By this time, all in the group had risen from their chairs and were staring at Teldin. He absently toyed with his bronze amulet. " 'I'm sorry.' That's all the elves can say?"
Stardawn was silent. If Teldin had been paying attention, he would have noticed the anger smoldering inside the elf s eyes at the human's temerity to mock an elven commander.
Teldin said suddenly, "Then we go anyway."
The spell was broken. Na'Shee smiled and adjusted her heavy belt, hung with weaponry. CassaRoc stood prouder and nodded once. "There we go," he said.
"Wait," Stardawn said. "Your courage is admirable," he said quickly, "but you cannot defeat the shivaks. I've been in there myself, exploring," he said quickly. "I've fought them and lost. For every man you have, two or three shivaks will appear. You have no chance."
It was Djan's turn to speak. "We have the Cloakmaster. It is his destiny to seek the adytum. We will be victorious. We must be."
This was not working properly, Stardawn knew. They were supposed to turn back, facing unbeatable opponents. Of course, he could let them go on and face defeat, but what if, just what if they were to beat the shivaks?
Then the cloak would never be his. And the Spelljammer would be denied to the elves, the natural rulers of the universe, and, most importantly, to him.
"Then," Stardawn said carefully, with just enough theatrics j to make them believe him, "the high command be damned. I will go with you. If," he added, "you'll have me."
CassaRoc watched Teldin cautiously. The Cloakmaster smiled and looked into Stardawn's eyes. His hand was held to his chest, as though he were gaining warmth from the glowing symbol. "You are welcome to accompany us, Stardawn. We can certainly use your expertise."
Stardawn turned. "I will prepare myself for battle," he said. "I'll return shortly."
The group watched him go.
"I'm not sure that elf can be trusted," CassaRoc confided.
Teldin said slowly, "I'm sure he cannot." The pattern on his chest glowed even brighter. Teldin stared into the shadows where Stardawn had disappeared. "But this is the way it was meant to be. One of us will not return."
The silence lay heavy in the antechamber while the warriors pondered Teldin's prediction.
"Would you be kind enough to explain that?" CassaRoc finally asked.
"I wish I could. Stardawn is supposed to be with us, this I know. And… we must accept the decree of fate."
They watched him without commenting, then stood silently until Stardawn returned, well armed and suited for battle. He led them from the audience chamber to a small door off a central corridor. Other elves were busy there, hardly noticing the humans. They carried their brethren, wounded and bloody from the battles outside, on stretchers and in their arms.
Stardawn unlocked a wooden door with an ancient iron key, and the door slowly creaked open. Beyond, a staircase covered with dust led down into the darkness. "No one goes through here much," Stardawn admitted. "I was the last that I know of, almost a year ago."
The group entered the stairwell, and the elf closed the door. He took a light rod from a shelf. "First we go down. This leads to the lowest level, and that leads to a staircase up to the battlement. We won't need the lights outside. Besides, from what I saw, the Armory is lit by the Spelljammer's light panels. We'll have no trouble seeing once we get inside."
They filed down the narrow staircase and gathered at the bottom. Stardawn unlocked the door and led them into an old storage area.
"This way," Stardawn said, and he led them between piles of dusty crates and casks of murky liquids to an ancient hidden door. He unlocked this one with another iron key and ushered them through. The chamber beyond also was used for storage, but the boxes and urns stacked across one wall seemed forgotten and were layered with a thick patina of dust. In one corner, a spiral staircase twisted up into darkness. Stardawn held up the light rod. "Not very far," he smiled, "only twenty five floors to go."
Teldin paused. This level, this room, of the elven command seemed familiar to him, though he had never been here. The smell of ancient dust, the feel of the wooden door, the sound of the lock being opened-I know this, he thought. He cocked his head and turned his thoughts inward. How do I know this place?
Stardawn took the first step onto the staircase, then stopped as a subtle noise echoed from somewhere behind them. As one, the warriors turned.
"Just a rat," Stardawn said. "The ship is infested with them."
"CassaRoc said warily, "A rat? A living rat?"
"Not a rat," Teldin insisted, "alive or dead." He started toward the wall hidden by crates. The decapitated head's message! he thought suddenly. He gritted his teeth. The entrance to the warrens is here!
"Help me with these crates," he told them.
His friends shrugged and started forward. Stardawn came over, anger flaring on his pale elven face. "Why do you want to find a rat?"
"It is not a rat I seek," the Cloakmaster said. "There is something more here. And it was no rat we heard."
They piled the boxes against the opposite wall. Some were so old that the wood had rotted through, and they fell into dust and splinters when held too tightly. Finally, near the floor, Teldin spied what he had hoped would be here. "Yes," he said, "it is here."
With a flurry of energy, Teldin shoved the other crates and jars aside. He stood and stared for a moment as the others crowded around him.
The doors in the floor were wooden, sealing a circular entrance of some sort. Heavy boxes had been placed atop it some time in the dim past.
"In the elven warrens,' the thing told me." Teldin glanced over his shoulder. His friends had not seen Coh's zombie slave. "In Coh's quarters. He had a zombie head that told me Coh had come here."
"No one has been through this door for a long time," Star-dawn again admitted.
"No, but he is close, in a lair near here. Can you not feel his evil?" Teldin opened the doors.
The others said nothing. Chaladar grunted, for he could feel the coldness on his arms and smell it emanating from the entrance. "Aye, I feel it."
Na'Shee shivered. Estriss said, There is powerful magic down there.
The amulet glowed again, and Teldin felt its warmth ripple through his chest. The entrance to the warrens beckoned darkly, and he thought of Cwelanas, her soft laughter, the sadness behind her eyes.
No longer. She has been through too much.
"I'm going to get her."
Stardawn came up beside Chaladar and asked him what all this was about. Chaladar quickly, quietly explained about Cwelanas's kidnapping. Stardawn remained silent, but inside he felt joyous. If the Cloakmaster were to die in the warrens, then he could never make it to his precious adytum with his cloak.
"What are we going to do?" Stardawn asked, his tone level. "We shouldn't leave her with the Fool…"
"Cloakmaster," Na'Shee said, "I know you care for her, but if you find the adytum, there is no telling what might happen."
"True," Teldin said, "but the Fool still works his dark magic, and his undead still roam the ship. Maybe the Spelljammer can't do anything about the Fool's evil. Perhaps its up to me. Perhaps I have no choice."
"Perhaps we have no choice," Stardawn said. "If you go to find her, I'm coming with you."
"As will I," Na'Shee said.
Djan and CassaRoc agreed. Teldin pointed at the tunnel with his sword. "They're somewhere down there, down in the warrens. Are you sure you still want to go with me?"
CassaRoc answered. "We have lights. We have weapons. What more could we ask for?"
"Less powerful enemies," Teldin said.