When the centaur halted, however, the thief awoke and made herself sit up. The walls of the Diamond Dragon glowed violet around her. Beyond them, even though she knew the Diamond Dragon was made of something impermeable, she could make out the contents of Kiffle-wit's pocket-a few buttons, three coins, a stub of chalky stone, and an apple. Even the ruby the kender had stolen from Gaveley's den was there.
The artifact seemed to hum, and soon Mynx's head pounded from the beelike drone. Despite the small space she occupied, the air was cool.
She listened.
' Tis time to halt and gather our strength, little one. Slide down from my back. We shall share wine and fine cheese from my pack.'
'Nothing for me, thank you. Oh, just some wine, please,' Kifflewit's lilting voice rejoined. 'And, oh, maybe a little cheese. Don't you have any bread, Phytos?'
The centaur must have had some, for Mynx heard a muffled, 'Mmmm, thanks,' that told her the kender had found something that suited his tastes. She could have used a chunk of bread herself, not to mention wine and cheese. If she remained in the dragon very long, would she starve?
'Hey!' she shouted. 'Hey, out there! Kifflewit! Phytos! Help!'
She waited in vain; nobody heard her words.
'Wouldst thou like some more cheese, kender? 'Tis quite a good variety, Qualinesti, full of elven vigor. I traded a full bag of fine-quality grain for it.'
'Mmmm … Thank you.' Kifflewit coughed.
Mynx, annoyed, struck the flat of her hand against the Diamond Dragon. The blow aggravated the drone into a bell-like tolling that set Mynx's teeth on edge. 'Hey, you two!' she shouted. 'Help!'
She tried screaming as loud as she could. The artifact took her scream and returned it tenfold, until Mynx thought she would shout her lungs out from sheer frustra shy;tion.
All right, so they couldn't hear her. Maybe Mynx could make her presence known some other way. The kender must realize she was here, but he couldn't be relied upon. Mynx pinned her hopes on the centaur.
She braced her hands on the sides of the dragon and rocked to one side. The artifact wobbled slightly. Encour shy;aged, Mynx pushed even harder the other way, and the Diamond Dragon tipped so far in that direction that Mynx lost her balance on the slippery bottom and tumbled to her knees.
'Blast this thing to the Abyss!' she shrieked, then had to cover her ears again from the resulting reverberations.
Then a huge hand-did that monstrous palm, those fat fingers, those imposing nails really belong to a little kender? — crashed into the pocket, swept under the Dia shy;mond Dragon, and carried it and its occupant out of the pouch and into the light. Mynx leaped to her feet and rocked back and forth again, harder than before. The cen shy;taur had to notice something odd-the artifact was mov shy;ing of its own volition.
'See what I have, Phytos?' the kender chirped. He wrapped his fingers around it securely. Mynx fumed, but kept up her strenuous efforts.
Phytos did not look up from arranging the items in his pack. ' 'Tis time we continued, little one. We're not even out of the vallenwoods. We have many leagues … By the gods!' The centaur's head was up now, violet eyes star shy;ing. 'What is that thou holds, kender? It glows like light shy;ning! 'Tis magic! Is it evil?'
'It was Hederick's, Phytos. He gave it to me, back at the temple.'
Phytos clucked. 'Did he, kender? And could it be that the High Theocrat is unaware that he gave thee such a precious bauble?'
Kifflewit faltered. 'I… I don't remember.' He bright shy;ened. 'Anyway, I'm keeping it for him. Until he needs it again.'
'Let me see it.'
The kender opened his hand. Mynx held her breath. New fingers, slender and strong, cradled the artifact. The cen shy;taur's angular face, with those piercing eyes, came into view. Mynx jumped and waved, rocked the Diamond Dragon, and shouted Phytos's name until she was hoarse. The slim fingers closed firmly around the quivering artifact.
'By the gods, kender, the bauble glows so that I am nearly blinded! It seems to tremble with magic. Put the thing back in thy pocket and keep it safe. If 'tis Hederick's, it may prove useful to us in the coming war.'
'War?' Kifflewit's voice held new interest. He replaced the Diamond Dragon in his pocket. Mynx slumped to the artifact's bottom, disconsolate.
'Hederick's forces committed an atrocity against my race,' Phytos told the kender. 'His minions slew four of my companions. It is highly likely that my tribe will choose to retaliate, little one.'
Kifflewit's voice went even more shrill with excitement. 'Centaurs, go to war with humans? Wow! Has that ever happened before, Phytos? Is that…'
'I neither know nor care, little one.' The curt reply was followed by a soft, 'Come, Kifflewit Burrthistle. Tis time we left. My glade lies outside the vallenwoods, and we've a way to go.'
Inside the Diamond Dragon, which remained inside the kender's pocket, Mynx beat her fists against her knees and howled.
'The revelations went well tonight, Your Worship,' Dahos said.
Hederick grunted noncommittally as he arranged his scrolls in the room of his quarters. He had summoned the high priest, then refused to speak to him or dismiss him. He'd learned an important lesson from Venessi, his mother-that silence is the worst prison imaginable.
Hederick half-smiled. Let the priest suffer for fear of los shy;ing his neck, he thought. The Plainsman had erred twice in the preceding day. First with the centaurs. Then he'd allowed Tarscenian to escape once more. Did Hederick have to oversee everything to make sure things were always done correctly?
The High Theocrat had no doubt that if he, Hederick, had been leading the guards against Tarscenian this after shy;noon, the old fool would have been executed and out of the way by now.
Still, the half-elf Gaveley had had some valuable infor shy;mation for the High Theocrat. Tarscenian was planning vengeance against Hederick, Gaveley informed him, although exactly what form that vengeance would take the half-elf had professed not to know. Hederick had paid him well for the warning.
'As if there were any doubt that Tarscenian continues to stalk me,' Hederick muttered. 'Tarscenian won't rest until he sees me dead. He's supremely jealous of me.'
'Your Worship?' Dahos's voice held a spark of hope.
Hederick said nothing in reply. After a suspenseful wait, the high priest sagged.
The High Theocrat stifled a chuckle. Suddenly he felt a twinge in his upper torso. He clasped a hand against his breastbone, moved his beloved leather-swaddled pendant aside, and gingerly probed a tender spot. He'd felt odd intermittently since this afternoon, when he'd ordered the black-robed mage executed.
The mage had injured him, but the god Sauvay had healed him before hundreds of people. Hederick wished he could remember exactly what happened, but his mem shy;ory seemed impaired. Still, he had seen and noted wit shy;nesses of his miraculous revival. There could be no greater sign of Hederick's favor in the eyes of the Seeker gods.
For a moment the High Theocrat considered unwrap shy;ping the leather covering and admiring the Diamond Dragon. But, no, he'd nearly lost it once-then a second time this afternoon, his aides told him. No telling when Tarscenian would attempt his evil-doing. Hederick would keep the treasure under cover, close to him.
'Sauvay smiled upon me today,' Hederick said
suddenly, momentarily abandoning his oath to shun the high priest.
'Yes, Your Worship,' Dahos returned quickly. 'It is truly…'
'How are your plans coming for the reconsecration ceremony, Dahos?' Hederick cut in.
'They are … going well,' Dahos replied carefully. 'We should be able to conduct the ceremony in three or four days. I have sent word to the Highseekers Council that…'
'Hang the damned Highseekers Council, you dolt!' Hederick snapped. 'This is my temple. I don't need that batch of old women and sinners snooping around Eroly-don. I can conduct my own ceremony, myself.'
'But the Praxis says …'
Hederick's voice took on a new edge. 'I am the judge here of what the Praxis says, Dahos. Don't overstep your shy;self. It could be a fatal mistake.'
