"What?" said Gomja stupidly, scarcely daring to breathe. "You're reading my mind?"

Sylvie smiled at the giff. "Not all of it, but just enough to know the truth," she said. "Whatever you think of, I can sense it." Sylvie got to her feet and brushed off her clothes. "Let him go," she said. "We've got to see the fal before someone else dive-bombs us."

Teldin looked from Sylvie to Gomja and felt his rage slowly melt away, leaving behind a sea of emptiness and confusion. At a shrug from Aelfred, Teldin rubbed at his face, looked at the others, then walked over to untie the dirt-encrusted giff.

"Why couldn't you have done this before?" Aelfred mumbled to Sylvie as he moved to help Teldin.

"I couldn't find a copper for the spell, so I borrowed one from Gaye. If you ever need anything, ask a kender."

No one laughed, but it lightened the atmosphere anyway. Gomja sniffed, obviously relieved, and straightened his posture to build his shattered dignity.

"Next time," said Teldin, finishing with one of the giffs arms, "just tell the truth from the start. By the gods, I hope the fal didn't see us acting like this."

There was a pause of exactly two heartbeats.

I did, said a voice in Teldin's head.

Everyone jumped. Aelfred shot to his feet, tugging his sword free. Teldin and Sylvie spun around on their knees, crouching, while Gomja got one arm out of the ropes and hastily felt for a weapon that he no longer had.

The gnomes near the ship cried out, and Teldin heard Gaye shriek, "There it is!" He got up, his own sword in hand, and saw a huge black shape forming only twenty feet from the Perilous Halibut. Although smaller than the gnomish ship, it shared a similarly long and cylindrical form and was equally dark-but the surface of the new form slowly rippled and undulated. The nearer end rose from the ground to the height of a tall man and leisurely looked over the assembled crew.

"Splendid!" cried Dyffed, spreading his arms. "Thirdeen Squared, you look barvelous, simply barvelous! You haven'd changed a bid in sixdy years!"

I am indebted to you, my youthful friend, said the voice in Teldin's head. The now-solid monstrosity by the ship, fully the size and length of a horse barn, was exactly as Teldin had seen it through the thingfinder. Bile rose in Teldin's throat. The sight of the pulpy black monster made him queasy, but he forced himself to be calm. It turned the upper part of its slug-like body toward the gnome, its rubbery tentacles writhing in a seemingly random fashion. You honor me with your presence and that of your companions. You have suffered physical harm in coming here. I grieve to see you so. I ask to repair you damage and see you whole.

"Oh, this?" Dyffed looked down at his mutilated hands, then hid them behind his back as if embarrassed. "Oh, thad's quide all ride, they're hardly a bother now, but I'd afraid sobe of us did ged a drifle knocked around on the way here, and if you could do sobething aboud thad, then we-"

I will do that, said the voice. Teldin suddenly heard distinct gasps from some of the gnomes, and a few whooped as rhey looked down at their now-healed injuries. Dyffed appeared surprised, then carefully unwound the bandages over his hands using his teeth. Teldin saw the gnome thoughtfully examine his hands-still missing certain fingers, but otherwise fully healed. Dyffed looked up abruptly as if someone that Teldin could not hear had just spoken to him.

"Oh, that's quite all right," he said hurriedly. "The pain is gone, and that itself is marvelous." He put a hand to his mouth, running fingers over his lips. "Just wonderful, simply wonderful. One Six Nine, you are the dearest old fellow."

You have suffered the threat of physical extinction in searching for me, said One Six Nine, the large humanlike mouth moving in rhythm to its thoughts. I watched your arrival from my tcha, where my true body lies now, at the peak of the megafauna's horn. You see but my image, created by my powers. I was impressed with your removal of the humanoid colossus by using your damaged quasi-psionk locater device as an aerial missile. You have earned my admiration. You have, however, only limited opportunity for discussion. I acknowledge the imminent arrival of antagonistic forces. You wish to acquire knowledge concerning the cloak Teldin Moore wears?

"Yes," Teldin broke in. "I was told that I had to find the Spelljammer, but I haven't any idea how to find it or even if that's what I'm supposed to do. I haven't been able to talk with anyone I can really trust on this." He colored as he said the last pan, hoping that no one present took offense.

You must come closer, said the fal. Its front tentacles twisted and waved gently in his direction as its fore-part-Teldin couldn't bring himself to call it a head-faced him.

Teldin took a deep breath and approached the fal, coming to a stop a dozen paces from its open, man-sized maw. He found himself staring at the dozens of razor-sharp teeth set in multiple rows inside its circular mouth, like the teeth on a shark's jaw Teldin once had seen on Krynn.

I am not carnivorous, said One Six Nine. The two largest tentacles, on opposite sides of its central mouth, examined Teldin from two widely separate points, looking him over with uncomfortable thoroughness for perhaps a minute.

I am satisfied, said the mental voice at last. You are wearing an authentic ultimate helm. You possess potential of an open-ended nature. You are the Cloakmaster, Teldin Moore, the future captain of the Spelljammer. You need only find your ship to claim it.

Teldin felt as if he had been physically struck. The blood ran from his face. It was difficult to think straight. "I'm what?" he said faintly.

You wear an ultimate helm, a device imbued with the power to command the Spelljammer, the largest and most powerful ship in all known spheres. You must find the Spelljammer in order to take command of it. You have open-ended potential-infinite, unlimited, of import to the gods themselves, given time.

"Of import to…" Teldin's mouth was completely dry. He felt light-headed. "But why me?"

You were randomly selected, said the fal. You were in the right place at the right time, as your kind is fond of saying. I know of no preconceived reason for it. You have taken a path from which you cannot turn back.

It once had seemed to Teldin that he had a thousand questions to ask the fal, but now he could not think of where to start. He took a deep breath, but the fal's telepathic messages flowed into his mind before he could begin.

You need to know much from me, Teldin Moore, said One Six Nine. I fear I may not have much to tell you that you need to know. I have studied the legends of the Spelljammer for an age of time. I have examined trinkets said to bear dues to its origin and whereabouts. I have even seen the Spelljammer as it passed through this sphere six thousand seven hundred twelve days ago, load time, on its endless journey through the spheres. I have deduced from all my research only that nearly all of what people know of the Spelljammer is wrong. There is little that is right.

There was a pause, and Teldin had a mental image of someone smiling wryly at a private joke. He looked around and noticed that everyone standing around him-Aelfred, Sylvie, the gnomes, Gaye, even Gomja, still half-tied on the ground-appeared to be listening to their own internal voices. You should not be concerned that they can hear what I am to reveal you, said One Six Nine, inclining its head in Teldin's direction. I have been able to project my thoughts into others from the time of my generation as an individual, unlike others of my kind, though I can read only your surface thoughts in return. I am able to carry on two such conversations at once- again, a unique ability. I am giving your comrades a speech welcoming them to my abode. I find this an easy speech to give, and I am not troubled by its habit. I wish to speak with you alone now. You fear that you can trust no one. I will strike a bargain with you, Teldin Moore. I will tell you what is true about the Spelljammer if, when you find it, you will return and tell me all that you find to be true about it.