Kevin Stein - Brothers Majere

Caramon struggled to his feet. His shoulder wound had reopened. A trickle of blood poured down his arm. "So how do we keep the gate from opening?"

"When the gate opens, it will act as a door for any to enter or leave. However, only one side of the door allows access to a place, and the other only allows access from a place."

'That is correct," the Lord of Cats said. "The manner in which this gate is created allows only one person to enter at a given point."

"And that point would be the corners of the city walls, where the portal will be formed, giving us three from which to enter," said Raistlin. "I need to know how the portal was formed, my lord. You said you cannot choose for us, but apparently you can aid us in some way. Tell me what I need to know."

'There is an altar that will be used by the Dark Queen when the Great Eye forms. Destroy it, and the gate closes."

Caramon shook his head. "But how do we destroy this thing? I mean, we don't even know what it looks like!"

"Yes, you do," said Bast. "I will enter by the southeast corner."

"Enter where?" Caramon demanded. "Would someone tell me what's going on!"

"Enter the city of Mereklar that lies beneath the city of Mereklar, my brother," said Raistlin. 'The city shown in the wizard's model. The city where Lady Shavas's house does not stand."

"What's in its place?" Caramon asked, almost positive he didn't want to know.

"A temple to the Dark Queen," answered the Cat Lord. "We must hurry. Time grows short."

"What about them?" Caramon demanded, pointing at the men standing around the dais.

Bast made a motion with his hand. Caramon, watching, caught his breath. He was no longer staring at men but at cats – all shapes and sizes. They curled around the legs of the Cat Lord, rubbing against him, awaiting his orders.

"They will fulfill the prophecy. The Great Eye begins to form." Bast started to leave. At the entrance to the chamber, he turned. "Use only that sword, Cafamon Majere." The Cat Lord pointed to the hand-and-a-half sword strapped to the warrior's broad back. "I have enchanted it to slay the demons."

"I thought you couldn't aid us," said Raistlin with some asperity.

Bast raised dark eyebrows. "A gift, in return for one he gave the fallen." The Cat Lord held a ball in his hand. Round and yellow, its sequins sparkled in the light.

"What about me?" Earwig cried, disappointed. "Don't I get an enchanted weapon?"

"You are a kender," said the Lord of the Cats. "That is enchantment enough." With that. Bast disappeared into the darkness, the cats following him.

"Wow!" said Earwig, eyes wide. "Did you hear that?"

Caramon drew his sword, staring at it suspiciously. He tested the balance with a rotating swing.

"I don't like anyone messing with my weapons," he muttered. "Not even gods."

"Oh, boy! A fight! And this time no one's going to cheat me out of being in it!" Earwig spun his hoopak in the air.

"Do you know what you have to do, my brother?" Raistlin asked.

"No," said Caramon bluntly. "I don't understand a damn thing!"

"You must each find a place atop the city walls, over the gates. Caramon, you go over Eastgate. Earwig…" Raistlin paused to consider entrusting the fate of the world to a kender. He sighed. There was no help for it. "Earwig, you go above Westgate. When you're inside, head for the center of the city, to the place in which we're standing."

Caramon's face wrinkled in perplexity. "But, Raist! We're already in the gates! We're already standing in the center of the city."

"You are standing in this city," Raistlin corrected. "You must enter the one below. The one that resides in the Ajpyss!"

Earwig's eyes opened wide in joy.

Caramon's eyes opened wide.

"Once you are in this room, you must destroy whatever you find on top of that." Raistlin pointed at the stone dais.

"How?"

"That you must discover for yourself, my brother!" the mage answered testily, turning. "Time grows short, and I have much to do."

"But… you're not coming with us?" Caramon reached to stop him. "I can't let you go off by yourself!"

"You must, my brother," said Raistlin.

"Where are you going?"

"Into an abyss of my own."

The night sky was filled with stars, constellations of great powers watching in anticipation. The three moons moved slowly together. Solinari and Lunitari embraced each other first. The black sphere of Nuitari began to slide over their combined light, heading for the center of their unity, three flawless orbs starting to form the most wonderful and fearsome sight in the world: the Great Eye.

The power from three wizards long dead began to flood the land – water released to drown the world with magic. A canopy formed over the white walls of the city of Mereklar, a pointed cover whose apex rose in the middle, held above the hill in the center of Mereklar where a temple lay beneath earth and stone, buried for hundreds of years. Darkness choked the light from the stars, and even the sight of the Eye was dimmed, as if it were closing.

Recognizing what was happening, the gods of good acted as they had foreseen they must. The three gates of the city slammed closed and sealed shut, trapping everything within. When next they opened to the world – if they opened – they would do so at the command of the Dark Queen.

Earwig stood atop Meneklan's wall at West gate. All around him it was dark but directly above him, the sky was clear and bright. He stood fascinated, watching the Great Eye glare down upon the land, casting shadows that flickered and moved like red and silver phantoms.

Finally growing bored with watching the Eye, however. Earwig glanced down below. That was boring, too. Mereklar had completely disappeared. Darkness engulfed the towers and buildings and streets, removing it from the ground as if it had never been. But the darkness wasn't doing anything. It was just sitting there, and the kender yawned.

He thrust the tip of his hoopak down into the darkness, bringing it back out, checking it hopefully for a coating of horrible ooze or slime.

Nothing.

"I really don't think this is being handled properly. I mean, if this is supposed to lead to the Abyss, it could at least look more… more… awful!"

Earwig paced the corner, searching for something entertaining, when a shimmer caught his eye – a shining staircase was slowly forming, sparkling motes of light spinning and coalescing into a solid object.

"Now that's more like it!" he exclaimed and was about to hop down it when he heard a shout.

"Earwig!… Earwig!"

"Drat," said the kender.

Caramon was yelling from his position on the other gate. The big man was jumping up and down to catch his friend's attention, his distant figure distorted by the three moons.

"Hi!" Earwig yelled back, whirling his hoopak in the air, causing the leather thong to whistle loudly.

"Meet in the center!"

"What?"

"I said, meet me in the center!"

'The center of what?"

"The center of the city, you – " The last words were, fortunately, swallowed up in the darkness.

"That's where I was going, before you interrupted me!" The kender said indignantly. Turning, he headed again for the magical stairs. "Boy, this is the last time I take him on any of my adventures!"

Holding his breath and pinching his nose between thumb and forefinger, the kender skipped down the stairway; the last sight of him on Krynn – his topknot of hair.

Glowering, not liking this in the least, Caramon stood at the top of the magical staircase that had appeared before him. He hesitated, gripping his sword tightly. He didn't want to go down into the darkness. He knew that, if he did, he would meet his own death, and it would be a terrible one.