Alessa almost jumped back in fright when something touched her, although she realized in the next instant that she had bumped into the side of Kalestraan's bed. She opened her eyes in her moment of fright and she saw, almost to her surprise, that she had located the origin of that mysterious call. Kalestraan's cape with its high, stiff collar hung on a hook beside the bed; he had not been wearing it on the night of his death. Set above the right breast was a broach bearing the small stone indicating his rank, in his case the brilliant red signifying a senior wizard of fire magic. In the distant past of their race, the stone would have been a large, brilliant ruby, but since the Flaem had begun their journey from world to world, times had become more lean and the stone was nothing more than common colored glass.
Or perhaps this piece of glass was not so common. She saw immediately that a faint glow of red light emanated from deep within the stone, and it was not a reflection from the lamps. She was amused to realize that Kalestraan had not hidden this magical artifact in some safe place guarded with traps, but had worn it in plain sight nearly everywhere he had gone. She had a stone just like it in appearance, although hers really was nothing more than ordinary glass. She hesitated a moment longer, still fearful of traps and also mindful that any strange artifact of magic that Byen Kale,straan had found valuable might well be a thing of evil.
By her right as Kalestraan's successor, the stone now belonged to her. The object seemed to recognize that. Moving quickly, she reached out and released the pin, slipping the broach from the cape into her hand. The stone reacted to her touch, the distant light pulsing. The voice fell silent at that same instant, almost as if she had startled it. Then, as she stood staring into the stone, fearful of magically probing its secrets with her mind, the mysterious voice resumed, but now it sounded different. It seemed to be demanding to know who she was sharply, impatiently, as if the strange will behind the voice was annoyed at finding itself in an unfamiliar hand. Then, even before she could consider her reply, the voice fell silent and the pale light faded.
That seemed to put an end to the matter, and Alessa realized that the time had come for her to stop asking for trouble. If the enchanted jewel wasn't willing to talk to her now, then she needed to choose her own time to probe its secrets. That was something she was not prepared to attempt until she had prepared the necessary spells and wards to protect herself from every possible danger. For now, she thought it best to keep the jewel with her, which seemed the best way to prevent it from attempting to lure anyone else. She pinned it to the front of her jacket, amused to think that Kalestraan had kept an object of such value in plain sight, as if it were nothing more than a bauble of little value.
Alessa left the room and locked the door, then hurried back upstairs to her own rooms. As she walked through the darkening corridors of the Wizards' Residence, she was already considering the mysteries of Kalestraan's enchanted jewel. The fact that it had the ability to call attention to itself was less important to her than the question of why it had chosen to do so at that time. Did it possess a will of its own, or was it simply responding to the will of another, perhaps someone who was becoming curious about why Kalestraan had been away for so long? Of course, she had to admit that she could well be overestimating the power or the potential of the thing. It might be nothing more than a ward, a means Kalestraan had devised to warn him if someone was poking about in his secrets.
Whatever its true nature, it had been trying to get her attention for some reason, perhaps to warn her of something. She still hoped that it might lead her to the Collar of the Dragons, but she was fearful that she might not have much time. She needed to learn its mysteries as quickly as she could.
For better or worse, her fascination with the jewel would have to be set aside for tonight. She selected a shawl to wear over her wizard's robe, knowing that it would be cold later on.
Then she left her chambers and hurried downstairs, certain that the carriage must be waiting by that time. A griffon rider had arrived from Thyatis late that afternoon, which likely meant that Darius Glantri had come for a visit. If so, this evening could be a pleasant one indeed, although Alessa reminded herself that she should excuse herself early and leave the rest of the night to her friends.
As she settled herself into the carriage for the short ride to Solveig's house, Alessa reflected upon the unexpected turns of her recent life. In the summer of the previous year, in the time of just a few short weeks, she had gone from being an unimportant sorceress at the Academy to the head of her order and an advisor to Thelvyn Fox-Eyes, the Dragonlord and for a time the last King of the Flaem. She had to admit that she had come into her new duties as scheming and self-centered as the old villain she was replacing. And like her predecessor, she had found that her schemes never worked nearly as well as she had expected.
Alessa had come to regret the part she had played in forcing the Dragonlord to abdicate as the last king of the Flaemish realm. Her only comfort was knowing that Thelvyn had always intended to surrender the throne as soon as the war with the dragons had been settled. Since that time, she had become a devoted member of the council that had been established to replace the king, and she had done much to turn the Fire Wizards of the Flaem from the suspicious, self-serving lot they had been to a genuinely wise and benevolent order. She had been a strong supporter of the leadership of Solveig White-Gold as the head of the council as well as a close friend, even though Solveig had been one of the original companions of the Dragonlord and Alessa's rival.
The carriage rattled over the cobblestones, the sound echoing dully through the narrow streets. Alessa stared out the window, watching the warm, soft lights that shone behind curtains or through cracks in the shutters of the houses she passed. She thought at times about Thelvyn, having finally come to understand the very last bit of wisdom he had tried to teach her. She had believed, with the conclusion of the war of the dragons, that he had lost everything; she had been surprised and at first disdainful of his claim that he had actually won. Perhaps he had won more than even he had anticipated at the time. She envied him his freedom as a dragon, riding the winds, living and hunting in the wild in the company of his wise and devoted mate. Her own life seemed shallow and demanding by comparison.
The carriage slowed and then turned to pass through the gate into the yard of Solveig's large house in the wealthy quarter of Braejr, the house that had belonged to the Dragonlord for several years before that. Even as she was stepping down from the carriage, Alessa could hear the impatient calls of the griffon stabled in the warehouse on the west side of the yard. Alessa was often amused to consider what Kharendaen would think if the proud gold dragon cleric knew that her home of five years was now the abode of griffons. She wondered idly if the neighbors believed that the dragon had been better company than the fierce and often noisy creatures now often in residence.
The young valet, Taeryn, met her at the door, having heard the sounds of her carriage. As far as Alessa knew, Taeryn had been a child of lesser aristocracy who had been sent to Braejr at an early age to work at the palace, where he had served as valet to both King Jherridan and Thelvyn. He was a bit simple, and his duties were the limit of his abilities, but he was always cheerful and eager to please. Since there was no longer any need for him at the palace, he had come here to work for Solveig.