After a pause, the elf said softly, “You were telling me about your voyage to this forest.”
Usha’s fingers fluttered across her temples, rubbing away a minor headache. “Yes,” she said haltingly. “A ship brought us here.”
“What did you call it, this ship?”
“Flint’s Anvil. Jasper named it, bought it with a gem his uncle Flint gave him.”
“That uncle would be...”
“Flint Fireforge. He was one of the Heroes of the Lance.”
“The legendary dwarf.” The elf cocked her head. “Is something wrong, Usha?”
“I remember.”
Usha blinked and grasped Jasper’s hand.
“I have reached a decision, surface elf.” Nuqala floated in front of Feril in a small room devoid of furnishings. The building, Feril had learned, was called the Tower of the Sea. “The crown is a treasure,” Nuqala said. “It is part of our heritage, crucial to our defenses. It has been useful in deterring Brine.”
Feril’s hopes sank.
“I also realize that perhaps it could be more useful in helping to bring down all of the dragon overlords, not just the one that plagues us. The Crown of Tides is yours in return for a pledge. If you keep Takhisis from returning to Krynn, and then launch a plot against the dragon overlords, you must promise first to attempt to slay Bryndelsemir.”
I can’t make such a promise, Feril thought. How can I guarantee that my friends will agree? Still, she said to herself, she could guarantee her own actions. Feril nodded to the woman. “I promise.”
“I sent for the crown last night,” Nuqala continued. “We keep it elsewhere in this tower.” She reached into the folds of her robe, which fluttered like sea fronds about her slight frame, and retrieved a tall blue coral crown studded with pearls. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and the Kagonesti could sense the vibrations of power.
Nuqala held it out to Feril. The Kagonesti’s fingers tentatively stretched forward, touched the crown.
“The Crown of Tides,” the sea elf whispered. “The waters are yours to command with it.” Nuqala stepped aside, gestured toward the open oval doorway behind her. “Surface elf, inform Palin Majere of your promise to me. And make sure that you keep it.”
The mountains of Dimernesti grew small behind her as Feril hurried toward the ship graveyard, the first landmark that would bring her back to the Narwhal. She kept her scaly-elf form, and the Crown of Tides rested securely on her head.
She kept close to the sand, swimming between the dark hulks, not wanting to attract the attention of the small sharks or any of the larger reef sharks that might be in the vicinity It was early in the morning, she could tell, and pale light was filtering down, painting the ships a murky green. Sanguine Lady, she mused, as she passed that ship. She would have to tell Rig of the fate of the vessel. She remembered he had once told her that he had sailed on it years ago.
The graveyard behind her, she swam faster toward the ravine and the reef beyond. Rather than focus on the riot of marine life all around her, she forced herself to concentrate on the crown. She felt the magic in the blue coral; it invigorated and emboldened her.
It controls water, she mused. The crown fairly hummed, and her eyes snapped wide. The crown was responding to her! Feril shot over the ravine, her legs kicking hard, the water jetting away from her. She focused on her fingers now, holding them before her face, and watching as water streamed away from her hands.
The Crown of Tides, she thought. Yes, I could control the very tides with this! But what will it do above water? How can it help Palin?
She kicked toward the reef, oblivious to the shadow that broke away from the ravine wall, following her.
The creature propelled itself after the Kagonesti, which it had mistaken in the murky water for an insolent sea elf. The great dragon didn’t like the Dimernesti elves straying outside in their underwater realm, and he ate those who tempted his anger.
As she crested the reef, Feril felt the sea growing hot. Puzzling at this new sensation, she thought perhaps it was a side effect of using the crown. Perhaps...
She gasped, as the hot water flowed in through her gills. No! Not the crown. Something else. She spun about, looking behind her, almost too late as her mouth fell open and the heat grew impossibly intense.
Brine, she thought.
The great dragon looked like a sea monster from children’s folk tales. Feril guessed he must be more than two hundred feet from pointed snout to barbed tail. His long, black body was legless and was closing the distance. Dark green scales covered his neck and head, while lighter green scales lined his lower jaw and belly.
As Brine opened his jaws, Feril felt a great surge in the current, the water churning all around her. She gasped, unable to breathe the overheated water, and doubled over from the excruciating pain. Her fingers reached for the crown and touched it as she felt herself slipping toward unconsciousness.
No! she screamed wordlessly. I can’t give in. I can’t be boiled alive before Palin has a chance to use the crown!
She thought of the water, boiling all around her, willing it to be cooler. And within the span of a few heartbeats it was so. The Crown of Tides had worked its wonders.
But the dragon was so close now, she could see his iridescent blue eyes. As the creature bore down on her, she imagined her reflection in the orbs. She kicked, concentrating on the crown, as the dragon loomed closer still. His undulating body pushed through the water, mouth wide, and snapped rapaciously. Jagged-looking mother-of-pearl teeth glistened in the light that spilled down from the surface.
She kicked harder, at the same time gesturing with her arms, sending a more intense jet of water Brine’s way. Feril risked a glance over her shoulder, saw to her surprise that the dragon had been pushed back a little by the increased force. She focused again on the jets of water she was creating, pushing the dragon back a little into a rocky outcropping near the reef.
A howl carried through the water, and Feril saw that the dragon’s tail was skewered on a spire of coral. Brine howled again, the water boiling all around, destroying the small creatures, the coral, and the living rock in the area and shooting a wave of unbearable heat Feril’s way.
The Kagonesti swam faster, drawing on the Crown of Tides to augment her strength, trying to put distance between herself and the dragon.
A moment later she felt a surge of renewed heat in the water around her and realized that Brine had extricated himself. Dark boiling blood colored the water. The dragon opened his mouth and roared, then shot forward, his tail whipping furiously.
Feril pumped her legs, concentrating on the crown to maintain the water jets. At the same time her mind reached out to the nearby plant life. She merged her senses with them, asking for their help. She’d used the enchantment numerous times on land and knew instinctively it would work here, too.
The turtle grass, fronds, kelp, and soft coral responded, stretching to wrap about the dragon’s tail. A dense patch of seaweed rose to entwine about the dragon’s sinewy neck.
The dragon howled in anger, thrashing wildly. He opened his mouth and released another boiling blast that Feril was barely able to cool. Then the Kagonesti stopped, floating and staring at the dragon, as she ran her fingers along the coral band and focused on the plants.
Grow, she willed.
Powered by the artifact, her spell came alive, and the effects were startling. The seaweed doubled in size, then doubled again. The soft coral multiplied and surrounded Brine. The kelp became thick, all but obscuring the dragon.
Grow, she continued. Tighter.
She heard the dragon’s scream clearly. It was painfully loud, even in the water. She sensed the grasses tightening around Brine’s neck, keeping him from taking in life-sustaining water.