Trap shivered at the aura of evil emanating from the tall robed figure, but he never considered backing away. His fingers were already digging around in his pouch, seeking another stone for his hoopak. He was sufficiently awed so that his gaze was transfixed. Almost automatically he fitted the projectile into the leather pouch of his hoopak and swung the weapon over his head.
Beneath the cowl, he saw the almost skeletal face twist into an evil grin as if a stone slung by the kender was nothing to fear. He made no effort to duck the stone that whipped from Trap's hoopak, and when it struck him on the side of his head he ignored it. In one lightning-swift move he stepped around the campfire, reached past Umpth, nearly knocking him out of the saddle, and grabbed Ripple by the arm. With super strength he dragged the kender girl from the saddle.
The cowled figure had moved so rapidly Trap and the gully dwarves were caught completely off guard. Umpth gave a roar and struck out at the stranger with his helmet, but the gully dwarf barely touched the death knight. The undead warrior had turned his back and strode away, dragging Ripple with him.
His next object seemed to be Beglug. In another swift movement he strode toward the merchesti. Beglug gave a howl of terror and struck at the tall figure with his tree branch.
Trap urged his pony forward, but his mount was affected by the aura of evil and fear. It bucked and the kender left the saddle at the arc of the pony's leap. He flew through the air and attempted to land on Ripple's empty saddle, but his foot slipped and he fell on the opposite side of the frightened animal.
Blocked by three panicked ponies, he gave up trying to scramble between them and reached for another stone, the only thing he could think of at the moment.
Trap spun the hoopak over his head and sent the missile flying. He knew immediately that his aim had been off. He had aimed for the back of the man's neck but the evil influence had deflected his aim. The stone dipped low, narrowly missed a scuttling kobold and struck the death knight in the middle of the back.
But Trap had not thrown a stone as he intended. He had accidentally grabbed one of the flame balls he had picked up in Deepdel. The impact, when the glass struck, was strong enough to break the thin glass globe and fire raced up and down the back of the black robe.
The garment, incredibly old and dry, ignited in a flash. The death knight freed Ripple and she tumbled on the ground as he fumbled with the ties that held the garment in place. He turned, staring at Trap as if he could not believe what had happened. Beneath his hood the death knight's red, glowing eyes widened in fear as he struggled unsuccessfully to rid himself of the burning garment. In less than two seconds, his entire body was aflame. He staggered about, a pillar of fire, and from him came a wail that seemed to originate from some incredible and terrifying distance. He bumped into a goblin whose leather vest sprouted flames. The goblin screamed and rolled on the ground.
More fearful than the danger of being burned was the evil emanating from the dying figure. Goblins, kobolds, and wemics all cried out in fear and dashed in all directions. Halmarain's pony reared and charged off into the darkness, taking the little wizard, Beglug, and the pack pony toward the dark forest of Lemish.
"We'd better follow her, " Ripple warned as she ran for her mount and jumped into the saddle.
By the time Trap reached his pony and vaulted into the saddle she was right behind him, leading the two gully dwarves. Ahead, they could hear Beglug still complaining. They passed the running kobolds, then the stumbling goblins, and finally caught up with Halmarain. They had outrun the others who were fleeing the aborted battle at the campsite, but Trap took the lead.
Their mounts stumbled. Trap's pony nearly fell as the animals stepped on tree roots in the darkness, so the ken-der was forced to slow their pace. They traveled for an hour before they stopped. At the little wizard's insistence, they unloaded the tired animals in silence.
The kender quickly grew bored.
"If we don't light a fire they won't find us, " Ripple told Halmarain. "The kobolds and the goblins, if they came this way, have passed us by now. "
"Everything that's supposed to be chasing us always goes on ahead, " Trap grumbled.
"I hope you're right, " Halmarain said. She cleared her throat. "I must give you credit, Trap. Killing the death knight was a very brave act, one worthy of any famous warrior. Not even your Uncle Trapspringer could have accomplished such a deed. "
"I-uh-I did, didn't I?" Trap didn't want to admit he had thrown the flame ball by accident.
"You removed a terrible danger to Beglug, and to the world. I could have done it-if I had not been too scared to think about it, " she fairly admitted. "If anything were to happen to Beglug, we'd never get Orander back or prevent his mother from entering our world to search for him. "
"Was good to fight kobolds?" Umpth asked.
"Golly, yes, they were fighting us, " Trap replied.
"Good. Gave good hits with helmet, " Grod said with a sigh. He sounded relieved, as if he needed approval for his actions. He spread his bedroll and plopped it down. He sprawled half on, half off it, his right knee scrubbing the dirt as he worked his way into a comfortable position.
"Wheel knock kobold down, " Umpth added his bit. "Aghar magic good. "
"Here we go with the wheel again, " Halmarain groused.
"Me need magic too, " Grod muttered. "Lose dead squirrel-not find another. " He sat up and looked at Halmarain hopefully. "You make dead frog, maybe?"
"No, I will not!" The little wizard glared at him before turning back to the kender. "What started the 'wari stampede?"
"That was an accident, " Trap replied. "I wanted to pull a leaf to see what sort of bushes we were passing. "
"Only it wasn't a bush, " Ripple, as quick witted as her brother, gave a chuckle.
"You pulled out a 'wari's feather?" the little wizard demanded. "You started that stampede?"
"Gee! I didn't know it was a bird, " Trap explained.
"I didn't either, I thought the clumps were bushes, " Ripple defended Trap. "And they didn't start stampeding until you and I started shouting and you whipped your pony into a gallop. "
"I don't know much about 'waris, but I've heard noise frightens them, " Trap added, partly in defense of his own actions and partly because it was a fact he could impart.
"Well, it's done now, " Halmarain said grudgingly, which meant she didn't like being partly responsible. "But that fight-what was that about?"
"I don't know, " Trap said after a moment's thought. "I think there would have been one anyway. Those goblins were so close to the camp, I bet they were sneaking up on the kobolds. "
"The wemics were probably camping on the plain, " Ripple said. "We might have met them if the 'waris had not stampeded. I'm almost sorry they did now, I would have liked to talk to a wemic-if they talk, but the stampede was fun. "
"That was fun?" The little wizard sounded as if she could not believe her ears.
"Kender fun no Aghar fun, " Umpth muttered. He had decided to take Halmarain's advice and lie down.
"Kender got no smarts, " Grod added his mite.
"Well, one thing is certain, " Halmarain sighed. "That creature in the black cloak won't be following us again. You did get rid of him, whoever he was, and probably his kobolds too. "
"Was he the one following us?" Ripple asked.
"I recognized that feeling of evil, " Trap said. "Now I wish I hadn't been so quick to throw the flame ball. I would have liked to know why he was after us. "
"I don't think you want to know, " Halmarain said as she wrapped herself in her blanket.
"Thorns and thistles. We didn't get to talk to him, and we didn't get to really meet the wemics, " Ripple complained as she found her own bedroll. "I'm beginning to think we'll never get to do anything that's fun. "
"We did enjoy the stampede, " Trap said.
"Maybe we can go back and find the 'waris again, " Ripple suggested.
"You lie down and go to sleep or I'll put a spell on you, " the little wizard warned them.
"The 'waris are probably too tired to run anymore to-night anyway, " Trap said philosophically. He had spread out his bedroll and had stretched out on it before he thought of a question he had wanted to ask. He sat up again.
"Halmarain, you were hitting that kobold with the butt of your staff. I thought magic was supposed to come out of the top end. "
"And why didn't you use any of your spells?" Ripple asked.
"Magic should be kept for when it's needed, " she answered in a superior tone.
"I like that, " Ripple muttered. "He had me by the arm and had pulled me off my pony. I thought it was needed. "
A long silence followed Ripple's complaint.
"If you must know, I was too scared to remember any of my spells, " Halmarain admitted. "I had memorized my magic missile spell and could have thrown a flame ball. I could have set that creature alight too. " She gave a long, gusty sigh. "I was just too scared to think about it, so it's a good thing Trap used one of the flame balls. "
Trap smiled in the darkness and lay back on his bedroll again. He had not even thought of using a flame ball. He had plucked it out of his pouch thinking he held a stone. No one had asked him if he meant to set the evil human on fire. If the little wizard wanted to think he did it on purpose, he would let her.
Suddenly Halmarain jumped up. "This is not my bedroll!" she shouted, unmindful of her earlier caution. "By the smell it belongs to one of the gully dwarves. "
"Then make them trade with you, " Ripple said in a sleepy voice.
"Umpth? Grod?" the little wizard called, but the Aghar were asleep, and when they slept it wasn't easy to wake them up.
Trap grinned and drifted off to sleep, leaving Halmarain to solve her own problem. He knew she'd never wake the gully dwarves, but her frustration might make the rest of the night more exciting. When he went to sleep she was still complaining.