"Trouble." Khelben glowered.
The pipe floated out of Elminster's mouth to hang hovering beside his lips. "Trouble is always afoot," he said. "Could ye be a bit more specific?"
"These Knights of Myth Drannor," the Blackstaff said. "Or to be more specific, the two self-made Zhentarim ghosts clinging to them."
"Horaundoon and the one who calls himself Old Ghost," Elminster said. "The elements that-aside from your connection to these adventurers and therefore Vangerdahast's desire to be rid of them in somewhat indecent haste-make the Knights of more interest to the Realms than any other band of bumbling novice adventurers."
"Ah…precisely."
Elminster smiled, nodded, and acquainted himself with his pipe again. Waiting patiently.
Khelben glared across the old stone table into those mocking blue-gray eyes, started to speak-and paused to tap the table with a forefinger. He looked up from that finger like a lion lunging forward with a roar and said, "What do you know of these two Zhents?"
"They are, or were, Zhentarim mages of some accomplishment. Now able to pass into and possess the living, otherwise very much like wraiths, they're in hiding, pursuing unknown aims. Formerly at odds, they now seem to be working together. They've established links of some sort with the Knights and seem able to appear at will wherever those adventurers may be. Ye know more?"
"No," Khelben admitted, still glowering.
"So are we met, here and now, so ye can argue with me how to handle the Knights and these two Zhent wraiths?"
"Well, no, no… Yes."
Elminster sat back and sighed. "Progress," he told his pipe as it floated out of his mouth once more. Then he locked gazes with Khelben again and said, "Suppose ye say what it is ye want to do-and want me to do and not to do-so we can get on to the shouting and blustering without further delay, hmm?"
"Elminster Aumar," Khelben asked, "can't you take one Lady-damned thing seriously?"
The Old Mage acquired a look of amazed horror. "What? After all these years? With all the sanity that would require?"
"Indeed," Khelben agreed heavily. "And as I know you're the sanest of us all and that there are just the two of us here, can you please drop the capering clowning long enough to discuss this properly? For once?"
"Well," Elminster said quietly, "so long as 'tis just this once…"
"Thank you." The Blackstaff seemed to gather both breath and thoughts for a moment, then said, "I believe these two Zhents are far more than just mere nuisance wizards. Each of them-Old Ghost in particular-poses a great and steadily growing threat. They must be destroyed, whatever the cost." The Blackstaff cleared his throat. "I can see to that, but I need something from you: Your commitment to stand back from the Knights, whatevet happens, so I can have a free hand in dealing with Horaundoon and Old Ghost. If it costs the lives of these young adventurers, then so be it. I need you out of Shadowdale and not meddling in the doings of the Knights until those two wraiths-and I believe they're far more than that, now- are dealt with. Then, if some Knights have survived, by all means rush in and seek to salvage them."
Khelben stopped talking, and silence fell.
"So," he asked, after sraring across the table at his fellow Chosen for some time, "have we agreement on this?" "No," Elminster said cheerfully. Silence fell again.
The Blackstaff sighed. "Care to be, in your words, more specific?"
The Old Mage nodded and said quietly, "Thy first two sentences regarding the nature and potential of the two Zhents-or former Zhents-I agree with. As usual, however, we disagree entirely on what to do and how to proceed."
"So your preference in this matter would be…?"
Elminster's smoking pipe drifted to his mouth, but he waved it away. "I prefer to continue as I have been: I will watch over the Knights myself and as much as possible leave Horaundoon and Old Ghost alone for now, to see what they do. For one thing, after a brief disappearance during which I could find no trace of them, they seem to be slaughtering Zhentarim as fast as they can, without resorting to an open assault on the entire Brotherhood, or darting about hunting down lesser, far-flung Zhent agents. And anything that reaps Zhents so energetically is something I don't want to hamper. Nor have I any desire to stand back from the Knights."
"So you cleave to your whimsical meddling," the Blackstaff snapped, "because it's the style you prefer. Leaving threats that could and should be dealt with now, before they can do more damage to the reputation of all who work with the Art-and before they can claim more lives of mages, however evil and selfish the motives and aims of such victims. In other words, you stray from the very tasks Our Lady has set for us and defy Her will."
"I do nothing of the sort," Elminster replied mildly. "Ye prefer one style, and I another. Ye seek to cloak thy preferred style in the mantle of 'right' and 'holy to Mystra,' and deem mine to be disobedient straying. I reject thy judgment-and have my own good reasons for doing so." A faint smile rose to his lips. "Ye'll have to do better, Lord Mage of Waterdeep. Try again."
Khelben rose, tall and black and terrible, and stood glowering across the table. "This is not a game, Elminster. This is the future of the very world around us. I believe these two wraith-spirits to be that powerful or that they'll soon become so. I did not come here to fence clever words with you. That game you can always best me at, as I seek to cling to truths and consequences, and you ever seek ro redefine and mock and introduce irrelevancies." The Blackstaff leaned forward. "So let us do this differenrly. For once. If I agree to let Horaundoon and Old Ghost continue to exist for now, so we can witness more of their villainies and hopefully learn something, you depart from Shadowdale and your oversight of the Knights. Leaving them to flourish or perish on their own, without meddling from any of us. And if needs be they serve as lures for the two wraith-spirits and suffer the consequences, so be it." He let silence return and after it had deepened asked, "So, can we find agreement on that?"
"No," Elminster said quietly, "I'm afraid not."
"Afraid? Afraid of what?"
"Afraid my refusal to agree to thy terms will widen the rift between us and weaken our shared service to Mystra. I feel no animosity toward ye, Arunsun. I hope ye can hold none for me, despite the irritation my manner awakens in ye, and thy great flaw."
"My great flaw," Khelben repeated flatly.
"Indeed. Thy habit of mistaking thy decisions and preferences for the 'right' ones, and anyone who disagrees with ye as a foe."
Khelben regarded his fellow Chosen in expressionless silence for a moment and then said heavily, "So when these Knights reach Shadowdale-and they will reach Shadowdale, under your vigilant guardianship-they'll find you there waiting for them."
"I fear so, though I promise ye I'll do my level best to hide from them."
"Why? What is so important about staying in that small, dust-filled dump of a tower in Shadowdale?"
"Mystra's will," Elminster said. "It brought me there, and it compels me to remain."
"Why?"
"Ask Her, son of Arielimnda. On this matter, I will say no more."
"Oh?" Khelben's eyes flashed fire, and he turned and strode across the chamber, black robes swirling. "So now you presume to decide what I am to be told and not told? As if I am your lackey.'"
"It is the same presumption you make, Blackstaff," Elminster said, "when dealing with your fellow Harpers."
"But they are lackeys," Khelben told the wall, then turned back to meet Elminster's gaze and added gruffly, "That was a jest, mind. I-"
"We all presume to share and withhold news and lore, as we see fit," the Old Mage interrupted. " 'Tis something Chosen do. Yet misunderstand me not, Khel. Mystra hath ordered my silence on this. If it gnaws at ye not to know, yet ye prefer not to ask her, then take solace in the lesser reasons: I, SyluneI and Storm are a small cluster of rocks 'gainst the waves of Zhent expansion, and my tower is where it is to be adjacent to a divine breach in the Weave that can be hedged about with items of power I store and guard there. Moreover, it stands close to a way through which the dark elves can at any time surge up into the surface lands."