Stormlight - Ed Greenwood [95]
WITHOUT TREACHERY, I COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN MASTERED. The black eye drifted a little nearer. HAVE YOU GUESSED YET WHO I AM?
Helplessly Broglan shook his head. “No, Most Mighty One.”
The eye drifted nearer still, ominously silent.
Broglan quivered, unable to move but desperately wanting to scream and leap and flee, as fast and as far as he could.
MOST MIGHTY ONE, the thunderous mind-voice said slowly, as it was considering the sound of those three words. MOST MIGHTY ONE! YES…
MOST MIGHTY ONE, INDEED! A FITTING TITLE, MAGE! YOU HAVE OUR FAVOR!
Broglan set his teeth. He was leader of the Sevensash wizards of war, and his duties in a situation such as this were clear: find out all that can be learned about any unknown magically powerful force or being. "Who are you?" he asked again.
HER SHAME MUST HAVE DRIVEN HER TO KEEP MY ENTRAPMENT A SECRET… THAT MUST BE WHY YOU KNOW ME NOT. MAN, I AM DENDEIRMERDAMMARAR!"
"Den-Dendeirmerdammarar?" Broglan asked, wondering if he dared smile.
AYE. LORD OF THE THUNDER PEAKS. MOST MIGHTY OF THE OFFSPRING OF ARNFALAMME REDWING.
Something glimmered at the back of Broglan's mind. The wisp of a memory, of reading that latter name long ago in a lore tome in the court in Suzail, on
a hot and sunny afternoon.…
"You're a red dragon?" he asked.
OF COURSE, DOLT! NEXT YOU'LL BE ASKING ME WHO BOUND ME INTO THIS SCEPTER!
"Well," Broglan heard himself saying, inner dread growing with every foolish word, "ahem… yes."
THE ACCURSED ONE! THE SHE-MAGE! THE WOMAN YOU SERVE!
The mind-shout almost bowled him over-but the power of the radiant field held him where he was. His trembling died away, and the brilliance forced him back to the exact pose he'd been in before. 'Twas time to try again. “Mystra?”
NAY, FOOL! The mind-voice was scornful. SEEK NOT TO SHIELD HER WITH CLEVER TONGUE-TRICKS! AMEDAHAST, THE ROYAL MAGE OF CORMYR!
Amedahast! Gods above! The dragon had been in the scepter for a long time. Seven hundred years, if Broelan's memory of the royal mages held true. This was probably not a good time to tell the freed sentience that the woman he wanted vengeance on had been dust-or, some among the war wizards whispered, a kindly guardian and sometimes guiding spirit, as well as dust-for five centuries or so.
Beings with power enough to be called Most Mighty One are all too apt to bash out at whoever is handy when something displeases them.
The eyes drifted ominously nearer. YOU ARE LONG SILENT, O MOST BOLD AND CURIOUS OF MAGES! DO YOU, PERHAPS, PLOT SOME FRESH TREACHERY?
"Most Mighty One," Broglan answered truthfully, "I lack the wits to successfully plan any treachery, great -or small, even if I had the desire to. It is all I can do to serve my realm and my superiors, most times-and as it is, I have failed my friends over and over again these last few days…
The pupil of the huge floating eye seemed to expand. A MAN WHO IS HUMBLE? AND TRIES TO SPEAK TRUTH? HAVE MEN TRULY COME SO FAR IN THE LONG TIME OF MY IMPRISONMENT?
Silence followed, and the dragon obviously expected him to fill it. “I-I don’t know what to say,” Broglan replied helplessly.
There was a rumble of what sounded like astonished respect, and then the mind-voice said. THEY HAVE, I BEGIN TO FEAR FOR THE FATE OF MY KIN.
Trapped in immobility, holding the scepter and thinking of the tentacled thought-stealer that must be lurking somewhere beyond this great floating eye, Broglan began heartily to fear for the fate of his kin. too.
*****
Ergluth Rowanmantle leaned wearily against a pillar and said hoarsely, "It shames me to say this, but I find my eyes closing, again and again. I've been too long without sleep."
Erlandar Summerstar shrugged. "Do not reproach yourself. We've all treated you like the ever-vigilant mountains above the vale-always there, never changing. 'Tis time, perhaps, we took charge of ourselves instead of leaving the vigilance to others."
"I would not see it as cowardice in any man to withdraw back to the