nightly spot. Lord Verminaard had rewarded the High Theocrat's service by placing him among the first to be sent to the slave mines.
Near dusk, a stranger entered the Inn, taking a table in a dark corner near the door. Tika couldn't tell much about him-he was heavily cloaked and wore a hood pulled low over his head. He seemed fatigued, sinking down into his chair as though his legs would not support him.
'What will you have?' Tika asked the stranger.
The man lowered his head, pulling down one side of his hood with a slender hand. 'Nothing, thank you,' he said in a soft, accented voice. 'Is it permissible to sit here and rest? I'm supposed to meet someone.'
'How about a glass of ale while you wait?' Tika smiled.
The man glanced up, and she saw brown eyes flash from the depths of his hood. 'Very well,' the stranger said. 'I am thirsty. Bring me your ale.'
Tika headed for the bar. As she drew the ale, she heard more customers entering the Inn.
'Just a half second,' she called out, unable to turn around. 'Sit anywhere you've a mind. I'll be with you soon as I can!' She glanced over her shoulder at the newcomers and nearly dropped the mug. Tika gasped, then got a grip on herself. Don't give them away!
'Sit down anywhere, strangers' she said loudly.
One of the men, a big fellow, seemed about to speak. Tika frowned fiercely at him and shook her head. Her eyes shifted to the draconians seated in the center of the room. A bearded man led the group past the draconians, who examined the strangers with a great deal of interest.
They saw four men and a woman, a dwarf, and a kender. The men were dressed in mud-stained cloaks and boots. One was unusually tall, another unusually big. The woman was cloaked in furs and walked with her hand through the arm of the tall man. All of them seemed downcast and tired. One of the men coughed and leaned heavily upon a strange-looking staff. They crossed the room and sat down at a table in the far comer.
'More refugee scum,' sneered a draconian. 'The humans look healthy, though, and all know dwarves are hard workers. Wonder why they haven't been shipped out?'
'They will be, soon as the Fewmaster sees them.'
'Perhaps we should take care of the matter now,' said a third, scowling in the direction of the eight strangers.
'Naw, I'm off duty. They won't go far.'
The others laughed and returned to their drinking. A number of empty glasses already sat before each of them.
Tika carried the ale to the brown-eyed stranger, set it before him hurriedly, then bustled back to the newcomers.
'What'll you have?' she asked coldly.
The tall, bearded man answered in a low, husky voice. 'Ale and food,' he said. 'And wine for him,' he nodded at the man who was coughing almost continually.
The frail man shook his head. 'Hot water,' he whispered.
Tika nodded and left. Out of habit, she started back toward where the old kitchen had been. Then, remembering it was gone, she whipped around and headed for the makeshift kitchen that had been built by goblins under draconian supervision. Once inside, she astounded the cook by grabbing the entire skillet of fried spiced potatoes and carrying it back out into the common room.
'Ale all around and a mug of hot water!' she called to Dezra behind the bar. Tika blessed her stars that Otik had gone home early. 'Itrum, take that table.' She motioned to the hobgoblins as she hurried back to the newcomers. She slammed the skillet down, glancing at the draconians. Seeing them absorbed in their drinking, she suddenly flung her arms around the big man and gave him a kiss that made him flush.
'Oh, Caramon,' she whispered swiftly, 'I knew you'd come back for me! Take me with you! Please, please!'
'Now, there, there,' Caramon said, patting her awkwardly on the back and looking pleadingly at Tanis. The half-elf swiftly intervened, his eyes on the draconians.
'Tika, calm down,' he told her. 'We've got an audience.'
'Right,' she said briskly and stood up, smoothing her apron. Handing plates around, she began to ladle out the spiced potates as Dezra brought the ale and hot water.
'Tell us what happened to Solace,' Tanis said, his voice choked.
Quickly Tika whispered the story as she filled everyone's plate, giving Caramon a double portion. The companions listened in grim silence.
'And so,' Tika concluded, 'every week, the slave caravans leave for Pax Tharkas, except now they've taken almost everyone-leaving only the skilled, like Theros Ironfeld, behind. I fear for him.' She lowered her voice. 'He swore to me last night that he would work for them no more. It all started with that captive party of elves-'
'Elves? What are elves doing here?' Tanis asked, speaking too loudly in his astonishment. The draconians turned to stare at him; the hooded stranger in the corner raised his head. Tanis hunched down and waited until the draconians turned their attention to their drinks. Then he started to ask Tika more about the elves. At that moment, a draconian yelled for ale.
Tika sighed. 'I better go.' She set the skillet down. 'I'll leave that here. Finish them off.'
The companions ate listlessly, the food tasting like ashes.
Raistlin mixed his strange herbal brew and drank it down, his cough improved almost immediately. Caramon watched Tika as he ate, his expression thoughtful. He could still feel the warmth of her body as she had embraced him and the softness of her lips. Pleasant sensations flowed through him, and he wondered if the stories he had heard about Tika were true. The thought both saddened him and made him angry.
One of the draconians raised its voice. 'We may not be men like you're accustomed to, sweetie,' it said drunkenly, flinging its scaled arm around Tika's waist. 'But that doesn't mean we can't find ways of making you happy.'
Caramon rumbled, deep in his chest. Sturm, overhearing, glowered and put his hand on his sword. Catching hold of the knight's arm, Tanis said urgently, 'Both of you, stop it! We're in an occupied town! Be sensible. This is no time for chivalry! You, too, Caramon! Tika can handle herself.'
Sure enough, Tika slipped deftly out of the draconian s grip and flounced angrily into the kitchen.
'Well, what do we do now?' Flint grumbled. 'We came back to Solace for supplies and find nothing but draconians. My house is little more than a cinder. Tanis doesn't even have a vallenwood tree, much less a home. All we've got are platinum Disks of some ancient goddess and a sick mage with a few new spells.' He ignored Raistlin's glower. 'We can't eat the Disks and the magician hasn't learned to conjure up food, so even if we knew where to go, we'd starve before we got there!'
'Should we still go to Haven?' Goldmoon asked, looking up at Tanis. 'What if it is as bad as this? How do we know the Highseeker Council is even in existence?'
'I don't have the answers,' Tanis said, sighing. He rubbed his eyes with his hand. 'But I think we should try to reach Qualinesti.'
Tasslehoff, bored by the conversation, yawned and leaned back in his chair. It didn't matter to him where they went. Examining the Inn with intense interest, he wanted to get up and look at where the kitchen had burned, but Tanis had warned him before they entered to stay out of trouble. The kender contented himself with studying the other customers.
He immediately noticed the hooded and cloaked stranger in the front of the Inn watching them intently as the conversation among the companions grew heated. Tanis raised his voice, and the word «Qualinesti» rang out again. The stranger set down his mug of ale with a thud. Tas was just about to call Tanis's attention to this when Tika came out of the kitchen and slammed food down in front of the draconians, skillfully avoiding their clawed hands. Then she walked back over to the group.
'Could I have some more potatoes?' Caramon asked.
'Of course.' Tika smiled at him and picked up the skillet to return to the kitchen. Caramon felt Raistlin's eyes on him. He flushed and began to play with his fork.
'In Qualinest-' Tanis reiterated, his voice rising as he contested a point with Sturm who wanted to go north.
Tas saw the stranger in the corner rise and start walking toward them. 'Tanis, company,' the kender said
