Elminster in hell - Ed Greenwood [152]
Their radiance made a head snap up, and two eyes glared at them in astonishment and alarm.
A moment later, a chair went over with a crash. The man who'd been sitting in it crossed the room with surprising speed for someone of his age. He snatched down two crossed, rusty daggers from beneath a shield on the wall. In his hands they twisted and became a wand and a scepter. Pointing them both at the whirling lights, the Royal Magician of Cormyr snarled, "How, by all the whims of Holy Mystra, did that get through the wards? And what is it?"
In obliging answer,, the whirling lights sank a little and unfolded themselves downward to the floor in a cascade of silver. They formed a wraithlike figure: a female elf of tiny, nigh-perfect beauty, who looked perhaps nine years old-except for her eyes, which were as old and wise as those of a goddess… or at least a Chosen who has seen many centuries.
Vangerdahast lowered his wand and scepter. "Who… are you?" he asked hoarsely.
"Most call me the Srinshee," she replied. "You and I are both needed, right now, in the throneroom of Aglarond."
"Aglarond? Why?"
"Elminster is there, embattled and in urgent need of us both-and Mystra bids us come," she said simply, and held out her hand.
Vangerdahast stared at her for a moment. An almost fierce joy flashed across his face. He ran across the room like an eager young man. "Yes!" he snarled, eyes bright. "Oh, yes!”
***
Men shouted, ran, and snatched out swords in the throneroom of Aglarond. Spells crashed and devils pounced.They also reeled, screamed, and died.
Blistering fire burst among shrieking courtiers. Men who'd been enthusiastically plunging daggers into a Red Wizard vanished into crackling columns of ash.
Among the terrified sprinting and shoving, a serving-maid let fall her silver tray with a crash as a devil's talons clawed at her bodice. Thrusting a slender arm, she drove her hand right through the grinning pit fiend. It vanished with a roar of blue flames and a terrified shriek.
A Red Wizard stared at the maid in astonishment as she reached for the next nearest devil, her eyes aglow, and snapped,"This is quite enough."
There was a double flash this time. Maid and devil vanished together… but where Mystra had been, nine stiver stars floated, tracing an upright circle around a blue flame.
There was barely time for all the color to drain out of the Red Wizard's face before that flame died and the stars rushed to the floor and vanished. Where each touched the tiles, a startled being suddenly stood, staring around at the raging battle.
"Khelben Blackstaff," the Red Wizard gasped, eyes bulging,"and-the Seven! All of them!" He was to be forgiven for not announcing the arrival of the mages Vangerdahast and a wraithlike lady elf, where the last two stars touched down-
A moment later Khelben lashed three devils with howling bolts of lightning. A certain Red Wizard, caught in the wrong place, ceased to care about anything ever again.
Rage blazed on the face of the Lord Mage of Waterdeep. With a growl, he tossed his black staff into the air. It hung there, motionless and horizontal, crackling with magic. Many of the beams and bolts snarling across the room veered to it and blazed in harmless spell chaos.
That left the air clear enough for everyone to see the Simbul, on her knees shielding Elminster. She thrust up her hand to send silver fire out to all of her sisters. In turn from each of them a beam spat forth, vaporizing any devil it touched.
"Sister," Dove gasped, "what're you doing? Mystra forbids-"
"Not now she doesn't," the Witch-Queen of Aglarond snapped grimly."Behold!"
Her hand this time pointed to the shimmering air above Khelben's staff.
The trapped, roiling spells were rapidly being transformed into a shining spider web of magic. Glowing, ever-shifting lines of power rapidly rilled the air. The ghostly form of the Srinshee raced along and among them. The web winked as it swiftly grew, and was already