Elminster's Daughter - Ed Greenwood [87]
On this bright morning, however, Huldyl seemed unable to enjoy even one of his stack of daring chapbooks and had barely touched his amber-roast butterfowl-to say nothing of his sugar-nuts. However, he was quite alone and had thrown no cloak over the bare cot by the back window to make it even uncomfortably suitable for dalliance… or slumber, for that matter.
Uneasily he strolled from room to room, peering out of the windows at bustling Marsember below more than he bothered to squint into the powerful farglasses aimed out to sea. "No pirates ho," he muttered, in mockery of the cry excited young War Wizards seemed to veritably itch to give tongue to… and restlessly went back into the room he'd just left.
Rauthur was a short, stout man who always seemed to some people to be nervous, because beneath his thinning brown hair, his temples were always beaded with sweat. Those who knew him better, however, judged him a good crafter of new spells and a sarcastic, often smug man whose green eyes would blaze wildly when he was really excited or fearful.
There was no one to take note of his eyes at this moment, however, as he stood alone in the turret, tapping fingers idly on the windowsill and listening to seabirds flap and scream. He sighed, turned, started back through the connecting archway once more-and came to a sudden halt.
The chair by the table bearing his books and food was no longer empty. A young, darkly handsome man clad in black and silver shimmerweave lounged there, an easy smile on his lips and The Wanton Witch Said Yes open in one hand.
He lifted an eyebrow and the tome together. "A coded spell-book, perhaps?"
Rauthur flushed, and glanced at the floor. His guest might look like a swaggering noble or idle merchant prince-but he'd met with Harnrim Starangh of the Red Wizards before.
"I-ah-no. Uh, to make my superiors think I lacked a woman to smuggle up here so they wouldn't scry us and see…"
"Me? Ah, but only you can see my proper self. To the rest of the overly curious world, I am a ravishing beauty in black silks-with the face of someone you prefer to privately refer to as the Crown Princess Wrathful, I believe."
"Princess Alusair -?"
"Oh, don't gabble, man! Be bold! Plenty of perfectly loyal folk of Cormyr say arch or even biting things about the royal family and live to repeat them more loudly at revels! Besides, you'll soon not have to worry overmuch about what others think of you."
The Red Wizard lowered the chapbook with a brittle smile to reveal a tight-rolled baton of parchment.
Huldyl Rauthur leaned forward eagerly, his eyes catching green fire, and the wizard best known in Thay as Darkspells unrolled the parchment to splay seven scrolls out in a fan array on the table. The sugarnuts were in the way, and without even looking up the Red Wizard sent them drifting smoothly through the air to hover by the War Wizard's face. The chapbooks descended only slightly less smoothly to a soft landing on the floor.
Hesitantly Rauthur plucked a sugarnut from the air and ate it.
Darkspells looked up at him, smiled again, and spread his hand in a flourish above the parchments. "So there you are: the seven spells, as agreed. The coins you've had already should be more than enough to buy you a handsome abode in Athkatla, Waterdeep, Sembia, or anywhere more distant, for that matter. These magics should enable you to slay with ease any War Wizards who come hunting you.