knights, which I thought might help him – (Tanis says we
should come to know our own faults, to be better persons)
– but Fizban grabbed hold of my topknot and lifted me up
like you pick up a rabbit by the ears and shuffled me off
to one side.
“How did you find this sacred place, Sir Knight?”
Fizban asked, and I saw his eyes go cunning and shrewd
like they do sometimes when they’re not vague and
confused.
“I was led here by the light of the fire of two burning
trees and a celestial shower of white and purple stars . . .”
The knight’s voice faded to an awed breath.
Fizban smirked at me. “And you said I wasn’t much of
a wizard!”
The knight appeared dazed. He lowered his sword
again. “You did that? You led me here purposefully?”
“Well, of course,” said Fizban. “Knew you were coming
all along.”
I was about to explain to the knight about my singed
eyebrows and even offer to show him where they’d been,
in case he was interested, but Fizban accidently trod on
my foot at that moment.
You wouldn’t think one old man, especially one who
looks as frail and skinny as Fizban, could be so heavy, but
he was. And I couldn’t make him understand that he was
standing on my foot – he kept shushing me and telling me
to have respect for my elders and that kender should be
seen and not heard and maybe not even seen – and by the
time I managed to pull my foot out from under his, he and
the knight were talking about something else.
“Tell me exactly what happened,” Fizban was saying.
“Very important, from a wizard’s standpoint.”
“You might tell us your name, too,” I suggested.
“I am Owen of the House of Glendower,” said the
knight but that was all he would tell us. He was still
holding his sword and still staring at Fizban as if trying to
decide whether to clap him heartily on the shoulder or
clout him a good one on the headbone.
“I’m Tasslehoff Burroot,” I said, holding out my hand
politely, “and I have a house myself, in Solace, only it
doesn’t have a name. And maybe I don’t even have a house
anymore now,” I added, remembering what I’d seen of
Solace the last time I was there and growing kind of sad at
the thought.
The knight raised his eyebrows (HE had eyebrows)
and was staring at me now.
“But that’s all right,” I said, thinking Owen Glendower
might be feeling sorry for me because my house had most
likely been burned down by dragons. “Tika said I could
come live with her, if I ever see Tika again,” I added, and
that made me sadder still, because I hadn’t seen Tika in a
long time either.
“You came all the way from Solace?” asked Owen
Glendower, and he sounded no end astonished.
“Some of us came a lot farther than that,” Fizban said
solemnly, only the knight didn’t hear him, which was
probably just as well.
“Yes, we came from Solace,” I explained. “A large
group of us, only some of us aren’t with us anymore. There
was Tanis and Raistlin and Caramon and Tika, only we
lost them in Tarsis, and that left Sturm and Elistan and
Derek Crownguard and they went to – ”
“Derek Crownguard!” Owen gasped. “You traveled
with Derek Crownguard?”
“I’m not finished,” I said, eyeing him sternly. “And it
isn’t polite to interrupt. Tanis says so. Inside there’s
Laurana and Flint and Theros – ”
“But it’s Sir Derek I’m searching for,” said the knight,
completely ignoring me. (I’m not certain but I believe that
ignoring people is against their knightly code, though
Sturm often ignored me, now that I come to think of it.
But Tanis says that if ignoring kender isn’t in the Measure
it should be.)
“I’m a courier from Lord Gunthar and I’ve been sent to
find Sir Derek – ”
“You’ve just missed him,” I said, and tried to look sad
about it, though I wasn’t, not in the least. “He went off
with the dragon orb.”