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.”Elbereth studied the drawing and found little to complain about concerning Ivan’s plan.It seemed solid enough, though the elf was somewhat surprised that the dwarf had made allowances for him to personally battle Ragnor.Elbereth had presumed that Ivan would want that glory for himself.“Suppose Dorigen is still there,” Cadderly interjected, still not thrilled with the whole idea.“Then we can do even more harm to our enemies,” Elbereth replied.“Many of my fighting styles are designed to deal with wizards,” Danica added, offering Cadderly the consolation that he obviously needed.“As in my previous encounter with Dorigen, I believe the wizard will have little in her repertoire to harm me.”“Unless you are busy battling bugbears or some other monsters,” Cadderly retorted.“Then you might prove an easy target for one of Dorigen’s lightning blasts.”“It’ll be up to yerself,” Ivan decided.“Keep yer watch for the wizard.If ye see her, then knock her down with yer fancy bow.”“I do not have it,” Cadderly said.“Then use yer stick, or that toy ye dance at the string’s end,” said Ivan.“Dorigen has my crossbow,” Cadderly said, on the verge of panic.None of the others seemed to share his apprehension about that fact.In unison, they looked to Ivan to continue with his plotting.“She has my crossbow and some of the magically loaded darts!” Cadderly said again, even more anxiously.“If Dorigen is more concerned with that weapon than with her repertoire of spells, we’ll be better off,” Danica said, her calm tone mocking Cadderly’s concern.“We’ll just hope she’s not as good a shot with the thing as yerself, lad,” Ivan added.Similarly unconcerned, he went back to his plan.“I’m thinking that twilight would be the best time to go, when the light’s down a bit but before the darkness takes advantage from our human friends.”Elbereth looked to Danica, who nodded her accord.“When ye’re done with the brute boss, ye’ll have me and Pikel to take ye back out again,” Ivan explained to Elbereth.“We’ll cut ye a path ye could ride yer horse through!”“That we do not doubt,” Danica said, and even Elbereth, so angry at the dwarf just a short while before, made no sarcastic comments.“We’re off then,” Ivan said, taking up his great axe.He motioned with his arm for Elbereth to take up the lead.The group moved quietly into position under the widespread boughs of a pine tree and waited while the last of the daylight faded.Cadderly sat on the western edge of the shadows, trying to get every last moment of light as he worked hard over an open book.At first, Danica thought he was still trying to translate the book of Dellanil Quil’quien, but then she saw that he held the Tome of Universal Harmony, the Deneir bible.“There are spells that might be of use,” Cadderly explained at her inquisitive glance.Danica’s expression revealed her surprise; she had never seen Cadderly attempt any clerical magic beyond simple spells of healing, had never really considered him that manner of priest.“I have spent my life in the order of Deneir!” Cadderly protested, drawing a slap from nearby Ivan and a profound “Sssshhh!” from Pikel.Cadderly turned back to the book.“There is a spell of silence,” he whispered, “which might hinder Dorigen if she appears in the battle and attempts her magic.”He saw that Danica didn’t appear convinced, and he couldn’t honestly find the words to argue against that look.Cadderly had performed minor ceremonies before, had once created a font of holy water (in which he had immersed the bottle containing the dreaded chaos curse), but in truth, he had never put much store in clerical magic.He was a disciple of Deneir, the god of art and literature, primarily because he had been raised among that sect at the Edificant Library and because Deneir’s edicts so befit Cadderly’s intelligent and kind nature.Cadderly had spent nearly as much time with the priests of Oghma, god of knowledge, and secretly considered himself a true priest of neither-to Headmaster Avery Schell’s ultimate frustration.“Time to go,” Ivan whispered.Cadderly quickly perused the spell of silence one last time, hoping that if the need arose, he would find the strength to use it.Full of trepidation-should he have tried to study spells of healing instead?-he slipped the tome back into his pack beside Dellanil’s book.They started off cautiously for the sloping, grassy incline that led to the tent-covered ridge.Danica stopped them a short distance out and disappeared into the brush, returning a few moments later.“Sentry,” she explained when she came back to them.“Bugbear?” Elbereth asked.“Goblin.”“Dead goblin,” Ivan muttered, giving Danica an appreciative wink, and Pikel added a happy, “Hee hee.”They came to a halt crouched in a line of thick brush just below the enemy camp.The grassy slope was teasingly quiet.A couple of bugbears wandered along no apparent course, and, through the open flaps of one of the side tents, the companions could see others milling about
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