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she have to be so gloomy? I'll feel better when I find another pool to track
down and destroy, she told herself.
"Come on, Gam," she said brightly. "Let's see about supper."
Just as she stood, she heard a crystalline chime. Evaine frowned. "Now who
could that be?"
She uttered a word of magic. Suddenly a shimmering spiral staircase appeared
in the center of the room.
Evaine quickly ascended, Gamaliel on her heels, entering a room that was in
truth not located anywhere in her house. Or even in this world, for that
matter. The room was a pocket dimension, a fragment of an alternate world,
with the gateway located in Evaine's house. She used it as her pri-vate
spellcasting chamber.
Evaine stood before a curious, eye-shaped mirror of polished silver. She waved
a hand before the smooth sur-face. A face appeared in the mirror, that of a
striking woman with brilliant green eyes and fiery hair.
"Shal!" Evaine said in surprise.
"Evaine, I'm glad I found you." Shal's voice sounded slightly distant, echoing
as if it came from the opposite end of a long corridor. "I'm afraid there's
trouble in Phlan. And I think it involves a pool."
Evaine felt a rush of both dread and anticipation. "Tell me," was all she
said.
* * * * *
An hour later, after listening to her old friend Shal and asking a number of
key questions, Evaine knew all there was to know. The hiding place of the
Hammer of Tyr had been discovered, but there was someone besides the cler-ics
of Tyr who was determined to find it, someone with the power to summon a large
number of deadly fiends.
"Kern is going to be journeying to the ruins of the red tower in three days,"
Shal explained, her voice heavy with worry. "I don't like the idea of him
walking into unknown danger, Evaine. I want to know who it is who's after
him."
Evaine thought for a long moment. "There is a way, Shal," she said finally.
"But I think I will need some help."
"Anything," Shal said earnestly.
"We need to search for this mysterious enemy of yours, and we're going to have
to leave our bodies behind." Evaine's mind worked quickly. "Whoever this foe
is, he or she must be a wizard of some sort. And
I have no doubt that the wizard is drawing on this pool of twilight. It takes
enormous amounts of power to summon and control as many fiends as you've
described. I know that all too well. Now, since Kern is the person this evil
wizard of ours is after, we'll need to start by concentrating on him. But I
can't do this effectively without you."
Evaine went on to explain the specifics of the spell the material components,
gestures, and necessary arcane in-cantations. When this was done, she took a
deep breath.
"This spell will not be without risks, Shal," she warned her friend.
"They're risks I'm willing to take, Evaine."
Evaine didn't argue with her friend's resolve. "I'll be able to help you
along. I have a fair amount of experience with this sort of thing." She
grinned eagerly. Gods, but she loved magic. This was going to be exciting.
"Ready?" Evaine asked.
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"Ready," the wizard of Denlor's Tower agreed.
Simultaneously, Evaine and Shal prepared to cast the spell Evaine in her
pocket dimension, Shal in her tower a hundred leagues to the northeast.
Gamaliel stalked close to his mistress. Whenever she cast one of these spells,
her body was completely vulnerable. Though it was unlikely anyone would attack
her here, it was Gama-liel's duty to watch over her. She could not be
disturbed until she woke up from the spell.
Otherwise, disaster would result.
Evaine lighted a small brazier, sprinkling on a handful of herbs. A flame
flared up, crackling with blue, silver, and crimson sparks. She drew out a
small quartz crystal from a velvet pouch and placed it gently on top of the
brazier.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the pungent smoke, then whispered a
strangely sibilant incantation three times as she moved her hands through a
complex web of gestures.
Evaine felt her ethereal self rising from her body. She could see all around,
even though she had not opened her eyes. She reached forth a ghostly hand
toward the mirror.
Shal. . .
She spoke in a voice inaudible to mundane ears, but Shal could hear her.
I'm here, Evaine. At least I think so. This is a bit unusual for me. ..
Evaine cautioned her friend.
Don't fight the sensation. Just let yourself float, as if you're adrift in a
warm sea. Now reach out to me, not with your arms but with your mind. I'll do
the same.
Evaine concentrated, reaching out with tendrils of thought, searching. Then
she connected.
I found you!
came Shal's excited response.
You have indeed. Now let's go. The longer we're away from our bodies, the
bigger our headaches will be when we wake up.
Evaine led the way. Her consciousness rose high into the air, Shal's in tow. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]