Dragonlance 17 - Dragons Of A Vanished Moon by Margaret Weis Page A
Authors: Margaret Weis
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that the definition of being a wife?" she asked him, smiling.
Gilthas made no answer. His eyes were closed. He was already fast asleep.
The Lioness drew the blanket over him, rested her head on his chest, listened to his beating heart until she, too, slept.
The sun would rise early, and it would rise blood red.
7
An Unexpected Journey
Following the activation of the Device of Time Journeying, Tasslehoff Burrfoot was aware of two things: impenetrable darkness and Conundrum shrieking in his left ear, all the while clutching his (Tasslehoff's) left hand so tightly that he
completely lost all sense of feeling in his fingers and his thumb. The rest of Tas could feel nothing either, nothing under him, nothing over him, nothing next to him—except Conundrum. Tas couldn't tell if he was on his head or his heels or an interesting combination of both.
This entertaining state of affairs lasted an extremely long time, so long that Tas began to get a bit bored by it all. A person can stare into impenetrable darkness only so long before he thinks he might like a change. Even tumbling about in time and space (if that's what they were doing, Tas wasn't at all sure at this point) grows old after you've been doing it a long while. Eventually you decide that being stepped on by a giant is preferable to having a gnome shrieking continuously in your
ear (remarkable lung capacity, gnomes) and nearly pinching your hand off at the wrist.
This state of affairs continued for a good long while until Tasslehoff and Conundrum slammed down, bump, into something
that was soft and squishy and smelled strongly of mud and pine needles. The fall was not a gentle one and knocked the
boredom out of the kender and the shrieks out of the gnome.
Tasslehoff lay on his back, making gasping attempts to catch what would probably be the last few breaths he would ever take. He looked up, expecting to see Chaos's enormous foot poised above him. Tas had just a few seconds in which to explain matters to Conundrum, who was about to be inadvertently
squished.
"We're going to die a hero's death," said Tasslehoff with his first mouthful of air.
"What?" Conundrum shrieked with his first mouthful of air.
"We're going to die a hero's death," Tasslehoff repeated.
Then he suddenly realized that they weren't.
Absorbed in preparing both himself and the gnome for an imminent demise, Tasslehoff had not taken a close look at their surroundings. He assumed that all he would be seeing was the ugly underside of Chaos's foot. Now that he had time to notice, he saw above him not a foot, but the dripping needles of a pine tree in a rain storm.
Tasslehoff felt his head to see if he had received a severe bump, for he knew from past experience that severe bumps to the head can cause you to see the most remarkable things, although those were generally starbursts, not dripping pine needles. He could find no signs of a bump, however.
Hearing Conundrum drawing in another large breath, undoubtedly preparatory to letting loose another ear-piercing shriek, Tasslehoff raised his hand in a commanding gesture.
"Hush," he whispered tensely, "I thought I heard something."
Now, if truth be told, Tasslehoff had not heard something. Well, he had. He'd heard the rain falling off the pine needles, but he hadn't heard anything dire, which is what his tone
implied. He'd only pretended that in order to shut off the gnome's shrieks. Unfortunately, as is often the way with transgressors,
he was immediately punished for his sin, for the moment he pretended to hear something dire, he did hear something dire—the clash of steel on steel, followed by a crackling blast.
In Tas's experience as a hero, only two things made sounds like that: swords beating against swords and fireballs exploding against just about anything.
The next thing he heard was more shrieking, only this time it was not, blessedly, Conundrum. The shrieking was some distance
away and had the distinct sound of dying goblin
Gilthas made no answer. His eyes were closed. He was already fast asleep.
The Lioness drew the blanket over him, rested her head on his chest, listened to his beating heart until she, too, slept.
The sun would rise early, and it would rise blood red.
7
An Unexpected Journey
Following the activation of the Device of Time Journeying, Tasslehoff Burrfoot was aware of two things: impenetrable darkness and Conundrum shrieking in his left ear, all the while clutching his (Tasslehoff's) left hand so tightly that he
completely lost all sense of feeling in his fingers and his thumb. The rest of Tas could feel nothing either, nothing under him, nothing over him, nothing next to him—except Conundrum. Tas couldn't tell if he was on his head or his heels or an interesting combination of both.
This entertaining state of affairs lasted an extremely long time, so long that Tas began to get a bit bored by it all. A person can stare into impenetrable darkness only so long before he thinks he might like a change. Even tumbling about in time and space (if that's what they were doing, Tas wasn't at all sure at this point) grows old after you've been doing it a long while. Eventually you decide that being stepped on by a giant is preferable to having a gnome shrieking continuously in your
ear (remarkable lung capacity, gnomes) and nearly pinching your hand off at the wrist.
This state of affairs continued for a good long while until Tasslehoff and Conundrum slammed down, bump, into something
that was soft and squishy and smelled strongly of mud and pine needles. The fall was not a gentle one and knocked the
boredom out of the kender and the shrieks out of the gnome.
Tasslehoff lay on his back, making gasping attempts to catch what would probably be the last few breaths he would ever take. He looked up, expecting to see Chaos's enormous foot poised above him. Tas had just a few seconds in which to explain matters to Conundrum, who was about to be inadvertently
squished.
"We're going to die a hero's death," said Tasslehoff with his first mouthful of air.
"What?" Conundrum shrieked with his first mouthful of air.
"We're going to die a hero's death," Tasslehoff repeated.
Then he suddenly realized that they weren't.
Absorbed in preparing both himself and the gnome for an imminent demise, Tasslehoff had not taken a close look at their surroundings. He assumed that all he would be seeing was the ugly underside of Chaos's foot. Now that he had time to notice, he saw above him not a foot, but the dripping needles of a pine tree in a rain storm.
Tasslehoff felt his head to see if he had received a severe bump, for he knew from past experience that severe bumps to the head can cause you to see the most remarkable things, although those were generally starbursts, not dripping pine needles. He could find no signs of a bump, however.
Hearing Conundrum drawing in another large breath, undoubtedly preparatory to letting loose another ear-piercing shriek, Tasslehoff raised his hand in a commanding gesture.
"Hush," he whispered tensely, "I thought I heard something."
Now, if truth be told, Tasslehoff had not heard something. Well, he had. He'd heard the rain falling off the pine needles, but he hadn't heard anything dire, which is what his tone
implied. He'd only pretended that in order to shut off the gnome's shrieks. Unfortunately, as is often the way with transgressors,
he was immediately punished for his sin, for the moment he pretended to hear something dire, he did hear something dire—the clash of steel on steel, followed by a crackling blast.
In Tas's experience as a hero, only two things made sounds like that: swords beating against swords and fireballs exploding against just about anything.
The next thing he heard was more shrieking, only this time it was not, blessedly, Conundrum. The shrieking was some distance
away and had the distinct sound of dying goblin
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