Furious, Kaz had almost leapt to the floor of the circus, but then Polik had glanced his way. The look in the emperor's eyes said many things to him. He understood that if he challenged Polik, he would enter the arena in no greater condition than his brother had. More important, his other siblings would also be marked, not because they would ever be any great threats, but because of Kaz.

Shortly after, he had simply quit the circus, given up his special status, and been added to the ranks of the slave-soldiers. As it worked out, he was suddenly thrust into the war as part of the latest advance. It must have galled Polik that he had survived the war. Paladine knew that it galled Kaz to think Polik still ruled.

"The only way Polik could ever win," he finally responded to his father's question.

His statement was enough for Ganth. "Then we can't expect much when they take us out there. There'll be none of this foolish stuff they have been doing with Hecar while they preserved him as bait. Whatever we face will be ready and able to kill us." Ganth tugged at his chain again. "Well, I'll make them remember how I went down. They'll be talking about it for years!"

"We have some hope." Kaz leaned closer to the others. "We have to wait for night before we can do anything, though."

"What've you got in mind, Lad?"

"Given the proper weapon, we could break out of here. That's why they never give out weapons until we're sent out onto the field. They can't know that I have access to a weapon."

A slight gasp escaped Hecar. "You mean Honor's Face!"

"Honor's Face? What's that?"

Kaz told his father the tale of how the good elf Sardal Crystalthorn had given him the battle-axe, and the powers Kaz had eventually discovered the weapon contained, including its ability to materialize for Kaz whenever the minotaur needed it.

"That was the weapon you carried, and you didn't mention all that sooner, Boy? I'd have liked to have hefted it once!"

"You'll get your chance after we're out of here."

"Now I understand why you weren't so disappointed when Jopfer had us sent here."

"Where is the axe now?" Hecar asked.

"Scurn has it. For some reason, he couldn't see his face reflected very well in it."

Helati's sibling grunted. "I'm not surprised… but I guess he'll be a little taken aback when the axe disappears."

"What about your little friend, Lad?" Ganth suddenly asked his son. "Think he'll be okay? I feel sorry for the little one. I've met some kender, and they're not too bad… from a distance. He's a good one, though, a real surprise. I hope he makes it to safety."

"They haven't told us anything, which makes me think he's managed to avoid them. I can only hope Delbin gets out of Nethosak and heads west or south. If west, he can join up with his own kind again and disappear. I'm wondering, though, if maybe he might go to the human areas in Solamnia. He always liked the knights. He might very well ask them for help." Kaz shuddered, thinking what might happen if Lord Oswal or Sir Bennett took Delbin seriously. Would they try to send aid? He hoped not. That would only tangle the situation further.

"He'd go there all by himself?" Hecar asked, astonished the kender was capable of such a trek.

"You'd be unwise to underestimate him, Hecar. Scurn and his bunch have made that mistake. So have a lot of others since I've known Delbin. I cannot guarantee that he will make it, but he has a better chance than most."

"A kender. He's that dedicated to you?"

"He is. Never underestimate their kind. I know."

"Well, his chances are better than ours right now, Lads, so what do you say we think on it while we wait for our meal… We do get one, don't we, Hecar?"

The other minotaur grunted. "Some might call it a meal, Master Ganth. Some might even dare call it food. You'll see what I mean, but I'll warn you now not to smell it, or concentrate your hopes on the taste."

Ganth and Kaz looked at one another. The former finally spoke. "We'd better see about trying to escape soon, then. Dying in combat in the circus is one thing, but dying from bad food would be an embarrassment to our ancestors."

Delbin sat in the dark, in the small room he had discovered the night before, chewing on a piece of meat that had somehow found its way into his hands. Delbin Knotwillow had an amazing tendency to find just what he needed, just when he needed it.

I hope I can get him out.

Delbin was fairly certain that Kaz was somewhere near the circus. Had not Kaz said that matters of justice were decided there? Since he had been taken by the guard, he would probably go to the circus at some point. It sounded good to the kender, who was naive enough to discount a thousand other places the prisoners could have been taken. It also sounded good because Delbin wanted to see the circus anyway.

Delbin had no way to accurately measure time, but he was certain the other minotaurs had long ago ceased searching this area. Still, to go out in the daytime might be too risky, even for him. Kaz would have thought so, and Delbin was trying to think like Kaz as much as possible.

At least he did not have to fear discovery here. Delbin had found a small room in a storage building that was filled with equipment used for sailing… or so the kender had decided after a cursory examination of some half-hidden objects. Delbin had no idea what some of the other various items stored in the building were used for, but they had a military look to them.

I have to go outside soon, Delbin decided. Something terrible might happen to Kaz. Yet, still he did not move. He needed a brilliant plan.

He ate a piece of fruit that had accidentally fallen into his pouch, and wondered where all the food had come from. Fortune had smiled on him.

His journey through the city had been a fun time, despite the danger. Delbin had come seen gully dwarves running around picking up trash, and had used their similar heights to fool a couple of his pursuers. In fact, any time he thought someone might have noticed him, he squatted low and put on a befuddled expression. No one had stopped him, so he was pretty sure they thought him a gully dwarf, though Delbin didn't think it was right that the poor creatures were forced to clean the streets in the first place.

He thought about Kaz and his possible whereabouts. Kender liked to talk, and so, with no one else to talk to, he went over matters with himself, the most loyal audience any kender had. "He should be at that big arena they call a circus but which really isn't, because I always thought a circus was a fun place with animals and jesters, but this is supposed to be a really big place where a lot of people just fight one another, and sometimes they must fight animals, because there's supposed to be a menagerie there, too, but I don't think-"

Delbin absently took another piece of fruit from his hoard and bit into it. Swallowing, he continued, "I'll bet they've got some cells really deep down below the big arena. They've probably got Kaz and Ganth prisoner down there. I'll bet if I went there, I could find a way to free them…"

The kender thought hard, his expression as intense as possible for one of his kind. Delbin wanted to do his best to find Kaz and rescue him. Kaz would do the same for him, after all.

"I'll have to wait until night, that's what I'll have to do, because then I can go looking in the circus without a bunch of big minotaurs bothering me. I can at least see what's there, so that I can think of a really good plan." The kender frowned. The topknot in his hair bobbed back and forth as he shook his head. "But Kaz would want me to stay away from there, because if I go there now and they see me, then maybe they might catch me-"

Delbin straightened, steeling himself. Even if Kaz got mad at him, he had to try to help the minotaur. Ideas began to form, neat, ingenious ideas… at least in the eyes of the kender, that is.