“Three hundred years too late,” said Laurana softly.
“But now, you see, they’ve found the way to get inside Thorbardin,” said Tika. “This Prince Grallen is going to lead them there.”
All of them exchanged glances. Riverwind shook his head. The Plainsman had an inherent distrust of magic, and this sounded too bizarre to be believed. He fixed on the more immediate threat.
“You heard the draconians say that an army was coming. Coming here. To the valley.”
“Yes. That’s why I came back. To warn you.”
“Why didn’t Caramon come with you?” Riverwind asked in stern disapproval. “Why did he send you back alone?”
“Caramon wanted to come,” Tika said, stoutly defending him. “I told him not to. I told him he should stay with Sturm, his brother and Tas, what with Sturm thinking he’s a dwarf and all. I told him I could manage fine on my own, and I did.”
Her eyes hardened. Her fists clenched. “I killed that monster when it attacked me. I killed it dead!”
She saw their troubled expressions, and she burst into tears. “Caramon didn’t know there was a draconian hiding in that passage! No one knew!” She collapsed back onto her pallet, sobbing.
“She must rest now,” said Goldmoon firmly. “I think you know all you need to know, husband.”
She ushered them outside and returned to hold Tika in her arms, letting her have her cry out.
“What do we do, Revered Son?” Riverwind asked.
“The decision is yours,” Elistan replied. “Tanis placed you in charge.”
Riverwind sighed deeply and gazed moodily to the south. “If you believe Tika’s story—”
“Of course, we believe her!” Laurana interjected angrily. “She risked her life to carry us this warning.”
“Hederick and the others won’t,” Riverwind observed.
Laurana fell silent. He was right, of course. The High Theocrat and his cronies didn’t want to leave, and they would find any excuse to remain. She could almost hear Hederick telling the people how Tika was not to be trusted. A former thief, now a barmaid (and the gods knew what else), she had run off to be with her lover and made up this tale to cover her sins.
“Few people like Hederick,” Laurana pointed out, “and they do like Tika.”
“What is more important,” added Elistan, “is that they like and admire you, Riverwind. If you tell the people danger is coming and they must leave, they will listen.”
“Do you think we should leave?” Laurana asked.
“Yes,” Riverwind said readily. “I have thought that since the day the dragon flew over us. We should travel south before the heavy snows block the mountain passes. This valley is no longer a safe haven. Tika’s story simply confirms what I have long feared.”
He paused then said quietly, “But what if I am wrong? Such a journey is fraught with uncertainty and danger. What if we reach Thorbardin and find the gates closed? Worse still, what if we never find Thorbardin at all? We could wander about the mountains until we drop from hunger and perish from the cold. I’m asking the people to leave a place of safety and walk headlong into danger. That makes no sense.”
“You just said that this wasn’t a place of safety,” Elistan observed. “Ever since the dragon came, the people have been uneasy, afraid. They know that dragons keep watch on us, though we can’t see them.”
“The burden is a heavy one,” Riverwind said. “The lives of hundreds are in my care.”
“Not in your care alone, my friend,” Elistan told him gently. “Paladine is with you. Take your fears and worries to the god.”
“Will he give me a sign, Revered Son? Will the god tell me what to do?”
“The god will never tell you what to do,” Elistan said. “The god will grant you the wisdom to make the right decision and the strength to carry it through.”
“Wisdom.” Riverwind smiled and shook his head. “I am not one of the wise. I was a shepherd …”
“As a shepherd, you used your skills and instincts to keep your flock safe from the wolf. That is the wisdom Paladine has given you, the wisdom on which you must rely.”
Riverwind thought this over.
“Summon the people for a meeting at noontime,” he said at last. “I will announce my decision then.”
As they were leaving, Laurana glanced back at Riverwind over her shoulder. He was walking toward the grotto where they had built a small altar to honor the gods.
“He is a good man. His faith is strong and steadfast,” she said. “Tanis chose wisely. I wish he …”
She stopped talking. She hadn’t meant to speak her thoughts aloud.
“You wish what, my dear?” Elistan asked.
“I wish Tanis could find the same faith,” Laurana said at last. “He does not believe in the gods.”
“Tanis will not find faith,” said Elistan, smiling. “I think it more likely that faith will find him, much as faith found me.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I’m not sure I do either,” Elistan admitted. “My heart is troubled about Tanis, yet Paladine assures me that I may safely rest those troubles in his hands.”
“I hope his hands are very large,” said Laurana, sighing.
“As large as heaven,” said Elistan.
If Riverwind spoke to Paladine, he did not seem to have found much ease or solace in his communion with the god. His face was dark and grim as he took his place at the front of the multitude. His words were not comforting or reassuring. He told the people of Tika’s journey. He said the knight, Sturm Brightblade, had discovered the way to Thorbardin (he was vague as to details). Riverwind told them Tika had overheard draconians talking about an army preparing for an assault on the valley and how she had been attacked by a draconian on her way back to warn them.
Hederick pursed his lips and rolled his eyes and gave a snort. “Tika Waylan is a nice girl, but as some of you will recall, she used to be a barmaid—”
“I believe her,” Riverwind said, and his firm tones silenced even Hederick, at least temporarily. “I believe that this valley, once a haven of peace, may soon become a battle ground. If we are attacked here, we have no place to run to, no refuge. We will be trapped like rats to be captured or slaughtered. The gods have sent us this warning. We do wrong to ignore it. I propose that we leave in the next few days, travel south to Thorbardin, there to meet our friends.”
“Come now, be reasonable,” said Hederick. He turned to the crowd, raising his hands for silence. “Don’t you people find it strange that the gods chose to deliver this warning to a barmaid instead of someone honored and respected—”
“Such as yourself?” Riverwind said.
“I was going to say, such as Revered Son Elistan,” said Hederick humbly, “but yes, I think the gods might also use me as their vessel.”
“If they wanted to store ale, perhaps,” said Gilthanas in Laurana’s ear.
“Hush, brother!” she scolded him. “This is serious!”
“Of course it is, but they won’t listen to Riverwind. He is an outsider, as are we.” He glanced at Laurana. “You know, for the first time in my life, I begin to understand how alone and isolated Tanis must have felt when he lived among us.”
“I don’t feel alone among these people,” Laurana protested.
“Of course not,” Gilthanas answered, frowning. “You have Elistan.”
“Oh, Gil, not you too,” began Laurana, but he had walked off, going over to stand with the Plainsmen. They said nothing to the elf, but silently and respectfully moved to make room for him among their ranks. Outsiders together.
Laurana should have gone after him, but she was angry at him, at Tanis, at Tika, at everyone who seemed willfully determined to misconstrue her relationship with Elistan. She worked for Elistan much as she had worked for her father: acting as a diplomat and intermediary. She had a gift for talking to people, a gift for soothing people, helping them work through anger and fear to see reason. She and Elistan
were a good team. There was nothing romantic about it! He was, if anything, like a father to her.
Or a brother.
She looked at Gilthanas, and her anger softened to remorse. The two of them had once been very close. She had barely spoken to Gilthanas since she had started working with Elistan. No, it went back further than that. Since Tanis had once more entered her life.
Maybe it wasn’t even Tanis, she reflected. Her brother did not approve of her relationship with the half-elf any more now than he’d done in the past. But it was her relationship with all humans that stuck in his craw. She should keep herself aloof from them, hold herself apart.
Like their father, Gilthanas was angry over the fact that the gods had seen fit to use humans to herald their return. The gods should have come to the elves, who were, after all, the chosen people. It was the humans whose transgressions had called down the wrath of the gods on the world.
“We are the good children,” said Laurana to herself. “We should not have been punished. But were we really good? Or were we just never caught?”
Elves had no such doubts. Elves were certain of their place in the universe. Humans, on the other hand, were always doubting, always seeking, always questioning. Laurana liked that about humans. She did not feel so alone with her doubts.
The thought occurred to her that she’d never tried to explain this to Gilthanas. She resolved to do so. Help him understand. She looked over at him and smiled to show that she wasn’t angry. He saw her but deliberately avoided meeting her eyes. Laurana sighed and brought her attention back to the meeting.
The arguing continued. Elistan supported Riverwind, as did Maritta.
“We all of us saw the dragon,” Maritta told them, “with that fiend, Verminaard, on its back. Now one of our own has been attacked here in this valley, or as near this valley as makes no difference. If that isn’t a sign that we are no longer safe, I don’t know what is.”
Yet Hederick’s arguments were also persuasive, weighted with the fact that the people were in no danger now, but would be if they left the safety and shelter of caves to venture into the wilds, as was proven by the attack on Tika.
Riverwind could not argue against any of this. The burden lay on his heart, and he acknowledged it simply and openly.
“If we go, some or all of us may die,” he said, “but I believe that if we stay and do nothing, if we ignore Tika’s warning, we will fall victim to a cruel and brutal enemy.”
He was certain, at least, of his own people joining him. The Plainsmen were united in their belief that trouble was coming and they had at last agreed, even the Que Kiri, to accept Riverwind as their chief. Their quiet confidence gave him confidence, as did his time spent with the god. During his prayers, Riverwind had heard no immortal voice making promises, he’d felt no soothing touch of an immortal hand, but he had come away from the altar with the comforting knowledge that he did not walk alone.
He was about to say more when there was a stir at the entryway. Goldmoon appeared, guiding Tika’s faltering steps.
“She insisted on coming,” Goldmoon said. “I urged her to rest, but she said she had to speak for herself.”
People murmured softly in sympathy. The scratches on her arm had healed, but they were still visible. Pale and weak from the effects of the fever, Tika put aside Goldmoon’s hand and stood on her own to have her say.
“I just want to remind all of you who it was who freed you from Pax Tharkas,” Tika told them, “who saved you from slavery and death. It wasn’t him, the High Theocrat.” She cast a scathing glance at Hederick. “It was Tanis Half-Elven and Flint Fireforge, and they’ve gone to try to find Thorbardin. It was Sturm Brightblade, Caramon Majere, and Raistlin Majere, and they’ve gone, at great peril, to Skullcap, where they’ve found a way to enter Thorbardin. It was Riverwind and Goldmoon, who showed you how to survive and healed your hurts.
“They didn’t have to do this, any of them. They could have gone off long ago, returned to their homeland, but they didn’t. They stayed here and risked their lives to help you. I know it will be hard to leave, but … but I just want you to think about that.”
Many did think about it and made their arguments accordingly, speaking out in favor of departing. Others were not so certain. Riverwind allowed the discussion to flow freely, but when the same arguments were being presented time and again, he called a halt.
“My mind is made up. Each of you must do the same. My wife and I and those who are going with us should be ready to depart the day after tomorrow with the first light.”
He paused a moment, then added, “The way will be difficult and dangerous, and I cannot promise you that we will find safe haven in Thorbardin or anywhere in this world, for that matter. I can promise you one thing: I pledge my life to you. I will do all I can to stand between you and darkness. I will fight to defend you until the last breath leaves my body.”
He left the meeting hall amid silence. His people and Gilthanas accompanied him. Tika insisted on going back to her own cave, saying she would rest better in her bed.
The people gathered around Elistan, seeking his advice and reassurance. Many wanted him to make their decisions for them—should they stay or go? This he would not do, but he insisted that each person must make up his or her own mind. He advised them repeatedly to take their cares and concerns to the gods, and he was gratified to see some go to the altar. Others, however, stalked off in a huff, demanding to know what good were gods who could not tell them what to do?
Laurana remained by his side, patiently assisting him, offering her own reassurances and advice. When the last person left, she felt utterly drained and dejected.
“I never understood before how anyone could knowingly worship an evil god. Now I do,” she said to Elistan. “If you were a cleric of Takhisis, you would promise these people everything they ever wanted. Your promises would come at a terrible price and they would not be kept, but that wouldn’t matter. People refuse to take responsibility for their own lives. They want someone to tell them what to do, and they want someone to blame when it all goes wrong.”
“We are in the early days yet of the gods’ return, Laurana,” said Elistan. “Our people are like blind men who can suddenly see again. The light blinds them as much or more than the darkness. Give them time.”
“Time—the one thing we don’t have,” Laurana said with a sigh.
In the end, most of the people decided to go with Riverwind. The terror of the dragons flying over their camp did as much to convince them to leave as any of his arguments. Hederick and his followers, however, let it be known that they planned to stay.
“We will be here waiting to welcome those who turn back,” Hederick announced, adding in ominous tones, “Those who survive …”
Riverwind worked tirelessly that day and long into the night and all the next day, answering questions, assisting people to decide what to take, helping them pack. The refugees had made the hard journey from Pax Tharkas to the valley, and they knew already what they would need for the road. Even little children made up their small bundles.
Riverwind could not sleep the night before the departure. He lay awake, staring into the darkness, doubting himself, doubting his decision, until Goldmoon took him in her arms. He kissed her and held her, and matching his breathing to hers, he fell asleep.
Riverwind was up before dawn. The people emerged from their caves in the half-darkness, greeting friends or scolding children, who viewed this departure as a holiday and were behaving with untoward exuberance. Hederick made an appearance, sighing a great deal and bidding people farewell with a mournful air, as though he could already see them dead on the trail.
Riverwind could sense a few people starting to waver in their decisions, and he was determined to set off the moment there was the faintest light in the sky, before they had a chance to change their minds. His scouts had picked up Tanis’s blazed trail, and they reported that the first part of the journey would be easy; that would help boost people’s
spirits and give them confidence.
The day dawned bright and sunny. Just before they started, scouts returned with news that the dwarf’s trail led to a hitherto unnoticed pass between the mountains. Riverwind studied the crude map Flint had drawn up for him and the scouts agreed that his map matched with what they had found. Looking at the map, Riverwind recalled the dwarf’s last enigmatic command—bring along pick-axes. Though this meant an added burden for some, he followed the dwarf’s order.
The people cheered at news that a pass had been discovered, taking it for a good omen for the future. The refugees set forth quietly, without undue fuss or bother. Their harsh lives had inured them to hardship. They were accustomed to physical exertion; they had walked miles to reach this place, and they were prepared to walk many more miles. They were in good health. Mishakal had healed their sick. Even Tika was almost back to normal. Laurana noted that her friend was unusually somber and silent and chose to walk by herself, eschewing any offer of company. The wounds of the body had healed; the wounds of the heart were deeper, and not even a goddess could remedy those.
The sun shone. The day grew warm, with just enough chill in the air to keep the exertion of hiking from overheating anyone. Maritta started singing a marching song, and soon everyone joined in. The refugees made good time, trudging along the trail at a steady pace.
Riverwind felt his burden ease.
That night, after the refugees’ departure, Hederick the High Theocrat sat alone in his cave. He had spent the day regaling those of his followers who had chosen to stay with some of his best speeches. Fewer had chosen to stay han he’d expected, and they had heard all Hederick’s harangues before. As darkness fell, they made some excuse to slip away, either going to their beds or gathering by the firelight to play black dots—a gambling game in which white tiles marked with black dots are arranged in various number patterns. Since the High Theocrat had laid down a strict injunction against wagering, the men thought it best to keep their game secret.
Dragons of the Dwarven Depths Page 20