Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [75]
Vangerdahast shook his head as if to clear it, crossed his arms across his chest to glare at all three of them as if they were common thieves he'd caught publicly in a personally embarrassing act, and growled, "This should not be possible. You arrived right atop my most powerful teleport trap and somehow bulled through it. You three should right now be standing bewildered in three separate and very distant spots on Toril. Far enough away to win me some time to myself, I had every reason to hope."
Elminster smiled again. "Remember, old friend, 'tis by Mystra's will such things work… and I myself continue to live and, ah, work by the same pleasure and divine power."
Vangerdahast shook his head in clear displeasure, and turned away. "You shouldn't have come here. You shouldn't be here now. I've retired from all the fawning and smiling and doing what's expected. My time is now my own."
"Very well spent, I see," Myrmeen said tartly.
The former Royal Magician rounded on her. "You, miss, would do better to hold and keep Arabel for the Crown, for a change! If you weren't so determined to out-swagger and out-swordswash every man in the realm, like a pale echo of proud little Alusair, perhaps you'd've settled down to being a very useful governor instead of governing one man at a time in your bedchamber! I-"
"My Lord Vangerdahast!" Caladnei snapped. Wo one should speak so to any officer of the realm-nor to any lady! You-you disgust me! Your words lead me to wonder what were you really thinking about me when you praised me and named me your successor! 'Oh, here's some brown-skinned trollop who'll bed more noblemen than I could bring myself to do'?"
"You be still,little miss!" Vangerdahast roared, eyes catching fire. "I've had about enough-"
"So have I," Elminster announced pleasantly. "Ye used to be far more deft and sly in picking fights and making folk lose their tempers and forget their intentions, Vangey. Ye're losing it, ye are. Wherefore I'm going to be just as unpleasant to ye as ye've been to thy fellow folk of Cormyr for-oh, some six decades now, hey?"
He took a step forward, not appearing to cast any spell or awaken any ring, rod, wand, or gewgaw-but Vangerdahast floated up off the floor and hung rigid, limbs unmoving. "Now, speak. Unfold what ye're really up to here. Mystra wanted me to be a trifle more subtle about this, I'm sure, but I find myself not in the mood to be nearly so gentle with ye. Ye tried to enrage these two ladies so as to put their minds aside from prying some answers out of ye. Why?"
"I-I don't want to talk about what I'm at work on to… either of these two ladies," Vangerdahast replied gruffly, "whom I'm both sorry to have offended. I-no, I cannot. Caladnei and Myrmeen, forgive me, but your presence here ruins and reveals everything. I can't be honest with you. I daren't."
"Nay Vangerdahast," Elminster said calmly, "Ye dare not fail to tell all and truly to these two: the Mage Royal of the realm, remember, and an officer of the Crown to bear witness."
"You are no longer my teacher, El," Vangerdahast said coldly. "I need no more of your lessons on obedience or moral authority. I would judge, as many in Faerun do, that your own actions disqualify you from criticizing anyone else in this world on such matters."
"Vangey," Elminster replied gently. "I'm not asking ye. I'm telling ye."
He took another step forward and added, "We both fell into the 'might makes right, and I know this is right anyway, so just hold still whilst I do it to ye' trap long, long ago… and I daresay we've both found it easiest to remain there. I'm still there now. Ye will answer me."
"I will not," Vangerdahast snarled. "I-I…"
"Am disgusted with how cruel and tyrannical I can be?" Elminster asked, his voice almost