The Floodgate, by Elaine Cunningham, is the second book in the Counselors & Kings Trilogy.
The battle of Akhlaur's Swamp is over, and its heroes part ways. One becomes a wizard's apprentice and tries to unravel her mysterious lineage. Another hero returns to his queen, only to find that all is not as it was.
Hidden from them both, the Magehound broods. She cannot forgive those who drove her from power, and she will stop at nothing to be avenged. Her bitterness ensures that Akhlaur's Swamp was only the beginning for them all.Summary[]
The laraken, banished during the battle at Akhlaur Swamp, is sent to the Elemental Plane of Water, where it meets Akhlaur himself, its creator who has been trapped there for centuries. He realizes Kiva sent it there.
An enchanted bird is sent to Andris, giving him Akhlaur's journal and a book detailing the history of the jordaini. He leaves the Jordaini college and Matteo follows after him. Akhlaur sends a mantinarg from the Plane of Water back through the gate. It arrives at the site that Kiva sent the gate to, a clearing in the Nath near a tribe of Crinti, whose chieftess, Shanair, was allied to Kiva. Tzigone, apprentice to Basel Indoulur, meets with Basel’s rival Procopio Sceptus, who knows that she is secretly the bastard child of the wizard Keturah, a massive taboo in Halruaa.
Matteo tracks Andris to the temple of Azuth, where he learns that Kiva escaped into the Mhair Jungles. Suspecting that Andris followed her, Matteo calls on two fellow Jordaini, Themo and Iago, to help track the two down. Andris allies with Kiva to defeat that Cabal. She leads him to a wood elf village and plans a raid on the Lady's Mirror, a temple to Azuth and Mystra around a sacred pool.
Matteo’s search is cut short when he is recalled to Halarahh by the queen’s steward, Timonk. Matteo warns Tzigone of Kiva’s escape, then meets with Timonk, who tells him that he was recalled because Queen Beatrix’s obsession with dangerous clockwork contraptions has worsened. Matteo then meets with King Zalathorm, learning that the queen’s appearance is an illusion concealing a disfiguration.
Tzigone meets with Sinestra Belajoon, a woman she once used to gain information from by pretending to be a wizard. Sinestra asks Tzigone to teach her to be a thief, and Tzigone experiences a sensation of magic from Sinestra that reminds her of her mother. She learns from Basel that Dhamari Exchelsor was married to Keturah, her mother, and decides to break into Procopio’s villa to search for information. Her questions about Keturah cause Basel to realize she is Keturah's daughter.
Kiva and Andris lead an elven raid on the Lady's Mirror, the battle turning to a slaughter when Kiva kills all the clergy and burns the temple. For some reason Andris is surprised by this. Kiva takes a creature called an undine from the sacred pool of the temple and a collection of magic items and spellbooks. Kiva and Andris then leave the Mhair elves and join up with Shanair and the Crinti.
Procopio Sceptus learns of Kiva’s escape through Ymani Gold, a priest of Azuth, and begins to hunt her to minimize the political fallout. Since her ally Zephyr was his jordain, his reputation was damaged by her treachery and any further damage done by Kiva will worsen this. He then makes a deal with Ameer Tukephrenko, a Mulhorandi wizard. In exchange for a spell that will allow him to cloak an attack on the border from detection, Procopio agreed to allow Ameer to lead a Mulhorandi raid. Ameer will claim Halruuan magic and Procopio will seem to divine the attack when Zalathorm did not, gaining prestige.
Tzigone asks Matteo to investigate Dhamari. Matteo meets with Dhamari, who explains that he and Kiva were both once apprentices to Keturah, and claims that Keturah went on the run after killing someone with a dangerous summoning. He claims that Kiva killed Keturah and gives Matteo a necklace he claims was Keturah’s, asking him to bring it to Keturah’s daughter and ask her to meet with him. Matteo meets with Basel, who he learned from Dhamari is a former jordaini master (and therefore a possible candidate to be his father) to see if the necklace is enchanted. Basel recognizes it as Keturah's, saying they were childhood friends, and tells Matteo it is harmless. Basel tells Matteo that if Tzigone is exposed as a bastard, he will claim parentage.
Procopio contacts Kiva, telling her of the coming Mulhorandi invasion as part of an offer for alliance. There is a failed attempt to abduct Tzigone to an empty ice house, and Matteo finds that Ymani Gold has had Kiva excommunicated by the church of Azuth, meaning any attempts to contact her are illegal. He tells this to Procopio and asks that Procopio investigate the owner of the ice house. In an encounter with a woman who attempts to seduce him, Matteo learns that the jordaini Ritual of Purification is a castration ritual, and he learns from Iago of Kiva's scheme to prevent him from undergoing the ritual. Procopio claims that the ice house was owned by Ferris Grail, headmaster of the Jordaini College.
When Matteo asks the queen for permission to leave the city, he hears her declare that war is coming. Shortly afterwards, Matteo witnesses a woman killed by one of her clockwork creations. Frustrated, he meets with Zalathorm, who shows him that all the clockwork creations have vanished, claiming a mysterious magic protects "the heart of Halruaa." Matteo asks for permission to leave the city with Iago and Themo, which Zalathorm grants. Tzigone learns that Zephyr once served Akhlaur, and surmises that Akhlaur helped create the jordaini order, which he confirms in a conversation with Ferris Grail, who seems unaware that his ice house was used for an attempted kidnapping.
Tzigone meets with Dhamari, who convinces her to join him as an apprentice. He tells her that Keturah was intended to give birth to a jordaini child, but went too far, creating Tzigone's blend of magical talent and magic resistance. Matteo finds Andris and learns of his treachery, but Andris escapes. Kiva contacts Dhamari, who is manipulating Tzigone to cast a summoning spell for them. He explains that he used Keturah's necklace to protect himself from discovery, giving Matteo a useless copy. Kiva needs Tzigone to summon Unseelie Fey to frighten the Crinti once their part in the plan is over.
Basel discovers Sinestra in Tzigone’s chambers, attempting to steal Keturah's necklace. He learns that she is a wizard’s bastard, sold as a sex slave to avoid disgracing her father, who Keturah freed and later used as a double in her escape. Upon learning that Tzigone is with Dhamari, Sinestra warns Basel to get her away from him. She tries to explain more but the attempt triggers a spell which kills her. Basel investigates and becomes enraged when he learns the truth of Dhamari’s plan for Tzigone.
Kiva manipulates Procopio into bringing forces against the Crinti, believing the Crinti will win. Matteo, Iago, and Themo are lured to the site of the Unseelie summoning just as Tzigone's spell brings them forth. She realizes Dhamari's manipulation and helps the jordaini fight the fey. Basel arrives on the Avariel, his skyship, and takes the group on board, although Iago blamed Tzigone for the summoning and refuses to travel with her. Dhamari is captured and also taken on the Avariel, but manages to keep Keturah’s necklace. Kiva breaks her association with him after learning of the premature summoning.
Returning to the palace, Tzigone magically records Kiva meeting with the queen and removing her remaining clockwork creations. Matteo, Basel, and Dhamari reveal the truth to King Zalathorm and his court, causing them to dispel Procopio’s cloaking spell and discover the invasion. Matteo also reveals Kiva’s conversation with Beatrix and collection of her clockwork creatures. The queen is imprisoned, and Matteo hears Zalathorm whisper “may Keturah forgive me.”
Kiva uses the undine to retrieve items from Akhlaur's tower, then kills the creature and the wood elves that accompanied them. Procopio, Basel, Matteo, and Tzigone go to battle the Crinti, while Zalathorm goes to battle the Mulhorandi. The queen’s clockwork creations attack Halarahh itself. Matteo realizes the battle site holds the relocated gate to the Water Elemental plane. He battles with Andris by the gate. Tzigone begins to cast the spell to summon the Unseelie in order to frighten the Crinti, spurred on by Dhamari when he teleports there, but when she sees Kiva enter the gate, she uses spell components Basel gave to Matteo to close the gates to the Unseelie and the Water Elemental plane. She and Dhamari vanish in the process. Andris surrenders, believing Kiva dead.
Kiva meets with Akhlaur and convinces him to help defeat Zalathorm and the Cabal. Despite the closing of the gate, Akhlaur and Kiva arrive at the battle against the Mulhorandi, which Matteo has joined as well. The Mulhorandi are driven off with help from Procopia using his prior knowledge and Akhlaur, who is convinced the battle will start a wizardwar that will ultimately destroy Zalathorm.
Procopio gains influence after the battle. Basel begins researching a way to reach Tzigone. Zalathorm brings Matteo to his service, and tells him to prove Beatrix’s innocence, revealing that she is Keturah. Zalathorm then consults with a massive gem, telling it the Heart of Halruaa needs counsel.
Appendix[]
Notes[]
- ↑ It has been a year since The Magehound.
References[]
- ↑ Elaine Cunningham (April 2001). The Floodgate. (Wizards of the Coast), chap. 0, p. 9. ISBN 0-7869-1818-7.
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