Free The Ultimate Helm by Russ T. Howard Page A

They’re good people.” He left and walked around to the bar.
    “CassaRoc is very kind,” Teldin stammered. “Honestly, I don’t know what all this means. I don’t know anything about the Dark Times. I don’t even know what they are.”
    As he spoke, his confidence grew and his voice became stronger. “Please don’t think that I’ve come here to do you harm. I’ve been trying to reach the Spelljammer for a very long time – it seems like forever. I always thought I’d been called out here for a reason. I thought at first that it was the curse of my cloak, but now I think maybe it’s more than that.” The words came easily, and he knew that these thoughts were honest, things he had been considering for a long time.
    “I’m here for some great purpose, whatever that is. And so, I think, is the Spelljammer itself. I have been called across the spheres for a reason. I have a lot of enemies who want my cloak – neogi, illithids, even elves —” He glanced at Cwelanas, who smiled thinly at him. “And I believe they want this so they can somehow control the Spelljammer and make it a force of evil across the spheres.”
    This gained Chaladar’s full attention. The paladin stood up straight and focused his gaze on Teldin. The zeal for punishing evil was strong in Chaladar, and he would do anything to thwart the plans of those who dared to embrace chaos.
    “I won’t allow this,” Teldin proclaimed.
    Chaladar agreed loudly, shouting, “Go on, Cloakmaster.”
    Teldin looked out into the warriors’ eyes and realized they were listening to him. Their trust was incomplete, he knew; he could see that in some of their expressions. He knew he had to prove himself to them, as he had already proved himself to CassaRoc, and now Chaladar. “If I am here for a reason, somehow bound together with this cloak and with the Spelljammer , then it is a purpose for good, not evil. It is a purpose for life, and for honor – not conquest and death.”
    The warriors began murmuring their agreement. The dark band at his throat began to grow warm, but he did not notice.
    “I will need your help. If my enemies – our enemies – want this cloak, then that means they want me. That means that we’ll have a fight on our hands, another fight to the death, probably, but a fight for good, a battle for the Spelljammer’s destiny. There is a war raging right now, perhaps a second Unhuman War. When this is over on the Spelljammer , maybe we will all be able to live in peace and explore the universe, without fear of dark magic and unhuman enemies. But I’ll need your help.”
    The crowd was silent, staring at Teldin. Chaladar came up and said quietly, “Teldin, your cloak.”
    Teldin looked down. On its own, the cloak had unfurled and grown, softly flaring out behind him in the approximate shape of the Spelljammer. Its colors flared brightly, seemingly infused with the energies of the flow, and, as he watched, the inner lining grew dark and the light of stars appeared within, as though the cloak were a vista upon some distant wildspace.
    Chaladar said, “I told Teldin that I believed he could unite the collective into a force for good. I now believe that was his destiny all along. Teldin Moore... Cloakmaster... I will be honored to stand with you – and all the warriors of the Chalice tower will stand with you as well.”
    CassaRoc’s warriors shouted agreement with the grand knight. From the bar, CassaRoc shouted, “And we’re with you as well, Teldin. Aren’t we, lads?”
    At that, all the warriors in the room cheered. Teldin looked upon them and smiled, at CassaRoc, at Chaladar, at Emil and Cwelanas. But there was a frown on her face, and before he could question it, hands were reaching for him, clapping his back, shaking his hand. From around the room he heard cries of “To Teldin Cloakmaster!” Toasts were made, and the warriors introduced themselves for so long that, by the end, he could remember only a handful of