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.With Elminster's dominance hidden, Florin's ruggedly handsome frame and kingly manner shone once more.The tall ranger drew his sword."I hope," he said to Merith, "you weren't really expecting any answers.""I never do," the dark-clad elf replied, with a grin as mirthless as that of any fox."Not this last century, at least."His wife rolled her eyes, but held her tongue.The three Knights looked in all directions.The same drifting mist and endless forest of strands met their eyes everywhere.After they tired of the view, the man and the elf turned to the woman between them.Their silent looks were requests for advice.Merith's wife stared back at them both with her usually merry face twisted in thought, hands on hips and slender fingers stroking the pommel of her belt-dagger.Despite her elfin beauty and small stature, she'd become something of a stern mother to her fellow Knights over the years.Her large, gray-green eyes looked from one sword-companion to the other, and back again.Theyknew her well enough to let her think in silence.She kicked one boot-heel against the smooth, flat white ground; an action that made no sound at all.Florin turned to survey the mists, so Merith watched his wife, enjoy the view.Above knee-high boots, her shapely legs were sheathed in tight, well-worn leather breeches.A broad leather belt gathered her tunic at her slender waist so its flying-free lower end flared like a short skirt around her thighs.Above the belt, a leather vest hid her chest behind a wall of mage-pouches, leather loops for hanging tools, and pockets.Jhess had gathered her long, unbound flame-brown hair into a mare's tail with a leather sleeve, and had left her staff behind in Storm's kitchen.She reached a decision with an imperious flourish of her hand."I'm reluctant to leave them," she told her fellow Knights, waving at the misshapen strands that held—or had been—Dove and Elminster."If we leave this spot, we might never find it again.and what-ever's happened to them, are they not our most likely road home?"Florin nodded and said, "One spot, in all this, seems no better than any other.I'm glad we'll know what to do— because as of right now, I haven't the flying faintest."He went to one knee to put a cautious hand on the perfectly smooth, flat whiteness that served as the ground beneath their feet—so flat that his mind insisted it must be a "floor"—and waited for any change in its cool hardness.None came.After a time Florin shrugged and sat down, setting his sword across his lap."So we wait.Am I turning white?"Merith shook his head."Not even a little.But then, you're not a Chosen.""Look!" Jhessail hissed, pointing.The two male Knights snapped their heads around in time to see it: a tall, dark figure of a woman, standing motionless in the distance with her back to them.Shelooked both human and—by her hair and the shape of her hips and shoulders—female, but there was something odd about her.Something.gaunt.And she was gone, and there was nothing where she'd been standing but humming white strands and lazily-rolling mists."You didn't see her walk to that spot, did you?" Florin asked, hefting his sword."No," Jhessail told him."I did happen to be looking thereabouts, and I tell you plain and true: She was not there—then she was there.As you saw her, standing still.Facing away from us.No walking, and as far as I saw, she never looked this way.""Is this some sort of magical place," Merith mused, "that spellhurlers wink through when teleporting? Or casting some other sort of spell?""Your guess is as grand as any," Florin replied."We'd best keep alert for more.visitors."As if his words had been a cue, a large, dark figure towered over him, come out of nowhere.No gaunt woman, but half a man, its upper half floated in the air with nothing at all below its belt.The helm that regarded Florin hung dark and empty, above great black-armored shoulders that shifted in menacing silence as long, mighty-thewed arms swung a black greatsword back—then down at the ranger.Florin sprang aside into a roll that brought him to his feet, brushing through strands that wavered aside like breeze-plucked leaves, and whirled, blade rising—In time to see Merith Strongbow's blade bite into the apparition's right vambrace with a curiously dull, muffled clang.No blood flew, but armor plate shattered and tumbled, and hacked flesh could be seen beneath.Gray skin over flesh, neither withered nor shriveled but dry, with no hint of blood.The sinister thing whirled to face its new foe, snake-swift and showing no signs of pain.Merith raised long sword and dagger, wearing the gentle smile battle alwaysbrought onto his face—and Jhessail sprang at it from behind with her dagger raised."No!" Merith snapped, measuring his wife's meager leather vest against the fell length of that black great-sword, even as the floating thing spun around again to hew her down.Florin, leaping high, put all of his weight behind a two-handed slash aimed at its gauntlets, but angled so he could hook his blade up its arms and into that empty helm where the face and throat should be.His steel bit into what felt like leather with flesh and bone beneath, every whit as solid and heavy as the last living man—a Zhentilar spy—he'd carved.An armored finger flew, tumbling, the greatsword rang and shivered and spun after it, and his own blade sliced—Empty air.There was nothing solid in that dark, staring helm, and nothing corporeal between it and the armored shoulders beneath.Nothing but Merith's long sword, striking a spark off Florin's blade as it came darting up through the empty armor from below.So the thing was hollow, save for its arms.Merith's blade sliced viciously sideways inside the dark armor— and in uncanny silence one of those burly arms fell off the floating thing, plunging to the smooth whiteness underfoot.It bounced once, Jhessail dodging aside, and.faded away—presumably to the same place the severed finger and the greatsword had gone.Florin had no time to do more than glance around at his footing and see not a trace of them—the sinister thing's remaining arm came at him like a flying lance.Dark and terrible, its black-gauntleted fingers reached as if to grab.As it loomed and he fought to bring his blade up before him and back in time to hew it aside, Florin saw tiny mouths open in the tips of its fingers, maws ringed with little fangs like those of blood-bats, opening to snap at his eyes.Jhessail hissed in disgust and worked a spell
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