Pool of Radiance

'Only a few more hours and a Black Watch mercenary's well-aimed arrow stand between me and the First Councilman's seat. But with your news of the ioun stones, you may just have provided me with the exact knowledge I need to go even beyond that position.'

Gensor's scheming was way ahead of Cadorna's, but he contained his impatience and let the councilman think he was presenting ideas that were completely new.

'If that big oaf has the two ioun stones as you suggest, I can use them to complete the figure of power and control the Pool of Radiance and all that goes with it. As the legitimate First Councilman of Phlan and controller of the pool, I'll have authority and power over the living and the dead, humanoid and human alike!.. And I'll be able to provide you with the precise environment you require to practice your art!

'Think of it!' Cadorna put on his best sales pitch. 'You'll have first crack at any and all magical finds. That dagger I gave you and those spellbooks-they'll be only the beginning!' Cadorna drew up his hands like a young child seeing a present for the first time. 'And… I'll be able to provide you with an unlimited supply of subjects for your experiments.'

This last idea hadn't occurred to Gensor, and he beamed with genuine pleasure when Cadorna brought it up. 'Yes! Truly outstanding. You do understand my needs, Councilman. But how do you expect to get the ioun stones, and how do you expect to defeat the Lord of the Ruins?' This was the part Gensor hadn't figured out yet, and he was looking for some of Cadorna's usual ingenuity to pull the whole thing off.

'The first part is simple… perfect, in fact.' Cadorna strolled back to his desk, sat down, and motioned for Gensor to sit as well. 'You haven't forgotten our old friend Yarash the sorcerer-the one whose magic pollutes the river?'

Gensor immediately knew the tack Cadorna's thoughts were taking. 'What about him?' he asked eagerly.

'Well, there he is, an eccentric, obstinate wizard whose power and independence have been a thorn in the side of the Lord of the Ruins practically forever… I simply send word to the Lord of the Ruins that I've sent those three off on a death mission to deal with Yarash. Win or lose, the Lord of the Ruins is happy because he doesn't want Yarash alive any more than he wants the cleric, thief, and mage alive. You contact the sorcerer. Yarash, old fool that he is, won't care one whit about the ioun stones beyond their immediate monetary or exchange value. You can flatter him-tell him a partial truth-how we could think of no one else strong enough to defeat the mage woman…'

There was truth to that, Gensor thought, and he nodded and gestured for Cadorna to go on.

'Promise him a virtually unlimited supply of guinea pigs for his 'experiments.' '

'Same thing you promised me, eh?'

Cadorna flushed. 'No! I didn't mean-'

Gensor waved a hand to silence him. 'Merely a joke, Councilman. I understand the difference.' While Gensor didn't trust Cadorna to tell the truth about the time of day, he knew the councilman was serious about providing an unfettered environment for his magic-at least, as long as it was convenient to do so. And once Gensor was powerful enough, he really wouldn't need Cadorna anymore…

'Uh, well, anyhow, as I was saying, I want you to enlist Yarash's aid. Meanwhile, I'll see that the three parties under discussion are arrested for something… maybe even the brawl last night.' Cadorna sped ahead. 'The council won't care about the details once I tell them that I propose to send the party upriver to find the source of its pollution and put a stop to it. Not even the First Councilman himself knows about Yarash. Can you believe it? But that won't stop me from telling the party something about the old wizard to pique their interest. Those three will bound off on this mission like lambs to slaughter when I tell them about the chance to stop the horrible devastation being done to the river… and when I mention that Yarash knew Denlor well…'

Gensor nodded in deference to Cadorna's insight, and Cadorna continued.

'If Yarash defeats them, I get the ioun stones. By the time they return- if they return, and I can't imagine how they'd manage it-I'll be First Councilman. I'll simply have the Black Watch arrest them at the city gates.'

'On what grounds?'

'I don't know-treason, perhaps. It won't matter. No one will question my authority. Under completely legal auspices, the Black Watch guards will strip them of their weapons and magical items, including the ioun stones! And the beauty of it is that that's merely my contingency plan. I fully expect Yarash to turn all three of those bunglers into sea slime.'

'You have a great mind, Councilman.'

'Thank you, Gensor.' Cadorna wagged a finger in the air. 'And now for the second part of the question-the Lord of the Ruins. I know that he's a dragon-oddly enough, a bronze dragon. I can't imagine what would possess a good dragon to go quite so far afield, but I guess it must simply have sensed greater room for power in the control of humanoids…'

Gensor had heard other rumors, but he wasn't about to spoil Cadorna's fun. 'Yes?'

'Well, any decently armed troop of warriors with a magic-user or two can defeat a dragon, and for whatever reason, the pool doesn't seem to give it control over humans. I'll lead a party there myself, confront the wyrm, kill it, and complete the figure of power for myself.'

The mage literally clapped, his admiration genuine. How Cadorna managed to gather so much information eluded him. Perhaps one day he would make Cadorna tell him…

'You've been before this council before,' said Cadorna sternly, condescendingly, as he peered down at Shal, Ren, and Tarl from his dais. 'And for the same offense, no less. I have no choice but to send you on an even more dangerous mission.' Cadorna went on to tell the three what he wanted them to know about Yarash.

'How do you know this sorcerer is responsible for the pollution of the Barren River?' Ren demanded belligerently. 'And if you know, why haven't you done anything about it before now?'

Cadorna sighed. 'The council sent seven groups up-river before an orc spy told me of Yarash. None of the groups returned.' Cadorna looked up at the big man, his gray eyes pleading for sympathy. 'I allowed the tragedy to continue because I was afraid for the lives of any who might try to stop the sorcerer. You must understand, I am sending the three of you only because your reputation precedes you.' Cadorna waved his hand to the south with a flourish. 'Look at Sokol Keep! Untold numbers died there before you succeeded. And the gnoll encampment… I expected you to return with my treasure. Imagine my surprise when others came back with news that the gnolls had been vanquished completely. The three of you have a formidable reputation. You are perhaps the only ones capable of defeating the sorcerer.'

Tarl spoke next. 'We all have personal obligations that go wanting as you send us on these tasks, Second Councilman. Do we have a choice in this matter?'

'You most certainly do. You were arrested for brawling. Naturally you may wait in our holding cells until midnight, at which time the Black Watch will toss you over the north wall, and you will be banished from Civilized Phlan… permanently.'

The glint in Cadorna's eyes was noticeable even to Tarl. He spoke no more.

'Defeat the wizard,' Cadorna went on, 'and you will be hailed as heroes. I personally will see to it that the town council bothers you no more. The young mage'- Cadorna pointed toward Shal but addressed Ren and Tarl, as if she could not comprehend his words-'may be interested in speaking with Yarash. He was known to have consorted with the wizard Denlor.'

Tarl turned his gaze from Cadorna to Shal, watching for her reactions. The town guards had arrived before he could tell her about his meeting with Tyr in the inner sanctuary of the temple. Tarl had learned three things there: that an ioun stone would greatly enhance his powers so he could heal Shal; that Anton would not recover until the one who spat the word into his forehead was defeated; and that his own immediate calling was to follow Shal. The message from his god was clear-Shal's mission would lead Tarl to his own. 'As Tyr has directed me, I will follow Shal,' he declared.

Shal didn't understand the full implication of Tarl's words. She thought only that her friend was assuring her of his loyalty to her cause of avenging Ranthor's death. Tarl had already done a great deal. Without his healing, she knew, she would be dead. Shal now felt a total rejuvenation of spirit and physical health, and she was forced