sacrificed greatly to assist us then, but we hope that you can once again lend us your strength and help us stand against the enemies of all the People.'
'You mentioned demon-tainted elves,' Seiveril said. He tightened his hands into fists under the table to combat the dread in his heart. 'What do you mean by that? Can you describe them?'
'I have studied them with scrying magic, my lord,' Imesfor replied. 'They have leathery wings, like those of a bat or dragon, and a reddish hue to their skin. I observed many wearing arms and armor of fine quality and elven workmanship. The wood elves who have engaged them described the creatures as skilled sorcerers and blademasters.' The Evereskan lord absorbed the council's reaction then asked, 'Do you know these creatures?'
'Yes,' said Seiveril. 'You have described the Dlardrageths and their minions, the daemonfey.'
Lord Imesfor's eyes widened and he murmured, 'So the old tales are true.'
'Fifteen days ago a party of these demon-elves attacked a Tower on the northern coasts,' Seiveril continued. 'They killed more than twenty of our people, including two high mages, and carried away a powerful weapon. We have been searching for some sign of them, but it seems as though they have no more need of secrecy.' He looked over to the queen and said, 'I fear we bear some responsibility for this threat to Evereska and the High Forest, your highness. We cannot stand by and allow the crystal to be used against Evereska!'
'Did you not tell us that the crystal had been brought to Evermeet out of Faerun only a couple of years ago?' Lady Ammisyll Veldann asked Seiveril. 'The throne's servants meddled in Faerun by bringing that cursed device into Evermeet, and now we see the price we must pay for yesterday's mistakes. I refuse to countenance any suggestion that we repair the damage caused by our unwise involvement in Faerunian matters by involving ourselves even more!'
Lady Jerreda Starcloak, speaker for the island's wood elves, glared at Lady Veldann. 'How can you propose turning our backs on kinfolk in need? What would that make us?'
'Of course we would not turn our backs on the elves still dwelling in Faerun,' Lady Veldann snapped. 'Have we not always found a home for any who wish to Retreat? I would not turn away any Evereskan, or wood elf of the High Forest for that matter, who seeks safety here. That is Evermeet's purpose, after all.'
'You speak lightly of asking us to abandon our homes,' Gervas Imesfor observed. 'Evereska is almost as old as Evermeet itself. Only two years ago we spent thousands of lives to defend it against the phaerimm. It would shame the valiant dead of that war to flee this fight.'
Meraera Silden, the Speaker of Leuthilspar, stepped in.
'The point of whether or not we should aid Evereska and the High Forest may be moot,' she observed. 'The first question is, can we help them? Do we have sufficient strength? If the answer to that question is no, then our debate is without purpose.'
'We ask only what you think you can spare,' Imesfor said. 'Five hundred archers and fifty mages would help us greatly, and would not place Evermeet itself in jeopardy. But you may need to consider more if you hope to aid the folk of the High Forest, too.'
'We heard the exact same point raised two years ago, when we sent an expedition to Evereska's aid against the phaerimm,' Grand Mage Breithel Olithir said. 'Less than half of those we sent then came home, and none of the high mages. We cannot afford another such disaster in Faerun.'
'Talk of what we can spare and what we can afford to lose is absolutely pointless,' Seiveril interjected. 'If something is worth doing, then it is worth doing with all of our might! The defense of Evereska and the safeguarding of our kinfolk in the High Forest is not an act of charity on our part, but an act of self-preservation. The defense of Evermeet begins in the hills of Evereska and beneath the trees of old Eaerlann.'
'We who Retreated to Evermeet did so because the wide seas serve as a mighty rampart against exactly the sort of threat that now menaces Evereska,' Lady Veldann retorted. 'If we had had the sense to leave matters in Faerun alone, we would not have to consider this question.'
'Lady Veldann, it does not matter whether we abandon Faerun or not, because Faerun will not abandon us,' Seiveril replied. He stood and rested his hands on the cool glassteel of the table. 'We learned three years ago that evil can and will follow us here, regardless of whether we 'provoke' it or not. For my part, I will take my chances with provoking those who would do us harm. They will hate and envy us no matter what we do, so it seems better to me to exert my strength against them in Faerun than to wait until they come to Evermeet's shores.'
The Dome of Stars fell quiet. Seiveril glared at Ammisyll Veldann, and she returned his anger with her own.
Lady Durothil turned to Amlaruil and said, 'You have heard your council speak. Now what do you intend to do, Lady Moonflower?' Seiveril scowled at the deliberate insult the noblewoman delivered by refusing to address Amlaruil as queen, but Selsharra Durothil continued, 'What is the throne's response to this latest catastrophe?'
Amlaruil didn't rise to Lady Durothil's provocation. She folded her hands in her lap.
'I will carefully weigh the question of how much assistance can be sent without placing Evermeet in undue danger,' said the queen, 'and I will then dispatch as much aid as I can. For today, it seems clear that we must learn all we can of the forces marching against the High Forest and Evereska.' She turned to High Marshal Blackhelm. 'Keryth, go with Lord Imesfor back through the elfgate to Evereska, and take a company of the Queen's Guard with you. I feel confident that we can spare that much, at least. Remain only as long as you must to survey the situation firsthand and return here to report.'
'Yes, my queen,' the general replied.
He rose and strode from the room, his helm tucked under one arm.
'Grand Mage Olithir,' he queen continued, 'redouble your efforts to scry our foes. Organize the mages of the Towers to find the daemonfey armies and spy out their strength and movements. I want to know what we are up against.'
The high mage inclined his head and replied, 'It will be done.'
The queen stood, weariness evident in her posture, and said, 'When we have learned a little more, we will meet again to consider our response.'
CHAPTER 7
6 Ches, the Year of Lightning Storms
Araevin and Ilsevele set out from Waterdeep on a cold, bright day scoured by fierce westerly winds. With the two elves rode Grayth Holmfast, who wore a suit of light golden mail beneath a white surcoat emblazoned with the sunrise of Lathand-er, and his younger companion Brant, dressed in the orange surcoat of an aspirant to the Order of the Aster. Maresa Rost rounded out the party, wearing a jerkin of studded leather dyed deep crimson, a striking contrast with her pale skin and white hair. They had spent two days outfitting themselves, purchasing good horses, an ample supply of provisions, and equipment for their search.
'So, where exactly are we going?' Maresa asked as the keep of Daggerdale disappeared below the hills at their back. The cold waters of the Sea of Swords thundered and crashed below the cliffs a few hundred yards from the road, and the roaring wind made speech difficult.
'I am not sure,' Araevin replied. 'I have a sense of how far away the item we seek lies, and in what direction. I've also glimpsed the place where it lies, a ruined tower deep in a forest. Based on that intuitional believe that we will find what we seek in the Forest of Wyrms, though it might be the Reaching Woods, or the Wood of Sharp Teeth, or possibly even some unnamed copse somewhere south of the Chionthar and north of the Small Teeth.'
'You still haven't gotten around to telling me what we're looking for.'
Araevin frowned. He could feel Ilsevele and Grayth endeavoring not to look at him as he answered. When it came down to it, he still didn't know Maresa well at all, and he hesitated to say too much. But he suspected that she was sharp enough to see through him if he didn't trust her with something close to the truth.
'I am looking for a set of enchanted gemstones,' he said. 'There are three of them. I have the first, and it permits me to sense the second.'
'Enchanted? What do they do?'
