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surface
of the cauldron of heating water. Smoke rose into the chimney, but left the
room filled with the smell of burning wood.
    Gleaming at the
foot of the hearth, among the orange coals, lay the brilliant eight-sided ruby.
The Fire Stone, red and pulsing with magic.
     

     
    The musty dampness
of the stonecutter's caves filled Delrael's nostrils. The torches and lanterns
they carried flickered in the drafts of sluggish air, throwing light against
the hewn rock walls. The smoke mixed with the heavy smell of stone dust and
earth.
    Delrael crossed his
arms over his leather jerkin, looking at the dim chamber. He brushed dirt off
his pants. Vailret followed him in, found a rock outcropping to sit on, and
lounged against the wall. He looked thin and gaunt in the uncertain light; but
his eyes were bright and intense.
    Bryl the old
half-Sorcerer sat by himself, glancing around as if frightened by the shadows,
the oppressive weight of rock around them. Tareah waited next to Vailret.
    In the silent hours
before dawn, no one knew they had gone to the caves. They had much to discuss,
in private, away from the villagers and -they hoped ― away from
the prying eyes of the Outsiders.
    Vailret coughed and
wiped his mouth on his sleeve. "We've got half a hilltop of rock over our
heads to shield us. Maybe the Outsiders won't be able to hear us here."
    Bryl cringed at
Vailret's mention of the weight of the rock. Delrael looked at the low ceiling
and nodded, but he kept his voice quiet anyway. "The Outsiders must not
know anything about this. It's something we have to decide."
    He didn't know
where to begin. He had already told them in a brief whisper about the
Earthspirits. At the same time, Tareah had burst out of the bath chamber,
wrapped in a blanket but dripping onto the wooden floor.
    Wide-eyed, she held
the glowing ruby Fire Stone in her hand....
    "The
Earthspirits promised to help us destroy Scartaris," Delrael said.
    "We might have
a good chance now, especially if Tareah has the Fire and Water Stones, and Bryl
has the Air Stone."
    Bryl fondled the
Air Stone, the four-sided diamond that created illusions. Gairoth the ogre had
used it to overthrow the Stronghold by making the other characters believe he
commanded an indestructible army of other ogres.
    Tareah fumbled at
her waist to undo the lashings of a small cloth purse. She drew out the
sapphire Water Stone, shaped like a cubical six-sided die. For centuries it had
been held by Tareah's father, Sardun the Sentinel.
    At Vailret's
urging, Sardun had used the Water Stone to create the Barrier River; now, after
Sardun's death, Tareah took the Water Stone herself. She held it next to her
new Fire Stone, blue fire in one hand, red fire in the other.
    Delrael smiled.
"Scartaris is still there, and the Outsider David still wants to destroy
us ― but we can fight back now. This is our Game, too!"
    Vailret rubbed a
finger along his lower lip. "We've got to be careful about this,
though."
    Delrael grimaced ― he hated to hear his cousin say that.
    "Scartaris
must know we're trying to stop him. It's rather hard to hide something like the
Barrier River, you know. And when we confronted the Outsiders in that deserted
Slac fortress, we learned all about each other's intentions."
    Bryl and Tareah
muttered, and Delrael fidgeted in impatience. But Vailret looked at them.
"We should assume that the Outsider David is already sending something to
kill us, a monster or two. If he wants to end the Game so much, he won't take
any chances. He'll come to get us directly ― and the longer we sit
here, the easier a target we make."
    "Not unless he
thinks it might liven up the Game," Delrael said.
    "Remember what
we're here for. Rule #1 ― always have fun."
    Vailret snorted.
Bryl squirmed, nervous and trying to avoid the issue.
    Tareah put hands on
her hips in an awkward, unsure gesture. "Well, what are we going to
do?" she said.
    "First and
most important, we have to make sure the Outsiders don't learn