Land of the minotaurs

Chapter 3

"What are you doing here, Delbin?"

"I came to see you, Kaz." The kender flashed a smile.

Leaning the axe handle against his shoulder, the minotaur eyed his companion with suspicion. It looked like Delbin, but looks, as he knew from experience, could be deceiving. "You just happen to be here in the middle of nowhere waiting for me?"

The kender laughed. "Actually, I had to catch up with you because when I got to your home Helati said you'd gone off to some place called Nethosak, which I remembered was somewhere in the minotaur lands but a place I'd never been to, so I thought I should tag along because-"

"Take a breath, Delbin." Kaz relaxed some. It was his companion of old, all right. There was no mistaking that voice whenever it ran on about everything under the sun. Delbin was part of a small sect of kender who had the fool notion of writing some history of modern Krynn, which would have been fine if he ever got around to it. Plus, almost every time Delbin reached into his pouch for his supposed book, he managed to pull out something that had once belonged to someone else.

Still, Kaz could not deny that the kender had proven a worthy comrade on occasion, even risking his life to save the minotaur's. He was not willing to admit it to anyone but Helati, but Kaz had grown fond of the small creature. That, of course, did not mean he wanted a kender's company on this journey.

"When morning comes, you'll go back to wherever you came from and stay there. What I have to do, I do alone."

"But, Kaz, I've never seen a whole empire of minotaurs, and Helati seemed so worried, which I couldn't blame her for, what with the dream I had-which is why I knew you'd be traveling in the first place, and since you're traveling, you need someone to go with you, which ought to be me, of course-"

Not for the first time Kaz wondered if the kender followed him because even his own race would not put up with his incessant talk. Then, a part of what Delbin had said caught his attention. "What's that about a dream you say you had?"

"I had a dream and-" Delbin hesitated when he saw the minotaur's expression. Speaking much slower, he continued. "It was about you, Kaz! You were riding toward a big place with a cheering crowd and other minotaurs fighting. Then something big, bigger than a bird, flew over, and-"

"That was it?"

"No, then you were fighting yourself in this place-I guess it was an arena-while a tall, really tall, minotaur in cleric robes looked down. Then he turned into a bird and flew away." Delbin smiled. "Wasn't that an interesting dream? Oh… I forgot about the gray man!"

"What gray man?" Kaz regretted asking the talkative kender to explain his dream. Of what possible use could such information be to the minotaur? Still, he listened.

"He was all gray, Kaz! Even his face and beard. He wore gray robes and carried a gray staff. I never saw a human so very, very, very gray."

The description sparked a vague memory. Someone else had told the minotaur about such a gray man long ago. Much to his regret, however, Kaz could not summon the wraithlike memory. "All gray, then?"

"Yes, and he said you were leaving soon, so I should hurry to find you, and when I woke up I knew I better go, even though it was a dream-I just knew that I hod to go."

Rarely had the minotaur seen the kender so adamant. But to let Delbin come with him into the heart of the minotaur realm was to sign the creature's death warrant. Minotaurs were not tolerant, especially when it came to kender. Delbin's people were considered to be on a par with rats and other vermin.

"No. You can't go, Delbin. It's for your own good. You don't know what the empire, much less Nethosak, is like. They would have you executed simply for being yourself."

Delbin Knotwillow looked down at himself. "What's wrong with me? So I'm a little big for a kender!"

"It's not your height, and you know it, Delbin. Unlike me, most minotaurs aren't very tolerant where kender are concerned. Most minotaurs would just as soon cut a kender up into fish bait…" Kaz despised himself for talking so, but he wanted to frighten his friend into turning back. "Go back."

"The man in gray said I had to come." Delbin crossed his arms, putting together as severe and determined an expression as a kender could muster. "So I am."

"That was a dream."

"A big dream." Delbin cracked a smile. "So what's Nethosak like, Kaz? Are there a lot of minotaurs there? Why are there two kingdoms called Mithas and Kothas, and do they look exactly the same?" Before Kaz could say another word, Delbin reached into a pouch at his side. "I need my book! I should write this all-gee, I wonder where this came from?"

The object in the Render's hand was hard to make out in the fire's flickering light. Kaz stepped closer, forgetting for the moment his anger and frustration. The object was vaguely familiar, a medallion of some sort.

At first Kaz had the strange notion it was the medallion of Paladine he had taken from the hand of Huma after Takhisis's defeat, but that medallion he had hung on a tree branch not far from the great knight's tomb. Besides, Huma's medallion showed the symbol of Paladine, while this one featured another god, one just as familiar to Kaz as Huma's deity, if not as respected by him as he once was.

Sargas. It did not look like a cleric's medallion, however.

"Let me see that, Delbin." The kender turned the round object over to him. Kaz held it near the flames. Memories began to wash over him as he at last recognized the medallion for what it was. Years ago, he had worn one exactly like it.

" 'Champion of all,' " Kaz muttered, reading the script that circled the edge. " 'Hero of the people.' Where did you get this, Delbin? Come on, now. Think hard."

The kender screwed up his face in concentration, then grinned. "I remember! The man in gray gave it to me!"

"A man in a dream gave it to you? You know that can't be."

"But he did! I remember! After he told me to go to you, he gave me the medallion. I think he said you lost it! Isn't that neat? That's what I mean about the dream. It's important. I've never had a dream like it before."

Kaz almost threw the medallion into the fire. He had indeed worn one that resembled it… until the day he decided that his life would not be lived-or lost-in the arena. Fighting as a slave-soldier under the human and ogre masters had seemed preferable to the insanity and hypocrisy of the circus.

This could not be the same medallion… could it?

"Do you know what it is, Kaz?" asked Delbin.

Kaz knew exactly what it was, a medallion given to the supreme champion of the games, the greatest warrior of any of the arenas, including, of course, the Great Circus. The supreme champion could challenge the emperor to single combat for the throne, and the emperor would have to agree to fight or lose face. When the two met, it was always to the death. Combatants did not leave their rivals alive to foment discord or challenge them again and perhaps win the next time.

The Great Circus made for glorious entertainment for the masses.

"No," Kaz finally replied, putting the medallion into a pouch attached to the belt of his kilt. His eyes watched the campfire's darting flames. "No, I don't."

He sat down, leaning his axe nearby. Delbin watched him solemnly, wisely saying nothing. Kaz had forgotten about the kender. The dancing tentacles of the fire resurrected images of past opponents locked in duels. Kaz watched himself wrestle to the ground a reddish black minotaur taller than him, but then that adversary became a shorter but more muscular one carrying an axe longer than Honor's Face. Kaz deflected the blow with an axe of his own, then countered with a bone-cutting swing. The images went on and on, battle after battle, until somewhere along the way Kaz fell asleep.

When the next day came, Kaz said nothing to the kender about the previous night's conversation. For the time being, he allowed Delbin to ride beside him. He still did not want to put Delbin at risk, but silently welcomed the kender's company. Delbin could be so diverting that Kaz might forget for a time the dangers awaiting him in the imperial capital of the minotaur kingdom of Mithas.

For the next two days, they traveled in relative peace, the only vexation being the kender's relentless questions about the minotaur lands. Some of them Kaz had answered more than once over the years, ever since he first encountered Delbin on a dock in the southern reaches of Ansalon. Now and then the kender asked a question about the minotaur's own life, which Kaz deflected by telling him something fascinating about his homeland.

"One thing I can never understand-why are there two kingdoms?" Delbin asked, for the umpteenth time.

"Because it's more competitive. Each kingdom strives to raise the greatest champions." Although there was only one emperor, the minotaur homeland was divided between the kingdoms of Mithas and Kothas. Mithas, with the imperial capital located within its boundaries, had some advantage, but Kothas was known for its own share of emperors.

"You were in the arena, weren't you?"

"All minotaurs go to the arenas."

"But you were in the arena a lot! You must have been a great champion! Don't champions become emperor if they defeat the old emperor, because that's what I heard, and you said something like that once, so if you were a great champion, then you could have become emperor, which-"

"Take a breath, Delbin!" Kaz suddenly snarled. He tried to be patient with the kender, but couldn't help the occasional angry outburst. The kender overflowed with questions, and endlessly repeated his favorite ones. This time Delbin shut his mouth and remained silent for nearly a mile, something approaching a miracle.

On the fourth night, they made camp near a range of hills. The woods had grown thicker. The forest covered everything. Kaz was vaguely familiar with the lay of the land, but their progress was slowed a bit. All the better- each day's travel brought Kaz nearer a place to which he had no desire to return, a place that in some ways he feared.

After tethering the horses, Kaz decided it was time to tell Delbin that he could go no farther. His life would be in jeopardy. The minotaur was surprised at how guilty he felt about letting his small companion ride this far. But the woodlands would provide good cover for him as he retraced his steps and found other kender to rejoin.

"Delbin-" Kaz started to say, turning… but the kender was nowhere to be seen. His mount was tied up and some of his belongings lay near the fire, but Delbin himself had vanished.

The moon Solinari was only a wisp in the heavens, but the stars were visible this night. Trust Delbin to go exploring now. Snorting in annoyance, Kaz searched the ground for some sign of the direction in which the kender had departed. Delbin's race was notoriously light-footed. The minotaur knelt to peer for tracks.

"Kaz! Look what I fou- What're you doing there? Did you lose something? Can I help?" Delbin materialized out of nowhere beside the minotaur and fell to his knees. He earnestly began surveying the ground for whatever he thought Kaz had dropped.

"I was looking for you!" Rising, the beast-man looked down at his small comrade. "That's it!" He overplayed his attitude, pretending to be very annoyed. "Come tomorrow, Delbin, you're heading back to your kind! You can't go running off at night in the middle of nowhere… or even during the day, for that matter!"

"I was just curious-"

Kaz thrust a finger at the kender. "In Nethosak, or any other place in the homelands, being curious like that will get you killed, Delbin… and me along with you, by the way! I want you to promise to return to your people at first light!"

Delbin Knotwillow looked down. He seemed tiny and vulnerable at the moment, so chastened that Kaz found himself feeling guilty again.

"I… I don't want to. They all think I'm so serious! All 'my friends stay away from me!"

"What? Why?"

"Because I get bored with them! They're not as much fun as you and Helati are, Kaz! Not in the same way! You always come up with interesting things to do, interesting places to see! I told them all about everything we've done, and they were interested at first, but then they got tired of hearing about minotaurs and wanted to hear about anything else, and Noppel even made fun of you, and I didn't like that, so-"

"Take a breath, Delbin." The minotaur blinked. "So this… Noppel… made fun of me, and you got angry because of that?"

A wide smile spread across the kender's childlike features. "You're my friend, Kaz!"

And obviously a worse influence on you than I could have imagined, the minotaur thought. He felt a slight twinge of shame for making his companion a veritable outcast among his own people. He could not send the kender away… not after learning that Delbin had stuck up for him… well, at least not right away.

"What did you find?" Kaz asked.

Smiling, Delbin reached into his pouch. "You should see it! I think I know what it is, but… Hey, here's my book! Just what I was looking for!"

It was one of the few times that Kaz could recall having ever seen the fabled book. It was battered and filled with loose sheets of paper that he suspected had been "borrowed" from everywhere the kender had visited. Somehow the sheets stayed more or less within the battered leather cover. Before Kaz could make out the lettering, though, Delbin put the tiny book back into the pouch and removed something else.

"Here it is!"

The kender's latest acquisition was almost as unnerving as the medallion. Every muscle in the minotaur's body tensed. Suddenly the forest seemed even darker, more filled with danger, than before.

"Isn't this a neat knife? You know, I think this handle is bone, which makes a pretty sturdy handle, I guess, because bones hold our bodies up pretty good, don't they-?"

"Be quiet, Delbin!" the warrior whispered. He seized the knife, turning it over. The handle was made of bone, just as his companion had said. But what Delbin did not know was that the bone had probably come from a thinking creature, possibly a human or even a minotaur.

Ogres did, after all, have preferences.

The knife was in very good condition and hardly rusted at all. "Did you clean this up?"

"No, I found it just like this-"

Kaz waved him silent and glanced out at the shadowy forest. The knife could have been lost some time ago, depending on the weather, but the very thought that ogres had ventured this far south almost made Kaz want to head back and warn the others. It occurred to him, however, that with the number of minotaurs now living in the settlement, it would take a fairly large force of ogres to attack them. Such a large force could certainly not have remained hidden in this region. Ogres were too clumsy not to leave signs of their passing.

"Show me where you found this."

The kender did. The place was surprisingly close to the campsite. Delbin had found the knife lying next to a tree. It was proof of just how superior the short creature's night vision was that he could have spotted it. Kaz found no other trace of ogres, but he knew the darkness might be masking some proof. When he rose at first light, he would do a thorough search of the vicinity.

The two of them returned to the fire, Kaz still clutching the blade. First the medallion… his medallion… and now this ogre weapon. There could not possibly be any connection between the two other than Delbin finding both, yet, the weary minotaur could not help but wonder.

Delbin sat, with a hopeful expression, next to the fire. Kaz realized that the kender wanted the knife back. It was a treasure to Delbin. The minotaur started to hand the blade over, then hesitated. He grunted. "I'll give this back to you on one condition, Delbin."

"What's that?"

"Don't find anything else for a while, okay?"

The smile widened. "I'll try real hard, Kaz."

Snorting, Kaz handed back the knife. He turned his attention to food, his stomach reminding him that it had been a long time since either of them had eaten. The minotaur looked forward to his simple meal. Food had a way of temporarily erasing worries.

Often in the past he had grumbled to himself and others that the gods must surely be out to test him. How else to explain the rocky path Kaz had journeyed over the past several years? In his mind, he had suffered more than his share of trial and tribulation. The short time he had spent in the home he and Helati had built had been the only peaceful period in his life that he could recall. That respite was over now, though. Once more, it seemed as if he had become a pawn of the gods.

Maybe I'm just tired, he thought as he passed a bit of bread to Delbin. Maybe it's just my imagination that the gods are steering me toward some dire adventure.

His arm came to rest against the pouch into which he had placed the medallion Delbin had supposedly been given by the gray man. He yanked the arm away and, ignoring the kender's curious glance, chewed his food as if doing battle with it.

Tap-tap went the staff of the man sitting on the high rock.

"On the path again… but do you know the way?"

Kaz stood in the middle of a mountain path. High peaks rose on each side of him. Ahead, the path seemed narrow, barely wide enough for him to pass. Behind him, it was wide and flat. In that direction, the minotaur could make out a beautiful forest and in that forest a dwelling he recognized as his own.

From the mountains in the other direction he heard what sounded like a child crying.

"He who hesitates is lost, they say. Are you lost?" The questioner tapped his staff against the rock again. He was a tall, elderly human… elderly but certainly not frail. He wore a hooded cloak that covered most of his form, and on his hands he wore long gloves that went up his wrists, eventually disappearing into his sleeves. On his feet the human wore boots that rose

up almost knee high.

A long gray beard obscured what was a plain yet somehow intelligent face. The gray beard blended into a gray face, which in turn blended into the gray coloring of the cloak.

Kaz's eyes narrowed. Everything about the man was gray, even his teeth, tongue, and eyes.

The crying continued.

"Will that crying never cease?" Kaz rumbled.

"He is out of balance." The explanation seemed to suit the gray man despite its vagueness. "Hail to you. Supreme Champion."

"NO!" roared Kaz, waving his hand in denial. "I've not worn that title or-" He suddenly realized that the medallion hung around his neck. With one massive hand, he tore the medallion from its chain and threw it as far as he could. The gray man watched him do it, his expression perfectly bland. "Not worn that title or that medallion since I left Nethosak! I reject what it stands for!"

"But what swings one way must always swing the other. What one rejects, one must later accept-if one is to remain in balance."

The crying grew more shrill, as if demanding to be heard.

Kaz tried to ignore the sound. "I'm not putting up with such nonsense! I'm going home!"

He turned toward the path leading to the woods, only to discover that instead of the forest, he faced the Great Circus of Nethosak. Cheering rose from inside, and a line of minotaurs stood at attention, awaiting him.

Kaz stepped back, but as his foot came down, the mountain path transformed into the flat, sandy floor of the arena. Instead of the gray man and the rock, a high wooden platform stood before him. The platform was several yards across and towered above him. A dozen of Kaz's kinsmen struggled at levers, their efforts causing the structure to slowly rotate.

Frozen, Kaz watched as a figure hove into view. The figure slowly came nearer as the rotating platform brought him around.

Still the child cried, but now he sounded older… not adult… but definitely older.

The face of the figure on the platform came into view.

It was his own face.

"About time you got here," the other Kaz called.

Kaz tried to speak, but as he opened his mouth, a great shadow darkened the sky. The other Kaz looked up… and was swallowed by that darkness. The arena was gone.

"Definitely out of balance," remarked the gray man, now standing next to Kaz. "The past should be past by this time."

Eyes widening, the minotaur glared at his peculiar gray companion. "I know you, don't I? I've forgotten you, somehow. I remember about Huma and-" His words were cut off as the shrill voice cried still louder. It was too much for him to stand. "By Paladine and Kiri-Jolith! Can nothing be done about that?"

"I can do nothing." The gray man held up his hands, which were bound by what seemed a twisted version of his own staff. He seemed indifferent. "You must complete what you have left undone."

Kaz did not care to ask what the gray man meant, his gaze already turning back to the mountainous trail. The cry for help was stronger, closer. He wished he had his axe, then realized it was in his hands. That was the one thing that so far did not disturb him; Honor's Face always returned to his hands when he most needed it. One of its magical qualities.

"Paladine preserve me!" Kaz grunted, starting up the trail.

"Perhaps he will," replied the gray man from behind him. "He understands the need for balance."

This made the minotaur turn, but when he looked, the man in gray was gone. Snorting his annoyance, Kaz listened again to the cry. It was stronger, closer, but now he thought he heard the sound of running feet and the heavy breathing of determined pursuers. Someone was after the voice.

"Did you hear that, Kaz?" asked Delbin, but the kender was nowhere to be seen.

Keeping the axe ready, the minotaur picked up his pace. If there were others, he had to hurry. They might catch up with their prey at any moment.

Despite his hurried pace, though, it seemed as if he walked through a miasma. Ever so slowly, Kaz made progress along the path, but with each renewed cry, he knew he would be too late.

Then the cry came again, so close that he knew its source

must be just out of sight. All he had to do was reach the point where the path before him twisted to the right. There was still time.

Suddenly Kaz was at the turn. He raised Honor's Face in preparation for a swing and followed the twist in the path.

A shadow loomed over him.

It was a dragon.

Kaz woke with a start, realizing that everything had been but a dream. The minotaur cursed. It was still dark outside. Kaz estimated that he had been asleep for perhaps an hour, possibly two, but no more. He peered around the camp, muttered in annoyance, and tried to settle back down to sleep.

He did not hear the single figure that had been observing the camp move off into the night.

"I told you that story earlier."

"I want to hear it again."

"Not now, Delbin."

"Please? It'll help pass the time, and I always like to hear about it, especially the part-"

"All right." It would be easier simply to relate the tale… again.

"Thanks, Kaz!" piped in Delbin. He reached for his pouch. "I should write it down this time! I always forget It would-say, I wonder where this came from?"

Kaz eyed the newfound object with some trepidation, but it turned out to be only one of his own fire flints. Giving the kender a look, he reached out and retrieved his property. "Just forget the book for now, Delbin, or I won't tell the story."

That gave the kender pause. Kaz sighed, then began, "In the beginning, there were the ogres. They were not the animals we know today, but beautiful creatures, the envy of all other races, including the elves. They built glorious cities and created great works in all fields. All respected their accomplishments and abilities."

"What happened to them?" asked Delbin. He asked the same questions at the same points in the story every time Kaz related it.

"They were decadent, vain. They wasted their achievements, instead playing with power that should've been cultivated in order to cement their greatness. Some of them, however, saw that they were destined for savagery if they continued like that and tried to speak sense to their brothers. The others wouldn't listen, and the race sank further and further into degeneracy. They fell from the grace of the Great Horned One, Sargas, so the story goes, and he finally cast out the ogres, condemning them to be the animals they truly were. Those are the ogres of today, degenerate monsters who can't even recall the wonders of their own ancestors."

"But the minotaurs…"

"It's said that Sargas took pity on those who tried to remain on the path of glory." Kaz disliked mentioning Sargas; he no longer followed that god, who many believed was also known as Sargannon, consort to the Dark Queen. Still, this was the story as it had always been told, and Kaz was a believer in the traditions. "Reaching down, he took those most worthy and placed them far from the other ogres. In order to mark them as his true children, he reshaped their forms, making them look like himself."

Kaz leaned forward so that the kender could get a good close-up of his features. It was a theatrical habit he had picked up from his father, who had told the story to him many times when Kaz was a child. The kender shivered, but more in pleasure at hearing the tale than because he was really scared.

"We've taken up the destiny that the ogres tossed aside." Kaz closed his eyes. " 'We have been enslaved but have always thrown off our shackles. We have been driven back, but always returned to the fray stronger than before. We have risen to new heights when all other races have fallen into decay. We are the future of Krynn, the fated masters of the entire world. We are the children of destiny.' That's an old minotaur saying."

"I heard it was the Graygem that changed ogres into minotaurs," Delbin cheerfully interjected. "It just moved through the area, and after it left there were ogres and there were-"

Kaz growled. "Minotaurs weren't created by magical happenstance!" He looked at the kender. "If you want to hear the story again, you'll never repeat such foolishness to me, understand?"

"Yes, Kaz. Sorry."

"Good. Now try to keep quiet for a little while. We have a long day ahead of us."

"What's the minotaur kingdom like?" asked his companion, already ignoring his injunction to be silent.

"Not now, Delbin. Later."

His tone was ominous, and the kender obeyed. The rest of the day passed without incident, as did the night that followed. They were able to get an early start the next morning. The minotaur could scarcely believe their good fortune. Usually, it seemed, his journeys were fraught with daily peril.

"See those mountains in the distance?" Kaz asked, feeling less moody than the day before. "Those are the first signs that we're nearing the minotaur kingdom. We've still got the last part of the journey, though."

"I like mountains," his companion commented, staring at the distant peaks. "Especially ones with caverns."

Kaz shuddered. He did not like caverns. Too many things had happened to him in caverns. "I don't think we need to worry about caverns."

"You found a dragon in a cavern once, didn't you?" Delbin grew more excited. "It was just after the war with the Dark Queen, when dragons were supposed to be gone, but you accidentally found a whole dragon, and she was trapped by this evil sorcerer who-"

"Take a breath, Delbin." Kaz had told the kender the tale once long ago, but had refused to tell that one ever again. He'd hoped Delbin had forgotten. Thinking of dragons always made him recall the silver dragon who, in human form, had loved Huma of the Lance. Memories of Huma were painful, for the knight had been-would always be-Kaz's truest friend. "I don't want to talk about that now."

"But you flew a dragon once, didn't you? I remember you mentioning that, too."

Despite himself, the minotaur smiled slightly as he recalled that particular dragon. "I flew one during the battle in which Takhisis was defeated. His name was Bolt. Young, eager, and as battle-hungry as I was. He was a bronze dragon, brash but brave." Kaz grunted, the memory turning dark again. "They all vanished after the war was over, both the dragons of light and their darker counterparts."

"But you found the other one after that."

Seeing that the kender would not be put off, which was how things generally went, Kaz finally nodded with a sigh. "Only a short time after the war. The dragons had all disappeared. I'd just left Solamnia"-he had left Solamnia after paying his last respects to his friend and comrade- "and was simply traveling. Times were still dangerous, though, and many didn't trust my kind since we'd served as slave-soldiers to the Dark Queen. I was often forced to run rather than hurt innocent fools."

"Don't forget the monster!" piped up Delbin.

"It wasn't a monster, Delbin-"

"You said it was a dragon-man! That sounds like a neat monster. I wish I'd seen it. You said it was taller than you and all scaly! It was made by the mage who captured the dragon and her eggs-" The kender shut his mouth when he realized that Kaz was glaring at him again. "Sorry…"

"Why do you even ask me to tell the stories? You seem to know them by heart."

"Please tell it again! I like to hear you tell them, Kaz. You lived them!"

Yes, he had lived them. Images of the past racing through his mind, Kaz related the short battle between himself and the creature, who had fled into the night, and then his own capture not long after by a sinister mage. The mage, a human named Brenn, had indeed captured a dragon, a great silver female. He had captured her by stealing her eggs and luring the frantic mother into a trap, using the eggs as bait.

"He was turning her eggs into monsters, wasn't he, Kaz? Making more dragon-men!" Again, it took a severe look from the minotaur to quiet the overeager kender, who still managed to ask one more question. "Why didn't the dragon stop him?"

Kaz recalled all too well. "An illusion. He threatened her eggs, placing an illusion of them just out of her grasp. In return for their safety, he demanded her magic to aid his own in an experiment. She couldn't know that he was using her magic on the real eggs, changing the young into beast-men."

"What happened?"

"With her help, I killed Brenn and his monster, but she died." Her dedication reminded him of Huma's silver companion. "I took what eggs I could find and brought them to a place where I thought her mate, who had also remained behind, would likely come." He exhaled. The story dredged up other memories. "I waited nearly three weeks before he came, and when he did, I thought he would die as well." Kaz eyed the kender as if daring him to interrupt.

Delbin was wisely silent.

"He and his mate had not been the only dragons left, after all. How it also could have been there, I don't know, but there was a great black, one of the most evil of dragons. The silver fought the black, killed it… with a little help from me… but was so badly wounded that he could barely carry the eggs. You see, once free of the mage's spell, they grew at their normal pace. By the time he came, they were close to hatching."

The kender's mouth formed an O of wonder. "Did he live?" he blurted.

"The last I saw of him, he was flying off… I think it was to the north… with the eggs in a sling that I'd made for him. He couldn't even transform. His magic barely worked." Kaz scratched his chin. "I never knew the female's name, but his was Tiberion, I think."

"That's a good story!" Delbin reached for his pouch. "Oops! I should write it down so I don't forget it!"

Kaz, who had no inclination to discover just what Delbin would pull from his pouch this time, quickly said, "Forget that for now. We've got to pick up the pace. I want to make those lower hills by tonight. Besides, you know the story almost as well as I do. You can always write it down later."

Delbin pouted but obeyed.

They did make the hills by nightfall, albeit barely. Kaz was grateful for yet another uneventful day of travel and hoped it was a good sign. Once they entered the minotaur lands, he would have to be even more on his guard, but until then, the minotaur wanted to be able to relax and build up his strength.

They located a likely spot for camp and dismounted. Kaz took charge of both animals while Delbin cleared the grounds.

"Delbin, see if you can find some food. I'll work on the fire." Regardless of his other traits, the kender was an expert gatherer and trapper when he put his wandering mind to it. Seven times out of ten he was likely to bring both meat and fruit back with him, along with a few items that Kaz had to be convinced to try eating.

The kender scurried off. He would be back within the hour. When he and Kaz had traveled together, they often set traps in the hopes of catching game that they could use for the next day's meals. Kaz would set a few of his own before the evening was over, but he had spent so many years living off the land that this work seldom took long. So far, they had been fortunate, catching a good supply of rabbits and an occasional bird. Nuts and berries added to their repasts.

Kaz had just finished his own tasks when the kender reappeared. The fire was burning merrily, the camp in good order.

"Kaz! Look what I caught! They practically jumped into my hands!"

The minotaur snorted. Typical kender luck. The kender had two rabbits on a string-rabbits mostly for Kaz's benefit-plus a full bag that likely contained fruits and whatever other plant life Delbin thought edible.

They settled down to sleep not long after eating. Kaz was so relaxed, he immediately drifted off.

He was awakened soon after by a sound he could not identify, save that it somehow seemed out of place with his surroundings. A sense of foreboding coursed through him.

"Did you hear that, Kaz?" asked Delbin, rising from the other side of the fire.

"Quiet!" the minotaur whispered, rising at the same time. He seized the great battle-axe by the handle. "Stay here, Delbin."

"But, Kaz-" The kender damped his mouth shut at the sight of his companion's ferocious visage.

Staring into the dark forest, Kaz estimated where the noise, whatever it had been, had originated. He took off on foot. His present circumstances reminded him of his dream. True, he was in the forest rather than the mountains, but other than that he felt as if the two were somehow connected.

That was what he was thinking about when a figure as tall as the minotaur nearly crashed into him.

The ogre was as surprised as Kaz, possibly more so. Armed with a studded club, it gaped at the horned warrior, then grunted and attacked.

Kaz met the blow with his axe. Honor's Face cut through the club unhindered, sending a good third of the ogre's weapon flying. The ogre was stubborn, however, and pulled the weapon back for yet another try. Even in the dim light of the moon, Kaz could see the murderous intent in his adversary's flat, brutish face. The ogre snarled, revealing long, vicious teeth accustomed to tearing raw flesh from either a fresh kill or an enemy warrior… which was often the same thing to one of its kind.

Kaz did not wait. Even before the ogre could complete its second swing, Honor's Face sliced under the monster's guard, digging in deep at the midsection.

With a cry, Kaz's foe fell back, the ruined club dropping from a lifeless hand. The ogre ceased breathing even before its body struck the ground.

There was more thrashing in the woods as other figures moved in his direction. Kaz made a quick estimate based on the patterns of noise and counted at least four other ogres, all heading his way. One was bad enough, two worse, but if he had to face three, possibly four, at the same time, then he was dead.

Kaz abandoned his position for one farther to his left. He could hear the movements of but one figure over there… so he hoped, anyway… and against one ogre he would prevail.

The newcomer continued to trample through the forest. Ogres were less concerned with stealth than minotaurs. Brute strength was all that mattered to most of them, though it was never wise to underestimate them. Kaz had been forced to serve under ogres when he had been a slave-soldier in the armies of the Queen of Darkness, and he was fully aware just how cunning and treacherous they could be.

A dim shape materialized, a shape that coalesced into an ogre, with an axe almost as long as Kaz's. The ogre was breathing heavily. It paused and sniffed the air.

Kaz gave no warning. The minotaur warrior emerged from his hiding place with the axe already in flight. To its credit, however, the ogre succeeded in dodging the blow.

"Minotaur," growled the toothy monster. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I would've thought that obvious." Kaz did not want to waste time talking, but the ogre's attitude confused him.

"We've not failed," insisted the ogre. "Camp is near."

They were interrupted by the sudden arrival of a second ogre, this one wild-eyed. "Minotaur…"

Two now. Kaz shifted to compensate for the change in numbers. The second ogre carried both a sword and net, the latter one of the throwing kind used by some races when hunting prey.

This ogre eyed Kaz's axe. "Squallin dead… by axe."

"You not be from Nethosak," blurted the first at the minotaur. Its axe rose.

Its words were punctuated by a pained growl as Honor's Face caught its weapon arm, leaving a great gash. The axe dropped from the ogre's hand. As the creature grabbed its wounded limb, Kaz whirled on the second one, who was already advancing.

A web enveloped him. Quicker than its partner, the second ogre had tossed the net with accuracy. It covered the minotaur well. The angle made it difficult to properly wield his axe, leaving Kaz nearly defenseless. The ogre's mouth widened in triumph. It raised its sword for a killing stroke.

Bending forward, Kaz charged.

The attack was not what the ogre expected. Kaz's horns plunged into the wide torso of the minotaur's foe, the force behind them more than enough to pierce the ogre's thick hide. The monster's gasp was as much from surprise as pain. As Kaz pulled away, the ogre gasped again and tried to stanch the flow of blood.

The first ogre had retrieved its axe, but its attempt to swat the tangled minotaur with it was spoiled by its awkward swing. Kaz dodged the axe and backed away, at the same time using one hand to pull himself free of the net. The ogre he had gored collapsed.

He had the net half off when the other ogre attacked again. Although he was able to raise his own weapon to defend himself, the angle was such that his opponent's axe clattered and slid down along the handle. Kaz grunted in pain as the edge scraped his arm, nearly making him lose his grip.

Once more the ogre brought the axe up, but obviously being more used to using its other hand, it moved slowly and without precision. It gave the minotaur time to free himself completely and still raise Honor's Face in time to deflect the next attack.

Far to his right Kaz heard a gruff shout. Taking advantage of the distraction, the minotaur charged, battle-axe swinging low and fast. The ogre brought its own axe down in an attempt to pin Kaz's to the ground, but over-compensated. The ogre weapon sank into the earth and before its master could pull it up. Honor's Face cut across both legs.

Its legs collapsing beneath it, the ogre fell forward. Kaz pulled away. Unable to stop, the ogre impaled itself on the head of its own double-edged axe.

Kaz turned to face any newcomers. To his surprise, not only were there no new attackers, but it sounded as if the others were retreating.

They were heading in the direction of the camp.

Delbin was alone.

Snarling epithets at random gods, Kaz ran as fast as he could, fearing he was already too late.