Elaine Cunningham: Elfshadow

"Another thing," added Bran. "If we wish to help Arilyn, we must bring in Kymil Nimesin. In her current frame of mind, I fear that she will kill the elf."

"Let her," Danilo retorted. "Forgive me, but I cannot shed many tears over the fate of Kymil Nimesin."

"As much as it pains me to do so," Khelben put in, "I must agree with Bran. Arilyn is a former assassin. Kymil Nimesin is a highly respected armsmaster. Kymil must be brought in and magically questioned. Without such evidence at the trial, without Kymil's actual presence, Arilyn looks very much like the Harper Assassin. She would stand a much slimmer chance of acquittal if she kills Kymil."

"So you agree that we should go, Uncle Khelben?"

"Given our options, yes." The wizard turned to Bran. "If you will excuse us, I need to have a few words with my nephew before you leave. Come up, Dan."

Khelben and Danilo climbed the tower's staircase to the magical supplies room. Once the wizard had shut and warded the door, he got right down to business. "You were right. The elfgate must be moved again," Khelben said bluntly.

"Oh, marvelous. With Laeral off cavorting with the elves of Evermeet, who's going to accomplish this miracle?"

Khelben fixed a steady gaze on his nephew. Danilo shook his head and whispered, "Surely you're not serious."

"I am very serious."

The wizard stalked to his scroll library, a large shelf that covered the length of one wall and kept the vast collection in order. Its tiny, round compartments held hundreds of magic scrolls, making the shelf looked like an oversized honeycomb or at the very least an impressive wine rack.

Pressed for time, Khelben muttered a spell. Instantly one of the compartments glowed with green light. Khelben drew the scroll from the glowing niche, blew the dust from it, and removed the magic wards that sealed it.

"Here is the spell, Dan." Khelben spread the scroll out on a table and fixed the young man with a steady stare. "I've pledged not to cast the spell, so you'll have to." Danilo paled. "You can do it. I've been working with you since your twelfth winter, after that last tutor quit in despair. You have the ability. Do you think I would endanger your life by insisting you cast a spell you could not control?"

"You're willing enough to sacrifice Arilyn's," Danilo said.

"Tread carefully, young man," the archmage warned. "Few things in life are as simple as you would make them. When you have carried the burdens and responsibilities I have known, then you can sit in judgment upon me. Will you cast the spell or not?"

Danilo nodded and bent over the scroll. One glance at the arcane symbols that formed the powerful spell, and Danilo knew that the task lay on the untried edges of his magical ability. Few mages would attempt such a spell. That Khelben would expect this of him was a measure of the wizard's trust. Or perhaps his desperation.

As the young mage struggled to read the spell, pain shot through his head like shafts of lightning, making the arcane symbols cavort on the parchment. With fierce concentration, Danilo forced himself to focus on the spell, and after a time the symbols slowed their dance. As they arranged themselves into patterns, their meanings started to become clear. Danilo began to memorize the complex gestures and the strange words that formed the incantation.

After a moment he closed his eyes. He saw the runes emblazoned in gold upon a field of black. Once he had truly learned a magic spell, he could see the symbols in his mind.

Danilo opened his eyes and nodded. "I've got it."

"Already? You're sure?"

The nobleman grinned at his uncle. "The spell, I'm afraid, is going to be the easy part."

"Don't be cocky, boy."

"It's true! Compared to keeping Arilyn from chopping Kymil Nimesin into carrion?"

Khelben smiled reluctantly. "Perhaps you have a point. Even without the moonblade, Arilyn is a formidable force."

To Danilo's ears, the wizard's words lacked conviction. "You don't think she can win, do you?"

"I'm sorry, Dan. Without the moonblade, she'll be lucky to live until sunset tomorrow."

"Then Bran and I had better be on our way."

Khelben removed a silver band from one of his fingers and handed it to Danilo. "A ring of transportation. On an enspelled griffon she could get to Evereska by late afternoon tomorrow."

"Thank you," Danilo said, accepting the ring. He removed a large, square-cut emerald from one finger to make room for it. Khelben rolled up the spell scroll and handed it to his nephew, who slipped it into his magic bag. As Danilo did so, a daring plan suggested itself. He stared at the magic sack for a moment, considering. "I suppose I'm ready," he said at length.

"I don't see that you have any other choice."

Khelben and Danilo descended the stairs to the parlor where Bran waited impatiently. "Ready to go?" he asked the young nobleman.

Danilo blinked. "I just had a bad thought. Since Arilyn is flying to Evereska on a griffon, she must land somewhere outside the city and arrange other means of transport." He turned to the archmage. "Would it be possible for you to contact the Griffon Eyrie? Perhaps she told the keepers there what destination she had in mind."

"Good thinking, Dan. I'll be back in a moment." Khelben Arunsun retraced his steps to the spellcasting chamber to make inquiries through his crystal.

Danilo removed a pair of gloves from his magic sack and listened intently for the sound of a door closing. He moved to the corner of the parlor. Arilyn's moonblade still lay where she had hurled it. The young man hesitated for just a moment, then he willed himself to accept the pain and picked up the sheathed blade. As he expected, a current of magical energy shot up his arm, and the acrid smell of burned flesh filled the chamber. Danilo quickly dropped the moonblade into his magic sack and slipped the glove over his blackened hand. He sped through the gestures and chant of a spell that would create an illusion. When he was finished, the moonblade, to all appearances, still lay where Arilyn had abandoned it.

He turned to Bran Skorlsun and said quietly, "Arilyn needs the moonblade, and I plan to take it to her. If you speak of this, you are a dead man."

A faint smile curved the Harper's lips, and he laid a hand on Danilo's shoulder. "Young man, I like the way you think."

Khelben Arunsun wrinkled his nose in disgust when he entered the room again. "Merciful Mystra! It smells terrible in here."

"Your cook is busily burning lentils, no doubt," Danilo said. "Did you find out where Arilyn is headed?"

"Yes. The Halfway Inn, just outside of Evereska."

That was precisely what Danilo had expected to hear. "Good. We're on our way, then." The nobleman and the Harper exited Blackstaff Tower with rather indelicate speed. Grinning like two schoolboys savoring a prank, the two men left the courtyard for the darkness of the street.

"Hello, Bran," said a musical, faintly amused voice.

The Harper pulled up short. Standing in the shadow of a milliner's shop was Elaith Craulnobur. The elf stepped into the light of the street lamp. "I was beginning to wonder whether the Blackstaff had invited you to take up residence in the tower. I see that his nephew is with you, so I assume Arilyn is nearby?"

Danilo's eyes narrowed. He reached for his sword, but remembered that he'd given it to Arilyn. The moon elf laughed. "Your scabbard is as empty as your wit. Don't worry, dear boy. You've nothing to fear from me."

"Is that so? I thought you were going to have me killed."

"Not a matter for concern."

"That's easy for you to say," the nobleman retorted.

The elf's eyebrows rose in amusement. "Would it comfort you to know that the attempt has already been made?"

"The House of Good Spirits," Danilo said, suddenly understanding. His eyes narrowed. "So you knew all along who was behind the assassinations."