Crown of Fire
Page 34
The soft-voiced ranger spoke seldom; this was quite a speech for her. The others listened in respectful silence.
The chamber where Mourngrym had scowled at a tableful of parchments was crowded now. The Knights of Myth Drannor were all assembled, Elminster and Storm with them (the room was, after all, officially Elminster’s bedchamber in The Twisted Tower, though the number of times he used it in a year could be counted on the fingers of one hand). The faces in that room were long despite the bright sunlight and the cheerful birdsong that came in the windows with it. Sharantyr was right, and they all knew it.
The lady ranger sipped from her goblet, elbow on raised knee, as she stood with one foot upon her chair. But no more words came to her, and after a long breath she shrugged and sat down again.
“Well said, Shar,” Florin Falconhand said quietly. As usual, the tall ranger who led the Knights in battle led them also in council, behind closed doors, Mourngrym deferring to him gladly. The lordship of Shadowdale had been offered to Florin first of them all. It would be his this day if he wanted it. “I believe we’re all of the same mind, though it makes none of us happy.”
From where he sat half-hidden behind his master, Elminster’s scribe said quietly, “One thing should not be forgotten in this discussion, I believe. Alaundo the Seer’s prophecies may be cryptic, but they have, every one, proven to be right over the years—often only after events, when one could see their meaning clearly, I’ll grant.”
Lhaeo paused, looked around amid a tense, listening silence, and went on carefully, “We all know Alaundo spoke of spellfire arising and a sword of power, ‘to cleave shadow and evil and master art.’ The Saying before that refers to ‘war among wizards,’ and the ones that follow, I must remind all here, warn us of ‘magic becoming wild’ and of the casting down of the gods. Alaundo said that ‘the gods will walk among men, amid chaos of Art and nature, and there will be strife in Faerûn.’ Shandril’s spellfire, then, is no small matter.”
“True,” Lanseril the druid agreed. “And yet it is but one link in a chain, the way Alaundo says it. Moreover, if the Seer is as right as he has ever been down the centuries, all this will come about whether we lift a finger or not.”
Shaerl nodded. “When night falls, we must all make our own journey on alone, through the next day. To depend on others for constant aid and protection is a way only for the helpless and fools. To most it brings swift death, one way or another. We do our friends no kindness if we are always charging over the nearest hill to the rescue, blades on high. If ever we come not, or are a stride or two too slow, they’ll meet their ends.”
Elminster stirred. The drinking-jack in front of Torm slid for a moment along the table, and then soared into the air, evading the thief’s sudden grab, to sail through the air into the Old Mage’s waiting hand.
“Aye,” Elminster said quietly, ignoring Torm’s sputter of indignation and the chuckles that accompanied it, “ye speak truth, lass. Yet all here know how long ago various ends would have been met if I, or Storm here, had not come over that hill ye speak of, to give aid when it was needed. All of ye, too, have rescued too many others to count, and not all of them Shadowdale folk or comrades. Narm and Shandril, for two.”
The Old Mage drained Torm’s jack at a single quaff, smiled at the thief, and sent the empty vessel floating along on its return journey. “The gods above know I’m a busy man,” he said innocently, pretending not to hear the resulting chuckles and snorts, “and am beset at present with matters even weightier than spellfire—but I should not be overmuch surprised if I find myself sparing time for a charge over the hill or two that ye cannot, when my business takes me that way. What say ye, Storm?”
The bard patted the hilt of the well-used longsword scabbarded at her hip. “I, too, will do what I can—and there are my fellow Harpers along their way. One does nothing but wait for them. To say nothing of Delg the dwarf; I’ll be surprised if he’s not caught up to them already. We’ll all do what we can.”
Torm turned to Rathan, adopting the wail of a country priest. “Don’t forget ye the dwarf! The dwarf, I tell ye, will prevail against all enemies that attack them below the knees! Mark my words: A dwarf shall be thy salvation!”
Mourngrym rolled his eyes. Beside him, Illistyl Elventree sighed and deftly kicked her sometime companion under the table, so that he broke off his mimicry with a little high cough. “Enough, Torm, as I think has been said before, a time or two. This Delg is at least one axe raised for them, and not against them. Try not to be more exasperating than your face and manner force you to be!”
Torm clutched his head in mock sorrow. “That’s right,” he sobbed, “insult me! It gives the wound you dealt me already warm company! Next you’ll all be wanting me to behave myself or hold my tongue or even—speak sense!”
“Aye, Torm. There’s no end to the cruelty of the world, I fear,” Florin said dryly. “We’re agreed, then. Shadowdale is our first duty, and we must turn to it—and I fear Narm and Shandril are by no means the last of the reckless who’d explore Myth Drannor before the Realms are a day older, either! Our efforts must lie here.”
He half-rose in his seat, restlessly. “Lady Storm and the good sage Elminster will do what they can to aid our friends directly—and we Knights will do what we can to keep the Zhentarim, other priests of Bane, and those of the Dragon Cult busy hereabouts. Perhaps they’ll then have less attention to spare for working mischief upon Narm and Shandril. Spellfire is important to us all, aye—but I’ve noticed how soon things seem to lose importance when other matters threaten, closer to home and hearth!”
Mourngrym, Storm, and Elminster nodded together. “Indeed,” agreed the Old Mage with a twinkle in his eye, “I’ve noticed that our own Torm has the godly power to make everything else in the Realms seem less and less important with each passing day.”
Torm raised his hand and made a certain gesture at the old man. It was not a spell.
Elminster yawned delicately in reply and laid a hand on Storm’s arm. Both their chairs were suddenly empty, the bard and the archmage gone from the room in an instant.
Torm straightened. “See? He fled from me! Tremble, all, before my godly power!”
Rathan upended what was left of his tall tankard over his comrade’s head. “Far be it from me to waste wine,” he remarked to the room at large, “but as Florin said, we’ll do what we can to aid our friends directly.”
A sputtering Torm kicked the legs of Rathan’s chair out from under him. The crash that followed was impressive in both volume and by how much it shook the room. Through Rathan’s roared curses could be heard the thunder of running booted feet in the passage outside.
Shaerl chuckled. “Don’t let those guards in, love,” she said to Mourngrym, “until I’ve jumped up onto the table again!”
The Lord of Shadowdale rolled his eyes. “No, of course not, dear.”
Shandril’s adventures continue in a new novel, Hand of Fire, but I hope it’s many years before fans of the Realms tire of exploring the rich unfolding history of the world that began in my head decades ago and has become the collaborative creation of many gamers, writers, game designers, and readers who love the Realms as much as I do. When day draws down and it’s time to trade tales over a leaping fire, I hope you’ll always feel welcome in the Forgotten Realms.
We’ve glory here to show you, and tales of lost treasures, princes in armor, jaws in the lurking dark, and mysteries of missing kings. Dragons dancing in the sky, and wizards blasting the towers of castles into thunderous falling ruin … tales of love and betrayal, gallant heroics and sly intrigues.
As Alaundo the Seer once said, “Turn the pages, do. We write upon them for thee.”
Ed Greenwood
February 2002
CONTINUE YOUR
ADVENTURE
The Dungeons & Dragons® Fantasy Roleplaying Game Starter Set has everything you need for you and your friends to start playing. Explore infinite universes, create bold heroes and pre
pare to begin—or rediscover—the game that started it all.
Watch Videos
Read Sample Chapters
Get product previews
Learn more about D&D® products
at
DungeonsandDragons.com
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, D&D, WIZARDS OF THE COAST, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the U.S.A. and other countries. ©2011 Wizards.