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not. This is what I was going to tell you about earlier. It is the thing I
found outside a hut in the fishing village. There were footprints leading up
to it and away from it, going into the ruins near some shadows. Someone
else came here not long before us, and that person had the same idea we
did, taking an old magical relic like ours to keep away the shadow wights.
Only this person was not smart enough to keep the relic on him at all
times.
I looked long at the dragonlance head. A small shiver ran through me.
We will not make that mistake, I said sincerely.
I agree, he replied. It is a shame about the fellow who had this one.
Judging from the size of the footprints, I believe he may have been a
gnome.
Day 14, late morning
Awakening and breakfast were conducted without discussion. Hunter
eventually revealed his find to the others, who found it very odd that
someone with a dragonlance necklace remarkably like ours had been in
the area before. We decided it must have been the gnome who had stowed
away on our deepswimmer. His fate could not have been a pleasant one,
we agreed. Dromel then cleared his throat.
I am not sure it would be . . . He broke off in a fit of coughing before
continuing. I was saying, I am not sure we should go back to the . . . um .
. .
No, said Twig suddenly. She brushed hair from her face, looking
Dromel in the eye. I think we should. We should go back. Her voice was
clear and calm. We stared at her in amazement.
Your leg, said Hunter, pointing.
Twig shifted and stretched her legs out experimentally. She grimaced
but shrugged it off. I m fine now, really. I don t think I could stand to be
stuck in here while you were out exploring and having fun. We ll just. . .
stay out of dark places.
Until that moment, I had not believed kender were worth the spit from
a gully dwarf. I looked at her rather differently now. She talked like a
warrior.
There is a stone manor house, I said. It s on a hill
What? Dromel s earlier anxiety faded a bit. What did it look like?
Two stories high, with a central tower, said Hunter. It is about a
mile beyond the far side of the town. He smiled. Isn t that what we re
looking for?
Dromel swallowed and nodded. I. . . yes, of course. Of course, that s
Lord Dwerlen s manor. We would find wealth enough for us all there. We
should go back then, you know. We would be fools to come this far and
not to get his money.
Perhaps it was his stuttering or the trembling of his hands that told me
he was holding back.
Who was this Lord Dwerlen? I asked, leaning close to him. You
haven t told us about him. I want to know.
L-Lord Dwerlen was just a. . . a tax collector or something for
I had my right hand around his throat in a second. Don t lie to me,
damn you!
Red! Twig screamed. Don t hurt him!
Tell me the truth, I whispered in Dromel s face. Who was Lord
Dwerlen? Why have you been so determined to find his place?
H-H-H-He was . . . a c-cartographer! Dromel gasped, turning red. I
w-wanted m-m-maps!
I released his throat. He fell back, inhaling hoarsely. A mapmaker, I
repeated. You talked us into coming here for a bunch of maps?
Dromel hesitated, then nodded, watching me with wide eyes. He was
rich, he wheezed. He had every sort of map known. He retired to Enstar
from the mainland decades ago, before the Chaos War.
I leaned away from him, relaxing. This sounded like the truth, more or
less not that I still wasn t thinking about killing him.
So there s no treasure there, no coins or jewels, only maps, I said.
No, that isn t it! Dromel fairly shouted. No, 1 think there is treasure
there, tons of it, but as for me, what I really want is the maps. I ve got to
have the maps! He took a shuddering breath. The rest of you can divide
what iron pieces we bring out, but I want the maps. Please.
Well, I like maps, too, said Twig. How about if
You can have the maps, Dromel, I interrupted.
Hey! Twig fairly shouted.
Shut up, I said, still looking at Dromel. But I want to know why you
want those maps, and not just half the story.
Dromel swallowed. I like maps, he said.
I knew there was more to it, but I decided to be patient. Soon enough I
would see the maps for myself. I already had a fair idea of what he had in
mind. Fine. So they re yours. The rest is ours to divide, but there had
better be plenty of treasure there, as you ve said all along.
We may have to go indoors, said Hunter softly. It may be dark in
there. There may be more shadow wights around.
Twig shuddered violently. She wrapped her arms around her as if for
warmth. We have the relics, she said softly, but we should not go
indoors unless we can t help it. I m still here and breathing, so the things
obviously work, just as you said they would, right? We can go where we
want if we have to, just not for long.
She was getting braver by the minute. She was a warrior after all.
Is anyone good at locks? said Dromel, rubbing his throat carefully,
avoiding any looks at me. I figure we ll need to get through some doors
to reach whatever his lordship had for a vault.
Hunter wore an enigmatic smile. I am. He held up a dragonlance
spearhead. I can use the tip of this if necessary.
We left the deepswimmer within the hour. I must finish this entry, as
we have finished our rest break outside Dwerlen s stone manor and are
preparing to enter. The weather has held for us so far on our trip, and the
sky is clear. No clouds, no shadow wights. It is close to noon. My next
entry will either find us triumphant or doomed. I wish I knew the outcome,
but I do not.
Day 14, evening
We have built a great fire. We are burning everything in the town we
can find. There is no time to get back to the deepswimmer before the sun
is gone. No time to
Day 15, evening
My hand is not as steady as it once was. It feels like it has been a year
since I last opened this diary. I barely remember what I wrote only a day
ago. My memory is riddled with fog.
Twig and Dromel are sleeping, their lips stained green from chewing
painkiller herb. The dark red hair across my right arm, between my wrist
and elbow, has turned silver-white in a splash shape. I feel nothing there;
all sensation has been lost, as if the nerves were sliced through. The
fingers on my great right hand tremble, and my handwriting is like a dying
elder s.
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