Ch. 2, Page 32

Sleep should have come easily to Tenser. Exhausted and spent, he should have been asleep the moment his head touched the ground. Words, though, kept getting in his way. 

The conversation between Gronan and Robilar had not gone unheard. Though said in hushed voices some distance away, they had carried on a gentle breeze to Tenser's ears. And they troubled him. Troubled to hear of this arrangement being made behind his back, as it were. Troubled that Robilar would decide on his own to let their prisoner go.  Tenser stayed on the ground, pretending to be asleep, but considering how best to reproach Robilar on the subject later.

That is, until Robilar spoke again. By now, Gronan was already well out of earshot and Robilar could not have meant them to be heard by anyone but himself.  Tenser was comforted by these words, for they showed a depth of character Robilar normally kept hidden. 

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Ch. 2, Page 31

There was no argument from Tenser, who was exhausted, and Terik, who was sore all over.  They went to find a soft spot where they could lie down and rest. Hopefully someplace without ants.

Gronan and Robilar stood facing each other, in stony silence, for at least 15 minutes. They were sizing each other up, seeing if one hoped to win some last minute revenge on the other. But each man realized that they were both as tired and sore as Tenser and Terik. What's more, they each regarded each other now, not with hostility, but with respect.  The fight was not in them anymore and it was time to talk this out.

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Ch. 2, Page 30

They were the words Robilar had been waiting to hear -- though he had been expecting them out of Drake in exchange for his life. Eagerly, Robilar and Terik both stepped forward to hear Gronan's secret...

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Ch. 2, Page 29

Tenser was relieved to hear it, but he tried not to show it. "You surrender then? Good!"  Tenser hesitated, unsure of where to take his bluff next.

Gronan seemed to sense that and resumed talking. "I am not saying I fully trust this was magic dust you blew in my face, but I am not willing to discount it either. The glowworm, if you please...?" Gronan asked, reaching out his hand to take it.

Tenser dropped the dead bug into Gronan's hand and pulled his arm away quickly, in case it was a trick, but Gronan casually took the bug, tossed it into his mouth, and swallowed it. "I've eaten worse," Gronan said. "I've also met a lot of bold men in my time, but no one who's ever tried to bluff me into surrendering with a dead glowworm before.  Now...why don't you escort me to your friends, assuming Captain Drake did not best them both..."

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Ch. 2, Page 28

Gronan had been staring hard at this magic-user, trying to gauge what manner of man he was. It seemed that this man's claim of using magic dust was an obvious bluff. If it was a bluff, though, did that show bravery or desperation?  And, in his heart, did Gronan really see that much difference between the two? 

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Ch. 2, Page 27

Gronan had turned quickly and kept most of the sand away from his eyes. It had given Tenser a moment when Gronan was vulnerable, a moment in which Tenser could have slipped his dagger into some vulnerable spot and seriously wounded his foe. But Tenser had a bolder idea in mind, and it required a tall bluff.

Tenser stepped back out of combat. "Stop!" Tenser said as forcefully as he could muster. "That magic sand carries with a curse. A creeping paralysis will soon overtake you...and can only be undone by swallowing a glowworm whole. I have a glowworm in my hand," and it was true; Tenser had just produced it from another hidden pocket. "Come at me again and I'll crush this glowworm faster than you can touch me."

Tenser stared hard at Gronan, waiting to see if his bluff would be called. For now, Gronan just stared back, as if pondering how plausible this all was.

In the silence of their standoff, they could hear the clanging of swords from the desperate struggle of Robilar and Terik to take down Captain Drake.  And, through teamwork, it was slowly working.

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Ch. 2, Page 26

Tenser was acting brave, but he was not feeling brave. He had a dagger and he knew how to use it, but he was unarmored. His opponent had both armor and a sword and, sadly, Tenser knew how this usually played out. Without spells, Tenser had almost no resources to tip the scales. He had a few material components for spells in hidden pockets of his robes. A crystal, a glowworm, a handful of sand...

Maybe Tenser had a plan after all.

"I'm willing to be sporting," Gronan said.  "I'll fight you with my dagger."

"You could drop your sword," Tenser said.

"I'm not willing to be that sporting."  Gronan lunged.

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