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they could provoke any
response in force from Azoun's war wizards. They found no sign of Shandril or
her companions and
concluded she must have gone into the Hullack Forest, seeking cover."
"Your spies in the court at Suzail and among the war wizards?"
"Reported nothing," Fzoul replied. "So far as we know, Shandril does not have
the backing of Azoun-
nor is he trying to gain spellfire for himself. He may not-even know that it
is within his borders.'
There was a faint shriek from outside the chamber, and then another, louder
one. The eye tyrant turned.
"Sacrifices? At this time, Fzoul?"
"No," the priest replied. "We understand it is customary for you to feed about
now, each day."
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The beholder's eyestalks began to whip and coil sinuously in evident pleasure.
"My thanks for this
courtesy," it said, drifting eagerly forward.
An instant later, they heard curses, sobs, and struggling noises just outside
the chamber-and then a
naked man was hurled into the sanctum, cartwheeling in the air. In the
doorway, they saw a flash of
moving metal from the staff that had struck him. It was still trailing motes
of magical light as it
withdrew.
Some of those same sparkling points of light clung to the body of the
terrified man, who did not fall to
the ground, but drifted to a halt in the air close to Fzoul.
The man saw the beholder looming over him, shrieked in terror, and lunged
away, soaring through the
air toward the doorway he had come in by.
"Sporting," said the beholder, as the man flew away, into the light spilling
from the passage beyond.
An instant later, he struck an invisible barrier with a crash. The snapping of
bones could be clearly
heard, and the man sagged limply, drifting toward the ground.
"Not too sporting," Fzoul replied with amusement. At his words, the captive's
head snapped up. His
eyes narrowed with hatred, and he dived through the air, snarling as he
swooped down at the unmoving
high priest.
He never got there. An eye flared, and he was dragged inexorably sideways
toward the waiting maw of
the eye tyrant. Its jaws snapped; fine droplets of blood rained down, and the
legless body jerked and
spasmed in midair.
Xarlraun eyed the limp, hanging man disappointedly, then drifted in to gulp
him whole. "I expected a
better fight," it said between crunching noises.
"The next one may be better," Fzoul said smoothly. The beholder belched,
shaking the chamber and
making Fzoul's stomach churn and his eyes sting. It licked its lips,
considering. "That one had drunk
much sherry, not long ago." Then it leaned toward the priest, and said in
silky warning, "You won't be
foolish enough to try poisoning any of these morsels, will you?"
"Of course not," said Fzoul. "That sort of behavior is beneath me." His tones
were calm, even scornful,
but a sudden dampness glistened on his forehead.
Outside the chamber, the screaming began again. The beholder listened and then
said, "I'll eat again
when we're done. Please give the necessary orders-and have all the priests who
are listening just
outside withdraw, as well." Its voice sounded coldly amused.
As the high priest came back from the doorway, the beholder spoke again. "Go
on, Fzoul. I'll regard the
map if I feel the need. Your aerial spies found no trace of the speIlfire
wielder and assumed she'd gone
to cover in the Hullack Forest."
"Aye," Fzoul said. "Manshoon felt that if magic was to succeed against
speIlfire at all, it must be by
new spells devised to deal with spellfire or by some combination of spells or
manner of attack that we,
as experienced workers-with-Art, had missed seeing. I agree with this view. We
had already sent out a
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summons to all our magelings, to a meeting in the High Hall. When they met,
Manshoon invited them
to go out and seize speIlfire by whatever means they chose."
"Filling the field with a score or more of wild, ruthless, half-tutored mages?
Was that wise?" The
beholder drifted closer, fixing several disapproving eyes on the priest.
"It was necessary," Fzoul said, trying not to sound apologetic. "Our magelings
need a weeding. We'd
like some of them tested and all of them given experience, and there are one
or two who have
developed or found spells we'd like to see in action-before their owners have
time to plan and properly
prepare for an assault on us. The stability of the Brotherhood is better
served if we remain in control of
it for some time to come."
"So your force from the Stonelands is lost in the north reaches of Hullack
Forest, various magelings are
wandering all over the map, and Shandril's disappeared from view-in a
sovereign realm with its own
powerful band of organized wizards. This is your plan?" Its deep voice purred
with sarcasm as it drifted
lower.
Fzoul stepped back despite himself, but continued flatly, "The force under
Karkul Memrimmon laid a
trap for Shandril, which she fought her way out of. Evidently thinking herself
free of enemies, she
camped and practiced hurling her speIlfire for hours. After dark, Karkul's
force surrounded her and
attacked."
"And were slaughtered in their turn?" The beholder winded amused.
"Well, yes-a few fled, but Karkul, the upperpriest, and the rest fell.
Shandril had to destroy a fair stretch
of forest to do this and now, we believe, has exhausted her spellfire
again-with two magelings moving
in on her." "Three I know of," Xarlraun corrected.
Fzoul raised an eyebrow. "You seem to have sources unknown to me," he said,
his voice a soft
challenge.
The beholder seemed to smile. "Have you any more of those flying bites?"
Fzoul nodded. "I'll see." He strode to the door of the sanctum, gave curt
orders, indicated a guard at
random, and returned to the beholder.
"Tell me more of your plans, should this Shandril escape from the Hullack
Forest," the eye tyrant
ordered. Fzoul quelled a flash of anger and nodded, face expressionless. "Our
agents in Arabel have
orders to do whatever it takes-even revealing their loyalties by making open
war in the city-to prevent
Shandril from moving farther west into Cormyr. We hope to drive her to the
Stonelands or Tilverton,
where our forces are stronger. At that time, the more powerful members of the
Brotherhood will take
an active part in trying to seize spellfirewith the very real reward of rising
to lead us all if they gain it."
"And what if you do gain it? What use is this power to blast men to ashes?"
"We see-" Fzoul began as the terrified guard, cursing and shouting, was
catapulted naked into the
chamber. When he saw Fzoul, he began to plead, offering money, mistresses,
information about hidden
treasure caches and the doings of Fzoul's rivals-Fzoul turned his back and
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walked away.
The temple guard flew at the high priest from behind, hands outstretched to
grasp Fzoul's neck. The
beholder watched with interest. When Fzoul made no move, it reluctantly
reached out with its eye-
powers to prevent murder. The diving guard tore through the map image,
scattering it into sparkling
nothingness-and then was tugged aside, jerking and thrashing as a fish
struggles in a net.
Fzoul turned his head and smiled up at the eye tyrant. "My thanks," he said.
"Primarily we are
interested in spellfire to avoid having it fall into the hands of our enemies.
If it is lost to all, we will not
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