Song of the Saurials - Kate Novak [62]
The ape's sleep grew more and more restless. He began to toss and turn and mutter. When Grypht finished studying his magic staff, the saurial turned his attention back to the creature he'd rescued. The ape began to shout in his sleep. Grypht couldn't understand his language, but the creature seemed quite upset, so the saurial shook him gently.
Akabar came awake with a start, but he quickly realized he was too weak to sit up. His eyes darted about in confusion. The creature he'd freed from Kyre's soul trap sat beside him. "Elminster?" he whispered.
Grypht shook his head. He understood the word "Elminster," and that certainly wasn't him. The lizard pointed to himself and said, "Grypht" in saurial, but of course the ape could not comprehend.
Grypht pulled out a lump of red clay from his pocket and began fashioning it into a series of five short cylinders, each with a smaller circumference than the previous one. He piled one on top of the other until he had formed the model of a ziggurat.
A clay ziggurat is the component of a tongues spell, Akabar realized. In his excitement, he found the energy to sit up. He fidgeted impatiently for Grypht to finish casting so that they could communicate.
The scent of fresh-mown hay filled the air about them, and the miniature tower balanced on the lizard's palm glowed as if it were sitting in a kiln. Then the tower shattered into several pieces. Grypht turned his hand upside down, spilling the shards of baked clay into the grass. "I am Grypht," he said in a deep, low voice.
"I am Akabar Bel Akash," the Turmishman replied. "I presume you are not a creature of evil as Lady Kyre told us."
Grypht shook his head. "I am a saurial."
"A saurial!" Akabar said excitedly. "Like Dragonbait?"
Grypht chuckled. He couldn't wait to find Champion and ask how he'd picked up such a bizarre nickname. "In our tribe, the one you call Dragonbait is known as Champion. He is the sworn protector of our people. I must locate him."
Akabar nodded. "He's here in Shadowdale."
"Shadowdale?" Grypht asked.
"The town we're in-" Akabar paused and looked around. "The town we were in.
Where are we now?"
"I fled the tower with you after I destroyed Kyre."
"Kyre," Akabar whispered. "You killed her?" he said.
Despite his relief at having escaped the half-elf's clutches, the Turmishman was unable to control the feeling of misery that swept over him upon learning she was dead.
"She was a minion of Moander," Grypht said, disturbed by Akabar's expression.
"She would have drained your spirit and fed you to her master."
"I know," Akabar said, "but I loved her."
Grypht shook his head. Love makes such fools of mages, he thought. "When I last scried Champion, you and he and a half-ling traveled on the back of a red lair-beast-what you call a dragon, I believe-but I have been unable to locate Champion magically for over a year now. Are you certain Champion is in the town we left?"
Grypht waited for several moments for Akabar's answer, but the only noise to fill the silence was a cricket in the brush. Finally the saurial poked the Turmish mage and growled, "Forget Kyre and answer my question."
Akabar looked up with a start. Realizing it was imperative he communicate with Grypht while the tongues spell still functioned, he shook off his misery and answered the saurial mage. "You probably couldn't find Dragonbait because he travels with Alias. She's a warrior with a powerful misdirection spell cast on her, which protects her companions, too."
"I could not detect you magically, either. Were you with them all this time?"
Grypht asked.
"No," Akabar said. "My wife is also enchanted with a charm of misdirection, but she's back in Shadowdale. If you couldn't locate Dragon-er, Champion, how did you know to come to Shadowdale?"
"I chose it because Olive was there. Since she had once been a companion of Champion's, I hoped she could tell me where to find him," Grypht