Feeling her strength ebb, the dragon decided to return to Ice Wall. She was tired from flying all day, and the arrow wound hurt abominably. True, she would have to report another failure to the Dark Queen, but-as she came to think of it-it wasn't such a failure after all. She had kept the dragon orb from reaching Sancrist, and she had demolished the ship. She knew the location of the orb. The Queen, with her vast network of spies on Ergoth, could easily recover it.
Mollified, the white dragon fluttered south, traveling slowly. By morning she had reached her vast glacier home. Following her report, which was moderately well-received, Sleet was able to slip into her cavern of ice and nurse her injured wing back to health.
"She's gone!" said Gilthanas in astonishment.
"Of course;" said Derek wearily as he helped salvage what supplies they could from wrecked ship. "Her vision cannot match your elfsight. Besides, you hit her once:'
"Laurana's shot, not mine;' Gilthanas said, smiling at his sister, who stood on shore, her bow in her hand.
Derek sniffed doubtfully. Carefully setting down the box he carried, the knight started back out into the water. A figure looming out of the darkness stopped him.
"No use, Derek;" Sturm said. "The ship sank:"
Sturm carried Flint on his back. Seeing Sturm stagger with weariness, Laurana ran back into the water to help him. Between them, they got the dwarf to shore and stretched him on the sand. Out to sea, the sounds of cracking timber had ceased, replaced now by the endless breaking of the waves.
Then there was a splashing sound. Tasslehoff waded ashore after them, his teeth chattering, but his grin as wide as ever. He was followed by the captain, being helped by Elistan.
"What about the bodies of my men?" Derek demanded the moment he saw the captain. "Where are they?"
"We had more important things to carry" Elistan said sternly. "Things needed for the living, such as food and weapons."
"Many another good man has found his final hoarse beneath the waves. Yours won't be the first-nor the last-! suppose, mores the pity," the captain added.
Derek seemed about to speak, but the captain, grief and exhaustion in his eyes, said, "I've left six of my own men there this night, sir. Unlike yours, they were alive when we started this voyage. To say nothing of the fact that my ship and my livelihood lies down there, too. I wouldn't consider adding anything further, if you take my meaning. Sir:'
"I am sorry for your loss, captain;' Derek answered stiffly. "And I commend you and your crew for all you tried to do:"
The captain muttered something and stood looking aimlessly around the beach, as if lost.
"We sent your men north along the shore, captain;" Laurana said, pointing. "There's shelter there, within those trees:"
As if to verify her words, a bright light flared, the light of a huge bonfire.
"Fools!" Derek swore bitterly. "They'll have the dragon back on us:'
"It's either that or catch our deaths of cold;" the captain said bitterly over his shoulder. "Take your choice, sir knight. It matters little to me:" He disappeared into the darkness.
Sturm stretched and groaned, trying to ease chilled, cramped muscles. Flint lay huddled in misery, shaking so the buckles on his armor jangled. Laurana, leaning down to tuck her cloak around him, realized suddenly how cold she was.
In the excitement of trying to escape the ship and fighting the dragon, she had forgotten the chill. She couldn't even remember, in fact, any details of her escape. She remembered reaching the beach, seeing the dragon diving on them. She remembered fumbling for her bow with numb, shaking fingers. She wondered how anyone had presence of mind to save anything
"The dragon orb!" she said fearfully.
"Here, in this chest;' Derek answered. "Along with the lance and that elvish sword you call Wyrmslayer. And now, I suppose, we should take advantage of the fire-"
"I think not:" A strange voice spoke out of the darkness as lighted torches flared around them, blinding them.
The companions started and immediately drew their weapons, gathering around the helpless dwarf. But Laurana, after an instant's fright, peered into the faces in the torchlight.
"Hold!" she cried. "These are our people! These are elves!"
"Silvanesti!" Gilthanas said heartily. Dropping his bow to the ground, he walked forward toward the elf who had spoken.
"We have journeyed long through darkness;' he said in elven, his hands outstretched. "Well met, my broth-"
He never finished his ancient greeting. The leader of the elven party stepped forward and slammed the end of his staff across Gilthanas's face, knocking him to the sand, unconscious.
Sturm and Derek immediately raised their swords, standing back to back. Steel flashed among the elves.
"Stop!" Laurana shouted in elven. Kneeling by her brother, she threw back the hood of her cloak so that the light fell upon her face. "We are your cousins. Qualinesti! These humans are Knights of Solamnia!"
"We know well enough who you are!" The elven leader spit the words, "Qualinesti spies! And we do not find it unusual that you travel in the company of humans. Your blood has long been polluted. Take them;' he said, motioning to his men. "If they don't come peacefully, do what you must. And find out what they mean by this dragon orb they mentioned."'
The elves stepped forward.
"No!" Derek cried, jumping to stand before the chest. "Sturm, they must not have the orb!"
Sturm had already given the Knight's salute to an enemy and was advancing, sword drawn.
"It appears they will fight. So be it;" the leader of the elves said, raising his weapon.
"I tell you, this is madness I" Laurana cried angrily,. She threw herself between the flashing swordblades. The elves halted uncertainly. Sturm grabbed hold of her to drag her back, but she jerked free of his restraining hand.
"Goblins and draconians, in all their hideous evil, do not sink to fighting among themselves"-her voice shook with rage-"while we elves, the ancient embodiment of good, try to kill each other! Look!" She lifted the lid of the chest with one hand and threw it open. "In here we have the hope of the world A dragon orb, taken at great peril from Ice Wall. Our ship lies wrecked in the waters out there. We drove away the dragon that sought to recover this orb. And, after all ibis, we find our greatest peril among our own people! If this is true, if we have sunk so low, then kill us now, and I swear, not one person in this group will try to stop you:'
Sturm, not understanding elven, watched for a moment, then saw the elves lower their weapons. "Well, whatever she said, it seems to have worked:' Reluctantly, he sheathed his weapon. Derek, after a moment's hesitation, lowered his sword, but he did not put it back in its scabbard.
"We will consider your story;" the elven leader began, speaking haltingly in Common. Then he stopped as shouts and cries were heard from down the beach. The companions saw dark shadows converge on the campfire. The elf glanced that direction, waited a moment until all had quieted, then turned back to the group. He looked particularly at Laurana, who was bending over her brother. "We may have acted in haste, but when you have lived here long, you will come to understand:"
"I will never understand this!" Laurana said, tears choking her voice.