"For what possible purpose did he lead an untrained army into such a terrible battle?" Selsharra asked. "I am no war leader, but even I know that a wise general does not abandon impregnable fortifications to hazard his soldiers in an even fight on open terrain. Was it simply a matter of Seiveril's crusading zeal overriding his common sense? Or was he determined to demonstrate to all of us that his courage brooks no question?"
"Among other things, it occurs to me that Lord Miritar could do little to succor the wood elves of the High Forest if he sat on top of Evereska's cliffs and did nothing else," the High Marshal retorted. "If you take up arms against an enemy, you must be willing to hazard losses in order to defend positions you must defend, or attack positions you must take. That is the nature of war."
"That is the problem, isn't it?" Ammisyll Veldann observed. "Evermeet is not at war, yet here we learn that hundreds of our soldiers are dying in distant battles."
Amlaruil refused to let Veldann and Durothil bait her any further.
"I will provide a full account of the fighting as soon as I am able to," she said firmly. "Hill Elder Duirsar of Evereska informs me that Seiveril's warriors won a hard-fought battle and halted the enemy advance. For that I give thanks, since the daemonfey are enemies of all elves. I regret that warriors have died, but I do not regret that they died to spare the folk of Evereska a deadly siege or bloody assault."
The table fell silent, until Zaltarish the scribe cleared his throat and said, "Have you heard anything of Lord Seiveril's intentions, Your Majesty? What has happened since the battle? Where is he now, where are his foes? Wars are rarely won in a single day."
Amlaruil shook her head and answered, "I know nothing more than what I have already said. I will send a representative to Evereska tomorrow to confer with the Hill Elder and obtain a better account of the fighting in the Shaeradim."
"I will go, if you permit me," Keryth Blackhelm said.
"Of course, Lord Blackhelm." Amlaruil looked around the table. "That is all I had to say. If there is nothing else-"
"There is one thing," Selsharra Durothil said.
Amlaruil smoothed her face and refused to show any irritation when she asked, "Yes, Lady Durothil?"
"Your council now stands at seven members, Lady Moonflower. While there is no law that dictates the size or composition of the Council of Evermeet, tradition would indicate that we should replace Miritar and Jerreda Star-cloak. I have given the matter some thought, and it occurs to me that we could fill Miritar's seat immediately."
Zaltarish folded his hands before him and said, "Lady Durothil, it has been less than a month. Council seats have sometimes gone unfilled for years. There is no need to hurry such an important decision."
"I disagree. First of all, it is not clear to me that Evermeet's peril allows us to delay this decision as we might in more peaceful times. Secondly, if an ideal candidate is available, I see no point in delaying his or her accession."
"I presume you have some ideal candidate in mind?" Meraera Silden said dryly.
"Lord Miritar was, of course, the High Cleric of Corellon's Grove, a very senior representative of the Seldarine's clergy. I find myself concerned that we have no high-ranking cleric on the council now who might advise us of the will of Corellon Larethian when we engage in our deliberations. Therefore, I propose that Elder Star Mellyth Echorn should be elevated to Miritar's seat. He is the highest-ranking cleric of Corellon in Evermeet, and a member of a high and noble family as well. Who could be a better choice?"
Amlaruil leaned back in her seat, her expression neutral. Clearly, Selsharra Durothil thought that a conservative cleric of Corellon Larethian might be a powerful new voice on the council, a voice sympathetic to the traditionalist sun elf Houses. By suggesting Mellyth Echorn, Selsharra put Amlaruil in the position of accepting her nomination-not something Amlaruil was particularly inclined to do, though in truth she didn't know if Echorn was unsuitable-or declining the Elder Star, which would appear to be a deliberate slight to those of Corellon's faith. She had no doubt that Selsharra would see to it that word got out that the Durothils had pushed for the Elder Star's nomination. Lady Durothil gained in either case.
I wonder how badly it would go if I told Selsharra Durothil that her seat was vacant, too, Amlaruil thought.
The queen offered the sun elf noblewoman a warm smile.
"The councilors serve at my pleasure, as I am sure you know," she said. "I will consider the matter carefully, and I thank you for your suggestion. However, I would rather examine our needs thoroughly and make sure that I select the right candidate than act hastily and perhaps choose the wrong one. I will let you know when I have decided." She rose, and indicated the chamber's doors. "Now, let us join the festivities, before our absence creates undue alarm."
The cave mouth led into a warren of dank, twisting tunnels, filled with swift, icy rivulets of water that poured down through the wet rock. Araevin summoned a magical light in order to illuminate their path. More bones, splintered and crushed, glimmered in the yellow magelight, and a damp, musky scent hung in the chill air.
"Damn," whispered Grayth. "That's a hill giant's skull, or I'm a goblin. Are you sure this is the right cave, Araevin?"
"I won't be upset if you say no," Maresa added. Araevin replied, "Sorry to say so, but yes."
He paused to examine the chamber. As had happened in the Forest of Wyrms, he was too close to sense the exact location of the next stone. They would have to find it the hard way. Several passageways burrowed off into the blackness, but they seemed somewhat small and contorted for anything large enough to make a meal of a giant. To his right, though, a V-shaped cleft seemed to go back into the rock for quite a distance, and a good-sized stream poured out of its bottom to run across the cavern floor and out into the gorge.
"This way, I think."
One by one, they clambered up into the cleft, icy water running swiftly over their feet, and followed the subterranean streambed deeper into the caves. The way was difficult and wet. Though the stream was rarely deeper than mid-calf, the path was obstructed by numerous boulders and awkward shelves and columns of stone, and the stream descended sharply from above. They scaled several small cascades and chutes, until Araevin's teeth chattered from the cold and his hands were numb.
Forty or fifty yards from the entrance, they climbed up into a large, open cave. The air stank of old meat, and the smell was overpowering. Grayth drew his sword and carefully moved up out of the streambed, peering into the twisting galleries of stone that framed the chamber. Araevin followed the Lathanderite, glad to have a strong friend in heavy plate armor a few steps ahead of him. Ilsevele and Maresa brought up the rear, Ilsevele's bow at the ready, Maresa carrying her rapier and crossbow. Clearly, something lived in the chamber at the top of the stream. More discarded bones lay scattered about, and more tellingly, rotten old wooden chests bursting with silver and gold coins stood haphazardly at the far end of the room. But there was no sign of the cavern's denizen, though more of the small, halfling-sized tunnels led away from the room.
"Is your gemstone here, Araevin?" asked Grayth.
"It's close," the mage said. He kept his wand of disruption in hand, watching the shadows carefully, and moved over to investigate the hoard gathered in the dry end of the room. That at least spoke of intelligence. A dumb beast would not gather the gold of its victims.
Ilsevele followed Araevin over to the treasure, lowering her bow, and said, "Let's find the telkiira and get out of here before this thing comes home."
"Too late, heh!" croaked a horrible, rasping voice from the shadows. "Grimlight is home, heh!"