Anthologies 3 - The Dragons of Chaos by Dragonlance

Author:Dragonlance [Dragonlance]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

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"I believe you're correct, Reldonas," Elothur said in a disinterested voice. "Thank you for the news."

He bent again to his work.

"Aren't you going to do something?" Fittering sputtered.

He spoke to her as to a recalcitrant child. "What would you have me do? I've let the last of the guards go so they can scrounge scraps for their own families." He sighed. "Everyone I know has pressing responsibilities. I'd like to do something, but—"

"I'm the one who can watch him, Town Leader. I'm on my own now."

"I thought you were caring for Gwillar's mother Delphas ... Ah, I had forgotten she died during the last bout of sickness."

He glanced out the slits between the shutters sheltering his window, and sighed again. The sky

glowed its usual bright blue, made harsh by the sun's glare. There hadn't been more than a wisp of

cloud across its candescent countenance in several months. Three tenacious years of this horrible

drought had brought everyone he knew to the verge of despair. Crops had withered in the fields and

fallen to dust. After that, meat animals had begun dying, their ribs and spines poking through their

thin hides. Most of the bodies rotted where they fell. The land was covered for weeks with a stench

that adhered to Gurnn despite consistent dry winds, gusts that brought illnesses healers could not

diagnose. Half the town had sickened, and fourteen had died, including Reldonas's adoptive mother

—Delphas—and Tarris's beloved wife Renyalen. Some townspeople claimed she had been the old

man's last link to sanity.

"Very well." The town leader turned back to his visitor. "Since Tanis claims to be having visions, and appears to be searching for water with that divining stick of his, he does bear watching. A little more water would benefit us all since the reservoir is almost dry. I figure two weeks' worth is left, at the most. You have the assignment, Reldonas."

"I'll report back to you several times every day," she offered.

"That's not necessary. Only the important developments. In those cases, come swiftly."

"I will! Thank you, Town Leader."

"And Reldonas?"

"Yes?"

"Do try to get the old man to fill in those holes he keeps digging. Someone's going to get hurt."

"Yes, sir!"

The town crier turned spy stumped out of the office into the baking sunlight. Moving quickly

despite her limp, she stopped at Gwillar's house to borrow a skin of water and a bag of dried food.

She'd repay it as soon as she could, she promised, intending to do just that. Hordes of promises she

hadn't kept in the past never bothered her. Without wasting any more time she headed south, aiming

for the same copse of dying trees as did Tarris Canrilan.

She saw dust hanging in the air from his digging before she spotted the old fool himself. He was

waist-deep in a hole, shoveling at an even pace and muttering to himself. Each time he brought a

full spade to the surface, a plume of brown arose to taint the wind that blew its furnace-breath

across the land. Above him, the bare bones of dying trees rattled fitfully against each other.

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