seeing his mother again. Her health had always been failing, it seemed to him. The winters drained her, sapped

her strength. Every spring he returned to find her a little paler, a little thinner, a little farther removed into her

dream world. As for this Widow Judith helping her, he would believe that when he saw it.

"I can drop you off at the crossroads, Raist," Caramon offered. "I have to work in the fields until sundown. Or

you can come with me if you want. You can rest in the wagon until it's time go home. That way we can walk

back together."

"I'll go with you, my brother," Raistlin said placidly.

Caramon flushed with pleasure. He started telling Raistlin all about the family life of Farmer Sedge and the

little Sedges.

Raistlin cared nothing about any of them. He had staved off the hour when he must return home, he had

insured that he would not be alone when he first encountered Rosamun. And he had made Caramon happy. It

took so little to make Caramon happy.

Raistlin glanced back at the stinging nettle leaves he'd gathered. Noticing that they were starting to wilt in the

sunshine, he tenderly wrapped the shirt more closely around them.

"Jon Farnish," said Master Theobald, sitting at his desk at the front of the class. "The assignment was to gather

six herbs that may be used for spell components . Come forward and show us what you found."

Jon Farnish, red hair gleaming, his freckled face carefully arranged to appear solemn and studious-at least

while it was in view of the master-slid off the high stool and made his way to the front of the classroom. Jon

Farnish bowed to Master Theobald, who smiled and nodded. Master Theobald had taken a liking to Jon Farnish,

who never failed to be immensely impressed whenever Master Theobald cast the most minor of spells.

Turning his back on Master Theobald, facing his classmates, Jon Farnish rolled his eyes, puffed out his

cheeks, and pulled his mouth down at the corners, making a ludicrous caricature of his teacher. His classmates

covered their mouths to hide their mirth or looked down hurriedly at their desks. One actually began to laugh,

then tried to change it to a cough, with the result that he nearly choked himself.

Master Theobald frowned.

"Silence, please. Jon Farnish, do not let these rowdy individuals upset you."

"I'll try not to, Master," said Jon Farnish.

"Continue, please."

"Yes, Master." Jon Farnish thrust his hand into his pouch. "The first plant I gathered-"

He halted, sucked in a breath, gasped, and screeched in pain. Flinging the pouch to the floor, he wrung his

right hand.

"Something ... something stung me!" he babbled. "Ow! It hurts like fire! Ow!"

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He thrust his hand beneath his armpit and did a little dance of agony in the

front of the room.

Only one of his classmates was smiling now.

Master Theobald rose to his feet, hastened forward. Prying loose Jon's hand, the mage examined it, gave a grunt.

"Go into the kitchen and ask cook for some butter to put on it."

"What is it?" Jon Farnish gasped between moans. "A wasp? A snake?"

Picking up the pouch, Master Theobald peered inside. "You silly boy. You've picked stinging nettle leaves. Perhaps

from now on, you'll pay more attention in class. Go along with you and stop sniveling. Raistlin Majere, come

forward."

Raistlin walked to the front of the class, made a polite bow to the master. Turning, he faced his classmates. His

gaze swept the room. They stared back at him in sullen silence, their lips compressed, eyes shifting away from his

triumphant gaze.

They knew. They understood.

Raistlin thrust his hand into his pouch, drew forth some fragrant leaves. "The first plant I am going to talk about

today is marjoram. Marjoram is a spice, named for one of the old gods, Majere...."

The first few days of the summer of Raistlin's thirteenth year were unusually hot. The leaves of the vallenwoods

hung limp and lifeless in the breathless air. The sun

bronzed Caramon's skin, burned Raistlin's as the two made the daily trek back and forth from school to home in