“Caution is the word,” Govin replied. “Falrinth may still be lurking around here.”
“Or some more of his pets,” Elmo added from the back of the group.
The first door they passed through led to what appeared to be the half-orc’s chamber. It was furnished with a simple cot, a table with a chair and bench, and a wardrobe. The walls, however, were decorated with various sorts of unusual weapons, mostly wicked-looking daggers—the tools of an assassin. The group spent some time poking around the place, turning up a few gems and small pieces of jewelry, as well as some vials of thick poison in the wardrobe.
Once they were done, they moved across the hall to the door through which the wizard had arrived. The chamber beyond was obviously Falrinth’s lair. The walls were lined with shelves, each of which was laden with books, scrolls, stuffed and mummified animals, and so forth. In addition, there was a small bed, a writing table, some cabinets, and a second door leading out. A cloak with many strange runes hung upon a peg near that second door, and next to it was a piece of parchment with more odd symbols. Attached to the far wall was another sheet of parchment, this one larger. It seemed to be a map of some sort. Of the wizard himself, there was no sign.
Govin led the way into the room, and Shanhaevel called softly, “Careful, Govin. Wizards are known for their fondness for magical traps. Don’t touch anything until I have a chance to examine it first.”
Nodding, the knight continued in, cautiously, followed by the rest of the group. Everyone fanned out, checking for signs of possible danger.
When they were certain that the wizard truly was gone, the members of the Alliance relaxed. Shanhaevel moved to examine the cloak and the parchment with the runes near the door. The cloak seemed plain enough, just elaborately decorated, so he moved over to the parchment.
As the elf read, he heard Govin say, “Remember, Ahleage, the wizard said not to touch—”
At that very instant, Shanhaevel’s eyes roamed over a symbol he immediately realized as magical. Unfortunately, the very act of reading the sigil triggered its effect.
A powerful explosion knocked Shanhaevel backward, engulfing him in a blast of searing flame as he fell to the floor. The explosion was over in an instant, but Shanhaevel was in agony, his face burned and his eyes blinded. He clawed at the burns and realized a heartbeat later that his throat was going hoarse from screaming.
Suddenly, there was cooling relief. The pain faded, and as he pulled his hands back from his eyes, Shanhaevel found that he could see again. The first sight that greeted him was Shirral’s face, creased with worry, looming over his own.
“Are you all right?” she asked, her voice tremulous.
Shanhaevel nodded, not trusting himself to speak.
“I didn’t do it,” Ahleage was saying, somewhere nearby. “I didn’t touch a thing.”
Shanhaevel smiled slightly as he tried to move up into a sitting position. Shirral gave him a hand and rocked back to give the wizard some room. “You didn’t do it, Ahleage,” he said. “I did it myself.”
“See!” Ahleage said adamantly. “I told you!”
“That may be,” Govin replied, “but I saw you about to—”
“All right, all right,” Elmo interrupted. “Shanhaevel seems fine, so let’s quit arguing over who actually triggered it.”
“Hey,” Shanhaevel said, standing. “I said it was me. And I didn’t touch it. Don’t read anything in here. That’s how it was triggered. Don’t even look at that map until I get a chance to check it for more runes.”
“Are you sure you’re whole again?” Govin asked.
“Yes,” Shanhaevel replied. “I’m all right.” He looked at Shirral, who smiled back, but her worry lines were still evident.
“That, however, was the last of my healing power,” Shirral said. “So we must stop and rest, soon, so I can meditate and pray.”
“We should at least check this other door,” Govin argued. “If Falrinth is still around, I’d rather face him now than when he’s had time to heal and regain his spells.”
“I agree,” Shanhaevel added, “and I do want to examine that map, first.”
“Are you kidding?” Ahleage said. “You almost had your head blown off from the last thing you examined.”
“I’ll be all right,” Shanhaevel responded. “I know what to look for, now. I’ll need a mirror. Look around and see if there’s one anywhere in here.”
The group searched the place, but no one could find a reflecting glass anywhere, so Shanhaevel reluctantly agreed to leave the map for later. “I hope it’s still here,” he said wistfully.
Leaving the map behind, the group turned its attention to the door. After allowing Ahleage a chance to examine it for possible traps, Govin opened it. Beyond the portal was a small workroom, obviously the wizards laboratory. Beakers, bottles, and tomes covered a table in the center of the room, while more shelves along the walls were filled with wands, staves, and rods of all sizes and shapes. Again, Falrinth himself was nowhere to be found.
Shanhaevel’s eyes almost bulged out of his head. “Boccob!” he muttered, looking around the chamber. “Look at this horde!”
Elmo whistled. “Is all of this magical?” he asked, pointing to the various items on the walls.
Shanhaevel nodded, scarcely able to speak. “I imagine so,” he said, “but there’s no way to tell for sure without some divination, and I just don’t have any more of that spell left. Look around for Falrinth’s spellbooks. They might be here somewhere, too.” The elf’s face felt hot from his excitement. “Remember, just look. Don’t touch anything.”
“Maybe we can find a mirror in here,” Shirral suggested.
“Good idea,” Draga replied.
The group spread out and searched the place. Shanhaevel was almost giddy with excitement as he examined in detail the various devices on the shelves and worktable. What a mother lode, he thought. With this kind of magical power, I could be—
“Here’s one,” Ahleage said, pointing to an item on the other end of the table, careful not to touch it.
Shanhaevel hurried to see what he had found. It was a small polished mirror. The elf carefully picked it up, even as Ahleage practically dived under the table to get away from any impending blasts.
“Take it easy!” Shanhaevel chuckled. “No wizard is going to trap a mirror.”
“I don’t care,” Ahleage said as he rose, wide-eyed, from the floor. “Standing too close to you when you mess with things appears to be dangerous.”
Shanhaevel just smiled and pocketed the mirror.
“Why would a wizard keep all of his best magic stored away in here, rather than with him?” Elmo asked, looking around. “You’d think he’d want to use all of this stuff.”
Shanhaevel frowned, for the axeman’s words made sense. If this were mine, the elf thought, I wouldn’t keep it stored away. In fact, if I had been Falrinth, I would have had at least two or three of those wands with me out there in the hallway.
“Good point, Elmo. Very good point.”
“So, what are you saying?” Ahleage asked.
“This place seems to have been a little too easy to find,” Shanhaevel replied. “Maybe we were supposed to find it.” His heart was sinking. Of course Falrinth wouldn’t leave all of his prized possessions just sitting out like this. I’m a fool to think he would. His true treasure trove must be hidden somewhere else. “Come on, let’s at least get that map.”
Shanhaevel led everyone back out into the main room. Standing with his back to the map, he scanned its contents through the mirror, looking for more of the magical sigils that he knew would trigger an explosion. Sure enough, they were there.
Damn, the wizard thought. Falrinth was quite the protective fellow.
Shanhaevel put the mirror away, removed the map from the wall, and rolled it up. As he did so, an oddity in the stonework caught his attention. Looking more closely, he found a continuous crack running up the wall. Following it with his eye, Shanhaevel realized he was looking at another secret door.