Flint continued sputtering while Tanis and the others took off.
* * * * *
The kyrie had had time to fashion harnesses out of leather and rope for their passengers. The bird-men's strong talons would grip these and carry the humans aloft. It wasn't the most graceful way to fly, suspended from the shoulders, legs dangling, Tanis decided, but it would have to do.
A kyrie named Heart of Storm carried the half-elf, his huge wings beating steadily for several hours as the land passed below. At times, Tanis could glimpse the others nearby, but at other times the formation of kyrie couldn't be seen in the banks of clouds. Tanis felt fortunate to be suspended by Heart of Storm's shadow, for once again the sun was blazing in the sky, radiating intense, dry heat.
As they approached Worldscap, the kyrie tightened their formation and flew lower. Cloudreaver, who was carrying Caramon, made a wide sweep westward and glided to a landing on high ground overlooking the ruined city to the east and the inactive volcano of Worldscap to the north. Gently Heart of Storm lowered Tanis to the ground. The kyrie rested only a moment, waiting while Tanis and the others removed their harnesses, before taking off to get the ones who had been left behind and complete the first round of their mission.
The dead city, only a few miles away, looked like a gray, pock-marked moonscape. From this distance, the companions could see no evidence of habitation—only broken towers and miles of lava-encrusted ruins. Farther north, Worldscap loomed, a dark, ominous specter casting its shadow on the ruins of Karthay.
Raistlin broke the awed silence of the group as they looked out over the scene. "Yuril, you and Sturm wait here for the rest of the company," directed the mage. "Caramon, Tanis, and I will scout the immediate area to make sure that there are no minotaurs in the vicinity and perhaps to forage some food for supper."
Sturm clasped each of them in turn on the shoulder. Yuril nodded coolly. When they filed away down a trail, she began to sharpen her sword on a stone. Sturm, still less than his vigorous self, lay sprawled on the ground nearby.
Even this far from the city, black ash dotted the rocks and ground. A half-mile down the trail, the hardened path forked. Raistlin stood rubbing his chin as he considered the two possibilities, both sloping gradually downward.
"This way," said Caramon, pointing.
"No," said Tanis, indicating the other path. "This way."
"I'll go that way," said Raistlin, selecting the one that Tanis had picked out, "and you two try the other path."
Both Caramon and Tanis looked aghast at the idea of Raistlin setting off on his own, but neither of them could figure out what to say. The mage stared at them coolly.
"Well?" he demanded.
"Don't—don't you think we should stick together?" Caramon stammered.
Tanis nodded his agreement with Caramon.
"It would be better to check out both directions," said Raistlin. "You aren't worried about me, are you, Brother? I got this far without your help."
"No," said Caramon softly.
"Only . . ." said Tanis.
"Only what?" asked Raistlin, glaring.
"Only," said the half-elf, "we should agree to meet back here inside of two hours."
"Agreed."
"And call out if you see anything," added Caramon.
"Of course," Raistlin said testily.
With misgivings, Tanis and Caramon watched Raistlin set off down one fork of the path. Then they sighed in unison and started off along the other trail.
The two of them had some luck. Caramon killed a fat snake, which could be cooked up in a stew, and Tanis found some edible nuts on a stubborn bush that clung to the rocky ground. They saw no signs of minotaurs or any other enemy. After an hour of exploring along the trail, they turned back. For more than an hour, they waited at the designated place without any sign of Raistlin. Concerned, Tanis and Caramon hiked back up to where Sturm and Yuril waited, hoping the mage had returned in their absence. But Raistlin wasn't there either.
Just then the other kyrie arrived carrying Flint, Kirsig, and the rest of the sailors. Flint was a whiter shade of pale and cursing a blue streak. Kirsig had never had a more exciting time, she averred. The female sailors took it all in stride. They were veterans at travel, and if the Blood Sea hadn't killed them, why, they weren't likely to die during an airlift from the kyrie.
"Did you happen to see my brother Raistlin from above?" Caramon asked Cloudreaver anxiously.
"No," said Cloudreaver, frowning. "Isn't he here with you?"
"No," Caramon replied with agitation. Angrily the warrior twin kicked a rock. "I should have known better," Caramon muttered. Gloomily he sat down on a rock.
Flint looked at Tanis questioningly. The half-elf shrugged. "Caramon's right," said Tanis somberly. "We should have known better."
Cloudreaver went over to Caramon and squatted on the ground next to him. "Is your brother safe? Did he wander off somewhere? What do you suspect?"
"I suspect," Caramon said miserably, "that my dear brother has sneaked off to try to do something about this Nightmaster on his own. I only hope he doesn't get himself killed."
"Well," prodded Flint, "Raistlin said the big spell was going to be cast tomorrow night. In the meantime, what's the plan?"
There was a general awkward silence.
"I had the idea," said Tanis with some slight embarrassment, "that Raistlin had something in mind. Unless he comes back, we'll have to guess at what it was—or think of something ourselves."
"He won't be coming back," said Caramon dismally.
"Then we must act accordingly," said Cloudreaver with authority. The kyrie divided up his warriors, sending half of them to rove the skies, spy on the ruined city, and, if possible, make contact with the other kyrie who were scouting the island, urging them to rejoin the main group. Three of the kyrie would stay behind
