instead. So, who's your friend?'
A wave of distress crossed Ilsevele's face at the last remark, but she bravely set it aside and thrust out her hand in the human fashion. Her Common was a little awkward, and her voice lilted musically.
'I am Ilsevele Miritar, daughter of Lord Seiveril Miritar. I am Araevin's betrothed. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir.'
'Grayth, please! The pleasure is mine, fair lady. And welcome to Faerun. Unless I miss my guess, you haven't spent much time away from Evermeet.'
Ilsevele shot a glance at Araevin, her surprise showing, and said, 'Is it that obvious?'
'No, it's not,' Araevin replied with a smile. 'Grayth will never admit it, but he sees more in a glance than most people, human or elf, notice in an hour. Don't play cards with him.'
'If you'll join us, I'll have some food and wine sent over, and we can trade tales of old adventures,' Grayth said. 'I noticed a number of mice in the stables, if your little falcon's feeling hungry.'
'Whyllwyst died eight years ago,' Araevin said. 'I have no familiar now.'
Grayth looked up and said with a grimace, 'I know that's hard on a wizard, Araevin. I'm sorry. Come, we'll speak of lighter things.'
The cleric motioned the two sun elves to a sturdy wooden table and bench, and sat down opposite them.
Another man was waiting for them, a strapping young fellow with sandy-blond hair and wide blue eyes. He was dressed like Grayth in the cassock of a priest of Lathand-er, but his robes were orange and yellow, and the emblem on his tunic was a simple half-disc of white.
'This is Brant Rethalshield,' Grayth said, 'an aspirant to the Order of the Aster, the knights templar of the Morninglord's faith. He is my squire. Brant, this is Araevin Teshurr and Lady Ilsevele Miritar.'
Araevin took the young man's hand, noticing the well-worn calluses of a swordsman.
'A pleasure to meet you, Brant,' he said.
The young fellow returned his handclasp and said, 'And you, sir. The High Mornmaster has told me many stories of his adventures in your company.'
'So you've simply been studying your spellbooks back on Evermeet all this time?' Grayth asked.
'I've found a few things to busy myself with, but I haven't been back to Faerun since the Year of the Worm.'
Araevin studied Grayth's accoutrements and added, 'I see you have risen in Lathander's church in the last eighteen years. What of you? How are you faring? Have you heard from others of the company?'
'I am well enough, as you can see. I traveled a few more years after we parted. In fact, I rode all the way to Thesk in King Azoun's crusade against the Tuigan Horde, but my superiors in the order kept asking me to take on more and more responsibility. So for some time now I have devoted myself to serving in the Morninglord's temples, as I have been called to do.' A brief shadow flickered across the human's face. 'I settled down and was even married for a time, but no longer. I have two fine sons, though-ten and seven. They live with their mother. I visit them whenever I can.'
'I hope I get the chance to meet them someday,' Araevin said, though his heart wasn't in it.
He had always felt a little odd around human children. A long time ago, when he'd been only a hundred or so, he'd struck up quite a friendship with a little girl named Senda, the daughter of a human merchant he dealt with in his travels. She'd lived to seventy years of age… and she'd been dead already for longer than she'd lived. Yet still he remembered a tiny slip of a girl with long curls of golden hair and eyes that danced with mischief when she laughed at his pointed ears. He might well live to see Grayth's sons, and their sons and grandsons too, pass from the world. Araevin felt his eyes growing damp and quickly changed the topic.
'What of the others?'
'Darthen's done well for himself. He's the lord of a small hold near Scornubel, with a lovely wife and a whole tower-full of children. I spoke with him after receiving your message. He will not come, Araevin.' Grayth sighed and continued, 'He said that his duties did not permit him to respond, but that you could come to him for anything you needed, and he would do his best. He also told me to tell you to make sure to visit him, if you'll be staying in Faerun for any time.'
'I hope to do that,' Araevin replied, concealing his disappointment. The Company of the White Star had parted with an agreement to come together if called, but none of them were sworn to it. If he needed Darthen badly enough, he might try to change his old comrade's mind, but it sounded as if the human knight had responsibilities he could not easily lay aside. 'He would have come if he could have, I suppose. What of Belmora?'
Grayth sighed again, then said, 'Belmora is dead. She went back to her clan-hold in the North, and I understand that she died in battle against an orc warband.'
Araevin bowed his head. He'd always liked Belmora, even though she was irascible, stubborn, and every bit as abrasive as dwarves were supposed to be. The news didn't surprise him, really. The redoubtable dwarf priestess had always spoken of returning to her mountain home to drive away the orc tribes.
'She was a stout companion,' he said. 'Her heart was true and strong. What about Theleda?'
'I have not heard from her for ten years now, I guess.' The human shrugged and said, 'She lived in Waterdeep for a time, living well off the treasure we garnered back in our day. She owned a tavern, and provisioned caravans and merchant ships on the side. I suspect that one of the guilds ran her out of town.'
'It doesn't seem likely that she will show up, then.'
Araevin leaned back against the wall and sighed. Out of the four companions he had parted with in that very inn eighteen years past, only one had answered his call. One dead, one missing, and one simply unable or unwilling to come.
I waited too long, he realized. Of course I thought nothing of leaving them behind me for twenty years, but humans don't make light of such a span, do they?
'Grayth,' Araevin said, 'thank you for answering.'
The Lathanderite waved his hand and replied, 'I live in Waterdeep. It's only a couple of days up the road, so it wasn't any trouble to make the journey. Besides, I've been looking for an excuse to get out of the temple for some time, I think.'
The inn's keeper, a heavyset dwarf with a rough set of white whiskers and a beet-red nose, brought them a large earthenware jug of wine and a set of clay cups.
'Your wine, High Mornmaster,' he said to Grayth. 'I've just started a roast for you and your friends, so it will be a time, but I'll have Nanda bring out some cheese and bread for you. Welcome to the Dragonback, sir and miss. It's an honor to have the Fair Folk under my roof.'
'It's a pleasure to find a good inn,' Araevin replied.
The dwarf bowed and withdrew.
Grayth filled the clay cups with wine from the jug and asked, 'So, Araevin, what is it that led you to summon us again? What in Faerun has caught your attention after eighteen years in Evermeet?'
'Nothing good, I'm afraid,' Araevin said. His eyes hardened, and his voice grew colder. 'A few days ago, a band of demons attacked my Tower in Evermeet. I think they were looking for this.' He fished the telkiira out of his pouch and showed it to Grayth and Brant. 'More stones like this are buried in an ancient vault of my people. This stone has provided me with a map of sorts leading to its sisters. But I don't know why our enemies wanted this stone, or even who our enemies are, for that matter. If I find the rest of the set and unravel this riddle, I may learn more about our adversaries. We understand nothing about them now.'
'And you thought that the Company of the White Star might be able to help you find more of your magic gem-stones,' Grayth observed.
'Well, yes,' Araevin said. 'But… but I hadn't realized how much time had gone by. Darthen has his steading to govern, and I think you have become a man with responsibilities, too.'
The High Mornmaster offered a wry smile and said, 'Let me be the judge of my responsibilities, Araevin. I've spent too much time lately telling others what they need to go do. Some time away from the temple might be just the renewal that Lathander intends for me.'
'We would not want you to get into trouble with your superiors,' Ilsevele said.
'You think I'm too old for such nonsense, you mean,' Grayth said. He nodded at Araevin. 'I seem to recall that I'm a good two hundred years younger than him. I might not be as old as you think. Now, why don't you start
