'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 appeal, but the Plainsman did not heed her glance. Tasslehoff, fidgeting on his seat, started to call out a shrill question, but a stern look from the knight silenced him. Raistlin huddled in his robes, trying to suppress an uncontrollable cough.
'I'm going up there,' Sturm said finally. 'Those whistles are getting closer. We don't dare take any more time.' But at that moment, he saw Tanis shake hands with the dwarf, and begin to run toward the boat alone. Flint stayed where he was, near the edge of the woods. Sturm shook his head. 'I told Tanis the dwarf wouldn't come.'
'Stubborn as a dwarf, so the old saying goes,' Caramon grunted. 'And that one's had one hundred and forty-eight years to grow stubborner.' The big man shook his head sadly.
'Well, we'll miss him, that's for certain. He's saved my life more than once. Let me go get him. One punch on the jaw and he won't know whether he's in a boat or his own bed.'
Tanis ran up, panting, and heard the last comment. 'No, Caramon,' he said. 'Flint would never forgive us. Don't worry about him. He's going back to the hills. Get in the boat. There are more lights coming this way. We left a trail through the forest a blind gully dwarf could follow.'
'No sense all of us getting wet,' Caramon said, holding the side of the boat. 'You and Sturm get in. I'll shove off.'
Sturm was already over the side. Tanis patted Caramon on the back, then climbed in. The warrior pushed the boat out into the lake. He was up to his knees in water when they heard a call from the shore.
'Hold it!' It was Flint, running down from the trees, a vague moving shape of blackness against the moonlit shoreline. 'Hang on! I'm coming!'
'Stop!' Tanis cried. 'Caramon! Wait for Flint!'
'Look!' Sturm half-rose, pointing. Lights had appeared in the trees, smoking torches held by goblin guards.
'Goblins, Flint!' Tanis yelled. 'Behind you! Run!' The dwarf, never questioning, put his head down and pumped for the shore, one hand on his helm to keep it from flying off.
'I'll cover him,' Tanis said, unslinging his bow. With his elvensight, he was the only one who could see the goblins behind the torches. Fitting an arrow to his bow, Tanis stood as Caramon held the big boat steady. Tanis fired at the outline of the lead goblin. The arrow struck it in the chest and it pitched forward on its face. The other goblins slowed slightly, reaching for their own bows. Tanis fitted another arrow to his bow as Flint reached the shoreline.
'Wait! I'm coming!' the dwarf gasped and he plunged into the water and sank like a rock.
'Grab him!' Sturm yelled. 'Tas, row back. There he is! See? The bubbles-' Caramon was splashing frantically in the water, hunting for the dwarf. Tas tried to row back, but the weight in the boat was too much for the kender. Tanis fired again, missed his mark, and swore beneath his breath. He reached for another arrow. The goblins were swarming down the hillside.
'I've got him!' Caramon shouted, pulling the dripping, spluttering dwarf out by the collar of his leather tunic. 'Quit struggling,' he told Flint, whose arms were flailing out in all directions. But the dwarf was in a complete state of panic. A goblin arrow thunked into Caramon's chain mail and stuck there like a scrawny feather.
'That does it!' The warrior grunted in exasperation and, with a great heave of his muscular arms, he pitched the dwarf into the boat as it moved out away from him. Flint caught hold of a seat and held on, his lower half sticking out over the edge. Sturm grabbed him by the belt and dragged him aboard as the boat rocked alarmingly. Tanis nearly lost his balance and was forced to drop his bow and catch hold of the side to keep from being thrown into the water. A goblin arrow stuck into the gunwale, just barely missing Tanis's hand.
'Row back to Caramon, Tas!' Tanis yelled.
'I can't!' shouted the struggling kender. One swipe of an out-of-control oar nearly knocked Sturm overboard.
The knight yanked the kender from his seat. He grabbed the oars and smoothly brought the boat around to where Caramon could get hold of the side.
Tanis helped the warrior climb in, then yelled to Sturm, 'Pull!' The knight pulled on the oars with all his strength, leaning over backward as he thrust the oars deep into the water. The boat shot away from shore, accompanied by the howls of angry goblins. More arrows whizzed around the boat as Caramon, dripping wet, plopped down next to Tanis.
'Goblin target practice tonight,' Caramon muttered, pulling the arrow from his mail shirt. 'We show up beautifully against the water.'
Tanis was fumbling for his dropped bow when he noticed Raistlin sitting up. 'Take cover!' Tanis warned, and Caramon started to reach for his brother, but the mage, scowling at both of them, slipped his hand into a pouch on his belt. His delicate fingers drew out a handful of something as an arrow struck the seat next to him. Raistlin did not react. Tanis started to pull the mage down, then realized he was lost in the concentration necessary to a magic-user casting a spell. Disturbing him now might have drastic consequences, causing the mage to forget the spell or worse-to miscast the spell.
Tanis gritted his teeth and watched. Raistlin lifted his thin, frail hand and allowed the spell component he had taken from his pouch to fall slowly from between his fingers onto the deck of the boat. Sand, Tanis realized.
'Ast tasarak sinwalan krynawi,' Raistlin murmured, and then moved his right hand slowly in an arc parallel to the shore.
Tanis looked back toward land. One by one, the goblins dropped their bows and toppled over, as though Raistlin were touching each in turn. The arrows ceased. Goblins farther away howled in rage and ran forward. But by that time, Sturm's powerful strokes had carried the boat out of range.
'Good work, little brother!' Caramon said heartily. Raistlin blinked and seemed to return to the world, then the mage sank forward. Caramon caught him and held him for a moment. Then Raistlin sat up and sucked in a deep breath, which caused him to cough.
'I'll be all right,' he whispered, withdrawing from Caramon.
'What did you do to them?' asked Tanis as he searched for enemy arrows to drop them overboard; goblins occasionally poisoned the arrowtips.
'I put them to sleep,' Raistlin hissed through teeth that clicked together with the cold. 'And now I must rest.' He sank back against the side of the boat.
Tanis looked at the mage. Raistlin had, indeed, gained in power and skill. I wish I could trust him, the half- elf thought.
The boat moved across the star-filled lake. The only sounds to be heard were the soft, rhythmic plashing of the oars in the water and Raistlin's dry, wracking cough. Tasslehoff uncorked the wineskin, which Flint had somehow retained on his wild dash, and tried to get the chilled, shivering dwarf to swallow a mouthful. But Flint, crouched at the bottom of the boat, could only shudder and stare out across the water.
Goldmoon sank deeper into her fur cape. She wore the soft doeskin breeches of her people with a fringed overskirt and belted tunic. Her boots were made of soft leather. Water had sloshed over the edge of the boat when Caramon had thrown Flint aboard. The water made the doeskin cling to her, and soon she was chilled and shivering.
