Dragonlance goes back in time in an exclusive excerpt from a new novel

Authors Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, co-authors of the Dragonlance Dungeons & Dragons novels, are back with a powerful new book — and an exclusive excerpt for Polygon readers. Dragons of Fate, the sequel to 2022’s Dragons of DeceitThe second book in the Dragonlance Destinies Series continues the tale of the main character Destina. It literally reverses the time on Krynn and puts fan favorites Raistlin Magere, Sturm Brightblade, back at the heart of the story.

“The second book is explosive,” Hickman told Polygon in a recent interview. “It’s not the tame second act by any stretch of the imagination. It’s an explosive book with explosive events, and I’m very excited for people to take this part of the journey with us. Margaret and I to have a tendency to do very shattering second books, and this one feels like it follows that tradition.”

[Ed. note: This story will spoil major plot points for Dragons of Deceit, the first book in the Dragonlance Destinies series.]

You can also find out more about the following: Dragons of DeceitDestina, a powerful mage who uses magic to go back in time in order to try and save Solamnia’s kingdom. Due to her actions, she and the members of Dragonlance Companions are physically thrown back into time. Suddenly, the adventuring party finds themselves in the company of Magius and Huma Dragonbane, two legendary figures from Krynn’s past.

“I think we all have a vision of our heroes,” Hickman said. “We have a tendency to carve them in marble and make them perfect icons in our mind. And I think that, for us, having an opportunity to view Huma, to view Magius as people, as flawed individuals, and to get past the marble statues with them has been part of the journey of the book itself.”

“Raistlin and Sturm in particular have to struggle with this,” Weis said, “because Huma has always been Sturm’s hero and Magius [is] Raistlin’s. And now that they’ve met them, they have to deal with this.”

Hickman and Weis said that they tried to be faithful to their characters’ originals, even though the timeline was new.

“Sturm is still Sturm, and Raistlin is still Raistlin,” Hickman said. “Even though they’re confronting this real dissonance within them as they’re viewing their heroes, Sturm is reacting to it as Sturm would. […] He’s not the kind of guy who’s going to want to sit down with you and bare his soul.

“Raistlin has always been so analytical and so distant anyway,” Hickman continued, “[always] trying to remove himself and observe everything from the outside, that I think we see the same viewpoint in him as he’s trying to grapple with these differences. [His challenge is to]Instead, grapple with reality and not his expectations. We are provided with, […] as readers making this journey with them, an opportunity to look inside of Sturm and inside of Raistlin in ways that we haven’t ever been able to before.”

You can read the entire book when you click on this link. The entire book is available when you click on the link. Dragons of FateThe new release date is August 1.

Raistlin brought the words to a spell to mind — one he had memorized centuries ago — and took out a pinch of bat guano. A simple spell. Once again, as a newbie mage, he did not have the magic skill to do anything else.

He thought grimly, “I can’t believe I have the ability to fight the gods.”

They heard the sound of feet rustling through the forest under­growth and a shrill voice, singing.

“‘Your one true love’s a sailing ship, that anchors at our pier. We lift her sails, we man her decks, we scrub her portholes clear….’”

Raistlin forgot the words of the spell. “Tassle­hoff.”

“I found Sturm,” Tas announced when he saw them. “He and Huma and some other men are coming to help the soldier. Raistlin, look at who I brought with me! Magius. See what he’s got with him. He has your staff!”

Magius walked a little behind Tas. He had hair that was the same color as ripening grain and blue-eyed eyes. The mage had high cheekbones and an imposing jaw. He also smiled sardonically, with a mocking look in his eye. He wore red robes, since war wizards were not per­mitted to wear the white robes that betokened peace, and a silver ring on his left hand. Raistlin inspected the silver ring and wondered whether it was magic.

His knowledge of history told him that Magius, his best friend Huma, were both in their 30s. Raistlin, the older of the two men, had far less experience and knowledge at that time.

Magius was a slow walker, leaning heavily on his staff, as if he were exhausted. This could be because he’d been casting spells which had fatigued him and depleted his mind. Raistlin, however, was not deceived. He had done the same thing himself by leaning heavily onto his staff in order to fool an opponent into complacency. Magius turned that staff from a simple tool into an effective weapon by using a single word of magic.

Raistlin was not able to fault the mage’s precautions. He had now come across strangers in the woods. They were a group of people who had been hiding out during the war. Raistlin’s gaze was drawn to the group and he saw that despite his apparent fear, he seemed more interested.

“Sturm and Huma are bringing help for that soldier who got hurt,” Tas was saying. “Magius wanted to come ahead to meet every­one. This is Lady Destina Rosethorn.”

Destina did not look like a noble lady, for her clothes were cov­ered with leaves and stained with blood, and her black hair had come unbound and tumbled down around her shoulders. She shook off her skirt and the blood-stained leaves. Then she welcomed Magius in the same manner she would greet a guest at her manor.

“Thank you for coming to help us, sir,” she said graciously. Tully was pointed out by her. “This man was attacked by goblins and is wounded.”

Magius nodded his head as a sign of acknowledgment. “My friend is bringing men from the village with a litter.”

His voice was confident, self-assured, taking command of the situation — wary, but not fearful. Raistlin was in his sights as his blue eyes swept past Destina.

“And this is my wizard friend, Raistlin Majere,” Tas continued excitedly. “I was telling Magius about you, Raistlin. How you cough up blood and you have golden skin and hourglass eyes.”

Magius looked at Raistlin in a cool and appreciative way. “Golden skin. Hourglass-shaped pupils. Your hair, prematurely white.”

“The Test,” said Raistlin by way of explanation.

Magius’s expression grew shadowed. He nodded in understand­ing and said nothing more. He would also have taken the test. Like Raistlin, and like all other mage, he was loathful to tell anyone what happened.

Raistlin observed his fellow mage with interest and some reluc­tance.

Huma was celebrated as a hero in story and song, but none of the heroic tales mentioned Magius, probably because Solamnics dis­trusted magic, and they chose to ignore that their hero had been friends with a wizard. Raistlin, however, had been hearing stories about Magius his entire life. Wizards still honor him and keep his memory alive. Raistlin was aware of the old saying that said it is best to avoid meeting heroes because they will never live up to expectations. He wondered whether that was the case and kept himself at a distance.

“Greetings, Brother,” said Magius. “I have long thought I was the only wizard in Solamnia. I am pleased, albeit astonished, to meet another.”

“Raistlin is the friend I was telling you about,” said Tas. “The one who owns your staff.”

“And to think that all this time I have been laboring under the misconception that I owned my staff,” Magius said, his lips twitch­ing in amusement.

“The kender has your staff confused with an old walking staff of mine,” Raistlin said.

“I am not confused,” Tas said, offended. “I Know more it’s the same staff because your staff had a dragon claw holding a crystal ball on top just like this one. I can prove it.” He turned to Magius. “Does the crystal ball on your staff light up when you say, ‘Shellac’? Because Raistlin’s staff used to do that.”

Magius was amused in the past, but not now. The magic word to turn on the crystal was Shirak, It is not clear how to get there. shellac, The two are close enough together to make one wonder.

“What else do you know about my staff, Master Burrfoot?” Magius spoke to the kender, but he was watching Raistlin.

“Call me Tas,” said Tas. “Everyone does. Raistlin said it was the ‘Staff of Magius’ and that it had been your staff. He was really proud of it and wouldn’t let me touch it even though I promised I wouldn’t get it dirty. It’s the staff that I think I should be referring to. You can also find out more about us on our website. be his, be­cause, of course, it is your staff now.”

Magius raised a brow at this baffling statement. Raistlin had the bat-guano in his hand and was seriously considering using it to blow up the kender. Tas was lucky that Sturm and Huma had entered the forest at the same time, so he forgot the staff.