Death of the Dragon - Ed Greenwood [163]
The wizard's voice, when it came, sounded like the rusting hinges of a very old gate. "Of course."
Vangerdahast turned like a weary mountain and strode a safe dozen paces away, lifting his left palm out in front of him to cup the shimmer of the spell to come. He paid no heed to the armored giants in his path, but they melted or stumbled away in front of him as if he was the striding god of war himself.
All but one.
A single dark and slender figure stepped to meet Vangerdahast, blocking his way. A hand shot out above the wizard's, breaking his concentration. The royal magician's head snapped up, his eyes darkening with anger.
"Save the spell," Alusair murmured. "I tried to reach Tanalasta earlier, and-" she dipped her head and managed to choke out the last word, as suspicious war captains drifted closer on all sides, eyes narrowing as they cocked their heads to listen for treachery. "-silence."
Vangerdahast may have looked like an old, dirty hermit in plain rags, but as he turned very slowly to look at the approaching warriors with the magnificent Purple Dragons on their breasts, his eyes were cold. He met their gazes, and the knights fell back.
"Secrets of the realm," the wizard said shortly, and at his words they retreated two swift paces in unison like so many trained dogs, leaving Alusair and Vangerdahast standing alone again.
"I'll try your mother," the royal magician muttered, not looking at her, and as Alusair threw back her head and gasped for air, she discovered that the sky was bright with tears. She realized that she was weeping, her face streaming with so many tears that her chin was dripping.
The Steel Princess brushed an impatient forearm across her face, not caring if the armor tore away skin, and shook her head as a dog coming out of a pond shakes away water. Her watery vision cleared enough to show her the nearest war captains, their faces wet with tears, too. They knew what was about to befall here on this hill.
Silvery threads of whispering air were curling about Vangerdahast's shoulders-the magic he used when he wanted to speak aloud to someone distant but to have their words and his face cloaked from those standing nearby. Suspicion was spreading across the faces of some war captains as they watched those dancing threads gather. Alusair caught their eyes and reached out deliberately and laid a hand on the wizard's neck to ensure she'd be privy to the farspoken conversation. Vangerdahast's response was to move a little closer to her, to ease her reach.
"Filfaeril," the royal magician said gravely, without preamble, "your Azoun hangs near death, and I cannot comfort you with the expectation of a recovery. The magics on him keep him asleep and make it dangerous for us to approach, but in his last wakefulness Azoun spoke to me of how precious your love has been to him, and to give you his last salute. He also commanded me to learn, and tell him, of Tanalasta's fate, and that of the child she bears. What news?"
"Good Vangerdahast," came a clear, cold voice out of the empty air, for all the world as if the Dragon Queen stood in front of the wizard, "my eldest daughter is dead-she died true and fearless, destroying Boldovar to save us all here-but her babe lives. It is a boy, another Azoun for Cormyr. I pray you, if your wisdom makes these our words private, that you not burden the heart of my lord and love Azoun with word of Tanalasta's passing, in his own last moments. Just… just…" Filfaeril's voice wavered on the edge of a sob, just for a moment, then steadied again into cold resolve. "Tell him, Vangey, just how much I love him. Farewell, my Azoun. Our love will endure when our bodies cannot."
Her voice broke entirely, and was a pleading agony as she whispered, "If you love me, old wizard, can you not bring me to him?"
Alusair felt a tremor pass through Vangerdahast then that marked his own sob bursting forth-a tremor that was promptly and with iron determination mastered, head bowed, as the royal magician murmured, "Oh, Lady Queen, I dare not try, lest