Bruce Cordell - Key of Stars

The image made him apprehensive, even slightly angry, though he couldn’t say why.

Raidon wanted to stalk from the room, the mansion, New Sarshell, and out of Impiltur altogether. He’d head north, perhaps all the way to the empty white expanses of the Great Glacier, where a man could be alone with his thoughts, and not be dragged down by the travails of the world.

And yet …

When Anusha had reminded him of the dream, the one they had apparently all shared, his resolve to leave crumbled. A fleeting familiarity with the odd scene depicted in the dream touched a chord in him. For some reason, it brought to mind the image of his mother, Erunyauve.

It was the second time in two days that he’d thought of her.

Raidon’s hand went to the spellscar on his chest. He recalled how the image had once been contained on an amulet. The amulet had been his mother’s forget-me-not, the only thing she’d left him before she vanished when he was still a child. At that time, he hadn’t known any name for her other than Mother. And until he was older, he hadn’t appreciated the oddity of a Shou man, his father, and an eladrin woman bringing a child into the world together.

When his prospects in the city of his childhood had soured, he’d tried to find her. He had used the amulet to trace her. Eventually, he’d discovered her name, and more-

Raidon was startled from his reverie when he heard Japheth say “Aglarond.” He quickly reviewed the conversation he’d been mostly ignoring. Malyanna was in Aglarond? His heart skipped a beat.

“That does not bode well,” he said.

Everyone looked at him. Seren raised an eyebrow.

Raidon continued. “If Malyanna is in Aglarond,” he said, “it’s possible she is looking for a secret place called Stardeep, an eladrin citadel.”

“What’s that?” said Thoster.

“Stardeep was a secret prison-dungeon hidden in the depths of the Yuirwood forest …,” Raidon said. “Well, actually in a splinter of Faerie accessible only from certain points in the Yuirwood. It was hard to find and even harder to escape from.”

“Who are these eladrin, and whom do they imprison?” said Seren.

“They were called the Keepers of the Cerulean Sign. They watched over someone so perilous that killing him was deemed too dangerous. So they kept him, isolated and alone, impotent. They called him ‘the Traitor.’ His crime was preparing the way for the Aboleth Sovereignty.”

“You’re speaking in the past tense …,” Seren said.

“Because Stardeep is gone,” Raidon said. “So is the splinter of Faerie where it was built, a realm called Sildeyuir. The Traitor either escaped, or more likely died in the Spellplague, and the Keepers and their golem warden are dead. The Cerulean Sign burned into my chest is all that remains of their order.”

Raidon saw each person around the table digest his news in their own way; quietly, with a raised eyebrow, and in Seren’s case, a tiny shake of her head.

Thoster poured himself more tea. “So if this place is gone, why’s Malyanna interested in it?” he asked.

“Stardeep is destroyed … but its ruins remain,” said Raidon. “If she discovers their location, she might unearth the Traitor’s remains. I don’t know what the Key of Stars is that Xxiphu and Malyanna seek, but if it has to do with the Sovereignty, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Traitor knows.”

“You said the Traitor died when Stardeep was destroyed,” said Anusha.

“Remains can be reanimated, and questioned,” said Japheth.

Raidon nodded. “Just so,” he said.

Anusha frowned.

“So,” said Thoster. “There’s the hoary old aboleth city itself, hovering off the coast. And then there’s Malyanna, digging around somewhere in a ragged tatter of the Feywild near Aglarond, looking for the Key of Stars, or news of it. If we’re really serious about doing something about the situation-”

“And we are,” said Anusha.

Thoster nodded. “Then we need to deal with both,” he continued.

“Which first?” said Japheth.

Anusha stood up. “We need to split our efforts,” she said. “One group needs to monitor Xxiphu in case it does something awful, while the rest of us try to catch the eladrin noble in Aglarond before she finds Stardeep.”

“Well, I want to keep an eye on Xxiphu,” said Thoster. “It’s what’s sending out the call.”

“Good-I was thinking the same thing,” said Anusha. “With Green Siren , you can follow it around the Sea of Fallen Stars-for some reason, it seems to want to stay over water. Yeva should go with you; she can use her mental abilities to keep tabs on the aboleths’ intentions perhaps, or see if Malyanna puts in an appearance. And, with my dreamwalking, I can send a dream up to take a peek at what’s going on.”

“Hold on,” said Japheth. “You want to go with Green Siren , and spy on Xxiphu?”

“Yes,” Anusha replied.

The warlock frowned. “Which means, you’re suggesting that Raidon, Seren, and I go after Malyanna,” he said.

“Not me, remember; I’m out of this,” said Seren.

“Yes, I guess that’s correct,” said Anusha, ignoring the wizard.

Japheth’s face reddened, and his brows drew together. Words seemed to escape him for a moment.

“Look,” Anusha said, looking directly into Japheth’s eyes. “We can’t afford to let either the city or Malyanna slip away from us.”

“But your dream form is vulnerable to the Eldest!” said Japheth.

Seren raised a hand. “And, sorry to be blunt,” she said, “but isn’t anyone concerned that Raidon isn’t going to go after the warlock again once they’re alone? Raidon looked like he was hell-bent on killing Japheth down in the cellar. Seems like a dangerous idea.”

Raidon stirred himself to raise a conciliatory hand. “It was a lapse I don’t plan on repeating,” he said.

“All right,” said Seren, looking at him with a slightly disbelieving expression.

“I can take care of myself, and I certainly trust the monk,” said Japheth, interrupting. “What I don’t understand, Anusha, is how you think it’s a good idea that you get anywhere near Xxiphu? You should … come with me.”

Anusha turned to the wizard. “Remember how you gave the captain a charm to help him resist the call of his blood?” she asked. “Could you fashion something like that for me to wear to keep my mind anchored safely in my body?”

“Maybe,” said Seren.

“Would you?” said Anusha.

Seren smiled. “Of course,” she replied. “You might not guess it, but I do feel a little guilty leaving all of you in the lurch; it’s the least I can do. Shouldn’t be the work of more than a few hours. And Hells, then I can help Japheth with opening a way to Aglarond, should he require my aid. I recall a sequence or two for portal endpoints out that way. After that … I must hide away from Thay before Morgenthel finds me.”

“And what of our contract?” Raidon said to Seren.

“It was fulfilled when I ventured into Xxiphu with you, half-elf,” Seren replied. “If anything, I should be asking you to hold up your end of the bargain.”

The monk couldn’t bring himself to argue. Seren was partly right in any event.

“If you can find me when this all ends, I will do so,” he said.

The wizard sniffed. “Do you really think you’re going to live through this?” she said. “If you had any sense at all, you’d run and hide with me until it all blows over.”

Seren’s words made Raidon sad. But only a little. Because her words also sparked a memory of nobler days, and a protest. Raidon hadn’t been trained to give up when things got hard. No. He’d been taught, and he believed somewhere in his core, that the true mettle of a person was revealed in how they ultimately faced a difficult or even an impossible situation. Since returning from Xxiphu, he’d failed to be his best. But there was a chance to try one more time.