The Best of the Realms, Book I

RED AMBITION

Jean Rabe

Szass Tam eased himself into a massive chair behindan ornate table covered with curled sheets of vellum and crystal vials filledwith dark liquid. A thick candle stood in the middle of the clutter, its flamedancing in the musty air and casting a soft light across his grotesquefeatures.

His pale, parchment-thin skin stretched taut acrosshis high cheekbones, and his wispy hair, the color of cobwebs, spread unevenlyatop his age-spotted scalp. His lower lip hung loose, as if there were nomuscles to control it, and the fleshy part of his nose was gone, revealing twincavities. The scarlet robes he wore fell in folds over his skeletal frame andspread like a pool of blood on the floor around his chair.

He absently swirled his index finger in a puddle ofwax gathering on the table, letting the warm, oily liquid collect on his skin.He rolled the cooling blob between his thumb and middle finger until it hardenedinto a ball, then he released the wax and watched it roll across the rosewoodfinish and come to rest near a decades-old scroll. The piercing points of whitelight that served as Szass Tam's eyes stared at the parchment. It contained thelast enchantment needed to turn his cherished apprentice into a creature likehimself-an undead sorcerer… a lich. Of course, his apprentice would have todie before the spell could be invoked. Killing her would be no great matter, hedecided. Bony fingers grasped the parchment and brought it close to his stillheart.

Szass Tam's mortal life had ended centuries ago on aThayan battlefield a hundred miles north of his comfortable keep. But themagic coursing through him prevented him from passing beyond the land of theliving. It bound him to the human realms in a rotting body that pulsed with anarcane power few would dare challenge. The lich considered himself the mostformidable Red Wizard in Thay. A zulkir, he controlled the realm's school ofnecromancy. His apprentice, Frodyne, was also a Red Wizard, one of an augustcouncil of sorcerers who ruled Thay through schemes, threats, and carefulmanipulation. Szass Tam smiled thinly. None were more treacherous than he.

He listened intently. The soft footfalls in the hallwere Frodyne's. He placed the scroll in a deep pocket and waited. One day soonhe would bless her with immortality.

"Master?" Easing open the door, Frodynestepped inside. She padded forward, the shiny fabric of her dark red robedragging across the polished marble floor behind her. "Am I disturbingyou?"

Szass Tam gestured to a seat opposite him. Instead,the young woman's course took her to stand beside him. She quickly knelt,placed her delicate hands on his leg, and looked up into his pinpoint eyes. Herclean-shaven head was decorated with red and blue tattoos, fashionable forThay, and her wide, midnight-black eyes sparkled with a hint of mischief. Thecorner of her thin lips tugged upward into a sly grin.

Szass Tam had taken her as an apprentice several yearsbefore. An amazingly quick study, Frodyne never hid her hunger for spells andknowledge, and she dutifully hung on his every word. The lich thought herloyal, or as loyal as anyone in Thay could be. As she grew in power through theyears, he shared horrible designs with her-how to crush lesser wizards underthe heels of his skeletal army, how to raise men from the grave, how to stealthe souls of the living. He recently confided in her that he was undead, showedher his true, rotting visage, and when she did not shrink from it, he sharedwith her his plans for dominating Thay. Frodyne had made it clear she wanted tobe at his side-forever.

The lich stared at her unblemished, rosy face. Indeed,he thought, she is worthy of passing the centuries at my side. He reached abony hand to her face and caressed her smooth cheek.

"What brings you here so late?" His deepvoice echoed hauntingly in the room.

"I was at the market today, the slave pens,"she began. "I was looking over the stock when I discovered a man askingabout you and the goings-on in the keep."

The lich nodded for her to continue.

"He was an unusual little man who wore only onetattoo: an odd-looking triangle filled with gray swirls."

"A worshiper of Leira," the lich mused.

"A priest of the goddess of deception andillusions, in fact," Frodyne added. "In any event, I followed him.When he was alone I cast a simple spell that put him under my control. I had toknow why he was asking so many questions."

The lich's pinpoint eyes softened, and with hisskeletal finger, he traced one of the tattoos on Frodyne's head.

"And what did you learn?"

"Much, Master. Eventually. The priest had astrong will. But before he died he revealed he was worried about one of yourarmies, the one patrolling Delhumide. There is a ruin in that dead city that afew worshipers of Leira are particularly interested in. The priest believedthat deep inside a crumbling temple rests a powerful relic. When your armypassed nearby, he feared you had learned of the thing and had sent your army toretrieve it. But when your skeletons did not enter the temple, he was uncertainhow much you knew. He came to the city asking about your plans andforces."

The lich gazed into Frodyne's eyes and said, "Myskeletons were patrolling. Nothing more. But, tell me, Frodyne … why didn'tthe priest simply enter the temple and take the relic for himself?"

"I wondered that, too, Master." The youngapprentice beamed. "I pressed him on the matter. He admitted that while hecoveted the relic, he coveted his life more. It seems the Goddess of Liars hasguardians and great magic protecting her prize."

The lich stood and drew Frodyne up with him.

"And just what is this relic of Leira?" heasked.

"A crown. The priest said a great energy isharnessed in the crown's gems," Frodyne answered. She smiled thinly andstroked Szass Tam's decaying chin. "And we shall share that crown andenergy, just as I shared the priest's tale with you."

The lich stepped back and shook his head slowly.

"I shall send my skeletal army into the heart ofthe temple and claim the relic as my own."

"Yours, Master?"

"Aye, Frodyne."

"But you would not know of its existence withoutme." She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. "This istreachery, Szass Tam. I could have claimed the bauble for myself, with you nonethe wiser. But I chose to share the news with you."

"And in so doing, you chose to abandon your claimto it," the lich replied icily. "The relic will be mine alone. Youhave done well, my apprentice. I shall have another bauble to add to myhoard."

The comely apprentice strode indignantly to the door,then glanced over her shoulder at the lich.

"But what of Leira, Szass Tam? What if you angerthe Patroness of Illusionists and Liars by breaching her temple and stealingsomething of hers?"

Szass Tam laughed and said, "I have little regardfor the goddess of treachery, dear Frodyne. Get some rest. I shall tell you inthe morning what my skeletons find in Delhumide."

The lich listened to her footfalls retreat down thehall. Soon she would not need sleep. Or food. Soon she would need none of thethings that made men weak, allowing her to one day sit at his side as he ruledall of Thay.

The lich sat straight in his chair and pushed Frodynefrom his thoughts. He concentrated on his army of skeletons in Delhumide,stretching his mind across the miles until he made contact with his undeadgeneral and directed him to march to Leira's temple. The miles melted awaybeneath the soldiers' bony feet as they neared the ruined temple of Leira. In an untiring cadence, they approached the temple steps. Then Szass Tam lost contactwith them.

The lich cursed and cast himself upon the Thayan windsto fly to Delhumide. As he soared, his form changed. His skin took on a ruddytint. His cheeks became puffy, and his body thickened to fill out the red silkrobes that only moments before had hung on his frame in voluminous folds. Hiseyes became black, almost human, and his white hair grew thicker and longer,then darkened to match the color of the night sky. The lich added a thinmustache for effect. Few in Thay knew Szass Tam was one of the dead. Outsidethe confines of his keep he assumed the image of a living man.

The ground passed below him in a blur, the darknessobscuring most of the terrain, but the lich didn't falter in his course. Heknew the way to the dead city. He'd been born there.

It was near dawn when he reached the ruined temple. Hedescended to the rough ground and glared at the crumbling stonework. His eyessmoldered in the gloom and surveyed the carnage. He knew then why he'd lostcontact with his army. Strewn about the shattered pillars were more thana hundred skeletal warriors. Their broken bones and crushed skulls gleamedfaintly. Near them lay more dead-figures with tattered gray flesh and rottingclothes, things that stank of the grave. The lich knelt near a one-armed zombieand slowly turned the body over. It had little flesh left on its frame. Most ofit had been burned away by fire. Szass Tam ran his fingers through the grassaround the corpse. Not a blade was singed. Magical fire had killed the army,the lich realized, fire meant for undead.

The hunt for Leira's relic had become very costly. Itwould take many, many months and considerable effort to raise enough dead toreplace those fallen soldiers. Szass Tam stood, silently vowed retribution forthe slaughter of his minions, and carefully picked his way toward the crumblingtemple stairway. At the base of the steps, the lich spied a twitching form, anundead creature with pasty white flesh, hollow eyes, and protruding brokenribs. The ghoul, lone survivor of the lich's force, tried futilely to rise atthe approach of its master.

"Speak to me," the lich commanded in asonorous voice. "Tell me what happened here."

"Followed your orders," the ghoul rasped."Tried to breach the temple. Tried to get what you wanted. But theystopped us."

"How many?"

"Three," the ghoul replied. "They worethe robes of Red Wizards."

Szass Tam growled deep in his throat and looked up thestairs. If only three had been able to conquer his force, they must bepowerful. He took a last look at his beaten army and padded by the gaspingghoul to carefully select a path up the crumbling steps. Leira's temple lay inruins like the rest of Delhumide. A once-great city, it was now populated bymonsters and was laden with incredible traps-the remaining wards of the noblesand wizards who had once lived there. Creatures roamed freely across thecountryside-goblins, darkenbeasts, trolls, and dragons-and they presentedenough of a threat to keep the living away.

Szass Tam searched for the magical energies that protectedthe fallen temple, and he made his way around them to reach the comfort of theshadows inside. The damp coolness of the ruins reminded the lich of a tomb.This was his element. Focusing his eyes, he separated stonework from thedarkness. He saw before him a crumbling old hallway that extended deep intothe temple and sensed other presences within. He glided toward them.

Eventually the hallway ended, and the lich studied thewalls, searching. Nothing. No moving stonework. He scrutinized the bricks byrunning his fingers over the cool surface to his left and right until he feltno resistance. The bricks before him were not real. Then he heard footfalls,soft and distant. The sound was regular, as of someone walking, and it wascoming from far beneath him. He took a step forward and passed through theillusionary wall.

Beyond lay a damp stairway that led down into darkness.The lich cupped his hand and spoke a single word. A globe of light appeared inhis palm and illuminated the stairwell. Along the walls and on each step wereweathered sigils of various-sized triangles filled with swirling graypatterns-all symbols of Leira. The lich paused to appreciate them. He hadlittle regard for the goddess, but thought the sigils had been rendered bysomeone with considerable skill.

Most Red Wizards in Thay worshiped one or more maligndeities. At one time Szass Tam had, too-but the need to worship some power thatmight grant eternal life had faded away with the years and with the onset oflichdom. Szass Tam still considered himself respectful of some of the powers,such as Cyric. But not Leira.

Szass Tam was halfway down the steps when he felt a presenceapproaching. The minutes passed, and the undead zulkir's patience was finallyrewarded when a pearl-white phantasm with the face of a beautiful woman formedin front of him. The lich pondered its appearance and decided the thing wasnothing more than a hapless spirit tied to the temple.

"Trespasser,'' the specter whispered in a soft,feminine voice. "Begone from the sacred place of Leira, she who is most powerful.Begone from the Lady of the Mists's temple, the place we are sworn toprotect."

The lich stood his ground, eyeing the thing, and foran instant, it appeared the spirit was astonished he did not run.

"I will leave when I am ready," the lichsaid flatly. He kept his voice low so his quarry deeper in the complex wouldnot hear.

"You must go," the spirit repeated, itsvoice changing, becoming deeper and sultry. The visage was that of anotherwoman. "This is not a place for those who do not believe. You do notbelieve in our goddess. You wear no symbol of hers."

"I believe in myself," the lich repliedevenly. "I believe in power."

"But not in Leira."

"No. I have no respect for the Lady of theMists," the lich growled softly.

"Then your bones shall rot here," thespecter cursed in a new voice.

The lich stared at the creature. The undead now borethe image of a young man with a long nose, and the voice was strong andmasculine. Large ghostly hands reached out and thrust into Szass Tam's chest.The lich stood unmoving, unaffected by the spirit's attack.

"This cannot be! You should be dead!" thespirit shouted with the voice of an old woman. Indeed, the pearl-white form wascovered with wrinkles, and the transparent flesh sagged on her cheeks and jaw.

"I am already dead," the lich whispered inreply. "And you will bend to my will-whatever manner of undead youare."

Szass Tam's eyes once more became pinpoints of hotwhite light. They bore into the old woman's eyes and fixed the diaphanous beingin place.

"Who are you?" Szass Tam demanded."What are you?"

"We are Leira's," the old woman replied."We are the last of the priests who lived in this temple. When the cityfell to the army of Mulhorand, we died. But so strong was our faith in the Ladyof the Mists that our wills banded together in one form so we could serve Leiraforever."

The lich's lips curled upward slowly and he said,"It is your misfortune you stayed."

His pinpoint eyes glowed brighter, and he concentratedon the ghostly form before him. The spirit moaned in pain, the voice of a youngman joining the old woman's.

"No!" the spirit cried in a chorus ofvoices. "Do not hurt us! Do not send us from the temple!"

"To the Nine Hells I will send you-to join theother priests of the Patroness of Liars," Szass Tam threatened,"unless you serve me and cease your cacophonous whining."

"We serve only Leira," the spirit wailedeven more loudly.

"Now serve a better master."

The lich raised a fleshy finger and pointed it at thespecter's face. The visage of the young man had returned. A silver beam shotfrom the tip of Szass Tam's finger and struck the spirit's head, sending theapparition flying backward several feet. The beam pulsed wildly while thespirit convulsed in agony.

"Who do you serve?" the lich persisted.

"Leira," the creature groaned in chorus.

Again the lich struck the creature with a silver beam.The ghostly image wavered and began to spread, as if it was being stretched ona torturer's rack. The spirit's arms and legs lengthened to the corners of thestairwell, and it became as insubstantial as mist.

"Who do you serve?"

"We serve you," the spirit finally gasped inits myriad voices.

Szass Tam's eyes softened to a pale glow. He studiedthe spirit to make sure it was indeed under his control. The many minds hetouched berated him, but they swore their loyalty. Smugly satisfied, Szass Tamwilled his human eyes to return.

"Tell me, priests," the lich began."Were you this ineffectual in stopping the Red Wizards who came beforeme?"

"The ones below?" the spirit quipped.

The creature's face was that of a beautiful woman, theone the thing had displayed when Szass Tam first encountered it.

"Yes," replied the lich. "The onesbelow."

"They believe," the ghostly image stated."They wear the holy symbol of Leira upon their shiny heads. All believersare welcome in this temple. All believers-and you."

"You let them pass freely because they tattooedsymbols of Leira on their heads?" the lich queried. "You believedthey worshiped your goddess because of a little paint?"

"Yes," the ghostly image answered."Leira's temple is for Leira's own."

The lich looked past the creature and peered down thestairs.

"You will come with me. You will show me thetraps that litter the path before us. And you will show me the relic Iseek."

Szass Tam resumed his course down the stairway, thespecter at his side pointing out weathered mosaics of its goddess, expoundingon the greatness of Leira, and gesturing toward magical wards on every step.The lich passed by the broken bodies of long-dead trespassers as he moved fromone chamber to the next. He was so intent on finding the relic that he nearlypassed over the only freshly killed corpse. The specter pointed it out to him.The body of a red-robed man, no older than twenty, lay crumpled amid chunks ofstone. The man, who wore the painted symbol of Leira on his head, sprawled withhis limbs at odd angles. His eyes were wide with terror, and a thin line ofblood still trickled from his mouth.

"He was with the other wizards," the spectersaid in an old man's voice. "Pity he died so young. Though he wore thesymbol of the Lady of the Mists and I let him pass, the guardian looked intohis heart. His heart betrayed him as an unbeliever. The guardian struck himdown."

"Guardian?"

"The Lady of the Mists's eternal servant,"the specter replied. "The guardian waits in the chamber beyond."

The lich peered into the black distance and startedforward. The spirit of Leira's priests dutifully followed on his heels.

"Kill the thing!" Szass Tam heard a deepmale voice cry.

The lich quickened his pace and entered a massivecavern lighted by luminous moss. He stopped and stared at the cavern's threeoccupants: Frodyne, a Red Wizard he didn't recognize, and a monstrousconstruct.

"What treachery is this?" the lich's voiceboomed.

"Master!" Frodyne squealed.

She was dressed in a soiled and torn red robe, and thetriangle she had painted on her scalp was smeared with sweat. Her normally softfeatures were set in grim determination as she called for her companion tojoin the fight. The man stayed behind her, ignoring her coarse words, andstared at the great thing before them. Frodyne spread her fingers wide andunleashed a magical bolt of fire at the monstrosity.

Frodyne's foe stood at least thirty feet tall, itshead nearly reaching the chamber's roof. The guardian was not undead, but itwas certainly not living. The lich eyed the thing from top to bottom. It hadthe torso of a man and the head of a goat. Its chest bore the symbol of atriangle filled with swirling mists. The thing possessed four eyes that wereevenly spaced above the thick bridge of its metallic nose, and its mouth gapedopen, exposing pointed teeth made of steel. Four arms as thick as tree trunkswaved menacingly at the sides of its body and ended in six-fingered iron claws.Every inch of the creature was gray. The thing's massive legs ended in clovenhooves that created sparks when they stomped on the ground and rocked thecavern. The shockwaves made Frodyne and her companion scramble to stay on theirfeet.

"It seems you've made it angry, dearFrodyne," Szass Tam said. "Just as you've angered me. You destroyedmy army."

"I wanted the crown!" she said as sheunleashed another bolt of lightning. "I learned about this temple and therelic, but you said the bauble would be yours. It should be mine!"

The lich watched her nimbly avoid a fist that slammedinto the cavern floor where she had been standing.

"I'm sorry!" she yelled. "Help us,please. The crown will be yours. I swear!"

The lich folded his arms and surveyed the battle, notbothering to reply to her plea.

She scowled and brought up her fingers, touching thethumbs together and holding her open palms toward the guardian. She mumbledwords Szass Tam recognized as one of the first spells he'd taught her, and icyshards sprang from her hands. The shards flew true and imbedded themselvesdeep into the breast of the thing. But the attack proved ineffectual, theguardian oblivious. It pulled an arm back to swat her. Frodyne leaped to theside, and the guardian's hand found her companion instead. The sharp metalnails pulled the man's chest open. The wizard was dead before he hit theground.

"Please, Master," Frodyne begged. "Helpme. I'll do anything you ask."

"You destroyed my army," Szass Tam spat."Your soul can rot here for all I care."

Frodyne raised her hands again and mumbled. Asparkling blue globe appeared in front of her. She blew at it, propelling itmagically toward her ebon attacker. The globe impacted just above the thing'swaist, popped, and squirted acid on the black metal. Crackling and sizzlingfilled the chamber, and the guardian bent its head to look at its meltingstomach.

"You wield magic well, my sweet," the lichsaid icily.

"But I need your help to beat this thing!" she cried as she fumbled in the folds of her robe and withdrew a handful ofgreen powder.

Szass Tam slowly shook his head.

"You stopped my skeletons all by yourself. Youstopped my plans for having you rule Thay at my side. Surely you can stop thiscreature."

His voice was gravelly and showed no hint of emotion.

Frodyne started tracing a symbol in the powder in thepalm of her hand. The lich turned to watch the construct, which was somehowrepairing its stomach. Before Szass Tam's eyes, metal flowed like water to cover themelted section. In an instant, there was no evidence it had been damaged. Ittook a step toward Frodyne, its massive footfall rocking the cavern andcausing her to spill the powder she had intended to use in another spell.

"It could kill her," the specter at SzassTam's side said simply. It wore the face of the young man. "But she cannotkill it. You cannot kill it. It is Leira's guardian, and it will continue torepair itself until the end of time. It has looked into her heart anddiscovered she does not honor the black goddess. It cannot rest until she isdead."

"And can it see into my own heart?" the lichposed. "Or perhaps it cannot even see me because the shriveled organ in mychest does not beat."

Frodyne's scream cut off the spirit's reply. Theguardian swatted her like an insect, and she flew across the cavern to land onher back. Her red robe was shredded, and blood oozed freely from gouges in herflesh. Her face was frozen in terror, but still she did not give up. The lichhad taught her well.

Frodyne withdrew a bit of pitch from the pocket of herruined garment. Placing it in her bloody palm, she raised her hand until it wasin line with the guardian's four eyes. A black bolt of lightning shot forthfrom her fingers and struck the creature on the bridge of its nose. Theguardian stumbled backward from the impact, but was not damaged.

Szass Tam coaxed her, "Think, my lovelyapprentice. Cast a spell that will keep it from reaching you. Buy yourselftime."

She drew what was left of her robe about her and struggledto her feet. Words gushed rapidly from her mouth, and she pointed her indexfinger at the cavern floor. The stone beneath the guardian's cloven hooveswavered for a moment, shimmered in the meager light of the chamber, then turnedto mud. But the guardian did not fall into the muck. Rather, the gray constructhovered above the great muddy patch, its hooves dangling inches above it in themusty air. Beneath the guardian, the mud hardened and cracked like a dry riverbed.

"This cannot be!" Frodyne screamed.

She turned to glance at her mentor.

Szass Tam's hands glowed a faint blue, his longfingers pointed at the ebon guardian. An evil grin played slowly across hisface as he returned Frodyne's disbelieving stare. He flicked his wrist, and theguardian floated forward and came to rest on a patch of rock near Frodyne.

"You! You kept it from becoming trapped!" she cried, as she twisted to the side to avoid another blow.

The lich nodded and thrust his hand into the air, mentallysummoning an ancient parchment that lay in his tower. His fingers closed aroundthe curled scroll as the guardian reached for Frodyne. Staring at his terrifiedapprentice, Szass Tam carefully unrolled the parchment.

"I promised you immortality, my dear, a rewardfor your loyalty. You shall have it."

The lich began to read the magical words, and the constructgrabbed Frodyne around the waist. Szass Tam read faster, while the constructlifted her until she was level with its four eyes. The lich finished theenchantment as the guardian squeezed the breath from her lungs and droppedFrodyne's lifeless body like a child would discard a ruined doll.

The parchment crumbled in Szass Tam's fingers, and hisapprentice's dead body shimmered with a pale white glow. A moment passed, thenFrodyne's chest rose and fell. She took great gulps of air into her lungs andstruggled to her feet. She glanced at her mentor, then at the construct, whichagain reached out to grab her. The thing's fingers closed around her once moreand squeezed harder, and Frodyne realized what Szass Tam had done. He had givenher eternal life-of a sort.

"No!" she shouted as her ribs cracked andshe fell lifeless a second time.

The construct stepped back and waited. Again, theyoung Red Wizard was resurrected from the dead. Again she struggled to herfeet.

"Enjoy your immortality, Frodyne," the lichhissed, as he watched the guardian deliver another fatal blow and witnessed herrise again.

He was pleased Leira's construct would busy itselfwith Frodyne and leave him alone.

"The relic," the lich pressed the specter."Show me where the crown is."

The specter gestured to a stony recess. Szass Tamstrode to it and look in the mounds of coins and gems. Perfectly facetedemeralds, sapphires, and diamonds glimmered from every cranny. A crown dottedwith rubies sat atop the mass. The lich quickly snatched it up and felt theenergy pulsing in the metal band.

"Leira's gift," the spirit declared."The prize of our temple."

Stepping from the alcove, Szass Tam placed the crownupon his head then doubled forward as pain shot through his chest. The lich wascaught off guard by the icy hot sensation. He pitched over and writhed on therocky chamber floor until his frantic movements knocked the crown free.

The painful spasms ended, and the lich slowly stood.

"What manner of power was that, priests?" the lich gasped.

The spirit wore the face of the old woman when itanswered, "The power of eternal life. The heart of he who wears the crownwill beat forever."

Szass Tam's human form melted away, revealing hisskeletal frame and pinpoint eyes.

"My heart does not beat," he said flatly.

"So instead, you felt pain," the womananswered. "The Lady of the Mists is indeed more treacherous than you.Leira lured you here. The priest who tempted your favored apprentice with therelic was merely a pawn."

The lich kicked the crown across the floor and glaredat the specter.

"Again the Patroness of Illusionists and Liarsstruck when your apprentice betrayed you and sought the crown herself. Then mygoddess triumphed once more when you lost that which you held dear, a beautifulsorceress who would have spent eternity at your side." The ghostly imagepointed at the struggling Frodyne. "You've lost your army, your woman,your ability to trust others. And the prize at the end of your quest was something you cannever possess. Who is the more treacherous, Szass Tam?" The lich threwback his head and laughed, a deep, throaty sound that reverberated off thewalls of the cavern. The lich roared loud and long as he padded from thechamber and climbed the stairs.