"And my little brothers?"

"We-we were separated;' Tanis said weakly.

"A pity;" Kit said with a sigh. "I'd like to see them again. Caramon must be a giant by now. And Raistlin-I hear he is quite a skilled mage. Still wearing the Red Robes?'

"I-I guess;' Tanis muttered. "I haven't seen him"

"That won't last long;" Kit said complacently. "He's like me. Raist always craved power . . :'

"What about you?" Tanis interrupted quickly. "What are you doing here, so far from the action? The fighting's north"

"Why, I'm here for the same reason you are;" Kit opening her eyes wide. "Searching for the Green Gemstone Man of course:"

"That's where I've seen him before!" Tanis said, flooding his mind. The man on the Perechon! The man in Pax Tharkas, escaping with poor Eben. The man with the green gemstone embedded in the center of his chest.

"You've found him!" Kitiara said, sitting up eagerly. "Where, Tanis? Where?" Her brown eyes glittered. •

"I'm not sure;' Tanis said, faltering. "I'm not sure it was him.I-we were just given a rough description . . . .

"He looks about fifty inhuman years;' Kit said in excitement, "but he has strange, young eyes, and his hands are young. And in the flesh of his chest is a green gemstone. We had reports. he was sighted in Flotsam. That's why the Dark Queen sent me here. Hes the key; Tanis! Find him-and no force on Krynn can stop us!"

"Why?" Tanis made himself ask calmly. "What's he got that's so essential to-uh-our side winning this war?"

'Who knows." Shrugging back in Tanis's arms. "You're shivering. Here, this will warm you.'' She kissed his neck, running her hands over his body."We were just told the most important thing we could do to end this war in one swift stroke is to find this man:'

Tarus swallowed, feeling himself warming to her touch.

"Just think," Kitiara whispered in his ear, her breath hot and moist against his skin, "if we found him-You and I-we woould have all of Krynn at our feet! The Dark Queen would reward us beyond anything we ever dreamed! You and I, together always, Tanis. Let's go now!.'

Her words echoed in his mind. The two of them,together,forever. Ending the war. Ruling Krynn., No, he thought. feeling his throat constrict. This as madness! Insanity ! My People, _. friends. . . . Yet, haven't I done enough? What do I owe any them, humans or elves? Nothing! They are the ones Who hurt me, derided me! All these years -a cast out. Me! It's time I thought about me for a change! This is the woman I've dreamed of f or so long. And she can be mine. Kitiara . . . so beautiful. so desirable….

'No?' Tanis said harshly, then, -No' he said more gently. Reaching out his hand, he pulled her back near him. 'Tomorrow will do. if it was him, he isn't going anywhere. I know-"

Kitiaca smiled and, with a sigh, Lay back down. Tanis bending over her, kissed her passionately. Far away he could hear the waves of the Blood Sea of Istar crashing on the shore.

The High Clerist's Tower. The Knighting.

By morning, the storm over Solamnia had blown itself out.. The sun rose-a disk of pale gold that warmed morning. The knights who stood watch upon the battlements of the Tower of the High Clerist went thankfully to their beds, talking of the wonders they had seen during the awful night. for such a storm as this hay not been known in the lands of Solamnia since the dlays after the Cataclysm. Those Who took over the watch from their fellow knights were nearly as weary; no one had slept.

Now they Looked out upon a plain covered with snow and ice. Here and there the landscape was dotted with flickering

flames where trees., blasted by the fagged lightning that had streaked out of the sky during the blizzard, burned eerily. But it was not to those strange flames the eyes of the knights turned as they ascended the battlements. It was to the flames that burned upon the horizon-hundreds and hundreds of flames, filling the clear, cold air with their foul smoke. The campfires of war. The campfires of the dragonarmies.

One thing stood between the Dragon Highlord and victory in Solamnia. That "thing" as the Highlord often referred to it was the Tower of the High Clerist.

Built long ago by siinas Salamnus, founder of the knights, in the only pass through the snow-capped, cloud-shrouded Vingaard Mountains. the Tower protected Palanthas; capital city of Solamnia, and the harbor known as the Gates of Paladine. Let the Tower fall, and Palanthas would belong to the dragonarrmies. It was a soft city-a city of wealth and beauty, a city that had turned its back upon the world to gaze with admiring eyes into its own mirror.

With Palanthas in her hands and the harbor under her control , the Highlard could easily starve the rest of Solamnia into submission and then wipe out the troublesome knights.

The Dragon Higlilord, called the Dark Lady by her troops was not in camp this day. She was gone an secret business to the east. But she had left loyal ond able commanders behind, commanders Who would do anything to win her favor.

Of all the Dragon Highlords, the Dark Lady was known to sit highest in the regard of her Dark Queen. And so the troops of draconians, goblins, hobgoblins, ogres, and humans sat at their campfires, staring at the Tower with hungry eyes longing to attack and earn her conmendation.

The Tower was defenaed by a large garrison. of Knigts of Solamnia who had moved out from Palanthas only a few weeks ago. Legend recalled that the Tower had never fallen while men of faith held it, dedicated as it was to the Clerist -that position which, second only to the Grand Master, was most revered in the Knighthood.

The clerics of Paladine had lived in the High Clerists Tower during khe Age of Dreams. Here young knights had come for their religious training and indoctrination. There were many traces of the clerics' presence left behind.

It wasn't only fear of the legend that forced the dragonarmies to sit idle. It didn't take a legend to tell their commanders that taking this Tower was going to be costly.

"Time is in our favor," stated the Dark Lady before she left. "Our spies tell us the knights have received little help from Palanthas. We've cut off their supplies from Vingaard Keep to the east. Let them sit in their Tower and starve. Sooner or later their impatience and their stomachs will cause them to make a mistake. When they do, we will be ready."

"We could take it with a flight of dragons;" muttered a young commander. His name was Bakaris, and his bravery in battle and his handsome face had done much to advance him in the Dark Lady's favor. She eyed him speculatively, however, as she prepared to mount her blue dragon. Skie.

"Perhaps not;" she said coolly. "You've heard the reports of the discovery of the ancient weapon-the dragonlance?"

"Bah'. Children's stories!" The young commander laughed as he assisted her onto Skies back. The blue dragon stood glaring at the handsome commander with fierce, fiery eyes.

"Never discount children's stogies," the Dark Lady said, "for these were the same tales that were told of dragons: She shrugged. "Do not worry, my pet. If my mission to capture the Green Gemstone Man is successful, we will not need to attack the Tower, for its destruction will be assured. If not, perhaps I will bring you that flight of dragons you ask for."

With that, the giant blue lifted his wings and sailed off toward the east, heading far a small and wretched town called Flotsam on the Blood Sea of Istar.

And so the dragonarmies waited, warm and comfortable around their fires, while-as the Dark Lady had predicted-the knights in their Tower starved. But far worse than the lack of food was the bitter dissension within their own ranks.

The young knights under Sturm Brightblade's command had grown to revere their disgraced leader during the hard months that followed their departure from Sancrist. Although melancholy and often aloof, Sturm's honesty and integrity won him his mens respect and admiration. It was a costly victory, caus'ng Sturm a great deal of suffering at Derek's hands. A less noble man might have turned a blind eye to Derek's political maneuvers,or at least kept his mouth shut (as did Lord Alfred), but Sturm spoke out against Derek constantly-even though he knew it worsened his own cause with the powerful knight.