Hand of Fire - Ed Greenwood [26]
"And how -?"
"Do I know this? Someone saw Ornrim's neck being broken."
Tornar did not voice his question, and Bradraskor grew a slow smile. "No, not one of my other Eyes. A visiting noble, as it happens."
Tornar's lip curled. '"You've found a noble who can be trusted?"
"Do you recall the lady who put a sword through Ulbegh last summer?"
"Tessaril Winter of Eveningstar?"
Belgon Bradraskor smiled. "Faerun is such a small place, sometimes. It's comforting, how all the spiderwebs draw together in tangles and most folk don't even notice. Haste now, Tornar – I can feel someone about to tug on this most interesting of webs."
The informant nodded, went out, and carefully drew the door closed before he shivered. The last thing he'd seen had been those two pale eyes, watching him. Yes, exactly like a pale, quivering monster, padding softly through the darkness…
5: Fallen By The Wayside
Ah, yes, spellspun gates. Portals, some call them.
"Death-doors" is the term I prefer. The reason?
Well, each step through one is a step closer to the time when your death is standing waiting for you on the other side – with a big cold grin on its face and a sword in its hand you'll have no time nor chance to avoid. 'Tis like any adventuring life, but shorter.
Bharajak Steelshar , Warmaster For Hire
from a lecture at The Swords Club in Elturel
Year of the Bright Blade
"As I see it," Hlael said gloomily, "we're doomed if we face spellfire – and just as doomed if we fail and our superiors hear of it. Unless we can change our shapes and hide so well as to never be traced or found – or win spellfire for ourselves, and with it remove every last one of our superiors from the unfolding tapestry of life without anyone else in all Faerun seeing or guessing that we have spellfire… we're dead men. Somehow neither of those events seems very likely."
"Enough," Korthauvar Hammantle snapped. "Move carefully, as we agreed to do, avoid mistakes, and see what befalls. Slowly and carefully, not like the ever-growing army of fool-headed magelings all falling over each other to impress Manshoon! Some of Fzoul's upperpriests have been working on tasks he set them for years and have thus far accomplished nothing that the rest of us can see – and yet live still and hold their places in councils!"
"Places we've never been offered," Hlael returned, slamming shut a spellbook in a momentary show of anger.
"Hlael! Bane take you! You've enough gloom in you for any dozen old men in a tavern! Have we not woven a splendid plan – brilliant enough to please old Iceglare himself? Have I not just recast no less than four spells of power and had all of them work successfully? Just one more, and we're on our way!"
"Hear my joy and rejoicing," Hlael Toraunt of the Zhentarim told the ceiling, quiet sarcasm dripping from every syllable.
Korthauvar gave him a glare as hot as any red dragon's baleful regard, and lowered his head once more to the old and crumbling grimoire in front of him. Its theft had cost six men their lives – blood well spent, as far as he was concerned, and what use had those dolts of Candlekeep for such lore anyway? 'Twas not as if they ever used it for anything useful…
Now, if this incantation was twisted thus, and that awakening borrowed from the farscry spell crafted by Ilibrin of Old Impiltur, so – he scribbled a few notes and circled the word haethin; 'twould be necessary to work that into the unfolding of the enchantment, after the charge to… yes He read over his notes, rewrote them into something formal, nodded in satisfaction, and began to gather candles, several powders, two small stones he'd carried in a pouch whilst teleporting, and another, slightly larger piece of stone that had once formed the threshold of a gate in Teshwave. This should work. It might fail against certain gates, depending on the portal enchantments, but should do no harm in any event.
"Hlael," he said gently, "I believe we're ready. Read you this."
The shorter wizard shook himself all over, perhaps to hide a shiver. He stepped forward, read Korthauvar's newly drafted