Chronicles 5 Dragons of Summe Dragonlance

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.Let us dealwith both of them.I warn you, Lord, they are plotting together! Why else would this young manarrive and voluntarily give himself up to death? He thinks that he will escape! Kill them both now,my lord, immediately! Otherwise, I warn you, these two will bring about the downfall of theknights!"The gathered knights glanced at each other, spoke in low, troubled voices.Vehement, impassioned,Lillith was alarmingly convincing.Ariakan raised his hand for silence, gazed intently at the young mage who stood alone, near thebloodstained marble block."I will take the matter of Steel Brightblade under advisement.As to the mage, the Thorn Knights may interrogate the prisoner at their leisure.Only pray let Mm speak for himself now, before themorning grows any hotter and we are broiled alive."Though the sun had just risen, its heat was already intense.The sun had a strange look to it as well.It was larger, seemed to have drawn closer to the world, if such a thing was possible.The heat beat relentlessly on the black armor of the knights, causing more than one to cast longing glances at the shadows.Ariakan wiped the sweat from his forehead with his arm, continued his questioning."Palin Majere, have you come to ransom yourself?""He has come to destroy us!" the Nightlord said loudly.Ariakan sternly glanced at her, and she fell into a seething silence.Palin shook his head."No, I have not," he answered."Are you, in fact, allied in treachery with your cousin, Steel Brightblade? Answer me the truth, young mage," Ariakan cautioned."I have ways of catching you in a lie, ways you would not find pleasant.""I wear the White Robes," Palin said proudly."Do you think it likely, my lord, that I would be allied with a knight of evil?"Ariakan nodded, appeared to accept the response.Lillith ground her teeth in frustration, mutteredbeneath her breath.Ariakan, ignoring the Nightlord, continued with the young mage."You were sentenced to death on your capture if you did not provide ransom.I order that sentence to be carried out forthwith.Haveyou anything to say before you die?""My lord, I do," Palin replied."I gave my word to return.Before I am put to death, I want to apologize to this knight and explain to him why I broke my word.""Do not let him speak!" The Nightlord was insistent."This is a trick of our enemies! Do not trust this mage.He is the nephew of one of the most powerful wizards who ever lived.As I told you, mylord, I met Raistlin Majere near the Forest of Wayreth.He has escaped from the Abyss-""My uncle was never in the Abyss!" Palin refuted.The Nightlord did not care to dispute the point."Raistlin has returned)" she maintained."He was the one who sent you here, isn't that true?""It is not true," Palin said, a faint flush staining his pale cheeks."I came here of my own accord.If anything, my uncle would have stopped me."Ariakan intervened."If I might have a word, Nightlord? Thank you.I am familiar with the exploits of members of the Majere family.Courage, it seems, runs in the blood.I want to speak to this young man.If you are so afraid of him, Lillith," Ariakan added dryly, "then bind him with whatenchantments you will."The Nightlord, scowling, stalked over to stand beside Palin.She scorned to touch the bags andpouches containing his spell components.Whatever magic he cast with those she could easilycounter.Her eyes fixed covetously, jealously, and suspiciously on his staff."He holds the Staff of Magius, Lord Ariakan-one of the most powerful magical artifacts in all of Ansalon." "Take it, then," Ariakan said impatiently."I want him to give it to me, my lord.That will prove to me that this is no trick of his uncle's."Palin did not look at the Nightlord.He kept his gaze on Ariakan."You may take up the staff when it falls from my dead hand, my lord, not before.This is no trick, I assure you.I am not involved insome plot with my cousin.May I speak freely, my lord?""You cannot trust him!" the Nightlord cried."You see, he refuses to surrender the staff.It could do us all great harm.""If he wanted to do us harm, Lillith, I am certain he would have done so before now.I have granted him the right to speak his apology to Brightblade, whom he has wronged.I, for one, would like tohear it."Palin, nodding his thanks, walked over to stand in front of Steel."Cousin, you acted honorably and nobly in bringing the bodies of my two brothers back to beburied in the soil of our homeland.You escorted me safely to the Tower of High Sorcery, that Imight try to fulfill the geas laid on me by these gray sorcerers.I think we both knew, in our hearts, that the quest was a false one, given to us for some obscure purpose."The Nightlord fumed, but she could do nothing at this point to stop Palin from having his say.Ariakan had given his command, and she dared not disobey.Palin continued."Each of us continued on to the Tower of High Sorcery in pursuit of our objective.Steel Brightblade was always loyal to his queen in his pursuits.I was perhaps not so honorable inmine.Be that as it may, I entered the laboratory of my uncle, fully expecting that Steel Brightblade should accompany me.The door slammed shut, however, and I could not open it again.Since Icould do nothing else, I searched for and found the Portal.I entered it-""He lies!" the Nightlord interrupted shrilly."No mage of his low rank could enter the great Portal to the Abyss! It is written that only a black-robed wizard accompanied by a cleric of Paladine-" The Nightlord suddenly sucked in her breath, aware of what she had said.Ariakan's eyebrow quirked."But I thought you sent this young man to open the Portal.Perhaps he found the key.Continue, Palin Majere.You almost make me forget the heat.""I entered the Portal," Palin repeated."I needed no key.No constraints were laid on me.The Portal stood open.The Queen of Darkness had abandoned it.""Lies!" muttered Lillith, but she did not say the word loudly, only loud enough for those standing near to hear.Ariakan frowned at hearing this part of the tale.The knights in the courtyard exchanged questioning glances.Palin swallowed, started to continue, coughed, and said faintly, "My lord, may I beg a drink of water?"Ariakan waved his hand.A squire brought over a dipper full of water.Palin drank thankfully.SteelBrightblade stood unmov-ing.He had waved off assistance.His dark eyes never left Palin's face."Thank you, my lord," Palin said."Inside the Abyss, I found my uncle.He was not being tortured, as the stories have it.He took me and my companion, the kender, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, to witness amost extraordinary event-a gathering of the gods."The knights' murmurings grew loud [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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