The Legend of Karzatin Ch 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - Reptiles everywhere, Tas and Madfrent go on a shopping spree... without any cash.


   The company walked down a dusty and narrow tunnel until they came to a huge open area. The alcove contrasted with the others in that it was far from barren. The light of Tas' candle fell on towering shadows located on both sides of the area. To their right loomed bookshelves and a huge closet while the left offered tall, fully-stocked shelves.
   Tas drew himself to the shelves. "Wow! Look at these! Uncle Trapspringer would have a ball if he was here!" The shelves were alternatively supplied with jars and vials of every size and color imaginable. The vials were in little plastic squares that held them right in place above the shelves.
   Reaching for a half-filled jar of powder, Tas noticed that it resembled the other jars and bottles in that it was a great representation for so many colors. He was held in fascination as he turned the jar over to see the rainbow sands collide and fall to the reversed top. Dust had collected on the tops of all the objects but there was a deep sense of preservation inside them.
   "Findanythinginteresting?" Tas turned to see Madfrent standing next to him.
   Clearing his throat, he responded, "Madfrent, I feel it is necessary that we organize these things and keep an eye on them until we find the owner. We must return them for the owner must have surely forgotten them and might need them if an unfortunate incident comes up."
   "Well, how do we organize them? By color? Or by their weight? Their smell, perhaps?" The question was unanswered for Tas was already busying himself once again with the jars. Shrugging, the gnome moved to pick a vial with what looked like a gooey substance. It was a mix of dark green and black and adhered to the side when Madfrent chose to turn it upside down.
   He then set his eyes on Tas, who was nimbly stuffing items into his sack, and followed his example.   
   Meanwhile, Kreya, Zackara, and Palin were observing the other side of the room. Palin moved to stand by the closet. It was full-sized; it stood from floor to ceiling with two black doors. There appeared to be no keyholes anywhere so Palin pulled on the two doorknobs. They didn't give way at first, and when they did, the mage was covered in dust.
   He shook himself off and peered in, noticing that the whole closest contained robes. Most of them were pale in color and the ones that weren't ranged from light pink to dark red. Then, an unmistakable shade of dark gray caught Palin's eye at the very left corner of the closet. It caused him to feel the urge to remove it from its hanger.
   Palin coughed as he shook the dust off it. He then held it out in front of him and as he leaned the staff between the crack of the doorway and the robes, the mage knew his eyes didn't deceive him. The robe had a hood and a single zipper that began from the neck up. Runes were lined all across the collar and sleeves as well as the sides of the robe. Their silver outlines contrasted with the new visible color of the robe. The robe was an exact replica of the robe that Fistandantilus wore.
   Chilled, Palin quickly put it back on the hanger and closed the door of the closet. He went to see what Kreya and Zackara were doing. Kreya was leaning against the bookshelf with her back to the closet while her sister was busy looking at some of the books. She had a thick, peach-covered book in her arms when Palin's staff shone its light on the other books.
   The maiden whispered words of Dwarven to herself, but Palin heard her clearly. She licked her thumb and scrambled through some pages. Quentos was on the floor at her feet.
   "What is the book about?" He asked.
   She didn't look up. "It deals with different kinds of reptiles that exist all over Krynn. Some of them have magical abilities, besides dragons." The psionic looked up at him for a second, then returned to reading.
   Palin thought back to when he had encountered Steel and his dragon, Skie. Skie was not the kind of dragon he preferred to run into again. He placed his staff besides Zackara's and took a random book from the top shelf. After opening it and closing it quickly, he removed other books in out of the shelves just to see their titles.
   "All of these books are about reptiles!" He exclaimed.
   After stopping to look at him, she closed the book and let it drop on the floor next to the staves with a clunk. She then tried looking at books on various shelves. "You're right. And what's stranger is that they're all in Dwarven as well." She finally concluded.
   "Maybe there's some kind of link here between dwarves and lizards." Palin suggested.
   "Yes, and maybe if we find out what the connection is, it might give us a clue to the legend." Zackara added as she placed the thick book in her sack and retrieved her staff. Then, she said, "I would look further but I'm growing tired and this area doesn't have enough room for everyone to spread out their sleeping bags."
   Palin understood, feeling beyond tired and hoping that it was only due to the past travelling. Agreeing, the mage went to go look for a resting place with her. Kreya nodded at their decision, consenting to keep an eye on the kender and gnome.
   The two mages walked to the back of the alcove, which only held a small rectangular opening in the middle of its gray stone wall. The light from the Staff of Magius beamed on another alcove, allowing the travelers to see that a slit between the two alcoves was there and could be traversed.
   ""Maybe we can slide through." Zackara offered, noticing that the opening seemed big enough for a person to climb through if he or she did so by climbing with the stomach flat on the stone. "Do you think you can lift me?"
   The thought of touching the psionic again struck a nerve in Palin. "I... I can certainly t-try..." He stuttered but continued by trying to cover it up with clearing his throat. "What do you need me to do?"
   "Just pick me up and hold my legs in front of me so I can slide them through."
   Zackara's height prevented Palin from determining whether he could lift her, but he was surprised to see that he could do so. She twisted her arms and held on to his shoulders until she was practically laying on the opening. He then let go as she pushed herself forward and on to the ground.
   Hearing voices behind him, he turned to look at Tas, who seemed a lot wider than usual. The White Robe peered closer, acknowledging the exceptional protrusion of his pockets in his leggings.
   "You should take another look back there, Palin! There must be thousands of wonderful jars!"
   He answered, raising an eyebrow, "I would if I weren't as tired as I am."
   Kreya and Madfrent were behind Tas when he made the comment, so the three agreed to go with them to find a resting spot. The swordswoman helped Palin through the opening, and afterwards the gnome and kender managed to exchange help with her. The company realized rather quickly that the second alcove wasn't going to provide them with the space they needed so they moved on. Cabinets and what appeared to be a kitchen area took up most of the immediate vacinity.
   They found another opening at the back of the alcove, similar to the first, and used it in the same fashion. The third alcove following the opening was to their liking; its volume was blocked by commodities as well, but the commodities were beyond what they had expected. There was a small pair of shelves with rusted diningware on them. Opposite the shelves were a table and chairs, adjacent to the an oval-shaped rainbow rug and a couch. Brown and leathery, the couch gave off an indistinct aroma. To the left of the shelves were a bed and narrow, rectangular-shaped bookshelf.
   "There won't be room for all of us to sleep on the couch and bed." Kreya observed.
   "I'm fine with the floor." Zackara unstrapped her staves and dropped her sack on the rug.
   "I'll take the couch." Her sister then said.
   "I'm with you!" The kender exclaimed.
   Palin and Madfrent agreed to take the bed since it was big enough for two. The psionic was the first to fall asleep after quickly laying out her sleeping bag and protectively covering her weapons in it with her. The others had to take time ripping the dusty blankets and covers off the furniture. The last thing that Palin saw before he went to sleep was Kreya and Tas both spread eagle on the couch, their leggings and toes barely touching each other.