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."Do hurry, Aballister," the imp groaned nervously.The wizard had not summoned him back to the material plane, a fact that the nervous imp could not ignore, particularly since the wizard still possessed the recipe.If Aballister somehow had learned of Druzil's mental connection with Barjin, the wizard might never trust Druzil enough to bring him back.The imp knew not how many days had passed-time was measured differently in the lower planes-but finally he heard a distant call, a familiar voice.He saw the distant flicker of a fiery gate and heard the call again, more demanding this time.Off he soared, through the planar tunnel, and soon he crawled out of Aballister's brazier to stand in a familiar room in Castle Trinity."Too long," the imp snorted derisively, trying to gain an upper hand."Why did you delay?"Aballister cast a foul look at him."I did not know that you had returned to the lower planes.My contact with Barjin was broken."Druzil's long and pointy ears perked up at the mention of the priest, a fact that brought a sneer to Aballister's lips.Across the room, the magical mirror sat broken, a wide crack running its length."What happened?" Druzil asked, leading Aballister's gaze to the mirror."I overextended its powers," the wizard replied."Trying to aid Barjin.""And?""Barjin is dead," Aballister said."He has failed utterly."Druzil ran a clawed hand along the wall and snarled in dismay.Aballister was more pragmatic."The priest was too reckless," he declared."He should have taken more care, should have set his goals on a more vulnerable target.The Edificant Library! It is the most defended structure in all the region, a fortress teeming with mighty priests who would seek our destruction if they learned of our plans! Barjin was a fool, do you hear? A fool!"Druzil, ever the practical familiar, thought it prudent not to disagree.Besides, Aballister's observations apparently were correct."But fear not, my leathery friend," Aballister went on, his attitude becoming more friendly toward his imp."It is but a minor setback to our cause."Druzil thought Aballister might be enjoying this just a bit too much.Barjin may have been a potential rival, but he was also, after all, an ally."Ragnor and his charges march for Shilmista," Aballister went on."The ogrillon will win against the elves and sweep south around the mountains.The region will fall to more conventional methods."Druzil allowed himself a bit of optimism, though he preferred a more insidious attack method, like the chaos curse."But he was so close, my master," the imp whined."Barjin had brought the library to its knees.It was his to finish, and then the cornerstone of any resistance we might face would have been gone before the rest of the region even knew the danger in its midst." Druzil clenched a clawed hand before him."He had victory in his grasp!""His grasp was not as strong as he believed," Aballister sharply pointed out."Perhaps," Druzil conceded, "but it was that one human, the young man who had first opened the bottle, who came back to defeat him.Barjin should have killed that one right away."Aballister nodded, remembering the last image he had seen of Barjin's altar room, and could not help but smile."Surprisingly resourceful, that one," Druzil sputtered."Not so surprising," Aballister replied casually."He is my son."EpilogueHe huddled between towering piles of huge tomes, immersed in his important year quest.The security of the Edificant Library was at stake, Cadderly believed, and his ability to discern the source of the chaos curse and the background of the powerful priest would be a critical factor in reestablishing that security.Cadderly knew that the implications of what had happened might go far beyond the library itself.Carradoon, on the lake to the east, was not a large and well-fortified town, and the elves of Shilmista were neither numerous nor particularly interested in affairs beyond their own borders.If the appearance of the evil priest foreshadowed things to come, then Cadderly's headmasters desperately needed information.The young scholar alternated his time researching known curses and known symbols.He pored through dozens of tomes and ancient, yellowed scrolls, and interviewed every scholar, host or visitor, who had any knowledge of either field.The evil priest had proclaimed Talona as his goddess, and the trident symbol was somewhat similar to the Lady of Poison's triangle-and-teardrop insignia, but what particular organization that trident represented, Cadderly could not discover.Danica watched Cadderly from a distance, not wanting to disturb his vital work.She understood the discipline that Cadderly now needed, the focused determination that excluded everything else, including her, from his days.The young woman was not concerned; she knew that as soon as time permitted, she and Cadderly would continue their relationship.For Ivan and Pikel, the days passed with wonderful boredom.Both dwarves had been beaten badly in the catacombs, but both were soon well on the way to recovery.Pikel held fast to his resolve to become a druid, and Ivan, after witnessing Newander's heroics, no longer chided him about his choice."I'm not thinking a dwarf would make a druid," Ivan huffed whenever anyone asked him about it, "but it's me brother's choice to be making."So life gradually returned to normal at the proud and ancient library.Summer came on in full and the sunshine seemed like deliverance from the nightmare.Those who came to the library's front doors that season often noticed, basking high in the branches of a tree along the road, a plump white squirrel, usually licking casasa-nut and butter from its paws.*****To the elf prince Elbereth, the sun did not seem so marvelous.Rather, it revealed him, leaving him open and vulnerable.It was a strange feeling for the skilled warrior, who could put four arrows in the air before the first ever hit its mark, and who could cut down an enraged giant with his finely crafted sword.It was that same warrior training that told Elbereth to be afraid now.A week before, he had led a contingent of elves against a small party of huge and hairy bugbears.His troops had won the encounter quickly, but, unlike the expected rabble filtering down from the wild mountains, these bugbears were well disciplined and well armed, and each wore a glove bearing a similar insignia.Elbereth had fought in several wars.He knew an advanced scouting party when he encountered one.The determined elf plodded on through the broken mountain passes, leading his weary horse.The multitude of bells on the shining white steed did not ring cheerily in Elbereth's ears, nor did the sun seem so warm
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