Dragons of Spring Dawning - Margaret Weis [91]
What will I do without him?
Caramon shut his eyes and, softly, fearful of waking Tika, he began to cry.
7
Berem. Unexpected help.
A nd that’s our story,” said Tanis simply.
Apoletta had listened attentively to him, her green eyes intent upon his face. She had not interrupted. When he was finished, she remained silent. Resting her arms on the side of the steps leading into the still water, she seemed lost in thought. Tanis did not disturb her. The feeling of peace and serenity present beneath the sea soothed and comforted him. The thought of returning to the harsh, glaring world of sunlight and blaring noise seemed suddenly frightening. How easy it would be to ignore everything and stay here, beneath the sea, hidden forever in this silent world.
“What about him?” she asked finally, nodding her head at Berem.
Tanis came back to reality with a sigh.
“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging, glancing at Berem. The man was staring into the darkness of the cavern. His lips were moving, as if repeating a chant over and over.
“He is the key, according to the Queen of Darkness. Find him, she said, and victory is hers.”
“Well,” Apoletta said abruptly, “you’ve got him. Does that make victory yours?”
Tanis blinked. The question caught him by surprise. Scratching his beard, he pondered. It was something that had not occurred to him.
“True … we have got him,” he murmured, “but what do we do with him? What is there about him that grants victory—to either side?”
“Doesn’t he know?”
“He claims he doesn’t.”
Apoletta regarded Berem, frowning. “I would say he was lying,” she said after a moment, “but then he is human, and I know little of the strange workings of the human mind. There is a way you can find out, however. Journey to the Temple of the Dark Queen at Neraka.”
“Neraka!” repeated Tanis, startled. “But that’s …” He was interrupted by a cry of such wild fear and terror that he nearly leaped into the water. His hand went to his empty scabbard. With a curse, he whirled around expecting nothing less than a horde of dragons.
There was only Berem, staring at him with wide eyes.
“What is it, Berem?” Tanis asked irritably. “Did you see something?”
“He didn’t see anything, Half-Elf,” Apoletta said, studying Berem with interest. “He reacted that way when I said Neraka—”
“Neraka!” Berem repeated, shaking his head wildly. “Evil! Great evil! No … no …”
“That’s where you came from,” Tanis told him, stepping nearer.
Berem shook his head firmly.
“But you told me—”
“A mistake!” Berem muttered. “I didn’t mean Neraka. I m-meant … Takar … Takar! That’s what I meant …”
“You meant Neraka. You know the Dark Queen has her great Temple there, in Neraka!” Apoletta said sternly.
“Does she?” Berem looked directly at her, his blue eyes wide and innocent. “The Dark Queen, a Temple in Neraka? No, there’s nothing there but a small village. My village …” Suddenly he grasped his stomach and doubled over, as if in pain. “I don’t feel good. Leave me alone,” he mumbled like a child and slumped to the marble floor near the edge of the water. Sitting there, clutching his stomach, he stared into the darkness.
“Berem!” said Tanis in exasperation.
“Don’t feel good …” Berem muttered sullenly.
“How old did you say he was?” Apoletta asked.
“Over three hundred years, or so he claims,” Tanis said in disgust. “If you believe only half of what he says, that cuts it down to one hundred and fifty, which doesn’t seem too plausible either, not for a human.”
“You know,” replied Apoletta thoughtfully, “the Queen’s Temple at Neraka is a mystery to us. It appeared suddenly, after the Cataclysm, so far as we have been able to determine. Now we find this man who would trace his own history to that same time and place.”
“It is strange …” said Tanis, glancing again at Berem.
“Yes. It may be nothing more than coincidence, but follow coincidence far enough and you’ll find it tied to fate, so my husband says.” Apoletta smiled.
“Coincidence or