Dragons of Autumn Twilight - By Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Page 0,20

stared out across the dark expanse of Crystalmir Lake. The wind whipped the water into frothy whitecaps.

"Where's Tas?" He kept his voice low.

"There, I think." Caramon pointed at a dark object floating close to shore. Tanis could barely make out the warm red outline of the kender sitting in a large boat.

The stars gleamed with icy brightness in the blue-black sky. The red moon, Lunitari, was rising like a bloody fingernail from the water. Its partner in the night sky, Solinari, had already risen, marking the lake with molten silver.

"What wonderful targets we're going to make!" Sturm said irritably.

Tanis could see Tasslehoff turning this way and that, searching for them. The half-elf reached down, fumbling for a rock in the darkness. Finding one, he lobbed it into the water. It splashed just a few yards ahead of the boat. Tas, reacting to Tanis's signal, propelled the boat to shore.

"You're going to put all of us in one boat!" Flint said in horror. "You're mad, half-elf!"

"It's a big boat," Tanis said.

"No! I won't go. If it were one of the legendary white-winged boats of Tarsis, I still wouldn't go! I'd rather take my chances with the Theocrat!"

Tanis ignored the fuming dwarf and motioned to Sturm. "Get everyone loaded up. We'll be along in a moment."

"Don't take too long," Sturm warned. "Listen."

"I can hear," Tanis said grimly. "Go on."

"What are those sounds?" Goldmoon asked the knight as he came up to her.

"Goblin search parties," Sturm answered. "Those whistles keep them in contact when they're separated. They're moving into the woods now."

Goldmoon nodded in understanding. She spoke a few words to Riverwind in their own language, apparently continuing a conversation Sturm had interrupted. The big Plainsman frowned and gestured back toward the forest with his hand.

He's trying to convince her to split with us, Sturm realized. Maybe he's got enough woodslore to hide from goblin search parties for days, but I doubt it.

"Riverwind, gue-lando" Goldmoon said sharply. Sturm saw Riverwind scowl in anger. Without a word, he turned and stalked toward the boat. Goldmoon sighed and looked after him, deep sorrow in her face.

"Can I do anything to help, lady?" Sturm asked gently.

"No," she replied. Then she said sadly, as if to herself, "He rules my heart, but I am his ruler. Once, when we were young, we thought we could forget that. But I have been 'Chieftains Daughter' too long."

"Why doesn't he trust us?" Sturm asked.

"He has all the prejudices of our people," Goldmoon replied.

"The Plainsmen do not trust those who are not human." She glanced back. "Tanis cannot hide his elven blood beneath a beard. Then there are the dwarf, the kender."

"And what of you, lady?" Sturm asked. "Why do you trust us? Don't you have these same prejudices?"

Goldmoon turned to face him. He could see her eyes, dark and shimmering as the lake behind her. "When I was a girl," she said in her deep, low voice, "I was a princess of my people. I was a priestess. They worshipped me as a goddess. I believed in it. I adored it. Then something happened.... " She fell silent, her eyes filled with memories.

"What was that?" Sturm prompted softly.

"I fell in love with a shepherd," Goldmoon answered, looking at Riverwind. She sighed and walked toward the boat.

Sturm watched Riverwind wade into the water to drag the boat closer to shore as Raistlin and Caramon reached the water's edge. Raistlin clutched his robes around him, shivering.

"I can't get my feet wet," he whispered hoarsely. Caramon did not reply. He simply put his huge arms around his brother, lifted him as easily as he would have lifted a child, and set Raistlin in the boat. The mage huddled in the aft part of the boat, not saying a word of thanks.

"I'll hold her steady," Caramon told Riverwind. "You get in." Riverwind hesitated a moment, then climbed quickly over the side. Caramon helped Goldmoon into the boat. Riverwind caught hold of her and steadied her as the boat rocked gently. The Plainsmen moved to sit in the stern, behind Tasslehoff.

Caramon turned to Sturm as the knight drew near. "What's happening back there?"

"Flint says he'll burn before he'll get in a boat-at least then he'll die warm instead of wet and cold."

"I'll go up and haul him down here," Caramon said.

"You'd only make things worse. You were the one that nearly drowned him, remember? Let Tanis handle it-he's the diplomat."

Caramon nodded. Both men stood, waiting in silence. Sturm saw Goldmoon look at Riverwind in mute