Morhion sneered. "Oh, indeed, you cannot," the spirit intoned with sinister mirth.

"So, in my generosity, I will give it to you freely. The lost kingdom of Ebenfar lies in the center of High Moor. Journey there. I will come to you from time to time, to guide you. Now go. And remember, I will always be near." With a blast of charnel house air, the spirit vanished.

A last, a rattled Cormik spoke. "What, in the name of all that's holy, was that?"

"The spirit Serafi has little to do with holiness," Morhion replied darkly. He cast a glance at Mari. For a moment, she thought she detected fear in his eyes. Then his face grew cool and impassive, his mask in place once more. "I will explain later," he went on. "Right now, we must ready ourselves for our journey to the High Moor." Purple dusk was upon them as they gathered with their horses outside a tent-stable on the edge of Soubar. They dared not wait until morning to leave. Ferret had see the Shadowstar in his treasure room yesterday. That meant Caledan was only a single day ahead of them. With the help of the eerie Serafi, they might have a chance of beating him to Ebenfar. Once there, Mari was not certain how they would get the Shadowstar away from Caledan. But get it they must, so Kellen could cast the spell Morhion had discovered in the Mal'eb'dala and stop Caledan's horrible transformation.

Ferret threw a saddlebag and bedroll onto the back of a skittish roan stallion and mounted alongside the others. Morhion gave him a piercing look. "Just what do you think you're doing?"

"Going with you," Ferret replied nonchalantly. Caledan is my friend, too, you know." A sharp light glinted in his beady eyes. "Besides, I imagine there's all sorts of lost treasure in Ebenfar."

Both Cormik and Jewel were flabbergasted.

"But you can't simply leave your business like this!"

Jewel protested. "An underworld empire doesn't run itself, love. Surely you know that."

"I truly hate to say this, but Jewel is right," Cormik added. "Who's going to take care of all your operation while you're gone?"

"Actually," Ferret said matter-of-factly, "I was rather hoping you two would."

The effect this had on the two crime lords was astonishing.

Mari had never before seen either of them at loss for words. When at last they found their tongues, it was to protest vehemently, but Ferret refused to take no for an answer. At last the two agreed, not entirely with reluctance. Clearly they were more than a little excited by the notion of running someone else's thieving empire.

"Think of it," Cormik said with relish. "All the fun without any of the responsibility!"

"Don't get carried away, love," Jewel said dryly. "I'm sure Ferret would like it if some of his empire actually remained intact by the time he returns."

"Oh, bother!" Cormik said petulantly. "I can see you're going to be a stick-in-the-mud. Well, my dear, sour shrew, I'm not going to let you spoil my fun."

"We'll have lots of fun," Jewel countered dangerously. "As long as we do things my way, my sweet, bloated simpleton."

The two fell to eager scheming about which duties would be whose. Ferret guided his horse toward Mari, nodding toward Jewel and Cormik. "So how long have they been in love?" he asked softly.

Mari gaped at him. Love? What was Ferret talking about? Yet even as she was about to dismiss this as an impossibility, she realized the truth of it. She had been so caught up in the search for Caledan that she had been blind to what was happening in front of her eyes. Now, as she looked at the two crime lords, it seemed comically obvious. They bent their heads near as they spoke, touching hands, and even as they hurled caustic insults at each other, their eyes glowed with affectionate mischief. "I'm not certain," Mari murmured. "But I'm glad they found each other."

It was time to go. They bid a warm farewell to Jewel and Cormik, then turned to ride into the gathering gloom. Suddenly Mari raised a hand. The hair on the back of her neck prickled. "Get back into the tent," she hissed. Such was her tone that the others did not argue. Mari watched through a thin gap in the canvas as a lone figure appeared on a distant rise, moving toward the sprawling tent city. Even before she saw his face, she guessed who he was. When he drew near enough for her to catch a glint of two glowing amber eyes, there could be no doubt. Her heart contracted in terror when the tall, leann man paused. He seemed to sniff the air. Then, swifly, he loped toward the heart of town, disappearing from view.

Mari breathed a sigh of relief.

"I was afraid this would happen," she whispered. "You were afraid what would happen?" Morhion asked. She swallowed hard. "The Harpers have sent one of their Hunters after us. Or perhaps after Caledan. It doesn't really make a difference."

"A hunter?" Ferret asked. "Maybe he can catch a few pheasants for our stew pot."

"He's not that kind of hunter, Ferret," Mari replied darkly. "People are his usual prey, not animals. I've heard of this particular Hunter. His name is K'shar, and he's a half-elf. I've also heard that no quarry has ever escaped him."

"And just what does he do when he catches his quarry?" Ferret asked nervously. "Use your imagination."

"Oh. I was afraid you would say that."

"It looks as though this K'shar is just arriving in Soubar," Cormik said. He turned to Jewel. "What do say we arrange a few interesting diversions for him, make certain that he doesn't leave town quickly?"

"A wonderful idea, love," Jewel purred. "I have a few ideas you might find interesting…"

Despite her new worries, Mari managed to smile. It was clear that the rotund crime lord and the older, sultry masterthief were going to make an effective—and deadly—duo.

"Let's go find Caledan," she said.

Morhion, Ferret, and Kellen followed her out of the tent, into the deepening night.

*****

Hooves clattering against loose scree, Mista scrambled the last few feet out of the rocky defile and onto a windswept ridge. Caledan pulled gently on the reins bringing her to a halt.

"There it is, Mista," he said quietly. "The High Moor."

The mare snorted softly. A vast wasteland stretched before them, marching toward the distant horizon in endless gray waves. Pale mist pooled in low hollows, and here and there jagged spurs of rock thrust upward toward the leaden sky like beckoning fingers. A few wind-twisted plants clung precariously to the barren landscape, but there was no sign of anything moving. The High Moor was a dying land. How appropriate that somewhere in its heart should be a dead kingdom. Ebenfar.

Caledan nudged Mista into a canter across the damp moor. Almost unconsciously, he lifted a hand to grip the star-shaped medallion resting against his heart. Despite the chill air, the dull silvery metal was curiously warm. It had been strangely easy to take the medallion from the treasure chamber in Soubar. No—it had not been strange after all, for the Shadowstar had wanted to be found. The door to the treasure chamber had responded willingly to Caledan's shadow magic, and the medallion had nearly leapt into his hand.

In the instant he hung the medallion around his neck, he had understood his destiny. He was to journey to Ebenfar, to the ancient kingdom of the Shadowking. He sensed that the medallion had the power to whisk him instantly there but did not wish to do this. The journey itself was important. The other still needed time to grow. And grow it would. Soon, all that would be left of him III be the shadowking within, and he would leave behind the man Caledan forever.

"I have to hold on, Mista." he whispered hoarsely, gripping her mane tightly in clenched fingers. "I cannot forget who I am. I must not."

For a moment, thoughts of those he loved drifted into his mind. Were the companions following him? Would they understand the signs he had been leaving for them? Quickly he forced his friends from his mind. It was a mistake to think about them. Now that he had the Shadowstar, the other slept less and less, and he had to keep his one fragile hope concealed. "If there is any hope at all," he murmured. Suddenly the Shadowstar twitched against his chest, sending a hot, dizzying wave coursing through his body. Caledan brought Mista to a halt. Gripping the medallion, he squeezed his eyes shut. Yes, he could feel the dark ones. They were close now. The shadevari. Ever since his journey had begun, Caledan had sensed the dark presence following him. As soon as he gained the Shadowstar, his senses had grown remarkably keen, and he had discerned the true nature of the creatures pursuing him. They were shadevari, three of the ancient, malevolent beings banished beyond the Circle of the World by the god Azuth—beings who, he now realized were somehow inextricably linked with the shadow magic.