Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [78]
The Mage Royal stood with fists clenched at her sides, spitting and almost weeping in rage. "You-you! You! There-no-how…"
A long finger stroked gently down her cheek-and she spun around in surprise, eyes blazing and hands racing to shape a spell… only to freeze in mid-gesture as she found herself looking into the face of Elminster of Shadowdale. It was wearing a kindly expression.
"Easy, lass," he murmured. "Easy, now. Ye're right to be royally angered at being kept uninformed, but imagine now that the future of Cormyr depends upon thy wits and judgment being icily cool and calm, in the moments ahead… for-behold!-it does. Stop raging and show the same iron control that Alusair can manage for almost two breaths in a row when she has to… and hear me."
Caladnei was panting hard, eyes blazing at him, but she flung up her hands in an 'all right' flourish. Behind her, Myrmeen-who'd acquired a grim smile at El's mention of Alusair's self control- gave the Old Mage a nod and grounded her sword.
Elminster took hold of Caladnei's shoulders, facing her squarely, and said, "There is some merit in the words Vangey's just spoken to ye, Mage Royal. No matter how much ye may personally dislike hearing so."
"Well, you'd think so!" Caladnei spat. "You've done just what he has-for centuries! High-handed, secretive, manipulative, deceitful-in every wise precisely the same way as this sly old dog here!"
Elminster smiled and clapped her shoulders cheerfully. "Of course I have! Ye strike right to the truth, exactly! If ye survive to serve Mystra for as long as I've done, yell probably behave in much the same way, too!"
"This is not," the Mage Royal hissed through clenched teeth, "any sort of laughing matter! And don't throw me glib words about Mystra's service driving you past sanity, either! If you can hurl 'right' and 'merit' and little judgments all over the place, you must admit to retaining the capacity to judge!"
Elminster smiled and embraced her, holding on like an imperviously smiling wraith through the storm of kicks and thrown elbows and raking fingernails and upthrust knees that followed. Through it all he crooned, like a favorite uncle to a small girl, "There, there. Let thy rage flow… let it out, there's a good lass. But ye can be so much more than that. Ye can be a good Mage Royal, too! For a good Mage Royal, now fully informed of Vang-erdahast's secret scheme and thus warned, shouldn't waste more time tarrying here to rant and shout-when the daily crises of the kingdom face her uncaring back."
He let go of her and stepped back-a trifle hastily. Caladnei glared at him, bosom heaving, then set her jaw and said stonily, "Yes, you are right, Old Mage. So long as you make sure I'm not blocked or barred from reaching this place by spells, I should now take my leave, to consider and find calm, and look ahead."
She turned and shot a meaningful look at Myrmeen Lhal. Only Elminster had seen the grin that played along the mouth of the Lady Lord of Arabel moments before. There was no trace of it now as Myrmeen nodded as if in reply to an order, stepped forward to give both Elminster and Vangerdahast level looks, and announced firmly, "I shall be staying, for the good of the realm, to keep watch over Vangerdahast, here. Elminster, please set him down on his feet again-and I must insist that you do one thing more for me: Lay spell protections on me to keep me from being magically mind-meddled with by semi-retired Mages Royal."
Elminster smiled. "Of course."
In the background, Vangerdahast's sputtered protests were firmly ignored. The Old Mage spread his hands and took a long step toward Myrmeen-and an opaque shield faded into existence out of nowhere to enclose them both.
Vangerdahast slammed to the ground as if he'd been dropped off the end of a cart. Wincing and limping, he approached the shield-only to come to a dead halt as Caladnei strode around its curve to stand in his path, two wands raised in her hands and a cold, hard look in her eyes.
"Go ahead,"