Lady of Poison

by Bruce R Cordell

  … He was happy. He scampered down a forest path, screaming in childish delight, clutching his rattle. He was playing his favorite game with Aunt Sthenno. Hide and Seek! He laughed and dived beneath a holly bush.

  “Where are you, little one?” called the voice of his aunt, farther up along the path.

  Young Marrec managed to stifle a giggle. He squirmed back beneath the bush. Aunt Sthenno had been known to miss him before. Not so Aunt Euryale. That’s why he didn’t play Hide and Seek any more with her. She was no fun.

  Mother never played. She left games for her two sisters. She was always involved in her work, though she made time for her boy for an hour every night. Sometimes she spoke wistfully to Marrec about his dear departed father, but Marrec was too young to understand her meaning. His aunts never liked it when Mother brought up that topic, responding with, “It could never have worked, sister. He was not of our kind. He was so vulnerable.” That only made Mother sad. For little Marrec, it was just more talk that he was too young to comprehend.

  “Are you … here?” Sthenno was still a little way down the path. She was looking under a stone she had pried up with her foot. With an effort of will more concentrated than he’d thought possible, young Marrec managed to keep from laughing at his aunt’s antics. She moved a little farther down the path and peered into the tiny knothole of a tree. “Here?” The boy clamped his hand over his mouth to keep from chortling aloud.

  Sthenno frowned, then moved quickly back the way she’d come. He’d fooled her. Usually, Marrec betrayed his spot with some small noise of childish glee. He grinned, then settled back to wait more comfortably.

  It might have been the extra comb of honey he’d taken without Mother’s knowledge earlier or perhaps the warm, pleasant day with a cooling breeze that kept him from becoming too hot. Whatever the reason, he fell into a doze, then a true sleep, all cares falling from his child mind.

  When Marrec finally startled awake, it was dark. More than that, it was cold, and a night mist had sprung up all around, making the path hard to see and effectively blurring all the points of familiarity that the child had recognized before sleep claimed him.

  He didn’t like the dark.

  Then he couldn’t avoid making a small noise, but of alarm, not amusement. The importance of not wandering off had been impressed upon him on several occasions. As far as wandering out in the dark, he’d been explicitly forbidden it, yet there he was. Mother would be so angry!

  He broke from his hiding spot then stopped. It really was dark, so dark he couldn’t really see where the path lay. He guessed and began walking. When he stumbled into a tree, he began to cry wholeheartedly, no more half-measures on that front. He bawled for his mother.

  He imagined her coming upon him just then. She’d tell him it was all right and take him home. She’d reach down, pick him up, and carry him as she so often did. He would run his fingers through her soft hair, avoiding the thicker, coiling lengths with a fierce life all their own.

  CHAPTER 11

  Ready?” asked Ususi.

  Marrec nodded. He stood just behind Ususi, leading her horse and his. He also had hold of Henri’s bridle, but Ash was mounted up. Elowen and Gunggari brought up the rear, each leading their own mount.

  Ususi stood before the gap between two standing stones where she’d spent the last hour concentrating on the glowing Keystone. It continued to glow, even brighter than before, if possible, clutched in Ususi’s left hand. The leather thong the stone was attached to was wound tightly around her wrist.

  “So,” wondered Marrec, as nothing continued to happen, “we step through and we’re there, right?”

  “No,” responded Ususi. “We step through, and … you’ll see.”

  The mage began to trace a line in the air between the stones with her left hand as high as she could reach. Where her hand passed, the glow of the Keystone smeared the air, as if chalk on a glass wall. When she bridged the gap, she brought her hand slowly down along the edge of one of the stones, to the grassy ground, back across to the first stone, then up to her starting point. She’d traced a square in the air a little taller than seven feet high and about the same wide. The very moment she finished the circuit, the forest Marrec could see through the glowing square spiraled away like an image sucked down a drain. Then the square was revealed for what it was: a doorway to an arcane other-where. A cool wind blew out of the darkness, brushing Marrec’s hair. His horse snorted and pulled back slightly on the lead.

  “Follow me,” said Ususi. She walked into the darkness, the Keystone held just higher than shoulder level like a lamp.

  Passing the gap from forest to darkness was not unlike walking into the face of a chilling waterfall, though Marrec remained dry on the other side. He stood on what seemed to be a great stone obelisk, fallen on its side. The stone seemed similar to the standing stones from which the Mucklestones were formed but broader. Behind him, the square-shaped discontinuity he had walked through hung unsupported. Through it, he could see his companions waiting their turn to pass into the doorway.

  As though bridging a void of cool darkness, the stone path arrowed forward as far as Ususi’s light could reach, which was not all that far. A precipitous fall threatened anyone who came too close to either side of the path. Undeterred by the threat, Marrec peered over the side and spied an island of stone far, far below. The island floated alone in the darkness and was moving farther from view even as he watched it. The island was strewn with rubble, and the mostly demolished wall of some ruin gaped up at him. The light seemed to emanate from the walls themselves, twinkling with witchlight. Gazing around the vast space, he noted tiny flickers of light in every direction, all moving slightly relative to each other.

  “What is this place?” he asked Ususi.

  Ususi motioned him forward. He realized he continued to hold Henri’s reigns, though Ash was still on the other side of the door. He carefully led his and Ususi’s mount, and Henri, through the discontinuity, moving to stand near Ususi. Elowen and Gunggari followed.

  Finally Ususi said, “This is an ancient space, a half-space, where forgotten things litter the void. If not for the Mucklestones, I doubt it could still even be accessed.”

  From behind, Gunggari said, “It seems unnatural.”

  “It is,” replied Ususi. “It is an artificial space created many thousands of years ago by a race known as the Imaskar. They used it to store their secrets, their refuse, and their … mistakes. The Mucklestones can create paths through it, shortcutting real world leagues.”

  “Imaskar?” asked Marrec.

  “Mistakes?” said Elowen simultaneously.

  Ususi said, “The Imaskar are … were a vanished race of wizards. They accomplished great things in their time, but they are gone from the face of Faerûn. Sometimes even mighty wizards can make dangerous mistakes.” Marrec thought she would say more, but she turned and said, “We’d best get moving. We’ll see enough of the Celestial Nadir to suit us—we’ve still got several hours of walking. I’d suggest riding, but I’m afraid the horses would spook off the path. I’ve never risked it.”

  “Hold on,” said Marrec. “I’m not sure I like this talk of mistakes and danger. We’ve got Ash with us, after all. Perhaps we should go the long way around?”

  Ususi paused then said with an impatient strain to her voice, “In fact, I doubt the mistakes of the ancient days survive today. I spoke of danger, but in the past tense. In all my studies of the Mucklestones, I’ve never run across anything especially threatening. Briartan scarcely used the stones, ’tis true, but he also never faced a real threat. I don’t think Gameliel had access long enough to further taint this space.”

  Elowen noted, “If all things were equal, we would go by natural paths, but I think the risks are higher were we to take the ‘long’ way around. There are more blightlords than Gameliel. The Rotting Man is after Ash, it’s clear. He’s set up ambushes before. If we can get to Yeshelmaar through this hidden route, and quickly, we may be b
etter off.”

  “I agree with the elf,” threw in Gunggari.

  Marrec made a dismissive gesture with the hand not holding the leads, saying, “Fine, fine, I can see when I’m outnumbered.” He grinned. “Really, I’d hate to give up a chance to walk through an artificial, hidden dimension created by a vanished race.”

  Ususi allowed a smile to play on her lips. “You won’t be disappointed. Come. There are also wondrous things to see here.”

  They began to walk along the path. Straight as a ruler the path appeared before them, revealed by the advancing light of the Keystone held aloft by Ususi. Behind them, the discontinuity closed like an eyelid closing.

  The air was sharp, chill like morning air, but not damp. A faint odor hung in the air, but Marrec couldn’t place it. It reminded him of the smell in the air after a thunder storm. Sometimes, a light breeze would blow up out of the void and play through his hair. Marrec was worried the breeze’s intensity would increase, but Ususi told him not to worry on that account.

  To the left and right, above and below, objects floated in and out of view. Most of the objects were free-floating islands of earth, rough and crumbling below, but flat on top, except for some ruin of disintegrating construction so far degraded that it was impossible to tell what purpose they once served. It was as if some great hand had scooped up these sites from the natural world and set them adrift in the void. Marrec mentally labeled the floating islands ‘earthbergs.’

  He saw a few perfect cubes, each face a mirror, tumbling through the darkness. When he saw his third he asked Ususi about them.

  She said, “You really are interested in the Imaskar mistakes, aren’t you? Those are them, safely ensconced in those time-starved cubes. If you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you.”

  Marrec considered, then said, “You’ve learned a lot about the Imaskar people since you began to study the Mucklestones. They seem an interesting people.”

  Ususi continued walking ahead of him, so he couldn’t see her face. She didn’t say anything for a while then said, “Perhaps one day I will tell you more about the Imaskari, but today is not that day.”

  Marrec glanced back at Gunggari, whom he could barely pick out in the periphery of the light. They shared a look; the woman was as stiff as the day they’d met, stiffer actually.

  A little while later Ususi glanced up then raised her hand. “Stop here a moment.”

  Marrec followed the mage’s gaze upward. A great globule of liquid hung in the void, the glints of distant lights reflected in its shimmering, fluctuating surface. He could actually hear the sounds of waves lapping on the surface of the globe. It was floating slowly toward contact with the stone path ahead of them. At first Marrec couldn’t gauge the globule’s size. As it continued to move closer and closer without actually touching, its size became clear. It was a few hundred yards in diameter.

  “What’s this?” asked Marrec.

  Ususi said, “Just more random debris—probably collected humidity, but I don’t want to get wet.”

  Finally the wavering globe of liquid intersected the disconnected stone path ahead with an audible slap. Marrec tensed, expecting the sphere to pop like a giant bubble, but nothing of the sort occurred. Instead, the liquid mass merely continued on its way, barely affected by the long stone column sweeping through its interior. Finally, over a minute later, contact fell away, and the globule continued its lonely journey through the void.

  Marrec continued to watch. Behind the meniscus of water, a humanoid form showed itself to Marrec, its eyes flaring in the light of the Keystone. “Hey!” he yelled, but even as he gestured, it was gone.

  “What?” sighed Ususi.

  “I thought I saw something, a creature, inside that globule. It had big eyes, like plates.”

  Ususi shrugged, “Perhaps you did. Another reason to stay clear of the wandering lakes.”

  Ahead, the stone path was wet, and residual water pooled in shallow cavities of the rock. A few tiny forms flipped up and fell back to the stone with wet smacks. Fish. A few flipped themselves off the path. Without the floating water, they fell quickly into the emptiness.

  Ususi studied the remaining creatures then said, “We can proceed. Careful; the stone will be slick until the water dries.”

  They moved on. Marrec studied the struggling fish as they edged across the damp portion of the path. They were eyeless, like some varieties of cave fish he’d heard about. They’d obviously been there a long time, through many generations.

  He wanted to catch up to Ususi, but he had three mounts to see to, including Henri on which Ash rode. If he couldn’t be discreet, he’d have to be crass.

  “Come on, Ususi,” he finally called ahead. “If we’ve got hours on this path, give a little. This place is amazing. Tell us more about it.”

  When the mage continued to walk quietly, he pressed, “At least tell me what I saw in that ‘wandering lake.’”

  Another sigh came from the wizard. “Very well. Keep in mind I do not know too terribly much more than you.

  “The Imaskari, extremely powerful and haughty wizards who worked great wonders with magic and created portals to many worlds, established one of the earliest human empires in Faerûn. They were eventually brought down by slaves they’d kidnapped from other worlds; those people are now the folk of Mulhorand and Unther.”

  “Portals … you mean like the Mucklestones?” wondered Marrec.

  “Yes. They preferred a buffer between their portal end-points, just in case. The Celestial Nadir was created to be that buffer. Originally, it was a small space, but after its creation, it slowly grew over the centuries, becoming a demiplane in its own right.”

  Ususi continued speaking, warming to her topic, “More and more with the passage of time, the artificial plane served the Imaskari as a dumping ground for defeated enemies, objects stolen from other planes too dangerous to deal with immediately, and as a safehouse for valuables. However, even after the fall of the Imaskar empire, the Nadir continued to grow. It is my belief that in the thousands of years since then and now, the space has impinged upon other dimensions and demiplanes, enveloping them, and growing all the larger for it. Thus, the Nadir is more than it originally was intended to be. On the other hand, of the portals that once extended through its core to service the Imaskar empire, only the Mucklestones remain, at least as far as I have been able to discover.”

  Marrec gazed out into the void, noting the firefly points as they drifted into and out of view. He realized that those points represented only motes of earth or objects that were somehow illuminated. Perhaps many others drifted unseen in the dark. He said, “What wonders could one find here, if he looked?”

  “That is a question to which I have yearned to know, myself, though exploration of the Nadir could prove dangerous,” said Ususi. “The Mucklestones are important to me. That is another reason I must see this thing through. I have to learn how much the Rotting Man knows of the Celestial Nadir, and if he intends further incursions. As I’ve said, some things that lie here should not be disturbed. There is a reason the Imaskar empire fell, beyond that of simple revolt, I believe. It is my fear that a remnant of that power might lie herein, unremembered, but potent should it be disturbed.”

  Elowen had moved closer, leaving her mount in Gunggari’s care. She said, “You always said … I mean, what, if not a slave revolt, brought down the empire?”

  “I do not know for sure,” murmured Ususi, “but I know one thing; it does not bear meddling if a taint of that power lingers here.”

  After that they continued their march without speaking for some tens of minutes. Marrec was contemplating empty places of the universe, when Gunggari’s low voice interrupted his leaping thoughts.

  The Oslander said, “Something is here with us.”

  They stopped. Peering back along the stone track into the deepening gloom, Marrec asked, “What?”

  “Something that buzzes. It is not confined to the path. The buzzing sound puts me in
mind of an insect, a large insect. I’ve been hearing it since before the water bubble crossed our path, but it’s getting louder now.”

  Marrec couldn’t hear it, but he knew Gunggari’s senses were sharper than his own. He continued to cast his gaze behind, but Gunggari shook his head.

  “It is ahead of us. We’re drawing closer to it.”

  Ususi said, “The only way out is through; we must go forward.”

  Marrec nodded, and they continued.

  It wasn’t long before all could hear the faint buzzing. It did sound like an insect, sort of like a horsefly, but deeper.

  Ususi volunteered, “I don’t know that sound, but look there.” She pointed to the stone path ahead.

  Marrec saw that the flat column of stone continued on straight ahead without deviation, but there was a strange sheen to it, unlike the stone over which they’d already walked. The stone almost appeared to be coated with crystal, like the interior of a geode but without the brilliant color.

  He asked, “What is it?”

  Ususi shrugged, shaking her head. “It is a mystery to me, but it’s interesting to look at.”

  “Great.”

  They continued moving but slower. The thin crystalline lattice below their feet crunched with each step. While not slippery, the uneven footing made the broad path seem a bit narrower and more precarious.

  “I spy a mist ahead. It covers the path, but we must pass through it. Let us slow down a bit,” said Ususi.

  Marrec realized that she was referring to the pale, wispy-white mist that was coming into the light shed by the Keystone lamp. It billowed like a cloud ahead of them, a vast cloud that had settled upon the path.

  Ususi continued, “Let me go ahead and make certain it is safe to enter. I expect that it is harmless … but I would rather be sure.” She seemed less sure of herself.

  They waited as Ususi strode to the periphery of the diaphanous cloud. As she approached, the mist churned and gave way just slightly. The mage raised her other hand and concentrated. Arcane syllables fell from her lips.