Steven Schend: Blackstaff Tower

Dagult walked quickly back to the Lords' Court, its gallery now emptied as folk chased the commotion outside. "Where is Renaer?" asked the presiding Lord.

"He is free to go, by my hand and by Code Legal," Dagult said.

"We shall have our answers on those other matters soon enough. Come, our best view of a traitor's end may be from the East Tower."

"What happened in there?" another Lord asked.

"My son has become a man, and worse yet, a hero. Something this city has not seen in some time."

12 Nightal, Year of the Ageless One (1479 DR)

Meloon, Osco, and Laraelra apparated onto the stoop of the Halaerim Club on Kulzar's Alley. They breathed a sigh of relief. No shadows at their feet showed them the invisibility Vajra wrapped around them stayed in effect.

"Eugh," Osco whispered. "Hate that. Always leaves me guts in an uproar."

"We must be as quick as we can," Meloon said. "Catch the bastard before he's ready for us or any opposition-or before this spell fades."

Laraelra held the Blackstaff out in both of her hands, paused a breath, and then said, "Gehrallen!" She sighed in relief as the Blackstaff suddenly grew much heavier. The duskwood staff was replaced by a larger staff of twisted black metal topped with a clear crystal. The duskstaff's crystal glowed slightly, and Laraelra heard Vajra, though none of the others could.

Ah, good, she said. Elra, you'll be able to hear me, and I can cast spells through this staff as long as you hold it. This ought to even the odds against this wizard.

Laraelra smiled and said, "I'm ready. Let's go."

Meloon and Osco moved ahead, and Laraelra stepped forward to cross Kulzar's Alley. For the third time in as many days they stood at the threshold of Roarke House.

"Ready?" Meloon asked, hefting Azuredge, the blue runes shining brighter than the golden sunshine rising behind them.

"No," Laraelra said, her voice intermingled with Vajra's. "Let» us.

She leveled the duskstaff at the door, and a blue-black beam erupted from the globe. Laraelra saw four separate flashes of energy as the beam punched through and dispelled Ten-Rings' defenses. A massive hand of energy formed from the beam, and a blue-black fist punched down the door to Roarke House. A brief shimmer around them all, and their shadows fell across the threshold.

"I suppose this means we can enter," Laraelra said, turning to Meloon and Osco. She smiled. "After you."

She heard a voice in her head from Vajra. Don't be overconfident, Elra. I can only cast spells and counter those I'm expecting. Ten-Rings is predictable when it comes to his outer defenses, but his spells in combat may be less so.

The trio moved cautiously into the star-and-moon covered entrance hall, Meloon in the lead. He stepped toward the cellar door, and Laraelra hissed at him, shaking her head. She whispered, "Even if he flees that way, Harug and his friends have some surprises behind every way out down there. What we need to find is probably upstairs." She pointed up the stairs that spiraled up the outer wall and overhead.

"I'll scout ahead and disable any traps or locks I find along the way," Osco whispered. "Just don't expect to see me easily, thanks to this ring." With that, Osco hopped up the stairs silently, slipping into a shadow and vanishing from sight.

Meloon dashed up the stairs after him, Laraelra following. Energy flared out of the crystal, enveloping Meloon and then Laraelra in protective spells, though Laraelra still felt nervous heading into unknown territory. They reached the first landing and paused at the first ajar door. This floor had a number of doors off this hallway while the stairs continued up, winding along the wall. Laraelra barely noticed the ball of flame bouncing down the stairs ahead of them when Meloon grabbed her and forced her through the door. He shoved her inside and kept his shoulder to the door as explosive gouts of flame scorched the wall alongside the partly open door.

"Thanks, Meloon," Laraelra gasped. "How did you-"

"Just lucky, I guess," Meloon said, and he dashed out the door and up the stairs toward the next level.

Laraelra followed, looking up the winding stairwell that led to the third and fourth floors of Roarke House. Dominating the stairwell atrium and facing east on the front wall of the house was a massive stained-glass mosaic filled with crescent moons and stars. She spotted a figure on the stairs ahead of and above Meloon- Khondar Naomal in olive green robes and a bear-pelt cloak, as if he intended to go out in the cold quickly. Elra cast a spell at him, and the purple dart caught him in the throat. His hands stopped glowing and his current spell dissipated, allowing Meloon the chance to catch up to Ten-Rings. He swung the axe and shattered some kind of magical shield around his target, but the mute wizard held his right fist toward Meloon, and a ring on his thumb pulsed with gray magic. As if he'd been shoved hard, Meloon fell backward, rolling down the stairs until Laraelra broke his fall.

On her knees, Laraelra leveled the duskstaff at Ten-Rings, and Vajra's illusory image settled over hers as the Blackstaff cast a spell Elra had never seen. A flurry of tiny feylike beings flew out of the staff s crystal, and they zipped around Khondar, each trailing snowflakes, glowing embers, a high-pitched buzz, and a light green mist. The faeries harassed his remaining shields and unleashed fire, ice, sound, and poison gas upon him. The faeries managed to pierce some of his defenses. He roared in anger. Meloon shook his head clear and got to his feet.

Khondar looked down at his foes and chuckled. "They sent you two to stop me? Is the new slip of a Blackstaff too tired to face me?

Or too afraid?" He squinted and saw the duskstaff in Laraelra's hands. "Ah, so she works through you, scrawny creature. Well, we can't have that. You cannot hold the staff."

Horrified, Laraelra was unable to stop her grip from opening, despite Vajra's voice in her head screaming, No! While in a slight daze, Laraelra willed her freed hands into casting a spell, and a cone of blinding colors flashed out of them and up the stairs to envelop the wizard.

"An apprentice's spell, easily thwarted," Ten-Rings said, behind his magical shield.

"Kept you distracted, though," Meloon said as he swung the massive blue-edged axe and let it go. The axe flew straight at the wizard, easily slipping through his spell defenses. Khondar's left arm went up and he lowered it, the wide sleeve torn and darkly wet with blood.

Ten-Rings howled in anger and pain, but his attention was now on the axe, which landed on the stairs beside him. "Ha! You've given me another key, foolish barbarian. The First Lord Ahghairon made Azuredge himself. You've sealed my victory!"

But when Khondar reached for the axe, the blue sapphire set in the pommel flared with light. The axe twisted in Ten-Rings' grasp, as if it tried to get away from the wizard's touch.

"She won't work with anyone but a wielder she's chosen," Meloon said, drawing his little-used short sword from his belt. "A wielder worthy to defend Waterdeep."

"I'm far worthier than you, boy!" Khondar yelled, as he stepped backward up the stairs and away from Meloon and Laraelra. "You'll not keep me from my destiny!"

"They kept you from noticing me, Dumb-Rings," Osco said, his voice coming from behind the wizard.

Khondar twisted to see who spoke, and the halfling became visible as he drove his two daggers into Khondar's back, eliciting another raw howl from the wizard. More than twice his foe's size, Khondar's backhanded slap was more than enough to send Osco tumbling down the staiis and colliding with his friends.