'Come,' he ordered Laaqueel.
The malenti followed him carefully, aware of the warning prickles running through her nervous system. The room was filled with books. Deep-hued bookshelves lined the wood-paneled walls and stood in stacks across the floor. Laaqueel had never seen so many books in her life. Only a few of the titles were visible to her, formed of raised gilt letters in gold, silver, and brightly colored thread. All of them seemed to concentrate on the hated field of magic.
A soft glow of blue light intensified in the back of the long room.
'You dare enter my sanctum unannounced?' a raspy voice challenged.
Turning, bringing her short sword up into the ready position, Laaqueel stared through the weak blue light.
A man sat at the other end of the long room. Piles of books occupied the shelves staggered all around him and stood in stacks across the rectangular table in front of him. The light came from glowing globes that floated behind him, leaving him only a featureless silhouette. Two empty chairs sat across the table from him.
'You know me, Serpentil,' Iakhovas offered, 'and it will be your mistake if you do not. I scheduled this meeting with you at this time.' He walked closer to the table.
The silhouette sat silent and dark for a moment. Laaqueel noted the thin-fingered hand that rested lightly on a slim black volume closest to the man, then the man pointed at the glowing globes behind him. Obediently, the globes floated higher and forward, shedding more light over the table and the man sitting there.
He was dark complexioned and long faced like a sea horse. Hooded eyes halfway concealed a burning gaze. His long black hair hung to his shoulders and his chin sported an aggressive tuft of beard. His clothing was simple and unadorned. He indicated the chairs across from him.
'You may sit.'
Iakhovas ignored the chairs and remained standing. 'I've not time to be taken liberties with. If you're Jannaxil Serpentil then we should conclude our business with haste.'
'I'm Jannaxil,' the man said. He kept the slim black volume in his hand, stoking it absently. 'What business is that?'
'I've never found coyness becoming,' Iakhovas warned.
'And I've never found admitting guilt to someone who could be with the Waterdhavian Watch to be especially profitable,' Jannaxil stated. His eyes narrowed. 'I don't know you.'
Iakhovas reached into his magical cloak and brought out two heavy books. 'Then let your greed recognize these and provide me all the introduction I require for this transaction.' He laid them on the table. Jannaxil immediately reached for them, larceny in his darting eyes.
Laaqueel recognized the books. She had been wondering about them for the last month. Three months ago, she'd succeeded in attacking a surface dweller cargo ship and taking the ship's scribe prisoner. It had been at Iakhovas's request. Back in the sahuagin village where Iakhovas ruled as a prince, the wizard had put the scribe to work copying two of the ancient texts they had found in different places over the years at his direction. The malenti hadn't seen the use in any of them because she couldn't read them, much less in duplicating their contents. A month ago, Iakhovas had killed the scribe and fed him to the sharks that had been charmed into watching over the village.
Jannaxil flipped through the texts with a practiced eye. 'These are not the originals.'
'No,' Iakhovas agreed. 'You don't have the price for the originals.'
'If these copies exist, there could be others,' the book dealer replied shrewdly.
'After I deliver these to you,' Iakhovas agreed, 'even more copies could be made, each of which you could sell. Do not make the mistake of trifling with me.'
Jannaxil closed the books and leaned back in his chair. His eyes flicked to Laaqueel and she felt him evaluating her. She was aware of the way he held his right hand protectively, and of the old knife scar that showed there. He cut his gaze back to Iakhovas. 'Tell me something of the nature of the thing I'm trading you for these.'
'The nature?' Iakhovas repeated. 'What you have is mine. I've come to claim it. Be glad that I'm willing to give you anything for it instead of just taking it and your life.'
'Perhaps taking it wouldn't be as easy as you believe,' Jannaxil said. 'It may look like I'm here alone, but trust me when I say this place is safeguarded.'
'Not against me,' Iakhovas whispered in his cold, malevolent voice, getting closer, threatening the other man by his sheer size. 'Never against me and all that I could bring to bear on you, human. The war that's going on in the harbor I delivered it unto Waterdeep's door. I control forces and powers that you've yet to see in your shallow life. Give me the talisman while you still have a bargain laid before you.'
The book dealer looked ready to argue more, then grew deathly quiet as he stared at Iakhovas.
Though Laaqueel didn't see the wizard change, she noticed that Iakhovas's shadows on the wall of shelves behind them suddenly swelled to gigantic proportions. There was a symmetry to the new shadow, but it possessed harsh angles as well. The overall shape seemed familiar, but it was gone again before the malenti could figure out the pattern.
'I'll not trouble myself to ask for it again,' Iakhovas warned.
Pale and contrite, Jannaxil said, 'Of course.' The book dealer tapped a section of his desk three times with a forefinger. In response, a drawer opened up in the table top, looking much deeper than the table was thick. The book dealer called out a name. 'Wonvorl.' A triangular talisman of diamond and pink coral floated up from the magical drawer. He took it from the air and tossed it to Iakhovas.
The wizard caught the talisman easily. He rolled his left sleeve back, revealing a gold-worked band that encircled his arm above his bicep. In the weak light of the floating globes, Laaqueel couldn't make out the details of the scrollwork cut into the band. There appeared to be a number of slots cut for different items. Some of them had been filled, but nearly all were empty. The triangular talisman fit into its appointed slot easily. A bright spark flashed against Iakhovas's palm, then quickly died away. He rolled his sleeve back down.
'What is that?' Jannaxil asked hoarsely. 'That talisman was without a doubt one of the oldest things I've ever seen. And that band, I've never seen workmanship like that.'
'Nor will you ever see its like again,' Iakhovas stated. He turned and walked from the book shop. Laaqueel fell into step behind him.
Outside, Iakhovas headed back down Book Street, retracing, their path to the docks. The wererats formed a loose perimeter around them. The streets were filled with Waterdhavian citizens with weapons, all running frantically in the direction of the harbor.
'We came here for that?' Laaqueel asked after a short time.
'Yes.' The wizard glanced at her, a cruel smile on his face mocking her. 'Don't be mislead by the talisman's size, my little malenti. Even small keys are known to open big doors.'
Laaqueel's anger ignited within her. 'What is it?'
'Perhaps, someday, I'll let you know, if it amuses me to do so.'
She spoke again without pausing to think. 'My people have fought and died this night for that thing. We should at least know-'
Iakhovas wheeled on her, using his size to tower above her. 'You think perhaps you should at least be allowed to know what they've fought and died for? Is that what you're trying to say?'
Laaqueel felt her face tighten even further under the rampant emotions that surged through her. She tried to speak but couldn't.
'You have to learn your place, little malenti,' Iakhovas grated in his harsh whisper. 'I am giving you and your people the means to wipe the surface dwellers from the seas of Toril, and even drive them back into the interior that the sahuagin can claim the coastal lands as well. Ill even protect you from whatever enemies would try to take this empire from you.'
'For what?' Laaqueel demanded.
He shook his head. 'Once, my little malenti, I ruled the seas of this world, and I choose to do so again.'
'Sacrilege!' Laaqueel said. 'Sekolah-'
'— Has more pressing matters than paying attention to one puny world out of all those open to him,' Iakhovas finished for her. 'Why else have the sahuagin had to rely more on themselves than on their god?'
'Sekolah teaches us to be unmerciful, trains us to be strong through hardship. Self-sufficiency is valued above
