BLACK THUNDER

landing a year ago! tranph sputtered, indignation wrestling with outrage. and that, in itself, may be at the root of the
treason, don vaez suppressed a yawn. but come now, my good sergeant. where is your general? surely he is the one who
must provide the ultimate answers. i tell you, he has marched on the capital of this land a city reported to hold more
gold than you can possibly imagine! our last message from him told us that he had entered the city and was engaged in
negotiation with their ruler. we have heard nothing else from him for these last four, maybe five months. nor will he
hear aught from you, promised don vaez with a tight smile. when he returns, we shall have a quiet reception call it a
trial, if you will and he will have ample opportunity to answer the charges against him. perhaps if his mission is a
success, he will return with enough gold to convince us of his noble intentions. then he will accompany us in chains, of
course on a return to amn. and then my own triumph shall be complete! he added silently. don vaez, in a flurry of blond
curls, turned on his heel and marched from the cell. a burly guard slammed the door shut behind him, while a company of
trusted watchmen stood as sentries about the small building. rodolfo, the veteran navigator, stepped over to don vaez
as he left the shed. beggin’ your pardon, sir, he began, but i wonder, if we're bein’ a bit hard on these lads here. don
vaez’s eyes flashed, and he fixed the man with all the glare his clear blue eyes could muster. you’re not being paid to
wonder but to follow orders! if i were you, i’d have a care to remember that! he barked. rodolfo met the gaze in those
blue eyes for several seconds, but don vaez couldn't read the look he saw there. he held his own gaze firm, and the
navigator finally nodded slightly. as you wish, captain he replied softly. rodolfo turned and disappeared into the
darkness collecting in the fortress. don vaez watched him go, pleased with the result of the confrontation he knew
that he had gone far to secure his position as unquestioned leader of the expedition. the only question now was what
to do next. still, it was a fine start to the mission! don vaez congratulated himself as he crossed the compound within
helm-sport, toward the large wooden building the only permanent structure here which he had claimed as his
headquarters. within that house, he knew, pryat devane worked his auguries, trying to determine with the aid of helm
what would be the appropriate course of action that was useful, thought the commander, but not essential. he had
time now, and could afford to wait. he took no notice of the eagle soaring in serene circles high
overhead. ***** we have folk like this where i come from, halloran explained. they're called halflings.
do they lack clothing and take your people prisoner? erix wondered. hal chuckled grimly no they're more of a nuisance!
than a threat. most of them live among humans, in the same cities and towns and villages. sometimes they're brave,
sometimes cowardly, they're just like other men, except a little smaller. he and his wife sat on the ground within a small
cage fashioned from sturdy wooden bars lashed together with toughened strands of hemp. around them, the little
people settled down to their evening's cooking. the village was a collection of straw huts, with overhanging roofs of
heavy thatch and low, rounded doorways. racks in the center of the structures held a variety of meats over low coals.
night settled across the surrounding jungle, a night filled with the heavy drone of insects, punctuated by the shrill howls
of monkeys and birds. every once in a while they heard the rumbling cry of a jaguar, and for a few moments
afterward, the forest fell still. several children advanced cautiously toward the cage, watching them with wide eyes.
erixitl smiled at them, and they quickly scampered back to the shelter of their parents cookfires. if erix was frightened,
halloran thought, she didn't show it. he tried to hide his own fear, even though he didn't fear for himself. but what kind of
hope was there? what were their prospects of flight, even if they could get away, with erix carrying the burden of
their child within her. what do you think they’ll do with us? she asked. halloran could only shrug, at least i don't see a
pyramid or an altar. but who knows what their plans ate? have you heard of these folk before? in the same sense as
the ‘hairy men.’ the desert dwarves, she admitted. the little people are told of in ancient legends, and some claimed
that they dwelled in the deepest jungles of far payit. but like the desert dwarves, no one seemed to take the stories
seriously. i have never heard of anyone who has seen