Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [123]
The Harper nodded. "Indeed. So much We Who Harp also believe. However, I doubt you've discovered just whom he intends to bind."
"I'll pay you what I did last time, Roldro, to learn this," the Lady Ambrur said calmly.
"That much coin will be quite acceptable."
The noblewoman looked at him sidelong. "Why are you backing away from me?"
"To give you room," the bard replied calmly.
Her eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Ammaratha, hear this: For his new guardians of the realm, Vangerdahast intends to bind-dragons."
"What?"The air shuddered with a furiously rising thunder, and Roldro Tattershar winced then scrambled back to the foot of the couch.
Silver blue scales flashed and shone, mighty wings spread and flapped heedless of the cracking, groaning ceiling, and the glare of those piercing turquoise eyes froze the cowering Harper where he crouched.
The great tail lashed, long legs sprang-and the ceiling was crashing and falling in huge chunks of plaster, riven wood, dust and tumbling stone all around Roldro. The room rocked, and its pretty oval skylight vanished forever into tinkling shards. A much larger window was left behind in its place: The entire top of the chamber gaped open to the misty Marsemban sky.
The song dragon was soaring up into the blueness above the city-stink and heading northward, flying fast and furiously.
Roldro stopped holding his breath, gasped for air-and promptly started coughing furiously. He was covered in thick dust and could hear faint shouts from below as guards and servants wondered aloud of the gods what had happened.
Ammaratha Cyndusk was already no more than a tiny, dwindling dot. Roldro struggled across the room, scooped up one of her jewel-coffers as the first installment of his payment, and started searching for the way into the secret passage he knew departed this room from the westernmost closet. Crooked stewards he could handle-but crooked stewards commanding a dozen or more furious and well-armed guards might well be another matter.
"May you find fair fortune, Ammaratha," he whispered, between coughs. "If I could turn into a dragon, I'd not go roaring openly down on Vangerdahast unless I was seeking my own swift death."
There was a decanter of wine on a shelf in the closet, and the last of the Tattershars decided to take it with him and banish his coughing the enjoyable way. The panel gave him some trouble, for the wall above it was buckled and sagging… but he got it closed behind him a good two hearty swigs before the furious pounding on the retiring-room door began.
"How dare he!" the song dragon roared into the wind of her own furious flight. "How dare he!"
She ducked one shoulder and turned a little westward without slowing, cleaving the air so fast that breathing was hard and her wings hummed and hissed in their battle with the air.
"Such an insult to all dragonkind! Such colossal arrogance! Even if some wyrms submit willingly to ages-long slumber and eventual perilous service, the wizard's plan endangers us all! Once Vangerdahast has developed binding spells that work on dragons, anyone who steals them or acquires them after his passing can use them against any dragon!"
Her voice was ear-splitting, but the heedless skies made no reply. With a snarl of seething fury she ducked her head and beat her wings in earnest, darting furiously on toward the green vast-ness of the King's Forest.
On to the sanctum where the villain Vangerdahast was lurking.
Nineteen
DRAGONRAGE AND DECEPTION
Deceit and falsehood wound me more deeply than mere daggers- poisoned or not. Thy tolerance may, of course, differ.
Selemvarr of Pyarados,
"The Old Red Wizard"
My Century of Might and Folly:
A Career In Robes of Red
Year of the Gauntlet
Outside the kitchen there was a mighty crash, and someone screamed. The ground shook, setting the lanterns to swinging, and Myrmeen started for the window in a wary crouch, blade drawn.
Vangerdahast did not look up from his spell. "Not now" he snapped. "How am