Dragonlance 15 - Dragons Of A Fallen Sun (36 page)

mounted guard upon the entrance.

"Go about your business," the minotaur commanded the sol-

diers who were milling about in front of the tent. "There's work

to be done if we're marching to Silvanesti."

"What is she doing in there?" asked the messenger.

"Praying," Galdar said shortly.

"Praying!" the messenger repeated to himself in wonder.

Mounting his horse, he rode off, anxious not to lose a moment in

reporting the day's astonishing events to the Lord of the Night.

"So what happened?" Captain Samuval asked, coming to

stand next to Galdar.

"To Milles?" Galdar grunted. "He fell on his sword." He

handed over the message. "1 found this in his hand. As we guessed

he would, he sent a pack of lies to Targonne, all about how Mina

nearly lost the battle and Milles saved it. Targonne may be a mur-

dering, conniving bastard, but he's not stupid." GaIdar spoke with

grudging admiration. "He saw through Milles's lies and ordered

him to report word of his 'victory' directly to the great dragon

Malystrx."

"No wonder he chose this way out," SamuvaI commented. "But

why send Mina south to Silvanesti? What happens to Sanction?"

"Targonne has ordered General Dogah to leave Khur. He will

take over the siege of Sanction. As I said, Targonne's not stupid.

He knows that Mina and her talk of One True God is a threat to

him and the phony 'Visions' he's been handing out. But he also

knows that he will start a rebellion among the troops if he tries to

have her arrested. The great dragon Malystrx has long been an-

noyed by Silvanesti and the fact that the elves have found a way

to thwart her by hiding beneath their magical shield. Targonne

can placate Malystrx on the one hand by telling her he has sent a

force to attack Silvanesti, and he can rid himself of a dangerous

threat to his authority at the same time."

"Does Mina know that in order to reach Silvanesti we must

march through Blode?" Captain Samuval demanded. "A realm

held by the ogres? They are already angry that we have taken

some of their land. They will resent any further incursion into

their territory." Samuval shook his head. "This is suicidal! We will

never even see Silvanesti. We must try to talk her out of this act of

folly, Galdar."

"It is not my place to question her," said the minotaur. "She

knew we were going to Silvanost this morning before the

messenger arrived. Remember, Captain? I told you of it myself."

"Did you?" Captain Samuval mused. "In all the excitement I

had forgotten. I wonder how she found out?"

Mina emerged from Milles's tent. She was very pale.

"His crimes have been forgiven. His soul has been accepted."

She sighed, glanced about appeared disappointed to find herself

back among mortals. "How I envy him!"

"Mina, what are your orders?" Galdar asked.

Mina looked at him without recognition for a moment the

amber still seeing wondrous sights not given to other mortals.

Then she smiled bleakly, sighed again, and came back to her

surroundings.

"Assemble the troops. Captain SamuvaL you will address

them. You will tell them truthfully that the assignment is danger-

ous one. Some might say 'suicidal.' " She smiled at Samuval. "I

will order no man to make this march. Any who come do so of

their own free will."

"They will all come, Mina," said Galdar softly.

Mina gazed at him, her eyes luminous, radiant. "If that be

true, then the force will be too large, too unwieldy. We must move

fast and we must keep our movement secret. My own Knights

will accompany me, of course. You will select five hundred of the

best of the foot soldiers, Galdar. The remainder will stay behind

with my blessing. They must continue to besiege Sanction."

Galdar blinked. "But Mina, didn't you hear? Targonne has

given orders that General Dogah is to take over the siege of

Sanction."

Mina smiled. "General Dogah will receive new orders telling

him that he is to turn his forces south and march with all possible

haste upon Silvanesti."

"But. . . where will these orders come from?" Galdar asked,

gaping. "Not Targonne. He is ordering us to Silvanesti simply to

get rid of us, Mina!"

"As I told you, Galdar, Targonne acts for the One God,

whether he knows it or not." Mina reached into her belt where

she had tucked the orders Milles had received from Targonne.

She held the parchment to the sunlight. Targonne's name loomed

large and black at the bottom, his seal gleamed red. Mina pointed

"It is not my place to question her," said the minotaur. "She

knew we were going to Silvanost this morning before the

messenger arrived. Remember, Captain? I told you of it myself."

"Did you?" Captain Samuval mused. "In all the excitement I

had forgotten. I wonder how she found out?"

Mina emerged from Milles's tent. She was very pale.

"His crimes have been forgiven. His soul has been accepted."

She sighed, glanced about appeared disappointed to find herself

back among mortals. "How I envy him!"

"Mina, what are your orders?" Galdar asked.

Mina looked at him without recognition for a moment the

amber still seeing wondrous sights not given to other mortals.

Then she smiled bleakly, sighed again, and came back to her

surroundings.

"Assemble the troops. Captain SamuvaL you will address

them. You will tell them truthfully that the assignment is danger-

ous one. Some might say 'suicidal.' " She smiled at Samuval. "I

will order no man to make this march. Any who come do so of

their own free will."

"They will all come, Mina," said Galdar softly.

Mina gazed at him, her eyes luminous, radiant. "If that be

true, then the force will be too large, too unwieldy. We must move

fast and we must keep our movement secret. My own Knights

will accompany me, of course. You will select five hundred of the

best of the foot soldiers, Galdar. The remainder will stay behind

with my blessing. They must continue to besiege Sanction."

Galdar blinked. "But Mina, didn't you hear? Targonne has

given orders that General Dogah is to take over the siege of

Sanction."

Mina smiled. "General Dogah will receive new orders telling

him that he is to turn his forces south and march with all possible

haste upon Silvanesti."

"But. . . where will these orders come from?" Galdar asked,

gaping. "Not Targonne. He is ordering us to Silvanesti simply to

get rid of us, Mina!"

"As I told you, Galdar, Targonne acts for the One God,

whether he knows it or not." Mina reached into her belt where

she had tucked the orders Milles had received from Targonne.

She held the parchment to the sunlight. Targonne's name loomed

large and black at the bottom, his seal gleamed red. Mina pointed

"You will meet us here," she said, indicating a place on the

map marked with a pebble. "I calculate that it will take you two

days to meet up with General Dogah and another three days to

rejoin us. The One God speed you, Galdar."

"The One God be with you until we meet again, Mina," said

Galdar.

He meant to leave. He could yet cover many miles before

daylight waned. But he found the leaving difficult. He could

not imagine a day going by without seeing her amber eyes,

hearing her voice. He felt as bereft as if he were suddenly shorn

of all his fur, left in the world shivering and weak as a new-

born calf.

Mina laid her hand upon his, upon the hand she had given

him. "I will be with you wherever you go, Galdar," she said.

He fell to one knee, pressed her hand to his forehead. Keeping

the memory of her touch an amulet in his mind, he turned and

ran from the tent.

Captain Samuval entered next, coming to report that, as he

had foreseen, every single soldier in the camp had volunteered to

come. He had chosen the five hundred he considered the best.

These soldiers were now the envy of the rest.

"I fear that those left behind may desert to follow you, Mina,"

Captain Samuval said.

"I will speak to them," she said. "I will explain to them that

they must continue to hold Sanction without any expectation of

reinforcements. I will explain to them how it can be done. They

will see their duty."

She continued to put the small stones upon the map.

"What is that?" Samuval asked curiously.

"The location of the ogre forces," Mina replied. "Look, Cap-

tain, if we march this way, directly east out of the Khalkist Moun-

tains, we can make much better time heading southward across

the Plains of Khur. We will avoid the largest concentration of their

troops, which are down here in the southern end of the mountain

range, fighting the Legion of Steel and the forces of the elf-witch,

Alhana Starbreeze. We will attempt to steal a march on them by

traveling along this route, the Thon- Thalas River. I fear that at

some point we must fight the ogres, but if my plan works, we will

fight only a diminished force. With the God's blessing, most of us

will reach our destination."

And what happened when that destination was reached?

How did she intend to break through a magical shield that had

thus far baffled all attempts to enter it? Samuval did not ask her.

Nor did he ask how she knew the position of the ogre forces or

how she knew they were fighting the Legion of Steel and the

dark elves. The Knights of Neraka had sent scouts into ogre

lands but none had ever returned alive to tell what they saw.

Captain Samuval did not ask Mina how she intended to hold Sil-

vanesti with such a small force, a force that would be decimated

by the time they reached their destination. Samuval asked her

none of this.

He had faith. If not necessarily in this One God, he had faith

in Mina.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

THE SCOURGE OF ANSALON

The odd occurrence that befell Tasslehoff Burrfoot on the

fifth night of his journey to Qualinesti in the custody of Sir

Gerard can best be explained by the fact that although the

days had been sunny and warm and fine for traveling, the nights

had been cloudy and overcast, with a drizzly rain. Up until this

night. This night the sky was clear, the air was soft and warm and

alive with the sounds of the forest, crickets and owls and the oc-

casional wolf howling.

Far north, near Sanction, the minotaur Galdar ran along the

road that led to Khur. Far south, in Silvanesti, Silvanoshei entered

Silvanost as he had planned, in triumph and with fanfare. The

entire population of Silvanost came out to welcome him and stare

at him and marvel over him. Silvanoshei was shocked and trou-

bled by how few elves remained in the city. He said nothing to

anyone however and was greeted with appropriate ceremony by

General Konnal and a white-robed elven wizard whose charming

manners endeared him to Silvanoshei at once.

While Silvanoshei dined on elven delicaces off plates of gold

and drank sparkling wine from goblets of crystal, and while

Galdar munched on dried peas as he marched, Tas and Gerard ate

their customary boring and tasteless meal of flatbread and dried

beef washed down with nothing more interesting than plain, or-

dinary water. They had ridden south as far as Gateway, where

they passed several inns, whose innkeepers were standing in the

doors with pinched faces. These innkeepers would have barred

the door against a kender before the roads were closed by the

dragon. Now they had come running out to offer them lodging

and a meal for the unheard-of price of a single steel.

Sir Gerard had paid no attention to them. He had ridden past

without a glance. Tasslehoff had sighed deeply and looked back

longingly at the inns dwindling in the distance. When he had

hinted that a mug of cold ale and a plate of hot food would be a

welcome change, Gerard had said no, the less attention they

called to themselves the better for all concerned.

So they continued on south, traveling along a new road that

ran near the river, a road Gerard said had been built by the

Knights of Neraka to maintain their supply lines into Qualinesti.

Tas wondered at the time why the Knights of Neraka were in-

terested in supplying the elves of Qualinesti, but he assumed

that this must be some new project the elven king Gilthas had

instituted.

Tas and Gerard had slept outdoors in a drizzling rain for the

last four nights. This fifth night was fine. As usual, sleep

sneaked up on the kender before he was quite ready for it. He

woke up in the night, jolted from his slumbers by a light shining

in his eyes.

"Hey! What's that?" he demanded in a loud voice. Throwing

off his blanket, he leaped to his feet and grabbed Gerard by the

shoulder, shaking him and pummeling him.

"Sir Gerard! Wake up!" Tasslehoff shouted. "Sir Gerard!"

The Knight was up and awake in an instant, his sword in his

hand. "What?" He stared around, alert for danger. "What is it?