Windwalker - Elaine Cunningham [0]
Starlight and Shadows 03 -
Windwalker
©2003 Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
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Printed in the U.S.A.
The sale of this book without its cover has not been authorized by the publisher. If you purchased this book without a cover, you should be aware that neither the author nor the publisher has received payment for this "stripped book."
Cover art by
Lockwood
First Printing: April 2003
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2002113218
987654321
US ISBN: 0-7869-2968-5 UK ISBN: 0-7869-2969-3 620-17970-001-EN
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starlight & shadows
elaine cunningham
Daughter of the Drow
Tangled Webs
Windwalker
also by elaine cunningham
songs & swords
Elfshadow
Elfsong
Silver Shadows
Thornhold
The Dream Spheres
counselors & kings
The Magehound
The Floodgate
The Wizardwar
Evermeet: A Novel
With appreciation to Todd Lockwood, a remarkable visual
storyteller. Thank you for trying to see Uriel as I did, and for succeeding beyond any expectation. I'll never be
able to look at the cover of Tangled Webs without
experiencing a momentary shock of recognition!
Thanks to Bob Salvatore, whose generous spirit and
gracious support made venturing into dark elf territory
a little less terrifying than it might otherwise have been.
Finally, thanks to the readers who over the past few years
have written requesting the finale to Liriel's tale.
This story is dedicated to the memory of my grandmother, Franceszka Cwitovzska, a reader of dreams and singer
of old tales, a kindred spirit then and still. She would
have been very much at home in Rashemen.
Dzienkuje, Babka.
PRELUDE
the blunt sword
The Battle of lmmil Vale, Rashemen,
DR 1360
The ruins of an ancient tree guarded the western border of Immil Vale. Its massive trunk, blackened by long-ago fires, was as thick as a wizard's keep, and storm-twisted branches, winter-bare and sharp as spears, encircled it with the determined air of mountain elk standing antler to antler against an onslaught of wolves.
Warm mists swirled around the base of the tree, and high overhead, faint light spilled from an arched portal half-hidden among jagged spires of shattered wood. Framed in that doorway stood three black-robed figures: witches of Rashemen, guardians of a land besieged.
They looked out over a place of exceptional beauty, a deep narrow valley that ran along the northern side of the mountain range known as Running Rocks. Rashemen winters were long and stubborn, but in this place eternal springtime ruled. Hot springs bubbled and steamed in small rocky enclaves. The grass grew thick and soft, and the scent of meadow flowers sweetened the warm air. Swift-running streams chattered excitedly, telling boastful little tales of journeys down rugged mountainsides. The witches who kept this tower usually went about their business to the accompaniment of birdsong. Today, no bird flew, no songs