Ryry brought her four hands together over her dished head and quoted Arr*s oft-repeated refrain, "Together, all things are possible." She steepled her sixteen fingers into a single pyramid, causing the finch overhead to take wing and flee. "Is there a way I can be of service?"
"Yes." Though it would mean the promise of another service gift, Arr pointed after the bird and said, "Kill that finch."
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
2 Eleasias, the Year of Wild Magic
You're sure this plan will work?" Takari asked. "I don't think anyone was all that impressed with the last one."
"There are no sure things," Galaeron said, "but it has a chance."
"A good chance?" Vala asked.
They were hiding among the musty-smelling roots dangling beneath the Floating Gardens of Aerdrie Faenya, waiting in the mucky water of a knee-deep nourishment pond. Aris and the Chosen had already left for Cloudcrown Hill to rescue- fetch was more accurate-Lord Duirsar and the high mages. Galaeron had once again assumed the likeness of a phaerimm, and the entire Company of the Cold Hand had vowed they were ready to lose fingers-or even entire hands-to the cold of then-borrowed darkswords.
Galaeron turned his head-disk toward Vala and held her gaze.
"A better chance than you had in Myth Drannor. That turned out well enough."
Vala rolled her eyes. "I only had to kill six phaerimm," she said. "We're talking ten here-all at once."
Manynests, just returned from his spying mission and perched on Keya's shoulder, chirped an urgent correction.
'Twelve," Keya translated for those who did not understand peeptalk, then frowned at Galaeron. "I don't see how you can do it"
"I don't have to," Galaeron explained. "I only have to kill the leader. After that, the WarGather will fall apart"
"That we understand," Vala said, taking Galaeron's four-fingered hand. "It's the part where you don't live I'm having trouble with."
That we're having trouble with," Takari added.
She came around to Galaeron's other side and slipped her hand through the crook of one of his spindly arms. The Vaasans scowled-Vala at Takari, and Kuhl at Galaeron- and Kuhl rested a hand on the pommel of his sword. Their jealousy meant nothing to Galaeron. He loved Takari as much as he did Vala, and if that angered someone, it was no concern of his. He covered Takari's hand with his own.
"I'll be all right," Galaeron said. "You'll be right behind me."
"We have to fight through a ring of beholders and illithids," Vala reminded him.
"That's going to take time," Keya added. "Why don't you shadow walk a dozen of us in there-"
"Because we'd be lucky to last a breath," Burlen said, cutting her off. "We won't look like a phaerimm, remember?"
Though Galaeron knew Burlen was more concerned with protecting the mother of Dexon's child than assuring their success, he mouthed a silent thanks to the Vaasan. His plan depended on timing. The Company of the Cold Hand had to clear the defenses around the SpellGather before Aris arrived with the Chosen and the high mages. It would take time to do what Galaeron intended, and Keya and the others would need to set a defensive ring of their own before the phaerimm pulled themselves together to counterattack.
Khelben's voice sounded inside Galaeron's head, We're in position, with a clear view of the statue hill.
Good-we'll leave now, Galaeron replied.
He looked up at Manynests and sent the little snowfinch ahead with a tweet, then used his two free arms to wave the others forward.
They followed Manynests to the shore and left the dangling roots behind, stepping out from beneath the overhead gardens into a thick hedge of duskblossom. The snowfinch took his leave with a merry chirp and climbed above the hedge toward Cloudcrown Hill-then wheeled around and came diving back, squealing in alarm.
Thinking an owl or a hawk was after their courier, Galaeron flung a strand of shadowsilk into the air behind Manynests and spoke a two-syllable incantation. He realized his mistake when a silver lightning bolt cracked through the hedge crest and snaked its way out across the nourishment pond, leaving a mile-long tunnel of scorched root ends in its wake.
In the next instant, the phaerimm that had cast the spell came streaking over the hedge into the shadow net The strands could not be broken, but Galaeron was not prepared for the shock-and was probably not strong enough to hold it even had he been-and the net slipped free.
The astonished thornback tried to swing around to see what had caught it, but lost control of its flight and rolled sideways into the mass of roots beneath the floating gardens. It tangled quickly and hung there in the air, howling gusts of frustration and stirring the water below into a froth. The three Vaasans reacted first, Vala and Burlen charging through the hedge to meet the oncoming attack, and Kuhl splashing into the pond to finish off the trapped phaerimm.
Keya sprang into action almost as quickly, ordering half her company southward in a flanking action and sending the other half through the hedge to support Vala and Burlen. As surprised as he was impressed by the commander his little sister had become, Galaeron prepared a dark bolt and turned to hurl it before the phaerimm teleported out of its predicament
But this one had no intention of leaving. It thrust two hands through the shadow net, and a shimmering mirror of magic appeared before it and sent the black dart sailing back at Galaeron. He pivoted out of the way and heard a muffled crackle as the missile slammed into the ground behind him. A third hand waved in Kuhl's direction, and the Vaasan went tumbling across the pond. He slammed headlong into Takari, who had been trying to sneak around for a clean flank shot, and they both splashed into the water and did not rise again.
Galaeron was already flicking an obsidian sliver into the air. He yelled a word of command, and the sliver grew as long as his arm and began to spin, blurring into a large black disk. It shattered the phaerimm's mirror and severed one of the arms that had been holding the shield. Slicing a tunnel through the root tangle, it vanished.
When the injury did not cause the phaerimm to teleport away, a cold lump formed in Galaeron's stomach. He began to fear that the WarGather had somehow learned of their plans and was already mounting an assault to stop them, but if so, why send only one assailant over the hedge?
Galaeron rolled a thread of shadowsilk into a wad. Before he could speak the mystic word that would expand the tiny orb into a shadow ball, the phaerimm was pelting him with golden darts of Weave magic. When the bolts dissipated harmlessly against the spell-guard Laeral had placed on him, the thornback switched instantly to dispelling magic. The spell-guard began to flicker and flash.
Galaeron hurled his shadow sphere, only to see the phaerimm stick an arm through the net and open an extradimensional portal in its palm. The black orb grew elongated, then curved toward the hand and vanished like a hawk down the gullet of a hungry dragon.
A new flight of magic bolts shot back at Galaeron. The first three dissipated against the flickering spell-guard, but the fourth burned through and sent him tumbling back through the air The fifth and sixth landed, pinning him against the duskblossom hedge and burning thumb-sized holes in his body. Though his phaerimm disguise prevented even him from seeing where they landed, a searing pain shot through his thigh, and his shoulder went numb.
Keya screamed her rage and sent her darksword tumbling past Galaeron's head. The phaerimm raised a hand and deflected the attack with a blast of force.
Takari rose out of the pond beneath it and plunged Kuhl’s darksword up into the thickest part of its body. The thorn-back filled the root thicket with roaring gales of pain and finally teleported away.
Or, rather, tried to teleport away.