"No, I'm not," Tanis said, speaking reluctantly, loath to share

his feelings even with his longtime friend. "I need time away

from her. Time to think things through. I can't think when I'm

around Kitiara. The truth is, Flint, I'm falling in love with her."

Raistlin snorted, almost laughed. He swallowed his mirth,

fearing to give himself away. He would have expected

something inane like this from Caramon, but not the half-elf, who had certainly lived long enough to know better.

Tanis spoke more rapidly, relieved to be able to talk about it. "The one time I ever even hinted at marriage, Kit

laughed me to scorn. She scolded me about it for days after. Why did I want to ruin all our fun? We shared a bed,

what more could I want? But I'm not happy just sharing my bed with her, Flint. I want to share my life with her, my

dreams and hopes and plans. I want to settle down. She doesn't. She feels trapped, caged. She's restless and bored.

We quarrel continually, over stupid things. If we stayed together, she would come to resent me, perhaps even hate

me, and I couldn't bear that. I will miss her terribly, but it's better this way."

"Bah! Give her a year or two with those friends of hers up north and she'll be back. Maybe then she'll be receptive

to your proposal, lad."

"She may come back."' Tanis was silent a moment, then he added, "But I won't be here."

"Where are you going, then?"

"Home," Tanis replied quietly. "I haven't been home in a long time. I know this means I won't be with you on the

first part of your travels, but we could meet in Qualinesti."

"We could, but ... well ... The truth of it is, I won't be going that way, Tanis," Flint said, clearing his throat. He

sounded embarrassed. "I've been meaning to talk this over with you, but I never seemed to find the right time. I guess

this is as good as any.

"That fair at Haven soured me, lad. I saw the ugly faces beneath the masks humans wear, and it left a bad taste in

my mouth. Talking to those hill dwarves made me start thinking of my own home. I can never go back to my clan.

You know the reason for that, but I've a mind to visit some of the other clans in the vicinity. It will be a comfort to

me, being with my own kind. I've been thinking about what that young scamp Raistlin says about the gods. I'd like to

find out if Reorx is around somewhere, maybe trapped inside Thorbardin."

"Searching for some sign of the true gods ... It's an interesting idea," Tanis said. He added with a sigh, "Who

knows? In looking for them, I might find myself along the way."

The pain and sadness in the half -elf's voice made Raistlin ashamed of having listened in on this private

conversation. He was leaving his post, heading for the front door, prepared to announce himself by conventional

means, when he heard the dwarf say dourly,

"Which of us has to take the kender?"

It was the last day of the month of Spring Blossom time.

The roads were open. Travelers were abroad, once more

filling the Inn of the Last Home to capacity. They ate Otik's potatoes, praised his ale, and told stories of

gathering trouble in the world, stories of armies of hobgoblins on the march, of ogres moving down from their hidden

holdings in the mountains, hints of creatures more fearsome than these.

Sturm and Kit were planning to leave the first of Summer Home. Tanis was leaving that day, too, explaining

somewhat lamely that he wanted to be in Qualinesti in time for some sort of elven celebration involving the sun.

Truth was, he knew very well that he could not go back to his empty house, the house that would always echo with

her laughter. Flint was to accompany his friend part of the way, and so he, too, was setting off the next day.

It was known now among the companions that Raistlin and Caramon were making a journey themselves-a fact

discovered by Kit, who was consumed with curiosity regarding Caramon's unusual circumspectness and who

consequently bullied and teased him until he let fall that much.

Fearful that Kitiara would break his twin's resolve in the end, force him to reveal his secret, Raistlin hinted that

they were going to seek out their father's relations, who had presumably come from Pax Tharkas. If their friends had

looked at a map, they would have noted that Pax Tharkas was located in exactly the opposite direction from the

Wayreth Forest.

No one did look at a map, because the only maps available were in the possession of Tasslehoff Burrfoot, who was