Richard Knaak - Land of the minotaurs

Despite himself, the minotaur smiled slightly as he recalled that particular dragon. "I flew one during the battle in which Takhisis was defeated. His name was Bolt. Young, eager, and as battle-hungry as I was. He was a bronze dragon, brash but brave." Kaz grunted, the memory turning dark again. "They all vanished after the war was over, both the dragons of light and their darker counterparts."

"But you found the other one after that."

Seeing that the kender would not be put off, which was how things generally went, Kaz finally nodded with a sigh. "Only a short time after the war. The dragons had all disappeared. I'd just left Solamnia"-he had left Solamnia after paying his last respects to his friend and comrade- "and was simply traveling. Times were still dangerous, though, and many didn't trust my kind since we'd served as slave-soldiers to the Dark Queen. I was often forced to run rather than hurt innocent fools."

"Don't forget the monster!" piped up Delbin.

"It wasn't a monster, Delbin-"

"You said it was a dragon-man! That sounds like a neat monster. I wish I'd seen it. You said it was taller than you and all scaly! It was made by the mage who captured the dragon and her eggs-" The kender shut his mouth when he realized that Kaz was glaring at him again. "Sorry…"

"Why do you even ask me to tell the stories? You seem to know them by heart."

"Please tell it again! I like to hear you tell them, Kaz. You lived them!"

Yes, he had lived them. Images of the past racing through his mind, Kaz related the short battle between himself and the creature, who had fled into the night, and then his own capture not long after by a sinister mage. The mage, a human named Brenn, had indeed captured a dragon, a great silver female. He had captured her by stealing her eggs and luring the frantic mother into a trap, using the eggs as bait.

"He was turning her eggs into monsters, wasn't he, Kaz? Making more dragon-men!" Again, it took a severe look from the minotaur to quiet the overeager kender, who still managed to ask one more question. "Why didn't the dragon stop him?"

Kaz recalled all too well. "An illusion. He threatened her eggs, placing an illusion of them just out of her grasp. In return for their safety, he demanded her magic to aid his own in an experiment. She couldn't know that he was using her magic on the real eggs, changing the young into beast-men."

"What happened?"

"With her help, I killed Brenn and his monster, but she died." Her dedication reminded him of Huma's silver companion. "I took what eggs I could find and brought them to a place where I thought her mate, who had also remained behind, would likely come." He exhaled. The story dredged up other memories. "I waited nearly three weeks before he came, and when he did, I thought he would die as well." Kaz eyed the kender as if daring him to interrupt.

Delbin was wisely silent.

"He and his mate had not been the only dragons left, after all. How it also could have been there, I don't know, but there was a great black, one of the most evil of dragons. The silver fought the black, killed it… with a little help from me… but was so badly wounded that he could barely carry the eggs. You see, once free of the mage's spell, they grew at their normal pace. By the time he came, they were close to hatching."

The kender's mouth formed an O of wonder. "Did he live?" he blurted.

"The last I saw of him, he was flying off… I think it was to the north… with the eggs in a sling that I'd made for him. He couldn't even transform. His magic barely worked." Kaz scratched his chin. "I never knew the female's name, but his was Tiberion, I think."

"That's a good story!" Delbin reached for his pouch. "Oops! I should write it down so I don't forget it!"

Kaz, who had no inclination to discover just what Delbin would pull from his pouch this time, quickly said, "Forget that for now. We've got to pick up the pace. I want to make those lower hills by tonight. Besides, you know the story almost as well as I do. You can always write it down later."

Delbin pouted but obeyed.

They did make the hills by nightfall, albeit barely. Kaz was grateful for yet another uneventful day of travel and hoped it was a good sign. Once they entered the minotaur lands, he would have to be even more on his guard, but until then, the minotaur wanted to be able to relax and build up his strength.

They located a likely spot for camp and dismounted. Kaz took charge of both animals while Delbin cleared the grounds.

"Delbin, see if you can find some food. I'll work on the fire." Regardless of his other traits, the kender was an expert gatherer and trapper when he put his wandering mind to it. Seven times out of ten he was likely to bring both meat and fruit back with him, along with a few items that Kaz had to be convinced to try eating.

The kender scurried off. He would be back within the hour. When he and Kaz had traveled together, they often set traps in the hopes of catching game that they could use for the next day's meals. Kaz would set a few of his own before the evening was over, but he had spent so many years living off the land that this work seldom took long. So far, they had been fortunate, catching a good supply of rabbits and an occasional bird. Nuts and berries added to their repasts.

Kaz had just finished his own tasks when the kender reappeared. The fire was burning merrily, the camp in good order.

"Kaz! Look what I caught! They practically jumped into my hands!"

The minotaur snorted. Typical kender luck. The kender had two rabbits on a string-rabbits mostly for Kaz's benefit-plus a full bag that likely contained fruits and whatever other plant life Delbin thought edible.

They settled down to sleep not long after eating. Kaz was so relaxed, he immediately drifted off.

He was awakened soon after by a sound he could not identify, save that it somehow seemed out of place with his surroundings. A sense of foreboding coursed through him.

"Did you hear that, Kaz?" asked Delbin, rising from the other side of the fire.

"Quiet!" the minotaur whispered, rising at the same time. He seized the great battle-axe by the handle. "Stay here, Delbin."

"But, Kaz-" The kender damped his mouth shut at the sight of his companion's ferocious visage.

Staring into the dark forest, Kaz estimated where the noise, whatever it had been, had originated. He took off on foot. His present circumstances reminded him of his dream. True, he was in the forest rather than the mountains, but other than that he felt as if the two were somehow connected.

That was what he was thinking about when a figure as tall as the minotaur nearly crashed into him.

The ogre was as surprised as Kaz, possibly more so. Armed with a studded club, it gaped at the horned warrior, then grunted and attacked.

Kaz met the blow with his axe. Honor's Face cut through the club unhindered, sending a good third of the ogre's weapon flying. The ogre was stubborn, however, and pulled the weapon back for yet another try. Even in the dim light of the moon, Kaz could see the murderous intent in his adversary's flat, brutish face. The ogre snarled, revealing long, vicious teeth accustomed to tearing raw flesh from either a fresh kill or an enemy warrior… which was often the same thing to one of its kind.

Kaz did not wait. Even before the ogre could complete its second swing, Honor's Face sliced under the monster's guard, digging in deep at the midsection.

With a cry, Kaz's foe fell back, the ruined club dropping from a lifeless hand. The ogre ceased breathing even before its body struck the ground.

There was more thrashing in the woods as other figures moved in his direction. Kaz made a quick estimate based on the patterns of noise and counted at least four other ogres, all heading his way. One was bad enough, two worse, but if he had to face three, possibly four, at the same time, then he was dead.