Dragons of a lost star

THE WAR OF SOULS VOLUME TWO DRAGONS OF A LOST STAR Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman An Accounting Nightmare Morham Targonne was having a bad day His accounts would not balance The difference in the totals was paltry, a matter of a few steel He could have made it up with the spare change from his purse But Targonne liked things to be neat, orderly His rows of figures should add up There should be no discrepancies Yet here he was He had the various accounts of moneys coming into the knights’ coffers He had the various accounts of moneys going out of the knights’ coffers, and there was a difference of twenty-seven steel, fourteen silver, and five coppers Had it been a major sum, he might have suspected embezzlement As it was, he was certain that some minor functionary had made a simple miscalculation Targonne would have to go back through all the accounts, redo the calculations, track down the error An uninformed observer, seeing Morham Targonne seated at his desk, his fingers black with ink, his head bent over his accounts, would have said that he was looking on a loyal and dedicated clerk The uninformed observer would have been wrong Morham Targonne was the leader of the Dark Knights of Neraka and thereby, since the Dark Knights were in control of several major nations on the continent of Ansalon, Morham Targonne held the power of life and death over millions of people Yet here he was, working into the night, looking with the diligence of the stodgiest clerk for twenty-seven steel, fourteen silver, and five coppers But although he was concentrating on his work to the extent that he had skipped supper to continue his perusal of the accounts, Lord Targonne was not absorbed in his work to the exclusion of all else He had the ability to focus a part of his mental powers on a task and, at the same time, to be keenly alert, aware of what was going on around him His mind was a desk constructed of innumerable compartments into which he sorted and slotted every occurrence, no matter how minor, placed it in its proper hole, available for his use at some later time Targonne knew, for example, when his aide left to go to his own supper, knew precisely how long the man was away from his desk, knew when he returned Knowing approximately how long it would take a man to eat his supper, Targonne was able to say that his aide had not lingered over his tarbean tea but had returned to his work with alacrity Targonne would remember this in the aide’s favor someday, setting that against the opposite column in which he posted minor infractions of duty The aide was staying at work late this night He would stay until Targonne discovered the twenty-seven steel, fourteen silver, and five coppers, even if they were both awake until the sun’s rays crept through Targonne’s freshly cleaned window The aide had his own work to keep him occupied—Targonne saw to that If there was one thing he hated, it was to see a man idling The two worked late into the night, the aide sitting at a desk outside the office, trying to see by lamplight as he stifled his yawns, and Targonne sitting inside his sparsely furnished office, head bent over his bookkeeping, whispering the numbers to himself as he wrote them, a habit of his of which he was completely unconscious The aide was himself slipping toward unconsciousness when, fortunately for him, a loud commotion in the courtyard outside the fortress of the Dark Knights startled him from a brief nap A blast of wind set the window panes rattling Voices shouted out harshly in irritation or warning Booted feet came running The aide left his desk and went to see what was happening at the same time as Targonne’s voice called from his office, demanding to know what was going on and who in the Abyss was making all this blasted racket The aide returned almost immediately “My lord, a dragonrider has arrived from—” “What does the fool mean, landing in the courtyard?” Hearing the noise, Targonne had actually left his accounting long enough to turn to look out his window He was infuriated to see the large blue dragon flapping about his courtyard The large blue looked infuriated herself, for she had been forced to alight in an area that was much too small and cramped for her bulk She had just missed a guard tower with her wing Her tail had taken out a small portion of the battlements Other than that, she had managed to land safely and now squatted in the courtyard, her wings folded tight at her sides, her tail twitching She was hungry and thirsty There were no dragon stables close by nor any sign that she was going to have anything to eat or drink anytime soon She glared balefully at Targonne through the window, as though she blamed him for her troubles “My lord,” said the aide, “the rider comes from Silvanesti—” “My lord!” The dragonrider, a tall man, stood behind the aide, loomed over him “Forgive the disruption, but I bring news of such dire urgency and importance that I felt I had to inform you immediately.” “Silvanesti.” Targonne snorted Returning to his desk, he continued writing “Has the shield fallen?” he asked sarcastically “Yes, my lord!” The dragonrider gasped, out of breath Targonne dropped his pen Lifting his head, he stared at the messenger in astonishment “What? How?” “The young officer named Mina—” The dragonrider was forced to interrupt himself with a fit of coughing “Might I have something to drink, my lord? I have swallowed a vast quantity of dust between here and Silvanesti.” Targonne made a motion with his hand, and his aide left to fetch ale While they waited, Targonne invited the rider to be seated and rest himself “Order your thoughts,” Targonne instructed, and as the Knight did just that, Targonne used his powers as a mentalist to Probe the Knight’s mind, to eavesdrop on those thoughts, see what the Knight had seen, hear what the Knight had heard The images bombarded Targonne For the first time in his career, he found himself at a loss to know what to think Too much was happening too fast for him to comprehend What was overwhelmingly clear to Morham Targonne was that too much of it was happening without his knowledge and outside his control He was so disturbed by this that he actually for the moment forgot the twenty-seven steel, fourteen silver, and five coppers, although he wasn’t so rattled but that he made a note to himself when he closed his books as to where he left off in his calculations The aide returned with a mug of cold ale The Knight drank deeply and, by that time, Targonne had managed to compose himself to listen with every appearance of outward calm Inside, he was seething “Tell me everything,” Targonne instructed The Knight complied “My lord, the young Knight officer known as Mina was able, as we reported to you earlier, to penetrate the magical shield that had been raised around Silvanesti—” “But not lower the shield,” Targonne interrupted, seeking clarification “No, my lord In fact, she used the shield to fend off pursuing ogres, who were unable to break the enchantment Mina led her small force of Knights and foot soldiers into Silvanesti with the apparent design of attacking the capital, Silvanost.” Targonne sniffed in derision “They were intercepted by a large force of elves and were handily defeated Mina was captured during the battle and made prisoner The elves planned to execute her the following morning However, just prior to her execution, Mina attacked the green dragon Cyan Bloodbane, who had, as you were no doubt aware, my lord, been masquerading as an elf.” Targonne had not known that, nor did he see how he should have known it, since not even he could have seen through the cursed magical shield the elves had raised over their land He made no comment, however He never minded appearing omniscient “Her attack forced Cyan to reveal to the elves the fact that he was a dragon The elves were terrified Cyan would have slaughtered thousands of them, but this Mina roused the elven army and ordered them to attack the green dragon.” “Help me understand the situation,” said Targonne, who was starting to feel an aching behind his right temple “One of our own officers rallied the army of our most bitter enemy, who in turn slew one of the mightiest of our green dragons?” “Yes, my lord,” said the Knight “You see, my lord, as it turned out, it was the dragon Cyan Bloodbane who had raised the magical shield that had been keeping our armies out of Silvanesti The shield, as it turns out, was killing the elves.” “Ah.” said Targonne and rubbed his temple with a forefinger He hadn’t known that either But he might have been able to deduce it, had he given it much thought The green dragon Cyan Bloodbane, terrified of Malystryx, vengeful toward the elves, built a shield that protected him from one enemy and helped destroy another Ingenious Flawed, but ingenious “Proceed.” The Knight hesitated “What happened after that is rather confused, my lord General Dogah had received your orders to halt his march to Sanction and proceed instead to Silvanesti.” Targonne had given no such orders, but he had already observed Dogah’s march from the Knight’s mental processes and let this comment pass unremarked He would deal with that later “General Dogah arrived to find the shield prohibited him from entering He was furious, thinking he’d been sent on a kender’s errand The land around the shield is a terrible place, my lord, filled with dead trees and animal corpses The air is fetid and foul to breathe The men were upset, claiming the place was haunted and that we ourselves would die from being so near it, when, suddenly, with the rising of the sun, the shield shattered I was with General Dogah, and I saw it with my own eyes.” “Describe it,” Targonne ordered, eyeing the man intently “I have been thinking about how to so, my lord Once when I was a child, I stepped on an ice-covered pond The ice beneath my feet began to crack The cracks spread across the ice with a snapping sound, then the ice gave way, and I plunged into the black water This was much the same I saw the shield shimmering like ice in the sunshine, and then it seemed to me that I saw a million, million infinitesimal cracks, as thin as the strands °f a cobweb, spread across the shield with lightning speed There was a shivering, tinkling sound as of a thousand glass goblets crashing onto a stone floor, and the shield was gone “We could not believe our senses At first, General Dogah dared not enter the shield, fearing a cunning elven trap Perhaps, he said, we shall march across and the shield will crash down behind us, and we will end up facing an army of ten thousand elves, yet have nowhere to go Suddenly there appeared among us, as if by magic, one of Mina’s Knights Through the power of the One God, he came to tell us that the shield had indeed fallen, brought down by the elven king himself, Silvanoshei, son of Alhana—” “Yes, yes,” said Targonne impatiently “I know the whelp’s pedigree Dogah believed this chit, and he and his troops crossed the border.” “Yes, my lord General Dogah ordered me to take my blue dragon and fly back to report to you that he is now marching on Silvanost, the capital.” “What of the ten-thousand-man elven army?” Targonne asked dryly “As to the army, my lord, they have not attacked us According to Mina, the king, Silvanoshei, has told them that Mina has come to save the Silvanesti nation in the name of the One God I must say, my lord, that the elves are in pitiable condition When our advance troops entered an elven fishing village near the shield, we observed that most of the elves were sick or dying from the cursed magic of the shield We thought to slay the wretches, but Mina forbade it She performed miracles of healing on the dying elves and restored them to life When we left, the elves were singing her praises and blessing the One God and vowing to worship this god in Mina’s name “Yet not all elves trust her Mina warned us that we might be attacked by those who call themselves ‘the kirath.’ But, according to her, their numbers are few, and they are disorganized Alhana Starbreeze has forces on the border, but Mina does not fear them She does not appear to fear anything,” the Knight added with an admiration he could not conceal The One God! Ha! Targonne thought to himself, seeing far more in the messenger’s mind than he was saying Sorcery This Mina is a witch She has everyone ensorcelled—the elves, Dogah, and my Knights included They are as smitten with this upstart chippy as the elves What is she after? The answer was obvious to Targonne She is after my position, of course She is subverting the loyalty of my officers and winning the admiration of my troops She plots against me A dangerous game for such a little girl ‘ He mused, forgetting the weary messenger Outside the room came the thud of booted feet and a loud voice demanding to see the Lord of the Night “My lord!” His aide hastened into the room, interrupting Targone’s dark thoughts “Another messenger has arrived.” A second messenger entered the room, glanced askance at the first “Yes, what is your news?” Targonne demanded of the second “I have been contacted by Feur the Red, our agent in the service of the great green dragon overlord Beryl The red reports that she and a host of dragons bearing draconian soldiers have been ordered to undertake an assault on the Citadel of Light.” “The citadel?” Targonne struck his fist on the desk, causing a neatly stacked pile of steel coins to topple “Is that green bitch of a dragon insane? What does she mean, attacking the citadel?” “According to the red, Beryl has sent a messenger to tell you and her cousin Malystryx that this is a private quarrel and that there is no need for Malys to get involved Beryl seeks a sorcerer who sneaked into her lands and stole a valuable magical artifact She learned that the sorcerer fled for safety to the citadel, and she has gone to fetch him Once she has him and the artifact, she will withdraw.” “Magic!” Targonne swore viciously “Beryl is obsessed with magic She thinks of nothing else I have gray-robed wizards who spend all their time hunting for some blamed magical Tower just to placate that bloated lizard Assaulting the citadel! What of the pact of the dragons? ‘Cousin Malystryx’ will most certainly see this as a threat from Beryl This could mean all-out war, and that would wreck the economy.” Targonne rose to his feet He was about to give an order to have messengers standing by, ready to carry this news to Malys, who must certainly hear of this from him, when he heard more shouting in the hallway “Urgent message for the Lord of the Night.” Targonne’s aide, looking slightly frazzled, entered the room “What is it now?” Targonne growled “A messenger brings word from Marshal Medan in Qualinost Beryl’s forces have crossed the border into Qualinesti, pillaging looting as they march Medan urgently requests orders He believes Beryl intends to destroy Qualinesti, burn the forests to the ground, down the cities, and exterminate the elves.” that and that tear “Dead elves pay me no tribute!” Targonne exclaimed, cursing Beryl with all his heart and soul He began to pace behind his desk “I cannot cut timber in a burned-out forest Beryl attacks Qualinesti and the citadel She is lying to me and to Malys Beryl intends to break the pact She plans war against Malys and against the Knighthood I must find some way to stop her Leave me! All of you,” he ordered peremptorily “I have work to do.” The first messenger bowed and left to eat and take what rest he could before the return flight The second left to await orders The aide departed to dispatch runners to wake other messengers and alert the blue dragons who would carry them After the aide and the messengers had gone, Targonne continued to pace the room He was angry, infuriated, frustrated Only a few moments before, he had been working on his accounts, content in the knowledge that the world was going as it should, that he had everything under control True, the dragon overlords imagined that they were the ones in charge, but Targonne knew better Bloated, enormous, they were—or had been— content to slumber in their lairs, allowing the Dark Knights of Neraka to rule in their names The Dark Knights controlled Palanthas and Qualinost, two of the wealthiest cities on the continent They would soon break the siege of Sanction and seize that seaport city, giving them access to New Sea They had taken Haven, and he was even now drawing up plans to attack the prosperous crossroads town of Solace Now, he watched his plans topple in a heap like the stack of steel coins Returning to his desk, Targonne laid out several sheets of foolscap He dipped his pen into the ink and, after several more moments of profound thought, began to write General Dogah Congratulations on your victory over the Silvanesti elves These people have defied us for many years However, I must warn you, not trust them I have no need to tell you that we not have the manpower to hold Silvanesti if the elves decide to rise up in a body and rebel against us I understand that they are sick and weakened, their population decimated, but they are tricky Especially this king of theirs—Silvanoshei He is the son of a cunning, treacherous mother and an outlawed father He is undoubtedly in league with them I The dark elf turned away, then, pausing, glanced back over his shoulder “I suppose, by the way, Majere, that the significance of the gnome has occurred to you?” “The gnome?” Palin was taken aback “No What—” “Recall your uncle’s history,” Dalamar said and his voice was grim Returning to Goldmoon, he led her up the winding stairs He was gracious and charming, as he could be when he wanted Goldmoon followed where he led, moving as one who walks in sleep, with no conscious awareness of where she was or where she might be going The youthful, beautiful body walked and took her with it “Significance of the gnome,” Palin repeated in disgust “Gnomes my uncle’s history what does he mean? Always so damn mysterious ” Muttering to himself, Palin hauled the reluctant Tasslehoff up the stairs Palin paid no attention to the kender’s pleadings and excuses and lies, some of them quite original His attention was focused on the small and wizened gnome who was trudging up the stairs alongside, complaining the entire way about the pains in his legs and extolling the virtues of gnomeflingers over stairs Palin couldn’t find any significance to the gnome whatsoever Not unless Dalamar intended to install gnome-flingers He escorted the two to the room mentioned, pried Tas’s fingers loose when the kender tried to cling to the doorjamb, and shoved him bodily inside The gnome clumped in after, talking of building code violations and asking about yearly inspections Casting a wizard-lock spell on the door to keep his reluctant guests inside, Palin turned to confront Tasslehoff “Now, about the Device of Time Journeying—” “I haven’t got it, Palin,” Tas said quickly “I swear by the beard of my Uncle Trapspringer You threw all the pieces at the draco-nians You know you did They are scattered all over the Hedge Maze—” “Hah!” the gnome shouted and went to stand in a corner with his head pressed against the wall Tas was going on at a desperate pace.”—the pieces of the device were scattered all over the Hedge Maze, along with pieces of the draconians.” “Tas,” Palin interrupted sternly, mindful of the passing time and wanting to hasten this along “You have the device It came back to you It must come back to you, even if it is in pieces I thought I had destroyed it, but the device can’t be destroyed, any more than it can be lost.” “Palin, I—” Tas began, his lip quivering Palin steeled himself, expecting more lies “What is it, Tas?” “Palin I saw myself!” Tas blurted out “Tas, really—” “I was dead, Palin!” Tas whispered His normally ruddy face was pale “I was dead and I I didn’t like it! It was horrid, Palin I was cold, so very cold And I was lost, and I was frightened I’ve never been lost, and I’ve never been frightened Not like that, anyway “Don’t send me back to die, Palin,” Tas begged “Don’t turn me into a a dead thing! Please, Palin Promise me you won’t!” Tasslehoff clutched at him “Promise me!” Palin had never seen the kender so upset The sight moved him almost to tears himself He stood perplexed, wondering what to do, all the time absently smoothing Tasslehoff’s hair in an effort to calm him What can I do? Palin asked himself helplessly Tasslehoff must go back to die I have no choice in the matter The kender must return to his own time and die beneath the heel of Chaos I cannot make the promise he asks of me No matter how much I want to What Palin found perplexing was that Tasslehoff had seen his own ghost Palin might have thought this a ruse, an attempt by the kender to distract Palin from finding the device But while Palin knew that Tas would never hesitate to tell a lie—either out of self-interest or for its entertainment value—Palin was convinced that this was the truth Palin had seen fear in the kender’s eyes, an uncommon sight, and one that Palin found heart-wrenching At least this answered one nagging question: Had Tasslehoff truly died or had he just been roaming about the world for all those years? The fact that he had seen his own ghost proved the answer conclusively Tasslehoff Burrfoot had died in the final battle against Chaos He was dead Or at least, he should be dead The gnome left his corner, walked up and poked Palin in the ribs “Didn’t somebody mention food?” The significance of the gnome What was the significance of this irritating gnome? Disengaging Tas’s clutching hands, Palin knelt down in front of Tas “Look at me, Tas,” he said “Yes, that’s it Look at me and listen to what I am saying I don’t understand what is going on I don’t understand what is happening in the world and neither does Dalamar But I know this The only way we can find out what has gone wrong and maybe fix it is if you are honest with us.” “If I am honest,” said Tas, wiping away his tears, “will you still send me back?” “I am afraid I have to, Tas,” Palin said reluctantly “You must understand I don’t want to I would anything or give anything not to have to You’ve seen the dead souls, Tas You’ve seen for yourself that they are desperately unhappy They aren’t supposed to be here in the world Something or someone is keeping them prisoner.” “You mean I’m not supposed to be here?” Tas asked “Not the live me The dead me?” “I don’t know for sure, Tas No one does But I don’t think so Don’t you remember what Lady Crysania used to say—that death was not the end but the beginning of a whole new life? That we would join our loved ones who have passed beyond, and we would be together and make new friends—” “I always thought I’d be with Flint,” Tas said “I know he misses me.” He was quiet a moment, then said, “Well if you think it will help ” He unhooked the strap of his pouch and, before Palin could stop him, upended the bag, spilling its contents onto the floor Amid the birds’ eggs and the chicken feathers and ink pots and jam jars and apple cores and what appeared to be a peg someone had been using for an artificial leg, the gears and jewels and wheels and chain of the Device of Time Journeying winked and sparkled in the candlelight “Why, what’s this?” said the gnome, squatting down and sorting through the pile “Cogs, a widget and a whatsit and a thinga-majig Technical terms, you know,” he added, glancing at Tas and Palin to see if they were impressed “Not understandable to the amateur I’m not sure what it was.” He gathered up the pieces one by one, eyeing each in turn “But it doesn’t appear to be in proper working order That’s not a guess, mind you That’s the opinion of a professional.” Making a tray of his robe, the gnome carried the pieces of the device to a table Bringing out the remarkable knife that was also a screwdriver, he settled down to work “You, there, boy,” he said, waving his hand at Palin “Bring us some lunch Sandwiches And a pot of tarbean tea Strong as you can make it Going to be an all-nighter.” And, then, of course, Palin remembered the device’s history He understood the significance of the gnome Apparently, so did Tasslehoff, who was staring at Conundrum with a hopeless and woebegone expression “Where have you been, Majere?” Dalamar demanded, confronting Palin as he came through the library door The dark elf was nervous, on edge He’d obviously been pacing the floor “You took long enough! Did you find the Device?” “Yes, and so did the gnome.” Palin looked intently at Dalamar “His coming here—” “—completes the circle,” Dalamar finished Palin shook his head, unconvinced He glanced around the room “Where is Goldmoon?” “She asked to be taken to the old laboratory She said she was given to know that the meeting would be held there.” “The laboratory? Is that safe?” Dalamar shrugged “Unless she’s afraid of dust bunnies They’re the only danger I can see.” “Once a chamber of mystery and power, the laboratory is now a repository of dust, the refuge of two impotent old men,” Palin said bitterly “Speak for yourself.” Dalamar laid a hand on Palin’s arm “And keep your voice down Mina is here We must go Bring the light.” “Here? But how—” “Apparently she has free run of my Tower.” “Aren’t you going to be there with them?” “No,” said Dalamar shortly “I was dismissed to go about my business Are you coming or not?” he demanded impatiently “There’s nothing we can do, either of us Goldmoon is on her own.” Still Palin hesitated, but then he decided that he might best serve Goldmoon by keeping an eye on Dalamar “Where are we going?” “Through here,” Dalamar said, halting Palin as he was continuing on down the stairs Making a turning, Dalamar passed his hand over the wall and whispered a word of magic A single rune began to glow faintly on the stone Dalamar put his hand over the rune, and a section of the wall slid to one side, revealing a staircase As they entered, they could hear heavy footfalls echoing through the Tower The minotaur, or so they guessed The door slid shut after them, and they could hear nothing more “Where does this lead?” Palin whispered, holding up the lamp to illuminate the stairs “The Chamber of the Live Ones,” Dalamar replied “Hand me the lamp I’ll go first I know the way.” He descended the stairs rapidly, his robes fluttering around his ankles “I trust none of the ‘Live Ones’ are left alive,” said Palin with a grimace, remembering what he had heard of some of his uncle’s more gruesome experiments “No, they died a long time ago, poor wretches.” Dalamar paused and looked up at Palin His dark eyes glittered in the lamplight “But the Chamber of Seeing remains.” “Ah!” Palin breathed, understanding When Raistlin Majere became Master of the Tower of High Sorcery of Palanthas, he also became a recluse Rarely leaving his Tower, he spent his time concentrating on increasing his powers: magical, temporal, and political In order to keep current on what was happening in the world, especially those events that might affect him, Raistlin used his magic to create a window onto the world In the lowest regions of the Tower, he carved out a pool and filled it with enchanted water Whoever looked into the pool could call to mind a location, and he would both see and hear what was transpiring in the location “Did you question the kender?” Dalamar asked, as they wound round and round down the hidden staircase “Yes He has the device He said something else that I found interesting, Dalamar”—Palin reached out his hand, touched the elf on the shoulder—”Tasslehoff saw his own ghost.” Dalamar swung the lamp around “He did?” The elf was skeptical “This isn’t another of his swimming bird stories, is it?” “No,” said Palin He could see again the fear and terror in the kender’s bright eyes “No, he was telling the truth He’s afraid, Dalamar I’ve never see Tasslehoff afraid before.” “At least this proves he died,” Dalamar said, offhandedly, and resumed his descent Palin sighed “The gnome is trying to fix the device That’s what you meant, wasn’t it? The significance of the gnome A gnome fixed the device the last time it was broken Gnimsh The gnome my uncle murdered.” Dalamar said nothing He continued hurrying down the stairs “Listen to me, Dalamar!” Palin said, moving so close to the elf that he had to be careful not to trip on the skirts of his robes “How did the gnome come to be here? This is this is not some simple coincidence, is it?” “No,” Dalamar murmured “Not coincidence.” ^ “Then what?” Palin demanded, exasperated Dalamar halted again, held up the light to illuminate Palin’s face He drew back, half-blinded “You don’t understand?” Dalamar asked “Not even now?” “No,” Palin retorted angrily “And I don’t think you do, either.” “Not entirely,” Dalamar admitted “Not entirely This meeting should explain much, however.” Lowering the lamp, he turned back to the descent He said nothing more, and neither did Palin, who had no intention of demeaning himself further by continuing to ask questions that would be answered only in riddles “I no longer keep the wizard-lock functional,” Dalamar remarked He gave the rune-covered door an impatient shove “A waste of time and effort.” “You’ve obviously used this chamber once or twice yourself,” Palin observed “Oh, yes,” said Dalamar with a smile “I keep close watch on all my friends.” He blew out the lamplight They stood on the edge of a pool of water that was as quiet and dark as the chamber in which they were standing A jet of blue flame burned in the center of the pool The flame gave no light It seemed to exist in another place, another time, and at first Palin saw nothing except the reflection of the blue flame in the water Then the two merged in his vision The flame flared, and he could see the interior of the laboratory as clearly as if he had been inside Goldmoon stood by the long stone table 35 The One God Goldmoon stood by the long stone table, staring down unseeing at several books that had been left lying about She heard voices coming nearer The voice of the person she was meeting, the person she had been summoned by the dead to meet Shivering, Goldmoon clasped her hands tightly around her arms The Tower was cold with a chill that could never be warmed A place of darkness, a place of sorrow, a place of overreaching ambition, a place of suffering and of death Her destination The culmination of her strange journey Dalamar had given her a lamp, but its feeble light could not banish the immense darkness The glow of the lamplight did nothing more than keep her company Yet, for that she was grateful, and she kept near the lamp She did not regret sending Dalamar away She had never liked, never trusted the dark elf His sudden reappearance here in this forest of death only increased her suspicions of him He used the dead “But then,” said Goldmoon softly, “so I.” Amazing power for a person A mere mortal Goldmoon began to tremble She had stood before in the presence of a god, and her soul remembered But something about this was not right The door opened, thrust aside by an impatient hand “I can see nothing in this wizard’s murk,” said a girl’s voice, a child’s voice whose melody sang through Goldmoon’s dreams “We need more light.” The light grew brighter gradually Soft and warm, at first, the flames of a few dozen candles The light grew brighter still, until it seemed that the limbs of the cypress trees had parted, the top of the Tower had been lifted, and sunlight poured down into the chamber A girl stood in the doorway She was tall and well-muscled She wore a chain-mail shirt, a black tunic and black hose and over that a black tabard decorated with a white death lily, the symbol of a Dark Knight Her head was covered with a light down of red Goldmoon would not have recognized her but for the amber eyes and the voice that sent a thrill through her body So terrible and wonderful was the shock that she caught hold of the table and leaned against it to support herself “Mina?” Goldmoon faltered, not daring to believe The girl’s face was suddenly illuminated, as if she were the sun, and the sun shone from within “You you are so beautiful, Mother,” Mina said softly, awed “You look just as I imagined.” Sinking to her knees, the girl extended her hands “Come, kiss me, Mother,” she cried, tears falling “Kiss me as you used to For I am Mina Your Mina.” Bewildered, her heart made whole by joy and riven by a strange and terrible fear, Goldmoon could feel nothing except the wild and painful beating of her heart Unable to take her eyes from Mina, she stumbled forward and fell to her knees before her She clasped the sobbing girl in her arms “Mina,” Goldmoon whispered, rocking her as she used to rock her when Mina woke crying in the night “Mina Child why did you leave us, when we all loved you so much?” Mina raised her tearstained face The amber eyes gleamed “I left for love of you, Mother I left to seek what you wanted so desperately And I found it, Mother! I found it for you “Dearest Mother.” Mina took hold of Goldmoon’s cold and trembling hands and pressed them to her lips “All that I am and all that I have done, I have done for you.” “I don’t understand, child.” Goldmoon kept hold of Mina’s hands, but her eyes went to the dark armor “You wear the symbol of evil, of darkness Where did you go? Where have you been? What has happened to you?” Mina laughed She glittered with happiness and excitement “Where I went and where I have been is not important What happened to me along the way—that is what you must hear “Do you remember, Mother, the stories you used to tell me? The story about how you traveled into darkness to search for the gods? How you found the gods and brought faith in the gods back to the people of the world?” “Yes,” said Goldmoon, but the word was a breath, not spoken She had ceased trembling and begun to shiver “You told me the gods were gone, Mother,” said Mina, her eyes shining like those of a child who has a delightful surprise “You told me that because the gods were gone we had to rely on ourselves to find our way in the world But I didn’t believe that story, Mother “Oh”—Mina placed her hand over Goldmoon’s mouth, silencing her —’’I don’t think you lied to me You were mistaken, that was all You see, I knew better I knew there was a god, for I heard the voice of the god when I was little and our boat, sank and I was cast alone into the sea You found me on the shore, you remember, Mother? But you never knew how I came to be there, because I promised I would never tell The others drowned, but I was saved The god held me and supported me and sang to me when I was afraid of the loneliness and dark “You said there were no gods, Mother, but I knew you were wrong And so I did what you did I went to find God and bring God back to you And I’ve done that, Mother.” Mina was flushed with joy and pride in her achievement The amber eyes were radiant “The miracle of the storm That is the One God The miracle of your youth and beauty That is the One God, Mother.” “You asked for this,” Goldmoon cried, lifting her hand to touch her face, the face that had always seemed strange to her “This is not me It is your vision of me .” “Of course, Mother.” Mina laughed delightedly “Aren’t you pleased? I have so much to tell you that will please you I’ve brought the miracle of healing back into the world with the power of the One God With the blessing of the One, I felled the shield the elves had raised over Silvanesti, and I killed the treacherous dragon Cyan Bloodbane Another truly monstrous green dragon, Beryl, is dead by the power of the One God The elven nations, which were corrupt and faithless, have both been destroyed In death, the elves will find redemption Death will lead them to the One God.” “Ah, child!” Goldmoon gasped Casting off Mina’s hands, which had been wrapped tightly around her own, Goldmoon stared at her in horror “I see blood on these hands The blood of thousands! This god you have found is a terrible god A god of darkness and evil!” “The One God told me you would feel this way, Mother,” Mina said patiently “When the other gods departed and you thought you were left alone, you were angry and afraid You felt betrayed, and that was only natural For you had been betrayed.” Mina’s voice hardened “The gods in which you had so misguidedly placed your faith fled in fear ” “No!” Goldmoon rose unsteadily to her feet She fell back, away from Mina, held out her hand in warding “No, child, I don’t believe it I won’t listen you.” Mina followed after her, seized hold of Goldmoon’s hand “You will listen, Mother You must so that you will understand The gods fled in fear of Chaos All except one One god remained loyal to the people she had helped to create One only had the courage to face the terror of the Father of All and of Nothing The battle left her weak Too weak for her to make manifest her presence in the world Too weak to fight the strange dragons who came to take her place But although she could not be with her people, she gave gifts to her people to help them The magic that they call the wild magic The power of healing that you know as the power of the heart Those were her gifts Her gifts to you “There is her sign.” Mina pointed to the heads of the five dragons that guarded the Portal Shuddering, Goldmoon turned Dark and lifeless, the heads began to glow with an eerie radiance, one red, one blue, one green, one white, one black She moaned and averted her eyes “Mother,” said Mina, gently rebuking, “the One God does not ask you for thanks for these past gifts Rest assured, she has more gifts to bestow on her faithful in the future But she does require service, Mother She wants you to serve her and to love her, as she has served you and loved you Do this, Mother Kneel down and offer your prayers of faith and thanksgiving to the One True God The One God who remained faithful to her creation.” “No! I don’t believe what you are telling me!” Goldmoon said through lips so stiff she could barely cause them to form the words “You have been deceived, child I know this One God I know her of old I know her tricks and her lies and deceits.” Goldmoon looked back at the five-headed dragon, whose terrible radiance shone undimmed, for no other opposing force existed that could cloud it “I not believe your lies, Takhisis!” Goldmoon cried defiantly “I will never believe that the blessed Paladine and Mishakal left us to your mercy! You are what you have always been—a God of Evil who does not want worshipers but slaves I will never bow down to you I will never serve you.” Fire flared from the eyes of the five dragons The fire was white hot, and Goldmoon withered in the terrible heat Her body shrank and shriveled Her strength ebbed, and she collapsed to the floor Her hands shook with palsy The skin stretched tight over tendon and bone Her arms grew thin and splotched with age Her face wrinkled Her beautiful silvergold hair was white and wispy She was an old woman, her pulse feeble, her heartbeat slowing “See, Mother,” Mina said and her voice was sorrowful and afraid, “see what will happen if you continue to deny the One God what is due her?” Kneeling beside Goldmoon, Mina took hold of the old woman’s palsied hands and pressed them again to her lips “Please, Mother I can restore your youth I can bring back your beauty You can begin life all over again You will walk with me, and together we will rule the world in the name of the One God All you have to is to come to the One God in humility and ask this favor of her, and it will be done.” Goldmoon closed her eyes Her lips did not move Mina bent close “Mother,” she begged, and she sounded fearful “Mother, this for me if not for yourself Do this for love of me!” “I pray,” said Goldmoon “I pray to Paladine and Mishakal that they forgive me for my lack of faith I should have known the truth,” she said softly, her voice weakening as she spoke the words with her dying breath, “I pray that Paladine will hear my words, and he will come for love of Mina For love of all .” Goldmoon sank, lifeless, to the floor “Mother,” said Mina, as bewildered as a lost child, “I did this for you .” Epilogue That night, in the small port city of Dolphin View, in northern Abanasinia, a ship set sail across the Straits of I Schallsea The ship carried a single passenger, whose identity was known only to the captain Heavily cloaked and hooded, the passenger boarded during the night, bringing with him nothing except his horse, a wild-eyed, short-tempered beast, who was housed below deck in a specially built stall The mysterious passenger was obviously a man of means, for he had hired the Gull Wing specially, and he had paid extra for his horse The sailors, intensely curious about the passenger’s identity, were envious of the cabin boy, who was granted permission to take the passenger his supper They waited eagerly for the boy to return to tell them what he had seen and heard The cabin boy knocked on the door No one answered and after a few more knocks, he trepidatiously tried the lock The door opened A tall, slender man, wrapped in his cloak, stood staring out the porthole at the vast and glittering sea He did not turn around, even after the cabin boy mentioned dinner several times Shrugging, the cabin boy was about to withdraw when the mysterious passenger spoke He used Common, but with a heavy accent His voice quivered with impatience “Tell the captain I want this ship to go faster Do you hear? We must go faster.” In her mountain lair, surrounded by the skulls of the dragons she had slain, the great red dragon Malystryx dreamed of water, inky black water, rising up over her red legs, her belly, her massive red tail Rising to cover her red wings, her back Rising to her mane Rising to cover her head, her mouth and nostrils She could not breathe She fought to lift herself above the water, but her legs were pinned She could not free herself Her lungs were bursting Stars exploded before her eyes She gasped, opened her mouth The water poured in, and she was drowning Malystryx woke, suddenly, glared around, angry and uneasy She had been dreaming, and she never dreamed Never before had any dream disturbed her rest She had heard voices in her dream, mocking, goading, and she heard them still The voices came from the skull totem, and they sang a song about sleep Forever sleep Malystryx lifted her enormous head and stared hard at the skull totem, at the white skulls of blue dragons piled on top of the skulls of silver dragons; at the skulls of red dragons lying atop of the skulls of gold dragons From out the empty eye sockets of all the dead dragons, eyes, living eyes, stared back at Malystryx Sleep Forever sleep In the Tower of High Sorcery, Galdar waited for Mina, but she didn’t return At last, worried about her, not trusting this place or the wizards who inhabitated it, he went in search of her He found her in the old laboratory Mina sat huddled on the floor beside the body of an old, old woman Galdar approached, spoke to her Mina did not look up Bending down, Galdar saw that the old woman was dead Galdar lifted Mina, put his good strong right arm around her, and led her from the chamber The light of the dragons faded The laboratory was once more shrouded in darkness ...THE WAR OF SOULS VOLUME TWO DRAGONS OF A LOST STAR Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman An Accounting Nightmare Morham Targonne was having a bad day His accounts would not balance The difference... Mother to a place of safety, out of reach of the hands of Beryl’s approaching assassins He had been awake all day yesterday, having taken Laurana in secret to the palace where they had both met... that this apparition was Dalamar and not another ghost The elf’s long hair that had once been as black as the wing of a raven was streaked with gray His face, though still elegantly carved and