The War of the Lance

CHAPTER ONE

So I guess you're wondering why I'm telling you this, since I promised not to. I'm sure Tanis wouldn't mind, seeing that it's you. I mean, you've heard the other stories, all about the War of the Lance and the Heroes of the Lance (of which I, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, am one) and how ten years ago we defeated the Dark Queen and her dragons. This is just one more story, one that never was told. As to why it was never told, you'll find that out when I get around to the part about promising Fizban.

It all began about a month ago. I was traveling up the Vingaard River, heading for Dargaard Keep. You've heard the stories about Dargaard Keep, how it's cursed and Lord Soth is supposed to haunt it. I hadn't seen Lord Soth in a while — he's a death knight and while we're not exactly friends, he is what you might call a close personal acquaintance. I was thinking about him one night and how he very nearly killed me once. (I don't harbor a grudge; death knights have to do these things, you see.) And it occurred to me that he might be bored, what with having nothing to do for the past ten years, ever since we defeated the Dark Queen, except haunt people.

Anyway, I thought I'd go find Lord Soth and fill him in on Recent Events and maybe he'd glare at me with his fiery eyes, and make me go all wonderfully cold and shivery inside.

I was on my way to Dargaard Keep when I stopped over in a little town that I can show you on my map, though I can't remember the name. They have a very nice jail there. I know, because I was spending the night in it, having become involved in an argument with a butcher over a string of sausages that had followed me out of his shop.

I tried to point out to the butcher that they must be magical sausages, because I couldn't think of any other way they would have ended up trailing after me like that. I thought he'd be pleased, you know, to realize he had the power to make magical sausages. And if I did eat two of them, it was just to find out if they did anything magical in the stomach. (They did, but I don't think that counts as magic. I'll have to ask Dalamar.) To make a long story short, he was not pleased to hear he had magical sausages and I was taken away to jail.

Things have a way of working out, though, as my grandmother Burrfoot used to say. There were a whole lot of other kender in the jail. (Quite a remarkable coincidence, don't you think?) We had a very agreeable time together, and I caught up on all the news of Kendermore.

And I found out that someone had been looking for me!

He was a friend of a friend of a friend and he had an important message for me. Just think! An Important Message. Kender all over Ansalon had been told to give it to me if they ran into me. This was the Important Message.

"Meet me at the Silver Dragon Mountain during this anniversary. Signed, FB."

I must say that I thought the message a bit confused, and I still think it probably lost something over having been passed around by so many people. But my friends assured me that was exactly how they'd heard it or close enough as not to make any difference. I knew right off who FB was, of course, and you must, too. (Tanis did. I could tell that from the groan he gave when I mentioned it.) And I knew where the Silver Dragon Mountain was. I'd been there before, with Flint and Laurana and Gilthanas and Theros Ironfeld and Silvara before we knew she was a silver dragon herself. You remember that story, don't you? Astinus wrote it all down and called it Dragons of Winter Night.

I was puzzling over this message and wondering what anniversary it was talking about, when the kender who gave it to me said that there was another part to it.

"Repeat the name Fizban backwards three times and clap your hands."

That sounded like magic to me and I am extremely fond of magic. But, knowing Fizban as I did, I thought it wise to take precautions. I told the other kender in the cell with me that this message was from a rather fuddled old wizard and that the spell might be Quite Interesting and that maybe I should wait until we were all out of jail in the morning.

But the other kender said that, while it would be a shame to blow up this nice jail, if I did blow it up, they didn't want to miss it. They all gathered around and I began.

"Nabzif, Nabzif, Nabzif!" I said quickly, kind of holding my breath, and I clapped my hands.

Poof!

Once I cleared away the smoke, I discovered I was holding a scroll. I unrolled it quickly, thinking it might be another spell, you see. But it wasn't. The other kender were considerably disappointed and rather miffed that I hadn't blown up either the jail or myself. They went back to comparing jails in other parts of Solamnia. I read what I was holding in my hands.

It turned out to be an invitation. At least I think that's what it was. It was hard to tell, what with all the burn holes and smudges and smears of what smelled like grape jelly.

The writing was very pretty and elaborate. I can't copy it, but this is what it said (I'm including smudges and blots):

A CELEBRATION OF THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE (Blot) OF THE DRAGONL (smudge) TO BE HELD AT THE SILVER DRAGON MOUNTAIN YULETIME. HERO OF THE LANCE YOUR PRESENCE IS MOST EARNESTLY REQUESTED. WE HONOR THE KNIGHT OF SOLAMNIA WHO FIRST DID BATTLE WITH THE (blob, blot), SIR (smear and tarbean tea-stain) OWER It was signed LORD GUNTHAR UTH WISTAN.

Well, of course, this explained everything (not counting the blots). The knights were holding a celebration in honor of something, probably the War of the Lance. And, since I'm one of the Heroes, I was invited! This was incredibly exciting. I put off my visit to Lord Soth (I hope he understands, if he reads this), let myself out of jail with a key I found in my pocket, and headed immediately for Silver Dragon Mountain.

It used to be you couldn't find Silver Dragon Mountain, but after the War, the knights turned it into a Monument and fixed the roads so that they could get to it easier. They left the Ruined Keep ruined. I traveled past it and wandered through the Woods of Peace awhile, then I stopped to admire the hot springs that boil just like Tika's tea kettle and I crossed the bridge where I saw the statues that looked like my friends, only they were just statues now. Probably because of the Monument. And then I came to Foghaven Vale.

Foghaven Vale has a lot to do with the rest of my story, so I'll tell you about it, in case you've forgotten from the last time I was there. 1 The Hot Springs mixing with the water of the Cool Lake makes fog so thick that it's hard to see your topknot in front of your nose. No one used to know where this Vale was, a long time ago, except Silvara and the other silver dragons, who guarded Huma's Tomb, the final resting place of a truly great knight from long, long ago. His tomb is there, only he isn't.

At the north end of Foghaven Vale stands Silver Dragon Mountain. You can get into the mountain through a secret tunnel inside Huma's Tomb. I know, because I accidentally fell into it and got sucked up the statue dragon's windpipe. That's where I found Fizban after he was dead, only he wasn't.

And it was in this mountain that Theros Ironfeld forged the dragonlances. And that's why it's a Monument.

Every year at Yuletime the knights come to the Silver

Available in the Library at Palanthas, which is a very nice city to visit, especially since they've cleaned up after the dragons. The library is one block south and two east of the jail. You can't miss it.

Dragon Mountain and Huma's Tomb and they sing songs of Huma and of Sturm Brightblade — a very good friend of mine! They "tell tales of glory by day, and spend the night on their knees in prayer before Huma's stone bier." Those quotes are from Tanis.

I knew about this, but I'd never been invited to come before, probably because I'm not a knight. (Though I would really like to be, someday. I know a story about a half-kender who was almost a knight. Have you heard it? Oh, all right.) I guess I was invited this year because this year was special, being the tenth anniversary of Something that I couldn't read for the blot. But I didn't care what it was, as long as there was to be a big party in honor of it.

I was traipsing through the fog of Foghaven Vale, wondering where I was (I had wandered off the path), when I heard voices. Naturally, I stopped to listen and while stopping to listen I may have sneaked behind a tree. (This is not snooping. It is called "caution" and caution is conducive to a long life. Something Tanis is very big on. I'll explain later.)

This is what I heard the voice say.

"'The tenth anniversary is to be a reverent, solemn, holy time of rededication for all good and righteous people of Krynn.'" It was Tanis! I was sure it was his voice, only he was talking in a Lord Gunthar-kind of tone. Then Tanis said in his own voice, "Crap. It's all a lot of crap."

"What? — " said another voice, and I knew that voice was Caramon's, and he sounded the same dear old confused Caramon as always. I couldn't believe my luck.

'Tanis, my dear," came a woman's voice and it was Laurana! I knew that because she's the only one who ever calls Tanis my DEAR. "Don't talk so loudly."

"But what? — " That was Caramon again.

"No one can hear me," said Tanis, interrupting. He sounded really irritated and in a Bad Mood. "This damn fog muffles everything. The truth is that the knights are having political problems at home. That draconian raid on Throtl touched off a riot in Palanthas. People think the knights should go into the mountains and wipe out the draconians and the goblins and anything else that doesn't wipe them out first. It's all the fault of this new group of boneheads who say we should go back to the golden days of the Kingpriest!"

"But doesn't Lady Crysania — " Caramon tried again.

"Oh, she reminds people of the truth," Tanis told him. "And I think most understand. But the fanatics are gaining converts, especially when the refugees come forward and tell their tales of Throtl in flames and goblins killing babies. What no one seems to realize is that the knights couldn't possibly raise an army large enough to go into the Khalkists, even if they did ally with the dwarves. The rest of Solamnia would be left defenseless, which is probably just exactly what these goblins raids are trying to accomplish; But these fools don't want to listen to reason."

"Then why are we — "

" — here? That's why," Tanis answered. "The knights are turning this into a public spectacle in order to remind everyone how truly great and wonderful we are. Are you sure we're going the right direction?"

I could see them now from where I was hiding. (Caution, not snooping.) Tanis and Caramon and Laurana were riding on horses, and an escort of knights was riding behind — a long way behind. Tanis had reigned in his horse and was looking around like he thought he was lost, and Caramon was looking, too.

"I think — " Caramon began.

"Yes, dear," said Laurana patiently. "This is the trail. I came this way before, remember?"

"Ten years ago," Tanis reminded her, turning to look at her with a smile.

"Yes, ten years," she said. "But I'm not likely to ever forget it. I was with Silvara and Gilthanas… and Flint. Dear old Flint." She sighed and brushed her hand across her cheek.

I felt a snuffle coming on, so I kept behind the tree until I could choke it back down. I heard Tanis clear his throat. He shifted uncomfortably in his saddle and moved closer to Caramon. Their horses were nose to nose and almost nose to nose with me.

"I was afraid this would happen," Tanis said quietly. "I tried to talk her out of coming, but she insisted. Damn knights. Polishing up their armor and their memories of glory from ten years ago, hoping that people will remember the battle of the High Clerist's Tower and forget the Sacking of Throtl."

Caramon blinked. "Was Throtl really? — "

"Don't exaggerate, Tanis," said Laurana briskly, riding up to join them. "And don't worry about me. It's good to be reminded of those who have gone before us, who wait for us at the end of our long journey. My memories of my dear friends aren't bitter. They don't make me unhappy, only sad. It is our loss, not theirs." Her eyes went to Caramon as she spoke.

The big man smiled, nodded his head in silent understanding. He was thinking of Raistlin. I know because I was thinking of Raistlin, too, and some fog got into my eyes and made them go all watery. I thought about what Caramon had put on the little stone marker he set up in Solace in Raistlin's honor.

ONE GRANTED PEACE FOR HIS SACRIFICE. ONE WHO SLEEPS, AT REST. IN ETERNAL NIGHT.

Tanis scratched his beard. (His beard has little streaks of gray in it now. It looks quite distinguished.) He looked frustrated.

"You'll see what I mean when we get there. The knights have gone to all this trouble and expense, and I don't think it's going to help matters. People don't live in the past. They live in the present. That's what counts now. The knights need to do something to bolster our faith in them now, not remind us of what they were ten years ago. Some are beginning to say it was all wizard's work back then anyway. Gods and magic." He shook his head. "I wish we could forget the past and get on with the future."

"But we should remember the past, honor it," said Caramon, actually managing to finish a complete sentence. He wouldn't have managed that — Tanis was so worked up — only Tanis had been forced to stop talking by a sneeze. "If people are divided now, then it seems that we should remind them of a time they came together."

"If it would do that, it might be of some worth," Tanis muttered, sniffing. He was searching through his pockets, probably for a handkerchief. He's quite careless about losing things. I know because I was holding onto his pack at the time.

Here's how it happened that I had his pack. I had stepped out from behind the tree, ready to surprise him. I caught hold of the pack, which had been tied (not very well) onto the back of the saddle. Suddenly the pack bounced loose and came off in my hand. I would have said something to him then, but he was talking again and it wouldn't have been polite to interrupt. So I took the pack and stepped back behind the tree and looked inside it to see if it was really his and not someone else's by mistake.

"But the knights won't do anything except wallow in the past," Tanis was saying. "Mark my words. Have you heard that latest song they've made up about Sturm? Some minstrel sang it for us the other night, before we left. I laughed out loud."

"You deeply offended him," said Laurana. "He wouldn't even stay the night. And there was no need to follow him out to the gate, yelling at him."

"I told him to sing the truth next time. Sturm Brightblade wasn't a paragon of virtue and courage. He was a man and he had the same fears and faults as the rest of us. Sing about that!"

Tanis sneezed again. "Blast this damp! The cold eats into the bone. And we'll be spending the night on our knees in a mouldy old tomb. Where the blazes did I put my handker — "

Well, of course, it was in his pack.

"Is this it, Tanis? You dropped it," I said, coming out of the fog.

Once they were over being amazed, they were all very happy to see me. Laurana hugged me (she is so beautiful!) and they asked me where I was going and I told them and then they didn't look so happy.

"You were supposed to invite him to come," said Laurana.

(She either said that or "You WEREN'T supposed to invite him to come." I wasn't certain. She was talking so softly I had to strain my ears to hear.)

"I didn't," said Tanis, and he glared at Caramon.

"Not me!" said the big man emphatically.

"Oh, don't worry," I said, not wanting them to feel bad that they'd each forgotten to invite me. "I have my own invitation. It found me, so to speak." And I held it up.

They all stared at it and looked so amazed and astonished that I thought I better not say who had sent it to me. Like I said, Tanis always groans whenever I mention Fizban.

Tanis said something in a low voice to Caramon that sounded like, "It will only make things worse if we try to get rid of him… follow us… this way, keep an eye on him."

I wondered who it was they were talking about.

"Who are you talking about?" I asked. "Who'd follow you? Keep an eye on who?"

"I'll give you three guesses," Tanis growled, holding out his hand to me and pulling me up to ride behind him.

Well, I spent the rest of the trip to the Silver Dragon Mountain guessing, but Tanis said I never got it right.