"A few of the more powerful have quietly dropped out of sight," said Par-Salian.

"Who's that?"

"Well, Dracart, for one. He used to stop by on a regular basis to see what new artifacts had come in and to check

on possible apprentices. But the only wizards of the Black who have come by lately have been those of low ranking,

who wouldn't be invited to share the secrets of their elders. And even they seem a bit edgy."

"I take it, then, you have not seen the fair Ladonna," Antimodes said with a sly wink.

Par-Salian smiled faintly and shrugged. That fire had died years ago, and he was too old and too absorbed in his

work to be either pleased or annoyed by his friend's teasing.

"No, I have not spoken to Ladonna this past year, and what is more, I believe that whatever she is doing she is

deliberately hiding from me. She refused to attend a meeting of the heads of the orders, something which she's never

done before.She sent a representative in her name-a man who said exactly three words the entire time and those

were 'pass the salt."' Par-Salian shook his head. "Queen Takhisis has been quiet too long. Something's up."

"All we can do is watch and wait, my friend, and be prepared to act when necessary." Antimodes paused, sipped

his elven wine. "One bit of good news I have is that the Solamnic

knights are finally beginning to pull themselves together. Many have reclaimed their family estates and are

rebuilding their holdings. Their new leader, Lord Gunthar, is a keen politician who has the ability to think with

his head, not his helmet. He's endeared himself to the local populace by cleaning out a few goblin strongholds,

mopping up some bandits, and sponsoring jousts and tourneys in various parts of Solamnia. Nothing the rabble

likes more than to see grown men hammer on each other."

Par-Salian looked grave, even alarmed. "I don't consider this good news, Antimodes. The knights have no love

for us. If they stop at hunting goblins, that is one thing, but you can be certain that it will be only a matter of time

before they add sorcerers to their list of enemies, as they did in the old days. Such is even written into the

Measure."

"You should meet with Lord Gunthar," Antimodes suggested, and he was amused to see Par-Salian 's white

eyebrows nearly shoot off his head. "No, I'm quite in earnest. I'm not suggesting you should invite him here, but-

"I should think not," Par-Salian said stiffly.

"But you should make a trip to Solamnia. Visit him. Assure him that we have only the good of Solamnia in

mind."

"How can I assure him of that when he could point out, with considerable justification, that many in our order

do not have the good of Solamnia in mind? The knights distrust magic, they distrust us, all of us, and I must tell

you that I'm not particularly inclined to trust them. It seems to me wise and prudent to keep out of their way, to

do nothing to draw attention to ourselves."

"Magius was the friend of Huma," prodded Antimodes.

"And if I recall the legend correctly, Huma was not greatly respected by his fellow knights for that very

reason," Par-Salian returned dryly. "What news of Thorbardin?" He changed subject abruptly, indicating that the

matter was closed.

Antimodes was diplomatic enough not to continue to press the issue, but he decided privately that he would

visit Solamnia, perhaps on the way back, though that would mean going a considerable distance out of his way to

the north. He was as curious as a kender about the Solamnic knights, who had long been held in disrespect and

even antipathy by people who had once looked upon the knighthood as law-givers and protectors. Now it

appeared as if the knighthood was regaining something of its old standing.

Antimodes was eager to see this for himself, eager to see if

somehow he might be able to profit from it. He would not mention this junket to Par-Salian, of course. The Black

Robes were not the only members of the conclave to keep their doings secret.

"The dwarves of Thorbardin are still in Thorbardin, we presume, mainly because no one has seen them leave.

They are completely self-sufficient, with no reason to take any interest in the rest of the world, and I really don't

see why they should. The hill dwarves are expanding their territory, and many are starting to travel to other

lands. Some are even taking up residence outside their mountain homelands." Antimodes thought of the dwarf

he'd met in Solace.