Elfshadow

Danilo sat crosslegged on the carpet, watching them go. He noted with a purely personal satisfaction that Arilyn shot a final, concerned look back at him before she left the room. A pointedly cleared throat captured his attention, and he looked up at the servant. The mace still hung at the man's belt, a jarring note amid the elegant furnishings of the entrance hall.

"If you think you can walk, sir, I'll see you to your room," the servant said. When Danilo nodded, Graves bent down and plucked the nobleman from the carpet, none too gently.

Danilo took the servant's arm, making a show of leaning on him as they walked slowly up the stairs. A pair of giant black mastiffs followed them, eyeing Danilo with wary interest. The nobleman fleetingly hoped that the dogs were well fed. He noted that the wiry servant was surprisingly strong, and that the man's raspy, whiskey-drenched voice and eyes the color of cold steel seemed more suited to the battlefield than the Castle Ward. It was a reassuring observation, and Danilo suddenly felt a little better about what he had to do. If he had to leave Arilyn for a time, at least she would be well protected.

The dandy let Graves lead him into a richly appointed guest room and lower him into a chair. "Is there anything else that sir requires?" the servant asked coolly.

"Sleep should do it," Danilo assured him. "That was a dandy potion, really."

"Very good, sir." The servant closed the door firmly behind him.

Danilo listened until the servant's footsteps died away. When all was silent, he rose, reaching into the magic bag at his waist. He took from it his spellbook and a length of rope. He quickly studied the runes on one of the pages, memorizing the complex spell he had to cast. Finally satisfied, he slipped the spellbook back into this bag.

Not a trace of his lethargy remained. The effects of the assassin's poison had faded long before they'd reached Loene's house, although Danilo had maintained a facade of weakness in order to get Arilyn out of the i

He threw open a window, secured the rope to a bedpost, and lowered himself to the courtyard. After his experience on the ledge of the i

He reached into his sack for the spell components and went through the complex patterns of gestures and chants. After rising into the night and over the wall, he floated down, featherlike, to the street beyond. At last, quietly, he strode to the front of the house and dispelled the enchantment that made his horse invisible.

The edge of the night sky was just begi

Danilo Tha

Ten

As he rode, Danilo pondered all that had transpired during the night. He would have given much to have heard Arilyn's version of their story. He did not imagine that he fared well in the telling.

Danilo was accustomed to being thought a fool. Even within his own family, he bore his father's stern disapproval and the scorn of his older brothers. This he accepted as part of his role, but when he saw a foppish Waterdhavian dandy reflected back to him from the mirror of Arilyn's elven eyes, he found that he had little stomach for the charade.

Perhaps it was time to make some changes.

Riding swiftly, Danilo soon reached the home of the arch-mage. Blackstaff Tower looked impenetrable. It was, but only to the uninitiated. A series of powerful magical wards and devices, as well as a twenty-foot stone wall, protected the tower. By all appearances, the place had no doors at all and windows only on the upper floors.

Danilo dismounted at the gate and muttered a cantrip, casting an easy spell that would keep his horse tethered. Another quick spell opened the gate. Danilo strode quickly through the courtyard, and, after knocking on the tower and softly speaking his name, he walked through an invisible door into the wizard's reception hall.

Khelben "Blackstaff" Arunsun descended the spiral staircase to meet his nephew. "I see you've finally managed the door," he observed.

Danilo gri

"Indeed. Well, come up, come up. I've been waiting for your report," Khelben said, gesturing for Danilo to follow him up to the parlor.

Steaming cups of roasted chicory rested on a small table between two comfortable chairs. Danilo cast his a longing look but insisted, "I haven't much time. Arilyn is at Loene's house on Waterdeep Way. I need to get back before I'm missed."

"Of course." Khelben settled down and took up his cup. "Have you anything concerning the assassin's identity?"

"Not yet. Back in Evereska, Arilyn was followed by a thug from Waterdeep. In his possession was a snuffbox bearing the sigil of Perendra."

Khelben choked on a mouthful of chicory, and Danilo nodded grimly. "In answer to your next question, yes, I'm sure it was Perendra's mark. She was one of the first to die, wasn't she?"

"Yes," Khelben said as soon as he could speak. "Unlike the later victims, she was not marked with the brand. It is possible that her death was not the work of our assassin. Did that man admit to killing Perendra?"

"No. He claimed he'd gotten the box from an elf. He was obviously enspelled to die before he could reveal the villain's name. Arilyn, I assume, intends to track him or her down."

"Good. Stay with her as she does. Now the sword. Tell me everything you can think of."

Danilo perched on the edge of his chair, took a deep breath, and spoke fast. "It's elvencrafted and very old, made of some dull but very strong metal I don't recognize. There are runes down its length-Espruar, I think, though a form I've never seen-and also on the sheath. There's a large gem on the hilt, and it-"

"Stop!" Khelben demanded. Alarm etched itself across the wizard's face as he leaned intently toward his nephew. "There's a moonstone in the hilt? Are you sure?"

"No, it's a topaz."

"Did she say anything about this stone?" Khelben urged.

"Actually, yes. She told me that her teacher, Kymil Nimesin, had it set in the hilt to balance the blade."

"I see." Khelben relaxed. "Good. I didn't know Arilyn was trained by Kymil Nimesin, but it figures. He's one of the best armsmasters in the Realms, and he works for the Harpers from time to time. Go on."

"The sword cuts through metal and bone as if it were slicing a summermelon. Its strike is unusually fast, although I think a good deal of that is Arilyn. According to her, the sword ca

"How?"

"It glows. It also glows sometimes when Arilyn draws it, but sometimes it doesn't. I can't figure out any kind of pattern to that."

"And if anyone else were to draw it?"

"They would get fried like a flounder," Danilo concluded flatly.

"Of course," Khelben muttered. "It is a hereditary blade, after all." He arched an eyebrow at Danilo. "You didn't find this out through personal experience, I trust?"

"Unfortunately, I did. Fortunately, I barely touched it."

Khelben chuckled at Danilo's droll tone, but quickly sobered. "Anything else?

"It can also warn Arilyn of danger by sending dreamwarnings."