Songs & Swords 1 (31 page)

Arilyn felt rather than saw Khelben cross the room to stand by her side. All her attention was focused on the moonblade and on the ghostly mist that rose from it. The mist swirled in a quick spiral and then descended to the floor. It coalesced into the image of an elven bard, carrying a small harp and clothed in the robes of an ancient time. Not taking any notice of the trio, the ghostly elf spoke.

“Let those who hear attend the ballad of the elfshadow.” He struck the harp strings and began to repeat a ballad in ringing, rhythmic speech:

Upon the wings of seven winds,

Upon the waves of every sea,

Zoastria the traveler seeks

The shadow’s living elf.

Twinborn she was, and from her birth

In sisterhood of soul and flesh

Zoastria and Somalee

Were destiny-entwined.

The heiress elf a sword was given,

The younger sailed to distant shores

To marry as her duty bid.

Her ship did not reach port.

Zoastria now walked alone.

Her weeping swelled the rising tide,

Her longing brought through stone and steel

A shadow sisterhood.

Call forth through stone, call forth from steel;

Command the mirror of thyself.

But ware the spirit housed within

The shadow of the elf.

The elven bard struck one final chord, then the image and the music faded. “The lyrics aren’t bad,” Danilo commented, breaking the tense silence that hung in the spellcasting chamber. “The tune could use some work, though.”

Khelben turned to Arilyn, who stood pale and still. “Does any of this make sense of you?” She hesitated, then shook her head. “What about you, Dan? Any ideas?”

The nobleman looked astonished. “You’re asking me?”

His comment roused Arilyn from her trance. She managed a faint smile. “Why not? Magic is your specialty, isn’t it?”

“Dan taught me all I know,” Khelben said, echoing the half-elf’s dry humor. “Let’s go downstairs to my parlor and talk this over.” Arilyn picked up the moonblade and followed Khelben down the spiral staircase to a large sitting room, which was furnished with comfortable chairs and decorated by samples of Khelben’s handiwork as an artist. Arilyn sank into a chair and laid the moonblade across her lap, but Danilo walked about the room, idly examining the portraits that covered the walls and stood on easels that had been set up in the corners.

“Could you cast that spell again?” Arilyn asked the archmage.

He took a chair near the half-elf. “Not today. Why?”

“I have to find out all there is to know about the moonblade,” she said tersely. “If you can do no more today, where do I go?”

Khelben rubbed his cheek and considered. “Candlekeep would probably have the most information. They’ve a fine library on elven magical objects.”

The half-elf’s shoulders sagged. “You might as well have said Rashemen,” she said ruefully. “The trip to Candlekeep would take months by land. By sea it could take several tendays, more with the winter storms at hand.”

“As it happens, that won’t be a problem,” Khelben said. “I do a great deal of research there, so I had a dimensional door installed between my library and Candlekeep.” Arilyn looked dubious, so Khelben added, “Take Danilo with you. The boy could be a help to you in your studies. He’s been to Candlekeep with me and he’s familiar with their methods. What do you say, Dan?”

Arilyn and Khelben turned toward the young man, who had been engrossed in the study of one of Khelben’s portraits. He nodded avidly. “Sounds good to me. There’s a rogue elf in Waterdeep devoted to the idea of killing me. I’d just as soon head south until he changes his mind.”

Khelben’s black eyebrows shot up, but Danilo dismissed the mage’s unspoken question with an insouciant shrug. “By the way, what is an elfshadow?” the young man asked.

“I don’t know,” Khelben admitted. “The answers given in response to a legend lore spell are usually cryptic.”

Arilyn suddenly recalled that the mage Coril’s spells had interpreted two runes on the moonblade: elf gate and elfshadow. At the time, it had seemed strange that Kymil Nimesin had failed to do this. Now Arilyn also wondered why Kymil had not attempted to cast a legend lore spell.

She turned to Khelben. “The spell you just cast,” she said abruptly, “is it very difficult?”

He spread his hands. “These things are relative, but I suppose you could say it is difficult. The spell components are expensive, and the spell is not widely known. Few can manage it.”

“It’s beyond me,” Danilo said, offering his support as if the archmage’s word required bolstering.

“I see,” Arilyn murmured absently. “Is it possible that the sword is warded against elven magic?”

“I doubt it. Why?”

“Just a thought,” she said. Squaring her shoulders and firming her resolve, she looked up at Danilo. “If we must go to Candlekeep, we might as well start now.”

“You’ll need a letter of introduction,” Khelben said. He rose and walked to a small writing table. Seating himself, he scratched some runes on a piece of parchment, rolled it into a tight scroll, and sealed it with his sigil. He scrawled a note on another scrap of parchment, then handed both messages to his nephew.

Danilo glanced at the note. He slipped it into his breast pocket and dropped the scroll into his magic sack. “Uncle Khel, might I have a few words with you in private? A family matter, I’m afraid, and of a personal nature.”

“This is hardly the time. Is it important?”

“I think so. You might not, of course.”

The archmage glowered, then relented. “All right. Come up to my study. If you’ll excuse us?” he asked Arilyn. She nodded absently, and the two men disappeared up the spiral stairs.

As soon as Khelben had shut the door to the study, Danilo stated bluntly, “A group of Harpers are having Arilyn followed. They seem to think that she’s the assassin. Did you know that?”

The archmage was clearly surprised. “No, I didn’t. How did you learn of it?”

“She’s been followed since we met in Evereska. Of that I’m fairly certain. At first I assumed that it was the Harper Assassin, then a rogue elf by the name of Elaith Craulnobur claimed a Harper ranger was on Arilyn’s trail. How he learned that, I don’t know, but the elf seemed to know a great deal about Arilyn.”

“Elaith Craulnobur, eh? You said she suspected an elf was involved, didn’t you? He’d certainly be a likely candidate.”

“No,” Danilo said firmly. Khelben looked curious, but the young man shook his head and refused to elaborate. “Can you find out anything from the Harpers?”

Khelben nodded and laid a hand on the scrying crystal. The globe began to glow, and the archmage’s face grew distant as his thoughts turned inward and traveled to places far away.

The nobleman waited impatiently. When Khelben turned to him, the archmage was more disturbed than Danilo had ever seen him. “A complication has arisen.”

“Oh, good,” Danilo said, crossing his arms. “This assignment has been altogether too easy thus far.”

Khelben ignored his nephew’s sarcasm. “Your elven informant was right. A small group of Harpers in Cormyr believes that Arilyn is the Harper Assassin. They intend to prove her guilt and bring her in for trial.”

Danilo’s face paled. “Go on.”

“They’ve sent Bran Skorlsun to follow her.” Khelben’s tone implied that this was a grave matter indeed.

“Who’s he?”

Khelben started to pace about the study, clearly agitated. “Bran Skorlsun is a Master Harper, one of the best rangers and trackers the Harpers have,” he admitted grudgingly. “The secret nature of the organization makes it possible for rogues to use the Harper name to further some scheme or another. For almost forty years now, Bran has been tracking false and renegade Harpers, mostly on the Moonshae Isles, but occasionally in other remote areas. He is devoted to keeping the Harpers’ ranks pure.”

“Forty years, eh? The man must be getting rather old by now,” Danilo observed. His casual tone masked his growing concern, for it was unlike Khelben to stray so far from the main point.

Khelben shot a glance at Danilo. “Bran Skorlsun comes from a long-lived family.”

“Indeed.”

The archmage’s jaw tightened. “He’s also Arilyn’s father.”

Danilo slumped against the wall and raked both hands through his hair. “The poor girl,” he murmured.

“Poor girl!” snapped Khelben. “Let’s not lose sight of the broad picture, Dan. Have you forgotten that Arilyn’s father carries the moonstone? The last thing we need is for stone and sword to become one again.”

“There’s that, too,” Danilo admitted. His face hardened. “How is it that such a thing could occur?”

“The Harpers are a secret organization,” Khelben repeated testily.

“So everyone keeps telling me. Must that mean the right hand doesn’t know what the left is doing?”

“Certainly not. In this particular matter, it was deemed best that no one person know all the details concerning the dimensional door, or elfgate, as it came to be called.”

“All things considered, do you still think that a wise course?” Danilo asked. “It seems to me that it’s time to compare notes. You have a good idea what the assassin wants. Arilyn might have some notions as to who and why.”

Khelben suddenly looked very interested. “Does she know the assassin’s identity?”

“I’m not sure. I don’t think so.”

“Well, we’ll have to wait until we know. We must find out whether this involves the elfgate.”

“Blackstaff Tower is warded against magical observation. Why not tell Arilyn the whole story, here and now?” Khelben was silent for a time, and the young nobleman’s face tightened. “Wait a minute. You don’t trust her either, do you?”

“The issue is not whether I trust Arilyn or not. When the Harpers and the elves worked together to resolve the elfgate danger, I gave certain assurances.” The archmage paused. “I pledged not to tell this tale to anyone, with the exception of my probable successor.”

The young man lowered his head, stunned by the implication of the archmage’s words. “You can’t be referring to me,” he murmured.

“Perhaps this is not the time to speak of such matters,” Khelben said sternly, “but I would not make such a suggestion to you if I did not mean what I said. Neither would I break the pledge I made some forty years ago.”

Danilo conceded with a nod. “I understand your position, but Arilyn is now searching openly for the moonblade’s secret. What happens when this mysterious assassin decides she’s getting too close?” His uncle did not speak, but the silence between them held the answer. “If the cause is sufficiently noble, the sacrifice is justified. Is that about right?”

Khelben’s face was grim. “In the main, yes.”

The young nobleman walked slowly to the door of the chamber. Doorknob in hand, he paused and spoke with his back still to the archmage. “With all due respect, Uncle Blackstaff, I’m not sure that I want to be your probable successor.” He slipped through the door, closing it firmly behind him.

“Let’s go,” Danilo said to Arilyn as he descended the stairs. She rose and belted on the moonblade.

“Wait a minute, young man,” Khelben called from the floor above. “You’re leaving from the library, remember? The dimensional door?”

Danilo stopped at the foot of the stair, and his foolish grin was a little uncertain. “Oh. Right.”

“Did you ride? Then you’ll need to stable your horses here. I’ll walk out with you and help you bring them around,” Khelben said firmly.

When they reached the street, the archmage said, “By the way, Dan, the dimensional door from Candlekeep will not return you directly to Blackstaff Tower. You’ll return to a place called Jester’s Court, just off the corner of Selduth Street and the Street of Silks. The door is one-way and invisible, and it stands between the two twin black oak trees on the north side of the garden.”

“I’ll bear that in mind.”

“I want you both to report back here before sunrise tomorrow. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Danilo answered flippantly. Without further discussion he and Arilyn led their horses to the stables behind Blackstaff Tower and returned with Khelben to the second floor library. The archmage slid a bookshelf to one side, revealing a narrow black portal where the wall should have been.

“Before we leave for Candlekeep, I have one more question,” Arilyn said to the archmage. His readiness to help had raised her suspicions. Could it be that the archmage knew something about the moonblade, something that he kept from her? A test came to mind: if a minor mage like Coril could decipher some of the runes on the scabbard, surely Khelben could at least do likewise. Arilyn drew the moonblade and ran her finger along the runes. “Can you read any of these?”

Khelben leaned closer and studied the arcane marks for several moments. “No. I’m sorry.”

“You do know what they say, though,” she stated, her tone posing a question.

The archmage’s face was inscrutable. “How could I know such a thing?” He motioned toward the portal. “Good luck on your trip.”

“Thank you for your good wishes,” she said in an overly sweet voice. “Since we will be traveling in the dark, we certainly have need of them.”

Khelben glowered at the disrespectful and far too perceptive half-elf. She merely raised her eyebrows, took Danilo’s arm, and disappeared into the velvet blackness of the dimensional gate.

The archmage smiled faintly. Arilyn is sharp, he mused as he walked down the stairs to the parlor. A flash of green caught his eye. Danilo had left a scarf behind, draped over a small portrait that rested on a table easel. Even as Khelben reached for the bright silk, it faded from sight.

“An illusion,” he said softly. “That boy’s getting far too good.” Khelben instantly realized why the portrait had been covered. It was a sketch of four friends, one he had drawn from memory many years ago. The archmage picked up the portrait for a closer look. His own face looked back at him from the past, that of a young mage whose hairline had not yet begun its northward migration. The man beside him also had dark hair, curly and full, and implacable stubbornness was written in the set of his jaw and the steadiness of his eyes. Seated before the men were Laeral the mage and Princess Amnestria of Evermeet.