“The what?” Owen stared at me.
“Dragon HERB,” said Fizban, giving me a tug on the
topknot that made tears come to my eyes. “Similar to
wolf-bane. Only different.”
Well, I had no idea what he was talking about, but it
wasn’t important anyway and I could see Owen was
getting a bit impatient. So I went on.
“I don’t know why you were looking for him. Derek
Crownguard is NOT a nice person,” I informed him.
“Describe him to me,” said Owen.
“Don’t you know him?” I asked, amazed. “How can
you find him if you don’t know him?”
“Just describe him, kender,” growled the knight.
“Tasslehoff Burrfoot,” I reminded him. Obviously
he’d forgotten. “Well, Derek’s mad at most everyone all
the time and he’s not at all polite and I don’t think he has
much common sense either, if you want my opinion.”
Well, as it turned out, Owen didn’t want my opinion;
what he wanted was a description of what Derek looked
like, not what he acted like, so I gave him that, too. My
description seemed to please him, only it was hard to tell,
because he was so confused.
“Yes, that’s Derek Crownguard,” he said. “You’ve
described him perfectly. You must be telling the truth.”
He thought another moment, then looked at Huma’s
bier, to see if it might help, and it looked very peaceful
and beautiful in the moonlight. (If you are wondering why
there was moonlight when there should have been fog,
keep listening and I’ll explain later on when the moonlight
has its proper turn.)
“I was sent to find Derek Crownguard,” Owen said,
talking slowly, as if he might decide to stop any moment
and take back everything he’d just said. “I have . . .
dispatches for him. But I lost his trail, and I prayed to
Paladine to help me find it again. That night, in a dream, I
was told to seek Huma’s resting place. I didn’t know
where it was – no one knows. But I was told that if I
studied Solinari, on a cloudless night, I would see a map
on the moon’s surface. The next night, I did so. I saw what
appeared to be a map of my homeland, Southern Ergoth. I
have walked these mountains and valleys thirty years, yet
I never knew this place existed. I followed Solinari’s
guidance, but then fog overtook me. I could no longer see
the moon.
“The path led into a valley inside the mountains and
vanished. I could not find my way out and have wandered
about for days, perhaps. I’m not sure how long: time has
lost all meaning to me. Then I saw a fire, burning in the
distance. I followed it, thinking that I should at least find
someone to guide me back to the trail. Then it went out
and I was lost again. Then another fire and then clouds of
purple stars and then I discovered this holy place, Huma’s
Tomb. And you.”
Looking at us, he shook his head and I could tell we
weren’t exactly what he’d been praying to Paladine to
find.
“But, if my Lord Crownguard left with the dragon
orb, what are you two doing here?” he asked, after he’d
stared at us longer than was really polite. “Why did you
stay behind?”
“We’re under an enchantment,” I said. “Isn’t it exciting?
Well, to be honest, not all that exciting. Actually it’s been
pretty boring, not to mention cold and icky and damp. The
Dark Queen has put us under a spell, you see. And we
can’t get out of here because every time we leave we keep
coming back. And we have to get out of here because
we’re on a Very Important Mission to . . . to . . . ”
I stopped because I wasn’t quite sure what our
Important Mission was.
“Lord Gunthar. Important mission to Lord Gunthar,”
said Fizban. “Must see him right away. Most urgent.”
“You’re under black enchantment?” Owen pulled back
from us both, raised his sword, and laid his hand on
Huma’s bier.
“Well, now. As to the enchantment part.” Fizban
scratched his head. “It could be that I exagger – “