The Second Generation

Apparently, she was being ordered to go after the rebellious members. She to remonstrate, but Rashas frowned. His gesture was repeated, this time more forcibly.

The White Robe, with a shake of her head, left the rostrum and hurried out of the chamber.

“Thank you, Takhisis!” Dalamar breathed.

Tanis offered a similar prayer to Paladine.

The two slipped forward, began moving cautiously through the crowd.

“Don’t bump into anyone!” Dalamar warned. “We may be invisible, but we’re not wraiths!”

The elves in the chamber were restless, muttering among themselves.

Rashas saw the situation rapidly deteriorating. Obviously, he had to wrap this up swiftly. He called for silence. The elves gradually settled down, gave him their full attention.

“We will proceed with the Taking of the Vow,” he said, casting a sweeping glance around the chamber.

No one said a word in challenge now. Tanis and Dalamar had very nearly reached the rostrum. Gilthas was gripping the rostrum with white—knuckled hands, as if he needed its support to hold him up. He seemed oblivious to what was going on around him. Tanis glided near. He kept fast hold of the magic ring.

Rashas had turned to face Gilthas. “Do you, Gilthas of the House of Solostaran, hereby agree, of your own free will, to take the Vow of the Sun and Stars? To serve your people for the rest of your days as their Speaker?”

Gil’s face was without expression, his eyes lifeless. Moistening parched lips, he opened his mouth.

“No, Son! Stop!” Tanis yanked the ring off.

Gil stared in amazement at his father, who had apparently leapt straight out of nothing.

Tanis grasped hold of his son’s arm. “Take off the sun medallion!” he commanded. “Quickly!”

Dalamar appeared on Gil’s left. The young man looked dazedly from his father to the dark elf. A babble of confused sound broke out, shouts and cries. Gil’s hand closed spasmodically over the medallion.

Rashas, standing next to the young man, said something to him in a low voice.

Tanis ignored the senator. He would deal with him later.

“Gil, take the medallion off,” Tanis repeated quietly, patiently. “Don’t worry! You’ll be safe. I’ve come to bring you home.”

Tanis’s words jolted the young man to action, though not the action Tanis wanted.

Gil pulled himself away from his father’s grasp. The young man was deathly pale, but his voice was strong.

“You are wrong, Father.” Gil glanced at Rashas. “I am already home.”

Rashas began calling out loudly for the guards. At the sound of the commotion, the White Robe wizardess ran into the room.

“Quickly, my friend!” Dalamar urged in a low voice. “Unless you want to see a magical battle that will bring this tower down around our ears!”

“Gil, listen to me,” Tanis began angrily.

“No, Father, you listen to me.” Gilthas was calm. “I know what I’m doing.”

“You’re a child!” Tanis raged. “You have no idea what you’re doing—”

A crimson streak stained Gil’s face, as though Tanis had struck him.

Wordlessly, he gazed at his father, silently asking for his trust, for his understanding. The medallion—holy artifact of the elves—gleamed on his breast, its bright light reflected in blue eyes.

How many times, when Tanis was a child, had he looked up to see that medallion gleaming above him, like the sun itself, far out of reach?

“Take that damn thing off!” He stretched out his hand.

White light flashed like the sun itself exploding. Pain burned through Tanis’s arm, pain terrible enough to burst his heart. He was falling. Strong hands caught him, supported him, and a strong voice was chanting strange words.

He heard, as from a far distance, Gilthas say, “I will take the vow. I will be the Speaker of the Sun and Stars.”

Tanis fought to free himself, but the room grew darker, the darkness began to swirl around him, and he realized, in frustrated despair, that he was trapped inside Dalamar’s magic.

Chapter Thirteen

The next instant, Tanis was on his hands and knees, kneeling on a grassy lawn, blinking in the bright sunlight. He was dizzy and half sick, his arm ached, and his hand felt useless and numb. Sitting back on his heels, he stared around. Dalamar stood over him.

“Where in the Abyss are we?” Tanis demanded.

“Hush! Keep quiet!” Dalamar ordered in a low voice. “We are outside Rashas’s house. Put the ring on! Swiftly. Before someone sees us.”

“His house?” Tanis found the ring in a pocket. With his left hand, he struggled to replace the ring on a finger that had no feeling in it. His right arm could move, but it didn’t seem to be his arm. “Why did you bring us here?”

“My reasons will soon become apparent. Keep silent and come with me.”

Dalamar strode rapidly across the lawn. Tanis hurried to catch up.

“Send me back to that chamber. I’ll go alone!”

Dalamar shook his head. “As I told you, my friend, there’s something sinister going on here.”

When they were in sight of the house, Dalamar halted.

A Wilder elf stood guard, blocking the door.

Putting his hand to the side of his mouth, Dalamar called out, speaking the Kagonesti tongue, “Come quickly! I need you!”