The minotaur, ears up and alert, glanced in the goblin's direction. Yellow teeth tore away a sc.r.a.p of deer meat. The thick chain links hanging from the beast's wrist manacles swung and clinked.

The goblin swallowed the bile churning in his stomach, but he went on, even daring to smile. "Kender and me hunt deer, but kill humans. Shoot three. We find d.a.m.n elf, much bad hurt, bring him back. Elf no good, eh?

I know, but maybe elf know woods, good ways to hunt.

Maybe we make him teach us. Want maybe keep elf alive for now. OK?"

The goblin hesitated, wondering if any of this was sinking into the minotaur's brain. It hadn't spoken a word since they'd found it. Humans said minotaurs weren't very bright, but this one had to be dumber than dirt.

The minotaur continued chewing on the bone, watching the goblin with its dull brown eyes. The goblin felt he had done all he could to safeguard the elf's survival, at least until the issue of the magical sword was cleared up. After that, the minotaur could dine on Silvanesti meat when the kender's back was turned, for all the goblin cared. The goblin nodded to the minotaur, then went back to help the kender carry the elf up to the cave. There they laid the elf out on the kender's bed - a pile of rags on the packed-earth floor.

The kender was frantic to do things for the elf. Before long, the elf was undressed, wrapped cozily in the kender's own blankets. The goblin busied himself by going through all the loot that he had taken off the bodies of the rangers and the elf as well. The kender gently washed the elf's face.

The goblin carefully counted thirty-six Istarian gold pieces, ten Istarian silver coins, and two rings. It was more money than he'd ever had, even in East Dravinar in the good old days. He couldn't spend it, but it felt awfully good. He wrapped the money in cloth to m.u.f.fle it, placed it in apouch, then tied it inside his clothing behind his belt, where not even the kender's light fingers would find it.

He lifted the elf's backpack and looked it over. Its quaint, elaborate tooling and st.i.tching occupied his curiosity briefly, then he undid the straps and looked inside.

He snorted. Books and papers ... and a small bag of gold coins, twelve of them, each with an elven king on one side and a swan on the other. Silvanesti for certain. The rangers must not have gotten around to searching the elf's gear if they had missed this. The goblin palmed the gold and was about to empty the rest of the backpack's contents into the fire pit when he noticed the biggest book.

Except that the book in the elf's backpack was white, it was just like the red spellbook the goblin had seen a Red Robe reading one day, three years ago, on the banks of a mountain stream. Of course, the goblin had given that wizard a wide berth. It wasn't smart to mess with wizards.

The goblin eyed the book before gazing at the battered elf. If the rangers had found the book, the elf would have been dead long ago. The goblin wondered if that wouldn't have been best. A minotaur knew but one way to kill you and would at least be quick about it; a wizard knew a thousand, and he often took his time. The Istarians burned wizards at the stake, but it was not uncommon for whole Istarian villages and towns to go up in flames themselves shortly after such events. Better to turn away from a wizard than to raise your hand against him.

The goblin chewed his lower lip.

Better to turn away, but maybe better still to make a wizard your ally - even an elf - if you could do it.

The kender, muttering to himself all the while, finished cleaning and dressing the elf's wounds. The goblin, coming out of his reverie with a start, made a production of relighting the fire until the kender went outside to wash off in a stream. Once he was alone, the goblin carefully replaced all of the Silvanesti coins and made sure the elf's things were in order inside the pack before strapping it shut. He then took both the backpack and the elf's pouch- laden belt and stored them in the back of the cave where the minotaur and kender weren't likely to find them. (The kender had already fully explored the shallow cave and was unlikely to search it again.) Then there was nothing to do but wait - and think.

The elf regained consciousness later that afternoon.

The kender was beside himself with joy and talked without stop for two hours afterward, pestering the elf with questions that he lacked the strength to answer. This gave the elf a chance to eye his surroundings and take in the goblin and minotaur; upon seeing the latter, the elf's eyes widened and he seemed too afraid to move. The goblin kept to the background and took care of minor ch.o.r.es that the kender usually handled, saying nothing. The minotaur merely grunted when it saw the elf, then went outside and sat down to dine on a freshly killed boar taken from a pit trap, noisily tearing into its dinner with its bare teeth.

When the kender ran off to fetch some water from the nearby stream, the goblin ambled over and sat down on the ground next to the elf, who tried to edge away. The goblin pretended not to notice.

"You feel good?" asked the goblin in the trade tongue.He knew only a few Silvanesti words, and he had never had the chance to learn the goblin tongue - not that an elf would have appreciated it. "No human beat face for fun now, eh?"

The elf looked as though he couldn't think of anything to say. His eyes were blood-red spheres nestled in great black bruises that covered nearly his entire face.

"No need worry, eh," said the goblin with a squint-eyed grin. "The humans you meet, they get sick. Bad sick. We can do nothing. Maybe bury them later. More humans maybe out in woods, looking around, but you safe here."

The goblin reached over and gently poked at the elf with a stiff finger. "Eh, you Silvanesti?"

The elf stared in tight-lipped silence at the goblin.

"Yes? No? Not matter," said the goblin, looking down to check his fingernails for dirt. "You think, eh, goblin not like elves. Maybe he do for me hard." The goblin looked into the elf's eyes with a knowing smile. "Maybe goblin want you to live. Maybe we all help each other. You wear robes, eh?"

The elf licked his lips, seeming to overcome some obstacle inside him. "Yes," he whispered. He was obviously afraid, but the goblin could tell the elf wanted to come out with it. Pride, no doubt. And perhaps an arrogant honesty. "I wear the wh - " The elf coughed painfully and swallowed, then continued in a weaker voice. "I am of the White Robes."

"Hmmm." The goblin made a face, looked down at his fingernails. It figured. "Good magic not help much, eh?

You maybe looking for something when humans catch you?"

The elf started to reply, then stopped. His wide-eyed gaze locked onto the goblin.

Gotcha, thought the goblin. "Humans that beat you say they take magic sword from elf, maybe not long ago.

Maybe humans go to Istar with sword, give Kingpriest.

What you think Kingpriest do with sword? Maybe cut off little elf, goblin heads?"

The elf's face twisted. He made an effort to get up, without success. "No," whispered the elf, rolling back in despair. "Did they take it? Are you sure they have it?"

"Eh," said the goblin, feigning indifference. "They say they have sword with gems. Pretty sword. Humans gone now."

The elf's eyes closed. "My cousin," he whispered. He took several deep breaths, then continued. "They must have caught my cousin. I was looking for his trail when my horse broke a leg. Then the humans found me. They asked why I was following them, but I wasn't. I just wanted my cousin and the sword." He roused himself again, looking at the goblin. "Did they say anything about my cousin?"

The goblin shrugged and shook his head. He knew what must have happened. He knew the elf knew, too.

The elf groaned and again tried to get up, but he was very weak and fell back limply. Sweat beaded up on his forehead. His breathing became labored, but soon evened out as he fell unconscious and slept.

For several minutes, the goblin sat by the elf in silence.

Instinct confirmed that the sword had to be magical. An elf, especially one who was a wizard, would not waste time worrying about a simple weapon. What could the sword do,though? Magical weapons were capable of doing anything, the goblin had heard. Some were said to hurl lightning, others to b.u.m like torches, still others to cut through stone.

The goblin had never before dreamed he would have the chance to get a magical sword of his own. He was certainly thinking about it now.

"How is he?" asked the kender as he came in with the full water bucket. "Is he still alive? Did he say anything?"

The goblin snorted and got up, dusting off his hands.

"Still alive. Not say much, need sleep. Maybe all right soon." He looked down at the sleeping figure. "Not bad elf.

Maybe we get along, eh? First time for everything."

"Running no good," the goblin observed the following morning. Leaving the cave, he found the elf standing upright by the entrance. A cold wind moaned through the branches. The sky was overcast, as usual.

The elf turned and almost fell over, but he grabbed for support from the rock face behind him. The elf wore stolen clothing that the kender had provided. The outfit was old, mismatched, and ill fitting, but better than nothing.

"I wasn't going to run," said the elf softly. He looked with a trace of anxiety in the direction of the minotaur, who was slowly wandering among the bare tree trunks some distance away. The beast had wrapped its chain around its waist and tied it there, like a belt, allowing its hands and arms some range of movement. The chain links clinked together lightly as it walked.

The goblin nodded in approval. "Good you stay. No horse, no luck." He waved a hand at the forest. "Nice new home, eh? You like? Stay long time with us, maybe?"

The elf looked away, his hands clenching and unclenching. His breathing was short and shallow.

You're exhausted and in pain, but you want to escape, thought the goblin. You want to escape and get that sword back. It's so obvious, it's laughable.

"I - " began the elf. He wrung his hands, seemingly unaware of what he was doing. He was watching the minotaur, who was casually breaking off tree limbs as thick as a grown man's arm, then dropping them or hurling them away. The kender would use them for firewood later.

"Tell me story, why you here now," said the goblin, sitting down on a rock. He was relaxed even though he didn't have his machete or spear. He knew he wouldn't need them.

The elf was silent. He looked down at his clenched hands.

"No story, eh?" said the goblin in mock disappointment. "Maybe tell good story about magic sword.

Make no matter now. Sword gone. Humans got it. Tell about sword. Good to hear story, start day."

The elf unclenched his hands. "It was just a sword," he said without looking up.

The goblin grinned mirthlessly. "Just sword, eh?" he said. "Dirty sword, no good? You sure you wear white robes?"

Stung, the elf flushed, but still did not look up. "It was a gift for a friend," he said. "It ... had a lot of personal valuefor me, too."

"Hmmm," said the goblin, after a minute had pa.s.sed in silence. "Not much story, eh. We find you, shoot humans, save life, fix you up, and you have no story. Eh! Wizards all alike." He made a gesture with his hands, resigned to the ingrat.i.tude of the universe. "We save white book, even.

You throw many spells all you want. Play good wizard all day. Still sword gone. Still no story. Eh I"

The elf blinked and looked directly at the goblin. "My spellbook?" he asked in astonishment. "You have my spellbook? Where is it?"

"In cave," said the goblin easily. "All safe for you. Eh, some goblins not stupid. Work together, maybe live. Fight each other, all die. Winter coming, you know. Rains start soon. Maybe you use spells, we live to spring. You stay, grow strong. We safe from humans here. You leave, eh, we not care. But humans, maybe they not so nice next time."

It would be tricky, the goblin knew. If the elf had the magic to obtain the sword, he would certainly have done so by now. But he didn't have the sword, he hadn't stopped the rangers from beating him up, and he hadn't managed to escape even now. He might not have the magic to do much of anything. But maybe he did and just needed time to prepare. It would be tricky, baiting him like this, easing him into the circle, making him give up his secrets.

"You not trust me" the goblin said at last. "Maybe good thing. Elves, goblins like water and fire. Humans, they kill us both, but we not care. That fine with you, maybe?" The goblin gave a short laugh. "Look! You see me, you see kender, you see minotaur. We work together.

You alive also. Think! Wizards good at thinking. Real enemy is who, eh? Think!"

The elf did not answer for a minute. He looked embarra.s.sed as the goblin spoke. "I apologize," he finally said. "I'd just never imagined that ... well, that - "

"That goblin get smart, eh? Or kender? Or - " The goblin jerked a thumb in the direction of the minotaur.

"Istar make us smart. No time for stupid things. We stick together or Istar collect our hair. You, wizard, maybe worth more gold than me, minotaur, kender." The goblin grinned, rubbing his own short, wiry hair. "My head, I like much, eh?"

The elf actually smiled. Then he looked around, and the smile faded as he saw the bare trees and low clouds and seemed to look beyond them.

"Cousin gone," said the goblin softly. "Why you risk life for sword?"

It was the moment of truth. The goblin's eyes narrowed as he leaned forward on the rock.

The elf looked down at his hands and wrung them together for several long minutes.

"It was a gift for my cousin," he said at last, looking at something only he could see. "I made it with the help of my brethren in the Orders of High Sorcery. Over the years, my cousin had shielded many in the orders from Istar, defying his own family to do it, and we wished to reward him. I asked that we make him a sword, one that he could use as his wisdom saw fit."

The elf took a deep breath and let it out, never looking up. His eyes seemed to glisten. "I rode out to meet him at aprearranged place south of here, but an Istarian patrol chased us. He got the sword, but didn't have time to undo its case before we split up. I tried to find him. Then my horse ... You know the rest."

The goblin nodded solemnly. The sword, he shouted inside. Tell me about the sword, you maggot elf.

The elf licked his lips and went on. "The sword was named the Sword of Change. We wanted to fulfill my cousin's dearest dream, whatever the G.o.ds would grant, so we gave the sword the power to do just that. It will grant its user one wish. It is not all-powerful, but the G.o.ds of magic will grant the user what he asks for if it is within reason."

He grimaced at a thought. "I've been guilty of worrying more about the sword than my cousin's life, but the sword could do much harm in the wrong hands. The Kingpriest no doubt could find a use for it to build his power. He could root out traitors, gain victory in battle, grant himself many more years of life. Now it's ..." He lifted his hands, then let them fall, his shoulders sagging.

The goblin quietly digested this. The idea that a sword was capable of so much power was almost too ridiculous to believe, but the practical aspects of having a sword like that were not lost on him at all. A parade of wishes flowed through his head. Food, riches, women, physical might, rulership, immortality - he would ask for any of these if the sword were his - or if it became his, one day. It began to seep into his mind that perhaps the sword wasn't totally out of his grasp. It certainly couldn't hurt to find out if the elf knew anything more that would be useful in obtaining the sword. The goblin would have to prepare himself for the journey, though it meant abandoning the elf, the minotaur, and - "Wow," said the kender.

The elf spun around and nearly fell again. The goblin jumped in surprise. Eyes full of wonder, the kender was sitting on the hillside over the cave mouth, beside a few small saplings only thirty feet away. The goblin had never seen him.

"A sword that can do all that," said the kender in awe.

"And you cast magic, too? I can't believe it. That's incredible. Are you going to capture the sword? Can we see it if you do? What's it look like? My mother and father told me all about magic, and they said it was the best thing. I'd love to see a magic sword. Where is it? Can you find it?"

The elf slowly swallowed, appearing confused and unsure. He glanced from the goblin to the kender. "If I knew where the men who took it were, I might have a chance to get it back," the elf said. "If my cousin is ... if he is dead, then I should see that the sword stays out of Istarian hands. I could not sleep, knowing they had it and could use it."

"Great!" shouted the kender, leaping to his feet. "Can we go with you? He and I are great hunters" - he pointed to the goblin - "and we can track and set traps and do all kinds of stuff. And the minotaur can carry things. He's strong!

We won't get in the way, I promise. We'll be good! Are you going to cast spells to get the sword back? I can't wait!"

Both the elf and the goblin stared at the kender in astonishment. The goblin looked at the elf. The elf looked back at the minotaur, who was now sitting under a tree,taking a nap.

"Well..." said the elf.

"Then let's get going!" shouted the kender. "I'll grab my stuff!" HeScooted down the slope and ran into the cave, past the camouflage branches.

The elf and goblin stared at each other. Each seemed to be about to ask a question. Neither did.

The elf cleared his throat. "I really should recover that sword. The Istarians will use it against us and against everyone not of their faith, and we will suffer for it.

Making that sword was foolishness. Letting it go to the likes of them is worse."

The goblin shrugged and glanced at the minotaur. "You know, that fine by me, you get sword. Fine that we go for walk. But maybe big one not like to take walk with us," he said in a very low voice, nodding in the minotaur's direction. "Hard to tell with big one."

The elf thought. "Maybe I can do something about that," he said. "I don't like doing this, but ... could you find that white book you said you found? I think I have a spell there that might..." He let his voice trail off.

The goblin made a show of looking up into the trees, then motioned for the elf to follow him into the cave.

Everything was working out so perfectly that the goblin had trouble believing it. The possibility that he would soon have the sword in his hands made it hard to think. He'd have to calm down and use his head. There was too much at stake to blow this. And he'd have to start thinking about the wish he would make the moment his hand closed on the sword's hilt. There were so many things he had always wanted, and now ...

There was no sound in the forest but the rustling of dry leaves and the cold wind in the bare branches. Beneath the tree where it rested, the minotaur leaned back, eyes almost closed, perfectly still except for the gentle rise and fall of its barrel-sized chest. One of its broad, cupped ears flicked away a horsefly, then curled back like the other toward the cave mouth.

They traveled east under a dark sky for the rest of the day. Behind them were the woods that the kender had known all his life. The kender was quite excited about the trip and talked incessantly, though he looked back now and then, too, and was sometimes silent. Nervously eyeing the placid minotaur, the goblin marched along quickly to keep up with everyone else. The elf's spell of charming did indeed seem to have tamed the huge beast, though the goblin was careful never to annoy it. There was no sense in pressing one's luck. Once the elf felt certain of the minotaur's obedience and that it understood the widely used trade tongue, the elf paid little attention to the beast and merely had it carry their heavier supplies. These included a few bags the elf had dropped when the humans had captured him. The elf fussed over these for several minutes before a.s.suring himself that they were safe and unharmed.

The Istarian free rangers had left a remarkably clear trail behind them. The goblin spat on the ground as the kender traced it back with ease. In the old days, the goblinhad heard, no living thing could find the path a ranger took.

Obviously, that had been a VERY long time ago.

They bedded down that night, too exhausted to talk.