"Of course you like Tanis. We all like Tanis," Raistlin said with a shrug. "He is honorable, honest,

trustworthy, loyal. As I said, he is far different from any other man our sister has loved."

"You can't know that for sure," Caramon protested.

"Oh, I can, my brother. I can," Raistlin said.

Caramon wanted to know how, but Raistlin refused to elaborate. The twins were silent, finishing their meal.

Caramon ate voraciously, devouring everything on his plate and then looking around for more. He had only to

wait. Raistlin picked at his food, eating only the choicest morsels, shoving aside any bit of meat with the least

amount of gristle or any piece that happened to be even slightly underdone. Caramon was always willing to

finish the scraps.

He carried away the wooden bowls to be washed. Raistlin fed his mice and cleaned their cage, then went into

the kitchen to help his brother.

"I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to Tanis, Raist," Caramon said, not looking up from his work.

"My dear brother, you have more water on the floor than you do in the bucket. No! Finish what you are doing.

I will mop it up." Grabbing the rag, Raistlin bent down, wiped it over the stone flagon floor. "As for Tanis, he is

quite old

enough to take care of himself, Caramon. He is, I believe, well over one hundred."

"Maybe he's old in years, Raist, but he's not as old as you and I in some ways," Caramon said. He stacked up

the wet bowls and utensils, wrung out the cloth, and shook the water from his hands, which he then wiped on his

shirtfront.

Raistlin snorted, clearly disbelieving.

Caramon tried to make himself clear. "Because he's honest, he thinks everyone else is honest, too. And loyal

and honorable. But you and I-we know that's not true. Especially it's not true with Kit."

Raistlin looked up swiftly. "What do you mean?"

Caramon flushed, ashamed for his sister. "She lied to Tanis about that money, Raist. The steel coins from

Sanction. She told Tanis that she won the money playing at bones with a sailor. Well, I was with her a few days

earlier when she came over here to see if I wanted to practice my sword fighting with her. When she was ready to

leave, she sent me to fetch her cloak from the chest in the bedroom. When I picked up the cloak, the purse with

the coins fell out and the coins spilled. I looked at one, because I'd never seen a coin like it. I asked her where

they came from."

"What did she say?"

"She said that it was pay she'd earned for work she'd done up north. She said that there was lots more money

where that came from and that I could earn my share and so could you, if you'd give up this foolery about magic

and come with us. She said she wasn't ready to go north yet, that she was having too much fun here, and anyway

I needed more training and you had to be convinced that you were. .." Caramon hesitated.

"I was what?" Raistlin prodded him.

"A failure in magic. That's what she said, Raist. Not me, so don't get mad."

"I'm not mad. Why would she say such a thing?"

"It's because she's never seen you do any magic, Raist. I told her that you were real good, but she only laughed

and said I was so gullible I'd swallow any bit of hocus-pocus. I'm not. You've taught me better than that,"

Caramon stated emphatically.

"I believe that I have taught you better than even I realized," Raistlin said, regarding his brother with a certain

amount of admiration. "You knew all this and still kept quiet about it?"

"She told me not to say anything, not even to you, and I

wasn't going to, but I don't like it that she lied about the money, Raist. Who knows where it came from? And I

didn't like that money either." Caramon shivered. "It had a strange feel to it."

"She didn't lie to you," Raistlin said, thoughtful.

"Huh?" Caramon was amazed. "How do you know that?" "Just a hunch," Raistlin said evasively. "She's talked

about

working for people in the north before now."

"I don't want to go up there, Raist," Caramon said. "I've made up my mind. I'd rather be a knight, like Sturm.