Amber and Blood - Margaret Weis [40]
A man clad in sumptuous black robes walked across the wet sand. The man’s moon-round face was pallid with fury, his eyes cold and glinting. Mina grabbed hold of Rhys’s hand. Atta slunk behind Rhys and Nightshade deemed it prudent to return to the Hall. The man’s wrathful gaze skipped over all of them, rested briefly on Mina, then landed full force on the wizards.
Caele saw what was coming and began to blubber.
“Master Nuitari, it wasn’t my fault! Basalt forced me to come—”
“I forced you!” Basalt began, but his shout made his head hurt and he moaned. “Don’t believe him, Master. It was that mongrel elf—”
The moon face contorted in rage. Nuitari stretched forth his hand, and the two wizards vanished.
The God of the Dark Moon turned to Rhys. “My apologies, Monk of Majere. These two will not bother you again.”
Rhys bowed.
“Excuse me, Nuitari,” Nightshade called from the safety of the doorway, “to make up for the fact that your wizards tried to kill us, could you get rid of the Beloved? I don’t mean to complain, but they’ve invaded your tower and they won’t let us leave.”
“This is no longer my tower,” Nuitari replied and, with a cold glance at Mina, he disappeared.
“Then who was keeping them at bay?” Nightshade asked, perplexed.
“Probably Mina,” said Rhys. “She just didn’t know it.”
Nightshade grumbled something unintelligible, then said, “So what do we do about the Beloved?”
“As long as Mina is with us, I don’t think the Beloved will harm us,” Rhys said.
“And what happens when Mina tries to leave?”
“I don’t know, my friend,” Rhys said. “We must have faith that—”
He paused, his eyes narrowed. “Nightshade, where did you get that golden pin?”
“I didn’t take it,” the kender said promptly.
“I’m sure you didn’t intend to take it,” Rhys hinted. “I imagine you found it lying on the floor—”
“—where a god dropped it?” Nightshade grinned at him. “I didn’t steal it, Rhys. Honest. Mina gave it to me.”
He looked down with pride at the grasshopper. “Remember when Majere sent the hoppers to save me? I think it’s his way of saying thank you.”
“He’s telling the truth,” Mina volunteered. “The god wanted him to have it. Just like the gods wanted me to have my gifts for Goldmoon. Which reminds me, could you carry them for me?” Mina held the two artifacts them out to Rhys. “I’m afraid I’ll lose them.”
“Whatever you do,” Nightshade warned, “don’t put on the necklace!”
“I think Goldmoon will like them,” Mina continued, handing first the crystal pyramid, then the necklace, to Rhys. “When the gods left, Goldmoon told me she was very sad. Even though years and years had passed, she still missed the gods. I promised her I would find the gods and bring them back to her. And I did.”
Mina smiled, pleased with herself.
Rhys shivered. Mina had not found a god. The god, Takhisis, had found her. Takhisis lied to Mina and corrupted her and made her a slave of darkness when she should have been rejoicing in the light. Had Mina been an unwitting victim, or had she known right from wrong and deliberately chosen the darkness? And now, was she blotting out the memories, trying to forget the terrible crimes she had committed? Or had she truly forgotten? Was this play acting? Or was it madness?
Perhaps even Mina did not know the answer. Perhaps that was why she going to Godshome. And he was to make this strange journey with her, guard her, guide her, protect her.
Rhys placed the artifacts—the prism and the necklace—in his scrip. If anyone discovered he was carrying such valuable treasures, he and those with him would be in deadly peril. He thought of saying something to Mina and Nightshade, warning them that they must keep the artifacts secret. He discarded that idea, decided the less fuss he made over them the better. Hopefully, both kender and child would forget about them.
That is exactly what Mina appeared to do. Now that she was free of her burden, she began to tease Nightshade, asking him with a giggle if he’d like to go swimming again. When he said loudly, “No!” she punched him in the arm and called him a baby, and he punched her in the