Behind Keph, shadows shifted.
'Keph!' yelled Feena in warning as two more shadow mastiffs stepped out of the darkness.
She started to leap forward, but Keph was already whirling himself. Grasping the book in his right hand he poked his left thumb out at the nearest mastiff and shouted… something. The words tore at Feena's wolf ears and left them flat against her head. Even Variance gasped. The shadow mastiff howled in terror and seemed to bleed away into nothingness. Snapping his arm around, Keph pointed at the second beast, repeating the tearing words.
It vanished as well, though its whine of fear lingered in the night. Keph looked back down at Variance.
'Take off the ring!' he commanded. 'Give it to Feena!'
Eyes fixed on Keph, Variance brought her hands together and pulled the amethyst ring off her finger.
Feena's fur rose at the transformation that swept over the priestess. Fine, narrow Calishite features vanished, replaced by a broader, rounder face. Dusky pale skin turned dark… darker… black like night. Even Variance's eyes turned black, becoming deep, colorless pits of shadow. Her hair and clothes didn't shift, but when she spoke, her voice had a strange, ancient accent.
'Take it, Selunite,' she snarled. 'Wear it if you dare.'
Feena reached over and snatched the ring from her fingers, holding it gingerly. The smell of shadowstuff was very strong.
'Now,' Keph said, 'get out of Yhaunn.'
Variance's altered face twisted. 'We had an agreement!' she said. 'The tiles for your friend's life. If you break that agreement, I swear that he will not be the only one to suffer!'
'What good is fixing one mistake if I make another?' Keph replied. He paused for a moment then looked down at the book in his hands. 'I hear whispers in the dark, Variance. Whispers from the slates. I don't understand them, but I hear them.' He looked up and raised his thumb. Silver glimmered on the pad of it. 'The whispers did this and you know what I can do with it.' His eyes hardened. 'What would happen ifl started repeating the whispers? Started speaking them out loud?' Feena's heart went cold.
Whispers in the dark… whispers that could be heard, but not understood. She'd heard those whispers. Dhauna Myritar had heard them as well.
Selune's warning, the truth of it, the New Moon Heresy, the New Moon Pactclues, tools, nothing morestones on the path to that moment.
Feena stepped forward numbly, letting her hybrid form fall away so that she stood in the form of a woman. She felt as if she were on the edge of a cliff that could crumble under her feet at any minute.
'Keph,' she said, 'don't do it. Whatever you want, whatever you're thinking, don't speak the whispers.'
Keph looked at her. His eyes were shot through with red. His face was tired.
'Feena,' he said, 'you don't understand…'
'Keph, you have to trust me,' Feena replied. 'For your family's sake, believe me. Some things should never be spoken. The whispers must not be spoken.'
'She understands better than you do,' said Variance. The dark priestess took a slow step forward as well. 'And she's right. In Shar's name, I swear it. Your friend will be safe. I will leave Yhaunn. Just give me the book and I will lock it away.'
Keph's face tightened and he asked, 'What if I give it to Feena and she locks it away?'
Variance stiffened. 'Give it me. It's no weapon.'
'Then what is it?'
Variance hesitated, then took another step forward as she said, 'It-'
Out of the corner of her eyes, Feena saw moonlight fade from the dark priestess's face as she moved into a shadow. Her gut leaped.
'Keph, look out!' she shouted.
Too late. Shadows folded around Varianceand unfolded behind Keph. In less than a breath, Variance had stepped between shadows like a piece of living darkness. Her hands closed on the book and wrenched it out of Keph's grasp.
'belongs to Shar!' she cried triumphantly, stepping back and clenching the book.
Feena's stomach twisted in rage.
'Here's something else that belongs to Shar, then!' she howled.
Variance's chakram lay only feet away. Lunging, Feena swept it up. Her form changed with her anger and the arm that hurled the disk was furred and knotted with muscle. Razor-sharp steel screamed through the air just as shadows wove around Variance.
Shar's priestess gasped, staggeredand vanished. The scream of steel ended abruptly in a ringing screech. The chakram quivered in the stone wall behind the spot Variance had stood.
Keph stared in shock and asked, 'Is she gone?'
Feena stalked up to the chakram and wrenched it out of the stone. Blood was smeared across it, pasting strands of long, dark hair to the metal.
'Yes,' she snarled. 'This time, I think she is.'
'And the book?' he asked. 'What about the book?'
Feena scanned the shadows. They were empty.
CHAPTER 18
Astounding,' Strasus Thingoleir said as he poked at the silver character branded onto Keph's thumb. In the light of morning, it shone almost as bright as the reflections that flashed off the surface of Selune's sacred pool. 'No pain?' Keph shook his head. Strasus poked at the character again. 'A sign of abjuration, I'm certain of it. Wouldn't you agree, High Moonmistress?'
The old wizard looked up. Feena shot a glance to JulithVariance's spell of blindness had been broken by Selune's powerover Strasus's and Keph's heads. The four of them had gathered in the courtyard of Moonshadow Hall. The younger priestess gave a slight nod.
'Yes, Strasus,' Feena answered. 'I believe you're right.'
'But you know nothing about the book of slates or Variance's interest in it?' Strasus asked, poking Keph's thumb again.
'No,' replied Feena.
'It's a shame the book was lost,' the wizard mused.
'A shame,' Feena agreed. In a way, it was a lie. She felt as though a tremendous weight had been lifted from her shoulders. Selune hadn't been concerned by the book-only by what Keph might have unknowingly done with it. It seemed to her that Moonmaiden was just as happy to see the book in Variance's hands. 'I wish we knew more about who or what Variance was, though.'
'I believe I can tell you the 'what,' High Moonmistress.' Strasus gave her a serious look. 'From your description of her abilities and appearance, I would guess that she was a shade, once a human and now a creature of Shadow.' With his free hand he slipped the amethyst ring from a pouch. Feena and Julith had both agreed the wizard would be the best person to keep the ring safe. 'This bauble is likewise a creation of Shadow. Given its apparent abilities, I sincerely doubt that Variance came from the Temple of Old Night. Note the design of the ringit's Netherese. And Variance referred to the fall of Netheril, didn't she? I believe she may have been a very powerful sort of shadeone from the floating city of the same name.' Strasus made the ring disappear back into his pouch. 'All the more reason, I think, for learning all we can of this book.'
Julith said, 'We are beginning a search of our archives for references to the book, sir. Something might still turn up. Anything you could tell us about your own studies of it would be very helpful.'
Strasus turned his gaze on her and replied, 'Of course, mistress.' His eyes sparkled. 'Have we met before? And if we have, why haven't I noticed your rather considerable intelligence?'
'Julith has been hiding in other peoples' shadows,' Feena said with a smile. 'I think you'll be seeing more of her, though.'
'Much like your remarkable archives, I think. I had no idea such a resource existed. It's fortunate it wasn't
