In The Cards 24 – Half-truths and Hermit
Being able to tell when somebody is lying to you is a very useful skill, one that can save your life. Of course, nobody is infallible. There is nobody better equipped to deceive you than the people you have the most reason to trust. Once, that is.
Excerpt from 'Interview With An Assassin'
It wouldn't go away on its own. Edwin kept staring at the note, but it still sat there in the middle of the table, and the words were still the same. The Red Wizard was sitting in a room at the Jovial Juggler, one of the four inns of Beregost. It was a pleasant enough room, he supposed. The bed was comfortable, with thick green curtains to keep the light out and no apparent bugs. There was a large oaken cabinet, soft carpets on the floor, a window with a view of the narrow street outside. There was also a table. Edwin's spellbook was lying on it, quite forgotten for the moment. The note occupied all his attention, like a giant iceberg looming on the horizon.
The party had arrived in Beregost that same afternoon. After renting rooms at the Juggler they had separated to take care of their own personal business. Khalid and Jaheira had gone to sell what superfluous items could be easily disposed of in town. Zaerini and Imoen had also taken off, mentioning something about going shopping. Edwin had withdrawn to his room, eager to take a closer look at some of the spell scrolls he hadn't had the time to inscribe in his spellbook yet. He had hardly sat down before there was a timid knock on the door and a small boy entered, bearing a message.
"Pardon, sir", the boy had said. "This was left for you earlier, to be delivered as soon as you arrived."
Edwin had waved the child out and then opened the letter. He had read it. Several times, in fact. It still said the same.
Am in town on business between 4th and 6th. Will return once a week, same weekdays. Number Three, after sunset. Come at once if convenient. If not, then make it so.
The note wasn't signed, but of course it didn't need to be. Edwin knew who it was from. Today was the 5th, one of the designated days. There would be not getting out of this, Edwin shuddered to even think of what would happen if his teacher found out that he had been in town but failed to turn up. No, he had to go. But he was worried, very much so. It felt like events were slipping away from him, careening out of control. True, Zaerini hadn't entirely denied all possibility of her ever agreeing to work for Thay. Edwin wasn't hopeful that she ever would, however. If he didn't press her for an answer his teacher would demand to know why. And if he did, and she refused…
No, Edwin thought. I…I can't do it. It was a horrible, contemptible weakness in him, no doubt. He didn't know how it was possible, and he was ashamed to admit this strange inability even to himself. Once he'd set out on his mission, he'd been so confident of his own competence, so certain that he could easily do whatever was necessary. But something had…changed. He had changed. And now he couldn't bear the thought of killing the bard, couldn't even bear the thought of her dying at the hands of another. To never again hear her voice, never see the glint of sunlight off her red hair or that spark of mischief in her eyes, to never again be challenged by her quick intellect…no. It mustn't be. Perhaps he was a miserable weakling, but he couldn't let that happen.
Yet how can I prevent it? Edwin thought and rolled the brief note nervously between his fingers. If I don't carry on with the mission, then Teacher Dekaras most certainly will. He wouldn't hesitate like this. Briefly Edwin considered telling his mentor the truth. His mind boggled at the imagined scene. No, that didn't seem like an option. I don't see how he could possibly understand, Edwin thought, feeling quite miserable. He's always so calm and collected, the way I ought to be. He'd surely never let emotions interfere with a mission. How could I ever admit this shameful weakness to him? He'd despise me, and rightly so. He'd probably tell me that by my incompetence I'm putting us both at great risk. And he'd be right. The Red Wizards take failure badly enough. Willful disregard of given orders will make them come after us, and they won't stop until we're both dead.
Edwin leaned his head into his hands and moaned quietly. How could he even contemplate risking his mentor's, his friend's life? He would never do such a thing to me, the wizard thought, his heart torn by the black claws of shame and self-contempt. How many times has he saved my life? I can't even remember. And he has always been there for me when I needed him. Always, as far back as I can recall. I can't let him come to harm, any more than I can her. But I can't tell him that.
The wizard allowed himself a hollow laugh at the thought of the assassin's probable reaction to hearing that his student was trying to protect him. He'd never listen to me. He'd think the very idea mortally insulting, wouldn't he? The best I could hope for would be that he decided that I'd gone insane, and then he'd still go after Zaerini.
Edwin got up from his chair and paced back and forth, his thoughts chasing each other wildly around his head. He felt trapped. Trapped between an irresistible force and an immovable object, likely to get crushed between them. Or like a trainer of wild animals, trying to keep two of his beasts from tearing each other's throats out. The mental image this brought to mind nearly caused him to break out in hysterical laughter. This wouldn't do. He had to go to the appointed meeting, and he had to try to stall for a little longer. And if that failed…then he would have to think of something else. Something. Somehow.
It was already dark out when Edwin slipped out onto the streets of Beregost, and there was a faint drizzle in the air that made him shiver with cold. But that was good, the cold brought him back to reality. He tried to concentrate on the cold, on the slick cobblestones beneath his feet, on the patches of light spilling out of the windows around him. Anything to keep from thinking of what lay ahead of him. A courtesan passed him in the street, a pretty blonde in a dress far too thin for this weather. Edwin barely noticed the invitation she called out to him, nor the words she spat his way when he pushed by her without stopping. Number Three lay in front of him. Dekaras had set up a list of simple code words for safety's sake, and Number Three meant the Red Sheaf, the third of Beregost's four inns. Edwin drew a deep breath, squared his shoulders and went inside, having first made sure that he wasn't being followed. Nothing to do except try his best. He hoped that would be enough.
Edwin stood still just inside the door for a few moments. The sound was almost deafening. Drunken laugher, raised voices, clanking glasses, the reedy sound of a flute all drifted towards him. The bad weather had apparently caused many people to decide to visit the tavern. The tables were all occupied, and the floor was crowded by people moving about looking for a seat. A small but ugly fight was going on in a far corner, apparently over who had waited the longest for his drinks and ought to be served first. While Edwin watched one of the combatants bit a piece of his opponent's ear off and spat it out on the floor, and the other man retaliated by smashing him over the head with a broken bottle. The Red Wizard made his way across the floor towards the bartender, careful not to jostle anybody. The last thing he needed was to get into a brawl.
The bartender was a muscular man with a shaved head and a nose that looked like it had been broken more than once. "Good Evening", Edwin told him. "I believe I am expected."
The large man looked him over, then spat on the ground. "Maybe", he said in a surly voice. "Depends on who you're looking for."
"Elminster's long lost twin-sister", Edwin sneered. "We're having a secret affair."
The bartender's eyes narrowed at the recognition of the password. "I take it you want a room then", he said. "Come with me." He led Edwin upstairs, and then pointed at a door at the end of a long and dark corridor. "In there", he said with an unpleasant chuckle. "Have fun." He went back downstairs, still laughing quietly.
The corridor seemed endless as Edwin approached the closed door. It was like one of those dreams when you're running for your life and can't wake up. Eventually he stood outside the door, staring at the smooth and dark surface. He raised his hand to knock. Then he hesitated. Don't be ridiculous! Edwin told himself. He won't bite your head off. Probably. His hand still refused to move though.
"Are you going to come in any time soon?" a voice said from inside the room. "This is starting to get tedious." Edwin gulped and gave a startled jerk. As he did, his hand pushed against the door and it swung open. No turning back now.
The room was small, smaller than the one Edwin had left at his own inn. There was a narrow bed that looked rather hard, a small table and a couple of chairs. Dekaras was sitting on one of them, his feet propped up on the table, where he could have a full view of the door. He was tossing a throwing dagger from one hand to the other in what seemed like an idle manner. Edwin knew better than to believe that. The assassin looked much the same as always. He was wearing his customary dark leathers and his black hair had been gathered at the base of his neck to be out of the way. Possibly his face was just a little bit more gaunt than usual, the cheekbones more pronounced. When wholly absorbed by an assignment he would sometimes neglect eating or sleeping properly, Edwin knew, being too preoccupied with the mission at hand. Edwin had overheard his Mother complaining about it more than once. And then Edwin's thoughts fled again as a pair of black eyes stared coolly back out him out of that expressionless face and an eyebrow arched as if daring him to speak.
"Well, well, well", Dekaras said. "Who do we have here? One of the illustrious Heroes of Nashkel, isn't it? I feel so…honored. Do close the door behind you if such a task isn't too menial for a Noble Hero like yourself." That silky voice was dripping with sarcasm.
Edwin felt sudden heat rising in his cheeks and he hurried to pull the door shut, feeling quite mortified. "Well", he tried to explain, "I…that is we…I mean…I didn't mean to! It was an accident."
"Indeed. So, you managed to get appointed Hero of Nashkel, Gullykin and Beregost without even trying to? That is something of an accomplishment."
"But I…Beregost?"
"Oh yes." Dekaras let the throwing dagger disappear into the folds of his clothes with a casual flick of the wrist. "Something about disposing of a mad cleric who was terrorizing the countryside I believe." The assassin rose from his sitting position and glided across the floor towards the petrified wizard, looking for all the world like a stalking predator. "So", he said. "It would seem that young Master Odesseiron has developed a taste for heroics, fame and the adulation of the screaming masses. Might I then take this opportunity to remind you of what you were supposed to be doing? Or are you too busy saving the world from destruction or drawing up the charter for the Edwin Odesseiron Admiration Club? Take your time. It isn't as if I have anything better to do than wait around for you to make up your mind."
"I…" Edwin said, trying to buy some time. "Er…how did you know it was me outside the door right now, anyway?"
"Please", Dekaras said with a small snort. "As if I wouldn't recognize your footsteps anywhere. And besides, you were almost breathing hard enough to blow the door down. Now answer the question."
"Well…I…would you know that I met this halfling who turned out to be the niece of our own Poppy? Isn't that amazing? I think that's amazing. Really, really amazing. Really, really, really…"
"You are starting to try my patience, boy. Of course, I know that. Poppy told me before we left. She even asked me to look the girl up if I had the time. And I sincerely advice you to stop trying to change the subject unless you want me to become angry with you. No more of these childish antics. How goes your assignment?"
The following twenty minutes were pure torture for Edwin. The one thing that saved him from discovery was that he wasn't actually lying, not yet. His teacher had always been able to tell when he was outright lying. He clung to half-truths and omissions, and somehow, he managed to muddle through. His story was that he was well on his way to convincing Zaerini, but that he needed some more time, the reason being that she was too preoccupied with Sarevok and his bandits at the moment to think of much else. Apparently, that was the right thing to say.
"Ah yes, Sarevok", Dekaras said, an interested look in his eyes. "A most fascinating man. Yes, I can well imagine that the girl would be somewhat distracted by him."
"You've seen him?" Edwin asked. "When? How?"
The assassin went on to explain about his current association with the bandits and Sarevok's appearance in the camp. "My position among the bandits is solid", Dekaras said. "I have been making certain arrangements, and once you and the others are inside, I will be able to create chaos enough to draw all attention away from you."
"How do we get inside though?"
"I'm getting to that. The bandits are currently eager to recruit new members, due to the recent raids by the Flaming Fist. That is my official reason for being in Beregost, actually. Assuming you all can curb your heroic tendencies, I should be able to deposit you on the bandits' very doorstep."
"I…I see", Edwin said. "Yes, that should work. But how will I find you? Zaerini wants to go to the Ulcaster ruins before tackling the bandits. I need some way to get in touch with you."
"As I said in my letter, I will be here for a few days each week, looking for new recruits as well as for news of passing caravans. If, for some reason, I am detained, you will have to manage on your own."
"You mean if you're dead, don't you?" Edwin asked with a flash of sudden insight. "Don't you?! Well, I won't let that happen. I won't!"
The assassin gave him a surprised look, and then he smiled, a genuine smile this time rather than a sarcastic smirk. "All men must die someday", he said. "And though I appreciate the sentiment, the responsibility for my continued existence is in no way yours. You mustn't ever think that."
But I do, Edwin thought, feeling quite miserable. I do, and I am making it so through actions of my own. I never wanted for any of this to happen. "It's just…you only came with me on this mission because I asked you to."
"And I did so willingly", Dekaras said. He put his hand on Edwin's shoulder and looked the wizard straight in the eyes. "Now listen to me", he said, his voice very serious. "My first priority is keeping you safe. Nothing is more important than that, including my own life, and I will do anything to make sure it happens. Do you understand me? Anything."
"I…think so."
"Good." The assassin nodded, apparently satisfied that his student had got the message. Then an amused look came into his eyes. "But there is no need to look so gloomy about it. I certainly have no intention of dying if I can avoid it, and we have both survived worse than this. As long as we stand united as always, I really think we have a fair chance."
"Yes", Edwin said, somehow managing a smile. "Of course." But he felt lonelier than ever before, and for once his mentor's words held no comfort for him. No comfort at all.
Swelling blue flowers of fire. Sparkling rains of red and gold. White lightning shooting into the sky. Zaerini shut her eyes for moment, pressing the palm of her hand against her eyelids to help strengthen the memory.
Well kitten, Softpaws commented from her place on the bard's shoulder. Looks like you really enjoyed those fireworks the other day.
Oh, I did. I really did. Who would have thought Eddie could pull off a thing like that?
Speaking of your wizard, perhaps you should have a word with him. Looks like he's a little preoccupied.
He's not my wizard, Zaerini retorted automatically, but she turned her head to see what her familiar was talking about. What she saw worried her. The adventurers had started out on their way from Beregost this same morning. It had been raining on and off all day, a light rain that nevertheless managed to seep into most of your clothes. At least they'd found a reasonably dry place to camp under a rocky overhang once they got into mountain country. Khalid and Imoen were taking their turn at cooking, Rini could hear them discuss just how much green pepper was 'too much' and evidently disagreeing about it. Jaheira was standing guard a little further off, motionless like a statue.
Edwin was sitting by himself on a flat rock, ostensibly studying his spellbook. Now that she thought about it though, Rini noticed that he wasn't turning the pages. He didn't even seem to see the book at all, rather he was staring into empty space. In fact, once she took a closer look, she could see that the book was upside-down. The half-elf walked over and sat down next to him. "Edwin?" she asked. "Something wrong? You've been awfully quiet all day. You're not ill or something, are you?"
The wizard turned his head, his face tense under the cowl of his red robe. "I…am well", he said. "Nothing the matter whatsoever."
"Are you sure? Because you look like somebody just died." She thought she could see him wince at that. "I don't mean to pry or anything. It's just…well…if you want to talk about it I'm right here."
For a second Zaerini thought he was going to say what was bothering him. Then it seemed a door slammed shut behind his eyes and he shook his head briefly. "I…I can't", he said. "Not with you. Not with…anybody. (I have to do this one alone. Somehow.)" His face tightened and he stared down into the book again.
"If you're sure…but if you don't want to say what's bothering you, perhaps you'd like some company anyway while you think it over?"
"I don't need that", Edwin snapped. "I can manage on my own. (I can. It may feel like a balancing act on a slack rope over molten lava, but I can manage. Surely, I can.) Your insufferable prying is only making this worse."
The half-elf was starting to get angry herself by now. "Fine!" she said. "There's no need to be rude about it, you know. I was only asking. I'll leave you to be miserable then if that's what you want."
"Good! (Insufferably nosy woman.) At least you aren't deaf as well as intrusive."
"Fine! And you are unspeakably ungrateful, and have all the social graces of a rabid rhinoceros."
"Why you…you prancing little backwoods excuse for a spellslinger!"
"Oh yeah? Well, you're a stuck-up, smug git, with an ego so massively inflated it's a wonder you manage to stay on the ground!"
"Ha! My magic is powerful enough to wipe you out, leaving no trace of you to be seen!"
"Really? First I think you'd better wipe your nose, cause I see something green!" Got you! the half-elf thought triumphantly as the Red Wizard reflexively raised his hand to touch his face. She decided to follow up immediately with an insult of her own. "You sir, have the manners and the breeding of a lump of phlegm fresh from an ogre's snout!"
"Oh, I'm sorry", Edwin sneered. "You didn't seem to be using them, I thought you could do without."
"You…you hopeless jerk!"
"Snotty brat!"
"Troll turd!"
"Witch!"
At this moment Zaerini felt a firm hand on her shoulder. She was more than a little startled to realize that both she and Edwin had got to their feet during the argument. By now they were standing directly opposite each other, glaring angrily into each other's eyes, close enough that they were almost bumping heads. Close enough to feel each other's breath, Rini realized, and then she rapidly tried to dismiss that thought. The heat that rose in her cheeks wasn't entirely due to her anger. Edwin seemed to come to the same conclusion at about the same time, as she saw his eyes widen and he stepped backwards rapidly enough that he almost tripped over Khalid, who was holding onto the back of his robes and trying to drag him away from the bard. Zaerini turned her head and saw that the hand gripping her shoulder ended in a very put out druid who had adapted her trademark stony face.
"Children", Jaheira said, "would you care to tell the rest of us what you are fighting about?"
The bard and the Red Wizard exchanged a hasty glance. "Nothing!" they both said at exactly the same time.
"Nothing", Jaheira said in a deceptively mild voice. "Well, that is good. I would hate to think you were trying to attract the attention of every roaming monster on the Sword Coast because you were fighting over something. This seems ever so much more reasonable."
"You were p-pretty loud", Khalid said with an apologetic shrug.
"Yup", Imoen cheerfully added. "I thought you'd manage to bring the mountain down. Still, it looked like you were both having lots of fun. Kinda cute, actually."
Zaerini felt her face grow hotter by the moment. She thought she was probably about as red as her hair by now and she wanted nothing more than to sink into the earth and disappear from sight. "Er…", she said, "we…that is…I…"
"We…were doing exercises", Edwin blurted out and steadfastly avoided looking at anything but a spot of air next to Zaerini's right ear.
"Exercises", Jaheira said in a flat voice.
"Yes. Yes! Exercises. Surely you must know that spellcasting requires a healthy pair of lungs, a trained voice and a…er…firm…chest?" Edwin faltered as he spoke the last words and looked like he was trying to shrink into his own robes.
"I see", Jaheira said, her face giving nothing away. "Well, in the future, please try to do your 'exercises' a little more quietly." She returned to her watch, as did Khalid and Imoen to their cooking. Zaerini thought she could hear a muffled giggle from Imoen's direction. She desperately tried to avoid looking Edwin in the face.
Well? Softpaws asked and twined herself around the bard's legs. Aren't you going to kiss and make up?
Softy! Stop it!
Of course, cats don't bother much with kissing. You might want to try something like this instead. Let me give you a nudge in the right direction. The image the familiar sent along the mental link was very vivid.
SOFTY! Are you insane! That's…that's…
Oh, was it too difficult to understand? I'll simplify it then. Nudge nudge. A few arrows and written instructions added to the pedagogical appeal of the picture.
SOFTY!
Tsk, tsk. Kittens these days. No inquisitiveness at all it seems. I could talk you through it, you know, one little step at a time.
Absolutely not! There is nothing of the sort going on between us! The very thought is absolutely…absolutely…
Tempting?
No! Ridiculous. That's what I was going to say. Ridiculous.
Really, kitten? All right. Do it your way then. Kiss and make up. Just a brief peck will do.
I'm not going to…The figures in the image started moving about and sound was added. Zaerini reflexively tried to cover her face with her hands. It didn't help.
Nudge nudge nudge, Softpaws said, and her voice sounded very satisfied, even over the loud sound effects.
Edwin was starting to feel a little worried. Zaerini was simply standing there, her golden eyes wide and slightly glazed, her mouth wide open. She was still blushing furiously. For some odd and unfathomable reason it didn't make her face the least bit less appealing, the way it surely ought to have. "Are you all right?" he asked. He didn't get any further. The bard grabbed him by the arm and dragged him behind a large rock, out of sight of the rest of the party.
"I'll have you know", the half-elf hissed, "that I'm only doing this because I'm being blackmailed by my stupid cat. And if you dare make even one smug joke or snide comment about it I'll make you regret it." Her large and tilted eyes were glowing like open furnaces and she was blushing to the very tips of her pointed ears. The cat in question was watching Edwin with what the wizard thought was an oddly knowing expression for a cat to wear.
"Er…doing what?" Edwin asked. And then all his conscious thought processes shut down as a pair of slim hands grabbed him firmly by the shoulders and pulled his head down. By the time he felt silky lips against his own he couldn't have remembered his own name if asked to give it, or for that matter that he had one. He didn't think. There were no plans, no worries, no words even. Just the whirling impressions of soft red hair brushing against his face, of golden eyes boring into his soul before they closed with pleasure, the feeling of smooth skin, the faint and lingering scent of lilacs…the heat. Above all, the heat. He was burning, dying, consumed by the raging fire. He didn't care. And he never wanted it to stop.
Edwin had no idea how much time had passed once Zaerini pulled away again. It could have been seconds, but it might as well have been years. "Um…I'm sorry if I was mean before", the bard said with a small and uncertain smile. "See…er…Softpaws insisted that we 'make up' after our little argument, so…well…friends again?" When the wizard simply gaped at her she continued, almost tumbling over her own words. "Um…I hope you're feeling better now? When I'm moping I usually feel better after a good argument. Not to suggest that you were mopingas such, but…"
"I…yes", Edwin managed. "Perhaps…perhaps I was a little out of line myself. My…apologies. And the…er…argument certainly made me feel better. (As did the making up. What? I didn't say that, did I?)" So? Nothing wrong with enjoying a friendly gesture, which is all it was of course. No, nothing wrong with that at all.
"Oh. Good. I sort of liked it too."
"You did?"
"Oh yes. I don't think I've ever met anybody it was so fun to fight with before."
The bard winked at him and Edwin felt his breath quicken. Possibly he was coming down with something. He hoped there wasn't something seriously wrong with him. "Likewise," he said, and his voice was perhaps just a little bit hoarse. Throat infection then? He had been rather loud earlier… "Er…perhaps you would like to do it again sometime? I so rarely meet anybody with an intellect developed enough to match mine in a game of wits."
The smile he got in return was enough to make him decide that he wouldn't mind another go himself. Preferably right now. Even if it did definitely feel like he was falling ill, what with the way his heart was trying to hammer itself out of his chest. For some strange and inexplicable reason, he didn't mind. Not at all, in fact.
The party had been searching for some hours before they finally found the path. The steep cliffs reared high all around it, smooth and slick, blocking access to the ruins of Ulcaster. "This is getting ridiculous", Edwin said after the adventurers had walked back and forth along the mountainside for quite some time. "We'll never find that stupid mage school this way. (And besides, my feet are killing me.)" He leaned against the rock with a superior look on his face, one that immediately dissolved as he fell into the mountainside.
"A secret passage!" Imoen exclaimed once it had been established that Edwin hadn't, in fact, gone into the rock itself. "Wow, I love secret passages. I wonder where this one leads?"
"To Ulcaster, presumably", Edwin said, picking himself off the ground. "Looks like the old wizards didn't want anybody but themselves and their pupils finding their way here. Very cunning illusion there. It almost fooled even me, but obviously I saw right through it in seconds."
"And that was why you fell right through it and flat on your face just now?" Zaerini asked with an innocent smile.
"I was trying to be dramatic!"
"Um, e-excuse me", Khalid said, looking nervously at the narrow path as it wound its way upwards and disappeared from sight around the corner. "B-b-but I just thought of s-something."
"Yes?" Zaerini asked. "What is it?" She had learnt long ago that when Khalid asserted himself enough to make a point it was usually important.
"W-w-well, I don't know much about m-magic, but I just thought…with all the wizards d-dead, then who's m-maintaining the illusion s-spell?"
The rest of the adventurers looked at each other as they thought this over. "You just had to go and say that, didn't you?" Edwin complained.
"The ghost of Ulcaster?" Zaerini suggested. Nobody seemed particularly cheered by this thought. "We'll be careful", the bard said. "But I think I really need to go up there. My cards hinted as much. I'll go myself if I have to."
"Nonsense", Jaheira said, placing her hands on her hips. "I am not about to let you go traipsing off alone into unknown danger."
"R-right", Khalid agreed with a reassuring smile. "Where you go, w-we go."
"I'm not going anywhere without you", Imoen said. "Besides, I'd love to see a magic school. Think they have any cool stuff left that they don't need any longer?"
Edwin nodded. "A chance to come across any valuable tomes or scrolls is a chance worth taking", he said. "There could be other interesting artifacts left as well. (Possibly even a dragon to guard the grounds. I always did want to see a dragon.)"
The path led steadily upwards, getting ever steeper and narrower. Eventually Zaerini and her friends found themselves in the open again. The bard stood motionless, staring. For a moment she imagined she saw a huge castle floating before her in the chilly air, the towers and turrets reaching up to pierce the gray sky. Then she blinked and there was nothing but rolling mist, drifting along the ground to form strange shapes. No real castle to be seen, but there were rocks on the ground, rocks still geometrically aligned, to mark where walls had once stood. "Ulcaster..:" the bard said, and far in the distance a pack of wolves started howling their agreement.
"So, what's the big deal?" Imoen asked, sounding a little disappointed. She had jumped on top of one of the ruined walls and was balancing along it as she spoke, skipping from one leg to the other. "It's just a bunch of rocks."
"How little you know", Edwin said. "The main school building may be long gone, but the dungeons still remain. (Let's just hope that some treasure remains as well.)"
"Dungeons? Why would there need to be dungeons in a school?!"
Edwin gave her a sidelong look and folded his hands into his sleeves against the cold. "The study of magic is not like other subjects", he said. "It requires not only raw power, but the intelligence to use it. Accidents are not uncommon, and thus the need to hold certain lessons in a more…sheltered…environment. In case of explosions, or a summoned creature going on a rampage. Things like that."
"Oh. Did you go to a place like this then?"
"No", the wizard said. "I was…taught privately." He turned to point at something a little way off. "Isn't that an entrance?" It certainly seemed to be. A dark stairway led into the ground.
"Great", Zaerini said. "Let's take a closer look and…" She interrupted herself. Somebody was coming towards them. No, actually somebody was floating towards them, drifting along the ground like another strand of mist. The creature looked more or less like a wizard. He was wearing long mage robes, gray and flowing like the mist itself, and his long white beard reached well past his waist. His face was gray as well, gray and sunken, his eyes hollow. Most importantly, he was transparent. The ruined walls of the Ulcaster school could easily be seen through his floating body. Now and then he gave a hideous, bloodcurdling moan.
"Th-that's a g-g-ghost!" Khalid stammered; his face almost as ashen as the spirit's.
"You don't say?" Edwin snapped while he tried to stealthily ready a wand without attracting the ghost's attention. "Whatever gave you that idea? Could it be the way his feet don't touch the ground, the moaning and wailing, or the fashionable see-through look?"
The ghost turned his head at the sound of the wizard's voice and set course for the adventurers, a very determined look on his face. At least Rini thought it was determined, but with the transparency it was a bit difficult to tell. She shivered as the temperature of the air around her dropped by several degrees. The hilt of her sword felt like ice against her hand. "Nice tactic there, Eddie", she said. "Just invite all of the resident undead over, why don't you?" Next to her she could see her friends readying weapons of their own.
His eyes burning with a terrible mixture of hope and despair the ghost reached out a thin hand towards the half-elf. It passed right through her arm like the mist itself, leaving only coldness behind. "...the best of schools..." the spirit moaned. " ..a storehouse of arcane knowledge... ...lost, all lost... a common dungeon, now... ...we all shall live again... someday... ...all for knowledge did we strive...nothing left...Hope would return with the retrieval of the simplest of tomes...beneath the rubble...on the lowest floors...return hope...history is so important..."
The Hermit, Zaerini thought. I know him from my foretelling. "Who are you?" she asked in a voice that trembled just a little bit. "Are you Ulcaster himself? What do you want?"
The ghost was silent for a moment, and his eyes seemed to clear a little. "I…was once known by that name", he said. "Yes. I was…Ulcaster. You…I know…you. I…have seen your spirit, shining in the…darkness. You…will aid me."
"She will do no such thing, ghost", Jaheira said and pointed her scimitar at Ulcaster. "Not unless you tell us all exactly what you want."
Careful Jaheira! Zaerini thought. We cannot fight him. He is far too dangerous, and I doubt our weapons would even touch him.
"Very…well", Ulcaster sighed, stroking his long beard. "This school…my pride and joy…was destroyed. Long ago now. The attackers…they were too many. My poor students…dead. The school…in shambles. The knowledge…lost."
"So what do you want with us?" Edwin asked.
"I was…gettingto that! Dust and…ashes, I'd forgotten how…annoyingly impatient…students could be. Inside the…dungeon…lies a certain book. 'Dream Magic'. Next to it…a small hand-mirror with a handle shaped like…a dragon. Bring me that, and I shall…reward you."
"Reward us?" Edwin said, looking very interested. "How, exactly?"
"With…knowledge. Knowledge that you all…need. No treasure…is greater than…knowledge."
"Perhaps. But why can't you just fetch this book yourself? (I have no particular wish to wind up inside a hungry dragon or be blasted into tiny fragments by some ancient magical trap simply because he wants some reading material to help pass the millennia.)"
"The wards…of the school…were activated upon the night of the…attack. Some of them…misfired. None may now pass in…or out…except for students come to take the Tests. Live students. No ghosts…or other undead."
"Tests?" Rini asked, not liking the sound of that much.
"The…examination tests. Designed to weed out…the unworthy. Once done…you will be teleported…into my study. There you will find…the items I need."
"And if we don't want to take your stupid Tests?"
"Then…you may stay here. Eternally. The road to Ulcaster…only opens…at my command. I sensed you…I led you here…only I…can release you. Verify my words…if you will. I speak truth."
"Very well", Jaheira said, her voice grim and her jaw set. "We will do as you ask."
"Not…all of you. Ulcaster…only accepts those…with magic in their blood. The school…knows. The rest of you…must wait without."
Zaerini exchanged a swift look with Edwin. It was pretty obvious what the ghost meant. The Red Wizard gave a small nod. "All right", Zaerini said. "Edwin and I will enter. The rest of you, wait for us here."
"No!" Jaheira protested. "This is too dangerous, I forbid it!" Her green eyes flashed with stubborn fury. "You will both get yourselves killed!"
"It's no use, Jaheira. We have to do as Ulcaster asks, you said it yourself. And if the school will only accept those with magic inside…"
"It does seem to be the only available course of action", Edwin agreed.
Jaheira sighed. "Just be careful", she said.
"Of course we will", the bard said with a quick grin. "We're always careful, right Eddie?"
"Exactly", Edwin agreed. "Careful is the very word for what we are. And besides, a few pitiful little Tests are hardly any match for my magic and mental skills." The druid simply shook her head in silence.
The stairway leading into Ulcaster ended in an even black surface, impossible to see through.
"Well…", Zaerini said as she stared at the uninviting doorway. "Guess this is it. Are you ready?"
"I am ready", Edwin said in a supremely confident voice. "I will handle this with preposterous ease, you know. I'll show you; you'll see."
I'm ready too, kitten, Softpaws answered from inside the bard's pack. Ulcaster had assured her that the familiar, being a creature of magic, should be able to enter the school.
"Right", Rini said and drew a deep breath. "Here we go." She and Edwin touched the inky blackness at the exact same time. It rose up around them like a black tidal wave. There was no sight or sound, no taste, smell or feeling. Only the blackness all around.
I wonder if this is what dying feels like, Rini thought. And then the world came back to normal around her as she found herself in another place. Or maybe not exactly normal. She saw Edwin stare around himself with incredulous wonder and knew that she herself must look equally stunned. Ulcaster School was like nothing she had ever seen before, even as a ruin of its former self, and the magic of it filled her heart with song.