The royal magician of Cormyr looked up at her. 'Nothing until the moot at highsun? Good. Sit down, pray-we never have time enough these days to talk about things.' Lady Laspeera Inthre gave him a warm smile, patted his hand, and took the seat facing his. A tray that bristled with bottles and decanters of exotic liqueurs rose smoothly from the table to offer itself to her. His second-in-command waved a politely dismissive hand at it-and then chuckled and shook her head in surrender as she found a full glass of her favorite Old Rubythroat settling into her other hand.
'None of this nonsense about not drinking during the day,' Vangerdahast told her gruffly. 'You've been at that survey until I thought your finger'd wear through our best set of maps!'
Laspeera smiled. 'Long work, yes, but 'tis done. The work was not all such drudgery, nor the end prospect so gloomy, that I can in all honesty claim any rightful need to this.' She raised her glass.
'So stop protesting and drink it,' Vangerdahast growled. 'As if fine spirits needed an excuse to be drunk!'
She gave him another amused smile and obediently tilted the glass to her lips. The lord high wizard of Cormyr sat back in his chair, swirling smoking blue wine about the bottom of his own fist-sized glass, and gazed around Salantrin's Hall.
A moment of private peace was a rare thing for either of the two highest-ranking mages of Cormyr. Vangerdahast took care that few servants had both the keys and the knowledge to reach the luxurious inner chamber known as Salantrin's Hall. A tray floated obligingly into his lap. He cut a slab of sharp old bluelick cheese, with a smiling glance thanking Laspeera for her levitation. He sat back to enjoy the Tavilar Tapestry.
Said to have been given to his long-ago predecessor Amedahast, for her (unspecified) services to the elves, the hanging stretched along the entire north wall of the chamber. It was a glowingly vivid deep woodland scene whose lighting kept pace with the day outside, from bright morning through each day to the deepest gloom of night-though in the tapestry it was always summer, and never rained.
The magic of the tapestry often made birds and animals move through the scene, and from time to time, stags would bound through the trees, and a splendid elven hunt would ride soundlessly after them. It was a rare treat to see the shining white moment when a lone unicorn would appear and pause briefly to look out into the room. One was doing so now, and Vangerdahast raised his glass to it.
It turned its head toward Laspeera, for all the world as if it could really see both mages. She smiled and nodded. Then it tossed its head, and was gone.
'I love this,' Vangerdahast said softly. 'I could watch it for hours. Think you it shows us Evermeet?'
Laspeera shrugged, and daintily cut herself a rondelle of nutcheese. 'Who can say?' She gave him an impish look. 'Unless, of course, you craft a spell that'll let you step into it, and go see for yourself.'
Vangerdahast made a rude sound. 'Things have been quiet lately, but not that quiet.' He sighed. 'I take it the likelihood of any more powerful magic or mages being uncovered in the realm is decidedly slim now?'
Laspeera raised her shapely shoulders in another elegant shrug. 'The noble houses, of course, have any number of magical toys hidden away that they don't want anyone to know about. Some of them were clever enough to reveal a few to me in hopes that I'd not think they had others. I can say that powerful spell-wielders found in Cormyr in the years to come will either develop under our noses-or come in from outside. . and I trust our vigilance is such that only a handful of the mightiest archmages are good enough to do that and remain undetected for long.'
'Sarmyn did say he had Storm Silverhand on his hands up in Firefall Vale a few days back,' Vangerdahast said idly.
Laspeera showed him the impish grin that wizards who were not her master or her husband were never allowed to see. 'And did he enjoy it?'
'He hasn't yet said.'
'Then he's not enjoying it,' Laspeera concluded, watching a pair of stags leap frantically across the tapestry. A few moments later the expected hunt appeared in the distance, waving lances that glimmered from butt to tip with lazy runs of lightning. The wizards watched it rush pass, and raised their glasses to their lips in unison.
Lightning crackled hungrily around her, but Storm ignored it. Bolts and chain lightning were among the things she was immune to, by Mystra's grace; she kept her attention on the falling things dislodged by the laughing, glowing-eyed foe flitting above her. So far, nothing had crashed down on her head, but he was still trying.
A bolt veered away from her, toward the distant, startled face of Broglan Sarmyn.
'No!' Storm exclaimed in angry surprise. She raised her hand to slash the bolt with silver fire-but Shayna Summerstar rose up behind the mage, a chair-leg in her hand, and brought it viciously down.
The wizard fell out of sight. The young heiress capered in triumph; the bolt that might have struck her veered away of its own accord.
Sick at heart, Storm turned her attention back to the tentacled foe. 'You'll pay for this. I swear it.'
Their eyes met. The foe laughed maniacally before ducking out of sight onto the floor above. Storm sent a jet of silver fire into the ceiling above her-and as it punched through the stone, she was rewarded with his startled cry of rage and pain.
Furiously, the foe struck back, hurling the pieces of a shattered statue down at her.
Neither of them noticed a dust-covered figure rise from the rubble on the floor below Storm, and lurch toward the nearest ascending stair. The Hungry Man had forgotten some of its orders, but it knew to receive more, it had to be where strong magic raged.
Some overclever Sembians were stirring up trouble in Marsember again. The war wizard briefings and strategy sessions had been long and wearisome. As they walked together to the doors of Lionsrest Hall, Laspeera saw Vangerdahast put a hand to his mouth to conceal a yawn.
'Come in,' she said gently, an offer that made his head turn quickly in surprise. 'Aundable will be pleased to see you.'
'He will? Having to kiss his wife in front of the royal magician of all the realm, and pretend the old gruff-nose isn't there? Strange man,' Vangerdahast commented.
Laspeera wrinkled her nose, took him firmly by the elbow, and steered him into the parlor she shared with her husband, Aundable Inthre.
The seldom-seen subject of so much speculation among the magelings Laspeera tutored was bent over a tiny model of the fortress of High Horn. He frowned and glanced up at an image that hung in the air above it-a floating magical view of the castle. As they watched, he gestured with a fingertip, and one hillock shifted its position along the mountainside a trifle. Laspeera's husband nodded in apparent satisfaction, looked up, and broke into a broad smile.
Laspeera swept around the table and into her husband's arms.
'Lord Vangerdahast! A pleasure! What can I do to set you at ease?'
'Stop calling me 'Lord Vangerdahast' and try 'Vangey,' for a start,' the old mage growled.
Aundable indicated that he'd heard Vangey's request by a wink, and was then rather busy with an affectionate, wordless greeting for the next four breaths or so. Vangerdahast hid a smile by taking up a decanter of amberfire wine and strolling over to glance at the miniature castle Aundable had crafted, on his way to the glasses.
'Ah, yes-please, make yourself at home,' Aundable said when he could speak again. 'Like it?'
'I do indeed,' Vangerdahast admitted, peering at the tiny windows and doors, and extending a cautious finger. Did they actually open? Say, th-
'If you'll excuse me,' Aundable said, 'I was just going to do my usual scry of the border lands, and then retire to bed.'
Vangerdahast gave him a grave nod, and said, 'And you shall not do so alone; I won't keep Laspeera more than a few breaths before wandering off in search of my own bed. Soon enough I'll be wandering the kingdom again, and sleeping out on wet, rocky ground under the stars. Aye, lass?'
Laspeera sighed. 'Only you, in this entire palace, could get away with calling me 'lass'!'
'Oh, lass?' Aundable teased. 'What's that you say?'
