That voice again, from the tree. Suddenly Mynx knew that she had to stop them, by whatever means possible, from leaving the vallenwoods. She flung herself from side to side, ignoring the bumps and bruises as she tossed and fell.

The artifact quivered in Kifflewit's hand as he chattered on. "Phytos, I'm really trustworthy when it comes to things like …"

As Mynx rocked the artifact again, Phytos cried out in alarm.

Then Mynx and the Diamond Dragon were falling.

It was a long way down from the centaur's back. Mynx made herself go limp, hoping that the landing would not break any of her bones.

Mynxl

The Diamond Dragon crashed into the earth and skit shy;tered to one side. Mynx heard the kender call out in dis shy;may, then she blacked out briefly. She awakened as she barreled, end over end, limbs flying, inside the rolling artifact.

Then she caught her balance as the Diamond Dragon came to rest against a stone-an arm's length from the glowing tree. Couldn't the centaur and kender see the glow in the vallenwood? She hurled herself against one side of her prison and then the other, until her head rang with the effort. She had just worked the Diamond Dragon free of the rock when Kifflewit picked up the artifact again.

"No!" Mynx bellowed. Frantically, she resumed her gyrations. She was bruised from shoulders to knees now, but she was determined to succeed.

The kender dropped the artifact again.

Mynx's prison bounced and rolled. It came to rest against the vallenwood's rough bark. "Help!" she shouted, drumming on the side nearest the tree. "Help me!"

She spied Kifflewit bounding toward her again, mouth open and hand outstretched. Phytos leaped behind him, annoyance apparent in his face.

As soon as the Diamond Dragon touched the tree, the humming that had annoyed Mynx for so long grew louder and louder, until she dropped to her knees. She covered her ears and closed her eyes.

Miravel firtas, overli ghacom.

Whatever was inside the tree was chanting. The noise increased. "Stop it!" she screamed. The buzzing drowned out all other sound-Phytos's shouts, the kender's excited squeals, her own entreaties. She smelled smoke and dared to open her eyes a slit. The air around her was ominously cloudy.

Miravelfirtas, overli ghacom. Ytanderal limkir od y'd requis-tandilus.

Then Mynx burst free of the thing. She felt her body soaring through the air, expanding and growing until she thought she must be the size of a vallenwood. She turned over and over, like a stone rolling down a hill.

And landed, soft as a feather. Her hands clutched, not the sides of her head, but pine needles and other litter on the forest floor. She opened her eyes. The tree, Kifflewit, and Phytos swam around her.

She closed them again, then tried once more.

Mynx was back to normal size. The artifact lay at her side on some leaves.

Phytos skidded to a halt, his violet eyes almost starting from their sockets. Kifflewit Burrthistle scooped up the Diamond Dragon and bounced up and down like a cork in a stream.

"There she is, Phytos!" the kender chattered. "I knew she'd find us! See, centaur! I told you all about Mynx. She was here all along, waiting for us. Aren't you proud of me, Phytos?"

Mynx resisted the urge to clobber the kender.

"How …" The centaur's voice failed, and he coughed. "How didst thou get here?"

She pointed weakly to the Diamond Dragon. "I was in there." Doubt creased the centaur's face, followed by sympathy.

"Poor thing," he murmured. "She hast gone daft. She must have been wandering in the forest for days. Who dost thou suppose she is, Kifflewit?"

The kender was still hopping up and down. "It's Mynx, I told you, Phytos! She's my friend. She wanted the Dia shy;mond Dragon, but I wouldn't give it to her. She probably followed us, huh?"

"That thing swallowed me, Kifflewit!" Mynx shouted at the kender. "I've been bouncing around in there like dice

in a tavern, while you two have been breathing fresh air, drinking wine, and eating bread and cheese!"

Soon she and the kender were nose to nose. "It's mine," the kender shrieked. "Your tricks can't fool me!"

"Didn't you remember I was in there, you addlepated, dunderheaded kender?"

"Well, maybe so, but if you hadn't tried to steal it from me in the first place…"

"We need this thing to help Tarscenian, you little idiot!"

"You could have asked. Not even a 'please'!"

"Tarscenian needs it!"

"Thief!"

Finally Phytos cleared his throat. "I fear there are expla shy;nations I am not privy to. But perhaps thou couldst tell me, Mynx."

When the thief appealed to the centaur, words poured out of her. Phytos's expression grew increasingly grave.

"… So you see," she finished, "Tarscenian is heading into danger, and the Diamond Dragon isn't even where he thinks it is, to help him. Gaveley sold him out, Phytos! They'll kill him. We have to go back and help him." She tugged at his arm. "Hurry. Can you carry us both?"

Phytos grasped her frantic hand and held it. "Calm thy shy;self, woman. I will do what I can. Get thee on my back." He directed his violet gaze at the kender. "Perhaps we should leave Kifflewit Burrthistle here," the centaur intoned, "inasmuch as he has made this task that much more difficult."

"Me?" the kender squeaked. "What did I do?"

Mynx climbed up on Phytos's back. Kifflewit, protest shy;ing all the way, bounded up to join her just as the centaur launched into his trot. "Wait!" Mynx cried. "Phytos, you're going the wrong way."

"No," the centaur rejoined. "Hand me the horn from my pack. If, that is, the kender did not dent it beyond use when he hid in there."

Mynx rummaged in the pack, passing the horn up to the centaur's waiting hands. "We should be near enough," the man-horse said to himself. The creature raised the horn to his lips and blew a long blast, then two short ones, then another long. He handed the instrument back to Mynx.

In a short time, they were surrounded by several dozen centaurs carrying bows, arrows, and clubs. Phytos rapidly apprised them of recent events in Solace, of the deaths of Feelding and Salomar and their two compatriots, and of the dire predicament of the lone man who might be able to act against Hederick without bringing about a full-scale war.

"Wilt thou go back with me?" Phytos shouted. "Wilt thou join thy strength with him and this woman?"

The centaurs raised a hurrah.

Within moments, Mynx sat upon a well-rested centaur, with Kifflewit perched happily on another. Phytos, rider shy;less, moved into the fore.

They turned their heads toward Solace and moved at a gallop.

Chapter 22

A short time later, Tarscenian had up the kitchen steps and darted into another corridor. It was long past midnight. Hederick was old. He would be in his rooms at this hour, resting, if not asleep.

If only Tarscenian could find the High Theocrat's quar shy;ters. He cursed silently. Helda had scooted back to the kitchen before he could think to ask for directions, and he'd lose even more time if he went back now to ask … assuming the scullery maids would even know.

Footsteps sounded-furtive ones. Tarscenian stepped back into a doorway, reassuring himself that his dagger was still concealed in the sleeve of his robe.

A yellow-robed novitiate came around the corner, up the stairs from the direction of the kitchen, a chunk of sausage in one hand and half a loaf of brown bread in the other. He was busily chewing. Clearly, the novitiate expected to meet no one at this hour. Tarscenian tried to remember what he could of Seeker etiquette.

He stepped out from the doorway and hailed the novi shy;tiate. "Little brother, stop a moment!"

The young man stopped, horror dawning on his face. At first he tried to secret the food behind him, then gave up the attempt. "Oh, sir, I was hungry. The fast has been so long. I am sorry. I know thievery is a sin. Please don't tell the high priest…"