'It was only last year, Mari, that I finally learned you had survived the bolt of magic that Lord Snake struck you with in the Shadowking's tomb,' Ferret explained in his raspy voice. 'I was glad to hear it. When Caledan and Morhion and the others ran from the crypt with you in their arms, I thought you were dead. Of course, when those stone doors shut, trapping me inside the tomb, I thought I was dead, too. The entire place was coming down around my ears. I was certain I was a goner. So I said to myself, 'All right, Ferret, my boy-if you're about to cough up the ghost and head to that big dungeon in the sky, you might as well go in style.' He rubbed his nimble hands together. 'I dodged the falling stones and grabbed all the burial treasure-gold and silver and jewels-that I could find, making a big pile. Then I sat on the pile, thinking that at least I had everything I ever wanted in life, and waited for the rock that would bash my brains.' Ferret paused, his beady eys glowing. 'That was when I saw it.' Morhion murmured two words. 'The Shadowstar.'
'So that's what it's called,' Ferret said softly. 'Of course-what else would it be named?' After a pause, he went on. 'I looked down, I don't know why, and saw a strange medallion half-buried in the heap of treasure. It was dark and shining at the same time, and without even thinking, I picked it up.' Ferret's pointed noise crinkled in thought. 'I'm not sure if it really used words, but it talked to me. At first I wasn't certain what it was saying. It's a little hard to concentrate when one is caught in a shower of boulders and is expecting to get flattened like a bug at any second. After a few moments, I realized that it-the medallion, the Shadowstar-was asking me something.' His beady eyes went distant. 'It was asking me if I wanted it to take me away from the crumbling tomb. Needless to say, I answered yes.' He shook his head in wonder. 'The next thing I knew, the crypt was gone, and I was sitting on a hill north of Soubar. What was more, the medallion had brought the pile of treasure along.'
'How thoughtful of it,' Cormik muttered darkly. 'So that's where you found the capital to set yourself up as a crime lord. That really wasn't fair, you know. It took me years to get to that point in my career.'
Ferret gave an unimpressed shrug. 'I never knew thieving was about fairness, Cormik,' he said dryly. 'It's a fascinating theory. You'll have to convene a council of guildmasters and tell them all about it. I'm sure they'll be quite receptive to the idea.'
'Oh, quit rubbing it in,' Cormik said petulantly. 'I'm just jealous, of course. You needn't chastise me for it. It's perfectly natural, after all.'
'You're right, Cormik,' Ferret conceded. 'The gold did give me the foundation for building up quite a profitable business. Of course, all the money in the world is nothing if you don't have a natural talent for the illicit and illegal, which fortunately I do.'
'You come by it honestly,' Jewel said proudly. 'Or dishonestly, as the case may be.'
Ferret flashed a crooked smile at her. 'But that wasn't all.' His smile faded into an uncharacteristically solemn expression. 'I think the Shadowstar had a hand in things. For one, the local master thief conveniently dropped dead the day I strolled into Soubar. Nothing completely impossible ever happened. It just seemed that every time there was a chancy situation that could go for or against me, it always went for me. And, well'-he gestured to the opulent furnishings around them-'this is the result.'
'Why didn't you let us know you were alive?' Mari asked in exasperation.
Ferret scratched his chin nervously. 'I was going to, reelly. It's just that I started to realize being dead has its advantages. It was like being given a completely fresh start. Everyone thought the thief Ferret had met his demise, and no one knew anything at all about the man Stiletto. The fact is, I've found that an aura of mystery is a great weapon. No one knows what to expect from you, so they always expect the worst. That tends to make them a little more… er, pliable.' He sighed. 'I suppose that's all over now.' Ferret shook his head, dispelling his momentary melancholy. 'But you still haven't told me why you've been searching for me. And by the way, where's Caledan?'
Morhion exchanged grim looks with the others. 'You might wish to pour yourself another glass of wine before we explain…'
When at last Morhion had finished recounting all that had befallen, Ferret appeared visibly shaken. 'Poor Caledan,' he whispered sadly.
'You can understand why we are glad to have reached yon before Caledan did,' Morhion said. 'The Shadowstar is the key to halting or completing his metamorphosis. With it, we should be able to-'
'You can't have it!' Ferret snapped suddenly. As if by dark magic, the little thief's usually cheerful face was transformed into a pale mask of suspicion. He retreated into a corner, crossing his arms and glaring at them with calculating eyes. 'I should have known all along that was what you wanted, to come here and rob me. Well I won't allow it! I'll call my servants before I let you touch any of my treasure.' A look of pure greed crossed his face. 'I found the medallion. I rescued it from the tomb. The Shadowstar is mine!' His hand strayed to the jeweled dagger at his belt as the others stared in shock. None had ever seen Ferret behave this way.
There was a tense moment of silence. At last, Jewel stepped forward. 'That's not like you, Ferret,' she said quietly, her violet eyes intent. He gripped the hilt of the dagger more tightly, staring at her with a mixture of fear and hatred, like a cornered animal. Jewel continued to approach him, speaking calmly.
'Greed is a thief's worst enemy, Ferret. You know that. It was the first lesson I ever taught you. A covetous thief is a dead thief. We commit thievery for our livelihood, and that's all. As soon as the objects we steal become dearer to us than life, it is our own lives that are stolen.' Slowly, she reached out to touch his hand.
Ferret stared at her with a look of utter terror loathing. For a moment he gripped the knife with white- knuckled hands. Then he shuddered violently and let go of the dagger. He passed his hand before his face. The look of violence vanished.
'I'm. I'm so sorry, Grandmother,' he said haggardly 'I don't know what came over me. I must be tired, that's all.' He turned toward Morhion. 'Of course you can have the Shadowstar, Morhion, if you think it might help Caledan.'
Morhion only nodded. He watched the little thief thoughtfully. Once, a thousand years ago, the Shadowstar had transformed a simple minstrel into the Shadowking.
Ferret had possessed the medallion only a short time, but the thief had not gone untouched by its dark influence.
Ferret led them out of the chamber and through the twisting labyrinth of his hideout. Soon they came to a door hewn of a single massive slab of the same strangely slick black marble they had seen before. 'I keep all my greatest treasures in here,' Ferret explained. 'The Shadowstar created the door for me. It will open only at my touch.'
He placed his hand in a circular depression in the center of the marble slab. There was a hissing of air. Then the door parted along an unseen crack and swung silently open. Ferret took a torch from a nearby sconce and led the way. Inside the circular chamber were chests filled with glittering gems, stacks of priceless antique furniture and heaps of ornate weapons forged from precious metals. In the center of the chamber was a pedestal upon which rested a black velvet cushion, and on the cushion rested…
Nothing.
'By Shar!' Ferret swore in disbelief. 'It's gone! The Shadowstar!'
'But how?' Mari demanded. 'I thought you said that only you could open the door.'
'A door created by shadow magic,' Morhion added pointedly. From beneath his shirt, he drew out the ruby amulet. It glowed a brilliant crimson. 'Caledan was here.' he said grimly.
'I don't think we really need your amulet to tell us that, ' Jewel replied, pointing to the far wall. A patch of stone looked as if it had melted and resolidified, forming the shape of a grotesque mouth that gaped open in a silent, frozen scream.
'In which case,' Cormik added soberly, 'he now has the Shadowstar.'
Kellen bowed his head in sorrow. 'Then we've lost.'
Fifteen
'So where will he go now?' Mari asked the question as she paced restlessly back and forth across a thick Amnian rug. They had regrouped in Ferret's luxurious receiving chamber.
'Ebenfar,' Morhion said after a moment.
The others looked at him in puzzlement.
