I remained quiet, allowing her to concentrate while she stared into it. After a few moments the crystal became cloudy, its center going white and roiling like the border Mists.
'Do you see it?' she whispered.
I pressed my own gaze hard upon the ball, seeing nothing more than mist at first, then a tiny picture faded in and out so quickly I was not sure if I had only imagined it.
'Keep looking,' she ordered.
I put all my focus into it. The picture returned, and held long enough for me to perceive what it was. 'Iron gates,' I said.
They were familiar, being the entry to the manor house Azalin had taken over. The view in the crystal moved forward through them, then up to the huge oak door of the house itself. I seemed to pass through without it opening and stood in an elegant hallway. This was not the place as it was, nor even the illusion Azalin had cast.
'Is this what will be in the future?' I asked.
'Perhaps.'
I traveled down the hall to a vast round chamber, thick-walled with a round window set in the center of the roof. A full moon shone down, bathing the circular room with a cold blue light. The light formed a sphere in the center of some apparatus I did not recognize. The sphere grew brighter and brighter until I could not bear it and had to turn away. When I looked back the image was gone and the light fading from the crystal. The mist folded over it, then the ball became clear again.
Ilka put a trembling hand to her brow. I waited until she seemed recovered then asked, 'What is the meaning?'
She gave a little laugh. 'That is the peril of seeing the future. It has no meaning until it has become the past.'
'But this is something that will happen?'
'Probably, since the image was so clear. Sometimes, when there are too many uncertainties over a specific event the outcome is fogged, or there can be several outcomes to confuse you. Beware of them. Trust the future only after it has happened.'
'Which isn't much help to me, for by the time it has happened we might all be destroyed.'
'But the present is where you must be. In the present will this war be won… or lost. Prepare, watch, and wait.'
'I would do that anyway.'
'But this time you will have this to aid you.' She picked up the ball and pressed it into my hands. It felt heavy and cool.
I could have offered a polite protest, but it would have been inappropriate here; this was too magnificent a gesture. 'You are sure?'
'I am old, Lord Strahd, I must soon pass it to someone. To use it tires me more than you can imagine, but you have much more power than I ever had even in my youth. You will be able to use it to see many things and protect Barovia. But be warned: the future is often changeable, and the past can be made into a lie by wishes of what might have been. The uncorrupted present is best, for then it will show you only the truth of what is happening. It is also much less draining.'
'How do I see the present?'
'Look hard into the crystal and think of a place you wish to see.'
Placing the ball back on its pedestal I concentrated and was surprised how swiftly a view of Castle Ravenloft appeared in its depths. The image was small but very detailed, every stone visible. I leaned closer.
'No need for that,' she said above me. 'Now that the image is fixed in your mind just shut your eyes.'
I did so; the view remained clear in my mind and grew larger until I seemed to be there. When I desired to move toward the castle my view did just that. I fairly flew toward it. In I came past the overlook, swooped up the chapel wall, then down and around to the front to my very room. I passed through the locked windows and went straight to my library. No candles were lit, but I could see everything perfectly, and knew it was the present. All was as I had left it the night before when I had gone to visit the village.
Pulling back, I opened my eyes and had to blink as a wave of dizziness washed over me.
'You will get used to that,' said Ilka as I pinched the bridge of my nose.
'It is truly amazing. Will I be able to travel anywhere in Barovia with this?'
'Only in your mind. And you cannot see into a place you're not familiar with, however, you may begin in a known place and travel to the unknown from that point. Or you may think of a person you wish to see and his image will come to you along with wherever they might be.'
I had to test this out and immediately thought of Azalin, recalling his form and then focusing on the ball. In a few moments I seemed to be hovering several feet above him as he sat at a table in the manor house studying the baron's book. Though too far away to see which page he was on, it was obvious he was trying to memorize whatever spell was before him. Often had I done the same myself, spending hours poring over the volumes in my library.
I moved closer, but with much caution. He was very engrossed, then abruptly looked up, his eyes glowing red, and I was sure he could see me. Then his gaze went to one side and the other, quite missing me. He closed the book and stood, his posture all alert. His lips began to form words, and I could hear them, actually hear them. They were magical in origin and I recognized them despite the fact he placed the accents differently from the ones I knew. It was a location spell- and my cue to leave. I pulled back and opened my eyes, shaking the image from my mind.
Dizziness, but not so bad as before.
'Can he follow me here?'
'Who?'
'I was watching the Necromancer and he sensed me then attempted to find me.'
'No. He won't know it was you unless you tell him.'
'I could hear him speak. If I'd stayed would I have been able to talk to him?'
'Yes-but to do both will tire even you overmuch if you do it all the time, it requires much effort. Listening is easier, but also tiring. You will learn to select when it is right to listen as well as look.'
'Can all people sense when I am watching them?'
'Those who are perceptive will notice. But there's little they can do about it. A word of advice-do not abuse this privilege. Some things are meant to be private.'
'Madam, I am not accustomed to peering through bedroom windows and am not likely to do so.'
Her face crinkled and she chuckled softly. 'I am glad to hear it. This is not an entertainment, but a weapon. Use it wisely and do not allow him near it.'
'You have my solemn word as a Von Zarovich.' While I lived-and I took that concept very seriously indeed- Azalin would never know about her gift to me.
From Azalin's private commentary notebooks, contd.
What a barbaric place Barovia is, backward and fearful. I can hardly fathom how Von Zarovich is able to bear to stand residing here, much less get anything done in regard to his Art. Perhaps it is a silent testament to his stubbornness that he has accomplished even this much in terms of establishing and holding his rule here.
The great castle Von Zarovich seems so proud of is hardly more than a primitive pile of stones pretending to be a fortress. It is most inconveniently located on a spire standing next to one of the country's mountains, connected only by a drawbridge in poor repair. Formidable, but nearly impossible to get to except by a single winding road. I can already anticipate that the transport of supplies for my needs is going to be an infuriatingly slow process.
The castle's isolation may be good for fighting off an invading army but works against it in times of peace. My own fortress in Oerth was in the center of all things, my power alone being more than enough to defend its walls. Strahd apparently lacks that and must rely on such basic means to preserve his safety.
He has adequate defenses, but why he would even bother to defend the hulk is a mystery to me. He would be
