The Red Wizard caught the naga’s image in the reflection of the mirror and stood there, enjoying watching her squirm. He imagined that soon other wizards would find themselves in her position, under his thumb and bowing to his mandates.
After a while, Asp broke the uneasy silence.
“Why did you summon me, Lord Maligor?” She remained face forward, not looking at him, and continued her courteous but strained dialogue. “I thought you wanted me to stay with the gnolls.”
Maligor paused before answering, giving her more time to feel uncomfortable. Finally he took his eyes away from his younger form. He pivoted to face her, twirling his left index finger in his beard. He still needed her—for a few more months, anyway.
“And you shall return to them,” he said, the edge gone from his voice and his expression almost emotionless. “It is time to bring them all together and begin our reign of terror.”
He padded back toward the couch, eased himself onto the soft leather, and met her uncertain gaze. “We will bring them here—all of them. As they camp outside my tower, you can instruct them a final time. Then you will lead them to glory.”
Asp blanched but somehow found the courage to softly rebuke him. “My lord, if we bring them here, it will unnerve the wizards in Amruthar and draw the attention of Szass Tam.”
Maligor touched Asp again, this time stroking her chin and gently wiping away a smudge of dirt. “Let them think what they will. Their fear makes us stronger, and no one in Amruthar would dare go on the offensive against my army. They’ll simply wait. And watch. And worry.”
Asp rose with Maligor. In an uncharacteristic gesture, he escorted her to the door.
“I have your loyalty in this?” he posed, hoping she would agree; he couldn’t afford to eliminate her yet.
“You have my loyalty, my being, and my love,” she replied huskily, once again guardedly comfortable in his presence.
The Red Wizard kissed her deeply, as if to cement her fidelity, then shooed her from the room.
Once again alone, Maligor returned to his mirror. What to do with his appearance, he thought. Red Wizards in Thay had no hair. Those outside of Thay, such as ambassadors and spies, wore hair to conform with the styles of whatever society they were in at the moment. He should shave it, he knew, to fit in. He should summon a slave and have her deal with it. Or, he thought, he could let it be. For a time, at least.
Maligor stared at the tresses that now set him apart from his peers. He would leave them alone, he decided. Shaving one’s head wasn’t a required act, just fashionable, and he believed he looked better this way—and more sinister.
He chose to look in on Asp, to make sure the spirit naga was carrying out his orders. He didn’t doubt that she would gather the gnolls; he just wanted to make sure she attended to it right away.
The Red Wizard retrieved a large crystal ball from a shelf in his closet. It felt heavy in his hands, although Maligor was pleased to note that it didn’t take any effort to carry it. The crystal was smooth, flawless, and only a few weeks old. He had acquired it from a merchant who dealt in the arcane.
Maligor had used the crystal only a few times and had been pleased with its effectiveness. He realized nearly all of the Red Wizards possessed such devices, and some—like himself—had several. However, Maligor used only his newest acquisitions, those he determined were enchanted within the past year. Even though magic kept its potency, he preferred using things with little age to them.
He sat on the couch, holding the crystal in his lap and staring into its center. Concentrating, he caused a soft yellow glow to flow from his eyes, down his arm, and into his hand. The light pulsated and glowed, then arced to the crystal. When the glow faded, he saw Asp; she had used her innate enchantments to shift form and give herself legs. Fully clothed, she rode a heavy black war-horse away from the tower heading north.
Maligor wondered if other wizards were watching her as well.
He hoped so.
For the next several hours, he watched as the naga reached one unit of gnolls and ordered them to march to Maligor’s tower. The Red Wizard checked with his guards to make certain the naga had sent word to the other gnoll units to gather in Amruthar.
It was late in the evening by the time the first group of gnolls reached Maligor’s tower. The three hundred soldiers camped on the sculpted lawn and jeered at the growing number of guards along the walls of the city.
Wearing a chain mail vest that glinted in the torchlight, Asp moved among the gnolls, demanding their attention and best behavior. The naga, who had resumed her natural form, was forced to kill two of them to set an example before the assemblage came to order.
“Listen to me,” she hissed. “Tomorrow you will be joined by more of your brothers, and the day after that still more. You will dress in armor, and you will fight for Maligor.”
Asp continued to parade herself in front of the gnolls, some of which still seemed preoccupied by the guards on the walls. The chain mail fit her tightly, showing off every human curve and looking like a metallic extension of the scales on her snake body. She enjoyed the rough feeling of it over her skin.
“When we are all together, when we are one army, we will march to victory!” she exclaimed. “We will suck the marrow from our enemy’s bones!”
A cheer went up from the gathered gnolls, and Asp did nothing to quiet them; she was pleased she had captured their spirit and devotion. She also enjoyed the show of power and hoped the watching Amruthar guards saw her as a threat.
The second group arrived at Maligor’s tower late the next afternoon. They were fatigued from the forced march from the woods, but their mood soared when they saw the other gnolls and the city guards on Amruthar’s walls.
Asp let her troops revel throughout the evening, feeding them dozens of roast pigs that slaves had purchased that day in the open-air market. The gnolls sang deep into the night, their canine voices sounding more like the howling of sad dogs than music. She joined in the merriment, wanting to keep her distance from Maligor for a while.
Here Asp was in charge, looked up to and respected. Although she was still the Red Wizard’s puppet, the strings were looser here, and she could bask in her superiority.
The city guards remained on Amruthar’s wall. Maligor observed them from the window of his study and pondered what defensive actions the wizards and tharchions in the city might be taking. He had been watching less powerful wizards on and off through his crystal ball and knew they were nervous. Some had been casting protective spells throughout their homes and along the city walls to strengthen them. A few had left the city for places elsewhere in Thay, such as Eltabar—a place no Red Wizard was powerful enough to attack. Fewer still did nothing out of the ordinary, simply going about their evil business. Maligor considered these wiser; he knew that they realized he would not attack the city.
The Red Wizard also scried on the young illusionist, the one he had told Szass Tam he would send his gnolls against. That wizard had no hint that he was in danger as Maligor worked against him to cover his real goal of the Thayvian gold mines. He would fall easily during Maligor’s ruse.
When the remaining third of Maligor’s army reached the tower the next day, the city streets of Amruthar nearest Maligor’s property were deserted. Maligor looked at the vacant open-air market, where stray dogs sniffed at the empty food stalls. An occasional guard or peasant could be seen standing against a building. Using his crystal ball, he looked farther into the city; there were few people about. However, on the far eastern edge of the city, life went on as usual. He thought about sending a dozen or so gnolls to the other side of Amruthar to see if he could frighten the residents there as well.