Pools of Darkness by James M. Ward, Anne K. Brown Read Free Book Online Page A

predicament. You’d think that we’d be able to figure something out. I know that somewhere out there is a great evil ready to pounce on Phlan, and we’re almost powerless to do anything about it.”
    This worried Tarl. His wife usually showed more confidence. “Come with me,” he whispered.
    He led Shal through her casting chamber to their favorite balcony. Denlor’s Tower was high enough to survey most of the city, and part of the Moonsea, too, had they not been deep in some cavern.
    “Shal, what can I do to do to make you feel safe?” He could feel her tension and wished he could just rinse it away with a warm bath and a mug of tea. But this was more serious, and Tarl knew it. “I don’t mean the kind of safe the farmers get when they lock the door at night. Or the kind of safe my Aunt Dorinna gets when she puts that disgusting smelling mud all over her face.”
    His last comment brought a giggle. “Your Uncle Amis really hates that stuff. You don’t like it much either, do you? Lately, I’ve been thinking about trying it. Maybe it’ll keep me looking young.” Tarl rolled his eyes, but was glad to see some humor coming from his wife. He held her close.
    “I want to make you happy—as happy as our lives will allow. It’s hard being in the front of battles all the time. Half the time when we’re hurling spells and fighting side by side, I’m terrified at the thought of you facing the same blades and awful creatures I face.”
    Shal’s chest heaved. “I’m sorry I’m so upset. This whole mess is getting the better of me. The best we can do is to keep looking for a way to rescue the city.”
    Tarl stroked his wife’s hair and gently led her back inside. “What you need is a good back rub,” he whispered. Shal smiled and sat down on the bed. As she tugged on her robe, a voice sounded in the street below.
    “The alarm!” Tarl said, disappointed. He and Shal dashed about to gather weapons and prepare for battle. “Sorry, love. I’ll have to owe you that back rub.”
    Shal laughed as they hurried out the door. “Don’t worry. I won’t let you forget! Now, let’s go see if we can’t quash our enemies once and for all!”

4
Dark Castings
    Impenetrable darkness filled the casting chamber at the top of the magical tower. In the cool blackness, a horrid pit fiend basked in the silence. It flapped about the chamber with its twenty-foot bat wings, drooling and slobbering. The room’s stale air held the salty-sweet smell of blood that the fiend savored. It inhaled through flared nostrils, drinking in the foul scent. The heinous killer, summoned from the Nine Hells, was thrilled with his new assignment and accommodations. In all his soulless existence, he couldn’t remember a better opportunity or one that promised more fun.
    Marcus, a Red Wizard from Thay, had foolishly summoned the fiend to the Prime Material Plane to help do the bidding of the god Bane. The fiend and the wizard were to add their personal touches to their god’s plan, and if all worked out right, in a few years two new evil demigods would be loose on Toril.
    “Aaargh,” the fiend groaned in pleasure. “It’s good to be back on this plane, regardless of the outcome of the battle. Ah, better wars will come. Latenat!” Green sticky goo dripped from the fiend’s foot-long fangs. The acidic slime oozed to the ground and sizzled, making coin-sized pits in the black granite. Similar indentations covered the entire floor.
    The massive bulk of the twelve-foot fiend zipped quickly around the room as it cast powerful spells. Its black bat wings glowed red as the beast conjured several unique protection spells. Giant taloned hands evoked detection and communication spells simultaneously, and as the spells activated, each talon became red-hot, the color of molten metal. The creature barely noticed the heat.
    The fiend circled the chamber repeatedly, in exactly the same loop every time, but followed no markings a human eye could detect. The