Dragonlance 02 - Dragons of Winter Night (59 page)

I am going mad, she thought. Fearfully she turned back to look at the tree upon her father’s grave. No, it was changed. Even as she watched, it grew more beautiful.

Carefully, Alhana hung the Starjewel back in its place over her heart. Then she turned and walked back toward the Tower. There was much to be done before she left for Ergoth.

The next morning, as the sun shed its pale light over the unhappy land of Silvanesti, Alhana looked out over the forest. Nothing had changed. A noxious green mist still hung low over the suffering trees. Nothing would change, she knew, until the elves came back and worked to make it change. Nothing had changed except the tree above Lorac’s grave.

“Farewell, Lorac,” Alhana called, “until we return.”

Summoning her griffon, she climbed onto its strong back and spoke a firm word of command. The griffon spread its feathery wings and soared into the air, rising in swift spirals above the stricken land of Silvanesti. At a word from Alhana, it turned its head west and began the long flight to Ergoth.

Far below, in Silvanesti, one tree’s beautiful green leaves stood out in splendid contrast to the black desolation of the forest around it. It swayed in the winter wind, singing soft music as it spread its limbs to shelter Lorac’s grave from the winter’s darkness, waiting for spring.

Margaret Weis

Margaret Weis began her collaboration with Tracy Hickman on the D
RAGONLANCE
^®
series more than sixteen years ago, and a decade and a half later she is the author of numerous Dragonlance novels, the four-volume galactic fantasy Star of the Guardian, and co-author with Don Perrin of
The Doom Brigade, Draconian Measures, Knights of the Black Earth, Robot Blues, Hung Out, and Brothers in Arms
. She lives in southern Wisconsin.

Tracy Hickman

Tracy Hickman started at TSR as a game designer where he helped conceive of the world that became the Dragonlance campaign setting. He has written, in collaboration with Margaret Weis, the Dragonlance novels, the Darksword series, and the Death Gate Cycle. He is the designer of the game setting Starshield and the author of
The Immortals
. He lives in Utah with his wife, two daughters, and two sons.

D
RAGONLANCE
, D
UNGEONS
& D
RAGONS
, D&D, W
IZARDS OF THE
C
OAST
, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. Other trademarks are property of their respective owners. ©1985, 2000 Wizards of the Coast LLC.