Ariskrit looked worried for a moment, but when she saw the determined look in both women's eyes, she nodded. "I see by your expressions that you're every bit as determined as Hetta always was, so I don't think I could talk you out of it if I tried. Very well, then, I'll just wish you good luck and offer you whatever I can from our House to aid you."

Xaphira smiled and nodded her thanks.

The mercenaries wasted no time setting out with Pilos. At first, they considered taking a contingent of Darowdryn guards with them for additional force, but they decided it would draw the wrong kind of attention, suggesting that they intended to be confrontational. Instead, they took advantage of Darowdryn coaches and rode through the city streets in relative obscurity. From time to time they spotted Generon guards about, but it didn't look as if a concerted effort to track them down continued. After they rolled past the third such group without incident, Pilos began to relax.

The coaches made their way through the crowded streets and reached the temple complex by early afternoon. They rode right up to the front entrance, and Pilos and the others climbed down, ready to stride right into the middle of the council chambers and declare Lavant a traitor to the Waukeenar. The temple was bustling with activity as they entered, but more than a few clerics stopped dead in their tracks as Pilos and the others passed.

At first, the Abreeant thought it was simply because Edilus was with them, but as they approached the council chambers, he began to realize that temple guards were everywhere, watching them. They reached the door and prepared to go inside, but one of the guards stepped in their path, barring them entry.

"By order of the Grand Syndar and the entire high council," the guard said, "you are all under arrest for crimes against the temple and the city."

Arbeenok was waiting, about as agitated and impatient as Vambran ever remembered seeing the alaghi, by the time he and Serille returned from their swim. As the mercenary climbed out of the water, the druid paced back and forth.

"I had a new vision," Arbeenok said, cocking his head to one side and looking at Vambran quizzically once he realized that the lieutenant sported aquatic features.

Vambran held up the necklace as he shook the water from his body. "They have one for you, too," he said, gesturing back at Serille, who had emerged with him from the water and was moving to speak with other sea elves. "So what did your vision reveal?" he asked. It seemed to Vambran that some of Serille's companions who had been sent to consult with the elders had returned. He wasn't sure by faces, but there seemed to be more figures in the room than before.

"There is a great chamber, a hall of some sort," Arbeenok said, "and many people are in the chamber, a gathering, an official ceremony. And everything has a green tinge to it."

"Green? Is it a trick of the light? Is this place underwater?" Vambran asked. He considered putting his clothes back on, but didn't really see the point. If we're going swimming again once we know something, he told himself, why bother?

"No," Arbeenok said in answer. "I think this must have happened a long time ago, before the city was washed away by the tidal wave."

"But green is significant," Vambran said. "Maybe we're looking for something green."

"That is quite likely," Serille said, returning to the pair after an extended conversation with her kin. "We believe we may have uncovered information about this magic you seek." She entwined her hand into Vambran's as she explained. "Many hundreds of years ago, in the Year of the Stricken, right before the cataclysm that destroyed the human kingdom on the surface, our landed brethren of the forests came to visit the leader of your people, in a city known as Naarkolyth."

Vambran started to explain to Serille that they were not his people. Though he had little knowledge of the history of Jhaamdath, what bits he did know suggested that they had been introverted and decadent, suspicious of all outsiders. He held his tongue, though, figuring it wasn't germane to the story.

"One of the things they brought with them was an item of powerful healing. We believe this is what you seek."

"I don't suppose you know where the remains of this Naarkolyth are, do you?" he asked.

Serille adopted a serious mien. "As a matter of fact, I do," she said. "But it is well hidden, hard to reach, and in dangerous waters."

"Perfect," Vambran said. "Just what I wanted to hear. What do we need to do now?"

"We are prepared to guide you to the remains of the city," the sea elf answered. "And a few among us are willing to accompany you into its depths. We have gathered provisions for this trip, and by Deep Sashelas's will, we will find your magic and help you save your people."

Vambran nodded his head. "Then let's get going," he said, "the plague is undoubtedly spreading above. And you can tell me more of this history along the way."

Serille smiled and nodded.

Along with Arbeenok, Vambran, and Serille, ten more sea elves began the journey to Naarkolyth. Serille led them out of the cave and into the depths of the Reach. They traveled along the slope of the continental shelf, rather than descending deeper into the water, for the elves had explained that they would encounter fewer enemies at a shallower depth, and they would wait until the last possible moment before turning and dropping into the murk.

As before, Vambran found the travel exhilarating, because he had the freedom to swim himself rather than relying on Arbeenok to tow him. He worried that he would miss his armor, but since none of the elves in the group wore any, he decided to trust his instincts and learn their ways and culture as best as he could.

Arbeenok did not seem quite as exuberant about swimming as the lieutenant did, and Vambran imagined that being able to transform into a multitude of animals would make the druid less amazed by such new experiences. Still, the alaghi took the opportunity to observe the many wonders of the sea, pointing out flashing schools of fish darting back and forth, great spreads of coral covering the sea floor, and an amazing variety of kelp and other aquatic plants, all of which provided the swimmers with a spectacular vista. They passed the occasional shipwreck, too, in various stages of decay. Vambran pondered the fates of the sailors who had been on board those vessels, wondering how Lady's Favor might look at the moment, sitting in the sandy bottoms where she went down.

His thoughts were interrupted as Serille began to relate some of the history of Naarkolyth. "The elves of the forests and the people of the coastal lands did not agree on a great many things, but in the Year of the Stricken, as I mentioned, they made a last effort at peace. The elves brought with them many gifts, tributes that they hoped would create a bond, a friendship between themselves and the humans of the Cities of the Twelve Swords. Among those gifts, apparently, was a scepter. Though the portions of our histories that describe this scepter in greater detail are lost, what does remain tells of a beautiful natural object, woven of plants and other items of the land. The histories claim that this scepter was powerfully enchanted to bring health to the citizens of the cities."

"And this is the object we seek?" Vambran asked. He felt skeptical. Who's to say this is the right item and not something else, something lost even to the annals of history? he wondered.

Serille shrugged. "It is the only reference to anything with the power to heal that we know of," she said. "If that is not the magic you seek, then why would the Dolphin Lord bring us together?"