“It’s true,” Hamil added. “Rhovann allied himself with the enemies of Hulburg-mercenaries, pirates, slavers, even priests of Cyric. Geran didn’t even know that Rhovann was moving against him until he deposed Harmach Grigor.”
“I believe it, Master Hamil,” Daried replied. “I have never known Geran to be untruthful. And there was always a spirit of spitefulness in Rhovann Disarnnyl that must have been sharpened tenfold by the indignity of exile, no matter how well it was earned. But some truths are hard to hear, and I have little liking for this one.” The elf glanced back at the misty shore behind them, reassuring himself that no one else was near, and looked back to Geran. “Very well. What do you know about this tome you seek?”
“It’s a piece of a book called the Infiernadex, which was once the property of Aesperus, the wizard-king of Thentur. We’ve been told that it lies in the vaults below the Irithlium. I’ve never heard of that, but I hoped that you might know more.”
The sun elf nodded. “It was once a wizard’s school, back in the days before the Weeping War. It was in ruins when we retook the city from the daemonfey in the Year of Lightning Storms, but the old ruin was rebuilt-you would know it as the building that houses the Celestrian Theater, Geran. Whether there is anything in the vaults below, I couldn’t say.”
“Why would Aesperus have told us to look in the Irithlium?” Hamil wondered. “If he meant the theater, he should have said so.”
“His information about Myth Drannor is likely dated,” Sarth replied. “He might have divined the location of the pages by using an old map of the city.”
The elf glanced sharply at Sarth. “Any king of Thentur should be long dead. You are retrieving this tome for some ghost or lich?”
The tiefling grimaced. “Against my counsel, yes. However, Geran feels strongly that we will need the aid Aesperus can lend us against Rhovann’s servants.”
“Rhovann’s created an army of constructs, animated with shadow magic of some sort,” Geran explained. “Sarth and I encountered them a couple of tendays ago; they’re an impossible obstacle to any attempt to retake Hulburg from Rhovann. Aesperus knows their vulnerabilities, but he demands the fragment of the tome as his payment for aiding us.” He paused, watching Daried’s concern deepening in his face.
“You trust this Aesperus?” Daried asked.
“Not entirely, but I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t believe him in this,” Geran replied. “Do you know of any access to the ruins of the Irithlium? Is there some connection between the Celestrian’s foundations and the older building?”
“There are scores of old doorways, cellars, stairwells, and such scattered all over the city. I can think of a couple near the Irithlium that might lead you in the right direction.” Daried fell silent, considering the challenge.
Hamil shivered in his cloak again, and folded his arms over his chest. “Something about this confuses me,” he remarked. “This wizard’s school would have been destroyed in the Weeping War, which was about seven centuries ago, correct? So how did any spellbook of Aesperus wind up in the Irithlium, when he ruled over Thentur two hundred and fifty years later? Did someone try to hide his book in the past? Is that even possible?”
“It is, but such magic is incredibly difficult,” Sarth replied. “It’s more likely that simple accidents of fortune and coincidence conspired to bring the book to this spot. Things such as spellbooks might change hands dozens of times over a couple of hundred years, leaving a long and confusing trail across time and distance. I have followed such trails before. In all likelihood, the pages removed from the Infiernadex were sent from Rosestone Abbey to some center of scholarship, from which they were lost or stolen, only to pass through the hands of one wizard after another. Hundreds of adventurers came to this city in the years that it was abandoned. My guess would be that some unfortunate mage came to Myth Drannor with the pages we seek stuffed into his own spellbook, and met his end in the chambers below the Irithlium.”
“A plausible explanation, Master Sarth,” Daried said. “Before the Crusade, the Irithlium was infested with powerful devils. Before that, it was within the territory claimed by the phaerimm nest that haunted the ruins. Either would have recognized the value of a powerful spellbook and preserved it.” He turned his attention to Geran. “Allow me to look into the question of how to gain access to the Irithlium. I know elves who are much more familiar with the ruins than I am; I’ll see what I can learn with a discreet inquiry or two, and send word to you.”
“Thank you,” Geran said. “We’re staying in the Swan House.”
“I advise you to remain in your rooms. Each time you go abroad you risk discovery.” The bladesinger hesitated a moment, and then asked, “Do you mean to see Alliere while you are here?”
Geran felt his heart skip. He’d longed for Alliere for the better part of two years after his exile; in fact, his banishment from the city had been nothing compared to the sudden ending of their love. Her perfect face had haunted his dreams, driving him almost half mad with heartbreak, and he couldn’t deny that he’d spent more than a few hours during the long journey to Myth Drannor playing out in his mind what he might say or do if he were to meet her again. Would she still shy away from the violence, the black anger, that was lurking in him? Did she miss him as much as he’d missed her? Part of him still ached to find answers to those questions; he supposed that perhaps it always would. “How is she?” he asked Daried. “Is she well?”
“She is. She still lives in the tower of the Morwains, tending her gardens.” He allowed himself a small smile. “It seems that half the young lords of the court are falling over each other, hoping to catch her eye.”
“Good,” Geran answered, and he meant it. He’d come to realize as he neared the city of the elves that, despite the old longings, his heart was hers no longer. Each time he’d conjured Alliere’s face from his memories, he’d soon found Mirya coming to his mind. When he wondered how Alliere might greet him, he worried constantly for Mirya and anxiously awaited the day when he’d return to her. I’ve had strange fortune in my loves, he reflected. Alliere, Nimessa, Mirya … yet of all of them it was the strength and sincerity of Mirya that had captured him. “Is she happy?”
“It was difficult for her after you left, but now she fares better. The shadow on her heart has finally lifted. I think she would like to see you, if it could be arranged.”
“I’d like to see her too, but I don’t want to make trouble for her. It’s enough that I’ve put you at risk of the coronal’s displeasure. Better to keep Alliere out of this for now.”
Daried rested his hand on Geran’s shoulder briefly. “Perhaps you’ve learned a little wisdom since you left, then. I will send word to you when I learn something.” The elf nodded to Hamil and Sarth before he turned and hurried off into the cold mists.
Geran and his companions waited a short time, so that anyone who’d noticed Daried leaving wouldn’t associate him with the three of them. Then they made their way back to the Swan House on the city’s north shore. The weather gave Geran a perfect excuse to hide under his hood, but he still felt a shiver of nervousness each time they passed elves in the streets. When they reached their inn, he settled himself by the fire to wait, and encouraged his friends to go enjoy the city’s winerooms and taverns for the evening. He would have much preferred to show them some of the places he remembered in person, but it was simply out of the question.
The three travelers passed the next day and a half in much the same manner; Geran stayed in the Swan House, while Hamil made a show of looking through the wares of various craftsmen and merchants with Sarth at his side, playing the part he’d given himself. Then, late on the second day, Geran was startled by the appearance of a blue songbird by their room’s window. He rose quickly and let the small creature in; it landed on the table and held still while he carefully retrieved the tightly rolled scrap of paper it carried from its talon. It read: