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."Flint could no longer dismiss the evidence.He sat and held his head in his hands."Now what do I do? It was bad enough when I thought I had lost an ordinary bracelet.But if this thing can do what you say it can, Selana is going to be even more upset about its loss.""A woman, you say?" Gaesil asked."An odd-looking woman with pale skin and incredible blue-green eyes stopped by the booth yesterday looking for you.She seemed perturbed when I told her you were gone.""Oh, gods, that's her!" Flint moaned, tearing at the wisps of his graying hair."I've just got to get that bracelet back before she finds me!" He whirled on Gaesil."Did she say where she was staying? If she'd come back? Did she seem angry?""Never mind her," Tanis said."How do you propose to find the bracelet when it was stolen by someone we can't begin to trace, or even identify?""I'm sure it was the bard," Gaesil said firmly."And I'm afraid I brought it upon myself." Face glowing in embarrassment, the tinker recounted what he could of his conversation with the storyteller, including a description."How hard can it be to find someone named Delbridge Fidington?" wondered Tasslehoff."Near to impossible," moaned Flint, "if we don't know which direction he went.Besides, a weird name like thatmust be an alias." The dwarf paced to and fro in the cramped interior, his heavy footfalls shaking the wagon and rattling the pans and tools hanging on the walls."I might have a vague idea what direction he went," said Gaesil.All eyes turned toward him, and he continued."Before I mentioned the bracelet to him, he spoke to me about how hard it was finding steady work as a bard.Then he said he was headed north, looking for someplace where he didn't have to perform for low-paying 'riffraff'.""That settles that," announced Flint."We're heading north.And when I catch that thieving rascal, I'll rattle his head right off his shoulders."Tanis grabbed the dwarf by the arm before he could bound through the door."We can't just charge off like this.Do you even know where you're going or how to get there?""I'm going north," the dwarf blustered, "and I'll get there by putting one boot in front of the other, not by sitting here."Tanis tried to reason with his friend."This trip will take several days, Flint, maybe longer.We can't just charge off like this.We've been walking all night, we haven't eaten, and we have no supplies of any kind."Flint slammed his fist into the doorjamb of the wagon."I can't just sit idle, Tanis.This was important before, and it's doubly so now that we know there's sorcery involved." He closed his eyes and shuddered at the thought-dwarves had an innate distrust of all things magical."Mind you," he said, looking out of the corner of his eyes, "I have a few choice words for any customer who just happens to forget to mention such things."He set his jaw firmly, his expression resigned."Still, I'm a man of my word.If this mysterious woman comes back and I haven't got the bracelet, her components, or even the money she advanced me, even a kender," he said with a glance toward a glowering Tasslehoff, "could see there'll be dishonor to my name.Now what do you propose I do?"Tanis stood up, twisting his body forward slightly in the low-ceilinged wagon."We'll go home, get a few hours' sleep, pick up food and clothing, and then start.""No, we can't delay," the gruff dwarf said with a shake of his shaggy gray head."I'll grant you we need supplies, but then we'll set out again immediately."Now Tanis objected."Flint, I'm exhausted! It's been a long night."Flint pinched the tender flesh on Tanis's upper arm."You've grown soft over winter," he chided his young friend."Stay home and get your beauty sleep if you must," he said."I'll be gone, however, before the morning sun crests the trees, with or without you."Sighing, the half-elf adjusted his feathered headband, retying the leather thongs behind his head."All right," he sighed, knowing full well he would never change the stubborn old adventurer's mind."We'll do it your way.""Fine." Flint's head bobbed once in satisfaction."Get what you need and be at my house in twenty minutes."With that, the short and tall figures scrambled out of the wagon and set off down the muddy lane at a trot.Tasslehoff, still busy applying layer after layer of bandages to Gaesil's sore head, glanced impatiently around the wagon, looking for something with which to secure the cloth.Seeing nothing within reach, he finally snatched Gaesil's hand and slapped it onto the carefully folded wad of cloth covering his laceration."Hold that here," Tas instructed briskly, then he leaped to his feet and sprang out the door after the rapidly disappearing companions."But wait!" cried Gaesil, reaching lamely after the kender."What about me?" His voice trailed off, and then he was alone, except for Bella, who was mewling for her breakfast.Tasslehoff caught up with Flint and Tanis about fifty yards down the road."Boy, this is exciting," he chirped.A chase! What fun!"Flint stopped dead in the road."What makes you think you're coming? I didn't invite you, and I don't want you tagging along, so get lost."But the tenacious kender had no intention of staying behind."You need me.I have the maps of the north-I think."Flint looked to Tanis for support, but found none."If he's got maps, he could be a big help, Flint," said the half-elf."It was looking at his maps that got us into this trouble in the first place." The exasperated dwarf flung his arms in the air."But fine, let him come.Let's invite everyone we meet.By the time we get to wherever we're going, we'll have a whole army.We can lay siege to the town.But let's do it now!" he shouted as he resumed his charge down the road.Two steps later, Flint stopped again."Wait a minute! What are we doing? I can't go home." A look of panic crossed his face."If Selana's in town somewhere, she'll undoubtedly come by my house looking for me.I know it might sound cowardly, but I can't face her without the bracelet!" He looked sheepish."I just want a chance to set things right first.You'll have to fetch my things, Tanis.""But what if she sees me?" he objected [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]