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Crepuscule	By : Skullbearer Category: A through F > Dragonlance Views: 2832 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own the book(s) that this fanfiction is written for, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Scarlet Dragon: Thanks.
Scribbles Editor: it's either than or have it from the POV of Tanis Half elven and his merry band of idiots. No thanks. This chapter from Dalamar's POV.
Hally: I love my Dally too... *huggles* But I'm afraid I can't answer your questions without revealing a plot point, so you'll just have to wait.
Different POV this time.
Longer than usual, but then I've got a lot to fit in, even without the Half-elf's moping.
Crepuscule
Chapter four- Of Discoveries
My mother didn't get no flowers
Dad didn't approve of me, do you?
-Northern Soul, The Verve.
There was a cold draft between his shoulder blades. Dalamar groaned and rolled over, tugging the blankets over his head in an effort to get away from the annoying sensation. He tried to go back to sleep but it was too late, he was awake.
Growling to himself, the Dark elf sat up, rubbing his eyes in the dawn light filtering through the tree branched piled by the cave mouth. The only other one awake was Caramon, taking the 'dead man's watch'.
Dalamar pulled his robes on and got up, taking a moment to tuck the blankets around his still-sleeping lover and press a kiss against the mage's white hair. It wasn't often he was the first one awake. Raistlin was almost always the last one to go to sleep and the first one to wake up, but clearly the events of the last night had drained the younger mage more than he had admitted.
Well, no one else was awake and intelligent conversation was non-apparent, he might as well take the time to study his spellbook for today, in the chaos of last night neither of them had the chance to do so.
Something told the Dark elf he would need all the magic he could get today.
It was peaceful, sitting beside the glowing embers of last night's fire and reading, letting the magical sigils burn themselves into his mind as they were burnt into the parchment. Peaceful, that was, until a shadow fell across the page.
Here we go again, Dalamar resigned himself to another round of pointless and groundless accusations.
To his surprise, Caramon looked more awkward than accusing. The big man was shifting from foot to foot and seemed to be able to looked anywhere that wasn't Dalamar.
"Yes?" Honestly, sometimes he couldn't imagine how Raistlin had been able to survive living with this oaf without going stark raving mad.
"Um... I just wanted to say... Thanks... You know, for yesterday." Caramon looked as if just speaking those words was causing him great pain.
Dalamar almost dropped his book into the ashes, first Raistlin accepted his help yesterday and now Caramon had just thanked him! The Abyss clearly /had/ frozen over.
He was glad that his voice betrayed no sign of his shock, staying as calm and cold as always. "You're welcome."
Caramon stood there for a few more seconds before blurting out, "This doesn't mean I've changed my mind about you!"
Dalamar raised an eyebrow, "I sincerely hope not, as I certainly haven't changed mine. Now move, you're blocking the sunlight."
The Dark elf had to hide a smile as the big man stomped back to the cave entrance. He couldn't wait to share this with Raistlin. Still grinning, he turned back to his spellbook.
It didn't take long for everyone else to awaken, what with the sunlight now lighting up the cave. Next awake was Raistlin; who rolled over, found himself alone in his bedroll, and woke up. Slightly disorientated, the mage glanced around the cave, muttered an incoherent 'good morning' to Dalamar, and got dressed before joining the Dark elf with his spellbook and herb pouch.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Dalamar said softly.
"Much better," Raistlin looked up from fixing his tea and smiled, "You?"
"I wasn't the one coughing myself hoarse yesterday." Dalamar leant over and kissed first the mage's cheek, and then his lips.
"Do we really have bear witness to your sordid affairs?" Ah, Sturm was up.
Dalamar reluctantly broke the kiss, "I don't see you criticizing them-" he pointed at Riverwind and Goldmoon, both of whom were still asleep and curled up together.
Sturm scowled and went off to join Caramon.
Raistlin watched him go, "It's a mystery which one bothers him most, that you're a Dark elf, that we're mages, or that we're both men."
"Probably a bit of all three," Dalamar nuzzled Raistlin hair, "It isn't worth bothering about, and neither is he."
The next one awake was far less argumentative, Tasslehoff was the only one who hadn't minded them coming along, in fact, he seemed delighted about it. After a boisterous greeting which had both mages looking through their equipment to see what the kender had taken. After they had regained their possessions (Tasslehoff had taken Raistlin's herb pouch and Dalamar's dagger), Tas ran off to wake Flint up.
The dwarf ignored the kender's prods and kept up a loud, continuous snore, finally waking himself up after a particularly loud one.
Ignoring the yelps and the tussle that followed, Dalamar turned back to his spellbook, blocking out the world. Raistlin finished his tea and joined him.
When he had finally finished memorizing spells for the day, Dalamar let himself drift back to reality. Everyone else had woken up, and Caramon was complaining loudly about the food, or rather, the lack of it.
The breakfast, it turned out, was oatmeal. Not particularly nice but at least it was edible, unlike the cheese which seemed to be more maggots than anything.
Dalamar ate his share, and whacked Caramon on the knuckles with the hilt of his knife when the big man tried to sneak his brother's portion. Raistlin fought back a laugh.
"Thank you for the defense, Dalamar, but I'm afraid I'm not feeling very hungry." He offered him the plate, "You can have it if you want."
Dalamar ignored Caramon's expression and shook his head, he'd eaten enough and didn't need much anyway. Between Raistlin and himself they probably only ate enough for one average person.
And Caramon probably ate enough for two or three average people, he thought disgustedly, watching Caramon finish off the unwanted food and shoot covetous glances at the other's plates.
Between Caramon's gluttony and Tasslehoff's merciless teasing of Flint ("So shipmate, how's the price of fish today?"), it was a miracle they got going at all, Tanis finally calling them together to discuss how they were going to get to Haven.
The roads out of Solace would all be guarded, that was obvious, and the northeastern passes meant going back across the lake, something Flint was adamantly against. Finally, they decided on the west road.
"And if the Highseekers in Haven are as corrupt as those in Solace?" Sturm asked.
"Then we continue south to Qualinesti." Tanis said firmly.
Dalamar scowled, "And what makes you think they'd let me in, Half-human?"
Tanis's expression said that he would like nothing more than to leave Dalamar behind, but whatever he was going to say interrupted by Riverwind.
"Humans are also forbidden to enter. Besides, the way is hidden-"
This time it was Raistlin who broke in, "There is a way. The paths of Darken Wood. They lead right into Qualinesti."
This naturally was almost unanimously opposed, never mind that no one else had any bright ideas. In the end Tanis broke into the row to ask the previously silent Goldmoon what she thought. It was only by her decision to head to Haven via Solace Vale that settled the argument and got everybody moving.
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To get to the road leading to Haven they had first to make their way through the thick tangle of undergrowth and small trees beneath the green roof of the vallenwoods. Even with Caramon leading the way with the axe-wielding Flint it took them more than an hour, and by that time all of them were scratched, dirty and tired.
Despite the welcome sight of the well traveled road, Dalamar was not particularly eager to step out of the tree line, and nor was anyone else. Eventually Tanis asked Tasslehoff to scout ahead. They waited until the kender was out of sight, and set out again.
Strum was at the front, followed by Flint and Caramon, Tanis and the two Plainsmen came next, and Raistlin and Dalamar brought up the rear, both of them still flicking through their spellbooks.
Or at least, they were pretending to. The others tended to be nervous of discussing anything within earshot of the two mages, and by appearing engrossed to anyone watching they had the chance to overhear what others might not want them to know.
At the moment, it was Goldmoon and Riverwind's story, which the woman was now recounting to Tanis.
It was interesting, Dalamar thought. Oh, not the part about the Plainsmen's doomed love, tales of doomed love were ten a copper in taverns and the Dark elf couldn't care less. No, the part that caught the elven mage's interest, and no doubt Raistlin's as well, were the parts that mentioned the staff she was carrying.
Riverwind been sent to find an artifact of the old gods, and had found the staff had taken it from a place he remembered in fever driven nightmares, raving about a 'broken city' and 'death on black wings'.
Oddly, Dalamar noted, the staff did not function when it was presented to Goldmoon's father, despite the fact that Goldmoon had told them that the man had been crippled years ago. Perhaps the gods did not like to be commanded as the Kingpriest had commanded them all those years ago. At any rate, the man had been furious and ordered Riverwind stoned.
Showing typical selfless bravery, Goldmoon had rushed to the warrior's aid and with a flash of light, the staff had teleported them to just outside Solace, where Caramon and Sturm had found them.
When Tanis asked Riverwind about the broken city, the Plainsman refused to answer, changing the subject.
"Tanis Half-Elven, that is your name?"
"Among humans, that is what I am called," Tanis said, sounding puzzled, "My elvish name is long and difficult to pronounce."
"Why is it, that you are called half-elf and not half-man?"
Dalamar couldn't help it, he let out a bark of laughter. Tanis looked mortified. Sending a furious scowl at the eavesdropping Dark elf, he turned back to Riverwind.
"According to humans, half an elf is but part of a whole being. Half a man is a cripple."
"And you are not?" Dalamar snickered, the Half-elf was certainly crippled mentally.
Tanis ignored him. There was an uncomfortable silence and Riverwind picked up his pace, Dalamar guessed that whatever the man wanted to say he wanted to keep quiet. The Dark elf shot a glance at Raistlin, the human mage scowled at him for being so foolish as to get himself noticed, and carefully followed Tanis and Riverwind until he was close enough to hear what they were saying.
Knowing the game was up, Dalamar put his spellbook away, he would have probably walked into a tree before long anyway.
Raistlin was not the only one to be displeased, Goldmoon looked angry that anyone had dared eavesdrop on her private conversation. Dalamar shrugged to himself, it was entirely her problem, he'd find out what Riverwind was telling Tanis from Raistlin.
Before the mage could lag back and tell him the contents of the conversation, however, Tasslehoff had returned. The kender was running towards them, waving his arms in a way that clearly told all of them to get off the road.
Dalamar followed the others into a deep ditch beside the track, and walked up it until he was at Raistlin's side. "Well?"
The human mage shook his head staring up at where Tanis was trying to persuade a stubborn Sturm that it was perfectly knightly to take refuge in a ditch. "Little more than Goldmoon let slip. A broken city of marble, now inhabited by some evil. He spoke of a woman who gave him the staff and healed him, although I don't know how reliable that information is. By his words, he was delirious."
Dalamar nodded, Tasslehoff had reached the two warriors and they could hear his panting report to Tanis- "Clerics! A party of clerics. Eight."
He also added, to Sturm's disdainful expression, that he had never seen clerics like that before, and something about them fitting a description Tika had given them of people she had seen. Dalamar assumed this had been said before they had come in.
Finally, just as the so-called 'clerics' were moving into view, Sturm followed Tanis into the bushes.
Dalamar carefully peered over the edge of the ditch, the clerics were garbed in long robes and their hoods were pulled low over their faces. Behind them they drew a large handcart and both it and their clothing was bereft of any religious symbols whatsoever.
"Clerics," Raistlin said thoughtfully, "I do not like this."
Dalamar shook his head, this was far too much of a coincidence. Tanis however, was still incapable of grasping the obvious. "What do you mean?" He whispered.
Raistlin's eyes were ice cold with distain and he spoke slowly, so as Half-Elven's small mind might understand. "Strange clerics. The staff has healing, clerical powers- such powers as have not seen since the Cataclysm! Don't you find it odd, my /friend/- the word was drawn out, mocking and completely untrue- that these clerics and the staff turned up at the same time, in the same place, when neither have been seen before? Perhaps this staff is truly theirs- by right."
"Of course," Dalamar added, smirking, "that doesn't mean we should be in a hurry to give it back to them." In fact, they might even provide us with some more artifacts." Artifacts, he added silently to himself, which could be used, despite the mage's protests to the opposite, to cure Raistlin. It still /hurt/, Dalamar thought, to watch his lover suffer and be completely unable to help.
Sturm looked as if he would have loved to answer to this less-than-honorable statement, but Tanis interrupted him, asking if he could get out onto the road to meet the clerics.
After that, all they had to do was wait. The clerics, if that was what they were, were moving at a snail's pace. And snails, Dalamar thought, scowling up at the threatening clouds as the first drop of rain hit his sleeve, were the only creatures that should be out in the downpour that promised to follow.
Flint grumbled as the rain began to fall in earnest, completing the gloomy atmosphere. Raistlin shivered, and Dalamar drew closer to him, hoping the tea the mage had drunk that morning would stave off a coughing fit. Clearly not, Raistlin covered his mouth to try and stifle the noise as Dalamar rubbed his shoulders and back gently.
The clerics were close enough to see them properly, and, like Tasslehoff, Dalamar had never seen their like. They were all very tall, and completely covered, with even their hands and feet wrapped in bandages. Only a pair of glittering eyes were to be seen in the mass of cloth.
"Hail, Knight of Solamnia." The first one hissed as they drew beside Sturm. The voice too was unlike any Dalamar had heard. Hollow, hissing, it was enough to make anyone uneasy.
"Greetings, brethren." Sturm answered easily, "I have traveled many miles this day and you are the first travelers I have come across. I have heard strange rumors, and I seek information about the road ahead. Where do you come from?"
"We came from the east originally, but today we travel from Haven. It is a chill, bitter day for journeying, knight-" "Too true," Flint muttered bitterly, Tanis shushed him- "which is perhaps why you find the road empty. We ourselves would not undertake such a journey save we are driven by necessity. We did not pass you on the road, so you must be traveling from Solace, Sir Knight."
This didn't sound good. These clerics were clearly after the staff, Dalamar's unease didn't fade when the lead cleric muttered something to his brethren in a guttural tongue Dalamar had never heard before, neither, by the looks of it, had anyone else. This time his hold on Raistlin was not entirely for the human's benefit.
"I am curious to hear these rumors you speak of, knight." The cleric was speaking common again, and making no mention of what he had told his companions.
Sturm, still treading the fine line between truth and discovery, mentioned the rumors of war they had all heard. The cleric told him he had heard no such rumors and that the road ahead was clear.
Then Sturm asked them what had driven them into such foul weather.
"We seek a staff." Dalamar was momentarily amazed at how easily the cleric spoke, then realized that since the whole of Solace had been searching for the staff, there was little point in keeping it a secret. Raistlin and he shared a quick glance, before looking back up to catch the rest of the conversation.
"Tell me," Sturm asked easily, "why would you seek a blue crystal staff? Surely one of plain, sturdy wood would serve you revered gentlemen better."
The cleric's voice was grave as he described the staff's powers and their need to have it to heal one of their brothers. This, in Dalamar's opinion, was deeply untrustworthy. The risk of banditry on these roads were high, especially in these troubled times, and to risk telling anyone about an object of value, especially where they could be easily overheard, was foolish.
"Healing?" Sturm looked politely incredulous, "A sacred staff of healing would be of great value. How did you come to misplace such a rare and wonderful object?"
The cleric's vehement and angry response showed that Raistlin had been right. The staff was their by right. They told Sturm they had tracked the thief- presumably Riverwind- to his village but then lost the trail.
The import of this, however, was lost on Dalamar. The Dark elf was staring at the cleric's hands. When they had mentioned the theft, they had clenched hard in anger, and a few of the bandages had slipped off, revealing not fingers, but claws. Dalamar nudged Raistlin, and pointed, the human mage nodded, he'd seen it too.
"This dismal journey is but little sacrifice for us compared to the agony our brother endures." The cleric finished his tale.
"I'm afraid I cannot help-"
Sturm broke off and Dalamar swore as Goldmoon stepped out from the bushes, Riverwind at her heels.
"Goldmoon!" Tanis hissed, trying to hold her back.
"I must know." She murmured.
"Don't!" Dalamar snarled.
The clerics might not be human, but they certainly weren't deaf, and they had heard the commotion in the bushes. Caramon loudly decided that he wasn't going to be left in the ditch and jumped out also, leaving Tanis, Flint (who was holding the wriggling Tasslehoff) and the two mages behind.
"Has everyone gone mad?" Tanis swore, also starting forward.
Raistlin and Dalamar exchanged glances. They could both imagine the fight that was going to ensue. Goldmoon might be prepared to heal the cleric (assuming he was hurt and this was not a trick) but she was not about to hand the staff over. Raistlin shrugged and nodded towards the road, and the two of them quietly climbed up the side of the ditch, taking care to remain out of sight.
Goldmoon had confronted the clerics, brandishing the staff for all and sundry to see. "I am the bearer of the blue crystal staff, but we did not steal it; the staff was given to us."
Dalamar couldn't see the cleric's face but could imagine he was not buying the tale at all. His soft, sneering "So you say," was nothing to the contrary. Nor was the grasping hand he extended to take the staff.
Goldmoon drew away, back to where Sturm, Caramon and Riverwind stood as bodyguards. "The staff was carried out of a place of great evil," there was a warning note in her voice, "I will do what I can for your dying brother, but I will not relinquish this staff to you or anyone else until I am firmly convinced of your rightful claim to it."
"In other words, 'I'll see you in the Abyss before I will give it to you.'" Raistlin whispered, Dalamar smiled.
Close up, the clerics looked even stranger. Their robes flowed over bodies that no longer looked entirely human, and their strangely wide belts seemed to bulge in odd places.
Worse, neither Caramon nor Sturm seemed to be remotely worried.
Finally, the cleric nodded, "We will be grateful for whatever aid you can give our poor brother, and then I hope you will return with us to Haven. I promise you will be convince the staff has come into your possession wrongly."
"We'll go where we've a mind to, brother." Caramon growled, Dalamar sighed. Oh well, at least he was now paying attention.
The cleric ignored the big man, and lead Goldmoon to the back of the cart and lifted up the cloth covering. Goldmoon peered in.
Everything suddenly became confused. Goldmoon screamed, the staff flashed and the cleric lifted a signaling horn to it's lips. Raistlin and Dalamar, who had been expecting some kind of trap, used the mayhem to attack. Raistlin once again cast the sleep spell he had cats at the goblins last night, thinking to knock the cleric out. The Dark elf quickly cast the spell they had found in the Sentinel Peaks ruin, the spell was good, but limited, and Dalamar was unsure how effective it would be against the mysterious cleric.
It was, however, perfectly effective against the signal horn, the thin line of magic hit the horn, which burst into pieces before the cleric had time to sound it. The cleric himself swayed, partly from shock at having the horn explode and partly because of Raistlin's spell. He swayed, but didn't fall. Raistlin's eyes were wide. "Magic resistant!" he hissed in amazement.
Something, presumably one of the so-called clerics, had rushed Tanis and was trying to throttle him. Flint rushed over, bashing the Half-elf's attacker over the head and knocking him over. Dalamar stared.
He had been right, the creature wasn't human, but neither was it anything else the Dark elf had ever seen. A horrible mish-mash of human and reptilian features grimaced up at them, scaled skin, leathery wings, and jagged claws.
"By all the Gods," Raistlin breathed from beside him, "What is that?"
Dalamar shook his head, and another flash from Goldmoon's staff drew their attention. The Plainswoman was struggling against more of the creatures and one of them had attempted to grab hold of the staff. It was not doubled over, clutching it's burnt hand. Sturm ran it through, then stared in mixed horror and amazement as the creature turned to stone.
"Never heard of their like in my life." Dalamar muttered vaguely, lifting his hands to cast a spell. Magical resistance was unsure protection at best, and there was no telling if it would hold. The Dark elf was willing to take the chance.
He and Raistlin had not been targeted yet, mostly because the warriors commanded far more attention. The two mages picked out their targets, and quickly spoke the words of the magic.
/"Kair tangus miopiar!"/
/"Kalith karan, tobanis-kar!"/
A fan of flames burst from Raistlin's thin hands, the firelight staining his golden hands scarlet. It caught three of the reptile-men an send them reeling. One fell when Dalamar's enchanted missiles smashed into it. The two remaining turned and charged at the mages.
The drain of casting two spells in so short a time was beginning to tell on both of them, Dalamar drew his dagger and thrust at the first creature, the blade sunk into it's eye and was held fast as the creature fossilized. Dalamar cursed.
The Staff of Magius had caught the second reptile man on the side of the head, and the magic in the staff emphasized the weak blow enough to knock the creature to the ground, where it also turned to stone.
Many of the other creatures had been swiftly dispatched by the rest of the group, and the last one was taking to it's heels back the way it had come, probably to get reinforcements. Raistlin quickly began to weave a spell to bring it down, but suddenly doubled over, coughing. The spell fizzled into nothing and creature was quickly out of range.
"Quickly!" Tanis ordered as Dalamar helped Raistlin to his feet, "We have to get out of here before any more come."
The creature had not been slow in sounding the alarm, Dalamar spotted several more of the reptile men floating to the ground out of the trees on both ends of the road. They were trapped.
"Into the woods!" Tanis shouted.
Sturm was waiting for them. The knight had been wounded in the fight and blood flowed freely from a head wound. He had lost his sword and didn't seem to be able to stand. Goldmoon knelt down beside him with the staff.
It was a few minutes before they could get going. Tasslehoff had vanished and reappeared dragging Sturm's sword and with Dalamar's dagger stuck in his belt, happily telling everyone how the reptile-man's stone body had turned to dust and he had been able to pull the weapons free. After the weapons had been returned, Tanis helped Sturm to his feet, he was still wounded, clearly the staff had limits, and the group moved off into the trees.
"We're heading south, into the woods." Tanis' tone brooked no argument, but still Caramon protested that that way led to Darken wood.
"I know- you'd rather fight the living." Tanis looked pointedly back at where the creatures' bodies were turning to dust. "How do you feel about that now?"
There was no answer, and Tanis continued as they walked "More of these creatures are coming from both directions. We can't fight off another assault." His eyes drifted to Sturm, still nursing his head wound, to Raistlin, who was having to lean on Dalamar for support and still coughing, to a white-faced Goldmoon. "But we won't enter Darken Wood if we don't have to. There's a game trail not far from here we can use to get to Prayer's Eye Peak. There we can see the road to the north, as well as all other directions."
There were no more arguments, and they continued walking deeper into the forest.

Skull Bearer.
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