"Don't drink it;' the mage warned when the coughing spasm passed.
Laurana looked at him. "What is it?"
"A sleeping potion;' Raistlin whispered, his eyes glittering.
Laurana smiled wryly. "You don't think we're going to be able to get to sleep tonight?"
"Not that kind;" Raistlin answered, staring at her intently. "This one feigns death. The heartbeat slows to almost nothing, the breathing nearly stops, the skin grows cold and pale, the limbs stiffen:"
Laurana's eyes. opened wide. "Why-" she began.
"To be used as a last resort. The enemy thinks you are dead, leaves you on the field-if you are lucky. If not-"
"If not?" she prompted, her face pale.
"Well, a few have been known to waken on their own funeral pyres;" Raistlin said coolly. "I don't believe that is likely to happen to us, however:"
Breathing more easily, he sat down, ducking involuntarily as a spent arrow .fluttered overhead and fell to the floor behind him. He saw Laurana's hand tremble then and realized she was not as calm as she was (arcing herself to appear.
"Are you intending that we take this?" sere asked.
"It will save us from being tortured by draconians."
"Haw do you know that?"
"Trust me;' the mage said with a slight smile.
Laurana glanced at him and shivered. Absently, she wiped blood-stained fingers on her leather armor. The blood did not come off, but she didn't notice. An arrow thudded next to her. She didn't even start, just stared at it dully.
Caramon appeared, stumbling out of the smoke of the burning common room. He was bleeding from an arrow wound in the shoulder, his own red blood mingling oddly with the green blood of his enemy.
"They're breaking down the front door;" he said, breathing heavily. "Riverwind ordered us back here:"
"Listen!" Raistlin warned. "That's not the only place they"re breaking in!" There was a splintering crash at the door Leading from the kitchen to the back alley.
Ready to defend themselves, Caramon and Laurana whirled gust as the door shattered. A tall, dark figure entered.
"Tanis!" Laurana cried. Sheathing her weapon, she ran toward him.
"Laurana!" he breathed. Catching her in his arms, he held her close, nearly sobbing in his relief. Then Caramon flung his huge arms around both of them.
"How is everyone?" Tanis asked, when he could talk.
"So far, so good;" Caramon said, peering behind Tanis, His face fell when he saw he was alone. "Where's-"
"Sturm's lost;" Tanis said wearily. "Flint and Tas are across the street. The kender's pinned under a beam. Gilthanas is about two blocks away. He's hurt;" Tanis told Laurana, "not badly, but he couldn't make it any farther:"
"Welcome, Tanis," Raistlin whispered, coughing. "You have come in time to die with us:"
Tanis looked at the pitcher, saw the black pouch lying near it, and stared at Raistlin in sudden shock.
"No;' he said firmly. "We're not going to die. At least not like th-" he broke off abruptly. "Get everyone together:"
Caramon lumbered off, yelling at the top of his lungs. Riverwind ran in from the common room where he had been firing the enemy's arrows back at them, his own having non cut long ago. The others followed him, smiling hopefully at Tanis.
The sight of their faith in him infuriated the half-elf. Someday, he thought, I'm going to fail them. Maybe I already have. He shook his head angrily.
"Listen!" he shouted, trying to make himself heard over the noise of the draconians outside. "We can try and escape out the back! Only a small force is attacking the Inn. The main part of the army isn't in the city yet:"
"Somebody's after us," Raistlin murmured.
Tanis nodded. "So it would appear. We haven't much time. If we can make it into the hills-"
He suddenly fell silent, raising his head. They all fell silent, listening, recognizing the shrill scream, the creak of giant leather wings, coming nearer and nearer.
"Take cover!" River-wind yelled. But it was too late.
There was a screaming whine and a boom. The Inn, three stories tall and built of stone and wood, shook as if it were made of sand and sticks. The air exploded with dust and debris. Flames erupted outside. Above them, they could hear the sound of wood splitting and breaking, the thud of falling timber. The building began to collapse in on itself.
The companions watched in stunned fascination-paralyzed by the sight of the gigantic ceiling beams shuddering beneath the strain as the roof caved in onto the upper floors.
"Get out!" Tanis shouted. "The whole place is-"
The beam directly above the half-elf gave a great groan, then split and cracked. Gripping Laurana around the waist, Tanis flung her as far from him as he could and saw Elistan, standing near the front of the Inn, catch her in his arms.
As the huge beam above Tanis gave way with a shuddering snap, he heard the mope shriek strange words. Then he was falling, falling into blackness.-and it seemed that the world fell on top of him.
Sturm rounded a corner to see the Inn of the Red Dragon collapse in a cloud of flame and smoke as a dragon soared in the sky above it. The knight's heart beat wildly with grief and fear.
He ducked into a doorway, hiding in the shadows as same draconians passed him-laughing and talking in their cold, guttural language. Apparently they assumed this job was finished and were seeking other amusement. Three others,, he noticed-dressed in blue uniforms, not red-appeared extremely upset at the Inn's -destruction, shaking their fist at: the red Dragon -overhead.
Sturm felt the weakness of despair sweep over him. He "Tanis?"
sagged against the door, watching the draconians dully, won- "Yes. He came through the back door, just before the dragon
dering what to do next. Were they all still in there? Perhaps hit the Inn. They were all together, in the very center. I was
they had escaped. Then his heart gave a painful bound. He saw standing beneath a doorway. Tanis saw the beam breaking, He
a flash of white. threw Laurana. I caught her, then the ceiling collapsed on top
"Elistan!" he cried, watching the cleric emerge from the rub- of them. There's no way they could have-"
ble, dragging someone with him. The draconians, swords "I don't believe it!" Flint said fiercely, leaping into the rubble.
drawn, ran toward the cleric, calling out in Common for him to Sturm grasped hold of him, yanked him back.
surrender. Sturm yelled the challenge of a Solamnic knight to "Where's Tas?" the knight asked the dwarf sternly.
an enemy and ran out from his doorway. The draconians The dwarf's face fell. "Pinned under a beam;' he said, his face
whirled about, considerably disconcerted to see the knight. ( gray with grief and sorrow. He clutched at his hair wildly,
Sturm became dimly aware that another figure was running knocking off his helm. "I've got to go back to him. But I can't
with him. Glancing to his side, he saw the flash of firelight off a leave them-Caramon-" The dwarf began to cry, tears
metal helm and heard the dwarf roaring. Then, from a door- streaming into his beard. "That big, dumb ox! I need him. He
way, he heard words of magic. can't do this to me! And Tanis, too!" The dwarf swore. "Damn
Gilthanas, unable to stand without help, had crawled out it, I need them!"
and was pointing at the draconians, reciting his spell. Flaming Sturm put his hand on Flint's shoulder. "Go back to Tas. He
darts leaped from his hands. One of the creatures fell over, needs you now. There are draconians roaming the streets. We'll
clutching its burning chest. Flint leaped on another, beating it be all-"
oven the head with a rock, while Sturm felled the other dracon- ^, Laurana screamed, a terrifying, pitiful sound that pierced
ion with a blow from his fists. Sturm caught Elistan in his arms r Sturm like a spear. Turning, he caught hold of her just as she
as the man staggered forward. The cleric was car
rying a started to rush into the debris.
woman. "Laurana!" he cried. "Look at that! Look at it!" He shook her
"Laurana!" Gilthanas cried from the doorway. in his own anguish. "Nothing could be alive in there!'
Dazed and sick from the smoke, the elfmaid lifted her glazed ! "you don't know that!" she screamed at him in fury. tearing
eyes. "Gilthanas?" she murmured. Then, looking up, she saw away from his grasp. Falling onto her hands and knees, she
the knight. tried to lift one of the blackened stones. "Tanis!" she cried. The
"Sturm;' she said confusedly, pointing behind her vaguely. stone was so heavy, she could only move it a few inches.
"Your sword, it's here. I saw it-" Sturm watched, heartsick, uncertain what to do. 'Then he
Sure enough, Sturm saw a flash of silver, barely visible had his answer. Horns! Nearer and nearer. Hundreds, thousands of horns beneath the rubble. His sword, and next to it was Tanis's. The armies were invading He looked at
sword, the elven blade of Kith-Kanan. Moving aside piles of tan, who nodded in sorrowful understanding. Both men
stone, Sturm reverently lifted the swords that lay like artifacts hurried over to Laurana.
within a hideous, gigantic cairn. The knight listened for move- "My dear;' Elistan began gently; "there is nothing you can do
ment, calls, cries. There was only a dreadful silence. for them. The living need you. Your brother is hurt, so is the
"We've got to get out here;' he said slowly, without moving. kender. The draconians are invading. We must either escape
He looked at Elistan, who was staring back at the wreckage, his now, and keep fighting these horrible monsters, or waste our
fare deathly pale. "The others?" lives in useless grief. Tanis gave his life foe you, Laurara. Don't
"They were all in there;' Elistan said in a trembling voice. let it be a needless sacrifice:'
"And the half-elf . . :' , Laurana stared up at him, her face black with soot and filth streaked with tears and blood. She heard the horns, she heard Gilthanas calling, she heard Flint shouting something about Tasslehoff dying, she heard Elistan's words. And then the rain began, dripping from the skies as the heat of the dragonfire melted the snow, changing it to water.
The rain ran down her face, cooling her feverish skin.
"Help me, Sturm;' she whispered through lips almost too numb to shape the words. He put his arm around her. She stood up, dizzy and sick with shock.
"Laurana!" her brother called. Elistan was right. The living needed her. She must go to him. Though she would rather lie down on this pile of rocks and die, she must go on. That was what Tanis would do. They needed her. She must go on.
"Farewell, Tanthalas;' she whispered.
The rain increased, pouring down gently, as if the gods themselves wept for Tarsis the Beautiful.
Water dripped on his head. It was irritating, cold. Raistlin tried to roll over, out of the way of the water. But he couldn't move. There was a heavy weight pressing down on tap of him. Panicking, he tried desperately to escape. As fear surged through his body, he came fully to consciousness. With knowledge, panic vanished. Raistlin was in control once more and, as he had been taught, he forced himself to relax and study the situation.
He could see nothing. It was intensely dark, so he was forced to rely on his other senses. First, he had to get this weight off. He was being smothered and crushed. Cautiously he moved his arms. There was no pain, nothing appeared broken. Reaching up, he touched a body. Caramon, by the armor-and the smell. He sighed. He might have known. Using all his strength, Raistlin shoved his brother aside and crawled out from under him.
The mage breathed more easily, wiping water from his face. He located his brother's neck in the darkness and felt for the lifebeat. It was strong, the man's flesh was warm, his breathing regular. Raistlin lay back down on the floor in relief. At least, wherever he was, he wasn't alone.
Where was he? Raistlin reconstructed those last few terrifying moments. He remembered the beam splitting and Tanis throwing Laurana out from under it. He remembered casting a spell" the last one he had strength enough to manage. The magic coursed through his body, creating around him and those near him a force capable of shielding them from physical objects. He remembered Caramon hurling himself on top of him, the building collapsing around them, and a falling sensation.
Falling . . .
Ah, Raistlin understood. We must have crashed through the floor into the Inn's cellar. Groping around the stone floor, the mage suddenly realized he was soaked through. Finally, however, he found what he lead been searching for-the Staff of Magius. Its crystal was unbroken; only dragonfire could damage the Staff given him by Par-Salian in the Towers of High Sorcery.
"Shirak;" whispered Raistlin, and the Staff flared into light. Sitting up, he glanced around. Yes, he was right. They were in the cellar of the Inn. Broken bottles of wine spilled their contents onto the floor. Casks of ale were split in two. It wasn't all water he had been lying in.
The wage flashed the light around the floor. There were Tanis, Riverwind, Goldmoon, and Tika, all huddled near Caramon. They seemed all right, he thought, giving them a quick inspection. Around them lay scattered debris. Half of the beam slanged down through the rubble to rest on the stone floor. Raistlin smiled. A nice bit of work, that spell. Once more they were in his debt.
If we don't perish from the cold, he reminded himself bitterly. His body was shaking so he could barely hold the staff. I-3e began to cough. This would 6e the death of him. They had to get out.
'Tanis," he called, reaching out to shake the half-elf.
Tanis lay crumpled at the very edge of Raistlin's magic, protective circle. He murmured and stirred. Raistlin shook him again. The half-elf cried out, reflexively covering his head with his arm.
"Tanis, you're safe," Raistlin whispered, coughing. "Wake up:'
"What?" Tanis sat bolt upright, staring around him. "Where-" Then he remembered. "Laurana?"
"Gone:' Raistlin shrugged. "You threw her out of danger-"
"Yes . . :' Tanis said, sinking back down. "And I heard you say words, magic-"
That's why we're not crushed:' Raistlin clutched his sopping wet robes around him, shivering, and drew nearer Tanis, who was staring around as if he'd fallen onto a moon.
"Where in the name of the Abyss-'
"We're in the cellar of the Inn;" the mage said. 'The floor gave way and dropped us down here;'
Tanis looked up. "By all the gods;' he whispered in awe.
"Yes;" Raistlin said, his gaze following Tanis's. "We're buried alive:'
Beneath the ruins of the Red Dragon Inn, the companions took stock of their situation. It did not look hopeful. Goldmoon treated their injuries, which were not serious, thanks to Raistlin's spell. But they had no idea how long they had been unconscious or what was happening above them. Worse still, they had no idea how they could escape.
Caramon tried cautiously to move some of the rocks above their heads, but the whole structure creaked and groaned. Rais^ tlin reminded him sharply that he had no energy to cast more spells, and Tanis wearily told the big man to forget it. They sat in the water that was growing deeper all the time.
As Riverwind stated, it seemed to be a matter of what killed them first: lack of air, freezing to death, the Inn falling down on top of them, or drowning.
"We could shout for help;" suggested Tika, trying to keep her voice steady.
"Add draconians to the list, then," Raistlin snapped. "They're the only creatures up there liable to hear you:"
Tika's face flushed, and she brushed her hard quickly across her eyes. Caramon cast a reproachful glance a# his brother, then put his arm around Tika and held her close. Raistlin gave them both a look of disgust.
"I haven't heard a sound up there;' Tanis said, puzzled. "You'd think the dragons and the armies-" I3e stopped, his glance meeting Caramon's, `path soldiers nodding slowly in sudden grim understanding.
"What
?" asked Goldmoon, looking at them.
"W'e're behind enemy lines;" Caramon said. "The armies of draconians occupy the town. And probably the land for miles
and miles around. There's no way out, and nowhere to go if there were a way out:"
As if to emphasize his words, the companions heard sounds above them. Guttural draconian voices that they had come to know all too well drifted down through to them.
"I toll you, this is a waste of time;' whined another voice, goblin by the sound, speaking in Common. "There's no one alive in this mess'
"Tell that to the Dragon Highlord, you miserable dog-eaters;' snarled the draconian. "I'm sure his lordship'll be interested in your opinion. Or rather, his dragon'll be interested. You have your orders. Now dig, all of you:'
There were sounds of scraping, sounds of stones being dragged aside, Rivulets of dirt and dust started to sift down through the cracks. The big beam shivered slightly but held.
The companions stared at each other, almost holding their breaths, each remembering the strange draconians who had attacked the Inn. "Somebody's otter us," Raistlin had said.
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