Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [152]
21
New Lives
Back in the Lost Vale, Alias, Grypht, Dragonbait, and Olive waited for over an hour, watching the pile of rotting greenery for some sign of Finder and Akabar.
When the two men failed to appear. Alias's anxiety grew unbearable. "We have to find them!" she declared, heading for the path that led down into the vale, but Grypht put a restraining hand on her shoulder.
"Use the stone," he said softly.
"What?" Alias asked in confusion.
"The half of Finder's stone that he left you. Use it."
Alias pulled the stone from her cloak. "Akabar," she said, thinking of the mage, but the stone didn't even glow. Alias's hands began to tremble.
The wizard took the stone from the swordswoman's hands. "I'll try the direction of Sweetleaf, as a test," he said, thinking of the saurial cleric he had rescued earlier. The stone lit up and sent a feeble beacon toward the eastern slopes of the vale.
Next Grypht spoke the bard's name, concentrating on Finder's face, then his voice, and finally his songs. There was no reaction from the stone.
"There could be many reasons why it will not locate them," the wizard said.
"Because they are possessed, or enchanted with a misdirection, or-" Grypht halted.
"Or dead," Alias said flatly. There was no sense denying it. She felt completely numb. Finder had saved the Realms from Moander, but it had cost his life and Akabar's.
"We should look after the living," Grypht said after a moment. "There are saurials who need our help."
Alias nodded, but as the adventurers trekked down to the east side of the vale, the air around them grew heavy with the scent of roses and the sounds of Alias's and Olive's weeping.
*****
In the early light of dawn, Olive climbed back up to the Singing Cave. She had spent the rest of the night nursing saurials until she was sick of looking at their scaly hides. She needed to sleep, but more than that, she needed to be alone. Now she sat in the mouth of the cave, watching the sun rise over the Desertsmouth Mountains and listening to the wind whistle around her, weeping silently.
Someone in the cave behind her cleared his throat politely and asked, "Mistress Ruskettle? Are you all right?" Olive looked around listlessly. Breck Orcsbane stood in the cave; assembled behind him were Elminster, Mourngrym, Morala, Zhara, and three young saurials.
"You're a little late," Olive said. "We already took care of Moander-Finder did, that is." With a wave of her hand, she indicated the trail of frost-covered vegetation strewn down the mountainside, ending in a large, frozen mass of greenery.
Lord Mourngrym whistled in awe. "How did he do that?" he asked.
"He broke open the finder's stone and used the piece of paraelemental ice that was inside," Olive said.
Elminster and Morala exchanged surprised looks. "Where is Finder now?" Elminster asked.
"He went into the god's body to find Akabar," Olive said, "but he never came out again. Alias has a broken piece of the finder's stone she's been using to locate missing saurials for Grypht, but when she tried to locate Finder and Akabar, nothing happened." Olive choked back a sob and forced herself to say what she didn't want to admit: "They're both dead." The halfling looked up at Zhara. "I'm … sorry," she said to the Turmish priestess.
Zhara lowered her head. "I knew already," she said softly. "My husband's spirit visited me in a dream last night. He is with our gods, and his soul is at peace."
Olive looked at Zhara with surprise. "Did he say anything about Finder? " she asked hopefully.
Akabar's wife shook her head.
Olive turned her head, as if she were looking at the vale below. The vale blurred before her eyes as she blinked back more tears.
"I've brought Grypht's apprentices," Elminster