Curse of the Shadowmage - Mark Anthony [113]
"Not so fast," Caledan growled, taking a faltering step forward.
"What is this?" Serafi's sepulchral voice driped venom. "A feeble, half-mad invalid would challenge me! Faugh! I have nothing to fear from you, Caldorien. Even I can see that you are without power now. Your shadow magic is gone."
"Really?" Caledan said dangerously. "You're awfully confident of that."
The hot flames of Serafi's eyes flickered. "A pact is a pact," the dark spirit shrieked. "The mage is mine!"
"You're wrong," Caledan countered. He seemed ill no longer. An aura of dark majesty surrounded him. This man had been, however briefly, the King of Shadows. "Morhion belongs to all of us, and bargain or no bargain I'm not going to let you take him."
Before the spectral knight could react, Caledan whistled sharp notes of music. A rift appeared in the air around him, like a dark wound in the fabric of the world. "You wish to experience a new plane of existence, Serafi?" Caledan thundered. "Then how about the deepest pits of the Abyss?"
As the others watched in awe, Caledan thrust his arms above his head. Tatters of shadow streamed out of the rift to coil around the spectral knight. Serafi howled in fury. Above, engulfed by strands of shadow, Serafi began to spin turning faster and faster, until his form was a black blur.
"No!" the spectral knight's voice screeched pitifully. "This cannot be!" Like foul water spinning down a drain, the cyclone emptied into the rift. Serafi's voice became a terrified wail. "But he made a pact-" His words were cut short as the rift closed with a clap of thunder.
Caledan collapsed to the ground. Morhion dashed to him and picked Caledan up, shocked at how light his friend was, as if he were merely the husk of a man.
Caledan coughed weakly, leaning against the mage. "Well, the spirit was right about one thing," he croaked. "I think that was the last of my shadow magic. It's gone now I know it." Mari and Ferret approached quietly. "Something tells me I owe you a great deal, friend." Caledan continued to Morhion. "Perhaps more than I can know. I hope now you can consider that debt repaid."
"I have never sought repayment, my friend," Morhion said intently. "But I do thank you." Ferret looked around. "Hey, where did that kid go?"
"I'm here!" Kellen cried, bounding off the last few steps of the staircase that wound up the outside of the pinnacle. "I had to get something we left up by the throne."
"What is it?" Mari asked, kneeling beside the boy. "This, " Kellen held out his hand. In it was a star-shaped piece of metal attached to a silvery chain. The Shadowstar. It had cooled and solidified once more.
Mari took in a sharp breath. "I thought it was destroyed!"
"Don't worry, Mari," Kellen said solemnly. "I'll keep it safe."
Carefully, the boy slipped the medallion around his neck. The Shadowstar gleamed dully against his tunic, looking like an ordinary piece of jewelry. Mari cast a frightened glance at Morhion. Almost imperceptibly, the mage shook his head. If there was anywhere on the face of Toril that the Shadowstar was truly safe, it was with this strange and powerful child. Smiling, Kellen reached up and gripped Caledan's hand.
"Can we go home now?" he asked.
Epilogue
One of the advantages of being a child, Kellen had learned, was that adults tended to forget that children were in the same room with them. Thus, simply by being quiet, Kellen managed to learn all sorts of interesting things. True, it was a little like eavesdropping, but it was the adults' fault for not being more observant, or at least so it seemed to him.
Outside the window, snow was drifting like white goose-down between Iriaebor's countless towers. Kellen at in the corner of the common room of the Sign of the Dreaming Dragon, stringing together red berries and pine cones to make a garland. Everyone at the inn was getting ready for a celebration, for tomorrow was Mid-winter Day. And this year, as Estah had said, there was more cause than usual for celebration.
As the blue winter dusk gathered outside, bright laughter filled the common