Realms of the Dragons II/Possessions

"Possessions" is a short story by James P. Davis published in the 2005 anthology Realms of the Dragons II.

"A fang dragon stalks the streets, hunting prey more terrifying than the assassins sent to hunt it."

Summary
Count Kelmar Dargren is accompanied by assassins from the School of Stealth as they search for a cold-blooded murderer, "Grim", in the streets of Zazesspur. Unknown to everyone, he bears a magical amulet that grants him the ability to feel what Grim feels. Just as he and his four assassins split up, he stays back, alone, and misses the moment when Grim tears his four comrades apart due to a recently developed, recurrent headache.

The next day at the Whispering Maiden inn, he suffers from nausea and mood swings during breakfast, which consists ultimately of spiced ale only. He then heads to the Carpet District, where he visits his aunt; she employs some spell on the amulet, and suffers a painful backlash. He reveals the killer is a fang dragon named Xexillidalgrymm and that the amulet shows him what Grim feels and knows. She gives him five charms to arm his men, so that they may harm Grim. Unknown to him, Grim, too, feels and knows through Kelmar.

Grim is then ambushed by four men wielding the charms that Kelmar's aunt gave them. The dragon is disappointed that Kelmar himself hasn't shown, but still finds himself injured, recalling the necromancer that attempted to bind his soul to the amulet that Kelmar now carries. A man of the guard arrives; Grim carries the man off to a corner to finish draining his power in order to restore himself. Then, as more guards arrive, they notice a guard, Thaedras, who apparently has been injured recently. Thaedras swears he doesn't remember where he got that injury, and notices he's wearing an amulet he wasn't before.

Index

 * Characters
 * Kelmar Dargren • Borial • Faerdral • Begg • Thaedras • Xexillidaulgrymm
 * Lukan Dargren
 * Lukan Dargren


 * Locations
 * Carpet District • Ivory Street • Merchant District • Whispering Maiden • Zazesspur


 * Monsters
 * fang dragon


 * Organizations
 * Council of Lords • School of Stealth


 * Spells
 * detect magic


 * Deities
 * Tymora


 * Events
 * Tethyrian Civil War
 * Tethyrian Civil War


 * Plants
 * jasmine • sandalwood
 * jasmine • sandalwood


 * Ethnicities
 * half-elf


 * Items
 * ale • amulet • bacon • cloak • dagger • egg • saber • ruby