"Elorfindar?"
"Lord Elorfindar Floshin. He is a kinsman of mine, the son of my great-great-grandmother's brother. He has taken it as his duty to guard the magical portals here."
Araevin took Ilsevele's hand and led her up a wide flight of cracked stone steps to the gaping doorway of the old palace.
The empty halls seemed a place apart from the thick stands of cedars and blueleafs beyond its facade of pale white stone. The Ardeep Forest chirped and rustled with birdsong and the soft caress of wind in the treetops, but those comforting sounds did not intrude into the ancient elven palace. Even though the empty doorway stood open to the elements behind them, Araevin and Ilsevele heard nothing in the gloomy forehall. Ilsevele turned to speak to Araevin, but the mage simply shook his head.
Measured footfalls echoed in the corridor. A dignified sun elf appeared, dressed in silver mail, with a long sword at his belt. His eyes had the dark wisdom of many years, and in the shadows of the hall he seemed almost to glow with an eldritch light.
"Greetings, Araevin," the elflord said. "I have not seen you in the House of Long Silences in some years. Come inside. And you, too, fair lady."
Araevin clasped Elorfindar's arm firmly and replied, "It's good to see you, kinsman. How goes your watch?"
"It is hard to say. Many of the old gates to Evermeet have been closed or hidden in recent years, so I have fewer to guard now. But after the invasion launched by Kymil Nimesin three years past, it has become more important than ever to ward the ways leading to the Green Isle." Elorfindar shrugged. "It is my penance, and I am not finished with it yet. I can only hope that my watch will in some small way atone for those of my fathers who betrayed the trusts they held." The dignified warrior turned to Ilsevele with a gentle expression. "Araevin, you have neglected to introduce me to your companion, for which you owe me an apology."
"Elorfindar, this is the Lady Ilsevele Miritar, a captain of the spellarchers in the queen's service. She is the daughter of Councilor Seiveril Miritar, the lord of Elion. And she is my betrothed."
Elorfindar's serious expression lifted, as a genuine smile creased his features.
"Your betrothed? Lady Ilsevele, I am delighted to meet you. And I am even more delighted to learn that you will be a cousin of mine! I was afraid that the Teshurrs would vanish all together, and leave the House of Cedars for the seabirds." He took Ilsevele's hand. "Your beauty brightens this gloomy palace, dear lady."
"As does your gallantry. Thank you, Lord Elorfindar," Ilsevele replied. She looked around at the ruined palace. "Do you live here by yourself?"
"Oh, no," the elflord said. "I live a day's ride south of here, in a much less lonely manor close to the Delimbiyr Vale. I only keep watch over this palace and its doors. My wardings warned me that someone was here, so I came to investigate."
"I apologize for forcing the journey on you," Ilsevele said.
"It was nothing. My magic shortens the trip considerably." Elorfindar gestured to the ruined palace and continued, "There are some rooms that are in better condition, where I have a store of food and drink laid by for just such an occasion as this. Before I set the table, I would like to know what brings you here, Araevin. You are always going somewhere when you pass through this house."
Araevin dropped his gaze to the floor. He did not like to carry tidings of ill news. "Evermeet has been attacked again, Elorfindar. Not an invasion like Nimesin's war of three years ago, but a raid to break into the vaults of Tower Reilloch."
Elorfindar's expression grew cold and he said, "Go on."
Araevin nodded, and launched into the story of the attack on the Tower.
"When Quastarte and I found Philaerin," he concluded, "we also discovered evidence suggesting that Philaerin held knowledge of something dangerous in Faerun, something that he chose to conceal from the Tower's attackers. The demons and their masters escaped with the Gatekeeper's Crystal. Ilsevele's father has gone to Leuthilspar to take up that matter with Queen Amlaruil. In the meantime, I am looking into Philaerin's secret. The Tower's attackers might have been after the crystal and nothing else, but it seems dangerous to assume that was the case. Our enemies thought their prizes important enough to dare Ever-meet's defenses and attack a Tower of mages."
"You said that the raiders were demons and demonic sorcerers. I thought Evermeet's wards prevented such creatures from attacking the island directly."
"Demons and yugoloths, to be accurate," Araevin said. "I recognized creatures of both races. As for their masters, they were like winged elves with demonic blood. They had scarlet skin with fine scales, black hair and eyes, and small horns… and they seemed to be resistant to fire and lightning, like many demons and devils are. But they fought with sword and spell, not the supernatural powers of a demon."
"My father wondered if they might have been elves of a fallen Cormanthyran House known as Dlardrageth," Ilsevele added. "He said that they were thought to have been defeated long ago, but the description fit. Since they were elves at least in part, they might have been able to pierce Evermeet's defensive wards more easily than true demons could."
"I know of the Dlardrageths," Elorfindar said. His face was pale and his eyes dark with horror. "They were destroyed or bound long ago, along with the lesser Houses that followed them into darkness. Long ago, they poisoned the realm of Siluvanede and brought down the kingdom of Sharrven before they were halted. The shadow of their crimes stretches across many centuries and distant lands. If they have somehow returned… " He looked up at Araevin and asked, "How can I help you?"
"I may need to make use of some of your portals," Araevin said. "I believe the trail I am following will lead me to some lonely places scattered far across the North. And I mean to gather some help before I set out. Using the old portals of Illefarn could save me a great deal of time."
"Of course," said Elorfindar. "The doors are at your disposal."
"What sort of help are we going to gather?" Ilsevele asked.
"During my previous travels in Faerun, I spent a lot of time seeking out and exploring the ruins of ancient elven realms. They are dangerous places, filled with decaying wards, slumbering guardians, and sinister new occupants. The Company of the White Star assisted me in my explorations. They were courageous and trustworthy comrades."
"Where will we find these old associates of yours?"
"It's been quite some time, so I am not entirely sure," Araevin said. "But when we last parted, we agreed to honor any call from one of the company. I will dispatch a sending to each, asking them to meet us in Daggerford."
Lord Seiveril Miritar sat at his customary place in the eighth seat of the council table, absently gazing up at the ceiling a hundred feet above as he waited for the queen to call the council to order. The Dome of Stars was the heart of the royal palace in Leuthilspar, a vast round chamber ringed by high galleries. By day the theurglass dome was a wondrous mosaic of stained panels, gleaming with a rainbow of color in the light. By night the magic glass was clear, showing the starry sky overhead. The floor of the chamber was finished in dark, glossy marble that seemed to hold tiny flecks of diamond in its depths, so that on clear nights those lords and ladies who met in the Dome seemed to float in a veritable sea of stars.
It was dusk, and the dome was open to the sullen colors of an overcast sunset.
"The council is assembled, Lord Seiveril," said Am-laruil, Queen of Evermeet, from her high seat at the head of an elegant table of frosted glassteel.
A moon elf of striking beauty, her hair dark and flawless as a cascade of night, her eyes thoughtful and wise, Amlaruil was one of the oldest elves in Evermeet, but unlike so many who were close to passing to Arvandor, she was untouched by the winds of the LastHome. Instead of ghosting softly away from the world as so many old elves did, Amlaruil's personal power and force of character fixed her to the firmament of the world, so that it seemed as if all Evermeet was anchored to the spot where she sat.