Aris's kneecap and into the shadowy depths of the colonnade. Galaeron was not ail that surprised to realize Malik had vanished. The little man had an astonishing capacity for stealth, and he had mentioned his troubles with a certain Harper often enough for Galaeron to guess who this was. Vala caught his eye and barely raised her brow. He flattened his fingers in a signal to wait, and the Bedine Harper looked away, pretending not to see.
If Hadrhune noticed the woman's discretion, he hid it well. 'How did you enter Shade Enclave?'
Her dark brows arched. 'In the usual way,' she said. 'I have been serving Princes Clariburnus and Brennus as a desert guide, a position arranged in Waterdeep through Laeral Silverhand and Prince Aglarel. If there are closed districts, they did not inform me when they brought me into the city.'
'The district is not closed,' Hadrhune clarified, 'but it is well guarded.' 'And you would know everyone who enters?' 'Yes,' Hadrhune answered.
A twinkle came to the woman's eyes, and she said, 'I think not.' Galaeron liked her instantly.
'Ruha,' he said, 'it is a waste of your time to look for Malik with us. He is hardly the sort a wise company welcomes for long.'
The witch turned her mocking gaze on Galaeron and said, 'If you know who I am, then you must also know I am not so easily fooled. I found his horse in the stables.' A small chain of gold dropped out of her sleeve into her cupped hand, though it was done so deftly that Galaeron doubted anyone else had noticed. 'A pity-she was such a fine mount.'
'Harper shrew!' Malik screamed. 'What have you done to my Kelda?'
The little man came charging out of the shadows at her back, a stone loaded in his sling and his arm rising to attack. Ruha spun around deftly, holding the golden chain up before him and uttering a common imprisonment spell.
Galaeron was already halfway through the reversal. He timed his incantation to finish in the same instant as Ruha's, and a bolt of shadow magic rushed up through his body, cold and jolting, raw enough to sting his bones. A cord of brown magic spiraled up Ruha's body, binding her knees to each other and her arms to her sides, then the golden chain vanished from her hands and appeared in Galaeron's.
Malik loosed the stone in his sling. Galaeron gave the chain a quick tug and jerked Ruha out of the way. The rock sailed past, striking Hadrhune square in the chest The seneschal barely flinched, but Malik's eyes bugged out so far they looked like they might fall from their sockets.
'Your Darkness, a thousand pardons!' he cried. 'But surely a man has a right to defend-' 'Enough!' Hadrhune lowered his staff at Malik.
Galaeron cursed under his breath and raised a hand to cast another spell-only to have Vala slap it down. 'Are you mad?'
Hadrhune spoke a word, and a tiny sphere of shadow shot from the tip and struck the ground at Malik's feet. He cried out and tried to leap away, but the dark circle expanded beneath him. When he came down, he fell in as though it was a hole. The shadow circle drew in on itself and vanished from sight.
Aris, who had been watching all this from far above, groaned and dropped to a knee, his big hand already reaching for Hadrhune. The seneschal raised his staff overhead and caught the middle of the giant's hand on its tip.
'There is nothing to be angry about, Aris. Your friend will return shortly.'
'He better.' Aris removed some of his hand's weight from the staff, but tried to sound threatening. 'I owe him my life.'
'There is no need to pay today, my large friend,' Hadrhune said, lowering his staff. 'I just wanted time to sort matters out.'
He went to stand in the place Malik had vanished from, then motioned Galaeron to bring Ruha over. 'Since you all seem to know of each other, perhaps you would be so kind as to enlighten me?'
Ruha glared daggers at Galaeron, then, with her hands still bound by the brown cord of magic, said, 'I have no business with the elf or his harlot-' 'Harlot?' Vala stormed. 'I've never taken a copper!'
She reached for her darksword and started forward, but stopped at a warning dip of Hadrhune's black staff.
'Let's finish this without bloodshed, shall we?' He turned back to Ruha and asked, 'What do you want with Malik?'
'To take him to Twilight Hall to answer for his crimes.' 'Which are?'
'More murders than I can count, but including that of Rinda and Gwydion, guardians of the evil Cyrinishad, and the theft of that same foul book,' Ruha said. 'If the Shadovar truly wish to be the good allies to the nations of Faerыn that they claim, you will release me and turn over this miscreant.'
'I assure you, our desire is sincere,' Hadrhune said, 'but I was not aware that the Harpers controlled so many nations.'
'We control none,' Ruha admitted, 'and influence many.'
'A distinction we Shadovar understand as well,' Hadrhune said, smiling politely. Unlike the grins of the princes and most shadow lords, his did not reveal a mouthful of ceremonial fangs. 'We also know there are two sides to every argument. Galaeron, what say you? How would you advise the Most High in this matter?'
Galaeron considered Hadrhune, recalling his distaste for the little man, then said, 'I know what you'd like to hear.' 'Is that so?' Hadrhune cocked his brow. 'Tell me.' 'Do you think I'm that far into my shadow?' Vala grabbed his arm. 'Galaeron…'
'I know what's right,' he said, shaking her off. 'I won't betray a loyal companion for access to the palace.'
'Galaeron, Hadrhune's not asking you to betray anyone,' Vala said.
'I am only asking for the truth,' Hadrhune said. 'If you cannot see that, you are in the grasp of your shadow.' Leaving Galaeron to fume, Hadrhune turned and craned his neck up at Aris. 'What would you tell the Most High, my friend?'
Kneeling beside the fountain, the giant still loomed over the Shadovar by half-again his height. 'It's true that Malik serves an evil god,' Aris said, 'but I am lifedebted to him and honor bound to stand with him against any foe.' Hadrhune looked to Vala. 'And you?' 'I wouldn't be here, were it not for him.'
Galaeron still found it difficult to believe that Hadrhune was truly interested in his opinion, but he had no choice except to trust Vala's judgment over his own. He did not feel as though he was in the grasp of his shadow, but neither had he at the Splicing-and he had just cast a spell. 'Nor would I,' Galaeron agreed. 'He's saved us all.'
'For his own reasons,' Ruha interjected. 'He's been playing you for fools-just as the Shadovar are now.'
Hadrhune's eyes flashed. 'You will not help your case by trying to poison the opinions of our guests against us, Harper.'
'The truth is not poison.' Though Ruha spoke to Hadrhune, she was looking at Galaeron. 'You're from Evereska, are you not Galaeron?' 'What if he is?' Vala demanded.
Ruha's eyes narrowed. 'How long has it been since you have been outside this city's murk?'
Galaeron frowned, wondering what the witch was trying to accomplish. 'Not that it's any business of yours, but more than a tenday.' Even Ruha's heavy veil could not hide her smirk. 'What?' Galaeron demanded. The witch looked at Hadrhune.
He glared amber flames at her, then turned to Galaeron and said, 'The enclave is moving.' 'Moving?' Galaeron echoed. 'It's always moving.'
'Deeper into the desert,' Hadrhune clarified. 'Away from Evereska. That's why-'
'Traitors!' Galaeron lunged for the seneschal but went down heavily, Vala on his back. 'You promised!'
'And we will keep our promise,' Hadrhune said. 'The shadowshell has cut the phaerimm off from the Weave. Eventually, they will deplete the magic remaining to them-but it will take time, Galaeron, many months. You know better than anyone that we dare not attack until they have depleted their powers and begun to starve, until they grow too feeble to defend themselves.'
'So, you are only abandoning Evereska for a little while?' Ruha asked, her voice surprisingly cynical. 'Oh yes, that makes a great deal of sense.'
Hadrhune kneeled in front of Galaeron, who was not struggling only because he knew how easily Vala could choke him unconscious with the arm already around his throat.
