Dragonlance Preludes 1 vol 2 - Kendermore, e-books, e-książki, ksiązki, , .-y
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Mary Kirchoff. Kendermore---------------------------------------------------------------("Dragonlance Preludes I" #2).---------------------------------------------------------------To Steve, who helped me immensely and without complaint andexhibited considerably more patience than I might have managed if theroles were reversed.And to Alexander, the light of my life, who, despite seeing meonly at dinner for months on end, still remembered to call me Mommy.***Kendermoreby Mary KirchoffLate afternoon was a peaceful time at the Inn of the Last Homein the village of Solace. Three friends sat at their favorite tablenear the inn's fireplace, making plans."Where do you think you'll go first, Tas?" The speaker was TanisHalf-Elven, who relaxed with his chin cupped in his an and his elbowpropped on the dark, oak table.Across the table from Tanis sat his kender friend, TasslehoffBurrfoot. Next to Tasslehoff was the burly dwarf, Flint Fireforge.The smell of smoke hovered about the kender's nose. It clung toall forty-eight inches of his childlike frame, from the toes of hisblue leggings to the very tip of his topknot of ginger-colored hair.The familiar scent comforted him, for he was just a smidgeon sad; soonhe would be leaving his closest friends for five years, which was avery long time. Their tight-knit group of seven had decided to partand meet again - five years to the day - after they'd learned whatthey could about rumors of war in the land, as well as solve somepersonal problems."I haven't thought much about where I'm going yet," the kendersaid vaguely. "Wherever the wind blows me, I guess." Raising an emptyflagon upside-down, Tasslehoff threw his head back and waited for thelast dollop of flavorful foam to slide slowly into his waiting mouth.At last, the froth drizzled out with a "plop!"Smacking his lips in satisfaction, he wiped them with the edgeof his fur-trimmed sleeve. Squinting agains't the haze in the dimlylit taproom, he looked at Tanis. "Friends all over Krynn have beenwaiting for my next visit, though!" Tasslehoff pushed his empty mug tothe edge of the table for refilling.Flint's eyes twinkled merrily under his bushy, grayblack brows."I'll bet they've been waiting! And I'll bet they've kept busy, too,working on kender-proof door locks!" Beneath his huge bulb of a noseand wild, peppery moustache, the old dwarf's mouth opened wide withlaughter, setting his fleshy cheeks to jiggling. Even Tanis, ever thepeacemaker, could not help smirking behind his hand."Oh, do you think so, really?" Tasslehoff cried earnestly. As hesmiled, his young face broke into a thousand tiny, spreading creases,like a shattered pane of stained glass. Facial wrinkles were acharacteristic shared by all kender, which made it very difficult toaccurately guess a kender's age. "Most locks nowadays are so flimsy -no protection at all! I don't know how anyone expects to keep anythingsafe anymore.""No one does if kender are about," Flint snorted under hisbreath. He could tell from Tanis's warning glance that the elf's sharpears had caught his words. Tanis liked to defend the kender againstFlint's gratuitous insults, even if Tas was never in the least trulyoffended.Two of Flint's fingers, tightly pressed together, disappearedunder his moplike moustache, and he blew a loud, sharp whistle. Theinn was not busy, so in no time the innkeeper's adopted daughterappeared. She was a rosy-cheeked girl with eager eyes andshort-cropped, dark, curly hair. Though a slight breeze blew throughlarge cracks in the inn's few arched, stained-glass windows - in a fewweeks they would be doubly covered with oiled parchment to keep outthe winter - the weather on this day was unseasonably warm for earlyfall. Flint called it "summer's last dance." Coupled with the heatfrom the ever-present fire in the hearth, the heavy air had pasted thegirl's hair to her forehead and moistened her coarse, graying tunic toher back."Yes, sir?" she inquired eagerly. Her voice carried none of theweariness so common among seasoned serving wenches. In a few years,Flint thought sadly, when the impertinence and unwanted attentions oftoo many men wore her down..."Tika, isn't it?" he asked, and she nodded. Flint smiledencouragingly. "Then, Tika, I need two more -" Tanis quickly drainedthe last of his own mug and pushed it forward. "- make that three moremugs of Otik's fine ale," Flint corrected himself. "On me.""Very good, sir." Tika's willowy form bobbed once, then dartedskillfully through the closely spaced tables to the bar.The Inn of the Last Home was shaped like the letter "L." Theceiling was low, making the room cozy for small groups, thoughsometimes on very busy nights it just seemed cramped. The walls werebuilt of thick, dark beams sealed with a thin mixture of tar, whichgave off a heavy, musky scent that was pleasantly familiar to theinn's regular patrons. Small, round tables filled the room, thoughOtik had also included one long table with benches to encourageconversation among strangers.The kitchen, a noisy, bustling place, was at the foot of the L.The sounds of pans rattling and the cook screaming, and the enticingscent of Otik's renowned spiced potatoes, were not unusual at anyhour.What was unusual was that the inn was built in the mightybranches of a vallenwood tree, a graceful, fastgrowing giant thatseemed to thrive around Solace. In fact, the entire town, except forthe stables and a few other buildings, was all located high aboveground in vallenwood trees. The village was unlike any other -breathtakingly beautiful, yet practical for defense. Bridgewalksspiraled to the ground around the trunks and swayed gently in the airbetween trees, linking together businesses, families, and friends.The three friends seated before the fire seemed lost in thoughtas Tika returned with their drinks. The young girl's eyes lingered onTanis's attractive face - the dark, wide-set, brooding eyes,cheekbones seemingly chiseled from marble, and his thick, wavy, redhair, carelessly uncombed. But when her gaze dropped unconsciously tohis lean, muscled torso, obvious even through his shirt, her handsgrew clumsy and she slopped a bit of ale across the table."Oh, I'm sorry... it must be the heat." she mumbled, jabbing atthe spill with the hem of her apron."No harm done," Tas assured her. "It's really a very smallpuddle. Actually, I'm impressed that you hit the table at all,considering the way you were staring at -""Thank you, Tika," piped Flint, drowning out the rest of thekender's all-too-honest proclamation. Tika flushed crimson and,grateful for the dismissal, dashed into the shadows of the kitchen."Tas, you shouldn't have embarrassed her like that," Flintscolded the kender."Embarrassed who' Whatever do you mean? Oh, Tika!" Tas finallycaught Flint's meaning. "It's not my fault if she fills mugs to thebrim, although" - he shrugged - "personally I like that in a girl."Tas scooped a fingerful of foam from the top of one of the mugs andguided it into his mouth.Flint rolled his eyes in mock disgust. "There's not a bit ofcommon sense in that head of yours sometimes. You shouldn't havepointed out that she was staring at Tanis."Tas looked puzzled "But girls always stare at Tanis. Have youseen some of the looks Kitiara gives him? Why, sometimes I get soembarrassed it's hard to watch! Kit never seems to feel ashamed,though. I wonder why...""Uh-hmmm!" Tanis cleared his throat loudly, his face suddenlyhot. "Would both of you mind not talking about me as if I weren'there?" He frowned sternly, turning to the unabashed kender. "Tas, whatFlint meant was -" Tanis groped for words that might persuade thekender."It doesn't matter," he sighed at last, seeing Tas's attentive,childlike expression, curious yet uncomprehending."So, Tanis," Flint said, striving to change the subject, "youhaven't told us where you're going." Pulling a chunk of wood and hiswhittling knife from the depth of the brown leather vest he insistedon wearing in every type of weather, Flint leaned back and begancarving details into the miniature form of a half-finished duck.Tanis stroked his clean-shaven chin and contemplated the fire'sblue flames. "I don't know... I thought I might wander toward the cityof Qualinost," he said ambiguously, his unblinking eyes burning.Flint looked up and gave Tanis a meaningful stare. Tanis's entryinto the world had been more difficult than most. His mother, an elfwoman raped by a human, had died giving birth to Tanis. The half-breedchild was raised by his mother's brother. Though his uncle treated theboy as one of his own, Tanis never felt truly welcome among humans orelves. And as Tanis grew into manhood, his mixed heritage became evenmore physically apparent; he was smaller than most humans and largerthan most elves.It was then that he felt the attitude of his elven familychange. Everyone except Laurana, that is, whose girlish attentionswere not completely unwanted. Which made the tension between Tanis,his uncle, and his uncle's sons - Laurana's brothers - even moreapparent.So he had left. The void haunted him, and he knew he must facehis uncle - and Laurana - one day. The task was complicated by thefa...
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