Laurana drew back her hood. The guard bowed. "Forgive me, Princess. I did not recognize you:" He glanced at Silvara suspiciously. "Who is that with you?"

"My maid. I would not travel at night by myself:"

"No, of course not;" the guard said hurriedly as he opened the door. "Go ahead. His sleeping room is the third one down the hall on your right:"

"Thank you;" Laurana answered and brushed past the guard. Silvara, muffled in a voluminous cape, swept softly after her.

"The chest is in his room, at the foot of his bed;" Laurana whispered to Silvara. "Are you sure you can carry the dragon orb? It is big and very heavy."

"It's not that big;" Silvara murmured, staring perplexed at Laurana. "Only about so-"She made a gesture with her hands roughly the shape of a child's ball.

"No;" Laurana said, frowning. "You have not have seen it. It is nearly two feet in diameter. That's why I had you wear that long cape:'

Silvara stared at her in wonder. Laurana shrugged. "Well, we can't stand here arguing. We'll figure something out when the time comes:'

The two crept down the hallway, silently as kender, until they came to the bedroom.

Holding her breath, fearing that even her heartbeat was too loud, Laurana pressed on the door. It opened with a creaking sound that made her grit her teeth. Next to her, Silvara shivered in fear. A figure in the bed stirred and turned over-her mother. Laurana saw her father, even in his sleep, put out his hand to pat her reassuringly. Tears dimmed Laurana's eyes. Tightening her lips resolutely, she gripped Silvara's hand and slipped inside the room.

The chest stood at the end of her father's bed. It was locked, but the companions all carried a copy of the small silver key. Swiftly Laurana unlocked the chest, and lifted the lid. Then she nearly dropped it in her amazement. The dragon orb was there, still glowing with the soft white and blue light. But it wasn't the same orb! Or, if it was, it had shrunk! As Silvara said, it was now no more than the size of a child's playing ball! Laurana reached in to take it. It was still heavy, but she could lift it easily. Gingerly grasping it, her hand shaking, she raised it from the box and handed it to Silvara. The Wilder elf immediately hid it beneath her cloak. Laurana picked up the wood shaft of the broken dragonlance, wondering, as she did so, why she bothered taking the broken old weapon.

I'll take it because the knight handed it to Sturm, she thought. He wanted him to have it.

At the bottom of the chest lay Tanis's sword, Wyrmslayer, given him by Kith-Kanan. Laurana looked from the sword to the dragonlance. I can't carry both, she thought, and started to put the lance back. But Silvara grabbed her.

"What are you doing?" Her mouth formed the words, her eyes flashed. "Take it! Take it, toot"

Laurana stared at the girl in amazement. Then, hastily, she retrieved the lance, concealed it beneath her cloak, and carefully shut the chest, leaving the sword inside. Just as the lid left her cold fingers, her father rolled over in his bed, half-sitting up.

"What? Who is there?" he asked, starting to shake off has sleep in his alarm.

Laurana felt Silvara trembling and clutched the girl's hand reassuringly, warning her to be silent.

"It is I, Father," she said in a faint voice. "Laurana. I-b wanted to-to tell you I am sorry, Father. And ( ask you to forgive me:"

"Ah, Laurana:" The Speaker lay back down on his pillows; closing his eyes. "I forgive you, my daughter. Now return to your bed. We'll talk in the morning:"

Laurana waited until his breathing became quiet and regular.

Then she led Silvara from the room, gripping the dragonlance firmly beneath her cloak.

"Who goes there?" softly called a human voice in elven.

"Who asks?" replied a clear elven voice.

"Gilthanas? Is that you?"

"Theros! My friend!" The young elflord stepped swiftly from the shadows to embrace the human blacksmith. For a moment Gilthanas was so overcome he could not speak. Then, startled, he pushed back from the smith's bearlike hug. "Theros! You have two arms! But the draconians in Solace cut off your right arm l You would have died, if Goldmoon hadn't healed you:"

"Do you remember what that pig of a Fewmaster told me?" Theros asked in his rich, deep voice, whispering softly. "'The only way you'll get a new arm, smith, is to forge it yourself!' Well, I did just that! The story of my adventures to find the Silver Arm I wear now is a long one-"

"And not for telling now;' grumbled another voice behind him. "Unless you want to ask a couple of thousand elves to hear it with us:"

"So you managed to escape, Gilthanas," said Derek's voice out of the shadows. "Did you bring the dragon orb?"

"I did not escape;" Gilthanas returned coldly. "I left my father's house to accompany my sister and Sil-her maidthrough the darkness. Taking the orb is my sister's idea, not mine. There is still time to reconsider this madness, Laurana:" Gilthanas turned to her. "Return the orb. Don't let Porthios's hasty words drive away your common sense. If we keep the orb here, we can use it to defend our people. We can find out how it works, we have magic-users among us:"

"Let's just turn ourselves over to the guards now! Then we can get some sleep where it's warm!" Flint's words came out in explosive puffs of frost.

"Either sound the alarm now, elf, or let us go. At least give us time before you betray us;' Derek said.

"I have no intention of betraying you;' Gilthanas stated angrily. Ignoring the others, he turned once more to his sister. "Laurana?"

"I am determined on this course of action;' she answered slowly. "I have thought about it and I believe we are doing the right thing. So does Elistan. Silvara will guide us through the mountains-"

"I, too, know the mountains;' Theros spoke up. "I have had little to do here but wander them. And you'll need me to get you past the guards:"

"Then we are resolved:"

"Very well:" Gilthanas sighed. "I am coming with you. If I stayed behind, Porthios would always suspect me of complicity:'

"Fine;' snapped Flint. "Can we escape now? Or do we need to wake up anyone else?"

"This way," Theros said. "The guards are accustomed to my late night rambles. Stay in the shadows, and let me do the talking:" Reaching down, he caught hold of Tasslehoff by the collar of his heavy fur coat and lifted the kender off the ground to look him right in the eye. "That means you, little thief;' the big smith said sternly.

"Yes, Theros;' the kender replied meekly, squirming in the man's silver hand until the smith set him down. Somewhat shaken, Tas readjusted his pouches and tried to regain his injured dignity.

The companions followed the tall, dark-skinned smith along the outskirts of the silent elven encampment, moving as quietly as possible for two armor-clad knights and a dwarf. To Laurana, they sounded as loud as a wedding party. She bit her lip to keep silent as the knights clanked and rattled in the darkness, while Flint fell over every tree root and splashed through every puddle.

But the elves lay wrapped in their complacency like a soft, fleecy blanket. They had safely fled the danger. None believed it would find them again. And so they slept as the companions escaped into the night.

Silvara, carrying the dragon orb, felt the cold crystal grow warm as she held it near her body felt it stir and pulse with life.

"What am I to do?" she whispered to herself distractedly in Kaganesti, stumbling almost blindly through the darkness. "This came to me! Why? I don't understand? What am I to do?"

River of the Dean. The legend of the Silver Dragon.

The night was still and cold. Storm clouds blotted out the light of the moons and stars. There was no rain, no wind, just an oppressive sense of waiting. Laurana felt that all of nature was alert, wary, fearful. And behind her, the elves slept, cocooned in a web of their own petty fears and hatreds. What horrible winged creature would burst from that cocoon, she wondered.