Aliandra

  The dungee stabbed into her mind, making her gasp with pain and stagger into the table. Ali vaguely heard the excmations of , but her vision was dim, and the sounds came to her faintly against the roar that smashed through her brain.

  Her vision flickered and lurched bae sembnce of normal and she found Lira kneeling on the floor beside her holdiightly, so she didn’t fall.

  “Are you ok, dear?” The on her face was echoed by all of them.

  “Yes, it’s fading,” she lied. In truth, she was simply getting used to it, but Lira and her friends would worry about it and there was nothing she could do to fix it for now. It was the suddenness – the surprise – that always caught her off guard.

  Your minions have defeated Shard of Fme – Elemental – level 49 (Fire).

  The pain suddenly eased.

  For the price of log up almost a thousand of her preana, her minions were fighting the Emberfe Mines and its tinuous dungeon-break, holding back the elementals that it ewing forth into the jungle. And every so often in the chaos of battle, the elemental might clip her domain mana with its aura of fme, and she would experiehe excruciating pain anew. It was quite debilitating, not knowing when or where it would strike.

  She sat gingerly on the chair and accepted Malika’s offer of a cup of water.

  What were we discussing? She tried to cast her mind back over the versation they were having before it had struck.

  “Morwynne make fire resistand fire absorption potions, but they require some fire extracts from the herbalists,” Mato noted, his eyes gng her way to check if she was really ok. “Eliyen make it, but they need fire-affinity pnts, and of course, there are none nearby. She said the closest is a several day hike up in the mountains near some small fissures and volic va flows. She did offer me Basil if we want to try that.”

  Oh yes, that was it. Finding fire resistance gear and potions roving harder than she had expected.

  “That’s probably a good option, though,” she said. If they could find a fire-affinity pnt, she could spend one of her Grimoire chapters to learn it, and then they could make as much as they needed, and the potions would simply cost the money for the redients and the time to make them.

  “I don’t mind making the hike if we think that’s going to be worth the effort,” Mato answered.

  “ or Ali may be faster though, because they fly,” Malika said.

  “Is there anything I do?” Ryn asked.

  Before she could answer, Ali felt footsteps and a heartbeat approag from the darkness and looked up to find stepping out of the shadows.

  “Six this time,” he announced and walked over to where Malika was sitting and transferred the bright glowing handfuls of fme to her ste ent, getting a heal iurn.

  “That’s probably enough for Thuli to make our pte order,” Malika said. “It’s the leather and the cloth that we’re stuck with. And I have no idea what I’m going to do, I ’t even wear armor.”

  “My mom ’t do any fire resistants,” said, looking a little down about it. Ali was immediately reminded how Lydia had seemed the same way, expressing the feeling of being trapped by her profession and the way the guilds treated indepe crafters.

  “None of the other tailors in town either, I checked all of them,” he finished.

  Cloth armor was their biggest problem. While she did have general magic resistance, something that had made herself and her Acolytes more robust than most of her minions, Ali still had extremely low health pared to almost anyone else, and she would need more prote against the dungeon’s mana if she wao be safe.

  “There are leatherworkers in town,” mented, but his eyes danced in a clear signal that he already had an idea. “I was thinking I’d che Ciradyl when I go back for training. I check for other things while I’m there.”

  “I’ll make you a list,” Malika said. “You might want to take a lot of gold; I don’t think this stuff will be cheap.”

  Everything needs gold. It was a good thing she could make so many valuable resources, otherwise she had no idea what they would do.

  “What is Ciradyl’s library like?” Ryn’s voice piped up from the table where she was ying out the books she had collected.

  “I don’t know,” answered. “But I take one person with me, do you want to e?”

  Ryn’s eyes lit up. “Ooh! Oh! Yes! Please?”

  “How you resist,” Mato chortled, spping his friend on the shoulder. turned pink.

  Oh, Ciradyl probably has a massive library. It was the capital of the Wood Elves, and, by ’s at, an enormous and advanced city. Ryn will disappear in a cloud of happiness… Her mind drifted briefly, daydreaming about the kinds of knowledge they might find there.

  Wait… Tail… Lydia’s problems with her tail css collided abruptly with her thoughts of the extensive knowledge that might be in the Ciradyl library.

  “That’s brilliant!” she excimed and suddenly felt the flush of embarrassment as everyoopped and stared at the iy of her outburst. “Well, maybe not that amazing, but… , didn’t you say the Guild of Tailors spans New Daria?”

  “Almost all of the human kingdoms,” he answered. “The only reason mom be indepe is that Myrin’s Keep is too far out of the way, and too unimportant to attract attention.”

  “But it doesn’t operate in Ciradyl?”

  “No…” he answered, suddenly realizing what she was asking.

  “Now that you and Ryh fluent in Elvish, perhaps you could search the library for books on tail entments? Specifically, fire resistance? And then maybe your mom make some things for us?” If Lydia could learn the entment and make det gear, she could get pieces made for her acolytes and her mages too, and then she could learn them herself and make as many as needed.

  “That’s an awesome idea, Ali,” Malika said enthusiastically. “And it will be a lot cheaper than buying all the pieces already made.”

  Mato raised his huge paw of a hand and tapped Ali with greatly exaggerated gentleness upon the shoulder. “There.”

  “What was that?” Ali squeaked.

  “Didn’t want to ftten my favorite little dungeon.”

  “Mato!”

  Ryn

  “Ok, I’m ready,” Ryn said, trying not to boun her toes and failing miserably. Ready, minus my dignity. This is going to be such a good day!

  She had takeime to pack a few things she thought she might need, but she probably wouldn’t o stay too long in Ciradyl. Just long enough to secure a library membership and the books they needed, after which she would be able to return as often as she wanted. Just the thought of seeing the fabled Elven tree city, and the library sent tingliement prig along the backs of her arms.

  “Have fun!” Ali said, her voice taking on a melodie with the lyrical speech of the Elven tohe eag skill Ali had unlocked had been crazy, she had literally felt her mind f new es in a state of pure focus like none she had ever experienced before. It had been a matter of a few relentless hours of study before she had received the notification that she had achieved fluency. While she hadn’t yet had a ce to test her new spoken skills with a native speaker, she could read! And Lira ts, doesn’t she?

  She took a deep breath. She was about to visit the biggest Elven city on this side of the ti, perhaps the world. What if I make a mistake and offend someone?

  trary to what she had said, she didn’t feel nearly prepared enough when reached out his hand, but she took it anyway. Her stomach lurched as if the floor had just vanished out from under her feet, and she was no longer here. She stumbled on the wooden floor and reflexively summoned her wings, but she found herself standing just fine in the ter of a magic circle with white-robed Elves looking on with amusement on their faces. She blushed in embarrassment and hurriedly put her unnecessary wings away. When she used her Library Teleport to the Grand Library Ara, she always made sure to appear in the air of the atrium while flying – it was far easier that way.

  “Wele to Ciradyl.”

  The voice was soft and feminine, and it took Ryn a moment to realize that the beautiful Elven dy eaking Elvish. I uand her! It eve natural. Her embarrassment fotten, she gazed eagerly around the room, taking in her first impression of Ciradyl.

  “You have pretty wings,” the Elf added. She was tall, dressed in the flowing white robe of the Temple of Lunaré, and she had geous long flowing brown hair and kind green eyes.

  “Thank you,” Ryn replied. Almost a dozen Wood Elf Acolytes and guards sat or stood about the receiving room, but nobody seemed at all disturbed by their sudden appearan the ter of the rge glowing white circle of runic magic.

  “You ok?” asked, also speaking Elvish. She nodded a him lead her out of the circle.

  “Um, could you perhaps direct me to the library?” Ryn wasn’t certain of the ary level of formality or politeness yet. Her brain was full of flig information she had read oopic, but the Elven Priestess just smiled at her and offered a folded piece of paper.

  Puzzled, Ryn g it, and then unfolded it, finding a small, detailed map of what must be the city. Oh. Of course, they’re prepared for wide-eyed tourists from tiny towns…

  She studied the map carefully, but she couldn’t make heads or tails of it. It was vastly more plex than a map had any right to be, so she showed it to . “ you uand this?”

  “I’m not sure I know where it is either. This is only my sed time here, and I got lost st time – quite thhly lost,” admitted, looking more than a little embarrassed.

  “Theolias, would you guide them to the library, please?” the Priestess asked.

  A male Wood Elf in robes that looked noticeably piner, but no less well-crafted, bowed to her. “Of course, High Priestess.” He turo them, gesturing with his hand toward the doorway, and said, “Whenever you’re ready.”

  Acolyte – Wood Elf – level ??

  Even the acolytes are a far higher level than me.

  “Lead the way, Theolias,” said.

  Ryn followed the Elven Acolyte out of the door, but as she exited, her jaw dropped. The receiving room for the teleportation locus was situated dizzyingly high up the rgest tree she had ever seen – way rger thahe Elder Lirasian Oak that Ali had pnted in the ter of the library. In every dire, and as far as she could see, Elves soared, swooped, or walked along branches and hanging walkways among the trees in a stupefyingly plex web of streets, highways, and flight hat pulsed with the energy, the lifeblood of the busy Elven city. But even with the busyness, the city did not bustle – infused instead with a palpable calm serenity, a tangible elegand grace that could never have been achieved by a human city.

  Her very human stomach lurched unhappily, and she hastily remi she had wings. No problem.

  In the ter, her eyes were drawn to a pool illuminated by a t pilr of shifting blue light, within which danced brilliant white sparks and wisps, reminding her of the wisps of nature that were drawn to Ali’s library tree, except on a scale that staggered her imagination.

  “It’s quite a sight, is it not?” Theolias said, a soft smile on his face. “I envy you seeing it for the first time.”

  “What is that?” Whatever it was, it was beautiful, eye-catg, and filled with the serene energy that suffused the very air throughout the city.

  “That is the Well of Souls. It is an a artifader the care of the Temple of Lunaré and the souruch of the power of our city. Without it, the Ciradyl trees do not grow, and our defenses do not work. But not much is known now about its purpose, and its in is shrouded in mystery.”

  Ryn followed their guide, her head bobbing bad forth trying to take in far too many sights at the same time. She was so distracted that she almost tripped several times. It was no wohe map had been indecipherable, the ey was fully ected in three dimensions, sprawled among the branches of the giant trees.

  Suddenly, Theolias gasped and stepped to the side, pulling her with him and bowing low. Surprised, Ryn turo find a procession of strange beings walking down the broad arboreal highway like they ow. They were huge, every one of them over seveall, and some had to be approag ni, t over the Elves that stepped aside to give them space. Their leathery skin ranged from deep cobalt to an icy blue so light she might have said it was white. Shocks of white hair stuck up, styled into topknots, braids, or spikes. They had pointed ears like the Elves, but rger and thicker, and adorned with heavy metal piergs. From their mouths jutted a pair of tusks, most of which were painted with geometric designs or bound with ceremonial braids of leather and beads. Each of them walked on bare three-toed feet, and their hands were simirly shaped and powerfully built. The rgest one in the front g her haughtily and she quickly copied Theolias’s bow, notig his ornately decorated robe and the intense aura of cold that followed him as he swept past with his ente.

  Trolls! She shivered, both from the chill of his magid the iy of his presence, and remained bowing until Theolias finally stood.

  “Who was that?” she whispered.

  “That is the troll delegation from Telim Gor,” Theolias said, breathlessly. “That was Tol’zerath himself, their leader or chief.”

  I k, she thought. The descriptions in the books had not done justice to the sheer presence of Tol’zerath, but he was unmistakably a Troll. One of the most a races, and among the most powerful, they were reputed to be quite arrogant and superior. Living iively primitive cities and dwellings, they were heless feared for their battle prowess aremely advanced magic.

  “What are they doing here?” asked, eg the question in her own mind.

  “I’m not certain, but there have been rumors and portents of dark forces on the move. Tol’zerath is one of the foremost practitioners of divination magic. He’s probably here to talk with the cil of Archmages.”

  “Divination?” she asked, suddenly curious about another being with her rare affinity.

  “Yes,” Theolias said. “His Visions have guided the cil of Archmages and their alliah the Troll Kingdoms fes. I heard. I’m just a lowly acolyte, so I don’t get much more than rumors.”

  “That’s cool,” Ryn said, quickly rec from the iy of the enter and peppering Theolias with dozens of questions whehe incredible city didn’t distract her. For his part, Theolias seemed quite proud to talk about the city, the Trolls, and even history – happily taking up the mantle of tuide.

  “And here you go,” he said, drawing to a halt before a rge set of ornate wooden doors that seemed to have been grht into the side of the tree, rather than crafted, as if that were a perfectly normal thing for a tree to do. “The Library of Ciradyl. If you need someone when you leave, the librarian should be able to tact me. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy your stay.”

  “Thank you, Theolias. You have been an excellent guide,” she told him, a clumsy bow, but it seemed to be their . At least he was smiling when he said goodbye.

  Wheurned back, was already pushing the heavy doors open. She hurriedly followed, and, as she stepped across the threshold, her body twisted and ed with a disorienting feeling that was mercifully brief and painless. She stopped and stared, dumbfounded. Withiree, she found herself gazing at a room of unimaginable size, far bigger than what could have even fit ihe enormous tree trunk. Rows and rows of books lihe shelves, disappearing into the distand she suddenly had the discerting sehat she now knew what it might be like to step inside a ste entment – although no ste entments she knew of could be used with living beings.

  “Wele to the Ciradyl Grand Library.”

  The voice speaking Elvish drew Ryn’s attention away from the impossible size of the library, and the wealth of books it taihe Elf woman who spoke sat primly behind a desk, several books open in front of her, and one h in the air beside her.

  Librarian – Wood Elf – level ??

  “Is this your first time at the library?” she asked, smiling at them.

  “Um… yes?” Ryn said. Even the librarian surpassed her level. She hadn’t met a single person so far that she could eveify.

  That was not very fident, Ryn, she chided herself. The elven librarian must think she had never seen a library before. To be fair, the library was impossibly extensive, powered by magi a scale that she had never imagined.

  “Ryn would like to apply for membership,” said.

  She collected herself and asked, “How much does a library membership cost?” She had brought a lot of gold, but seeing the incredible scope of the library, she feared it wouldn’t be enough.

  “It’s free,” the librarian said, gng at standing beside her. “All you need is a sponsorship from a Pathfinder above the rank of Novice.”

  “Free?” Ryn asked, her voiing out a little like a squeak. She wasn’t quite sure she had heard right for a bit. It had taken a king’s ransom of gold for access to the Myrin’s Keep library, and the o Vertias and Volle had been even more expensive. All of those put together wouldn’t even take up a small er of this space.

  “I’ll just take your friend’s name, dear,” she said, eyeing , who nodded immediately.

  “I’m Avery,” he said.

  “Lyeneru Silverleaf is your mentor?” the librarian asked as she entered his o the library system. “You’re in for aing time!” She grinned, but it seemed good-natured. Ryn almost expected her to ask for the test gossip.

  She pced a bnk token on a panel, and something fshed. After examining it briefly, she ha to Ryn. “Here you go. This token will let you access the library whenever you need.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Now, young libraria me inform you of the rules,” she said, folding her hands into her sleeves. Ryn immediately ehat she looked appropriately attentive and respectful. Here came the iable librarian’s lecture. “You may borrow as many books as you want, for as long as you want, but any abuse of this freedom will reflect badly on your sponsor and his mentor. The restricted se at the back is off-limits without explicit approval of the cil. Please keep any noise or fshy magiinimum within the library, people e here to study. Magic is allowed, but nothing that damage the books or hurt other people. Is there anything you want help finding right now?”

  Ryn nodded, feeling oddly more at home now. The rules were not much different than at the other libraries, with the exception of the extraordinary freedom to borrow books without using money or fees as colteral. For the members of the exclusive Pathfinders Guild, reputation and standing must be worth more than gold. certainly seemed very proud of his membership. She g him, grateful for the trust he was extending to her.

  Remembering Ali’s suggestion, Ryn asked, “Do you know where I might find some books on tail and crafting?”

  “Here, let me show you how to use the index and search spells,” the librarian offered, direg her to a magical stru a table nearby, a more advanced set of artifacts and spells than she was used to, but familiar enough to uand quite quickly.

  “Ryn, I’m going to head out. I have a css on skinning in a few minutes,” told her. “Are you ok on your own?”

  “I think I’m good, thank you!” Ryn bade him goodbye aed her eention to the library’s indices, awed by the sheer weight and volume of knowledge tained within this vast chamber.

  Well, one sed. She pinched her arm hard and wi the pain. Yes, I’m awake. Good. To work!

  Lyeneru Silverleaf Lyeneru knocked on the aged oak door, taking a deep breath. It had been a long time since she had been summoned by her former mentor, the Archmage, Nathaniel Sunstrider.

  The door clicked and sprang ajar by itself. “e in, Lyeneru.”

  She pushed the door open aered his office. It had not ged o sihe first time she had entered as a nervous young novice – much like a few days ago. The walls were filled with bookcases, den with heavy tomes of magical knowledge. His desk was just as cluttered with unfinished work as it always was, and Lyeneru wondered if some of the projects she had seen all those years ago may still be buried somewhere uhere, untouched over the years that had passed. It still smelled of ink and part, and the faint ozone haze of unbound are mana.

  Nathaood in his resple robes, adorned with are silver symbols and runes, his back to the door. His silver-white hair spilled unbound down his back, reag to the crest of the Pathfinders Guild that romily embroidered with shimmering thread, allowing the robes to serve as a symbol of his station as the Guildmaster and a ranking member of the cil of Archmages.

  His form shimmered with his haing upon the smooth, clear surface of a perfectly spherical glowing crystal orb. An a Sg Stone! Such artifacts were impossibly rare now, knowledge of their making a lost secret of the Age of Enlighte from before The Breaking. His mouth worked silent intations tinuously while his eyes remained glued to the sights within.

  Lyeneru shut the door and stood waiting with her hands csped loosely behind her back, studying the wise Sun Elf.

  Something deep within the orb swirled – a chorus of whispers and screams. Several dark, insubstantial tendrils shot out, whiplike, striking at Nathaniel’s wrist. With a loud crack, a reactive spell formatiered, and the bck tendrils burst apart, the remnants retreating into the orb like an injured predator withdrawing to their ir. The Archmage snatched his hand back with a hiss.

  “A Sg Stone, Nathaniel? You risk inviting camity upon us,” Lyeneru said. “It’s far too dangerous; not everolls know who crafted those.”

  “Someone o keep an eye on that Shadow cil. Indacus Argyle has made a new artifact, and they move to take advantage of the rising flict between Toria and New Daria,” he said, rubbing his hand for a moment before he shrouded the orb with a bck velvet cloth. “Besides, that’s what ward spells are for.”

  “Still…” she said, worried more than she cared to admit by the straack. Those tendrils of darkness were wrong in a way she had never experienced before, leaving her with echoes of horrifying whispers in her mind. At least she had enough experieo know when she was afraid, or strange mana was involved.

  “I know what I’m doing, Lyeneru.”

  Lyeneru frowned, but let it go. The retionship between them had ruly evolved past initiate aor, even though she had long moved on. In his mind, he was always the teacher, and she the unruly apprentice.

  “Now, I’m sorry it took so long to find time. With the Shadow cil, the Archmage cil, and now the Troll delegation from Telim Gor, I’ve not had a moment to even sit down. What do you have to report?”

  “Alexander Gray is dead, but he unleashed a pgue on the forests south of Myrin’s Keep. An undead Blight that spawns endless zombies and skeletons,” Lyeneru began. Even though she had finally defeated the far higher-level Death Knight, the scope of the disaster the Neancer had unleashed went far beyond her abilities.

  “This must be the disruption the Shadow cil is trying to take advantage of,” Nathaniel said, taking his seat at his cluttered desk and invitio sit too. “How did he die?”

  “Killed by a local dungeon.”

  “You took care of it, I presume?”

  “I chose not to,” Lyeneru answered, twisting her mouth. Nathaniel would not like that – not o. She still wasn’t certain she hadn’t made a big mistake, but how could she kill someoer sitting down with them and their… aunt for tea? “Her name is Aliandra. She and her friends took care of the Neancer for us.”

  “An unbound sapient dungeon?” Nathaniel asked, eyebrows arg in surprise.

  “Yes. Nature and are affinities,” Lyeneru said, adding, “Her are magic is golden.” She knew him well enough by now to know where his primary is y. If anything was going to get his attention, it was that golden mana.

  “That’s… unusual,” Nathaniel said, rubbing his and leaning ba his chair. “I remember this Myrin’s Keep now… I got a report from the Guildmaster of the Adventurers Guild – some preposterous cim about the Blind Lich showing up.” He chuckled dismissively.

  “That report is almost certainly accurate,” Lyeneru said, grimag as she realized the likely impact of her report.

  Nathaniel’s levity vanished instantly. “I have no patience for jests, Lyeneru.”

  “When have I ever joked about the undead?” Lyeneru asked, reining in the annoyahat threateo spill over into her voice. “They found the ruins of Dal’mohra, Nathaniel. I saw it with my own eyes. Aliandra was born in Dal’mohra, and her dungeon is led in the Grand Library Ara.”

  “The library!” Nathaniel excimed, sitting bolt upright.

  “Just the building, the books are gohe learning entment is real, she restored it. And she recovered Nevyn Eld’s inal treatise on dungeons. She firmed many of our theories about the Blind Lid his abilities – and she has evidence he doesn’t o ensve dungeons. He create them using an artificial shriifact.”

  “That is… an incredible cim,” Nathaniel said, his surprise giving way to thoughtfulness.

  “Nathaniel, she witnessed him turning the kings of Dal’mohra. We need her,” Lyeneru stated ftly.

  “I see. I think it’s time for me to pay a visit to this Myrin’s Keep,” Nathaniel said.

  “Shall I e?”

  “No,” Nathaniel said. “I have aask for you. Tol’zerath has had a Vision – a very troubling one. He saw a vast army of undead spilling forth from a dungeon and ing Aman Rak.”

  “That’s dire news,” Lyeneru said. If the Troll kingdoms fell, nothing would staween the undead and Ciradyl. The Well of Souls could not fall into their bony grasp. “What shall we do?”

  “I want you to go and iigate. The Trolls believe their kingdoms, and by extension, Ciradyl, are in grave danger – but you well know the fickle nature of divination. I need information, Lyeneru. Reliable intelligence.”

  “I’ll take care of it at once.”

  Nathaniel Sunstrider

  Despite the pressing urgency of a rash of high-priority tasks that all required his attention, Nathaniel sat in silent ption for quite some time, staring at the seat Lyeneru had vacated.

  An unbound sapient dungeon… The st time an unbound sapient dungeon had spawned and had beeo gather power, the world had lost an empire.

  When Vivian Ross had initially sent him the report of a possible dungeon in Myrin’s Keep and the sighting of the Blind Lich, he had dismissed it out of hand. But it had at least been discreet.

  However, there was no way he could ignore Lyeneru’s report. Just the political ramifications of what she had uncovered at Myrin’s Keep would blow up to an enormous headache as the details filtered out.

  She henomenal Pathfinder – one in a millennium – but the girl had absolutely no sense of practical politics. She should have taken care of the dungeon, as she always had before. None of this seality. He sighed. No, sapiewithstanding, the policies existed for a reason. There was no room for seality – he would just o take care of this situation personally. In his thousand years of life, he had never heard of a trustworthy dungeon.

  Oher hand, Lyeneru was never wrong about dungeons. That fact alone gave him pause.

  Golden are mana.

  Nathaniel’s eyes fell upon the great tome resting, battered and worn, on the reading stand. He kly what she had been implying and decided that, while he resented her presumption, he had to allow that she might be right – against all odds.

  Everyone khat are-affinity mana was violet or purple, depending oyle or personality of the wielder. He had just assumed she had been mistaken, after all, Lyeneru was a great Pathfinder, but not much of a schor. But the golden glowing runes on that tome’s cover – an artifact from the City of Learning itself – hi a secrets waiting to be revealed, if only he were intelligent and tenacious enough to us mystery.

  Yes. He mistrusted these stras and somehow, this golden dungeon was embroiled in the currents of fate he sensed swirling about many possible futures. Tol’zerath’s presen Ciradyl roof enough.

  Filled with purpose, he rose to his feet. Reag out a hand, he levitated the aome, taking it and ing it under one arm. It articurly frustrating book, so deh mana that it could not be stored in his ring. Nor could it be memorized or copied – the slippery tome was he same, no matter how many times he read it. Even his memories of what he had studied were ed by the founded book when he wasn’t paying attention, a feat of Knowledge magic sious he was at a loss for how to even begin to u. He would o carry the book and refere directly. However, it would be better to have the annoying tome with him and not than to and have to e back for it, especially if there was truth to Lyeneru’s discovery of golden are mana.

  He waved a hand and a quill on his desk penned a o his assistant, inf him that he would be out iigating a dungeon near Myrin’s Keep. That should be enough of a paper trail, he decided. It would fend off much of the unwanted specution ahe Trolls appeased by the appearance of taking their ing vision seriously while Lyeneru obtained more aable clues. He spent a few moments colleg artifacts and spellbooks he might need and st them.

  On to Myrin’s Keep. He levitated the Locus Directory from his shelf and found the entry he needed. It was not one he kept memorized. After studying it for a few seds, he activated his Greater Teleport skill.

  He stepped out of the locus to the awed gasps of the low-level mages present, and the scrambling of people getting to their feet in their haste to bow.

  Novaspark Academy of Magic. Quaint and homely in parison to the wonders of Ciradyl, it hearkeo simpler times – times ever reg into a history and now, a notion perhaps forever crushed by the weight of that unpreted Divination. If Tol’zerath himself was ed…

  “W… wele… Archmage?” the official stuttered.

  Smoothing a grim smile off his lips, he nodded, aowledging the official, and opened his mind to the ambient mana, ranging outward ever wider as his awareness soared along the currents and eddies in the flow surrounding him.

  What he found was startling.

  It was obvious where the dungeon was, give iy of the mana he could sehe nature-affinity mana was well into the sed tier iy, possibly even strohan his own. He would o proceed with both haste and caution. But the are-affinity mana was what caught his breath, not nearly as dense, but bright and sparkling. And golden.

  Lyeneru skipped a few details. Suddenly, he was gd he had brought Elowynn Amariel’s: The Nature of Magic.

  He teleported again, heading downward iless pursuit of his goal, protective wards snapping into pce.

  ----------

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