Tasslehoff crossed his arms and thrust his chin into the air. "I could have protected you," he said, miffed. "It's gone now anyway."

The sea elf's cornflower-blue scarf had fallen to her shoulders, and she shrugged it back over her pale hair wearily. "What do we do now?"

Not one to run willingly from a fight, the usually easygoing kender found himself growing angry at their predicament. He shook the long loaf of bread at Selana. "We left friends back in that keep. We can't turn our backs on Tanis and Flint. I say we should go right back in and get them." Tasslehoff stepped into the street, but Selana's hand snatched the strap of his shoulder pouch and dragged him back. "Let me go!" he hissed, deftly twisting away from her grip.

"Think, Tasslehoff!" Selana's eyes blazed, and for the first time Tas saw her as she must be in her own land- not confused and foolishly headstrong, but regal and commanding. He listened.

"Everyone in this castle must have seen us being chased by that monster," she said. "If you manage to make it to the keep without being noticed again, what will you say? That you were prowling around in the basement of the keep, found a zombie, and got chased away by a mage-their mage? All you'll manage is to get yourself arrested and that won't do anyone a lick of good, especially Tanis and Flint."

Tas jammed his hands into his armpits and shrugged his shoulders up around his ears. "We can't leave Tanis and Flint in there," he said darkly.

Selana glared at him. "Of course not." The sea elf frowned, nibbling on a nail as she thought. "Something really odd is going on at the keep, and I think we stumbled upon a small part of it. If only we could get back in and do a bit more exploring…"

"I wish I still had my magical teleporting ring," interjected Tasslehoff. "Then we could just pop in anywhere we wanted to. Have I told you about my teleporting ring?"

Of course he had. Tasslehoff eventually told everyone he met about that most mystical of devices. But the mention of it brought something to Selana's mind. Pursing her lips, she reached into the depths of her voluminous robe, dug around, and pulled out a long, thin vial made of smooth purple glass, a cloudy crystal stopper shaped like a sea fern in its mouth. She held it up in contemplation, then made an immediate decision. "We'll drink this!"

Chapter 12

"What's that?" quizzed Tasslehoff, instinctively reaching for the small purple vessel Selana held in her hand.

The sea elf whirled away, evading his grasp. "A potion."

"What does it do?"

"It is a potion of polymorphing," she replied, still holding it protectively.

Tasslehoff's face contorted in bewilderment. "Poly what?"

"Polymorphing. It allows the person who drinks it to change his shape at will."

"You mean you could become fat or thin or short or tall, or change the color of your hair, and things like that?" Tas asked. "Nobody would recognize us then. We could walk right into the castle."

Selana smiled. "You could do all those things and much more. You could even change yourself into something else entirely-a dog, perhaps, or a pony, or even a fish."

Tas's eyes grew wide with wonder as he stared at the slim vial, unbelievable possibilities racing through his mind. "What are we waiting for?" He grabbed at the potion again impulsively, but Selana pushed him away.

"Be careful," she scolded. "This is all I have."

Tas stepped back sheepishly, but his eyes never left the potion in Selana's hand. "It's just that the sooner we get started, the sooner we get Flint and Tanis out of trouble."

"And the sooner I can get my bracelet. There's just one problem," Selana continued slowly. "This is only a single dose. I'm afraid that only I should use it."

Tas's face went flat. "You can't leave me behind! You'll need my help. You don't know anything about castles. That keep is an incredible maze, not to mention all the nooks and crannies in the surrounding buildings. I can help you find your way through it."

Selana lifted her shoulders feebly. "I'm afraid I can't help it, Tasslehoff. I have only one potion."

"But if you don't take me along, that mage will send goons who will certainly catch me and torture me and make me tell them about you and the potion. Think of the danger you'll be in!"

The sea elf concealed her amused smile.

"Say, I have an idea," Tas pressed on. "What would happen if we split the potion?"

Selana considered the question for several moments before replying. She knew that the kender would surely do something rash and get himself captured if left to his own devices. What was more, the only other castle she had ever been in was a keep that had sunk beneath the sea during the Cataclysm and was now fallen in ruin. The everyday buildings of surface people seemed strange to her; how much more daunting would a castle be? Perhaps she did need Tasslehoff's help.

"If we split the potion," she said slowly, "it will last only half as long for both of us. I know that if one of us were to drink all of it, the effect would last four to five hours, depending on our weight, and we're both pretty light."

Selana looked squarely into the kender's eyes. "I am going to ask you an important question, Tasslehoff. Do you honestly think the two of us could find our way through the keep and the rest of the castle, locate and free Flint and Tanis, find my bracelet, and get away again in under two hours?"

Tasslehoff puffed out his chest. "I know I could. I've been in dozens of castles from the Blood Sea to Darken Wood. I have a knack for finding my way in and out of them. With me along, this will be as easy as spearing fish in a puddle."

"I wish we could walk up to the castle and take this at the last minute," she muttered to herself, "but we can't risk being seen. We must pick a form that travels fast."

"You mean like a horse?" Tasslehoff suggested.

"I mean something inconspicuous." Selana nibbled on a fingernail again as she thought. "A bird, perhaps."

"Great!" cried Tas. "I've always wanted to fly. A falcon-say, how about a condor? They're really tough. Or maybe a giant goatsucker bird…"

"I don't even know what that is. Look, Tasslehoff," Selana said with great patience, "we're trying to keep from being seen. We have to pick a common bird, so we'll blend in."

Just then, a small brown-and-gray bird swooped into their stoop, searching for crumbs. "Like this one right here," added Selana.

"A sparrow? They're awfully small and unimpressive," Tas pouted.

"They're perfect," said Selana, unstoppering the vial. She touched it to her lips, but before swallowing she looked intently at the kender's eager face. Selana had never even heard of kender before coming to the land. Tasslehoff, the only kender in her acquaintance, seemed true and sincere enough, but unpredictable. She paused. "This is not a game, Tasslehoff. This could be a dangerous thing we're about to do. Promise me that you'll stay close to me and not waste time."

"Now who's wasting time?" the kender said archly, tapping his foot with impatience.

Selana rolled her eyes, then tilted the vial again and sipped just a little less than half of its contents. Eyeballing what remained, she took one last, small sip, then handed the potion to Tasslehoff.

Eyes as round as full moons, the kender absently set down the loaf of bread and tossed back the remainder of the acrid potion without hesitation.

"I don't feel any different," he said straightaway, running his hands over his slender frame for confirmation. Then his throat began tingling, as if his tongue were falling asleep. The sensation spread quickly, down his throat, pooling in his stomach, then raced through every portion of his body, ending with what felt like a tiny, swirling "pop" in his fingers and toes. Then the tingling was gone, replaced by a feeling of great awareness.