Tyveris shook his head, glowering. "You're a nasty man, Ferret."

"Why, thank you, Tyveris," the thief replied cheerfully.

"Well, Mari," Cormik said with a wicked chuckle "It looks as if you're onto something."

Cormik left to return to the Prince and Pauper, and Morhion departed as well, intending to study the mysterious magical crystal he had found on the shadevar's body. Tyveris picked up the two sleeping halfling children and went with Estah to help bundle them into bed.

For a moment Caledan and Mari were alone.

"I wish you luck with your plan to free the prisoners, Harper," he said, his tone frosty. "But there's really only one thing I care about at this point. Revenge against Ravendas."

He rose and made his way up the staircase, disappearing into the shadows. Somehow Mari managed to wait until she was alone before the tears started rolling down her cheeks.

Caledan sat alone in his room. Sunlight streamed heavily through the window, gleaming dully off the copper bracelet encircling his left wrist. Sometimes the thing looked more like a shackle than a piece of jewelry.

He sighed, trying to push the thought out of his mind. He had been stupid to believe that he could fall in love- again. The Harper had her mission, and he had his own. Ravendas was finally going to pay for what she had done to Kera.

He turned his mind back to that windswept day in the Fields of the Dead, when the phantom of Talek Talembar had appeared and spoken to him. He tried to recall the words the ancient hero had spoken-the one clue he had given them to the secret of the shadow song. Talembar had said something about finding the echo of the song in the place where it was last played. Unfortunately, Caledan had no idea where that could be. The history of Talek Talembar in the Mal'eb'dala had been frustratingly incomplete. After defeating the Shadowking, the ancient bard could have traveled almost anywhere in the Realms. He could have played the blasted shadow song anywhere, Caledan thought in frustration. For all I know the secret of the song is somewhere in Sembia, or Thay, or the gods know where.

Yet that didn't really make sense. The purpose of the shadow song was to counter the power of the Nightstone. Why would Talembar have needed it once the Nightstone was sealed in the Shadowking's tomb? Most likely, Talembar had never played the song again. And that would mean that the last place the song was played was in the crypt of the Shadowking itself.

Even if the secret of the shadow song is buried with the Shadowking, I can't see how that really helps, Caledan thought sourly.

He doubted Ravendas was going to let him search around the crypt hoping to hear the echo of the song. Still, he couldn't quite rid himself of the feeling that there was more to Talembar's clue than he gleaned on the surface.

A knock at the door interrupted his concentration, and he looked up. "Come in."

It was Tyveris, filling the doorway with his massive shoulders. For some strange reason, Caledan found that he was almost disappointed it wasn't the Harper.

"I'm sorry to bother you, Caledan, but you may want to come downstairs. Morhion just came back from his tower. There's something he wants all of us to hear."

A grimace crossed Caledan's face. He had hoped his dealings with Morhion were over now that they had returned from the Fields of the Dead.

Caledan stepped into the inn's private dining chamber and found the others already there. While he couldn't say that he had ever seen Morhion excited-he had watched the mage engulf whole bands of attacking goblins in magical fire without so much as blinking an eye-there did seem to be a hard, bright light shining in the mage's usually indifferent gaze.

"I have learned the purpose of the magical crystal I took from the shadevar," Morhion said when Caledan sat down. The mage pulled the opaque gem from his pocket.

"I believe it is a communication device of some sort. By means of the crystal, one might speak across great distances to the one who holds the gem's twin."

"That must be how the shadevar kept in contact with whoever its master was," Caledan mused.

"You want to use the stone, don't you, to speak with whoever will answer?" Mari asked the mage.

Estah scowled. "That sounds rather dangerous."

"Perhaps," the mage said, "but it would not be the first danger I have ever risked. The same would be true for all of you."

All eyes turned to Caledan. Much as he did not care for it, everyone had fallen into the old habit of looking to him as a leader. Even the Harper seemed to be waiting for him to say something.

"Do it," he said to Morhion finally, an edge of steel in his voice.

Morhion lifted the cowl of his robe, concealing his face. He was wearing black, just like the shadevar. The companions watched as Morhion spoke several sibilant words of magic. The crystal began to glow with a pale luminescence.

Suddenly an image appeared in the heart of the crystal. It was the gaunt, severe-looking face of a man with eyes as hard and dark as stones. It took several heartbeats for Caledan to recognize the man. An image of a procession riding into the High Tower of the city lord flashed before his eyes, It was the day when he had first seen Ravendas in the city, And on a black horse before her had ridden… the lord steward Snake. The man who was rumored to be Ravendas's lackey. He was the shadevar's master.

Caledan looked up at the Harper involuntarily. She nodded. Apparently she had recognized the lord steward as well.

"Why has it taken you so long to make contact?" Snake demanded in a voice as dry as bleached bones. "I have been attempting to communicate with you for the last two days."

Morhion drew in a breath to reply.

"Never mind," Snake interrupted impatiently. "It does not matter now. All that concerns me is Caldorien. Is he dead?"

Without hesitation Morhion nodded.

"Excellent," Snake said, his voice pure venom. "Now no one with the shadow magic can stand against us. Things are moving toward an end. Perhaps I will let you deal with the fool Ravendas yourself." A cadaverous smile touched Snake's mouth. "You have done well. Our lord who is to come will not forget that."

Again Morhion nodded.

"I must go," Snake hissed. "I shall make contact again when all has been-"

Snake's words were cut off by a sudden high-pitched commotion. Caledan swore under his breath and sprang toward the stairs, but he was too late.

Pog and Nog had burst into the room.

"Mother! Nog hit me!" Pog wailed before Caledan could quiet her. Nog's piping voice rose in denial.

The damage was done.

In the image inside the crystal Snake's hard eyes glittered with suspicion. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Morhion laughed. "A foe!" he cried. He passed a hand over the crystal. "Bahtral" he spoke as the gem went dark. The image of Snake vanished.

They all stared at the darkened crystal for a long moment. Pog and Nog clung to Estah for comfort, sensing they had done something wrong. Finally Tyveris cleared his throat.

"Well, Caledan," he said, his deep voice rumbling, "at least now we know who wants you dead."

"Comforting thought," Caledan growled in reply.