Land of the minotaurs

and he finally cast out the ogres, condemning them to be the animals they truly were. Those are the ogres of today, degenerate monsters who can't even recall the wonders of their own ancestors.'

'But the minotaurs…'

'It's said that Sargas took pity on those who tried to remain on the path of glory.' Kaz disliked mentioning Sargas; he no longer followed that god, who many believed was also known as Sargannon, consort to the Dark Queen. Still, this was the story as it had always been told, and Kaz was a believer in the traditions. 'Reaching down, he took those most worthy and placed them far from the other ogres. In order to mark them as his true children, he reshaped their forms, making them look like himself.'

Kaz leaned forward so that the kender could get a good close-up of his features. It was a theatrical habit he had picked up from his father, who had told the story to him many times when Kaz was a child. The kender shivered, but more in pleasure at hearing the tale than because he was really scared.

'We've taken up the destiny that the ogres tossed aside.' Kaz closed his eyes. ' 'We have been enslaved but have always thrown off our shackles. We have been driven back, but always returned to the fray stronger than before. We have risen to new heights when all other races have fallen into decay. We are the future of Krynn, the fated masters of the entire world. We are the children of destiny.' That's an old minotaur saying.'

'I heard it was the Graygem that changed ogres into minotaurs,' Delbin cheerfully interjected. 'It just moved through the area, and after it left there were ogres and there were-'

Kaz growled. 'Minotaurs weren't created by magical happenstance!' He looked at the kender. 'If you want to hear the story again, you'll never repeat such foolishness to me, understand?'

'Yes, Kaz. Sorry.'

'Good. Now try to keep quiet for a little while. We have a long day ahead of us.'

'What's the minotaur kingdom like?' asked his companion, already ignoring his injunction to be silent.

'Not now, Delbin. Later.'

His tone was ominous, and the kender obeyed. The rest of the day passed without incident, as did the night that followed. They were able to get an early start the next morning. The minotaur could scarcely believe their good fortune. Usually, it seemed, his journeys were fraught with daily peril.

'See those mountains in the distance?' Kaz asked, feeling less moody than the day before. 'Those are the first signs that we're nearing the minotaur kingdom. We've still got the last part of the journey, though.'

'I like mountains,' his companion commented, staring at the distant peaks. 'Especially ones with caverns.'

Kaz shuddered. He did not like caverns. Too many things had happened to him in caverns. 'I don't think we need to worry about caverns.'

'You found a dragon in a cavern once, didn't you?' Delbin grew more excited. 'It was just after the war with the Dark Queen, when dragons were supposed to be gone, but you accidentally found a whole dragon, and she was trapped by this evil sorcerer who-'

'Take a breath, Delbin.' Kaz had told the kender the tale once long ago, but had refused to tell that one ever again. He'd hoped Delbin had forgotten. Thinking of dragons always made him recall the silver dragon who, in human form, had loved Huma of the Lance. Memories of Huma were painful, for the knight had been-would always be-Kaz's truest friend. 'I don't want to talk about that now.'

'But you flew a dragon once, didn't you? I remember you mentioning that, too.'

Despite himself, the minotaur smiled slightly as he recalled that particular dragon. 'I flew one during the battle in which Takhisis was defeated. His name was Bolt. Young, eager, and as battle-hungry as I was. He was a bronze dragon, brash but brave.' Kaz grunted, the memory turning dark again. 'They all vanished after the war was over, both the dragons of light and their darker counterparts.'

'But you found the other one after that.'

Seeing that the kender would not be put off, which was how things generally went, Kaz finally nodded with a sigh. 'Only a short time after the war. The dragons had all disappeared. I'd just left Solamnia'-he had left Solamnia after paying his last respects to his friend and comrade- 'and was simply traveling. Times were still dangerous, though, and many didn't trust my kind since we'd served as slave-soldiers to the Dark Queen. I was often forced to run rather than hurt innocent fools.'

'Don't forget the monster!' piped up Delbin.

'It wasn't a monster, Delbin-'

'You said it was a dragon-man! That sounds like a neat monster. I wish I'd seen it. You said it was taller than you and all scaly! It was made by the mage who captured the dragon and her eggs-' The kender shut his mouth when he realized that Kaz was glaring at him again. 'Sorry…'

'Why do you even ask me to tell the stories? You seem to know them by heart.'

'Please tell it again! I like to hear you tell them, Kaz. You lived them!'

Yes, he had lived them. Images of the past racing through his mind, Kaz related the short battle between himself and the creature, who had fled into the night, and then his own capture not long after by a sinister mage. The mage, a human named Brenn, had indeed captured a dragon, a great silver female. He had captured her by stealing her eggs and luring the frantic mother into a trap, using the eggs as bait.

'He was turning her eggs into monsters, wasn't he, Kaz? Making more dragon-men!' Again, it took a severe look from the minotaur to quiet the overeager kender, who still managed to ask one more question. 'Why didn't the dragon stop him?'

Kaz recalled all too well. 'An illusion. He threatened her eggs, placing an illusion of them just out of her grasp. In return for their safety, he demanded her magic to aid his own in an experiment. She couldn't know that he was using her magic on the real eggs, changing the young into beast-men.'

'What happened?'

'With her help, I killed Brenn and his monster, but she died.' Her dedication reminded him of Huma's silver companion. 'I took what eggs I could find and brought them to a place where I thought her mate, who had also remained behind, would likely come.' He exhaled. The story dredged up other memories. 'I waited nearly three weeks before he came, and when he did, I thought he would die as well.' Kaz eyed the kender as if daring him to interrupt.

Delbin was wisely silent.

'He and his mate had not been the only dragons left, after all. How it also could have been there, I don't know, but there was a great black, one of the most evil of dragons. The silver fought the black, killed it… with a little help from me… but was so badly wounded that he could barely carry the eggs. You see, once free of the mage's spell, they grew at their normal pace. By the time he came, they were close to hatching.'

The kender's mouth formed an O of wonder. 'Did he live?' he blurted.

'The last I saw of him, he was flying off… I think it was to the north… with the eggs in a sling that I'd made for him. He couldn't even transform. His magic barely worked.' Kaz scratched his chin. 'I never knew the female's name, but his was Tiberion, I think.'

'That's a good story!' Delbin reached for his pouch. 'Oops! I should write it down so I don't forget it!'

Kaz, who had no inclination to discover just what Delbin would pull from his pouch this time, quickly said, 'Forget that for now. We've got to pick up the pace. I want to make those lower hills by tonight. Besides, you know the story almost as well as I do. You can always write it down later.'

Delbin pouted but obeyed.

They did make the hills by nightfall, albeit barely. Kaz was grateful for yet another uneventful day of travel and hoped it was a good sign. Once they entered the minotaur lands, he would have to be even more on his guard, but until then, the minotaur wanted to be able to relax and build up his strength.

They located a likely spot for camp and dismounted. Kaz took charge of both animals while Delbin cleared the grounds.

'Delbin, see if you can find some food. I'll work on the fire.' Regardless of his other traits, the kender was an expert gatherer and trapper when he put his wandering mind to it. Seven times out of ten he was likely to bring both meat and fruit back with him, along with a few items that Kaz had to be convinced to try eating.

The kender scurried off. He would be back within the hour. When he and Kaz had traveled together, they often set traps in the hopes of catching game that they could use for the next day's meals. Kaz would set a few of his own before the evening was over, but he had spent so many years living off the land that this work seldom took long. So far, they had been fortunate, catching a good supply of rabbits and an occasional bird. Nuts and