Richard Baker - Forsaken House

Araevin leaned back against the wall and sighed. Out of the four companions he had parted with in that very inn eighteen years past, only one had answered his call. One dead, one missing, and one simply unable or unwilling to come.

I waited too long, he realized. Of course I thought nothing of leaving them behind me for twenty years, but humans don't make light of such a span, do they?

"Grayth," Araevin said, "thank you for answering."

The Lathanderite waved his hand and replied, "I live in Waterdeep. It's only a couple of days up the road, so it wasn't any trouble to make the journey. Besides, I've been looking for an excuse to get out of the temple for some time, I think."

The inn's keeper, a heavyset dwarf with a rough set of white whiskers and a beet-red nose, brought them a large earthenware jug of wine and a set of clay cups.

"Your wine, High Mornmaster," he said to Grayth. "I've just started a roast for you and your friends, so it will be a time, but I'll have Nanda bring out some cheese and bread for you. Welcome to the Dragonback, sir and miss. It's an honor to have the Fair Folk under my roof."

"It's a pleasure to find a good inn," Araevin replied.

The dwarf bowed and withdrew.

Grayth filled the clay cups with wine from the jug and asked, "So, Araevin, what is it that led you to summon us again? What in Faerun has caught your attention after eighteen years in Evermeet?"

"Nothing good, I'm afraid," Araevin said. His eyes hardened, and his voice grew colder. "A few days ago, a band of demons attacked my Tower in Evermeet. I think they were looking for this." He fished the telkiira out of his pouch and showed it to Grayth and Brant. "More stones like this are buried in an ancient vault of my people. This stone has provided me with a map of sorts leading to its sisters. But I don't know why our enemies wanted this stone, or even who our enemies are, for that matter. If I find the rest of the set and unravel this riddle, I may learn more about our adversaries. We understand nothing about them now."

"And you thought that the Company of the White Star might be able to help you find more of your magic gem-stones," Grayth observed.

"Well, yes," Araevin said. "But… but I hadn't realized how much time had gone by. Darthen has his steading to govern, and I think you have become a man with responsibilities, too."

The High Mornmaster offered a wry smile and said, "Let me be the judge of my responsibilities, Araevin. I've spent too much time lately telling others what they need to go do. Some time away from the temple might be just the renewal that Lathander intends for me."

"We would not want you to get into trouble with your superiors," Ilsevele said.

"You think I'm too old for such nonsense, you mean," Grayth said. He nodded at Araevin. "I seem to recall that I'm a good two hundred years younger than him. I might not be as old as you think. Now, why don't you start at the beginning and tell me what exactly has brought you back to Faerun? I doubt you'll have any luck with the others of the company, but I am with you, Araevin."

Despite the gray skies and winter chill, the gardens of the royal palace in Leuthilspar were green and lush. The gardens of Moonflower Palace were said to be blessed by the Seldarine, and Seiveril could well believe it. He had never asked Corellon Larethian the truth of the tale, but some myths did not need to be examined, did they? He chose to simply admire the perfection of the palace grounds without permitting himself to wonder how it was done, and followed the palace chamberlain through the green maze.

The chamberlain led him to an ivy-covered arbor beside a still, dark pool.

"Your majesty?" the young elf called softly. "Lord Seiveril Miritar is here."

Queen Amlaruil stood by a stone balustrade at the far end of the arbor, gazing absently into the water. Her long, dark hair was bound in a simple braid, and she wore a plain but elegant dress of green felt not much different than any elf lass might have worn to visit a friend for an afternoon. For a moment she seemed just a pensive young girl in a garden, no more than twenty or thirty, but when she glanced up, Seiveril felt the full weight of the starry wisdom in her dark eyes.

"Thank you, Dremel. You may go," the queen said.

The chamberlain bowed and withdrew. Seiveril murmured a word of thanks as well, and crossed the arbor to bow deeply a short distance from the queen.

"You sent for me, my lady?"

"Oh, stand up straight, Seiveril. You've known me far too long to genuflect like that."

"As you wish," the nobleman said. He joined Amlaruil at the rail and studied the setting. "I don't think I've ever been in this corner of the garden."

"I come here often," the queen said. "The garden has a way of guiding my thoughts, suggesting answers to questions I haven't asked yet. I feel Zaor's hand here."

Seiveril nodded. He could, as well. King Zaor Moon-flower, Amlaruil's husband, had ruled Evermeet well for hundreds of years. But he had died at the hands of a sun elf assassin more than forty years before, leaving Amlaruil to govern alone. She had ruled well and wisely, too. In fact, Evermeet might have fallen to Kymil Nimesin's treachery and invasion three years past, if not for Amlaruil's firm leadership and personal courage. But the tale of Zaor and Amlaruil's centuries-spanning love and devotion to each other was known to all Evermeet.

"I have seen the Gatekeeper's Crystal, Seiveril," she said. "Not clearly, mind you. Someone is working hard to deflect our divinations. As you feared, our enemies assembled the three shards of the device and used it to undo a powerful, ancient ward."

"Where?" Seiveril asked.

"I do not know the place. It was a rocky tor surrounded by a great woodland… I saw that much. I think it was an old stronghold of some kind, broken open by the power of the device."

"That seems ominous, to say the least." Seiveril frowned. "We should send word to Evereska and the other realms in Faerun, warning them. Maybe your vision will mean something to them."

"There is this: My divinations also revealed that the crystal has again been scattered. "

"Thank the Seldarine for that. Evermeet is safe from that threat, at least."

"Perhaps," Amlaruil said, "but who knows where our enemy's road now leads? I will not consider Evermeet safe until we have at least one of those shards back in our hands, and I know exactly who wielded the device and where."

"I can answer that question, at least in part," said Seiveril. "I have communed with the Seldarine, and I have a name for our foes: the Dlardrageths, the daemonfey. Araevin's report of the raid on Tower Reilloch reminded me of the old stories about the Dlardrageth palace in Myth Drannor. It seems that my suspicions were well founded."

"Who are they?" Amlaruil asked.

"A House of sun elves who were influential in ancient Arcorar. They trafficked with demons for the power to seize control of that realm, but were found out. The Coronal of Arcorar destroyed their House, but some escaped to ancient Siluvanede, where they lured a number of lesser Houses into evil, as well." Seiveril spread his hands. "Supposedly they were dealt with in the Seven Citadels' War. In any event, I can find no more mention of them in any records since that time."

"Siluvanede fell five thousand years ago," the queen observed. "Do you believe anything could vanish so completely for so long?"

"Evidently they did. I cannot explain it. Perhaps even the Seldarine do not know their tale. But I am certain that we are dealing with the Dlardrageths, or their heirs."

Amlaruil nodded and said, "Very well, then. We will find out where they are hiding, we will recover what they have stolen, and we will root out this ancient evil."

Seiveril sighed and looked up from the still waters of the pool to meet Amlaruil's gaze directly. Even though he was a full four centuries in age, and a high priest of Corel-Ion Larethian, he did not find it easy to do.