Pools of Darkness

9

Ren stood in the streets of New Phlan, staring out at the Moonsea. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his forehead as hard as he could, wishing he could wipe away his confusion. Phlan was gone, Shal and Tarl were gone, and the new city council wanted him for a lackey. To make things worse, two druids who claimed to know him were following him around like baby ducks.

After leaving the council chambers, he had spent the past hour wandering the alleys of New Phlan. As often as he tried to change the subject or lose the druids among the tents, they always caught up to him or managed to turn the discussion back to the pool of darkness.

The ranger opened his eyes. Two faces stared at him quizzically. Ren groaned.

"Look, I know I owe you a favor for getting me out of the council meeting, but I work alone." Ren was thoroughly irritated and couldn't believe the pleading sound of his own voice. But at the same time, he felt as if he belonged with these two druids for some odd reason. To his displeasure, he remembered he'd had the same feeling the first time he met Tarl and Shal.

Talenthia took Ren's hand. "But Sylvanus wants us-"

"I know, I know. You've told me a hundred times. I don't mean any disrespect to your god, but he'll just have to find another mission for you. I don't have any grand plan. But when I decide what to do, I want to move fast. You'd just slow me down." Ren shook his hand free, striding toward the corral. A workout with Stolen might help him to clear his head.

The druids followed. They had been ordered to help the ranger, and help him they would-whether he liked it or not.

The trio hurried through the alleys. Everywhere they looked, people begged from their makeshift tents. The citizens who had once been lively and energetic were now lethargic and dispirited from hunger and sadness. It was more than Ren, Talenthia, and Andoralson could bear.

As Talenthia watched Ren's reaction to the poverty around them, she tried to reassure him. "Ren, we know how you feel about these people. We all want to help them, and the best way to make these people happy is to restore Phlan. You have that power, and we're here to help you."

Andoralson clamped a hand on Ren's shoulder and stopped him. "This isn't any easier for Talenthia and me. We have been directed by our god to help you. We intend to follow our orders."

Ren paused, weighing what the druids had said. Maybe he was being too stubborn. He could see these two were powerful priests of their sect. They seemed as if they could take care of themselves. Would it hurt to have some help?

"All right. I can't think of a solid reason to refuse your offer. If you agree to follow my orders, we'll work together." The ranger rubbed his forehead again. "Do you have any idea where old Phlan went?"

The cousins exchanged troubled looks. "No," Talenthia began, "we tried to use our magic when we first heard of Phlan's troubles, but something is blocking our spells. Sylvanus wouldn't have sent us here if answers weren't forthcoming. We found you easily. Andoralson and I both believe that we'll link up with another to aid our quest."

Ren rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Let's head for the corral. I need to look in on my horse. Do you have horses there?"

The druids grinned at each other, sharing some secret joke.

"No, we don't have horses. We move about by, uh, other means. But I would love to visit that big horse of yours. He's a beautiful beast. I'd like him to tell me a few things about you." Talenthia's eyes sparkled as she teased Ren. The ranger made a face. He knew that druids had the ability to speak with animals.

"Talenthia, we have more important things to do," Andoralson scolded.

She pouted at her cousin, but grabbed Ren's arm. They all walked toward the river. On the way, Talenthia explained that she had talked with dozens of forest creatures about the disappearance of Phlan, but had learned nothing.

Cooking fires burned outside the ramshackle tents. The companions took their time walking to the corral, but as they approached the raft landing, an argument attracted their attention.

"But I'm not staying! Can't you get that through your thick skull?" A petite sorceress dressed in a green tunic and deerskin leggings was losing patience with Lord Wainwright and his squad of guards. A tall barbarian warrior at her side was saying more with his posture than with words.

"I'll bet she's a powerful spellcaster, Talenthia. Do you notice the rhythm of her voice and the way she pronounces her words?"

"I do. And do you notice something unusual about the barbarian? I can't put my finger on it, but there's more to him than meets the eye. He's ready to spring to defend her any second."

All this was lost on Ren. From his vantage, all he had noticed were the sorceress's long braid of red hair and her dazzling green eyes. He laughed a little as he watched the scene unfold. "This must be a bad week for that poor knight," Ren chuckled to Talenthia. "First I gave him grief, and now that sorceress, who looks like she could blast them all to cinders if she wanted, is doing the same thing. I wonder if I should give the knight a hand, just to make up for my rough treatment yesterday?"

The argument grew louder as everyone watched. A crowd began to gather, but onlookers made room for the trio in front of the pack. Many of the people recognized Ren from the previous day. Whispers went through the crowd pointing out Ren's presence, and the onlookers' attention was split between Ren and the ongoing argument on the raft. The ranger would never have acknowledged the attention he was getting, but in Phlan, he was truly a figure of awe.

The sorceress was now speaking to the knight in simple sentences, perhaps thinking that his thick brain needed some help. "These are pack animals. They need to carry my supplies. How can I load them up if they're in a corral a mile away from the supplies I'm buying?"

The sorceress had a point, but the Wainwrights weren't known for their grasp of logic.

"Mistress, you must do what everyone else does. Corral your mounts and bring the supplies to them. Your man here looks strong enough to carry any number of supplies. Now be a nice little wizard and do as I say." With that, the knight put his hands on her shoulders to forcibly guide her off the raft.

The woman twisted against his grip, and in less than the blink of an eye, an emerald spark the size of a grapefruit arced from her body to the metallic gauntlet of the knight. It blew him backward ten feet, right into his men. He lay stunned, looking at his smoking glove. The other guards promptly drew their weapons.

The barbarian at the sorceress's side clutched a massive sword, ready to defend the woman. She simply waited, though the look on her face said, "There's more where that came from."

Ren knew the ten men were probably ready to die in order to obey their leader. This won't do, he decided. No, this won't do at all.

"Gentlemen. Lady. Please put up your weapons!"

Followed by the druids, Ren pushed his way into the mass of guards. All heads turned at the sound of his voice.

As the ranger helped the knight to his feet, he said, "We have to stop meeting like this, my friend." A scorch mark the length of the knight's chain mail gauntlet caught his attention. Lifting the knight's visor, Ren saw the dazed warrior looking around confusedly.

Talenthia was suddenly at Ren's side, casting a healing spell on the knight. His wound was instantly healed, his mind quickly cleared.

Andoralson stood behind his cousin, casting a strange illusionary spell that created great sparks and blasts of fire flashing in the sky above the crowd. The people moved away in fear and awe. The guards froze. The sorceress was staring at the three strangers. She had produced a magical staff and was obviously ready for any type of action. Her companion's lips were curled in a hiss, but he stood his ground.

The druids each cast a spell of protection as they separated and hurried to either side of the troops. Ren smiled in spite of himself. It was almost as if they had been fighting with him for years.

"Enangusfusisus!" Andoralson cast another spell. Suddenly there were five duplicates of him, moving toward the guards.

The confused watchmen were trying to look everywhere at once. Druids casting spells, a sorceress zapping their leader, and a barbarian ready to cleave them apart-it was all just too much. They looked at each other as if to say, "I'll surrender if you will!" To further complicate the matter, a former hero of Phlan was against them. They knew when they were beaten.

Lord Wainwright had completely lost control of the situation, and he knew it. He struggled to regain what little dignity he could. "Never mind the illusions, troops. Mistress, I admit I shouldn't have touched you, and I apologize."

The spellcaster sighed, giving him a nod in acknowledgement of his apology.

Wainwright cleared his throat. "But your barbarian friend will please sheath his weapon and you will take your horses to the corral. If you don't comply, I can't take responsibility for the blood that will spill."

The sorceress sized up the troops, knowing they could never stand up to her magic and Gamaliel's sword. "This should have never gotten this far," she responded evenly. "If you insist, I'll stable my animals. Where is the corral, please?"

When the barbarian sheathed his weapon, Ren nodded to the druids. They turned to slip out of the crowd.

The sorceress maintained her composure, but smiled to herself as the throng opened to let the three strangers by. She observed looks of respect on the faces of the people as the ranger passed.

As she prepared to leave the raft, the spellcaster made an attempt to be gracious to the knight. "Good warrior, you have my apology for my hasty actions. Can you tell me who that ranger was?" She flashed her friendliest smile at him.

Pleased by this change of attitude, Lord Wainwright spoke up. "Oh, that was Ren 'o the Blade. He's famous throughout Phlan. He and his friends discovered the pool of radiance ten years ago and killed the dragon that guarded it. They made Phlan a safer place to live-until the thrice-damned gods took our city away, that is."

The knight steeled his courage and added, "You know, mistress, the marketplace will be closing, it nearly being dark and all. I have a large tent you could sleep in, and my squire could make room for your man."

The sorceress's smile faded. "What a kind offer. But I am afraid Gamaliel and I will have to refuse. We will corral our horses as you have instructed. Thank you, Sir Knight."

Evaine and Gamaliel passed through the parted crowd, the stares of the villagers following them. Wizard and barbarian led the animals toward the corral.

"Gamaliel, you heard that oafish knight. That warrior knew of the pool of darkness before-when it was a pool of radiance. Of all the pools we've hunted, I've seen only one pool of radiance. I must learn how this one was changed into a pool of darkness. We have to find that Ren fellow and ask him some questions." Her companion listened to her words, but said nothing.

A crowd surrounded the corral. The fence was ringed with torches, making it easy to approach in the fading light. As the pair approached with their mounts, some of the watchers opened the gate and a stable hand hurried over to help with their equipment. The woman correctly guessed that the story of the raft incident had already made its way to the corral. Every effort was being made to be cordial to the sorceress.

Gamaliel, Evaine mentally communicated to her friend, the druids and that warrior are here. Try to keep the druids busy while I talk to Ren. I won't be long.

Careful, Evaine. I smell powerful magic on all of them.

She scowled at the barbarian. Gamaliel, you worry too much. I need to talk to him, to get information. Now get going.

"Druids," Gamaliel called out, "would you be so kind as to look at our horses? I think they may have the fever."

Evaine smiled at her clever companion, so smart for a cat. She knew her horses were healthy, but the nature-loving druids would be busy checking them over for at least a short time.

Ren was brushing down the biggest war-horse Evaine had ever seen.

"Ranger, my name is Evaine. I want to thank you for stopping what could have been an ugly situation."

"Think nothing of it, my lady. I am called Ren by my friends. What brings you to New Phlan?"

An uncomfortable silence hung between them for a moment. "Uh, the knight at the raft told me you knew of the pool of radiance. I've always been fascinated by the stories of such waters, but I've always wondered if they really exist."

Ren stopped his work to look searchingly into the eyes of this strange sorceress. "Oh, they exist, all right. Take it from one who's seen a pool firsthand. I had the honor of freeing this city from the corrupted dragon that was using the pool of radiance."

"I'm interested for study purposes only," she said, noting the ranger's stare. Evaine was glad he wasn't a spellcaster; she figured her chances were good that he couldn't see through her lie. "I had to come to Phlan when I heard there was a pool here. I thought I'd have a look for myself, but the pool is gone, apparently, along with the city. I'd still like to locate it, if there's any chance of doing so."

Suddenly Ren became excited at what Evaine was saying. "Would you be interested in a little quest to find the pool?" She nodded. "Talenthia, Andoralson, come over here! I think we've found someone to join our mission."

The druids hurried over, followed by the lanky barbarian. Ren introduced Evaine, and she in turn introduced Gamaliel. They all started talking at once, but Evaine stopped them. "Let me guess" she insisted. "It's a little hobby of mine. Let me see. You, Ren, are a ranger at heart but you also know the ways of the thief. You admire women but haven't settled down with one yet. You're a hero in Phlan-but that was easy to guess, because the knight told me most of the story. You've been away from the city for a long time, and you have returned only recently.

"Talenthia and Andoralson. You're both druids, but Andoralson also commands the magic of illusions. You're related-let's see, not brother and sister. How about cousins? You were sent to Phlan by your god. You travel by means of your shapechanging abilities. And you only met Ren within the last few days. How did I score?" the sorceress asked.

The trio looked at her, dumbfounded. "You've used your magic to spy on us!" Andoralson accused her.

Evaine was amused. "Don't be silly. Until a half-hour ago, I'd never seen any of you."

"Mind magic. You can read our thoughts," Talenthia suggested.

"Nope. Trying to read the three of you at once would give me a terrific headache."

"Well, maybe you're just plain smart," Ren offered. He hadn't a clue about this woman's abilities, but he didn't want to be left out of the game.

Evaine touched her finger to the tip of her nose. "The ranger wins. I observed you carefully and made some simple deductions. Ren for example, walks with a light step-as if he's walking in the woods-but he's agile and quick and has the moves of a thief. The way he speaks to Talenthia and myself, it's obvious that he respects women and enjoys their company."

The ranger nodded his agreement.

"Also, Ren has spent a lot of time outdoors from the look of his tanned skin. If he were a resident of Phlan, he'd either be missing with the city or have his own tent.

"The druids. You don't show any romantic feelings toward each other, and there's a slight family resemblance. You don't talk like siblings. Cousins, that's my best guess."

The druids smiled at her cleverness.

"I've seen Andoralson's illusion magic. That was easy. You don't have horses, so I can only assume that you shapechange. Had you trekked through the woods or down the roads to Phlan, I think your robes would be dirty and tattered. You're in the city because your god sent you. That's also easy. Most druids don't hang around in cities by choice. You belong in the wilds.

"Ren's only been in town a few days, and you still don't know a lot about each other. That's why I guessed that you'd just met. Well?" Evaine waited for their reaction.

Ren burst out laughing. After all the depression and sadness he'd seen in the last few days, this woman was a breath of fresh air. She wasn't rattled by the day's events, and she still had her wits about her. He was astonished by her insights.

"Right you are, lady. You didn't miss on a single point. Would you care to guess my birthdate now?" Ren was still laughing.

"No, thanks, Ren. That's not something I can guess just by looking at you." Evaine chuckled at the ranger's amusement.

The druids were too amazed to speak. But they couldn't help themselves and now joined in the good humor. Gamaliel didn't laugh, but rubbed a hand on Evaine's shoulder. She patted his hand affectionately.

"Okay, you've figured us out. How about telling us a bit about yourselves?" Ren coaxed.

"Not much to tell, really. I came to Phlan looking for a few unusual spell components. I prefer traveling to sitting home in a dusty lab experimenting, but once in a while I need an obscure substance for some research. Gamaliel always comes along. He's quite a fighter and likes to make sure that I'm safe. We've been together quite a number of years."

Ren and the druids were left with no doubt that the barbarian was an able protector. His graceful gait and intense demeanor were evidence of discipline and concentration. His lack of armor was not a sign of weakness; rather, on this human, armor would have seemed awkward. The barbarian's heavy blade and sharp-taloned gloves spoke of skill in combat, with or without a weapon.

The group left the stable, exchanging stories briefly. Ren explained his mission to find Shal, Tarl, and the city, and the cousins explained that they had been sent by Sylvanus to assist Ren. The conversation was like one between old friends.

The barbarian whispered something in his mistress's ear.

"You're right, Gamaliel. I think they're okay, too. Think I should tell them?" The warrior nodded.

Evaine's smile faded, and her tone became serious. "I don't make it a habit of telling all my secrets to strangers, but I think I'm safe with the three of you. We both have something the other wants." The trio listened intently.

"I didn't tell you the whole truth about the pools of darkness. I've made it my life's quest to find and destroy those waters of evil. I know that pools of radiance can transform into pools of darkness. A pool of darkness is nothing less than a powerful tool of evil. The one in Phlan vanished when the city vanished. I have to learn more about what happened to the pool of radiance ten years ago. Maybe whatever you did caused the pool to change. Maybe not. But any information you can give me could help me discover where the pool has relocated.

"I've tracked and destroyed four pools in the past five years. I know many special spells that help me locate and then purify the evil waters. My magic has revealed strange visions. I know you want Phlan back, and I want that pool. I'm certain that if we find one, we'll find the other."

The trio again stared at her, dumbfounded. Ren was the first to choke out a reply.

"Evaine, are you telling us you have a means to find the pool that was in Phlan?"

"I think so. First, we must leave this pitiful city. In four more days, I plan to cast another location spell for the pool. The spell is extremely dangerous, and I can't cast it more than once in seven days."

Ren was elated at this news. For the first time since he had arrived in Phlan, there was some hope of finding Tarl and Shal. "I'll do anything to find my friends. You can count on the druids' help, as well."

An odd smile crept over Evaine's face. "This is the strangest thing. Ordinarily, I work only with Gamaliel. But somehow, I feel that fate has something slightly different in mind for me this time. I feel like I can't say no."

Andoralson laughed.

Talenthia sighed in exasperation. "Why is it that all you strong, silent types work alone? If everyone worked alone, nothing would be any fun, now would it?" Andoralson patted his cousin's shoulder.

"We have a lot of work ahead of us. There are plans to be made and supplies to be bought. If Evaine can find the pool in four days, we'd better be ready to move fast." The druid's tone was serious, but the impending adventure put a glimmer in his gray eyes.

Ren began herding the group toward the tent held by the worshipers of Tyr. "It's already dark, I'm hungry, and we need a place to sleep. Brother Anton has offered me lodging; I'm sure he won't mind a few more. I suggest we get settled so we can get an early start. Any objections?"

Evaine wasn't used to lodging with a crowd, but she was too tired to object.

Brother Anton welcomed the group warmly. He found space for all of them to roll out blankets and bedrolls, and offered them a warm meal. As tired as they all were, they were too excited to sleep. They lay awake in the dark until well after midnight, exchanging whispered ideas and plans. When they finally dozed off, none slept soundly. The danger that lay ahead crept into their dreams.