"But of course! You and he are both welcome. Is this halffing a priestly sort as well?"

BUT sprang from the too-large chair with alacrity. "Allow me to introduce myself and my a.s.sociate. You are addressing His Faithfulness Poztif, Gleam of Pholtus. I. n.o.ble sir, am Biff, a humble gem merchant and pilgrim now, accompanying His Faithfulness to a distant shrine according to a holy vow I made."

Poztif dismissed the Importance inferred by the halfling's introduction. "I am a lowly cleric seeking greater understanding and piety. This good fellow has been so kind as to agree to accompany me and a.s.sist me In giving instruction and learning patience. Let us join the two of you now. Perhaps the matter can be resolved without undue discourse."

The three debated the question at length In an attempt to create an illusion for anyone who might suspect their purpose, and for the benefit of one patron In particular. As a pilgrim Biff" had no part in the talk, so he merely sat there, sipped his stout.

174.

and considered the circ.u.mstances that had brought him to the inn.

Melf had been elsewhere on business when a message from his cousin, Silverthom,69 arrived In the city of Fax while the halfllng was there awaiting his master's return. Silverthom had written that Melf must come home to Greyhawk at once if he wished to protect some property he had left in her charge. That posed a real dilemma for Biff. Frankly, his master seldom explained his activities to the halfllng. BUT was dissatisfied with having to remain Inactive and virtually penniless In Fax, cooling his heels as he considered it, while Melf had exciting adventures elsewhere that for reasons the halfllng could not fathom, failed to Include a halfllng with warrior skills and a thief s nimble fingers.

Biff had decided to respond to SUverthom's urgent missive at once. There was no property of significance to guard in, Fax, merely the small villa that Melf had leased. No objection could be made, the halfllng reasoned, for wasn't the need of his cousin and the threat of loss of things Melf had left in her care a sufficient reason for the halfiing to leave his a.s.signed post and hasten to Greyhawk as a surrogate for his absent master? Certainty! Without wasting any more time. Biff had gone northward to the great free city, happy for the opportunity to travel and do something that held the prospect of both danger and reward.

Silverthom had been surprised to see him, but under the circ.u.mstances she was pleased enough to have someone on hand to help. The situation, as told by her. was complicated, to say the least.

"You see. Biff, my clever halfllng friend, it all Started when I went out to seek a little amus.e.m.e.nt in this dreary city. I met a good-looking fellow - he had elvish blood, of course - who told me that he 175.

was also a dweomercraefter, and that he was the trusted henchman of a n.o.ble wizard who would happily have me as apprentice until mine own instructor returned." The tale went on and on until Silver-thorn finally related how she had been tricked Into furnishing a surety to this wizard. It was supposedly proof of her good nature and honesty. Instead, the ring - one that granted Invisibility and one of Melf s favorite possessions - had been stolen by the wily trickster, and she was left without recourse.

SUverthom told Biff how, while searching to locate the one who had so foully duped her, she had eventually met a holy priest who had offered not only to restore the ring or to give her one of like sort, but to provide other payment as well, if she could enlist the services of her master In a small and righteous undertaking the cleric had need to accomplish. She asked Biff If he could somehow manage to fill in for Melf.

"I am a faithful and obedient va.s.sal," the halfling had a.s.sured the frantic young Sitverthorn. "If I can restore Melfs property, uphold his name, and a.s.sist you, fair lady, all at the same time, how can I do else but agree to take up the challenge?"

"How can I ever, ever repay you. Biff?"

"It is nothing for a bold adventurer such as I. SUverthom. We will find some way.

I'm confident. . . ."

Convincing the humorless and sober cleric was another matter. How he finally managed it. Biff was still not sure, but he had eventually brought the doubtful chap around to accepting him as the surrogate magic-user Poztif had actually sought Without a lie, without actually making claims that were false. Biff had managed to put across the notion that Melf had a.s.signed him the task of responding to Silverthorn's need.

The elf. Biff said truthfully, was on a mission from which he could not be recalled.

176.

After all, was not Tenser, the liege lord of Poztif. likewise so engaged that he had appointed the cleric as agent In the matter? Agreement was unavoidable, and BUT was accepted. Thus he and the priest of Pholtus had come to the Silver Tower to work their stratagem.

"Who are these two who will a.s.sist us?" Biff had queried.

"Lord Tenser merely told me that a huge and doughty warrior and a swordsman of great athletic and acrobatic prowess would meet me and give all a.s.sistance," Poztif had told the halfling. "The good arch-mage had used a favor owed him by a monarch I shall not reveal, for reasons you surety understand, to a.s.sure that I would have all the aid I would need in accomplishing the duty he bestowed upon me."

What an unlikely pair the two were! Biff eyed the small human. His experienced gaze detected that which made him think that this Gord was a pract.i.tioner of the same70 craft Biff himself followed. The small man's huge companion was a rough and ready barbarian masquerading In fashionable apparel, no question of that. So, a stout fighter and a skilled pair of thieves to back up this straight-laced priest In the quest. It should be easyt He would swear Sil-verthorn to secrecy in return for gaining a ring such as the one she had stupidly lost, keep the balance of the payment given for services to himself, relieve his boredom in the process, and none would be the wiser.

"Now that I have had the opportunity to study things firsthand, halfling." Poztif had said as Biff had been convincing him of things, "the need for a capable caster of magic is great. How can one of your sort a.s.sist in such a need?"

"Your Faithfulness," the halfling had said earnestly and sincerely. "I am no mean fellow when it 177.

CORD THE ROGUE.

comes to dweomere." He had patted his staff confidently, nodded solemnly, and had risen straight up to the low celling of the cleric's chamber. Returning as slowly, BUT had said. "The dweomer Is but one of many that I can call upon In time of need.

My services In this quest are Indispensable!" Not suspecting that he used magical boots to levitate thus, the somber priest had finally agreed to accept Biff as a member of the group sent to accomplish his liege lord's desire.

". . . and 1 believe this strongly attests to the absolute superiority of East over West and the irrefutability of the position that the five sorts of evil dragons represent but four elements. To hold that the Western view of five elements Is proven by dragons is a complete fallacy!"

This loud challenge was no easy task for the huge barbarian. Cord had spent several hours helping the poorly educated hlUman memorize the speeches he would have to make. To Chert and Cord's surprise and satisfaction, the hlllman had pulled off this presentation without so much as a stammer.

Chert did not understand many of the words he used in his argument, but he was convincing nonetheless - so much so that Poztif followed up by saying, "Indeedl" and nodding his head In agreement BjjQT. drawn out of his reminiscing, watched with keen-eyed Interest as Gord offered his reb.u.t.tal "What force or merit does this a.s.sertion have, my friends?" he said, addressing both the barbarian and the cleric. "In all due respect, yours is more a scholarly argument than one of theological sort. What say you, pilgrim?"

Biff took the cue easily. "I cannot fault my spiritual guide's learned and pious opinion, yet I find myself supposing that five elements are possible."

"Exactly!" Gord said with forceful delight heavy 178.

' in his tone. "Red is fire, blue is metal, green wood, black earth, and white air!"

Tour pardon, sirs, but I must suggest that both sides are wrong and right at the same time."

All heads turned at this. A lean and cadaverous man at a nearby table had been the speaker. As the four turned in response to his interjection, the man arose, smiled eerily, and made a stiff bow. "Allow me to introduce myself. Sirs. I am Maegus Yeo, a dealer in antiques and rarities. If I may be so bold, I am also a scholar of some repute on the Far West and Its metaphysical teachings. My honored father actually came from the Suhfang Kingdom - a place virtually unknown to the Flanaess, but a veritable wonder amongst all lands, I a.s.sure you."

"Your Interjection Is no offense, honorable scholar." Poztif said with a pious tone.

His three companions murmured agreement and Gord added, "Your knowledge must be exceptional. Scholar Yeo, and I thank you for enlightening us. Will you tell us how it could be that we are right and wrong at the same time?"

The sallow-skinned man gave his superior smile once again, causing his thin, drawn features to appear more skull-like than living. "I am always delighted to share my humble learning with those of inquiring Intellect," he replied.

Chert stood up and drew a nearby chair to the table where the four sat, hoisting the heavy seat as easily as If it was a flimsy stool. "Pray join us then. Master Yeo, and we will learn," he said.

"Actually it's Venerable Prince Yeo, if t.i.tles are to be used," the man said with a haughty gesture. "Some refer to me as a savant, others as a sage, but I am a simple man, so Scholar Yeo Is sufficient. And whom do I have the honor of addressing?"71 After proper introductions and the ordering of a 179.

special tea for the strange fellow, Maegus Yeo told them the truth of the whole matter. "You, Master Gord, and the little hairy fellow for that matter, are correct In stating that Western metaphysical perceptions are the only conceivable expressions of truth. Five elements there are and always shall be. That was long ago proven by Scholar Thu Kin Boh."

Gord smiled and began to preen. "Then my argument prevails . . . ?"

"Not so, young fellow," Yeo corrected him sharply. "Dragons of the East have no connection with the elements. Only those of true sort, the Imperial Dragons of Suhiang, are born of the elements."

"There are dragons that stem from the very planes of the four - sorry, five, you say - elements?" Poztif said this with a doubting expression.

Yeo seemed offended. "Pious cleric of the East, I do not speak of what I do not know. I a.s.sure you that there are five elements and five Imperial Dragons that are born and dwell within them, visiting the world conglomerate only when they so choose - or are summoned."

"Most enlightening. Scholar Yeo. Will you please tell me of these marvelous creatures?" Gord nearly pleaded. "And I am most anxious to learn how each is distinguished from the other."

"Of course, and I shall oblige In a small way. Golden is the color of the Fire Dragon, green that of Water, while blue is certainly of Air. The Imperial Dragon of silvery hue Is of Metal, and the one of .violet shade is a.s.sociated with Wood."

The four others at the table began an animated discussion of the matter then, getting Immersed in their quarrel over elements and colors and the possibility of different sorts of dragons existing at all. In the process they apparently virtually forgot that the scholarly Yeo was present. Although not one of the 180.

four seemed to notice it, being ignored like this made the scholar frown and grow irritated. After tensely fidgeting for several minutes and alternately picking up and then putting down his cup of tea. the man could no longer restrain himself.

"My honorable progenitor often remarked that the ignorance of your sort Is monumental. You four, however, give even greater meaning to his words, and for this I must thank you. In return for such a favor, may I demonstrate the truth?"

"How so, Master Yeo?" Chert asked with forced sweetness.

"Scholar Yeo! Yet, I am also a collector as well as a purveyor of rarities and antiques. My humble gallery is just around the corner on the Avenue of the Temples.

I would be forever honored If you would accompany me there now. Perhaps a look at my Five Dragon Bowl will prove beneficial in resolving this unnecessary conflict."

After a brief conversation regarding, the man's-helpfulness and his undeserved kindness to them, the four disparate debaters enthusiastically allowed that the scholar's generous offer of enlightenment could not be refused. Following after the cadaverous Maegus Yeo like steps, with the halfling first Goid next, then the cleric, and finally Chert bringing up the rear, they departed the Silver Castle Inn.

Poztif was pleased. So far everything had gone according to plan, from the rendezvous with the two added members of the party to the enticement of Yeo. Even so, the cleric was a little troubled about his part in gulling the strange man. No!

He must not doubt the right ness of his mission, and he had not lied. He did not hold with the theory of five ele- 181.

CORD THE ROGUE.

merits, and this business of dragons and their hues was most certainty balderdash.

More Important, he knew that Maegus Yeo was a vile minion of blackest evil, a servant of the Lower Planes, and the agent of a malevolent conspiracy here in Greyhawk. What Poztlf was doing would serve Good and the nations who upheld weal, and would benefit his liege lord in many ways. It was just and proper.

"Here we are," said the strange scholar Yeo. "Now turn away while I dispel protections and turn the locks."

Gord, surrept.i.tiously peeking to see the means by which Yeo manipulated the portal so as to make it safe to enter, noted as he did so that the halfllng was likewise engaged. A clever little thief for sure, Gord said to himself. I shall watch him72 closely when there are valuables about!

However, despite the efforts of both thieves, the evil Yeo was watching the group too closely to allow any discoveries. "I believe 1 asked you to turn away!" he snapped at Gord at one point, pausing In his procedures until the young thief had turned his red face away from Yeo.

"Enter!" Yeo said finally.

The four comrades trooped through the portal, and Yeo shut and re-locked the bronze-barred door of oak and iron. The corridor was short, and a lamp burned in the room beyond, so they had no trouble making their way therein.

"My shop." Yeo said emotionlessly. "It Is not of Interest at this time, for what I have to show you is kept elsewhere. Follow me."

The room they pa.s.sed through was spa.r.s.ely furnished with small tables and stands.

Each held a leering statue of primitive sort, various jars, or other miscellaneous materials. Gord got the impression of hanging racks and recessed shelves that were 182.

crowded with other objects. Then the four were in a hallway. Yeo walked past a flight of stairs leading up, commenting that his own domicile lay above. This was true as far as Poztif knew, for the strange man was known to dwell above his studio and frequent the Inn of the Silver Castle, Where, if not in his personal chambers, could the fabulous object they sought then be? The answer was forthcoming from Maegus Yeo himself.

"Now we must descend to the cellar beneath us. The steps are old and worn. Use caution. Also, I have guards of unusual sort to protect my property. I must descend first and see that they are properly restrained. When I call, you are to come down - not a moment before. Is that clear?"

"Of course. Scholar Yeo," Poztlf replied respectfully. "We would not Ignore your kind admonition."

Looking back over his shoulder, his sallow face ghastly in the dim light of the oil lamp he held, Yeo regarded Poztif unwinklngly for a moment. That Is well. Perhaps greater things could be in store for such a remarkably good person such as yourself." At that he swiveled his head and went on down the curved steps of stone polished smooth and slippery by the pa.s.sage of countless feet over the years.

There came a clinking, as if a chain was being drawn, then the sounds of a heavy lock being turned and an even heavier door being opened. A sing-song chant came wafting up the stairs for a moment, m.u.f.fled and almost inhuman in its tone, and then a violet-tinged light filled the stairway, sharply delineating the steps with its odd luminescence. "Please descend," called Yeo from below. After pa.s.sing through the great door of iron that stood open at the base of the stairs, the four went directly into the area beyond. The place was incredible! Yeo had paneled and screened the whole ex- 183.

panse under his building, sb that what lay below resembled a fabulous, exotic temple. Hundreds of weird tapers had evidently been caused to spring into flame through some device of Yeo's. They shed the violet light over the whole scene. Thick carpets of plum and black with counter-colored design and touches of other somber hues covered the floor. The walls were paneled in purplish wood, intricately carved, while screens of mauve and gilt decorated or concealed who knew what.

Fantastic objects were everywhere - low chairs and tables of strange design and workmanship, embroidered cushions, painted panels and pottery, silk tapestries and coverings, statuettes and sculptures of all sorts. An altarlike table stood before a translur cent block of lilac stone, a rectangular cube larger than the huge hlllman who gaped at it. How such a piece of mineral got into the cellar, or just what the stuff was, none of the four viewing it could guess.

"So. my special abode affects you," Yeo noted with a dry chuckle. "Most of what is here you could not possibly understand or appreciate. Here," he said as he stepped to the long, carved and inlaid altar table and stooped to pick something up from its center, "is the object I spoke of. It is proof that the wisdom and knowledge of the West is far greater than you of Oerik and the Flanaess dream."

Without any flourish Yeo held out the item. Chert wondered how such a ma.s.sive bowl could be held so steadily by so scrawny a pair of arms, but Yeo's grip was seemingly light and his arms thrust the object out for the others' inspection. "Observe the73 work. It depicts the five Elemental Dragons, each surrounded by symbols of its element. See how each bites at the tail of the next? That demonstrates their intermixture and hostility, all In one."

"The work is indeed marvelous!" Biff exclaimed.

184.

"Aren't those precious gems each dragon holds in his claws?"

Maegus Yeo withdrew the three-foot-diameter dish with a sneer. "I should have expected one of your sort to notice the cra.s.s detail of an otherwise superb work.

Ah, but notice the material from which it was made, the painstaking labor of painting and gilding, the inlays, the firing to bring it all into a harmonious whole. . . ." His voice trailed off as Yeo became lost in admiration of his possession.

Poztif broke the uneasy silence. "The bowl is indeed a masterpiece. Scholar Yeo, but I am not convinced that it serves to prove the a.s.sertion of five elements."

Maegus Yeo looked up, and in the strange illumination it almost seemed his thin face was no more than a skull glaring at them. Addressing the cleric, he said. "For some there is no proof short of the final reckoning. Few can understand the true nature of all and its inevitable conclusion. You, however, a learned cleric of Pholtus, I observe, are perfect for teaching." With what seemed an evil leer on his face, Yeo bowed to each of the other three, saying, "Allow me but a moment, and I will see that you are amused and entertained while your clerical companion and I proceed to discover whether or not there is truth in the supposition of five elements."

"What are you going to ..." Gord began, but the sallow-faced man was already moving off into a shadowy alcove part.i.tioned from the main room by a row of the screens that were everywhere within this chamber. Poztif followed for a few steps but then stood and waited when it became obvious that Yeo did not intend for the cleric to follow him.

"Look out for this guy." Chert hissed to Gord. "I'm beginning to think he's a dangerous lunatic of some kind."

185.

Biff and Cord exchanged looks that spoke volumes. "Yeah. Chert, old chap. I think we both agree with your a.s.sessment," Gord supplied.

Just then Maegus Yeo reappeared, draped in a vlolet-and-black shawl, a twisted staff in one hand and a smaller instrument in the other. He pointed the convoluted piece of dark wood at Poztif. and a lilac-hued ray bathed the unsuspecting cleric.

"Hey, what's happening?" Gord cried, his hand going to his sword hilt The stuff of the ray seemed to have substance of Its own. and it congealed and formed to sheathe Poztif in a mummylike wrapping of color. For a second or two the cleric struggled, but then the ray twisted and enwrapped him as a coc.o.o.n, and he was motionless In its grip.

"Grab the sodder, Gord!" Chert bellowed, but Yeo was already In motion, babbling a weird series of one-syllable sounds in incredibly varied pitch, from high soprano to ba.s.s and everywhere In between. The skeletal form danced about as he sang thus. He took a second to thrust the staff into the belt of his robe and then raised the object he held In his right hand. The thing was of puce color, opalescent, and left a trail of faint amethystine coruscations In its wake as Yeo waved it above and around his head. None present knew exactly what it was. but It was obviously a magic item of some sort.

The cadaverous figure leaped and shouted, robe and shawl flapping as if affected by a wind that blew on him alone. Chert, Gord. and Biff moved forward to engage Yeo but, his sallow visage contorted hideously, he danced back into the shadows screeching in triumph.

Gord had both his sword and dagger drawn and ready. The enchantment on the former weapon enabled him to see through the gloom of the chamber.

186.

and he cried a warning to his companions. "Beware alll There are undead herel"

The halfllng. armed with his own, shorter sword, moved up beside Gord and shouted to the cleric, "poztifl Aid us now!" But the cleric was of no use In his present state.

"Blistering brazen b.a.l.l.s!" Chert fairly groaned the expostulation, grabbing for a weapon that was not there. "Were my good axe Brool here now. I'd mow those zombies74 down like wheat!" He pulled forth the small sword he carried at his hip and readied to face the shuffling corpse-things.

"Biff, see to your friend Poztlfl" the young thief said without looking at the halfllng. "Yeo's fell staff worked some foul bonding upon him!" Then Gord turned to concentrate on the undead monsters that approached in slow, creaking steps, shedding mold-erlng bits of flesh and exuding a putrid stench as they came.

Maegus Yeo was somewhere among these things now, exhorting them on. "On, dear ancestors, faithful guardians of Imperial Suhfang In the decadent Eastt These foul men would desecrate our temple and steal the holy relics you placed In my trust.

Send them to gibber and beg in the nethermost regions of Hades for the glory of dark Nerull!"