Crown of Fire - Ed Greenwood [33]
Wise enough to ally itself with strength and come drifting down the dark night streets of Zhentil Keep to this meeting-at a time when its lesser brethren were keeping Manshoon and Sarhthor busy in another meeting, elsewhere. Wise enough not to trust the man standing alone before him in the dark room.
"Greetings returned to you, Fzoul Chembryl," it said in a deep yet hissing voice. "You know why I have come." "I do. Spellfire, and our plans to seize it." Fzoul paused. "I presume you don't want to listen to me speak of all our failures thus far?"
"You presume correctly. Begin, if you will, with the passage of the spellfire wielder through Thunder Gap." Fzoul nodded. "At the Gap, Shandril Shessair fought the most powerful dracolich known to exist, Shargrailar the Dark-and destroyed it. This act officially ended any pursuit of spellfire by the Cult of the Dragon. We know of six Cult agents who continued to pursue Shandril after the council met in Ordulin. One, Thiszult, disappeared at Thunder Gap, and we presume him to have perished by spellfire.
Another, Ghaubhan Szaurr, commands a large permanent force in the Stonelands too large and skilled for us to eliminate at will, so we have suffered it to remain and harry the patrols of Cormyr for us.
Szaurr will become a factor only if Shandril travels into his grasp. The other four have been eliminated by members of the Brotherhood."
The beholder kept cold silence.
Fzoul cleared his throat and went on. "Our efforts to seize spellfire by magical force have failed repeatedly due to the power of spellfire and the intervention of others, including Elminster of Shadowdale, the Knights of Myth Drannor, Harper agents, and powerful archmages unfamiliar to us, whom we assume to have been acting for their personal gain. The known Thayan agents in Sembia did hear of spellfire, but either acted through the Cult or were eliminated by us."
Fzoul took two slow steps and raised his hand. A glowing map of the Dragon Reach lands, from the Marsh of Tun to the Vast Swamp, and the Neck north as far as the Ride, began to form in the air. It was as large as the beholder that regarded it and pulsed with red, moving lines of light at Fzoul's bidding.
"Our magical failures have led us to the conclusion that either creative uses of Art, or new spells, or both are necessary to deal effectively with spellfire. So for the first time we have thrown the Zhentilar into the hunt in force. The former Cult stronghold at Semberhome, and the old bandit keeps of Alarangh and Tossril, south of the East Way and just east of Thunder Gap-here and here-are bases for our troops. Their open presence will goad both Cormyr and Sembia to arms to protect their borders and keep the trade roads open, so they have been instructed to act only in emergencies, when the prize is worth the cost." Fzoul paused to catch the beholder's gazes directly. "spellfire," he added quietly, "was considered a prize worth any cost."
"Let us hope those words do not haunt you overmuch," the beholder replied, its deep voice sounding slightly wry.
Fzoul shrugged and went on. "From these strongholds, two groups of mounted lancers with crossbows set out. Twenty from Alarangh, and sixty from Tossril. The force from Alarangh passed through the Gap only a few days ago and caught up with Shandril-who is accompanied by a dwarf and her husband, a mage of no account, immediately."
"She destroyed them," said the beholder.
"Aye, with spellfire. It revealed clear limits to the energy she can wield. She collapsed when she had routed them-and her companions fled with her to the hamlet of Thundarlun, where there was