And he wasn’t at all averse to having Cilarnen cool his heels. It would do him good to discover he wasn’t the most important creature in this universe.
—«♦»—
KELLEN and Pihrandet rode back to the caverns with their troops. Though no one expected trouble—the caverns were supposed to be empty—both Idalia and Vestakia wore armor; Vestakia, her full suit of scarlet Elven armor, and Idalia, her heavy shirt of Elven chain.
Kellen found himself wishing that Shalkan were here to talk to. The news that Cilarnen had come to Ysterialpoerin—and was claiming to be a High Mage of Armethalieh—had unsettled him more than he’d thought possible. Why in the name of the Gods of the Wild Magic had he come?
Banished? Lord Volpiril would never let that happen.
But then why—?
Resolutely, Kellen forced all questions and speculations from his mind. He had to concentrate on the task ahead.
“Are you all right?” he asked Vestakia as they reached the cavern mouth.
“I don’t feel anything,” she said, her voice light with relief. She swung down off her palfrey—Pihrandet moved to assist her, but her riding skills had improved greatly since the start of the campaign and she dismounted without help—and began to walk toward the cavern mouth.
“Wait,” Kellen said, dismounting from Firareth’s back. He paused to give the stallion a companionable pat, then drew his sword and moved forward. “Don’t get yourself killed for overconfidence.”
The others moved up, and, with Vestakia and Idalia in their midst, moved back into the caverns once more.
They had lanterns with them, of course, but for the first part of the journey, they didn’t need them. Kellen had cast Coldfire on the rocks and walls of the cavern—it had been the surest way to keep the duergar from creeping up on them as they slept—and the walls glowed a faint pale blue. The spell would wear off eventually, but he saw no reason to dismiss it.
They went all the way down to the village cavern, and Vestakia felt nothing.
She looked at Kellen and shook her head. “No. If there were anything here—anything at all, I’d feel it. I’m sure of it.”
Kellen hesitated, but Vestakia and the Crystal Spiders both agreed that the caverns were empty of Tainted creatures, and he had to admit that his hesitation stemmed from the fact that once they went back, he’d have to confront Cilarnen.
But that was his problem, and not a reason to keep everyone else standing around in the cold.
“Let’s go back, then,” he said with a sigh, then smiled. Smiled broadly, in fact. “Good work, Vestakia.”
She ducked her head, but it seemed to him that she was so happy she was glowing.
—«♦»—
THEY reached the main camp just before dusk. Kellen sent the others on ahead. There was a stop he wanted to make first. It wasn’t just that he wanted to avoid the meeting with Cilarnen. It was that there were other obligations he felt he had to discharge that were just as pressing, and almost as uncomfortable to deal with.
In the sennight that he’d been underground, the Unicorn Knights had returned to their old camp. Many familiar pavilions had been struck—the encampment was barely half the size it had once been—but Kellen wanted to pay his respects. He’d fled like a coward the night he’d healed Gesade. The least he could do was ask after her. Perhaps someone here would know.
He rode into the center of the encampment and dismounted.
Riasen’s pavilion was now in the place where Petariel’s had been. He came out at the sound of Kellen’s arrival.
“Kellen! You come in a good hour,” he said. “We had begun to think you loved the caves so well you intended to spend the rest of your life underground.”
“It began to seem as if I was,” Kellen replied, with a shake of his head. “But Vestakia says that the caverns are now free of Taint.”
“And so I suppose we shall be moving on, once she finds the next one.” Riasen shrugged. By now the other Unicorn Knights had appeared as well. Kellen saw many familiar faces—but as many more were missing, gone forever. Petariel. Vandelt. Melchia.
Too many to count. He swallowed hard.
But Riasen was still speaking.
“—and once you have dealt with this High Mage who has come all the way from Armethalieh to speak with you, of course. Kardus says he was Banished—if this goes on, there will be no one left there at all, and we might as well live there ourselves.”
Kellen had forgotten how fast gossip traveled among the Elves. Riasen undoubtedly knew everything there was to know about Cilarnen. But before he had to reply to that, a welcome interruption spared him the need.
“I See you, Kellen,” Menerchel said with pleasure, poking his head out of his own pavilion. “I do not doubt that you have come for a proper cup of tea.”
“Tea would be welcome,” Kellen said gladly. “We could not make it properly in the caverns—at least it never tasted right.”
“It is a wonder you all did not die of thirst,” Menerchel said, in tones of mock concern. “I would not myself care to engage in such hazardous duty. No proper tea! It is not to be thought of. I shall see to it at once.” He disappeared back into his pavilion to bring out the tea-things.
“It would please me greatly to hear what you have heard of this Armethaliehan,” Kellen said, “but I came first of all to see if you were… well. And to ask after Gesade.”
“Why not ask me yourself?” a familiar voice came from behind him. “I’m only blind, you know. Not deaf.”
Kellen turned around quickly. Gesade and Shalkan were standing behind him, shoulder to shoulder.
“He looks stricken,” Shalkan said to her. “You know the look.”
“Indeed I do,” Gesade replied, sounding as if nothing much had ever happened to her. “Very much as if he’s done something wrong and is waiting to be scolded for it. Well, Kellen? Have you done something wrong?”
She looked completely restored to health—except for the closed sunken lids and the hollow eye sockets.
Kellen couldn’t speak.
Gesade walked carefully forward, with Shalkan at her side to guide her. She reached Kellen, and he automatically raised his hand to stroke her neck.
“Well, boy?” she said tartly. “Would you rather I was dead?”
“No!” Kellen said instantly—and honestly. “But—”
“—you’d rather I could see,” Gesade finished for him. “Well, so would I, of course. We’d all rather a great many things that we don’t get. But this is not the end of the world, or my life, so kindly don’t carry on as if it is, if you please.”
“But… what are you going to do now?” Kellen asked.
Gesade leaned into his hand, stepping back a pace so he could rub the particularly soft spot just behind her ear.
“I’m going to stay in the heart-forest until spring, then I’m going to go home to the Great Herd and run with them,” Gesade said. “Someone will come to be my eyes for that. And I’ll live my life—which I could not have done without your help. And that is that, boy. It’s charming of you to wallow in self-pity over me… when I know very well that you’d happily have strangled me more than once!”
“Yes, but—” Kellen sputtered.
“That was before I was a helpless cripple?” Gesade said sweetly.