the animal, but the dog was too fast and Davyn too slow. The hound crashed into the ranger and they fell to the ground in a tangled mass of arms, legs, fur, and gnashing teeth.
Sindri really wanted to turn around and watch the hounds attack—not only because he’d never seen a pack of hounds in action (especially a
wizard’s
hounds!) but because he wanted to know if his friends needed his help. But he restrained himself. He had a job to do, and his friends were counting on him.
Sindri stretched his hands toward the rock and concentrated on shutting out the barking and growling of the approaching hounds. He extended his awareness toward the mass of stone before him, and he pictured it rising into the air. At first nothinghappened and Sindri became aware of a great heaviness pressing down upon him as if he were trying to physically lift the rock instead of levitate it with his magic. But then his hands began to grow cool, as if they were immersed in cold water, and he felt the sensation of heaviness begin to diminish.
As Sindri watched in amazement, tendrils of multicolored mist curled from his fingers and drifted toward the stone.
“Well, this is something new!” he said in delight. Strands of red, blue, green, violet, orange, and yellow wrapped around the rock and suddenly the feeling of heaviness was completely gone. Sindri felt so full of power, it was as if he could not only levitate the rock, but he could send it soaring up into the heavens if he wished.
It seemed that he had reached a new level in his development as a wizard, though he had no idea how or why.
Time enough to sort it out later, he told himself. Right now you’ve got a great big rock to move!
Sindri concentrated harder. He felt energy pouring out of him, as if he were a dam that had just sprung a leak. The boulder began to shudder and then rise upward. Only a few inches at first, but then a few more, and a few more, until the great stone hovered three feet above a dark opening in the ground—the tunnel entrance Davyn and Ayanti had discovered years ago.
Sindri could hear fighting behind him, dogs snarling and snapping, his friends yelling and grunting with effort as they defended themselves.
Don’t turn around, Sindri warned himself. Your friends can take care of themselves. It’s your job to move the rock off to the side so that we can get into…
The kender’s thoughts trailed off. Now that the rock hovered above the ground, he could see two pairs of deerskin-booted feet on the other side. And he knew exactly whom those feet they belonged to.
He turned and shouted over his shoulder. “It’s an ambush! Kuruk and Shiriki are hiding behind the rock!”
Sindri was so surprised by the two elves, and too intent on warning his friends to maintain his concentration. The misty tendrils began to fade, and the stone wobbled in the air. It listed right, then left, and then the tendrils vanished and the boulder came crashing back down to the ground. The impact of the boulder slamming into the tunnel entrance knocked Sindri off his feet. He landed on his back and felt the air whoosh out of his lungs. But that wasn’t all he felt. The ground shuddered and bucked, and then he felt it begin to subside beneath him. And though kender don’t experience the emotion of fear, he came very close to something like it as he realized the stone’s impact had weakened the earth above the tunnels. There was a phrase for what was about to happen. A terrible, awful phrase.
Cave-in.
Sindri scrambled to his feet and turned to run. He felt tired, drained of energy, and the dirt was slipping from beneath his feet as he struggled to get away. The ground began to shake more violently, and a low moaning sound issued from deep within the tunnel depths, as if the earth itself were in pain.
Unable to resist, Sindri glanced back and saw that the boulder was sinking as the ground around it collapsed.
Kuruk and Shiriki had been coming at him, swords drawn, but
Sindri really wanted to turn around and watch the hounds attack—not only because he’d never seen a pack of hounds in action (especially a
wizard’s
hounds!) but because he wanted to know if his friends needed his help. But he restrained himself. He had a job to do, and his friends were counting on him.
Sindri stretched his hands toward the rock and concentrated on shutting out the barking and growling of the approaching hounds. He extended his awareness toward the mass of stone before him, and he pictured it rising into the air. At first nothinghappened and Sindri became aware of a great heaviness pressing down upon him as if he were trying to physically lift the rock instead of levitate it with his magic. But then his hands began to grow cool, as if they were immersed in cold water, and he felt the sensation of heaviness begin to diminish.
As Sindri watched in amazement, tendrils of multicolored mist curled from his fingers and drifted toward the stone.
“Well, this is something new!” he said in delight. Strands of red, blue, green, violet, orange, and yellow wrapped around the rock and suddenly the feeling of heaviness was completely gone. Sindri felt so full of power, it was as if he could not only levitate the rock, but he could send it soaring up into the heavens if he wished.
It seemed that he had reached a new level in his development as a wizard, though he had no idea how or why.
Time enough to sort it out later, he told himself. Right now you’ve got a great big rock to move!
Sindri concentrated harder. He felt energy pouring out of him, as if he were a dam that had just sprung a leak. The boulder began to shudder and then rise upward. Only a few inches at first, but then a few more, and a few more, until the great stone hovered three feet above a dark opening in the ground—the tunnel entrance Davyn and Ayanti had discovered years ago.
Sindri could hear fighting behind him, dogs snarling and snapping, his friends yelling and grunting with effort as they defended themselves.
Don’t turn around, Sindri warned himself. Your friends can take care of themselves. It’s your job to move the rock off to the side so that we can get into…
The kender’s thoughts trailed off. Now that the rock hovered above the ground, he could see two pairs of deerskin-booted feet on the other side. And he knew exactly whom those feet they belonged to.
He turned and shouted over his shoulder. “It’s an ambush! Kuruk and Shiriki are hiding behind the rock!”
Sindri was so surprised by the two elves, and too intent on warning his friends to maintain his concentration. The misty tendrils began to fade, and the stone wobbled in the air. It listed right, then left, and then the tendrils vanished and the boulder came crashing back down to the ground. The impact of the boulder slamming into the tunnel entrance knocked Sindri off his feet. He landed on his back and felt the air whoosh out of his lungs. But that wasn’t all he felt. The ground shuddered and bucked, and then he felt it begin to subside beneath him. And though kender don’t experience the emotion of fear, he came very close to something like it as he realized the stone’s impact had weakened the earth above the tunnels. There was a phrase for what was about to happen. A terrible, awful phrase.
Cave-in.
Sindri scrambled to his feet and turned to run. He felt tired, drained of energy, and the dirt was slipping from beneath his feet as he struggled to get away. The ground began to shake more violently, and a low moaning sound issued from deep within the tunnel depths, as if the earth itself were in pain.
Unable to resist, Sindri glanced back and saw that the boulder was sinking as the ground around it collapsed.
Kuruk and Shiriki had been coming at him, swords drawn, but
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