Realms of the Arcane - Brian M. Thomsen [69]
"Aerindel, do ye want to end up as thy father did?" the stranger asked gravely.
Aerindel felt anger kindling in her. Why did everyone in Faerun know all about the fate of Thabras Stormstaff except her?
"Who are you?" she snapped, eyes flashing. "How is it you know of my father?"
The bearded face bent closer; the man was kneeling beside her. "I trained him in the ways of magic, and made him what he became."
He looked across the pass at High Glimmerdown for a moment, and then down at her again and added softly, "And so, I suppose, am responsible for his doom. I am called Elminster."
"Elminster," she repeated huskily. Suddenly, fresh energy surged through her, and the crown whispered inside her head, Destroy this one. His magic is strong, very strong. He is a danger to us both-and his power is just what I need to smash Tarangar Tower and Rammast with it.
"How?" she asked it, not caring if she spoke the word aloud.
Look at him, and will forth fire, as you did to the soldiers at Dusking… and I'll strike. Keep the flow unbroken, after, so that I can draw his life-force back to us.
Aerindel smiled, slowly, as it was done.
Fire roared forth, and the kneeling man shuddered and flinched back-but it licked only briefly at his robes, seeming to be drawn into his eyes… eyes that darkened and seemed somehow to become larger.
Yessss, the crown hissed in her, and she felt a warm glow of exultation.
Elminster rose and stepped away, and Aerindel turned her head to keep him in view, as the crown had urged her to. There came a sudden, sharp pain in her head, and a shaft of pure rage from the crown that made her gasp and writhe on the stones.
"No, cursed one!" the crown snarled, out of her trembling lips.
Elminster ignored it, raising a hand to slice off the line of flame as if it were a strand of spiderweb.
"Aerindel," he said urgently, bending near again, "take off the crown. Please."
The crown flashed, and Aerindel felt fresh energy flowing into her. The crown urged her to do thus, and so-and she did.
Green lightning flashed forth from her brow, to crackle hungrily up that extended arm, outlining it with writhing flames. Elminster grimaced. Clear annoyance flashed across his face for a moment as he made a brushing-away gesture.
Astonishingly, the green lightning sprang away from him to frail away into the cool night breeze. Aerindel felt annoyance of her own-or rather, it came from the crown, along with more instructions.
She did as she was bid, and a searing white flame burst into being, hurling the bearded man back. He staggered, shoulders shaking as the ravening white fire tore into him.
The Lady of Dusklake suddenly found herself strong enough to stand. She scrambled up, conscious of a glow around her head. The crown flashed ever brighter. She stretched out her hands and lashed Elminster with conjured tentacles that snapped and bit at him like hungry eels with long, barbed jaws.
"Aerindel," he cried, sounding almost in anguish, "fight against it! Obey not the crown! Tis a thing that twists its wearers to evil if allowed to command! Ye must order it, not let it enthrall ye!"
"Die, mage, and quickly," Aerindel hissed back at him. "All this time, Rammast grows stronger, and the folk in my castle aren't even warned and awake! Die, or leave me be-get you gone!
She lashed him with ropes of twisting fire, spun him around, and hurled him out over the chasm that had been Glimmerdown Pass.
But he did not plummet to his death. Instead, he stood on empty air as if it were solid rock, and pointed at her. "Aerindel, I charge thee: do off the Whispering Crown-now!"
"Never!" Aerindel shouted at him, hurling the might of the crown at the rocks they stood upon, tearing them up in long, jagged shards to hurl at the wizard.
Elminster gave her a weary look, and murmured some words. The stony spears turned to dust in the air between them. He said