Eighteen days came and went, and before long a crystal sphere stood in the path of the Calla Maraine. This was Crystalspace, one of the spheres of the Pentiacate, their last stop before embarking into the unknown.
Supplies would be obtained in Crystalspace. There was no telling how long the Calla Maraine would be gone, though everyone hoped it would only be a few weeks. The sources in the Great Archive said that Athas had a draining effect on magic, so during the last several days Cherry had been preparing a special elixer that literally contained magic. By ingesting the fluid, a wizard could use spells normally. In a place where access to the energy planes is unstable, the fluid was very useful. It was like a Ring of Spell Storing in liquid form. The problem was, when this supply of fluid was gone, it was gone. It would be impossible to make any more while in Athaspace.
"Crystal sphere approaching!" Yearth called.
"Slow to tactical," Bagath responded, as the ship came to a slow halt several hundred feet from the sphere.
Cherry and Gaye walked onto the forecastle to join Bagath, Djan and Yearth.
"Gaye," Cherry said, "would you like to do the honors?"
Gaye smilled and started to concentrate on the sphere. Every few moments she would change expression or move slightly as she switched from one for of psionic energy to another. The process seemed to take forever.
"Look," Djan said, pointing at the wall. A section of the wall had taken on a smokey appearance, like it was there and yet is wasn't.
"Now!" Gaye panted, "I can't hold it for long!"
Tempest willed ths ship forward, and the Calla Maraine entered the smokey area. Before long the squid ship was enshrouded in the black smoke. It was like being in a Passwall. A tiny section of the sphere wall had been thrown out of phase, allowing the squid ship to travel through. Tempest moved the ship faster and Gaye panted harder and harder to keep the phase open. Finally, the Calla Maraine enter Crystalspace. Gaye stumbled back as she released her hold on the sphere wall, allowing it to reform itself.
Crystalspace was like an enemorous geode. It had a sun, but no planets to speak of, just a handful of rocks floating around in empty space. All along the sphere wall there were natural, crystaline spires, some several hundred miles high. Pools and lakes of water could be found in a variety of places. Cities could be found on the banks of these lakes.
Crystalspace was sparcely populated, because the terrain was made entirely of hard crystals. What's more, the sun never set, and the crystals captured the rays of light. Being in Crystalspace was like flying around inside of an enemorous lantern. Despite the odd climate, the sphere was a marvel to behold.
"Lay in a course for Diamondburgh," Bagath called.
"Laid in sir," Skot answered. "Estimated travel time, seven days."
The Calla Maraine resumed spelljamming speed to the settlement on the other side of the sphere. The colors of Crystalspace continuously changed below them.
Crystalspace was an impressive place to visit, and Diamondburgh was a facinating city, carved into the very crystal that formed the landscape of Crystalspace, but the crew of the Calla Maraine had to go elsewhere. After spending two days getting provisions, supplies, and a wide variety of emergency equipment, the Calla Maraine left the sphere, again using the psionic procedure. If the old map was accurate, they would reach their destination in twenty-one days.
The Calla Maraine used it's cloaking device for most of the trip through the flow. The cloaker was something the crew had plundered from a drow man-o-war that once chose the wrong opponent. It had proven useful on a number of occastions. One had to admit that the Calla Maraine was a well equipped vessel, having not only a cloaking device, but a superior helm and a magically enhanced hull. The real advantage of the ship, however, was it's captain. Tiegorus of Maplegrove, or Cherry to her friends, was slowly becomming a legend among wizards. She was for Solaris what Elminster was for Realmspace, or Monitor for Omnispace: a wizard of extreme power whose magical abilities could not be trifled with. And yet, even her powers could not combat the evil that lurked on the horizon for Solaris.
The Black Nimar had returned. Their return was subtle, and was not generally known. Only a White Nimar could challenge them with any hope of success. Of all the wizards in Solaris, Tiegorus was closest to becomming a White Nimar. No wizard had held that title for over eight centuries, when the last of them, the renegade Darran-Koor, had left Solaris and gone into hiding...
"...on a world where the sun burns dark."
If Tiegorus was to save Solaris, she had to find him, and the key he carried. She could then become a White Nimar, and together she and Darran-Koor would give Solaris a chance for survival. But to find him, she would have to travel to a world that no space traveler had seen in over a millenia. Legends spoke of psionic giants who could animate an entire army of undead for sheer force of will, and of wizard kings who could transform themselves into dragons at will, and carrying more magic than any being short of a dietie.
The dangers were real, but it was a risk Tiegorus had to take.
Twenty-one days came and went, and no traveler paid attention to the solitary squid ship. Finally, a large crystal sphere loomed before them. Skot requested the ship to a halt.
"It that it?" Bagath asked quietly?
"No," Skot answered, somewhat confused. "That's Darraspace. It's only on a few maps, but it's documented. Hardly anyone enters it, but people know its there. Athaspace should be right beside it."
For a few minutes the crew strained their necks trying to see what else was in the flow near this enemorous sphere. It was Djan who finally noticed something.
"Over here," he called. "It looks like Darraspace, well, bulges on this side."
Bagath took a scope and looked carefully at the anomoloy in the sphere. After a few minutes he finally spoke.
"There are two, perhaps three small spheres over there," he said, "on the far side of the big one. One of them has to be it."
Tiegorus didn't say a word, but just jestured to Bagath.
"Tempest," the druid called, "at your discression."
The Calla Maraine banked to the right and picked up a lesser current that would carry it around Darraspace. Several hours later, three small crystal spheres, dwarfed by the larger one, appeared. Again Skot halted the ship as measurements and readings were taken.
"The middle-sized one," Skot finally decided. "According to this chart, that's the one."
The rest of the crew aggreed, and Tempest started willing the ship to one of the small spheres. Actually, the sphere was almost the size of Realmspace. Against the giant sphere of Darraspace, however, it was dwarfed to almost nothing. The three spheres had literally been lost in plain sight. They were so overshadowed by the giant sphere, that unless you knew exactly where to look you would miss them. Apparently, for over one-thousand years that was precicely what had happened.
A day later, the spherewall stood before the Calla Maraine's piercing ram. Everyone stood on deck for several minutes. Cherry had brought up a large bottle of the magical elixer and passed it around to every spell caster on the ship. She had five bottles, and this one was now half-empty. She hoped they would have plenty. Finally, she sent for Gaye.
"It's time, Gaye," she said quietly, as if fortelling her own death.
Gaye looked at the spherewall and paused. Kender feel no fear, but she was still hesitant. Curiosity was another characteristic of her race, but this time her curiosity was lacking. After several long minutes, she closed her eyes and started the sequence. Different types of psionic vibrations eminated from her mind, tapping and moulding the spherewall. Finally, a section of the black wall began to swirl like a small cloud.
"Now," Tiegorus said in the speaking tube.
Tempest willed the ship forward, into the swirling cloud. For several minutes the Calla Maraine travelled through what seemed like a thick, black fog. Finally, a bright orange light appeared, and stars came into view. They were inside.
The air on the ship suddenly felt heavy and uncomfortably warm. Bagath took out a special spy glass, one that filtered out large amounts of light, and looked at the sun in the distance.
It had an errie look to it. With the aid of the filter he could see the star clearly. It was a deep orange in color, with what appeared to be cracks of fire all over it. The corona was dark red, with prominances moving slowly... like lava. He turned away and lowered the scope, looking briefly at a notepad.
"This is it," he whispered. "That's the dark sun."
"Is the locator working?" Cherry asked.
"Yes," Skot answered, "for now. I see six planets, including an earth world, the second one from the sun."
"Lay in a course, and proceed at your discression," Cherry said quietly. "And Tempest," she added, "if the helm gives you any kind of trouble, say so immediately."
"Aye, captain," the human answered.
The Calla Maraine held still for a few more seconds, then rapidly started toward the second planet of the system.
For the first time in over one thousand years, a spelljammer traveled the balmy night of Athaspace.
