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Revered Lord, to open the city to other races. You know, Lord, as few can, how deeply my sister
Ildilyntra felt against this Opening. We of House Starym still oppose it. By all of our gods, I beseech you,
don't drive us into doing so with force."
"Lord Uldreiyn, I respect your counsel," the Coronal said softly, "as I have always done. You are the
senior archmage of your House, one of the mightiest sorcerers in all Faerun. Yet does that make you
mighty enough to withstand the swarming vigor of the most greed-goaded humans, whose magic grows
apace with each passing year? I still believe and I urge you to think long and hard upon this, to see if
you really can seize to, and hold, any other conclusion that we must deal with humankind on our terms
now, or be overwhelmed and slaughtered by men storming our gates in a cen-tury or so."
"I shall think upon this," the Starym archmage said, bowing his head, "again. Yet I have done so before,
and not reached the same conclusion as you did. Can it not be that a Coronal might be mistaken?"
"Of course I can be wrong," Eltargrim said with a sigh. "I've been wrong many times before. Yet I know
more of the world beyond our forest than any other Cormanthan save this young human lad, of course.
I see forces stirring that to most senior Cormyth, as well as to our youth, seem mere fancies. How often
in the past few moons have I heard voices at court saying, 'Oh, but humans could never dothat!' What
do they think humans are, lumps of stone? From time to time men hold something they call a magefair "
"Sellingmagic? Like a sort of bazaar?" The Starym's lips curled in disbelief and distaste.
"More like a House-gathering attended by many mages: humans, gnomes, halfbloods, and even elves
from other lands than ours," the Coronal explained, "though I believe some scrolls and rare magical
com-ponents do change hands. But the burden of my song is this: at the last magefair I saw, in my days
as a far-wandering warrior, two human wizards engaged in a duel. The spells they hurled fell far short of
our High Magic, 'tis true. But they would also have awed and shamed most sorcerers of Cormanthor!
"'Tisalways a mistake to dismiss humans."
"All those of House Alastrarra would, I believe, sup-port you on that," Naeryndam put in. "The human
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Elminster wore the kiira more ably than our heir has yet managed to. I mean no slur upon Ornthalas, who
will grow to command it, I'm sure, as ably as did Iymbryl be-fore him ... merely that the human was
swiftly capable."
"Too capable, if all these reports of deaths are true," Uldreiyn murmured. "Very well, we shall continue
to disagree ami "
The tabletop glowed with a sudden, sparkling ra-diance that was laced with the soft, calling notes of a
distant horn. Lord Starym stared down at it.
"My herald approaches," the Coronal explained. "When wards are raised, her passage awakens such a
warning."
The Starym archmage frowned. " 'Her'?" he asked. "But sur "
The door of the chamber opened by itself, admitting a cloud of swirling flames of the palest green and
white. It rose and thinned as Lord Uldreiyn stared at it, dwindling swiftly into a flickering death to reveal
at its heart an elven lady who wore a helm and a mottled gray cloak. "Hail, great Coronal," she said in
greeting.
"What news, Lady Herald?"
"The heir of House Echorn has been found dead atop Druindar's Rock slain in spell-battle, 'tis
thought," the herald said gravely. "House Echorn beseeches you to allow them vengeance."
The Coronal's lips thinned. "On whom?"
"The human armathor Elminster of Athalantar, slayer of Delmuth Echorn."
The Coronal slapped the table. "He's a lone human, not an elemental whirlwind! How could he deal
death in the backlands and in the Hallows, too?"
"Perhaps," Lord Uldreiyn told the tabletop, "being a human, he's swiftly capable."
As Naeryndam Alastrarra gave him a disgusted look, the Srinshee surprised them all by saying,
"Delmuth's own spell slew him. I farscryed the fray; he lured Elminster from his studies and sought to slay
the human, who worked a magic that returned Delmuth's attacks upon his own head. Knowing this, the
Echorn made the mistake of trusting in his own mantle, and proceeded with his attack. Elminster pleaded
with him to make peace, but was rebuffed. There is no fault to avenge; Delmuth died through Del-muth's
scheme and Delmuth's hurled spell."
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