were prying it
open! At the touch, fear ran prickling through Caramon’s
bloodstream, starting his heart beating with a jolt.
“Arghhhh!” Caramon roared in alarm, trying to crawl into
the dirt as that one, forcibly opened eye saw a gigantic face
hovering over him – the face of a gully dwarf!
“Him awake,” Bupu reported. “Here,” she said to Tasslehoff,
“you hold this eye. I open other one.”
“No!” Tas cried hastily. Dragging Bupu off the warrior, Tas
shoved her behind him. “Uh… you go get some water.”
“Good idea,” Bupu remarked and scuttled off.
“It – it’s all right, Caramon,” Tas said, kneeling beside the big
man and patting him reassuringly. “It was only Bupu. I’m sorry,
but I was – uh – looking at the… well, you’ll see… and I for-
got to watch her.”
Groaning, Caramon covered his face with his hand. With
Tas’s help, he struggled to sit up. “I dreamed I was dead,” he said
heavily. “Then I saw that face – I knew it was all over. I was in
the Abyss.”
“You may wish you were,” Tas said somberly.
Caramon looked up at the sound of the kender’s unusually
serious tone. “Why? What do you mean?” he asked harshly.
Instead of answering, Tas asked, “How do you feel?”
Caramon scowled. “I’m sober, if that’s what you want to
know,” the big man muttered. “And I wish to the gods I wasn’t.
So there.”
Tasslehoff regarded him thoughtfully for a moment, then,
slowly, he reached into a pouch and drew forth a small leather-
bound bottle. “Here, Caramon,” he said quietly, “if you really
think you need it.”
The big man’s eyes flashed. Eagerly, he stretched out a trem-
bling hand and snatched the bottle. Uncorking the top, he
sniffed at it, smiled, and raised it to his lips.
“Quit staring at me!” he ordered Tas sullenly.
“I’m s-sorry.” Tas flushed. He rose to his feet. “I-I’ll just go
look after Lady Crysania -”
“Crysania…” Caramon lowered the flask, untasted. He
rubbed his gummed eyes. “Yeah, I forgot about her. Good idea,
you looking after her. Take her and get out of here, in fact. You
and that vermin-ridden gully dwarf of yours! Get out and leave
me alone!” Raising the bottle to his lips again, Caramon took a
long pull. He coughed once, lowered the bottle, and wiped his
mouth with the back of his hand. “Go on,” he repeated, staring
at Tas dully, “get out of here! All of you! Leave me alone!”
“I’m sorry, Caramon,” Tas said quietly. “I really wish we
could. But we can’t.”
“Why?” snarled Caramon.
Tas drew a deep breath. “Because, if I remember the stories
Raistlin told me, I think the Forest of Wayreth has found us.”