the answer.
“I went to the Soargyls’ mansion to steal you a pretty to make you smile. Ciredor was there with Lord Rorsin, and he was trying to sell a fragment of your soul to the young Soargyl. I freed that part of you, and he killed me because I was useful to him.”
The elf’s voice was almost emotionless.
“How could Ciredor have a part of my soul?”Tazi whispered, more to herself than Ebeian’s body, but the elf answered, nonetheless.
“I heard him tell Rorsin that he disguised himself as a priest when you were hurt last year. Instead of healing yoji, the disguised Ciredor took that part of your soul that was lingering around you.”
“When did this encounter between you two happen?” she asked cautiously.
“At the beginning of Marpenoth,” the corpse replied.
Tazi was flabbergasted. The beginning of Marpenoth was when she had awakened feeling refreshed, more like her old self than she had since her injury. That was a tenday past.
“I knew I felt something,” she mumbled.
“What?” Steorf demanded.
Tazi reached up and placed her left hand on his, which still rested on her shoulder. Without looking back at him, she told
Steorf, “I’ll explain it to you later.”
The glow surrounding Ebeian’s corpse began to flicker.
“You’ve got to be quick,” the cleric urged. “I’m losing him. Something is fighting me, and I don’t think it’s him.”
Tazi was fairly certain who was responsible for the interference. Her mind raced to ask the right questions while she struggled with the fear that was just below the surface.
“Why did Ciredor need you?”
“He told me, right before he killed me that he was collecting complete souls for a ritual he has planned in Calimport. Mine fit into his plans because of who I worship.”
“Has he gone back to Calimport?” Tazi questioned. ‘She realized that a tenday had passed since Ebeian was attacked and she had not heard or seen anything having to do with Ciredor. He must have returned to Calimport or crawled into some other hole to hide. It was the only course that made sense.
“I don’t know where he is,” answered the elf.
“Thazienne,” Steorf reminded her kindly, “Ebeian’s body can only tell you what he knew when he was alive.”
She turned back to look at him.
“This isn’t Ebeian anymore,” Steorf explained. He could see Tazi wanted to protest. “All this is now is a shell. Eb’s soul has already passed on. The cleric simply reanimated Ebeian’s body.”
“Then what have I been talking to?” she asked.
“You’ve been able to access the memories that were imprinted in his body. Hurry now,” he warned at the sight of Ebeian’s flickering torso.
Tazi looked back at the elf s remains. In the glow of the spell, she had almost fooled herself into believing Ebeian had come back to life. The more she had questioned him, the more he’d responded like his old self. Even understanding what she was talking to, Tazi found it hard to believe it wasn’t her friend any longer. The glow was fading.
“What does Ciredor plan to do with your soul?”
“The pain was very severe while he was killing me,” Ebeian explained, “so I couldn’t hear everything that he was telling me.”
“What could you hear?” she implored, seeing the magical glow that surrounded him start to waver.
“He said my soul and the others were to be used for the ‘Skulking God,’ whoever that is.”
The last few words were very hard to hear.
Trying to eke out every last bit of magic, Tazi leaned in and spoke one last question into Ebeian’s pointed ear.
“Does he have all the souls he needs?”
She had to strain to hear his response.
“No,” he whispered. “He still needs Fannah’s.”
Horror-struck, Tazi sat up as though a lightning bolt had passed through her body. She looked first at Steorf then to the cleric. The older man let out a grunt and collapsed onto the floor. She and Steorf rushed to his side. Tazi could tell that
“I went to the Soargyls’ mansion to steal you a pretty to make you smile. Ciredor was there with Lord Rorsin, and he was trying to sell a fragment of your soul to the young Soargyl. I freed that part of you, and he killed me because I was useful to him.”
The elf’s voice was almost emotionless.
“How could Ciredor have a part of my soul?”Tazi whispered, more to herself than Ebeian’s body, but the elf answered, nonetheless.
“I heard him tell Rorsin that he disguised himself as a priest when you were hurt last year. Instead of healing yoji, the disguised Ciredor took that part of your soul that was lingering around you.”
“When did this encounter between you two happen?” she asked cautiously.
“At the beginning of Marpenoth,” the corpse replied.
Tazi was flabbergasted. The beginning of Marpenoth was when she had awakened feeling refreshed, more like her old self than she had since her injury. That was a tenday past.
“I knew I felt something,” she mumbled.
“What?” Steorf demanded.
Tazi reached up and placed her left hand on his, which still rested on her shoulder. Without looking back at him, she told
Steorf, “I’ll explain it to you later.”
The glow surrounding Ebeian’s corpse began to flicker.
“You’ve got to be quick,” the cleric urged. “I’m losing him. Something is fighting me, and I don’t think it’s him.”
Tazi was fairly certain who was responsible for the interference. Her mind raced to ask the right questions while she struggled with the fear that was just below the surface.
“Why did Ciredor need you?”
“He told me, right before he killed me that he was collecting complete souls for a ritual he has planned in Calimport. Mine fit into his plans because of who I worship.”
“Has he gone back to Calimport?” Tazi questioned. ‘She realized that a tenday had passed since Ebeian was attacked and she had not heard or seen anything having to do with Ciredor. He must have returned to Calimport or crawled into some other hole to hide. It was the only course that made sense.
“I don’t know where he is,” answered the elf.
“Thazienne,” Steorf reminded her kindly, “Ebeian’s body can only tell you what he knew when he was alive.”
She turned back to look at him.
“This isn’t Ebeian anymore,” Steorf explained. He could see Tazi wanted to protest. “All this is now is a shell. Eb’s soul has already passed on. The cleric simply reanimated Ebeian’s body.”
“Then what have I been talking to?” she asked.
“You’ve been able to access the memories that were imprinted in his body. Hurry now,” he warned at the sight of Ebeian’s flickering torso.
Tazi looked back at the elf s remains. In the glow of the spell, she had almost fooled herself into believing Ebeian had come back to life. The more she had questioned him, the more he’d responded like his old self. Even understanding what she was talking to, Tazi found it hard to believe it wasn’t her friend any longer. The glow was fading.
“What does Ciredor plan to do with your soul?”
“The pain was very severe while he was killing me,” Ebeian explained, “so I couldn’t hear everything that he was telling me.”
“What could you hear?” she implored, seeing the magical glow that surrounded him start to waver.
“He said my soul and the others were to be used for the ‘Skulking God,’ whoever that is.”
The last few words were very hard to hear.
Trying to eke out every last bit of magic, Tazi leaned in and spoke one last question into Ebeian’s pointed ear.
“Does he have all the souls he needs?”
She had to strain to hear his response.
“No,” he whispered. “He still needs Fannah’s.”
Horror-struck, Tazi sat up as though a lightning bolt had passed through her body. She looked first at Steorf then to the cleric. The older man let out a grunt and collapsed onto the floor. She and Steorf rushed to his side. Tazi could tell that
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