"Me friends heared them talking in the wood," Rhiannon explained. "'Twas the birds that told me."

Ardaz caught Brielle's attention with a glance of curiosity. So it was true, the Silver Mage mused. Rhiannon's power was indeed beginning to bud.

"Please, me mum. Suren I'd love to be goin' with them."

Brielle took a long moment to study her daughter.

Rhiannon was a young woman now, and no longer her little girl. Still, the witch feared the possibilities of letting her run off on her own. Rhiannon had lived the entirety of her young life in Avalon, and she would not be prepared to handle the harsh world outside of the forest's protected boughs.

"Would ye not rather be going to the east, to the far lands?" Brielle asked on a sudden thought. Rhiannon seemed not to understand, but Ardaz opened his eyes wide and stared at his sister in disbelief. "Yer uncle Rudy'll be going out there. Would ye not enjoy his company on a long road?"

When Brielle looked over to Ardaz for support, he was shaking his head emphatically.

"Ye said ye were going," Brielle protested. "To study some ruins yer pet found. Ye said it yerself!"

"And so I am. Yes indeed I am!" Ardaz retorted. "But not with her along, oh no no no!" He winked slyly at Rhiannon again to let her know that he wasn't saying these things as an insult to her character. "Why would a young thing like her want to travel beside an old buffoon like me? I dare say, I would not doom my little Rhi to such a fate as that."

Brielle's eyes shot darts at her brother.

"Please, me mum," Rhiannon said again. "Truly I want to be going, and ye said ye would grant me wish. Would ye talk to Bellerian for me, then?"

Helplessly outnumbered, Brielle gave a resigned shrug. "I will talk to the Ranger Lord," she replied.

"Me thanks!" Rhiannon cried, and she threw her arms around her mother's neck. Brielle accepted the embrace for a few moments, then put Rhiannon back at arm's length.

"I said I'd be talking to the man," she explained. "No more than that did yer ears hear me promise. Now get ye back to the dancing; we'll be talking on the morrow."

Knowing that she had at last broken her mother's stubborn resolve, the young woman leaped back across the field, her graceful step springing even higher on the cool gra.s.s.

"Let her go," Ardaz said when Rhiannon was back to her play.

"So young," Brielle replied softly.

"By our counting," Ardaz countered, his tone suddenly quite serious. He looked into the green sparkle of his sister's eyes, held her with the intensity of his own gaze. "Her power is budding, so it would seem," he said. "But we do not know which she will follow, mother or father."

"What do you mean?" Brielle asked, a bit frightened by her normally cheerful brother's grim tone.

"Has she the gift of long years, as do we?" Ardaz asked bluntly. "You do not know, nor do I. Perhaps Rhiannon will live through the centuries, and then twenty years will not seem so long. But perhaps..." He let the thought hang, knowing that he had lighted a thousand contemplations in his sister's mind.

And truly Brielle was dazed by the words. She hadn't even given that notion much consideration, a.s.suming that her daughter would live by her side through the dawn and wane of centuries to come. But Ardaz was right, Brielle had to admit; she had no way of knowing.

"Let her go," Ardaz said again. "The life is hers to live."

Brielle nodded but could not reply past the lump that had suddenly welled in her throat.

Much later, but still before the approaching dawn had pinkened the eastern sky, Billy Shank and Bellerian slumped down on a mossy bed at the edge of the field. The two wizards trotted by them, shaking their heads in good-hearted sarcasm, and returned to their merrymaking.

"Mortal men," Istaahl muttered to Ardaz.

"So now we might die happy," Bellerian said to Billy. "To have looked upon these precious and rare sights."

"Now I understand Del's love of this place," Billy replied, referring to the friend he had lost twenty years before, the friend who had loved Brielle and given the witch her daughter. "Truly it is a magical land."

"And rarer still is the gathering we joined this night," Bellerian explained. "Suren there be magic in the air."

Billy regarded the five still at play on the field. The fair witch and her brother Ardaz, Istaahl from faraway Pallendara, and Arien Silverleaf, the Eldar of the elves, who had become Billy's closest friend over the past twenty years. But most of all Billy found his eye lingering on Rhiannon, Brielle's daughter, Del's daughter, so innocent and beautiful.

Looking down from the heavens, his lost friend would have been proud indeed.

"Ardaz of Illuma, Istaahl of Pallendara, and Brielle of Avalon," Bellerian continued, speaking the words solemnly, as if to remind himself of the gravity of the a.s.sembly.

"And the Eldar of Illuma," Billy added. "If King Benador had come, then all the leaders of the world would be here."

Bellerian nodded. "But the good young king of Calva and even yer own friend o' the elves pale by the side of th'other three. Look at them, Billy Shank, and know yerself to be a blessed soul. The powers of all the world they be; any one o' them could defeat an army, could lay ruin to all the world or shine the light of hope upon it. They check themselves, and a blessing that be, for the bounds o' their powers'd steal yer breath away and never give it back."

Billy knew well enough the truth of Bellerian's observations. He had seen Ardaz in battle once before, and if the Black Warlock had not appeared on the field to counter the magic of the Silver Mage, Ardaz would surely have destroyed the entire army of Pallendara all by himself.

Bellerian shook his head, as if he couldn't believe his own words. "The powers o' the G.o.ds given to man," he mumbled. "The three wizards of Ynis Aielle all come together."

Twenty years is a long time in the life of a mortal man, but if Bellerian, the knowledgeable Ranger Lord, had taken a moment to consider his words, he would have remembered that Ynis Aielle boasted of four wizards, not three.

Too many, in the last two decades of peace, had allowed themselves to forget the lurking specter of Morgan Thalasi.

An organ? Reinheiser balked, considering the ma.s.sive pipes that climbed high into the chamber. Reinheiser balked, considering the ma.s.sive pipes that climbed high into the chamber. You dragged me all the way up here to view an organ? You dragged me all the way up here to view an organ?

You can play, of course, Thalasi countered, a rhetorical thought, for Thalasi knew Reinheiser's every memory and knew that his counterpart was an accomplished musician.

I created this instrument in my first days here, he explained to Reinheiser. My only companion for centuries other than the wretched talons, and I care not for their company My only companion for centuries other than the wretched talons, and I care not for their company.

Reinheiser began to understand. You want us to join in the song You want us to join in the song, he realized. Every movement so precise and so practiced Every movement so precise and so practiced.

Here we might find our harmony, Thalasi replied. It only occurred to me after the encounter with the usurping talon, after I had felt the ecstasy of our joining It only occurred to me after the encounter with the usurping talon, after I had felt the ecstasy of our joining.

It will not work, Reinheiser reasoned, and Thalasi felt the sincere disappointment in his thoughts. There remain too many subtle variations There remain too many subtle variations.

Perhaps, argued Thalasi. But with the instrument as an audible guide, the futility of our battles will become evident at every misstep. Only when the song flows in harmony will our minds be flowing in harmony But with the instrument as an audible guide, the futility of our battles will become evident at every misstep. Only when the song flows in harmony will our minds be flowing in harmony.

Reinheiser remained unconvinced, but Thalasi did not have to remind him of their other options. He followed Thalasi's lead in bringing the body to sit down.

And then they played.

For an unbroken stretch of many days, notes rang out from the central tower of Talas-dun. Rhythmless and offkey, the sound grated in the marrow of the talons of the fortress, and they slumped down and tried to hide their ears whenever they had to cross too close to the place. Whispers spread among the ranks-but only whispers, for none had yet found the courage even to go in and mop up the remains of Grok-that the Black Warlock had gone mad.

But the helpless talons could only sit and wait, and endure the torture of the monstrous music.

Quite the opposite of the talons' suspicions, the spirits of Thalasi and Reinheiser were preserving their sanity up in that tower room. Ever so gradually, the notes of their playing began to take on the semblance of music. For the first time, the two separate ident.i.ties found a way to truly antic.i.p.ate the actions of each other.

In merely a week Reinheiser admitted the value of Thalasi's plan. In two they found their way through an entire melody without a single error. And still they played, following the music, falling within the music.

It consumed them wholly and broke down the defenses that had kept them apart for so long, as each laid bare his desires to the other. The music was the cause, the harmony their only goal.

And they reached for it and clutched at it. Together.

Talons gathered outside the central tower, basking in the powerful notes of the Black Warlock's song. The dim-witted beasts could not understand the depth of what their dark master had accomplished, but they knew from the confident roar of the ma.s.sive pipes that the man who finally emerged from the central tower of Talas-dun would bear little resemblance to the wretched being that had crawled and scratched his way up there.

Fingers glided across the keys in complete confidence, never a bar was missed, and the sheer power that flowed through those once battered digits sent the huge instrument spiraling to new heights of musical majesty.

"Are you there?" the being called out in a strange dual-toned voice.

"Of course I am!" he answered himself.

It was time to go.

The Black Warlock stretched his legs and strode confidently out of the room to the tower balcony. He knew that his talons would be nearby, listening, waiting for some word, any word, of the fate of their master. And here he was, returned to them, whole again and powerful. More powerful.

"And I am Thalasi, not Reinheiser," the Black Warlock muttered, testing out the depth of his newfound tranquillity with a proclamation that before would surely have brought resistance from the spirit of Martin Reinheiser.

"Of course," the being agreed with himself. The logic was inescapable. "Morgan Thalasi. A name that strikes dread into every heart of Ynis Aielle." The Black Warlock found no internal rage at the declaration, though the will of Martin Reinheiser remained an equal part of his makeup. Morgan Thalasi was the obvious choice for the name, both for keeping the talons in line and striking terror into the hearts of foes.

The part of the Black Warlock that remained Martin Reinheiser understood the value of this and accepted the conclusion without argument. All that mattered was the harmony.

And the power that harmony would bring.

He walked out onto the tower balcony. The day was remarkably clear for Kored-dul, and the Black Warlock could see for many miles from the high vantage point.

"Go out!" he cried to the talons a.s.sembling at the base of the structure. Their whispers faded away to a hush at the simple utterance of those two words. They sensed the change in the Black Warlock, sensed the hushed power of the being, and they wanted to hear the commands of their true master, the one possessed of the powers of a G.o.d that most of them knew only from the tales their fathers and grandfathers had told them.

"Go out to the dark holes and valleys," Thalasi roared. "Find your kin! Tell them that Morgan Thalasi has returned to lead them all! Tell them that Morgan Thalasi is hungry!

"Tell them that Morgan Thalasi claims this world!"

The proclamation resounded off every stone in Kored-dul, found its way to every talon ear. The call to arms and to glory. And they came, every one, willingly, hungrily.

The Black Warlock had returned.

Chapter 3.

Gatherings "YE'VE CHOSEN YER steeds and the road?" Bellerian asked. steeds and the road?" Bellerian asked.

"Ayuh," replied Belexus, seeming the very image of his venerable father. Gray flecks peppered his unkempt black locks, but his huge corded muscles still held the hardness of youthful strength. "Across the bridges to the west and Corning, then back to great Pallendara afore we ride for home."

Bellerian remembered the roads well, though he had not traveled them, except for a brief trek to the great city, in nearly half a century. He had once been a n.o.bleman of great repute in the court of Pallendara, but then an unlawful king had stolen the throne and sent all of Calva into tumult. Bellerian had escaped to the borders of Avalon, taking many of the children of his fellow n.o.bles-children who would become the proud warriors known as the Rangers of Avalon-with him.

Bitter years, those decades of Ungden's rule had been, though Brielle and Ardaz had offered a good life to Bellerian and his troupe. Always the Ranger Lord turned his eyes southward to the rolling plains, where the scourge of Ungden the Usurper exacted a heavy toll on the land and people alike. The reign of terror lasted for three full decades, ending in the b.l.o.o.d.y Battle of Mountaingate, when the ancient ones came to Ynis Aielle. With Ungden's forces defeated and the Usurper himself slain, Benador, the heir of the rightful king, sat on Pallendara's throne, and after twenty years of the goodly man's rule, the scars of Ungden were few and fading.

But Bellerian could not bring himself to return to Pallendara, the place of his early life. Avalon was his home now, but still, his son's mention of traveling across Calva tugged at Bellerian's heartstrings, and he found his eyes turning once again to the rolling fields south of the enchanted forest.

"Prepare a third horse," Bellerian instructed his son.

Belexus looked at Andovar, his most trusted friend, standing beside him. Andovar wasn't as formidable as the son of Bellerian, but he stood tall and straight, with the piercing eyes and firm chin that marked the proud rangers.

"Will ye be riding?" Andovar asked hopefully. "Suren we'd be blessed to have the likes o' Bellerian beside us."

"Me thanks for yer kind words," Bellerian replied. "But 'tis not for meself that ye'll be needing the third mount. Ye'll have a guest for the trip, one ye'll come to welcome beyond the company of an old man."

"Who, then?" asked Belexus, intrigued by his father's wry smile.

"A favor has been asked of us-of yerself-from one deserving our service," Bellerian began slowly, searching for the right method of springing such amazing news on the two men. "The daughter of this deservin' friend desires to see the world."

Sour looks pa.s.sed between Belexus and Andovar, the old Ranger Lord noted. These two were not an ungrateful lot, he understood, and they would certainly heed his wishes, but they had fancied a journey of excitement and exploration through the coming months and were not thrilled at the prospects of carrying along an inexperienced child.

"Ye know we'll take the la.s.s," Belexus remarked. "But-"

"But?" Bellerian cut in. "Ye'll take her, indeed! And gladly!" They hid their disappointment well, but Bellerian could sense that they still did not understand the true meaning of his words.

"Would it bring ye a smile if I told ye that 'twas the Emerald Witch, Brielle herself, doing the asking?"

Belexus snapped his eyes up on his father; Andovar swooned and nearly stumbled to the ground.

"The Lady," Andovar breathed. He had spent the bulk of his life walking her domain, hoping for a tiny glimpse of the fair witch or, in more recent years, her enchanting daughter. But Avalon was a wide forest, and Brielle and Rhiannon kept few friends.

"Ye're asking that we take Rhiannon along with us?" Belexus gasped, both afraid and hoping that his father would confirm the fact.

"That I be," chuckled Bellerian. "I'm asking, as Brielle herself asked o' me. Are ye willing?"

"We are!" Andovar roared before Belexus could open his mouth.

Both Belexus and his father could not contain their laughter. Andovar looked away, embarra.s.sed, but soon joined in their mirth.

"A great responsibility follows ye, then," Bellerian said, his voice suddenly grave. "Rhiannon's a woman now-aye, what a woman, indeed-but unknowin' of the ways of the world."

"The witch's daughter will be safe beside us," Belexus a.s.sured his father.

Bellerian did not doubt it for a moment. "Ye are the finest warriors in all the world, and yer honor is above question. But ye might find other trials ridin' the road beside the likes o' Rhiannon. Her spirit is no more bridled than her mother's, and she's not versed in the ways of the men outside her wood."

"Fear not for Rhiannon," Andovar replied. "Fear for any fool that might try her honor!" Instinctively, Andovar's hand fell to his sword hilt.

Bellerian smiled, but did not reply. Andovar spoke the truth, and it was that very truth that concerned the Ranger Lord. He knew the love that Andovar had for Avalon and its mysterious mentors, and suspected that the ranger would take on the entire garrison of Pallendara if any of them brought the slightest harm to Rhiannon. But Bellerian was satisfied. He looked at Belexus and winked, knowing that his levelheaded son would keep the reins tight on his overly exuberant companion.