Boarblade nodded. 'And when they disappear and the pendant of lordship with them? You think Vangerdahast isn't going to send someone to check on the Knights? You think the Harpers won't, with Storm Silverhand living right there? Nor the Witch of Shadowdale meddle?'
Ruldroun gestured with one of his wands as if it were a baton of the Court master-of-pages.
Five amorphous humps emerged out of the folds of the curled and twisted runner-rug and flowed a little way toward Boarblade before rearing up like the arms of eager recruits, foolishly volunteering.
Five hargaunts.
The wizard smiled. 'Four men I yet hold will be going with you. You five will become the Knights of Myth Drannor-and I'll bestow memories in you all that will show Khelben Blackstaff working this impersonation.'
Boarblade stroked his chin thoughtfully.
'That might work, at that,' he said. 'But there are six Knights, not five.'
Ruldroun shrugged. 'You choose which one dies.'
'So this Lost Palace of Esparin has been used by Baerauble, Amedahast, Thanderahast, and all the rest for centuries to imprison every last war wizard or other mage in the kingdom who went mad?' Ptincess Tanalasta's incredulity had lifted her voice to a mere shred away from a shriek.
'Well, yes,' Vangerdahast said. 'As a preferred alternative ro blasting them to death after we've battled them up and down the realm and scared all Cormyreans into fearing creeping madness afflicts every wizard in the process.'
'And you've been sending loyal Cormyreans as well as passing opportunists off to unwittingly camp above this place for years, luring rhem with the promise of becoming Baron of the Stonelands?' Alusair said. 'Before all the Watching Gods, wizard, you can sit here and say this and dare-dare-to sit in judgment of anyone else in all the realm?'
'Highnesses, Highnesses!' Vangerdahast said hastily. 'Tana, Loos, please! This has been policy in Cormyr since its founding. There are mad elves in there, from the days when forests covered the land and your ancestors lived in cottages on the water's edge, clustered around log-wharves that had to be rebuilt after the clawings of the winter ice every spring!' 'And as all men have been dastardly villains before me,' Tanalasta quoted the lines of a play, ' 'I find I have no other option but to be dastardly in my turn-' '
'Lasses, please! 'Tis not like that at all!'
'So how then is it, wizard?' Alusair spat. 'Convince us with your oh-so-clever tongue!' She drew back her sleeve to reveal a spell-warding amulet chained to it. 'And kindly refrain from trying ro spell-cozen my mind. This isn't the only shield against such tricks I'm wearing!'
'Princess! I would never-'
'No-ho? You stlarning well invariably, Thunderspells!'
The Royal Magician of Cormyr stared at her, face red with anger and embarrassment-a face that was now quivering. Then, suddenly, he burst out laughing, hiding his face in his hands, shaking his head, and finally throwing up his hands in surrender.
'Well,' he said, when he could speak again, 'you have me there. Dead guilty, as accused.'
He looked from one simmering princess to the other, seeing no smiles. Triumph glittered in Alusair's eyes, while disappointment ruled Tanalasta.
Sighing, he looked down at his fingettips and told them, 'I can see this is going to be a long talk among the three of us. Very well, put yourselves in my boots for a moment. You are newly in the post of Royal Magician, learn of this particular secret of the realm, and-do what? If you don't like binding mad undead spellcasters away in a 'lost' underground stronghold, what then do you do with them? No blustering, please. Try to make that decision calmly.'
Silence fell.
Tanalasta pursed her lips. 'Are they all mad? Forever?'
Vangerdahast spread his hands. 'Who can know? There are scores of them, some of them so old their names have been forgotten, and we have no precise knowledge of their abilities. Some may be failing and diminishing, and some growing stronger. The realm lacks any secure place where we can take them, one at a time, to try to work with them-or on them.'
Alusair asked quietly, 'Are they all liches?'
'No, but the enchantments of the place seem to turn the living into undead, rather than allowing natural deaths. The imprisoned squabble constantly but rarely seem to destroy each other. There is some evidence that the Lost Palace restores or heals or however you want to term 'repairing damaged undead.' Some of them were foes of the realm in life, some loyal war wizards, some were traitors or noble dabblers who went too far-and some have Obarskyr blood, however illegitimate their births from the view of a herald considering inheritance.'
Tanalasta's eyes narrowed. 'And if they are all freed? Disaster?'
'Grudges pursued, for those who can still think coherently. The others would be like mad dogs, unleashed to wander. I almost lost my life not very long ago, rebinding them all.'
Tanalasta shuddered. 'You were reversing this Unbinding, then?' 'I was.'
'How?' Alusair snapped.
'Forgive me, Princesses, but revealing to you the details of the spells would be both foolish-someone who caught you unawares with the right magic could compel you to speak of them-and unhelpful. Neither of you possesses the Art ro work such magics.'
'We are both aware of that, Vangey,' Alusair said coldly. 'What I was trying to ask was how you managed the rebinding, alone, after shooing Laspeera and everyone else out of the place. An important war wizard traitor, or so you have given us to believe, somehow escaped while you were busy in the Lost Palace. It is conceivable that in the future you might again be busy ot dead when the need recurs. So consider telling us what you did vital to the security of the realm. As an Obarskyr, and therefore someone you are supposed ro obey without question or reservation, I order you to tell me. Now.'
Tanalasta gave her younger sister a pained look, but Alusair merely lofted her eyebrows and told her, 'If I'm polite to the man, he glibly dances around telling us things we want to know and calmly maintains his 'I will decide what is good for you to know' superiority. That has to be wiped away, as of about six seasons ago. If I'm old enough to bear royal heirs or end up warming the Dragon Throne if calamity strikes our family, I'm old enough to be told such secrets.' She aimed her chin back at the Royal Magician and added, 'So tell us. Plainly and completely. And while you're ar it, try to make me believe that Obarskyr king after king-and queen after queen, too-knew of this and approved of it down the years.'
Vangerdahast sighed, looked down at his hands for a moment, then said, 'Some of them never knew of it. The Royal Magicians always have, but-'
'My, my,' Alusair said, her tone dripping with acid, 'such deep and abiding loyalty to the Dragon Throne!'
Vangerdahast muttered a curse, drew in a deep breath, put a bright smile on his face, and said heartily, 'Well, now, where ro begin?'
'What's that?' Doust hissed, leaning forward to listen intently.
Florin held up a hand for silence and did the same thing. The faint rustling moved southeast through the brush below, before it was too far away to hear.
'Something small,' the ranger said calmly. 'Probably a rat. All that noise, the scuttling… nothing to worry over.'
'Among our larger worries?'
'They're only worries if you let them be. Think of something else.'
The priest sat staring out into the night for another long breath before asking almost reluctantly, 'Such as…?'
Florin gave his anxious friend a grin. 'Women you haven't met yet, waiting in Shadowdale?'
'Florin! I'm a priest, stlarn it!'
'Doesn't Tymota regard holiness as boldly taking chances?' 'Well, yes, but-'
'So for once inexperience will serve you well. Blunder here, stumble there, please Lady Luck no end!'
'Thank you,' Doust said. 'I think.' A long breath later, he added a chuckle.
