'What if it is?'
Isolde looked at Mirrel for a very long time. Finally, her eyes narrowed and she said, 'It's you, isn't it? You're the one spreading the rumors, telling lies.' 'No lies, milady,' said Mirrel, realizing that if she'd gone this far, she might as well go all the way. 'The truth.' 'Liar!' shouted Isolde.
Mirrel refused to be shouted down into silence. She defiantly thrust her chin forward and began to tell Isolde of her and Korinne's midnight journey to the home of the hedge witch and the warning the old witch had made about the child's well-being-that it depended solely on the purity of the Lord Soth's soul.
'Enough!' cried Isolde, her hands over her ears and her head turning from side to side. 'Lies, they're all lies!'
'What possible benefit would I gain by lying?' asked Mirrel. 'What reason do I have for lying, other than undying loyalty to Lady Korinne?'
'Out!' screamed Isolde.
The child had begun to cry.
'Out of my chambers! Out of this tower! Out of Dargaard Keep!'
'You can send me away,' said Mirrel getting up to leave. 'But ridding yourself of the truth won't be as easy!'
Isolde thrust out her hand, pointing at the open door.
Mirrel left without another word.
The portcullis was raised long before Mirrel was ready to leave. Along with the guards manning the gatehouse and drawbridge, there were several of her friends waiting to say good-bye. None of them looked happy to see her go. After all, Mirrel had been one of their own, elevated in status through the sheer good graces of Lady Korinne.
'Don't worry,' said a laundress. 'You'll be back in the keep someday soon.'
Mirrel just stared at the woman, a look of pity on her face. 'What makes you think I'd want to return to such a damned and cursed keep as this?'
The women were shocked by the words, unable to say anything in reply.
'With the way things are going,' added Mirrel, 'I'm lucky to be leaving while I'm still able.'
This was far truer than Mirrel liked to let on. It had been fortunate for her that Lady Isolde had had the arrogance to handle her banishment by herself. For if Isolde had gone to Lord Soth with the problem, Mirrel might have suddenly disappeared under curious circumstances, or have simply been murdered by Caradoc or one of the other knights.
'Then may Mishakal light your way,' said one of the women as Mirrel headed toward the bridge.
Mirrel stopped, turned and looked at the woman. She nodded thanks and said, 'And yours as well.'
Then she turned away and exited the keep.
Outside, it was late afternoon and the light of day was slowly being shrouded by the gathering darkness.
Chapter 20
The night sky was clear of clouds and the stars twinkled against their black backdrop like diamonds under a midday sun.
The Kingpriest of Istar stood alone on the balcony of the highest tower of the temple. He was dressed in one of his finest silken robes. It was yellow and white, and bejeweled with all manner of rare gemstones, including diamonds.
He had come to address the gods.
His brethren.
He stepped up onto a platform so that he was standing above the balcony's rail and unencumbered by such mundane man-made concerns as walls and rails and floors. He stood, almost on the air, with nothing before him but the cool night air, and nothing above him but the black star studded night sky.
'My fellows,' he began, raising his arms over his shoulders.
'I have labored for many years to bring peace to the races and tribes of
Krynn; indeed it had been my life's work. Once peace was achieved I made sure that it would last for hundreds of years, something even you as gods could not do for the people consigned to your ever watchful care.
Further to that, I made the Proclamation of Manifest Virtue, declaring that Evil in the world was an affront to both mortals as well as we gods.'
Clouds slowly began to move in from the north and west'.
'I single-handedly vanquished Evil from the face of Krynn, and further enabled Good to spread across the land by leading the Siege on Sorcery, exiling the evil mages and ensuring their wicked brand of magic would never again be used for the purposes of evil.' The clouds continued to roll in. Many of the stars including the brighter ones, began to wink out.
'And now, with the Edict of Thought Control, I have acquired the power to read the thoughts of the people of Istar, stopping evil deeds before they can be enacted, and thereby defeating Evil before it has a chance to make its presence known. I have put an end to Evil as we know it!'
The cloud cover was complete now.
Thunder rolled within.
'So friends and colleagues, I implore you, since I have proven that I have powers comparable to yours, I ask that you allow me to ascend to the heavens and take my rightful place between Paladine and Mishakal as one of the greater gods of Krynn. Together, you will help me rule over
Krynn so that Evil will never again dare to make its presence felt.'
The thunder grew louder.
'Take me now!' cried the Kingpriest. 'Elevate me to my rightful place in the heavens and I will show you how to-'
A bone-jarring clap of thunder seemed to explode inside the clouds over the temple. The shock waves of the blast shook the temple to its foundations.
The Kingpriest struggled to keep his balance on the platform, managing to remain upright until the rumbling sound of the thunderclap had finally run its course.
'I demand that you make me one of you!' cried the Kingpriest.
The clouds began to roil angrily and the wind picked up, making his robes billow like flags in a storm.
'I command you!'
A bolt of lightning shot out from the clouds, hitting the Kingpriest's platform and shattering it into a thousand splinters.
The Kingpriest toppled from his lofty perch, landing on his back and falling unconscious.
It began to rain, hard and cold.
The drops falling on the Kingpriest's face stung his flesh like bitterly cold needles. He blinked his eyes open, saw the storm overhead and raised a clenched fist toward the heavens.
'You will come to regret this,' he cried.
Thunder boomed.
Jagged lightning pierced the blackness of the night.
'You might control the heavens, but I'-he placed a hand over his chest-'control the world.'
Another bolt of lightning shot out from the clouds, this time slamming into the slim standard-bearing tower above and behind him.
The tower began to topple.
The Kingpriest scrambled to get out of the way, and just managed to get inside before the tower crashed down onto the balcony, causing it to break away from the temple.
