The Wizardwar - Elaine Cunningham [72]
Matteo brightened. "That will help. In addition to everything else I must do, the king must hear that Kiva is alive, the laraken is back, and Akhlaur may have not only survived but even returned."
"If Zalathorm doesn't already know, we're in more trouble than we realize,"
Basel commented. "I understand your duties, but formalities will have to wait on matters that cannot."
The young man's eyes blazed with hope. "You found a spell to free Tzigone?"
"By Mystra's grace. And, as usual, the Lady's blessings are not entirely unmixed."
Basel quickly described the spell to Matteo. "I would go for her myself, and gladly," he concluded, "but my heart has enough dark corners to ensure failure. I can think of only one man who'd last in the Unseelie Court longer than a snowfall in a Halarahh bathhouse." When no understanding entered Matteo's eyes, Basel added, "I know only one man who values Tzigone's life as I do."
This time Matteo didn't hesitate. "If it's in me to bring her back, I will."
Themo jolted to his feet with a cry of protest. The effort proved too much for the wounded man; his face drained of color, and he all but dropped back onto the ground.
"Don't," he said through gritted teeth. "You saw what happened to me when we fought those thrice-bedamned fairies. What'll it be like in their world?"
"Perhaps Tzigone will tell you, once she returns," Matteo said quietly.
"But-"
Matteo sent Themo a look that froze the big man's protest in his throat. He turned back to Basel. "What about my jordaini resistance to magic?"
"There are exceptions to every rule," Andris put in with obvious reluctance.
"Travel spells seem to be one. At Kiva's side, I walked across Halruaa in a single step."
"Kiva was a magehound," Basel reminded him. "Her spells would have more effect on you than a wizard's might. She is not, however, the only magehound in Halruaa, and the church of Azuth possesses certain artifacts that can bypass, at least to some extent, a jordain's magical resistance."
"Another magehound," grumbled Themo. "'Some extent: This plan is shaping up nicely."
The wizard's shoulders rose and fell in a profound sigh. "I won't paint this picture with falsely bright colors. The risks are enormous."
"Not as high as the price of no action whatsoever. Is the spell ready?" A look of horror crossed Matteo's face as a grim possibility occurred to him. "Or was it absorbed by the laraken?"
Basel placed a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder and pointed to a nearby peak. "When I realized what sort monster you men faced, I left my magical items up on the ledge there. No, the spell is not quite ready. We need to discuss one of the needed spell components."
The wizard hesitated. Matteo nodded encouragement "You need a lock of hair from an ancestor, a wizard of considerable power."
Matteo's gaze slid to the wizard's multitude of tiny black braids. A faint wistful smile lifted the corners of his lips. "And you've come to give me the needed token."
Basel's brows rose. "I wish it were that easy! A jordain's lineage is not exactly common knowledge."
"Mine will not be spoken of lightly," Matteo said, holding onto patience with difficulty. "If you like, I will swear an oath to tell no one you are my father, but for the love of Mystra, let's get on with it!"
He wasn't prepared for the dumbfounded expression that flooded Basel's plump face. Matteo's heart plummeted as he realized his error.
"I see that I misspoke," the jordain said slowly. "Tzigone's most heartfelt quest was her search for family. She found my mother, so I assumed she took her apprenticeship with you because you were either her father or mine. It is known that your wife and child passed away in childbirth. That is often said of jordaini births. I thought-indeed, I hoped…" His voice trailed off into uncomfortable silence.
The conjurer gathered the shreds of his composure. "My wife did indeed bear a jordaini child, but the babe was a stillborn girl."