The Crystal Mountain (12 page)

The roar that erupted shook the very stone. The throng rushed toward the exits, every demon scrambling to be the next one out into the passages beyond. Their bloodlust had completely overcome them, and they hacked and stabbed at each other just to make room for themselves. Those that managed to force their way through went howling on their way, seeking enemies to rend. Those that did not splashed the floor and walls with their blood.

Finally, only Vhissilka and the two half-fiends remained. “We will join you in the fight,” Kaanyr said. “We help drive the devils from the tunnels, you return the favor by granting us safe passage with you. What do you say?”

The marilith frowned. “I will consider it, but I make no promises. I don’t trust you, cambion.”

“Fair enough,” Kaanyr said. “We’ll just have to prove our sincerity, won’t we?” He gave Aliisza a smirk.

“Suit yourselves,” Vhissilka replied. She slithered away, leaving Kaanyr and Aliisza by themselves.

“Kaanyr, let’s just go,” Aliisza pleaded again. “Let’s get back to the others and flee. This will not end well. Even if her forces win, you cannot trust Vhissilka to uphold her end, and you’re making a mistake if you think you can outwit her.”

The cambion glared at her. “Why? All I have to do is convince her I’m sincere. How hard is that? What better way to do it than to fight for them?”

“What if she demands that you sacrifice Kael to prove your loyalty? What if she insists on torturing Tauran before giving him back to you? There are a hundred ways she can circumvent your desires while sticking to any sort of agreement she makes. Hells, she could agree to anything you want

today and change her mind two days later. She’s a demon. She can’t be trusted.”

Kaanyr chuckled. “Maybe that’s the point,” he said.

His smile said he was joking, but Aliisza wasn’t sure. “That’s not funny, and you know it. You’re playing with fire. Let’s just slip away in the confusion!”

“I can’t,” Kaanyr said. “I’m convinced that this is the best way to save Tauran’s life. Fleeing without Vhissilka’s protection seems a greater risk to me, so thanks to Tauran’s infernal compulsion, I couldn’t do it even if I tried. Sorry, lover. We’re staying here and fighting until she does something to convince me otherwise.”

Aliisza groaned. “Fine,” she said. “What do you want to do?”

Kaanyr smiled, and it looked almost feral. He slipped his malevolent purple-hued sword free of its scabbard and said, “Let’s go hunt some devils.”

.

Eirwyn sighed as she glided through the warm, scented waters of the pool. The bath was supposed to help her relax, but she could not shake off her anxiety. Time was slipping away, and she was no closer to understanding her visions and dreams than she had been when she had arrived.

Get it out of your head for a while, the angel told herself, but the order was easier thought than done. The image of the strange, crystalline fortress surrounded by green bits of glowing snow dominated her thoughts day and night. No matter how carefully she examined it, no matter how many tiny bits of detail she could ferret out of the mental

picture, she had gotten no closer to figuring out what—or where—it was.

She had been toying with the idea of departing from Xiranthador, of leaving the Seer and Venya and returning to the Court, or even setting out…

To where? she asked herself. Where would you go? What path would you follow? What clues would lead you? You are lost, and this is your best hope for finding the way once more.

The angel sighed again and paddled through the water, letting the scents of the soothing oils permeate her body and mind. She paused near the center of the pool and flipped onto her back. She stretched herself out and floated there, her face protruding above the surface while the rest of her seemed to get lost in the gentle caresses of the bath.

Eirwyn had no idea how long she had drifted there when she became aware that she was not alone. She jerked upright and shook water from her silver hair, which cascaded all around her neck and shoulders. She wiped the water from her eyes and peered around the room.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” Oshiga said, standing near the entrance to the chamber. “I wanted to let you know that there is news.”

Eirwyn smiled. “You’re not disturbing me,” she said, climbing from the bath. She dried herself and began to dress. Oshiga pointedly stared elsewhere while she did so. “I’m trying to relax, but this whole doing nothing business doesn’t suit me.” When she had donned her white tunic, she began to braid her hair. “So, what do you know?”

“Tyr, Lathander—who has revealed his true form to be that of ancient Amaunator, incidentally—and Sune have

imprisoned Cyric. His own plane has become his prison.”

Eirwyn waved that bit of news away. “That was inevitable,” she said. “What else?”

“The backlash from Mystra’s demise swept through the Astral Plane. Waves of raw magic crashed against many shores. No one knows the extent of the destruction yet, but it appears that several planes vanished, while others merged together.”

Eirwyn frowned. “Though grievous, that’s not really news,” she said, finishing with her hair. She straightened and looked at the trumpet archon. “Of course there were aftershocks. The goddess of magic was slain.” She motioned for Oshiga to lead the way. “Unless there’s more to your message than that.”

Oshiga nodded as they strolled down the hall. “There is. Erathaol has been receiving reports for quite some time now. I haven’t been privy to all of them—and I don’t know the details contained within any—but apparently, these waves of magic are different.” He paused. “They are having a strange effect on the places they touch. The edges of the House have even felt their impact, where the passage to the World Tree once stood. We are receiving news that the fabric of reality is changing there. Not just the land, but those caught up in it.”

“I see. And what is happening to these poor unfortunates?”

Oshiga sighed. “A few grow very sick. Many perish.” He paused, grimacing, as if what he had to add was too distasteful for him to repeat. “And the rest suffer strange transformations.”

“A plague?” she asked. “A plague of magic?”

Oshiga nodded. “Yes. These transformations are often gruesome, from what I have heard thus far.”

“Can they be aided?” she asked. “Healed or restored? Should I venture somewhere where I can be of more help?”

“I do not know,” Oshiga said, spreading his hands apart helplessly. “I truly cannot counsel you on what this means, or what you might choose to do about it. I just thought you’d want to know.”

Eirwyn frowned. “Thank you. Perhaps there is something useful for me in the—” A thought whirled through her head. “You said that planes are vanishing. Correct?”

“Yes.” He tilted his head to one side, giving his counterpart a puzzled look. “Why?”

“Suppose some of them aren’t merely vanishing, but disintegrating? What if this place I have been seeing in my dreams didn’t yet exist, until this immense tragedy broke something free, created the crystalline fortress?”

Oshiga caught her meaning. “If we were trying to ascertain the identity of something that we assumed already existed, but it did not, then the seeking book would have a difficult time revealing useful results. Everything we came up with must exist now, but have some connection with the future and your mysterious site.”

“Precisely,” Eirwyn said, growing excited. “We’ve been searching wrong. We need to project this fortress as something that will be, rather than something that is.”

“Unless it has come into being since we last attempted to focus on it.”

“There would be no way to tell,” she admitted. “We would need to tease the book into ‘guessing’ for us. Can you do that?”

“I believe I can,” the archon replied.

Together, they hurried to the library chamber to commence their new search.

Much later, after they had worked to produce a new list and had poured over the resulting collection of books, Eirwyn uncovered a telling bit of information. She reread the entry, wanting to make sure. Satisfied that what she had found was both accurate and useful, she showed it to Oshiga.

The trumpet archon nodded. “Yes,” he said. “I think that must be it.” He sat back and looked at Eirwyn. “Now the question is: what must you do about it?”

Eirwyn took a deep breath and said, “I must go there. I can feel it. Whatever the terrifying dream I have been experiencing is trying to tell me, the answer lies there.”

“Yes,” Oshiga said, rising from his seat. “I believe you must.” He began to pace. “But you cannot simply set out blindly. This is no ordinary journey, even for an angel of your extraordinary talents. With the chaos rampant everywhere, it would be folly to journey there unprepared, by yourself.”

Eirwyn fanned her hands. “Perhaps, but I have little choice. My patron is no more. I cannot call on others to accept this task alongside me.”

“That may be,” Oshiga replied, smiling. “But I do not think your prospects are so slim. You have demonstrated a remarkable level of perseverance in the face of such adversity. Other patrons will welcome you into the fold, should you wish it.”

Eirwyn felt a rush of nerves course through her. She had kept the debate over accepting patronage from another deep inside herself, not wishing to confront the issue of whether to change her allegiance after Helm’s demise. It was too painful

to contemplate. She felt like a traitor, betraying everything she had dedicated herself to serving.

“I cannot,” she answered softly. “Not yet. It’s too soon.”

Oshiga tilted his head. “Is it? I cannot tell you what the right course is in this matter, but perhaps you should ask yourself whether you are truly best serving your cause by permitting your grief to render you impotent, immobile. In this time of need, do you do the just thing, or the selfish thing?”

Eirwyn glared at Oshiga, who sat across from her. How dare you, she thought. You know nothing of the pain and tragedy of losing your deity. But she let the anger subside and stared down at the surface of the table. “Your insight may be accurate,” she said softly. “However, it does not change my reluctance. Helm was as selfless in his love for me as any I could imagine, and I fear the disservice I do to him by tarnishing that love.”

Oshiga pursed his lips. “Even Helm would see you move beyond such a relationship when duty and others had need of you.”

Eirwyn knew he was right, and she felt a little part of herself being wrenched free, torn from her heart. She wanted to weep. “I know,” she said, “but I know of no power I wish to swear my allegiance to. I cannot bear to think of it.”

Oshiga smiled. “I do not think you need to,” he said, his tone filled with compassion. “You have already done so much in the service of so many. The mountain itself has embraced you, Eirwyn. You are a child of the heavens, a celestial creature heart and soul. Why not draw your spiritual energy from the entirety of the plane? Why not refill your heart with the love of Celestia itself?”

Eirwyn considered his words. It was not unheard of for

certain angelic beings to dedicate themselves to the righteousness of ideals, and the lands from which they flowed, rather than to a divine creature. She had forsworn obeying Tyr’s law because she believed it was more important to uphold the values under which even he lived.

How would it be any different? she wondered. I have pledged myself to this philosophy. Can the philosophy not grant me strength and power in return?

Slowly, as the realization filled her that she had been living her life dedicated to Celestia all along, Eirwyn began to smile. In that moment of recognition, Eirwyn felt hope and energy wash over her again.

It felt good.

“I thank you,” she said to Oshiga, who smiled.

“I am deeply proud to be of service.” He stood and looked officious. “Now,” he continued, “we must prepare you for your journey. It will not be an easy one.”

Later, as the trumpet archon led Eirwyn away from the Seer’s domain and back into the skies of the House of the Triad, they did not notice the pair of figures that followed them.

Fuming, Aliisza squeezed through a narrow gap in the tunnel. Gods and devils, Kaanyr, what were you thinking? “Let’s find another route and flank them.” Brilliant if you know the tunnels well, but I’m so turned around now, I’ve got no idea where we are. And now they’re chasing us, and you’ve gotten too far ahead. Wait for me, you thrice-damned—

She cast a quick glance behind her and spied the bearded devil that was chasing her. He caught up to her and swung his heavy polearm, topped with a thick, serrated chopping blade, at her head.

She ducked and the blade whistled over her. A sharp ring of steel on stone reverberated just behind her ear. Chips of stone sprayed the back of her neck. Aliisza pushed past the bottleneck in the passage, then she turned to face her pursuer again. He grinned at her, licking his cracked, blackened lips, and thrust his blade through the gap for another attack.

Aliisza grimaced, shook her head in disgust, and lunged

away. The stretch of tunnel before her opened up into a wide path, and the smooth floor was devoid of obstacles. She took off running.

As she retreated, Aliisza went back over Kaanyr’s final conversation with her. Did he really get trapped by his own logic? she wondered. Then another idea struck, and it horrified her. Maybe he has begun to figure out a way to manipulate his own thoughts, convince himself a certain course of action is in Tauran’s best interests. Can he deceive himself and thus circumvent the spell? Surely not.

But newfound doubt lingered in the back of her mind.

She neared a turn in the tunnel and could sense the bearded fiend behind her closing the distance once again. She marveled at how fast he could move.

Time for a little surprise, she decided.

As she reached the bend in the path, she planted her foot against the rocky surface. She leaped into the air and pushed herself backward. She flipped over so that she faced downward again and unfurled her wings enough to glide. The alu sailed over her pursuer, who started up as his momentum carried him past her.