The Magic Of Krynn (25 page)

We were all grateful when, on the morning of the fourth day, the sun rose behind the
distant silhouette of Icewall Castle, shining upon the jagged promontory of Icewall.
Before the Cataclysm, the castle, made of stone, stood upon a rocky island in the seas
south of Tarsis. But the Cataclysm turned those seas to ice and snow, as well as the
island below the castle, creating Icewall. Wordlessly, our pace quickened, each of us
heartened by the sight. Soon I would

be free of the strangers . . . Within a few hours we stood at the base of Icewall. Forty

or so paces to our right, icy remnants of a stairway snaked up the cliff face as far as
the eye could see. Perched on the top of Icewall was our goal, Icewall Castle.

“That's it-the mighty Icewall Castle?” the kender's high-pitched voice screeched loudly in
the chill air. Terrified, I tried to clap a hand to his mouth, but I was too late. “Why,
it's nothing but a big block of ice, not nearly as attractive as other castles I've seen!”
he shouted.

As I had feared, a slow groaning sound shook Ice-wall, sending a snowy avalanche
thundering down toward us. “Run!” I shrieked. Pumping as fast as my legs and deep

snow would allow, I could only hope that the others followed my lead. When Icewall finally
quieted down, only the kender, to his own delight, had been swallowed by snow up to his
neck.

“Oh, my, did I cause that?” he asked innocently as Sturm plucked him out by the armpits.
“Look!” he gasped abruptly. “The avalanche opened up a cave or something!” He pointed
skyward to a dark, shadowy spot halfway up the face of Icewall. “It must be a shortcut
into the castle-I'm sure of it! And I found it,” he added proudly.

Derek's face twisted into a grim smile. “That's precisely why we should avoid it. To say
nothing of the fact that it's foolish to climb toward a dark spot that may or may not be a
cave opening-which may or may not lead into the castle.” His eyes narrowed as he leaned
menacingly toward the kender. “And suppose it is an opening-who do YOU suppose made it?”

“I'm sure I don't know,” said the kender, shrugging. His eyes lit up. “But it would be
interesting to find out.”

Derek snorted. “'Interesting' isn't a word I would use to describe whatever's guarding a
powerful artifact such as this orb!”

Laurana's brow creased with concern. “I hadn't even considered that!” she said, looking
chagrined. “I assumed that since it was stuck out here on the glacier, Icewall Castle
would be deserted. But Derek's probably right. Raggart, you know this area better than any
of us. What do you think? Is there likely to be someone or something inside the castle?”

I hesitated for a moment to determine what I DID think. I did not wish to alarm her
unnecessarily, but she had to

know the truth. "There have been reports of a white dragon coming and

going from the castle,“ I told her reluctantly. ”Any number of other creatures may have
taken up residence-you have already met the minotaurs."

“I don't know why I did not think of that before!” She sighed, then squinted up at the icy
cliff. “What route should we take?”

I followed her gaze. “I believe the kender is right- that is a cave opening which may lead
into the castle. Though we don't know what awaits us inside, we chance the same thing
climbing to the top, with half the risk of being spotted from above. Whatever you decide,
the climb would be safer if we rope ourselves together.”

“The old barbarian doesn't know what he's saying,” Derek scoffed, “though his idea about
the rope seems reasonable enough. Let's waste no more time-an orb awaits us above!” He
tied a length of rope to his waist and held the end to Sturm. “Come, Brightblade, link
yourself to me and we'll find the base of that stairway!”

Sturm's brows lifted in question. “Laurana?”

“Raggart is our guide,” she said confidently. “We'll climb to the opening.”

Suddenly her expression changed to fear. Like a curtain falling, we were engulfed in
shadows. Startled, I followed her gaze. There, high above Icewall, I saw the massive
underbelly of a white dragon as it soared from the castle's balustrade.

“Get down!” I hissed. Thankfully, everyone dropped to his stomach without question, even
the kender. They knew, as did I, what would happen if the dragon spotted us. I shuddered
at the thought and prayed that with our light- colored furs, we blended in with the snow.

Without a backward glance, the dragon sped away in the direction we'd just come, pulling
its massive shadow along. A sudden fear knotted my stomach. When the dragon was a mere dot
in the distant horizon, I stood up and, turning, started heading back.

“Wait, Raggart! Where are you going?” Laurana shouted, stumbling after me to catch hold of
my arm.

“Now we know that the reports about a dragon are true. Given its general direction, I'm
afraid it's headed for my village. I have to go back immediately!”

Laurana looked sympathetic, but she shook her head. “We cannot abandon our search for the
orb, especially when we're this close to it,” she said.

“What is this dragon orb? How can it be more important than the lives of my kinsman?” I
demanded.

“I understand your concern,” Laurana said, “but a lone dragon would scarcely attack an
entire village. And IF it wanted to, it would have long before this. Think, Raggart,” she
commanded, grasping my shoulder. “Even if we left immediately, we would reach your village
days behind the creature, too late to help anyone. Then we would neither save your village
nor retrieve the orb.”

“Then what about our lives? Are they worth nothing?” I shouted. “The presence of the
dragon convinces me that Icewall Castle is far more dangerous than any of us imagined.”
Even to my own ears, I sounded like a frightened old man. That only made me angrier. “I am
not an old coward, but neither am I a young fool!”

“Of course you're not!” Laurana's eyes glittered brilliantly. “The orb we seek has the
power to control dragons. Though you may not understand or believe me, Raggart, more
people will suffer if we do not find it before someone who would use it for evil gains.”

Laurana grasped my hand. “I know Harald instructed you to watch-I mean guide us, but I
would not blame you if you chose to return without us.” Her voice picked up momentum.
“But, Raggart, time is of the essence if we are to save our friends-save Krynn. We-/need
your help. Will you continue on with us?”

Derek snorted with disgust and began looking for footholds in the icy cliff face.

I was momentarily torn with indecision. Though her words had convinced me my fears were
largely unfounded, I still hesitated. In the end, I decided to continue with them for
three reasons: for good or bad, I needed to know the truth about Elistan; Laurana wanted
me to go; and Derek did not.

I did not like the thought that my life in any way de pended on Derek, but lashed to him
as I was, it did. After me came Laurana, then Elistan, then Tas; Sturm pulled up our rear.
Though Derek had complained heartily on the glacier, he took too much pride in his
physical strength to give in to the exhaustion that plagued us all on the back-breaking
climb up Icewall. His tenacity may well have saved our lives more than once. Whenever I
faltered or lost my footing, Derek's hand was there to pull me to safer ground.

The cliff face provided even less protection from the elements

than the open glacier. Forced to look up to find our way, our faces were exposed to icy,
blistering winds that blasted flesh till it was raw. Fingers permanently bent, my arms
ached from the strain, my toes throbbed from struggling to find new footholds. Even my
jaws hurt from being clenched too long.

But as much as I suffered, at least I was used to the cold. I knew the rest must feel it
tenfold. Behind me, Laurana struggled to swallow involuntary whimpers of pain. Below her,
Elistan wheezed until I thought his lungs would burst.

“I don't mean to complain,” I heard the kender say wearily, “but is anyone else tired? I'm
all for adventures, and I know we have to find the orb, but I haven't been this exhausted
since that time with the woolly mammoth. I HAVE told you about that, haven't I?”

“Yes, Tas, we've all heard it,” was Sturm's patient reply. “Save your energy for climbing
now.”

“I'm quite sure Raggart hasn't heard it,” Tas said a bit petulantly, “but perhaps you're
right,” he added, gasping for breath.

Hours, seeming more like days, passed as we slowly made our way up the glassy crags of
Icewall. Behind me, the cleric, Elistan, sighed loudly. Though I was still suspicious of
him, he seemed a kind enough man, not at all inclined to jokes or tricks. What had I-what
had Knugs for generations-expected? Since I seldom left the village anymore, let alone the
glacier, just where was I expecting to find this messenger from the gods if not on the
glacier?

“Aren't we nearly there?” Tas spoke the words everyone else longed to ask. “I feel as
though we've climbed to the top and back down again!”

“It 7's getting near sunset,” Laurana pointed out. “Perhaps we should stop.”

I, too, had noticed our lengthening shadows upon the cliff face. Soon the moons would rise.

“If we're not likely to reach that opening soon,” Sturm called up to us, “I say we find a
ledge on which to spend the night and rest.”

“For once I agree with Brightblade,” Derek said, finally giving in to the strain. Wiping
his brow with his fur-covered arm, he stopped climbing, prompting everyone else to do the
same.

We'd used up all the peat crossing the glacier. The thought of a night spent clinging to
this frigid mountain, the wind whistling louder than Harald's snoring, did nothing to
raise my spirits. I squinted up Icewall past Derek. Though twilight turned every icy crag
dark, one not very far off was larger and blacker than all the

rest. I cleared my throat, for I had not spoken since we started our

climb that morning. “I think we're almost there. Look,” I said, pointing to what I
believed to be the cave opening.

“You're just saying that because I suggested we stop!” Derek barked without looking up,
exhaustion making him even more churlish.

“You know, Derek,” Tasslehoff said shrilly, “people would be more inclined to listen to
you if you were pleasant, like Laurana or Sturm-”

“Not now,” Sturm warned the kender in a low tone.

“I'm sure Derek appreciates being told this,” Tasslehoff continued, unperturbed. “Flint
once called me a thief. It was all a terrible misunderstanding, of course, something about
a bracelet. Anyway, he explained to me that people might mistake my motives, you know,
think I'm a thief when I'm really just protecting their interests. Now I know not to take
it personally. Derek understands what I mean,” the kender finished confidently.

“NOT NOW, TASI” Sturm hissed, eyeing Derek's purple face, noting his clenched fists.

“Yes . . . well. . .” Laurana coughed uncomfortably, perhaps swallowing a laugh. “I think
we'd better hurry if we intend to continue.”

Derek's hands slowly unclenched as he struggled for control. With a grim glance at the
oblivious kender, he turned and squinted into the growing darkness, then continued up the
cliff face, practically jerking the rest of us along in his wake.

Fortunately, we hadn't far to go.

“Well, what do you know?” Derek breathed up ahead of me. Scrambling over a jagged crag, he
disappeared from sight. Frowning, I forced my reluctant muscles to move faster. When I
reached the spot where I'd last seen him, I stopped and caught my breath.

We'd found the cave.

And it was beyond all imaginings. Walls, ceiling, and floor were made of ice smooth as
glass. Though the cave should have been pitch-black, a rainbow of muted colors glowed from
inside the glassy surfaces, colors I'd never seen in my whole life danced on the bleak,
black-and-whiteness of the glacier. I stood rooted to the spot.

“Raggart, what is it?” Laurana pushed past me to climb onto the ledge. “Oh, my!” she
gasped. “It's beautiful!”

“It's also magical,” Elistan said uneasily, as we helped him onto

the ledge. Tas and Sturm followed. “And of the Black Robes, I believe.”

“What does that mean?” the Render asked.

“I'm afraid it means we're probably not alone up here,” Sturm said grimly. “Someone
possessed of very powerful-and evil- magic created this effect.”

“I know some very powerful magic-users,” Tas chimed in. “There's Raistlin-have you heard
of him?” he asked me, not waiting for an answer. “Then there's Fizban, although he's not
very powerful,” the kender's brow wrinkled, “or alive for that matter.”

Derek glanced at Tasslehoff as he would an irritating fly. “We can't afford to rest here,
then,” he said decisively. 'This could be that dragon's lair, for all we know!"

“I don't think so, Derek, this cave's too small. Besides, we're exhausted!” Laurana said
wearily. “What good will we be if we're too tired to defend ourselves should the need
arise?”

But I was scarcely aware of their debate. Inside my head a question went round and round,
louder with each revolution. Elistan had not indicated that he was a magic-user. Though I
knew what the answer would be, I had to ask my question aloud.

“How does he know the effect is magical?” I asked, pointing to the old man.

Laurana shrugged, unconcerned. “Elistan is a true cleric of Paladine. His god has told him
that this place is created by magic.” She turned to Elistan. “Do you think it's safe to
rest here for a while?”

I looked into the calm, though weary face of one who claimed to be a true cleric. I saw
his love for Laurana-for everyone-and I began to dare to believe.

“I think it safe to rest for a few moments, but then I think we should press on, as Derek
suggests,” Elistan said diplomatically.

Derek snorted derisively at his partial victory. Refusing the walrus blubber I offered
him, he began to pace about the cave. Laurana, on the other hand, calmly laid down a skin
and curled up like a kitten to nap in what precious time there was.