"Beautiful, isn't it?"
She gasped and spun around, relieved-pleased-to see Dalamar emerge from the trees. His hood was pulled back, and in the moonlight his face looked pure, almost godlike. "Y-yes. Yes, it is," she agreed.
He was standing very close to her, and she liked that. A little giddy, she turned her back to him and looked back out over the view, dry and still, with bright highlights broken by very murky shadows in the ravines and gullies, all the lower places where the moonlight could not penetrate.
"Nuitari is full tonight," said the elf. "Can you feel him?"
Coryn thought a moment, looking at the vault of the sky. There was a void there, well past its zenith now, and she did sense the invisible presence of the black moon.
"Yes-there, in the west, setting now." She looked to the east, saw the glow of red light beyond the horizon. "And here comes Lunitari, just rising." Earlier in their trek she had learned the names of the moons from Dalamar, and they sounded meaningful and powerful, rolling off her tongue.
"Do you sense the cycles, yet?" he asked.
She thought for a moment. "Nuitari has the shortest, that much I can tell. It seems that Lunitari takes longer, nearly a full month, and Solinari cycles once per month, like the false moon of my childhood."
"Very perceptive. Yes, Nuitari cycles in about eight days. And what does that tell you about the next full moon?"
Coryn did some quick calculations. "Why, Solinari and Nuitari will be full at almost the same time. And Lunitari-I can't tell for sure-will be close."
"Actually, the red moon will be full, too. Eight nights from now, all Krynn will behold the Night of the Eye. It is a fabled time of high magic-of profound power for the wizards of the three moons."
"I can imagine!" Cory declared, almost breathless at the thought. Three full moons on one night! She sighed, taking in the splendor of the scene, marveling at the things she had yet to learn.
Dalamar placed a hand on her shoulder, a hand that felt very warm, understanding… simply wonderful. She welcomed his presence as he took a step forward, welcomed the warmth, the soothing smell, of his soft black robe, and she allowed herself to lean back against him. She felt very grown-up tonight.
They stood in silence for several minutes, watching the moon and the rugged landscape. Dalamar finally spoke.
"There are not many people who can do what you do, you know."
Coryn was startled, simultaneously pleased and puzzled. It sounded like a compliment, but she wasn't entirely sure of his meaning. "What is it that I can do?"
"It seems to me as though you listen very carefully when you hear a magic spell cast. And then you are able to repeat the words yourself. Not just say the words, but cast the spell! I have seen you do that with the magic missile, and I suspect you were doing that with the light spell, also. Without study, reading, training. I don't know anyone who has ever done that."
"Oh, really? Huh! I guess I've always known I was a little different. As a child I could work magic with water, with wood-"
"That was not true magic!" Dalamar interjected, with startling intensity. He turned her around so that he could look at her, his hands on both of her shoulders. Her own palms were against his chest, but she wasn't pushing him away. His eyes burned with something that she didn't understand, and she wanted desperately to understand. But her attention was already drifting. He was so close… so warm. His robe surrounded her with comfortable smells, like spices and a pleasant kind of sweat.
"That was sorcery, wild magic," he explained. "A feeble balm, perhaps, while the moon-gods were gone from the world. I even dabbled in it a bit myself, to fill the time. But you should know that it is a poor relation, weak and corrupt by comparison to the immortal gifts bestowed by Nuitari and his cousins! I have cast it aside, forever, and you should do so, too."
"You're right-I'm sure you're right. I know I should. I guess I've been fortunate. My grandmother had a small spellbook, and I read it after the Night of Two Moons. I found I could understand the words!"
"Remarkable. And still… Jenna doesn't know?" Dalamar asked, shrugging as if the answer meant little to him.
"I… I'm not sure." Coryn knew that she had been furtive where the Red Robe was concerned. "I guess she didn't see the pebble. And I didn't tell her about the magic missile in the bandit camp because, well, maybe because I didn't want to worry her. Didn't you give me that advice?"
That sounded foolish even as she said it, though Dalamar nodded calmly. In fact, she had been hiding her skill from Jenna, for reasons she didn't exactly understand. "I'm sorry-I guess it wasn't very forthright of me."
"Perhaps not," the dark elf said with a smile. "But it was smart. It is best to keep some secrets, when it comes to magic. Jenna is also smart, and she's very wise. But her goals are her own, and she is determined to achieve them. If she thought she could achieve them by sacrificing you, she would."
"No-she wouldn't do that!" Cory argued. "What do I have to do with her goals?"
"You don't know the history of the Red Robes," Dalamar said, not unkindly. "They are ever seeking to serve their own ends. I can't blame her, not very much, anyway. She's the last of her order, and she is desperate to continue that legacy. I suspect she intends to make you her protege, the next Mistress of the Red Robe."
"What!?" Coryn looked flabbergasted, but she was quick with another question. "And what are the Black Robes striving for? What do you want?"
"A fair question. The Black Robes strive to further the glories of magic for our brethren, and for posterity. As for what I want…" He leaned in, his face very close to hers, just a little above. There was a different kind of light in his eyes, now, a very warm and appealing brightness.
Coryn held her breath as his lips closed in, touching hers. She felt a fluttering in her belly as she pressed close to him, relishing his kiss. Her arms were suddenly around him, his chest broad and powerful against hers, and she more than equaled his passion with her returning embrace. She pulled him close, still breathless, and felt that warmth turn to genuine heat.
Abruptly, then, he pulled away from her, roughly breaking the embrace, and in the moonlight the expression of anger that flashed across his face chilled Coryn. He was furious- looking past her, furious with another. The girl gasped and stepped back as Jenna's voice lashed out of the darkness.
"I expected better of you-much better!" she snapped. It was she who had spun Dalamar around. Now she faced her rival, her tone like ice.
Dalamar smiled, almost a smirk. Coryn did not think it was a very attractive expression, nor did she like the vicious tone of his words.
"Haven't you waited a little too long to turn into a prude?" he asked.
Jenna spun to glare at Coryn, her jaw set, the sparks blazing in her eyes. "You silly twit! Did you let him charm you with Black Robe lies?" She turned back to Dalamar, her fury rising. Then she snapped out the command word to another magic spell, one that the girl had heard before.
It was the cone of silence. Once again Jenna was shouting at Dalamar, just a few steps away from her, but Coryn couldn't hear a word she said.
Chapter 13
Call of the Woods
Coryn's emotions churned between embarrassment, humiliation, and anger. She was mortified that Jenna discovered them, had interrupted her and Dalamar at such a precious moment. And she was appalled at the transformation in the dark elf as he turned to acidly confront the Red Robe.