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madam,” he returned in kind, “you were loudly proclaiming devotion to Queen Takhisis. Are we to believe you did not commit this crime?”
    Ladonna took a sip of wine, then said quietly, “If being a fool is a crime, then I am guilty as charged.”
    She raised her eyes, casting both men a flashing glance. “But I swear to you that I had nothing to do with the corruption of the dragon eggs! I did not know of this despicable act until only a short time ago. And when I found out, I did what I could to make amends. You can ask Silvara and Gilthanas. They would not be alive now if it were not for my help and the help of Nuitari.”
    Justarius remained very grim. Par-Salian regarded her with grave solemnity.
    Ladonna rose to her feet and raised her hand to heaven. “I call upon Solinari, God of the Silver Moon. I call upon Lunitari, Goddess of the Red Moon. I call upon Nuitari, God of the Dark Moon. Witness my oath. I swear by the magic we hold sacred, I am speaking the truth. Withdraw your blessings from me, all the gods, if I am lying. Let the words of magic slip from my mind! Let my spell components turn to dust. Let my scrolls burn. Let my hand be stricken from my wrist.”
    She waited a moment then resumed her seat. “It is cold in here,” she said, staring hard at Justarius. “Should I build up the fire?”
    She pointed her hand at the fireplace, where the fire was dying, and spoke a word of magic. Flames danced on the iron grate. The fire grew so hot, the three had to draw back their chairs. Ladonna lifted her goblet and took a gulp.
    “Nuitari has broken with Takhisis?” Par-Salian asked in astonishment.
    “He was seduced by sweet words and lavish promises. As was I,” Ladonna said bitterly. “The Queen’s sweet words were lies. Her promises false.”
    “What did you expect?” Justarius asked with a sneer. “The Dark Queen has thwarted your ambition and hurt your pride. So now you come crawling back to us. I suppose you are in danger. You know the Queen’s secrets. Has she set the hounds upon you? Is that why you’ve come to Wayreth? To hide behind our robes?”
    “I
did
discover her secrets,” Ladonna said softly. She sat for long moments, staring at her hands; her fingers were long and supple still, though the skin was reddened and drawn tightly over the fine bones. “And yes, I am in danger. We are all in danger. That is why I have come back. Risked my life to come back to warn you.”
    Par-Salian exchanged alarmed glances with Justarius. Both men had known Ladonna for many years. They had seen her in the magnificence of her power. They had seen her raging in anger. One of them had seen her soft and tender with love. Ladonna was a fighter. She had battled her way to the top of the ranks of the Black Robes by defeating and sometimes slaying in magical combat those who challenged her. She was courageous, a formidable foe. Neither man had ever seen the strong and powerful woman show weakness. Neither had ever seen her as they saw her at that moment: shaken … afraid.
    “There is a building in Neraka called the Red Mansion. Ariakas sometimes lives there when he returns to Neraka. In this mansion is a shrine to Takhisis. The shrine is not as grand as the one in her temple; it is far more secret and private, open only to Ariakas and his favorites, such as Kitiara and my former pupil, and his mistress, the wizardess Iolanthe.
    “To make a long story short, several of my colleagues were most horribly murdered. I feared I was next. I went to the shrine to talk to Queen Takhisis directly—”
    Justarius muttered something.
    “I know,” said Ladonna. Her hand shook, spilling the wine. “I know. But I was alone, and I was desperate.”
    Par-Salian reached over and laid his hand on her hand. She smiled tremulously and clasped her fingers over his. He was startled and shocked to see tears glimmer in her eyes. He had never before seen her cry.
    “I was about to enter the shrine when I realized that