"No," Holly whispered. "I'm not leaving you."
Jas exchanged a look with Joel, but before the two adults could come to an agreement, there was a sudden flash of light to Joel's left, followed quickly by the boom of thunder. Joel looked up in the sky. There wasn't a cloud in sight. As if of one mind, the remaining horses of the foe neighed in panic and galloped off back down the valley.
From the major peak came a great roar. Joel squinted, fully expecting to see a dragon. The roar increased until it sounded like a hundred dragons. Suddenly Joel felt as if he were bouncing on a galloping horse. The very ground beneath his feet was shaking. The shale on the major peak began sliding down the cliff like a great black waterfall. The loose rock parted around the minor peak where they stood, like a stream about a rock. Then the shale continued to spill down the side of the cliff until it nearly filled the gorge below, burying the Zhentilar and the priest of Xvim and the capering Bear.
It was over in less than a minute, although it took much longer for the dust to settle. The noise had so startled all the wildlife that the valley had become deadly silent.
Then Joel heard what sounded like applause. It came from the direction of the high peak on the opposite side of the saddle. Joel peered through the settling dust. A figure stepped out from behind a boulder and began crossing the saddle toward them. It was a man with white hair and a white beard. He wasn't actually applauding, Joel realized, but clapping the dust off his black trousers and red tunic. He smiled up at Joel, and his face crinkled in wrinkles.
"I don't believe it!" Joel muttered, recognizing the man at once.
Holly and Jas half raised their weapons, but they were too astonished to actually attack. With a wave of his hand, Joel indicated that they could relax. He stepped out onto the saddle, spat some dust from his throat, and called out, "Jedidiah! Well met!"
The elder priest of Finder raised his brass glaur over his head in a little victory salute. Jedidiah had once claimed that the valved horn had magical properties that could "bring down the house." Joel realized that he had just witnessed a demonstration of the instrument's power.
"Well met, Rebel Bard," Jedidiah answered his pupil. "You've come a long way."
Eight
"I had a vision that you were in terrible danger," Jedidiah explained, "so I headed toward Daggerdale."
"But how did you find me?" Joel asked.
"A little bird told me where you were," the older priest said with a wink. Joel looked down into the valley where Holly and Jas were busy rounding up the Zhents' horses. At Joel's request, they'd left the two men alone to confer. "I don't know that I deserve all this special attention," the bard said, "but I do appreciate it," he added, turning around to thank his old mentor.
The old priest put his hand on the younger man's shoulder and gave him a reassuring squeeze. "Finder has a reason for everything," Jedidiah said, sitting down on a rock. While the last few days had worn Joel ragged, the older priest looked as rested and relaxed as he had when Joel had last seen him in Berdusk.
"Tell me about your journey so far," Jedidiah said. Joel sat beside his friend and described his trip from Berdusk. While his journey to the Dragon Coast and his travels through Cormyr had taken over a month, it was the events of the past six days that took the longest to relate. He found himself explaining in great detail his meeting with Walinda, their subsequent agreement, and Holly's and Jas's reactions to it. "Do you think I was wrong to bargain with Walinda?" he asked finally.
Jedidiah stroked his beard thoughtfully. At last he shrugged. "Well, considering Bane died before Finder even became a god, we're not exactly sworn enemies with his priests," the older man noted. "Among the gods, Moander was Finder's only foe, and Finder slew him. This woman Jas has a point, though. As a rule, priests of Bane can't be trusted. If they offer you something, it's a sure bet they'll be getting more out of the bargain than you will. Still, it turned out all right. This Walinda didn't betray you, and you kept your vow as best as you were humanly able. You got away safely. Someone very well might have rescued her in the flying ship. No harm done."
"No harm done," Joel repeated, "but what would Finder think about my making a bargain with someone like Walinda?''
Jedidiah chuckled. "Finder made bargains with worse sorts when he was a mortal. Much worse, believe me. Oh, before I forget, I found this in a resale shop in Dagger Falls." From inside his tunic, the old man pulled out a set of birdpipes and held it out.
"My birdpipes!" Joel said excitedly, taking the instrument from the older man. He blew a tentative scale. The instrument was completely unharmed. Feeling like a complete fool, the Rebel Bard brushed a tear from his eye. "I thought for sure Bear must have smashed this to pieces after he captured me."
"Well, he may have been no music lover, but he knew its value," Jedidiah replied. "You crafted it well." From the folds of his cloak, the old priest drew out a curved blade.
"It's Holly's cutlass!" Joel said in astonishment.
"Is it?" Jedidiah asked. "The owner of the shop where I found your birdpipes said the man who sold him your birdpipes sold this weapon to him as well. I knew it wasn't your sword, but I bought it anyway, in case it belonged to a companion of yours."
"Joel! Joel, look up there!" Holly shouted from below. She was climbing up from the valley floor in such an excited state that she was having trouble keeping her footing on the slate landslide. She pointed at a spot on the mountain peak behind them.
Joel and Jedidiah looked around at the mountain peak. The landslide had uncovered not only a cave, but something much more exciting. Just above the shale, a chipped granite staircase led to a large platform. On the platform, two huge statues flanked a gigantic metal door, which reflected the sun's light as brightly as a mirror.
Jas landed beside the two priests of Finder just as Holly managed to make her way to the top of the shale slope.
Jedidiah presented the paladin with her cutlass, explaining how he had found it in his attempt to track Joel through Daggerdale. Holly smiled with joy at the return of the weapon that had belonged to her father. She thanked Jedidiah profusely. The old priest bowed graciously.
"It's more luck than I'd hoped for," Holly said, staring in wonder at her cutlass. "You gave me my weapon just in time for us to go explore the cave up there."
"We agreed we weren't going to waste a lot of time here," Jas said. "We should press on to the south before the day gets any later."
"We should at least find out what's inside," Holly insisted. "It could be important. Lord Randal will want to know."
"It's Shraevyn's tomb," Jedidiah said.
"Really?" Holly asked excitedly. "Are you sure?"
"Who's Shraevyn?" Joel asked.
"Who cares?" Jas sighed.
"He was a mage who created magical weapons for the warriors of the dales a long time ago," Holly said. "How do you know for sure it's Shraevyn's?" she asked Jedidiah.
Jedidiah looked up at the sky. As if he saw words written there, he recited,
"A stone cast with faerie fire
His apprentices laid Shraevyn in a casket
The wizardess and the warrior stood watch
paid homage to the weaponsmith.