The Coral Kingdom

head of a group. That one bore a platinum triangle at his waist, and Malar knew he had found the answer: For centuries, elven populations had escaped him through the use of that hateful talisman. They had disappeared, untraceable and immune to his vengeance, because he didn't know where they had gone.

Now he did.

3

Urgent Endeavor

'You've heard of the Coral Kingdom?' By habit, Alicia asked the question of Keane. The wreckage left by the brief battle with the unnatural ambassador still smoldered around them, and they all struggled to grasp the truth-or falsehood-of the visitor's extravagant claims.

It was Tavish who replied, however. 'Those legends, that's all-so foreign to humankind that it remains completely unknown, if in fact it exists at all.'

'An undersea domain,' added Robyn. 'As immense in its own way as all the isles of the Moonshaes combined, and even more inviolate in its territory. It is ruled by the sea trolls, the scrags. They are even more horrible than the sahuagin-the fishmen, whom we've had to fight before.'

'Then Father. . then the king must be dead,' Alicia argued, to herself more than anyone. 'How could any human survive in such a place?'

'It is possible,' the mage, Keane, observed tentatively. 'There are many spells that will grant one the ability to survive without breathing for a matter of hours, long enough for the sahuagin or scrags to drag a victim to an undersea lair, there to imprison the unfortunate soul in an air-filled cave. No cell can be more impervious to escape.'

Alicia's heart leaped again, wanting to believe beyond all reason that her father still lived. The loss of a hand didn't matter. In fact, a powerful priest could repair such damage. What was important was that Tristan lived!

'A few hours,' muttered Brandon in frustration. 'That would hardly be enough time to mount a rescue even if we could swim to the bottom of the ocean.'

'I have heard in the past of other ways,' Tavish noted. This time no one interrupted. 'It is said that the elves once waged war under the sea, using ships enchanted with powerful magic that not only journeyed below the surface but also kept their crews alive, breathing air.'

'Even so, they must have been helpless beyond the hull of their vessel!' objected the prince.

'Ah, but there a wizard's spell magic can come to the aid of his crew. Enchanted by water-breathing spells, elves could sally forth from their galleys, driving the creatures of the sea before them. In this way, it is said, the elves eventually gained mastery of the surface of the sea for all air-breathing creatures.'

'Look out!' Brandon cried, springing to Alicia's side before anyone else reacted. A sudden movement nearby drew their attention, and the companions whirled to face one who had not been there a second before.

'Greetings,' said Princess Deirdre wryly. She gestured at the craters left by Keane's meteor shower, the singed grass where the wall of fire had roared. 'Did the celebration get a little too wild?'

'Great timing,' Alicia snapped. 'We could have used your help a few minutes ago.'

The dark-haired princess said nothing. She wore a plain woolen traveling cloak, with a large bundle strapped to her back. The outline of the flat mirror, through which she had watched the entire fight, was lost in the shapeless bulk of the mass.

Robyn's eyes flashed, and for a moment, she fixed Deirdre with a harsh stare, an expression her daughter ignored. After a moment, the queen's face softened, shadowed once more by grief.

No one stopped to explain what had transpired to the newcomer, however, and Deirdre didn't bother to ask. Instead, they turned their attention back to the discussion that had been interrupted.

'Now?' persisted Alicia. 'Is such a voyage under the sea possible today?'

'There you'll have to ask the elves,' Tavish said with a sigh. 'And it's most unlikely that they'll tell you much!'

'But we can try, can't we?' asked the princess, suddenly excited by the possibilities. 'There are elves right here on Gwynneth! The Llewyrr, in Synnoria.'

'Indeed,' her mother noted with a wry smile. 'Have you ever been to Synnoria? Has anyone here-anyone within the borders of Corwell-been to Synnoria?'

'Yes, my queen,' came the unexpected reply, from Lord Pawldo. 'You have-and so have I.'

Robyn laughed, and the sound broke some of the tension. 'Yes, beneath blindfolds, our ears masked by the sound of a harp!' Her face grew wistful at the memory. 'Yet even then our presence was not desired by the Llewyrr. And the passes into the valley, remember, cannot be seen by humans-not even with aid of a sorcerer.'

'That doesn't matter!' Alicia declared forcefully. She regretted her tone immediately, but surprisingly, her mother merely nodded and waited for her to continue.

'I'll start out first thing in the morning! I'll circle every side of that mountain range if I have to until I find a way in or they come out to get me!'

'I'm with you, my princess!' declared Lord Hanrald, grinding his fist into his palm, wishing he held a sword that he could brandish.

'And I!' Brandon was quick to pledge his axe.

Unconsciously the princess found herself looking at Keane. She saw an expression of unabashed dismay cross the mage's face.

Indeed, to the wizard, the difficulties of the task loomed paramount. Keane had no faith in their ability to find a path into Synnoria. It was known to be impervious to most forms of detection and orientation spells. And even if they did manage to find their way to the hidden land, he very much doubted that the elves would willingly aid them. Not that they could be of much help, he noted in his silent tally of insurmountable obstacles. He didn't believe for a moment that the secret to sailing a ship under the sea could be discovered in a landlocked mountain kingdom. But finally Keane spoke.

'What time do we leave?' the magic-user asked with a sigh of resignation.

Brigit removed the supple steel gauntlets from her hands and then stopped to doff her helmet and loosen the straps of her armor. Several young Llewyrr led her mare to the watering pool, and she knew that they would brush and feed the animal with care.

Flowing golden hair spilled across Brigit's shoulders, concealing the pointed tips of her elven ears. Barely an inch over five feet tall and quite slender even in her armor, she concealed a great amount of fighting prowess in that tiny form.

'Captain?' Another sister knight stepped through the stable door.

'Oh, hello, Myra. What is it?'

'That priest who came through the Fey-Alamtine goes to see Erashanoor today. The elder wondered if you could join them.'

'Of course,' Brigit replied without hesitation. Normally the elven knight preferred the pastoral quiet and chaotic splendor of the forest to the well-manicured beauty of Chrysalis, but an invitation from the elder sage of Synnoria was always an intriguing prospect.

Erashanoor was, in many ways, Brigit's mentor-at least in scholarship, if not in knighthood. She saw him only rarely, however, for the old elf could spare little time from his work. He was reputedly writing a detailed history of Synnoria. Nevertheless, on those rare occasions when the Fey-Alamtine was used, Erashanoor always spent considerable time with the refugees.

The sage's offices were located on the highest level in the Argen-Tellirynd, the Palace of the Ages in the heart of Chrysalis. The city itself occupied an island in the Crystaloch, while the stables and barracks of the knights-along with the farms, forests, and parks of all Synnoria-sprawled across the broad valley floor surrounding the lake. Three wide roadways, each smoothly paved with tight-fitting blocks of white marble, crossed the lake at different points, connecting the island city to the shore.