Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [11]
Helplessness gave birth to frustration, and suddenly the Harper could no longer abide the symbolic purple he wore. He stripped off his amethyst rings and thrust them into the magic bag on his belt, but the fact remained that he was still dressed like a "walking grape." He strode out of the tower and through the second invisible door that allowed passage out of the polished black stone wall surrounding it. At a brisk pace he headed toward the town-house he'd recently purchased. There he could discard the purple reminders of his mission in Tethyr and await his uncle's summons. For the last two years, both Danilo and Arilyn had received their missions directly from Khelben Arunsun; surely the archmage could tell Danilo where Arilyn had been assigned to go.
As he walked, Dan mentally kicked himself for leaving his magical globe behind in Tethyr. It was a small scrying crystal that he'd adapted into an alarm, but with it he could probably discover how Arilyn fared. Just before the ring of teleportation hadcarried himaway from Tethyr, Danilo had caught one last glimpse of her. Sword drawn,the half-elf had faced the window in a battle stance, limned in the magical blue light of her sword as she stood to confront his enemies. Danilo could not dismiss that image from his mind, or stop wondering about the outcome of the battle that had surely followed.
Danilo was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he gave scant attention to others on the crowded street He hurried past an alley and bumped heavily into a solid frame. Strong hands caught the Harper's shoulders and held him out at arm's length. Danilo focused his attention on the smiling face of his friend and fellow nobleman, Caladorn Cassalanter. The man was several years older that Dan's eight-and-twenty, also taller and broader. He wore his dark red hair cropped short, and he had a warrior's cal-lused hands. Caladorn had long been city champion in fighting arts and horsemanship. Of late he'd taken to bouts of seafaring adventure, even dropping his family name until he had "done something do prove himself worthy of it." With difficulty, Danilo summoned the inane grin his friend would expect and pasted it firmly in place.
"Well met, Caladorn. Fancy bumping into you, as they say."
The nobleman chuckled and released his grip. "Steady as you go, Dan. The taverns have not been long open, and already you walk as though tacking to a changing wind." Caladorn's eyes narrowed. "Or are you ill? You don't look yourself."
"Sad to say, all I'm suffering from is a bit of a headache," Dan lied, pressing his fingertips delicately to his temple. "You know you're getting old when you feel this bad the day after you've had no fun the night before." He paused, as if slightly dizzied by his own observation. "Or words to that effect"
Caladorn laughed and clapped Danilo on the shoulder. "That's my lad. You know the Lady Thione, do you not? Lucia, my dear, I am remiss. Allow me to present my old friend, Danilo Thann. Despite appearance, he is harmless!"
Danilo turned his attention to the woman at Caladorn's side. Tiny and slight, she was dressed in a gown of rich purple and crowned by gleaming chestnut hair arranged in thick coils about her shapely head. Her dark eyes observed Dan with a touch of amusement, and her delicately aquiline features held the unmistakable stamp of the Southlands. Dan stifled a sigh: he was not going to escape his memories of Tethyr tonight. Lucia Thione was a prominent member of Waterdeep society, and as a distant relative of Tethyr's ousted royal family, she often wore the traditional purple to flaunt her exotic and royal background. Danilo disliked this sort of posturing, but he knew the rules of court behavior and could follow them as well as any. He took Lucia Thione's hand and bowed deeply.
"Caladorn is a fool, dear lady. Where a beautiful woman is concerned, no man should be considered harmless." He smiled at his friend, taking the threat from the words and leaving behind