Elfsong - Elaine Cunningham [8]
"Egad! I pay two thousand gold pieces for a singing sword, and it has a voice like Deneir's donkey! Or should that be Milil's mother-in-law?" he mused, scratching his chin as he considered which bardic god might best be invoked under such circumstances. After a moment, he shrugged.
"Well, you get the general idea," he said, whimsically addressing the discarded sword. "So. What am I to do with you?"
The sword had no opinion on the matter. It had been fashioned to sing when wielded, inspiring fighters to new levels of courage and ferocity. It also warded off the magic of creatures that do mischief through music, such as sirens and harpies. Conversation was not among the sword's talents.
Danilo crossed the room to a reading table piled with books. He took up a slender volume bound in crimson leather and leafed through it. "This one is worth a try," he murmured, scanning a spell he had devised to add additional tunes to the repertoire of an enspelled music box. With a brisk nod, he set down the book and his hands flashed through the gestures of the spell. That done, he fetched his lute down from its wall peg and settled down cross-legged on the carpet near the sword. He began to play and sing a ribald ballad. After a few minutes of silence, the sword began to hum along. When it joined in, it imitated not only the words and tune, but the ringing, resonant tones of Danilo's well-trained tenor.
"You're a baritone, but I suppose that can't be helped," the young mage commented, but he was vastly pleased with the success of his spell. Danilo had studied magic since the age of twelve, under the stern eye of his uncle Khelben Arunsun. At first Dan studied in secret to avoid a public outcry-his early attempts to learn the craft had resulted in a number of colorful mishaps-but he showed remarkable talent, and Khelben soon wished to make the apprenticeship official. Danilo had demurred. Even then, he'd had the notion that he might accomplish more if the full extent of his abilities were kept secret. His wealth and social position-the Thann family was among the merchant nobility of Waterdeep-gave him access to places denied mostHarpers. Few suspected that he was anything more than what he appeared tobe: a dilettante and dandy, an amusing dabbler in music and magic, afop and abit of a fool.
Seated on the intricate carpet amid heaps of embroidered pillows, Danilo Thann looked the part he had chosen to play, and quite at home in his luxurious surroundings. He was even dressed to match the rich purple shades that filled the chamber. His leggings, silk shirt, and velvet jerkin were all a deep shade of violet, and his knee-high suede boots had been dyed to match. The outfit, according to his Harper companion, made him look like a walking grape, but Danilo was well satisfied. Upon joining the guild of wine merchants, he had ordered an entire new wardrobe made up in shades of purple, for this was the favored color of the land. Wearing purple was a sign of goodwill, and it pleased the many tailors, cobblers, and jewelers Danilo patronized. All told, a new wardrobe and a small hoard of amethyst jewelry was a small price to pay for the popularity he enjoyed in Tethyr.
Danilo sang until the sliver of new moon rose high into the sky. After the magical sword had learned the ballad to Danilo's satisfaction, the mage returned the weapon to its scabbard, which he attached to his weapon belt. That done, Danilo again picked up the lute and began to play and sing. He was known among the Waterdhavian nobility for the amusing songs he composed, but since no one was around to hear and wonder, he played the music that pleased him best: airs and ballads by the great bards of ages past.
A magical alarm sent an insistent pulse sounding through the