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.He lifted the tin cup and held it out to the empty chair across from him."Halina, my love," he whispered to the shadows.He downed the fiery liquid and grimaced.A tear came to his eye.Would you still love me, he thought, if you knew who I really was?He turned the tin cup over and set it down on the table.Would Phyrea love me, he asked himself, if she knew who I really was?43_9Alturiak, the Yearof the Shield (1367DR) Second Quarter, InnarlithYou may want to shield your eyes," Pristoleph said.He looked up at Wenefir with a relaxed smile, and his friend turned away, a hand over his eyes.Looking back at the fire, Pristoleph smiled wider and sighed.He concentrated on the flames that danced in the big round brazier.The copper bowl was ten feet around and dominated his private chamber.The room was warmer than most humans would find comfortable.Surrounding it was a collection of cushions made from different fabrics imported from all over Toril, from Shou silk to Zakharan wool to something called "cotton" from distant Maztica.Each of the pillows cost more than his mother had made in a year of selling her body.Every one of them was a symbol of how far he'd come.The room, sealed away with just him, and his most trusted companion, and the fire, was a symbol too.He let his mind go blank, banishing all worries of politics and ambition, and let his thoughts surround the orange tongues of flame.He could feel the heat not only on his face, but in his mind as well."Yes," he whispered, then opened his eyes.The flames burst into a brilliant white flare that would have temporarily blinded a human.Pristoleph's eyes drank the brilliance in with a greed all their own.He let the flame burn brighter for a moment longer than normal, until he noticed that Wenefir had begun to sink to the floor.He cut his connection with the flames, and the light returned to its normal dull, warm orange glow.Wenefir shook his head and rubbed his eyes, and said,"How can you stand that, let alone enjoy it?"Pristoleph shrugged and replied, "My mother always told me I had my father's eyes."The only other living soul who knew what he meant nodded, smiled, and said, "Well, now that you've gotten it out of your system, there are things we should discuss."Pristoleph nodded back and gestured to one of the floor cushions.Wenefir took a long time to lower himself to the floor, but soon found a comfortable position on a lamb's wool cushion from Aglarond."First tell me," Pristoleph asked, "how fare the coffers?""You know full well that coin is pouring in from the docks," Wenefir replied."The Guild of Stevedores." the genasi said with a grin."And all because of that Thayan pig's ridiculous speeches.""He may be a pig, but I hope he never hears you call him that." Pristoleph shrugged and Wenefir continued, "He's been a good ally.""He had his own reasons for shutting down the harbor, I'm sure," said Pristoleph."Someday I hope to know precisely what they were.But in the meantime, I'll enjoy the gold that his rabble rousing has made for me.""For all intents and purposes you control the flow of trade in and out of the city," Wenefir said."That's quite a gift from someone not necessarily known for his selfless generosity.""No one is truly selfless," Pristoleph reminded his friend."That's what I mean.I don't trust him.""And why would you?" Pristoleph replied."I don't either, but then I don't trust anyone, do I? At any rate, as long as he can be counted a friend, we avoid a powerful enemy.""It's not like you to avoid enemies."The two men exchanged smiles."You did not contribute to the hearing regarding the canal," Wenefir said."Why not?""Did you expect me to?"Wenefir wiped sweat from his brow.He wasn't nervous-he had nothing to be nervous about—the room was hot."The canal will surely increase shipping traffic, which will increase my income from the docks," said Pristoleph."I'm inclined to think that's a good idea, but at the same time I understand why Marek Rymiit is opposed to it.It made sense to simply stand mute.""I wonder, though," Wenefir said, a thoughtful cast to his features."Which is the most damaging addition to the city-state of Innarlith? Ivar Devorast's canal, or Marek Rymiit's enclave?"Pristoleph thought it over for a moment then said, "Both, or neither.The Thayan thinks he can pull coin into Innarlith by sending people and goods to the Vilhon Reach by means of the Weave.The Cormyrean's going to do the same with a big hole in the ground.As long as those goods move through our docks, well.""And in order to send them by magical means, does Rymiit even need our docks?""Point taken," Pristoleph said, the thought sticking in his head like a bur."The Thayan Enclave draws coin for Thay," Wenefir went on."It fills their coffers, not ours, and puts a foreigner in a position of inestimable power.""A cogent argument against it," Pristoleph replied, "but.?""But," Wenefir said with a mischievous smile, "he's already driven out every other mage, or made a partner of them, and we need magic too from time to time.Not everything is worthy of the spells necessary to disappear it from place to place.""There will still be ships," Pristoleph said, picking up the train of thought, "and if they go through a portal to the Vilhon or a canal, either way they load and unload here
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