"Has he gone insane?" Livia could hardly believe that a living, intelligent being had chosen death so decisively.
"When evil turns upon itself, it can only be in pursuit of an even greater evil," the cleric of Tyr declared solemnly.
Before dying, the sahuagin chieftain forced an ugly smile onto his face. His cold, obsidian eyes seemed to contain equal parts mockery and resignation.
His blood stained the pendant on his chest and activated a teleportation spell. The pool of blood transformed into a mirror of clear water. Within its reflection raged the storm and lightning of the dangerous cloud bank the rocket had just crossed.
A massive sahuagin priestess answered the magical summons and leaped out of the mirror. Her flesh was still torn and scorched by the lingering lightning. She swept her cold, vicious eyes across her surroundings, then excitedly shouted several sentences in a strange language.
"What is she saying?"
"I don't speak Sahuagin," someone whispered.
The naga warlord and the merfolk general stirred uneasily.
The priestess soon regained her composure. She fell silent and studied everyone present, clearly assessing the situation.
Doric frowned. "You paid far too great a price to come here."
The priestess stretched her mouth into a terrifying smile.
"It was worth it. Are you the ruler of Skylrael? May I enter your service? Bomogani of the sahuagin offers you her loyalty."
"I'm not the ruler of this place. Skylrael's lord is currently away. Joining us only requires a little effort. You could sign a contract with one of the Tower's newcomers, for example, or wait until you receive a summons through your dreams."
Doric waved a hand.
"Now, let's get to the important matter. Which of you is Livia Miko?"
"That would be me, ma'am," Livia answered brightly.
"Zim?"
"Right here." The boy broke into a broad smile.
"Bordon Karpin?"
"At your service, miss." The former stable hand removed his hat and bowed.
"Tawna is here!" The halfling cook stood on tiptoe and raised her hand, having already learned to answer before being called.
Doric smiled with satisfaction. "Good. All of you, follow me. I'll take you to the summit to meet the Silver Tree."
"What about the rest of us? We came here with Livvy," Andrei hurriedly asked.
Simon, the sorcerer, frantically signaled to Zim with his eyes, silently begging his friend not to abandon him.
"Have any of you signed a Candle Flames exchange contract?"
Simon breathed a sigh of relief and proudly puffed out his chest.
"I have!"
"Then you may come as well. Everyone else can remain on the island. Ask Strongpaw if there is anything you don't understand."
With that, the tiefling girl led the selected travelers toward the mountain in the north.
The unicorn shamelessly followed them. Doric glanced at it twice, but merely smiled and stroked its cheek instead of driving it away. Simon saw the wretched beast that had eaten his hair and immediately put some distance between them.
The visitors left behind exchanged uncertain looks before turning toward the group of kobolds.
Strongpaw, the kobold Doric had mentioned, was their leader. He wore such gaudy clothing that anyone could tell at a glance that he considered himself an important nobleman.
Strongpaw gave the newcomers a sideways glance, then stood where he was and stared blankly into space. The other kobolds behaved much the same way, showing no interest in the surface dwellers.
"Hey!" Andrei approached to negotiate. "Strongpaw, your mistress told you to answer our questions."
Far from being offended by the word mistress, Strongpaw radiated delight and pride from head to toe. His attitude immediately became considerably friendlier.
"What do you want to know?"
"Who rules this city?"
"The city's lord is the great dragon Skyl! He commands four mighty dragons. His greatness knows no equal, and he is the one and only sun in Strongpaw's heart!"
"That's right!"
"The boss is absolutely right!"
The other kobolds erupted into noisy agreement.
The visitors were horrified.
He commanded four dragons?
What manner of power did someone need to possess to accomplish such a feat? Was he Tiamat's lover, or perhaps a friend of Bahamut?
Andrei steadied himself, but before he could ask another question, the priestess interrupted in a vicious tone.
"What does this Silver Tree you mentioned look like?"
The aquatic races were clearly extremely interested in the Silver Tree. The naga warlord and merfolk general were listening with equal concentration.
Strongpaw glanced at the priestess with a peculiar expression, the sort of look that practically screamed, What filthy backwater did this outsider crawl out of?
"Do you have any Candle Flames?"
"No."
"Then you have no reason to know anything about the Silver Tree."
The kobolds burst into mocking laughter. Several of the more hot-tempered visitors clenched their fists.
The paladin stepped forward and offered a smile bright enough to rival the sun. Strongpaw stared at him in a daze.
"Mr. Strongpaw, would you be kind enough to tell us about this island in the sky?"
Strongpaw nodded blankly. He could not bring himself to refuse such a warm and approachable paladin.
"Very well."
As they traveled, Doric explained, "Most of Skylrael consists of open wilderness. There is a portal to the Elemental Plane of Water inside the island, so fresh water flows here without end. I've raised a community of kuo-toa in the rivers, so be careful not to hurt them accidentally. The city itself was built on the mountaintop. Do you see that white light above us? That isn't snow. It's the crown of the Silver Tree."
"But the summit looks so small. Can an entire city really fit up there?" Simon asked with an awkward smile, one hand still covering his damaged hair.
"It only looks small from this distance," Doric replied. "Why are you holding your head?"
"It's nothing. I'm feeling a little dizzy."
The unicorn snorted. It was still chewing something.
Simon glared at it resentfully.
"Why does it feel like this road to the summit never ends?" Zim asked, finally noticing something was wrong. "This staircase is incredibly long."
"You can use any travel magic you know. Otherwise, you might not reach the summit before lunch."
As soon as Doric finished speaking, she transformed into a falcon. With a piercing cry, she soared toward the summit.
"What? She's just leaving us behind?"
The young travelers hurried along the twisting mountain path after her.
The unicorn allowed the two girls to climb onto its back, then galloped away and quickly left the three useless men behind.
"Don't look at me." Bordon scratched his head. "You two are spellcasters. I'm only a stable hand."
"You didn't even manage to keep that miserable horse behind!" Simon muttered.
"Think of some magic that can help us travel faster."
Livia wrapped her arms tightly around the unicorn's neck while Tawna's shrill laughter echoed behind her.
The two girls soon reached the summit, which was far more spacious than they had imagined. Rows of buildings had already been erected across the mountaintop. They were shelters and lecture halls constructed by the monks who had left Candlekeep and now supported themselves here.
The Silver Tree stood eternally at the center of it all.
"That's it..." Livia breathed, almost moaning with wonder. "I can feel it calling me. So that light within its crown is where all our Candle Flames are burning."
The unicorn suddenly sneezed so violently that it nearly threw both girls from its back.
"What's wrong, good horse?"
The unicorn sneezed three more times in rapid succession before spitting out a huge, soggy mass of hair.
The hair expanded until it formed a cocoon as tall as a man.
People gathered around it, offering their opinions about the strange, hairy object.
"How could a unicorn spit up something like that?"
"What could possibly be inside it?"
As everyone discussed the peculiar cocoon, the mass of hair suddenly cracked open like an egg.
An elderly man with silver hair and a silver beard crawled out. He wore an extravagantly colorful wizard's robe.
He looked around, then nodded thoughtfully.
"Another flying enclave protected by a storm barrier. Ordinary teleportation magic can't penetrate it. I must admit, the master of this place is far more capable than those old fossils from Shade Enclave."
His gaze settled upon the Silver Tree.
"Oh, there it is. That tree must be the source of the Second Weave. It truly is beautiful. What wonderfully refreshing radiance. Even a fool might grow a brain after standing in that light for a while."
Doric returned to her humanoid form and approached him.
"Sir, who are you?"
"Me?"
The old wizard threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"Ha! You don't recognize me? Very well, let me think. You may call me Elminster of Shadowdale. Yes, that name will do."
He smiled at her.
"Beautiful tiefling maiden, where might I find the master of this city? Old Elminster has taken the liberty of paying him a visit."
"Skyl is away on a journey. He went somewhere called the Lands Between and said he would return in a couple of days." Doric shrugged. "You can speak with Stan if you need anything."
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