7

Unexpected help.

‘And that’s our story,’ said Tanis simply.

Apoletta had listened attentively to him, her green eyes intent upon his face. She had not interrupted. When he was finished, she remained silent. Resting her arms on the side of the steps leading into the still water, she seemed lost in thought. Tanis did not disturb her. The feeling of peace and serenity present beneath the sea soothed and comforted him. The thought of returning to the harsh, glaring world of sunlight and blaring noise seemed suddenly frightening. How easy it would be to ignore everything and stay here, beneath the sea, hidden forever in this silent world.

‘What about him?’ she asked finally, nodding her head at Berem.

Tanis came back to reality with a sigh.

‘I don’t know,’ he said, shrugging, glancing at Berem. The man was staring into the darkness of the cavern. His lips were moving, as if repeating a chant over and over.

‘He is the key, according to the Queen of Darkness. Find him, she said, and victory is hers.’

‘Well,’ Apoletta said abruptly, ‘you’ve got him. Does that make victory yours?’

Tanis blinked. The question caught him by surprise. Scratching his beard, he pondered. It was something that had not occurred to him.

‘True . . . we have got him,’ he murmured, ‘but what do we do with him? What is there about him that grants victory—to either side?’

‘Doesn’t he know?’

‘He claims he doesn’t.’

Apoletta regarded Berem, frowning. ‘I would say he was lying,’ she said after a moment, ‘but then he is human, and I know little of the strange workings of the human mind. There is a way you can find out, however. Journey to the Temple of the Dark Queen at Neraka.’

‘Neraka!’ repeated Tanis, startled. ‘But that’s—’ He was interrupted by a cry of such wild fear and terror that he nearly leaped into the water. His hand went to his empty scabbard. With a curse, he whirled around expecting nothing less than a horde of dragons.

There was only Berem, staring at him with wide eyes.

‘What is it, Berem?’ Tanis asked irritably. ‘Did you see something?’

‘He didn’t see anything, Half-Elf,’ Apoletta said, studying Berem with interest. ‘He reacted that way when I said Neraka—’

‘Neraka!’ Berem repeated, shaking his head wildly. ‘Evil! Great evil! No . . . no . . .’

‘That’s where you came from,’ Tanis told him, stepping nearer.

Berem shook his head firmly.

‘But you told me—’

‘A mistake!’ Berem muttered. ‘I didn’t mean Neraka. I m— meant. . . Takar . . . Takar! That’s what I meant. . .’

‘You meant Neraka. You know the Dark Queen has her great Temple there, in Neraka!’ Apoletta said sternly.

‘Does she?’ Berem looked directly at her, his blue eyes wide and innocent. ‘The Dark Queen, a Temple in Neraka? No, there’s nothing there but a small village. My village . . .’ Suddenly he grasped his stomach and doubled over, as if in pain. ‘I don’t feel good. Leave me alone—’ he mumbled like a child and slumped to the marble floor near the edge of the water. Sitting there, clutching his stomach, he stared into the darkness.

‘Berem!’ said Tanis in exasperation.

‘Don’t feel good . . .’ Berem muttered sullenly.

‘How old did you say he was?’ Apoletta asked.

‘Over three hundred years, or so he claims’ Tanis said in disgust. ‘If you believe only half of what he says, that cuts it down to one hundred and fifty, which doesn’t seem too plausible either, not for a human.’

‘You know,’ replied Apoletta thoughtfully, ‘the Queen’s Temple at Neraka is a mystery to us. It appeared suddenly, after the Cataclysm, so far as we have been able to determine. Now we find this man who would trace his own history to that same time and place.’

‘It is strange . . .’ said Tanis, glancing again at Berem.

‘Yes. It may be nothing more than coincidence, but follow coincidence far enough and you’ll find it tied to fate, so my husband says.’ Apoletta smiled.

‘Coincidence or not, I don’t see myself walking into the Temple of the Queen of Darkness and asking why she’s searching the world for a man with a green gemstone buried in his chest,’ Tanis said wryly, sitting down near the water’s edge again.

‘I suppose not,’ Apoletta admitted. ‘It’s hard to believe though, from what you say, that she has grown so powerful. What have the good dragons been doing all this time?’

‘Good dragons!’ Tanis repeated, astounded. ‘What good dragons?’

Now it was Apoletta’s turn to look amazed. ‘Why, the good dragons. The silver dragons and gold dragons. Bronze dragons. And the dragonlances. Surely the silver dragons gave you those that were in their keeping . . .’

‘I never heard of silver dragons,’ Tanis replied, ‘except in some old song about Huma. The same with dragonlances. We’ve been searching for them so long without a trace, I was beginning to believe they didn’t exist except in children’s stories.’

‘I don’t like this.’ Apoletta rested her chin on her hands, her face drawn and pale. ‘Something’s wrong. Where are the good dragons? Why aren’t they fighting? At first I discounted rumors of the sea dragons’ return, for I knew the good dragons would never permit it. But if the good dragons have disappeared, as I must believe from talking with you, Half-Elf, then I fear my people truly are in danger.’ She lifted her head, listening. ‘Ah, good, here comes my husband with the rest of your friends.’ She pushed away from the edge. ‘He and I can go back to my people and discuss what we must do—’

‘Wait!’ Tanis said, hearing footsteps coming down the marble stairs. ‘You’ve got to show us the way out! We can’t stay here!’

‘But I don’t know the way out,’ Apoletta said, her hands making circles in the water as she kept herself afloat. ‘Neither does Zebulah. It was never our concern.’

‘We could wander through these ruins for weeks!’ Tanis cried. ‘Or maybe forever! You’re not certain people do escape from this place, are you? Maybe they just die!’

‘As I said,’ Apoletta repeated coldly, ‘it was never our concern.’

‘Well, make it your concern!’ Tanis shouted. His voice echoed back eerily across the water. Berem looked up at him and shrank away in alarm. Apoletta’s eyes narrowed in anger. Tanis drew in a deep breath, then bit his lip, suddenly ashamed.

‘I’m sorry—’ he began, but then Goldmoon came up to him, placing her hand on his arm.

‘Tanis? What is it?’ she asked.

‘Nothing that can be helped.’ Sighing, he glanced past her. ‘Did you find Caramon and Tika? Are they all right?’

‘Yes, we found them,’ Goldmoon answered, her gaze following Tanis’s. Together they watched the two come slowly down the stairs behind Riverwind and Zebulah. Tika was staring around in wonder. Caramon, Tanis noticed, kept his eyes focused straight ahead. Seeing the man’s face, Tanis looked back at Goldmoon.

‘You didn’t answer my second question?’ he said softly.

‘Tika’s all right,’ Goldmoon answered. ‘As for Caramon—’ She shook her head.

Tanis looked back at Caramon and could barely restrain an exclamation of dismay. He would not have recognized the jovial, good-natured warrior in this man with the grim, tearstreaked face, the haunted, shadowed eyes.

Seeing Tanis’s shocked look, Tika drew near Caramon and slipped her hand through his arm. At her touch, the warrior seemed to awaken from his dark thoughts. He smiled down at her. But there was something in Caramon’s smile—a gentleness, a sorrow—that had never been there before.

Tanis sighed again. More problems. If the ancient gods had returned, what were they trying to do to them? See how heavy the burden could get before they collapsed beneath it? Did they find this amusing? Trapped beneath the sea . . . Why not just give up? Why not just stay down here? Why bother searching for a way out? Stay down here and forget everything. Forget the dragons . . . forget Raistlin . . . forget Laurana . . . Kitiara. . . .

‘Tanis . . .’ Goldmoon shook him gently.

They were all standing around him now. Waiting for him to tell them what to do.

Clearing his throat, he started to speak. His voice cracked and he coughed. ‘You needn’t look at me!’ he said finally, harshly. ‘I don’t have any answers. We’re trapped, apparently. There’s no way out.’

Still they watched him, with no dimming of the faith and trust in their eyes. Tanis glared at them angrily. ‘Quit looking at me to lead you! I betrayed you! Don’t you realize that! It’s my fault. Everything’s my fault! Find someone else—’

Turning to hide tears he could not stop, Tanis stared out across the dark water, wrestling with himself to regain control. He did not realize, until she spoke, that Apoletta had been watching him.

‘Perhaps I can help you, after all,’ the sea elf said slowly.

‘Apoletta, what are you saying?’ Zebulah said fearfully, hurrying to the edge of the water. ‘Consider—’

‘I have considered,’ Apoletta replied. ‘The half-elf said we should be concerned about what happens in the world. He is right. The same thing could happen to us that happened to our Silvanesti cousins. They renounced the world and allowed dark and evil things to creep into their land. We have been warned in time. We can still fight the evil. Your coming here may have saved us, Half-Elf,’ she said earnestly. ‘We owe you something in return.’

‘Help us get back to our world,’ Tanis said.

Apoletta nodded gravely. ‘I will do so. Where would you go?’

Sighing, Tanis shook his head. He couldn’t think. ‘I suppose one place is as good as another,’ he said wearily.

‘Palanthas,’ Caramon said suddenly. His deep voice echoed across the still water.

The others glanced at him in uncomfortable silence. Riverwind frowned darkly.

‘No,’ said Apoletta, swimming to the edge once more, ‘I cannot take you to Palanthas. Our borders extend only as far as Kalaman. Beyond that, we dare not venture. Especially if what you say is true, for beyond Kalaman lies the ancient home of the sea dragons.’

Tanis wiped his eyes and nose, then turned back around to face his friends. ‘Well? Any more suggestions?’

They were silent, watching him. Then Goldmoon stepped forward.

‘Shall I tell you a story, Half-Elf?’ she said, resting her gentle hand upon his arm. ‘A story of a woman and man, lost and alone and frightened. Bearing a great burden, they came to an inn. The woman sang a song, a blue crystal staff performed a miracle, and a mob attacked them. One man stood up. One man took charge. One man—a stranger—said, ‘We’ll go out through the kitchen.’ She smiled. ‘Do you remember, Tanis?’

‘I remember,’ he whispered, caught and held by her beautiful, sweet expression.

‘We’re waiting, Tanis,’ she said simply.

Tears dimmed his vision again. Tanis blinked rapidly, then glanced around. Riverwind’s stern face was relaxed. Smiling a half-smile, he laid his hand on Tanis’s arm. Caramon hesitated a moment, then—striding forward—embraced Tanis in one of his bear-like hugs.

‘Take us to Kalaman,’ Tanis told Apoletta when he could breathe again. ‘It’s where we were headed anyway.’

The companions slept at the edge of the water, getting what rest they could before the journey, which Apoletta told them would be long and strenuous.

‘How will we travel? By boat?’ Tanis asked, watching as Zebulah stripped off his red robes and dove into the water.

Apoletta glanced at her husband, treading water easily beside her. ‘You will swim,’ she said. ‘Didn’t you wonder how we brought you down here? Our magic arts, and those of my husband, will give you the ability to breathe water as easily as you now breathe air.’

‘You’re going to turn us into fish?’ Caramon asked, horrified.

‘I suppose you could look at it that way,’ Apoletta replied. ‘We will come for you at the ebb tide.’

Tika clasped Caramon’s hand. He held onto her tightly, and Tanis, seeing them share a secret look between them, suddenly felt his burden lighten. Whatever turmoil surged in Caramon’s soul, he had found a strong anchor to keep him from being swept out into dark waters.

‘We’ll never forget this beautiful place,’ Tika said softly.

Apoletta only smiled.