'Today is the day,' I thought as the sun rose blood red over the horizon.
Raistlin's presence was growing ever stronger in my mind. A week had passed since I had given the necklace to his brother, and I knew he was getting frustrated. I smiled grimly. He would never get it. Not as long as it was in Caramon's hands and free for him to give. I knew somehow, he never would hand it over to his brother.
I sighed and turned to my apprentice, who was writing a letter to someone at my desk. "Gwen," I said softly to the young human.
She looked up, her gray eyes flashing with brief annoyance at being interrupted. But Gwenneth knew better than to say anything to me. "Yes, Mistress?" she asked, brushing her golden hair out of her face.
"What do you feel?"
Gwen stilled immediately. She was a strange human. I had found her wandering through the streets and had caught the sense of magic flowing through her at once. She knew when the air was telling her something, and I respected that in her. Therefore, I took her in and trained her as my apprentice. Gwen had just passed her Test a few months ago with surpassing ease.
"The wind brings tales of danger and struggle for power, Mistress," she said at last. "It tingles with the very anxiety of watching and waiting for the player to make the next move in the game." Gwenneth paused. "Mistress Inanna," she said hesitantly. "What are you waiting for? Make your next move. The board is open for you."
"I already have made my move, Gwen," I replied, turning back to the window. "I am just waiting now, to see his next move."
Gwen stilled once again, listening and feeling the air around them. "He's calling you."
I nodded slightly. "Yes. And I shall answer."
"He wants you dead…out of the way."
"If that be the case, then I shall just have to do something about it…. but what?"
Gwen rose and came to my side, staring out the window also. "If I may be so bold, Mistress, but I think you must kill him before he does the same to you."
I didn't reply. I merely inclined my head. How could I tell her that I couldn't kill him? My heart wouldn't allow it. Gwen would never understand that. Her heart was as hard and cold as marble. She would never know what it was like to care for someone the way I had grown to care for Raistlin Majere. He tormented me. I knew he knew I had a weakness for him, and I knew he was laughing at me for it.
"Besides," Gwen continued, interrupting my thoughts. "He has a weakness that you don't. I think he has a soft spot for you, Mistress. He is only human after all."
'If only she knew', I thought to myself. 'She cannot see.'
I sighed and called to Ciro in my mind. I saw him soar through the air and land heavily in the courtyard. I turned to face Gwen. "Watch over things here while I am away, Gwenneth," I instructed firmly. "I may return, I may not. It depends on how Fate decides in the end."
"You'll return."
"We shall see." I closed my eyes and let the familiar darkness envelope me as I began to chant the spidery words of magic. An instant later I was outside, standing next to Ciro.
'Where are we going, Inanna?' he inquired curiously as I mounted onto his back.
'To decide the winner of this never-ending game of cat and mouse,' I responded, nudging his flank.
He spread his great wings and took off into the blue sky towards my opponent. This was the ultimate test and the lingering answer to the unasked question: Who would be ruler of the world of darkness? Who would be the most powerful black mage in the realm?
