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.""We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," Jedidiah replied."Or burn it once we've crossed it." He sat on his bed and pulled off his boots."Have a little faith, priest," he teased.Once again Joel lay awake far into the night wondering about his god.Jedidiah had proven himself foolishI enough to lose most of his godly power.Now he was preparing to use the young paladin in a deadly game against the church of Bane.The fact that Holly was willing to be used didn't ease Joel's mind any.The young priest also couldn't stop worrying what would happen if they recovered the Hand of Bane and Jedidiah did hand it over to the banelich.Bane would be resurrected once more to plague the Realms.Or worse, what would happen if the banelich took the Hand of Bane and then found a way to betray them and keep the finder's stone? As weak as Jedidiah was, not only would Joel's and Holly's lives be at stake, but Jedidiah himself could end up taking Bane's place in the astral plane as a floating immortal corpse.When sleep finally came to the Rebel Bard, his dreams were filled with barren deserts and blood-red sunsets.TwelveCat's GateThe next morning Joel and Jedidiah climbed the stairs to the Singing Cave together, lugging heavy backpacks filled with supplies.Copperbloom had seen to their provisioning as efficiently as a quartermaster from the Cormyrean army.She'd provided them with all they needed: food, water, tarps, blankets, fresh clothing, potions, even new scabbards for their weapons.Holly was already waiting at the entrance to the temple.Her face was drawn, her eyes bloodshot.She probably stayed up late speaking with Jas, and of course she would have been up at sunrise to pray to her god before she set off on her quest."I need to speak with Copperbloom in private," Jedidiah told Joel."Call me when Grypht arrives, please."Joel nodded and Jedidiah disappeared into the temple."Where's Jas?" he asked Holly."She gone off with the flyers," the paladin said."She said she didn't want to see us off.She asked me to bid you farewell."The news left Joel feeling disheartened.He might never see the winged woman again, and he had at least hoped to wish her well.Grypht arrived a short time later.Once again he'd taken the trouble to cast a spell so he could speak their language.He wished them good morning, then spoke to Joel."In case you had not noticed, your Jedidiah can be very reckless and thoughtless."Joel flushed, unable to bring himself to gainsay the saurial wizard's analysis of his god.Grypht knew Jedidiah far better than he, and Joel had already reached the same conclusion."Any time you can influence him to show moderation or consideration, I advise you to do so," Grypht said.Joel nodded, then went to fetch Jedidiah.Copperbloom accompanied her god and her fellow priest out of the Singing Cave.She embraced Holly, then Joel.Her scales were warm and smooth to the touch, and the scent of honeysuckle rose from her throat.The priestess bowed very low before her god.Jedidiah returned her bow with one of his own, then turned to Grypht."We're ready," he said."Are you sure you want to go this early?" the wizard asked."They are not expecting you for another day.They may not even arrive there themselves until tomorrow.""I want to be there before they arrive, to check the lay of the land," Jedidiah explained, "in case they were considering some trick before we enter the Outlands, Check on Cat's Gate tomorrow evening, just in case we have to leave Holly behind.""Or in case they do not show up?" Grypht asked hopefully."That's not likely," the god replied."In that event, we will head for Sigil without them.If the Hand of Bane is ours, they will come to us."Grypht nodded, then turned away from the others.From the growls and clicks, Joel guessed that the wizard had begun an incantation in his own tongue.The smell of fresh-mown hay surrounded the huge saurial.The tip of his staff began to sparkle, and with it the wizard traced a door-sized ellipse in the air.The yellow-white sparks hung suspended by magic.Light flared in the ellipse, and a blast of very hot, very dry air shot out from within.Inside the sparkling border, there appeared a wasteland of sand."You can step through now," Grypht said.Jedidiah picked up a knapsack and jumped through the magical portal.They could see him sliding in the sand on the other side.Joel grabbed the other knapsack and stepped through more carefully.He stood on the top of a huge sand dune.The air was scorching and completely still.It shimmered all about him.The morning sun was blinding.To the east, the Desertsmouth Mountains were a purple haze [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]