Pool of Radiance (12 page)

Like Tarl, Shal had been up since before dawn, memorizing spells she thought she might need. The last she struggled with was one Ranthor had taught her in recent months, which was called Web of Entrapment. Dipping into the Cloth of Many Pockets, Shal easily found the necessary components for the spell. She smiled, aware once again of how well her master had provided for her. “I hope to make you proud, Ranthor,” she whispered softly.

She donned the fine leathers she had bought yesterday and her cloak, as well. “This mission isn’t what I had in mind, but it will be an adventure,” Shal said aloud, talking half to herself, half to the spirit of her mentor. “My first adventure into the ‘real’ world. I don’t suppose you packed ‘adventure equipment’ into this cloth, did you, Ranthor?” She repeated the words and then reached inside the cloth. Amazing! she thought as she pulled out item after item—a pair of daggers, a rod with a perpetual light at the tip, an odd belt with a seemingly unending array of sheaths and pouches, a leather purse filled with an assortment of common spell components, and a small bag of flour.

“Flour? I can guess what everything else is for, but why the flour?”

Shal reached into the final pocket and found a tiny scroll. She unfurled it and discovered a note written in Ranthor’s fluid script: The Hour is there to reveal what is invisible. You should have known that, Apprentice.

“My teacher, you truly knew me too well. I wish you could meet my two new friends,” she sighed.

Shal took a deep breath and paused for a last moment to prepare mentally for the test she must pass before making her way to Denlor’s tower. She wondered if perhaps Tarl and Ren might help her when—if—they returned from Sokol Keep.

She found perfect stowing places for her spell components, rods, daggers, and magical cloth on the oddly designed belt. Shal held the belt up wistfully before buckling it, aware that it might have gone around her former self twice. Now, she needed to use the last buckle hole. When she’d pulled it snug, she marveled at the fact that it was virtually weightless once it was secured. Finally she practiced drawing the Staff of Power from the magical cloth. The six-foot-tall staff looked more than a little odd coming out of the small square of indigo cloth, but it came easily to her hand every time she asked for it. She almost laughed at the thought of employing the staff or any of her magical items on real enemies. “Yes, Ranthor, this is me, Shal—the same Shal who was afraid of a Burning Hands spell.”

Ren was already in the common room, talking with Sot, when Shal came downstairs. He bit his lip when he saw the way she’d pulled her hair back. A large copper clip lifted her auburn hair off her face, accenting her high, flushed cheekbones, without even beginning to tame the wild red tresses that raged down her back. It was not a style Tempest had ever used, but it was stunning, and it made Ren see Shal for the first time as having a beauty unique to her and not tied up in his memories. “Good morning, Shal. You look wonderful!”

Shal blushed and smiled. “Good morning!” Shal stopped and stood stock still at the bottom of the stairs, staring at Ren. The self-described ranger-thief, whose body had been hidden yesterday in a mangy, baggy tunic and pants held up by a drawstring, was now dressed from head to foot in body-fitting black, oiled leather. His physique was impressive, not at all that of the dumpy barkeep Shal had conversed with the day before. Whereas yesterday Ren’s blond hair had been matted to his head, today it shone a honey gold, cascading smoothly to his shoulders. His blue eyes glimmered, their deep color intensified by the brilliant blue of the gemstones set in the shoulder pads of his black armor. Shal noticed, too, that concealed cleverly on his person was a veritable armory. Strategically stowed for quick access were knives, daggers, two short swords, and several devices Shal couldn’t attempt to name. “I—I hardly recognize you,” she managed to say.

“Me neither,” echoed Sot, eyeing the big man. “Ain’t he a sight, though. I guess I’ll have to be puttin’ up a sign for some new help around here.” His expression changed suddenly as he realized how his words might be interpreted. “Not because you won’t be coming back from the island, of course. I just mean that I… I can see you’ve got more important things to do with yourself than waiting on tables.”

Ren smiled and pulled out a stool for Shal from behind the bar.

Shal smiled, too, touched by Sot’s obvious concern for Ren. Then she shivered suddenly. It was possible, perhaps even likely, that they would be killed. She hadn’t realized that she had been avoiding the thought. She let out a slow breath and turned her mind to more immediate concerns. “Is Tarl here yet?” she asked as she started to sit down.

“Yeah. He just went out for a minute to check on your horse,” Sot replied.

Shal slapped one hand up to her mouth. “Cerulean! Excuse me … I should be seeing to my own horse. I’ll be back in a minute.”

Before Shal even reached the stable, the familiar was bombarding her with snide remarks. Oh, sure, off on an adventure, and you’re going to leave me cooling my heels in this pig sty. No, worse—you’d forgotten you even had a familiar, a faithful magical steed prepared to serve you regardless of the risk….

“Cerulean, I’m sorry. I’ve been so wrapped up in things that I didn’t even think to tell you about the trip I must make. I promise to have the innkeeper tend to you while I’m gone,” Shal said as she approached the huge horse’s stall.

Unnoticed by Shal, Tarl had entered the stable with a sack of corn fodder to spread in the horse’s trough. “Good morning, Shal,” he said, looking at her rather strangely. “Apologizing to your horse now, eh? I gathered yesterday that you were pretty chummy with him, but—”

“But he’s not a horse—” Shal began.

I’m not? Cerulean’s telepathic message interrupted Shal’s thought.

“I mean, he is a horse, but he’s more than that…. Oh, I don’t know what I mean! Could you… could you excuse us for a minute, Tarl?”

Tarl looked oddly at Shal once again and shrugged. Then he turned and headed slowly for the door, muttering all the while. “No problem, whatever, Shal. I don’t rate even so much as a ‘Good morning,’ but the horse gets a moment in private with you. That’s just fine,” he said, obviously a little confused.

As soon as Tarl closed the door, Shal turned to face her familiar. “You can’t come, Cerulean,” she insisted. “We’re taking a boat. We’ll probably have to scale walls. There’s no place to—”

No place to put me? Have you forgotten your legacy from Ranthor already? Not that I like being put in that thing, mind you. As I said before, it’s awfully dark in there. But if I’m not with you, I can’t possibly warn you of any danger, can I?

Shal threw up her hands. So much for feeling on top of things. How forgetful could she be? She pulled the Cloth of Many Pockets from her belt and held it out toward Cerulean. “So how do we go about this? For some reason I seem to have trouble picturing a great big horse like you jumping into one of these tiny little pockets.”

Just stand back and watch!

Shal opened the stall gate and backed up against the stable wall, holding out the small piece of cloth. To her horror, the giant horse began to paw the ground, then charged toward her, its ears flat against its head and its nostrils flaring. Just as she was certain she would be smashed against the wall, Cerulean reared, dived, and poured like so much liquid into one of the pockets in the cloth.

I hate doing that. I hope you can see why now. The familiar’s mental communication was muffled slightly by the cloth.

You hate it! I’m amazed Ranthor didn’t die of a heart attack long ago! I hope your entrances into the outside world are a bit less dramatic. By the way, can you get out of there if I don’t summon you?”

You would have to ask that. Indeed I can—as long as you don’t tell me I can’t.

Shal looked down at the indigo cloth as she tucked it back into place inside her belt. She was about to reply again when she realized how foolish she must look— would look—if anyone were watching her, so she decided to try her hand at telepathy. I won’t tell you you can’t, but rest assured that if I find you in my lap at some awkward moment, you’ll be back in the dark until further notice. Understand?

Quite clear, Mistress.

And don’t sneer when you say that word! Shal knew her telepathic thought hit home when the familiar, for once, didn’t try to have the last word.

Tarl and Ren were just sitting down to breakfast with Sot when Shal came back. “Save any for me?” she asked, her appetite sparked as she entered to the smell of hot biscuits and porridge.

Sot looked on with a bemused smile as Tarl and Ren stumbled over each other to pull out a stool for Shal, but the young mage didn’t even notice. She was too worried about how to seat her much-enlarged frame down gracefully on the quaint stool. She wondered as she watched Tarl and Ren resume their seats how men could always sit down without looking awkward, no matter how big they were.

Tarl poured her a cup of milk and offered her the biscuits.

Ren leaned forward and began to speak eagerly. “Sot here says he had a grandfather who was doing guard duty at Sokol Keep during the time of the Dragon Run.”

Sot interrupted. “He was a guard there at the time, but he wasn’t on duty when the dragons struck. Otherwise, he never coulda given this to my dad.” So saying, Sot pulled a heavy bronze medallion out from beneath his shirt.

Tarl sucked in his breath as he saw the bronze piece. Quickly he plunked down the bowl of porridge he was handing to Shal, nearly spilling it, and extended his hand out toward Sot. “May I see that, please?”

“Sure.” Sot lifted the thick chain up over his head and handed the medallion across the table to Tarl.

“Do you know what this medallion is?” Tarl asked excitedly, running his fingers over its embossed surface and examining the inscriptions on either side of it.

Sot shook his head. “Why, no … I never did find out what that symbol on it stood for. It’s just somethin’ I’ve held on to since I was a kid ‘cause my dad told me it was from my granddad.”

“It’s a special holy symbol of Tyr, the god I serve.” Tarl pulled out his own holy symbol and held the two up next to each other for comparison. The icon depicted on the front of each—a war hammer topped by a scale—was identical, but the runes were different. “Your grandfather must have been a cleric of Tyr. But he was in a sect that I’ve only heard about. They were said to have been very devout in their faith.”

“All I know is that my father always said Granddad was a guard at Sokol Keep. I guess I’d heard that there’d been a temple at the keep, but I never knew my grandfather was connected with it.” Sot pointed at the medallion. “Would that medal be of any use to you, seein’ as how you’re a cleric and all?”

Tarl’s heart leaped. “Absolutely! The power of my god flows through such holy symbols. They help protect the wearer.”

“Well, seein’ as how you’re the ones going off to a place that’s supposed to be overrun by ghosts an’ spirits, why don’t you take it? You can give it back to me if you—when you come back.” As he spoke, Sot reached out and folded Tarl’s hand over the medallion.

“Thank you most heartily!” Tarl said sincerely. “I’ll put this to good use.”

“Now, don’t be gettin’ mushy on me, young fella. You’ve got devils to face, and the town guards’ll be throwin’ you to ‘em if you don’t get a move on. You’d all best be goin’ before they have to come for you.” Sot shooed the three out the door and called out to wish them luck as they started down the street.

Driven by nervous energy, the three quickly made their way to the city’s docks. The shoreline was crowded with vendors selling wares from incoming shipments, and the docks were lined with boats and small ships. The water of the Moonsea and the southeastern edge of the Bay of Phlan was a brilliant tourmaline blue. To the east, the waters of the Stojanow belched into the bay, spreading their putrid stench into the bright, clear water.

No one had to tell the three where Thorn Island was. It was easily visible from the shore, and they could see why merchants sailed wide to avoid it. A dark shadow hung over the small, bleak island. It was as if, as they turned their heads to scan the horizon, someone dropped a translucent black scarf over their faces just as the island came into view. Almost as ominous were the charred walls of Sokol Keep itself, which jutted up, gray and desolate-looking, from the low slate cliffs that made up the island’s shoreline.

“That councilman did say something about a reward in this for us if we bring back information that helps them to recover the island, didn’t he?” Ren asked.

“Personally, if we ever return from that place, the only reward I want is to serve Tyr,” said Tarl looking out at the blot of desolation defiling the bay.

Shal stared at the fortress with a mixture of fear and curiosity. “My master told me about such places—places enveloped in such darkness that they appear shadowed even in bright sunlight. He said it was almost always a sign that there were undead existing in torment.”

Tarl blanched at the word “undead.” He would rather face an army of orcs than another specter or wraith … or vampire. “Shal, I want you to wear this.” Tarl held out the medallion he had received from Sot. “I have my own holy symbol. I can probably protect Ren for a little while if we face any undead, but I don’t have the skills to keep them away from both of you. I don’t know how good you are at your magic, but with a holy symbol of Tyr protecting you, you should be even safer.”

Shal removed the chain from Tarl’s hand and looped it loosely around her neck. “Thank you, Tarl” she said softly.

“C’mon, you two,” urged Ren. “If we’re not prepared for the worst now, we never will be.” Ren’s eyes scanned the docks, searching for a boat for hire. He didn’t expect to find anyone who would take them to Thorn Island. If they knew the destination, there might be precious few who’d be willing to even let them rent a boat. In fact, Ren fully expected that they might have to buy a boat outright.

Ten inquiries and an hour later, Ren finally found a crusty old boatman willing to part with a decrepit rowboat. “You’ll get your five silvers deposit returned when I get my boat back,” he cackled. The gnarly old man threw his head back and laughed hard. “But I won’t expect to be seein’ it ag’in till I get to the Abyss!” he called, laughing even harder.