but at Yuril and the female sailors.
Yuril and her small band had apparently already discussed the risks. 'I have a debt to repay,' spoke the sinewy sailor, 'and my friends here are no strangers to adventure. I speak for us all when I say we cast our lot with you.' Yuril delivered her statement proudly, one hand on the hilt of the short sword she wore at her waist. The muscles stood out on her bronzed forearms.
We are fortunate to have her and the others, thought Tanis.
'This dead city,' Flint spoke up, 'will probably be well guarded, and Sturm and Caramon and that damnable kender along with it. What do you plan to do once we get there?'
'I don't know,' admitted Raistlin. 'I won't know until we see how many soldiers are guarding the area. Between us,' he added, looking at Tanis, 'we should be able to come up with a plan.'
Tanis felt his heart constrict as he thought once more of the missing Kitiara. He turned away from the group, pretending to scan the inhospitable terrain.
Following Raistlin's map, they picked up a trail along a river that had long ago flowed to the sea from the Worldscap Mountains. Now it had dried up, leaving only cracked, sun-baked earth.
The river route led them down one side and up the other of countless ravines and gashes in the earth. When they could, they kept to the dusty riverbed. Other times, they followed the dry river from paths above, proceeding single-file on narrow ridgetops. All day they stuck to their course, making such slow and uncertain progress traveling up and down and then doubling back that Tanis was left confused as to what, if any, headway they were making. Pausing as they reached one of several plateaus, the half-elf was glad to see that the Blood Sea had receded into the distance while a range of towering peaks had drawn somewhat nearer.
The land appeared empty-empty of greenery, animals, indeed of all life. The wind gusted at the higher elevations, strong and dry, howling into their faces and driving grit into their eyes and throats. The sun glared overhead, creating ovenlike heat that reached into all but the deepest recesses of the rocks. Whenever they plunged abruptly downward and briefly luxuriated in cool shadows, they felt a hint of something worse-the bitter chill of the territory at night.
By late afternoon, the small group was exhausted and dispirited. Raistlin and Tanis headed the column, in effect sharing leadership. Flint and Yuril brought up the rear. Trekking along the bottom of a ravine, the companions trudged along in silence, no longer so confident of the path they had chosen.
All of a sudden Raistlin and Tanis rounded a bend to find a sheer wall that loomed before them with no possibility of being scaled. To both their left and right stretched fifty vertical feet of smooth rock. Once again the group had no option but to turn back and retrace their steps.
By the time Flint and Yuril had climbed out of the ravine and Raistlin had made another sighting of the dry, winding riverbed below, the sun was sinking out of sight. Tanis felt the first chill as darkness began to settle over the land. He saw Flint sink down to the ground, his face lined with sweat and dirt. Immediately several of the sailors followed suit.
Next to him, Raistlin peered at the parchment map, turning it around in his hands, trying to decipher which was the best route.
'The old river keeps splitting off and changing direction,' the young mage said wearily.
'Your map must be a hundred years out of date,' said Tanis, 'Who knows how many rockslides and earthquakes have come along since then?'
Raistlin frowned at him.
'I don't think any of us can go much farther today,' said the half-elf softly, indicating the group that had collapsed on the ground behind him.
'I told you,' said the mage sharply, 'that if we don't get to Karthay inside of two days, there may be grave consequences.'
'Perhaps there will be enough light from the twin moons later tonight to permit us to cover some ground,' said Tanis diplomatically. 'But right now it would be best for us to stop to eat and rest. Besides, I thought I spotted some ant-lion pits during the day, and we wouldn't want to stumble into one in the dark.'
Flint had come up behind them. 'Ant-lion pits?' said the dwarf worriedly. 'I agree with Tanis. Let's make camp for the night.'
Raistlin hesitated.
'There'd be more shelter down in one of the ravines,' added Flint, 'but we'd also be more vulnerable to attack.' Tanis nodded.
With a heavy sigh, Raistlin gave in. His pale, tense face suddenly showed a deep exhaustion. Tanis felt quite certain that the young mage couldn't have lasted much longer.
Everybody was happy with the decision.
As night fell, the temperature continued to drop. Now the wind cut into them bitterly. They made camp behind a line of boulders. Although the boulders afforded them only meager protection from the biting wind, they did offer another advantage, Flint noted. 'In the dark, any attacker will find it hard to distinguish which is stone and which is flesh,' the dwarf said, 'and we will appear to be twice our actual number.'
Yuril volunteered to go prowling for wildlife for supper, but Tanis declined her offer. 'It's growing too dark,' Tanis explained. 'If anyone should hunt, it is I, with my nightvision. But even if I caught anything, we couldn't cook it. Raistlin and I agree that we shouldn't light any fires until we are sure of our bearings. On this high plateau, it might be a beacon to whoever-or whatever-else is on this part of the island.'
The small group huddled together on the leeward side of the boulders. Tanis walked from person to person, sharing the provisions he carried-small portions of meal bread, dried fruit, and half a cupful of water for everyone. All day they hadn't come across one spring or stream where Tanis could have refilled his canteen. When he reached Flint, Tanis noticed that Kirsig wasn't at the dwarf's side as usual.
'Where's Kirsig?' the half-elf asked anxiously.
'Don't bother about her,' the dwarf snapped. 'She scurried off somewhere after you gave your speech about the fires. Now at last I've got some peace and quiet.'
Alarmed at this news, Tanis gazed out over the darkening plateau but could see no sign of the female half- ogre. Despite his protestations, Flint also peered nervously into the gathering night. Just then Kirsig trotted into sight holding a bulging bag.
'Hello, dearies. You weren't worried about me, were you?' she asked, pinching Flint's cheek. 'I just thought that since we didn't have much in the way of victuals with us, I'd go see what I could dig up. And dig I did!' She held the bag up triumphantly.
'Smagroot,' Kirsig proclaimed. She held out the sack, insisting everybody take some of its contents. Tanis reached in and grabbed the smallest sample he could find. The smagroot was green, fleshy, and moist, with a texture a little like an uncooked potato. Tanis nibbled on one end of the root. It tasted sweet and soothed his throat with welcome moisture as he swallowed.
'Best thing in the world if you're stuck in a desert, my daddy always used to say,' Kirsig babbled as she dispensed the smagroot.
Raistlin had come up next to Tanis and taken some. 'I have read of smagroot,' said the young mage, eagerly tasting the exotic root. 'The plant is also called desert balm and has saved the lives of many travelers stranded in dry parts. But I am surprised that anybody could find some and dig it up in the dark.' Looking over at Flint, Tanis saw that the grizzled dwarf was beaming the way a teacher does when his prized pupil performs well.
The smagroot momentarily lifted the gloom that had settled on the travelers with nightfall. Everybody ate their fill, and Kirsig still had half a bag left for the next day. After 'dinner,' each member of the group worked at making himself comfortable for a night of restless sleep on cold, hard ground. The night was black. Clouds hid the stars. 'I'll take the first watch,' Tanis volunteered.
'I would like to take the first watch,' announced Raistlin, surprising Tanis and Flint. 'I'm not ready to go to sleep,' the mage explained, 'and I could use the solitude to clear my thoughts.'
Tanis hesitated a moment, then shrugged. After several minutes of tossing and turning, however, he found himself unable to sleep. He propped himself up on one elbow, then sat up. Staring across the space of the camp, his eyes adjusted to the dark so that he could see more than just the auras supplied by his normal nightvision.
Raistlin leaned up against a boulder, staring up at the sky. Hair fell across his face, and the young mage appeared lost in thought.
