case, I fear your father must face the risk.'
Galaeron nodded. Evereska had to learn the extent of the enemy's victory If he and his human companions failed, then it fell to the Swords of Evereska to win the information themselves-no matter how poor their chance of success. Seeing that the phaerimm was gone, Galaeron motioned to the crevice. 'Shall we?'
'In a minute,' said Melegaunt. 'The phaerimm have spells to detect intruders… and it would be good if you were able to understand the phaerimm for yourself. Can you copy the spell I just cast?'
'Perhaps… a simple combination of eavesdropping and thoughtspeech?'
Melegaunt cocked his brow. 'You are a truly gifted innatoth.' 'Innatoth?'
'Innate one,' said Melegaunt. 'What my own people would have called an ArcNatural, but which is better translated in most of Faerun as 'sorcerer.'' 'What's the difference?' asked Vala.
'Not much to you, but a great deal to me,' said Melegaunt. 'Even to the best wizards, magic comes slowly and with difficulty. Not so to sorcerers. For them, it is a gift, a natural talent that can be improved with time and practice, but a gift nonetheless. Needless to say, all those wizards who must work at their art tend to be suspicious of those who don't.'
'That's an apt description, if ever I heard one,' said Galaeron. 'Are you an innatoth?'
'Would that I were!' Melegaunt laughed. 'I take it you found your Academy of Magic less than accepting?'
'Far less.' Galaeron tried to keep the bitterness from his voice. 'My father used every political favor he was owed to secure me a place in my regiform, and a more terrible waste I've never seen. I never fit in. Eventually, they accused me of dark magics and demanded to see my spellbook. Unfortunately, I had never kept one.' 'Now you're making me jealous,' Melegaunt said.
Galaeron smiled sadly 'No need. It took Lord Imesfor's intervention to win me a place in the Tomb Guard.' He fell silent, recalling the bad end that the high noble's patronage had wrought for his son. In truth, the Gold lord could hardly be blamed for the things he had been saying. 'And even that favor has had its price.'
'No need to feel sorry for yourself.' Melegaunt's voice was at once reproachful and consoling. 'It will be your magic that saves Evereska, or I've never cast a spell.'
'Did you not say that his magic would draw the phaerimm's attention?' Vala's tone was respectful but concerned. 'This is the last place I'd want one of those things to trap me.'
Melegaunt smiled. 'It would be a better place than you think, but you're right about what I said.' He looked to Galaeron. 'We must teach our friend to cast magic differently' 'Differently?' Galaeron asked. 'That will take time.'
'Not for you, I think,' said Melegaunt 'Not if you are as brave as you are talented.' 'I'm here now.'
'Yes.' Melegaunt's eyes turned as black as obsidian, so dark that even Vala gasped. 'You're brave enough when you meet the monsters outside. Let us see if you have the courage to face the one within.'
Melegaunt's face became strangely elflike, his bushy brows rising into arches, his brow becoming high and smooth. His ears grew longer, pushing their sharp tips out through his dusky hair, and his eyes assumed the malevolent gleam of a drow demon. 'Corellon's lute!' Galaeron's head whirled in confusion. This could not be the human who had told him he would be the savior of Evereska-but then again, ever were demons the deceivers of mortals. 'What are you?' 'More than you think, I am sure,' came the answer.
Knowing he would never have time to cast a spell-and that even if he did, he could not hope to best Melegaunt in a duel of magic-he dropped a hand to his sword. The demon's own hand lashed out as quickly as a jumping spider, caught Galaeron by the throat, and slammed him against the stone wall. A pair of ivory fang tips jutted out beneath Melegaunt's lip, and his shadowy beard changed into a grotesque chin. The humans gasped and murmured, but seemed too bewildered to act. Galaeron tried to draw his sword, but the demon pinned his wrist to the wall.
Vala was the first to recover even a little. 'Mighty One!' She freed her blade and stepped forward. 'What are you-
'Stand clear!' Melegaunt glanced over his shoulder. 'By the Oath of Bodvar, I charge you obey!'
Vala ground her teeth, but stopped and lowered her sword, then signaled her men to stand fast. When Melegaunt looked back to Galaeron, his eyes were glowing purple, and his fangs were as long as a viper's. 'Do you know what I am, elf? Are you brave now?'
'Y-y-yes.' Galaeron could barely choke out the word. Like most surface elves, he feared the drow as much as he hated them, and he could imagine no fate worse than becoming the undead servant of a draw vampire- demon. 'Let me have my sword-'
Melegaunt slammed Galaeron against the wall. 'I think not.' He smiled. 'But I give you a choice.' Melegaunt thrust his palm out behind him. 'Darksword!'
Vala flipped her hilt around, but hesitated before handing it over. 'What are you going to do?'
Melegaunt glared at her, his neck filling the room with unnatural cracking sounds as it turned farther than it should. 'Nothing that is not my right by the Granite Tower.'
Vala's face fell, and she laid the hilt in his palm. Melegaunt glared at her a moment, then pressed the icy hilt into Galaeron's left hand.
'1 give you the choice, elf.' He grabbed the weapon by its blade and set the tip beneath Galaeron's jaw. 'Serve me or not-your choice.'
Galaeron knew no vampire would give him the chance to slay it-but he also knew it would be just like a drow to give him the opportunity then taunt him with his cowardice through the rest of time. He lifted his chin and flipped the black blade forward, drawing the edge across Melegaunt's throat and chest.
The glass passed through the wizard as though his body were smoke. Melegaunt smiled, then plucked the sword from Galaeron's hand.
'Coward.' He returned the weapon to Vala, then pinned his captive's head against the wall.
Galaeron struggled, but the drow-demon was too strong. Melegaunt lowered his head, and Galaeron felt two cold pangs in his throat. 'No!'
He brought his knee up into Melegaunt's groin, but even that did not drive the demon away. An icy numbness spread through Galaeron's neck, then Melegaunt raised his head. There were a pair of slowly cooling blood runnels on his chin, and his eyes were glowing damson with mad hunger.
'Do you feel the fear?' he demanded. 'Open yourself to it, Galaeron. Embrace it.'
Galaeron had no need to open himself to anything. His fear was coursing through him. He could feel it in his hollow stomach, in his heaving chest and hot huffing breath, hear it in his pounding pulse and the wail rising in his throat.
The scream did not quite reach his lips before Melegaunt covered his mouth. 'You can't scream, Galaeron.' The wizard's face was returning to normal, his pointed ears vanishing into his dusky hair, his arched eyebrows growing straight and bushy. 'You mustn't, or the phaerimm will give us all something to fear.'
Galaeron pushed Melegaunt away The wizard sailed across the chamber and slammed into the opposite wall, now looking completely human.
When Galaeron managed not to scream, Melegaunt nodded encouragingly 'Good. Now use it, Galaeron. Use that power inside to cast your spell.' 'You're mad! The only thing 111 use it for is to kill you.'
Galaeron drew his sword and was instantly separated from Melegaunt by Vala and her men.
'Not like that, elf!' Melegaunt's voice grew stern and commanding. 'Will you master your fear, or be its slave?'
Something in the wizard's tone reached Galaeron. He touched his neck where the demon had bit him and felt smooth skin. 'Now, Galaeron!' urged Melegaunt 'Cast the spell!'
Finally beginning to understand, Galaeron let the sword fall and ran his fingers through a series of mystic gestures, then finished by cupping his palm to his ear. His fear did not evaporate as expected, but burned down through him, branding him with raw ribbons of pain that trailed through his body and vanished into the darkness beneath his feet.
Galaeron rolled his hands through the second half of the spell. When he began to rub his brow, the ragged ribbons of pain turned cold, filling him with a biting numbness that started in his feet and shot up through him like icy lightning.
Then Galaeron's mind was filled with wispy voices, all talking at once in half-formed sentences. He let out a groan and covered his ears. Melegaunt stepped past Vala and the others, then took Galaeron by the shoulders and
