She's still reading my thoughts! She knows this would be a ruse.
'No,' the senior War Wizard said firmly, turning around again to face Narnra. 'Where the Mother of Mysteries is concerned, Narnra, none of us who work magic can be sure of anything. Your mind has already shown me that you saw seven stars go out, one by one, as the Mage Royal used spells on you. Yet Mystra's protection may still encloak you, whether you know it or not.'
Caladnei nodded gravely. 'I'd not like to proceed unless you say so, Narnra Shalace. Mystra may take note of your willingness or your refusal. So … what say you?'
My choice handed right back to me. Narnra stared at the three Cormyreans, wondering what other twists this day might hold . . . and what she should say now.
The three Cormyreans stared back at her, waiting.
* * * * *
'Well, Lady Joysil, I'm certain that everyone believes they have the misfortune to live in truly troubled times for Cormyr,' Lady Honthreena Ravensgar observed, triumphantly taking the largest nut-cake with one hand and reaching for her just-refilled goblet with the other. 'But truly I think we do.' She waved a profusely ring-adorned hand and added, 'Oh, I know that dreadful Devil Dragon no longer menaces half the realm, gulping up knights and soldiers like snacks while ores and goblins march, but . . . really, are things any better now?'
Lady Baerdra Monthor did not wait for the Lady Joysil Ambrur to answer but said darkly, 'Well, unlike some at this table, I am truly a daughter of Marsember-and any misfortune to befall the Obar-skyrs and the precious Royal Court in Suzail delights me! I'd be just as happy if they all fell down some dragon's gullet by nightfall today and let us regain rule of our own city! All these flirtations with Chauntea and boy kings and that unspeakable Alusair riding wild over half the kingdom-'
'The male half, dear,' old Lady Hornsryl Wavegallant observed meaningfully-then tittered.
Lady Monthor waited for the ripple of catty mirth to die, and then resumed her verbal onslaught right where she'd left off. '- While some unknown little hussy of an outlander runs the War Wizards, and Obarskyrs trammel the rights of nobles here, there, and everywhere! Gods above look down, could they do worse?'
'Well,' Lady Thornra Bracegauntlet said gently, 'my sympathies lie with Filfaeril. A true Queen, of dignity and breeding, watching in silence all those years whilst Azoun bedded everyone who didn't flee in her skirts the moment his pennants were seen atop a distant hill-'
'Ah, yes,' Lady Monthor sighed, looking at the ceiling in fond reverie and almost spilling her goblet.
But for the briefest of exasperated sighs, Lady Bracegauntlet ignored the interjection, and swept on. '-then watching her own daughter tear the codpiece off any young man to take her fancy, while the other daughter goes all foolish over a bad noble and goes and dies bearing his child-and how are all the rest of us to know it's legitimate and deserves to someday wear a crown?-and-'
'Years must pass before that little brat gets measured for any crowns,' Lady Ravensgar said darkly. 'There's many a royal get that's been fitted for his coffin before his coronet!'
'Oh, stop hinting, Honthreena!' Lady Wavegallant said firmly. 'If you've started or joined one of these little conspiracies, tell us! We want to hear all about it! As for Filfaeril, I hear she's doing quite well in the bedchamber herself these days with that old stuffy fool of a sage, Alaphondar!'
The Lady Joysil Ambrur had said little and continued to do so. She smiled over her favorite tallglass, watched her wine and cakes disappear with frightening rapidity, and deftly tugged out the choicest gossip. The nine noble ladies of Cormyr who'd been lucky enough to receive an invitation to this highsun-sup cooperated with enthusiasm- for they were only too eager to demonstrate how in the know they were. Little hard truth about conspiracies emerged, but Caladnei the Mage Royal, the Steel Regent, and the Dowager Queen Filfaeril and her antics with Alaphondar all came in for some colorful conversation.
After all, she thought with a smile-aside from occasional uncomfortable duties in the bedchamber regarding the provision of family heirs, and spending as much money on fripperies as possible, of course-that is what noble ladies are for.
* * * * *
Rauthur turned suddenly. 'What was that?'
'My . . . diversion,' the Red Wizard murmured. 'Merely a few bewildered blunderers encountering the helmed horrors to snare the attention of your fellow War Wizards-just in case some of them are in the habit of spying on Vangerdahast.'
Huldyl Rauthur mopped his pale face, sighed, and whispered, 'Right. I see. Well, here we are. This is one of the 'back ways in' to Old Thun-er, Vangerdahast's sanctum.'
'Old Thunderspells? I've heard that term before,' Starangh murmured. 'Are we likely to encounter alarm spells, or guardians?'
'No, no, we're inside all that. Vangey can't do spellwork if his own castings keep setting off alarms and spell- backlashes. We just have to keep fairly quiet, because he has a guest.'
'Who might that be?'
'I don't know, but he's talking to someone who's right here to move things for him, not someone at the other end of a farscrying spell or crystal.' The War Wizard led the way cautiously along a dimly lit passage that smelled of damp earth. The tiles were damp underfoot, and the rough-block stone walls were pierced at intervals by closed doors. 'Pantries and such-oh, there is one thing we have to watch out for!'
'Rauthur,' the wizard called Darkspells said silkily, laying a hand on the War Wizard's shoulder, 'I don't like surprises. You should know that by now.'
'Uh, ah, yes, Lord! I-I-merely mean I forgot to mention something! Uh, tha-that Vangerdahast conjures pairs of floating eyes and flying hands that he uses as fetch-and-carry servitors . . . they won't be along here, but we mustn't go left up ahead or we may run into them-and of course, he sees through them, and . . .'
'Yes, that would be unfortunate. Is there anything else you're having difficulty remembering, friend Huldyl?'
'N-no, Lord Harnrim. I-uh, through here. There're steps up. You wanted to see Vangerdahast at work. . . .'
'Indeed,' the Red Wizard breathed, his voice the merest of whispers and his hand remaining on Rauthur's shoulder. 'Show me.'
Unseen behind the trembling War Wizard, Starangh's other hand slipped the crystal out of his codpiece and held it ready in his hand-just in case.
The worn stone steps were a narrow, short flight that ascended into a sort of garden room, where benches held shallow trays of flourishing herbs and food plants beneath a ceiling of curving glass. Outside, a great ring of thickly grown trees surrounded the domed ceiling, which lay in its own little clearing-and among them, the Red Wizard could see the motionless forms of a dozen or more helmed horrors-so many empty suits of armor, floating tirelessly upright in the shade-gloom.
Rauthur had laid a hand on Starangh's arm, and he turned his head to glare-only to see the War Wizard pointing down.
Through a gap between two of the old bedding trays, more glass could be seen: a wall, this time, that overlooked an adjacent room whose floor was much lower. Starangh found himself looking down on the moving heads of a man and a woman.
Rauthur did something delicate with the air around them. There was a momentary flicker of magical radiance-the merest of ripples-and voices could be faintly heard, the words of the man and woman below.
The Red Wizard bent his head forward to listen intently.
A tiny whirlwind of flames circled in midair as Vangerdahast peered critically at it. 'Not enough,' he grunted, 'Not enough.'
Tiny threads of lightning spurted from his fingertips and crawled unsteadily through the air, flickering and darting to join the pinwheel of flames . . . which flared into greater life, wobbled-and promptly collapsed into winking sparks and fading smoke.
Vangey slammed one hand down on the table and rose on it to lean forward and watch every last instant of
