"Bah!" Kit said scornfully. "Safety's for fat old men! We fight well together, side by side. I've been thinking. .."

She drew Tanis away, lowered her voice. Apparently the quarrel between the two was forgotten.

"Aren't you going to thank me, too, Raistlin?" Tasslehoff cried, dancing around Raistlin. "Look at this." The kender

sadly twitched his topknot over his shoulder. The smell of burnt hair was very strong. "I got a bit singed, but the fight

was worth it, even if I didn't get to see you being burned at the stake. I'm pretty disappointed about that, but I know

you couldn't help it." Tas gave Raistlin an conciliatory hug.

"Yes, Tas, I do thank you," Raistlin said and removed his new knife from the kender's hand. "And I want to thank

you, Sturm.

What you did was extremely brave. Foolhardy, but brave."

"They had no right to try to execute you without first giving you a fair trial. They were wrong, and it was my

duty to stop them. However..."

Sturm came to a halt in the road. Standing stiffly, his hand pressed against his injured ribs, he faced Raistlin.

"I have given the matter serious thought as we've been walking, and I must insist that you turn yourself over to

the High Sheriff of Haven."

"Why should I? I've done nothing wrong."

"For the murder of the priestess," Sturm said, frowning, thinking Raistlin was being flippant.

"He didn't kill the Widow Judith, Sturm," Caramon said quietly, calmly. "She was dead when we entered that

room."

Troubled, Sturm looked from one twin to the other. "I have never known you to lie, Caramon. But I think you

might if your brother's life depended on it."

"I might," Caramon agreed, "but I'm not lying now. I swear to you on the grave of my father that Raistlin is

innocent of this murder."

Sturm gazed long at Caramon, then nodded once, convinced. They resumed walking.

"Do you know who did kill her?" Sturm asked. The brothers exchanged glances.

"No," Caramon said and stared down at his boots, kicking up dust in the road.

It was daylight by the time they reached the fairgrounds. The vendors were opening their stalls, preparing for

the morning's business. They received Raistlin as a hero, lauded his exploits, applauded as the companions

walked to Flint's shop. But no one spoke to them directly.

Flint did not open his stall. Leaving the shutters closed, he began to move his wares to the wagon. When

several of the other vendors, overcome by curiosity, did finally drop by to hear the tale, they were gruffly

repulsed by the dwarf and went away, offended.

There was one more visitor, one more scare. The High Sheriff himself appeared, looking for Raistlin. Kit drew

her sword, told her brother to make himself scarce, and it seemed as if there was going to be yet another fight.

Raistlin told her to put away her weapon.

"I'm innocent," he said, with a significant look for his sister.

"You were nearly a crispy innocent," Kit returned angrily, sheathing her sword with an impatient thrust. "Go on,

then. And don't expect me to save you this time."

But the sheriff had come to apologize. He did so, grudgingly and awkwardly. The young priestess had come forth

to admit that she had seen Raistlin in company with his twin at the time the murder was committed. She had not

told the truth before, she said, because she hated the wizard for whathe had done to instigate Belzor's downfall. She

was horrified by the High Priest's actions, wanted nothing more to do with any of them.

"What will happen to her?" Caramon asked worriedly.

"Nothing." The sheriff shrugged. "The young ones were like the rest of us-fooled completely by the murdered

woman and her husband. They'll get over it. We all will, I suppose."

He fell silent, squinted into the sun that was just topping the trees, then said, not looking at them, "We don't take

kindly to mages in Haven. Lemuel, now-he's different. He's harmless. We don't mind him. But we don't need any

more."

"He should have thanked you," Caramon said, puzzled and hurt.

"For what?" Raistlin asked with a bitter smile. "Destroying his career? If the sheriff didn't know that Judith and

the rest of Belzor's followers were frauds, then he's one of the biggest fools in Abanasinia. If he did know, then he was