and help the giant off the mountain.'
Galaeron found himself racing both Malik and Vala as he scrambled after the wizard into a sheltered draw where they had left their gear and Malik's horse. 'You can't do that,' Galaeron said.
Melegaunt faced him frowning. 'I'll not abandon anyone to become a beholder's plaything, not when it's within my power to prevent it.'
'Granted, but you're the only one who knows where we're going and who we're looking for,' said Vala, all but taking the words out of Galaeron's mouth. 'If something should go wrong…'
Melegaunt looked insulted. 'We're only talking about a few beholders.' 'I can't let you take that chance, not when the fate of' Evereska hangs in the balance,' said Galaeron. Despite the objection, Melegaunt's determination to rescue the giant quelled many of the doubts the elf had been having about the wizard. 'Ill rescue the giant, unless you'd rather tell me how to find whoever it is we're looking for.'
The wizard's expression turned darker than usual. 'Be careful what you wish for, young elf.' He looked from Galaeron to Vala, then back to Galaeron again. 'Very well, we'll do it your way, provided you can still use the other magic I showed you.'
Malik's ears perked up at this. 'What do you mean, 'other magic?''
'It doesn't concern you.' Melegaunt turned his back on the little man. 'And even if it did, there's no time to explain now.'
'I understand completely.' Malik slipped around to place himself directly between Galaeron and Melegaunt 'Only, I have always been given to believe that the Weave is the only source of magic.'
Melegaunt scowled at him. 'Why should this interest you? Are you a wizard?'. 'I am a man of many interests,' said Malik. 'And magic is among them, for my master-' 'We'll talk later,' interrupted Melegaunt.
He glanced in Vala's direction. She grabbed Malik by the collar and, even as he tried to explain his interest, dragged him away. Her treatment was rough enough to draw a low whinny of warning from the sad-eyed horse.
Melegaunt turned back to Galaeron. 'About the other magic-'
'Still available to me,' said Galaeron, deciding to keep to himself for the moment just how available. 'Here's what I was thinking.' Galaeron outlined his plan.
When he finished, Malik called, 'You can cast the same spells twice?' He asked this from near his horse, where Vala had dragged him. 'How did you know to study those spells more than once? Or can you do this because of the 'other' magic?' 'Quiet!' Melegaunt hissed.
He turned to glower, but Vala was already locking an arm around Malik's neck. She slapped her other hand over the newcomer's mouth and deftly put him between herself and his horse when the beast turned to nip at her. 'Are you trying to give us away?' she asked. Malik's face paled, and he shook his head.
Melegaunt returned to Galaeron. 'Remember, the beholders are less able to detect your shadow magic than the phaerimm, but they can still dispel it. If they notice your presence, stay clear of the rays from their central eyes.'
'That lesson I learned from the first one we fought,' said Galaeron.
'Good.' Melegaunt reached into his sleeve and produced a small wisp of what looked like black fog. 'This is shadow silk, the primary element of much shadow-shaping magic. Let me show you a spell that may prove useful, and we'll be on our way.'
The wizard started to run through the gestures, then noticed Malik watching. He turned his back to the little man, confiding to Galaeron, 'There's something about him I just don't trust.'
'Yes, mysterious humans do have a way of raising suspicions,' said Galaeron, resisting the temptation to comment on his own uneasiness with the wizard. 'You were showing me a variation on a web spell?'
Melegaunt cocked his brow. 'I hadn't really thought of it as a web, but yes, I suppose that's the heart of the matter.'
The wizard finished his demonstration. Galaeron repeated the words and gestures to make certain he understood them correctly.
'Amazing.' Melegaunt could only shake his head. 'Magic shouldn't be that easy for anyone.'
'It isn't, really,' Galaeron confided. '1 must practice like anyone else to learn something new. But when it's basically a spell I already know, it's no big trouble to understand a few changes and what they do.'
'A few changes?' Melegaunt shook his head incredulously. 'No big trouble indeed!'
He went over to Malik and Vala, then circled his hand over the ground, creating a floating shadow disk similar to the one they had used to transport the wounded elves. Malik watched with interest, then undid the girth strap and placed the saddle in the center of the floating circle.
When the little man removed the bit from her mouth, Melegaunt said, 'It's not necessary to leave your horse behind. If we cover her eyes, shell never know we're moving.'
'You misunderstand. Kelda needs no blinders,' Malik grabbed the mare by the soft halter and had no trouble convincing her to jump onto the disk. 'But she has always been a faithful horse, and if you madmen are determined to see us all dead on account of one cowardly giant lacking the courage to die with the rest of his tribe, then I will not have her starving in these mountains because I was too stupid to remove her saddle and bit.'
The little man clambered onto the disk and kissed his horse full on the snout Galaeron looked to the other humans and saw by their expressions that they found this behavior as puzzling as he did. Melegaunt and Vala climbed up with Malik, and the wizard cast another spell, turning the platform and everything on it invisible. There was a startled whinny, followed by a whispered request from Malik to please be silent and not get them all killed. A puff of wind stirred the blowing snow into a white eddy, which started down the draw toward the trail and vanished into the general blizzard.
'Well see you on the other side, Galaeron,' called Vala. 'And be careful.'
'You may count on it,' said Galaeron. 'But if something happens-' 'You'll be on your own,' said Melegaunt. 'Don't worry.'
'And that is the most sensible thing any of you have said since I saved you with my fire,' added Malik.
Galaeron allowed them another minute to drift safely ahead, then cast two spells on himself. To his surprise, he discovered that the cold magic did not rush into him as it had during the bugbear attack. To make it come, he had to think of his shadow self-to embrace it, really-and open himself to the cold magic's presence. Whether this sluggishness was due to the lack of shadows in the blizzard or because he was not presently overcome by the heat of battle, he did not know. He was just happy to discover he retained more control over his magic than he had thought
Galaeron launched himself over the spruce tree with a gentle leap, then swung toward Thousand Faces well above the heads of the two stone giant guard statues. To avert the possibility of colliding with each other, they had agreed that Galaeron would fly higher than a giant and Melegaunt would stay lower. This put the wizard and the others more directly in the area watched by the beholders, but there was no avoiding it The platform would float no more than a dozen feet off the ground.
Galaeron paused at the canyon entrance and used a spell to search for magic wards. He could see a dozen beholders lurking in the grotto's shadowy portals, the reflections of their eyes flitting about like swarms of golden fireflies. With so many eyes turned in his direction, Galaeron was nervous enough that the cold magic came to him very easily. Though the presence of two sculpted guardians would suggest defensive wards in most elf communities, not so with stone giants. The statues were just that, decorative artworks designed to greet-or perhaps intimidate-anyone entering the canyon.
Galaeron flew on, climbing toward the rim of the gorge. The giant's legs were completely hidden behind a low cloud sliding along the cliff tops, but the elf could still see the stony eagle his feet stood upon. Twenty paces from the great bird. Galaeron was astonished to see a swarm of eyes peering out from a window hidden beneath the bird's great wing. Perhaps the little human had been right, after all. By Tomb Guard doctrine, at least, Galaeron should not even try to rescue the giant. The saving of one life simply did not justify the risking of four. It was good thing no one followed that particular precept.
Galaeron reached the wall and ascended into the clouds, running a hand along the cliff to orient himself in the gray haze. He felt the eagle's wing pass beneath his fingertips, then rose past the blurry silhouette of a foot as long as his forearm. How the enormous toes could cling to such a small ledge he could not imagine, but the huge ankle was trembling with fatigue. Galaeron ascended alongside the giant leg to a giant waist, where he had to
