Relentless Part 01 Generations Legend of Drizzt Book 36 By R A Salvatore

[Music] [Music] william morrow and harper audio present relentless a drizzed novel by r.a salvatore performed by victor bevine dramatus personae in the past all of them drow house or lauren matron zerath or lauren powerful leader of the city's fourth ranked house horudissimos thor lauren sir lauren house wizard and former master of sorcerer the drow academy for practitioners of the arcane magic kiri priestess of loth daughter of xerath and horudisimoth matron divine simfray ruler of the minor house zacnafene simfray young and powerful champion of house simfray with a growing reputation putting him among the greatest warriors in the city coveted by ambitious matron malice both for the growth of her house and her personal desires house treyrock matron house ruler of the minor house duane treyrock son of matron house weapon master of house treyrock determined to prove himself donjelina treyrock eldest daughter of matron house and first priestess of the minor house dabney treyrock daughter of matron house currently studying at eric tinolith the drowl academy for lothian priestesses house bayenri matron mother even el bayenri also known as ivan l the eternal matron mother bayenri is the undisputed leader not only of the first house but of the entire city while other families might refer to their matron as matron mother all in the city use that title for ivan el bayenri she is the oldest living drow and has been in a position of great power longer than the longest memory of anyone in the city gromf bayenri matron mother bayenry's oldest child archmage of menzo berenson the highest ranking man in the city and most formidable wizard in the entire underdark by many estimations dantrag bayenri son of matron mother bayenry weapon master of the great house considered one of the greatest warriors in the city triel quenthal and sosum to be henry three of matron mother bayenry's daughters priestesses of lolf other notables cure odrin matron of house oblodra notable for its use of the strange mind magics called psionics laxal a houseless rogue who began breaking the earth a mercenary band quietly serving the needs of many drow houses but mostly serving their own needs arithus hewn drow lieutenant to jarl laxel and assassin extraordinaire taken into the band as with many of the members after the fall of his house in the present many races drizz doe urden born in men's oberenson and fled the evil ways of the city drow warrior hero of the north and companion of the hall along with his four dear friends catty bree human wife of drizzed chosen of the goddess mia leaky skilled in both arcane and divine magic companion of the whole regis spider paraffin halfling husband of denala topolino leader of the halfling community of bleeding vines companion of the hall king bruner battlehammer eighth king of mithril hall tenth king of mithril hall now king of gontelgrim an ancient dwarven city he reclaimed with his dwarven kin companion of the hull adoptive father of both wolfgar and catty bree wolfgar born to the tribe of the elk in ice wind dale the giant human was captured by bruner in battle and became the adopted son of the dwarf king companion of the hall artemis and trary former nemesis of drizzed the human assassin is the drow warriors near equal or equal in battle now he runs with jarl axel's bragging the earthband and considers drizz and the other companions of the whole friends guenevar magical panther companion of drizzed summoned to his side from the astral plane andahar drizzed summoned steed a magical unicorn unlike the living guenevar andahar is a purely magical construct lord dagult neverember open lord of water deep and lord protector of neverwinter a dashing and ambitious human penelope harpel the leader of the eccentric wizards known as the harpels who oversee the town of longsaddle from their estate the ivy mansion penelope is a powerful wizard mentoring catty bree and has dated wolfgart on occasion denala topolino halfling wife of regis and leader of the halfling town of bleeding vines she came from aglarond in the distant east where she once headed a thieves guild in kerry margaster a lady of waterdeep the noblewoman is considered the leader of the water davin house of margaster alvilda margaster cousin and close associative in cary also a noble lady of waterdeep brevenden margaster in carrie's brother another water deviant noble grandmaster kane a human monk who has transcended the mortal coil and become a being beyond the material plane kane is the grand master of flowers of the monastery of the yellow rose and far off tomorrow he is friend and mentor to drizz as the drought tries to find peace at last along a turbulent road dalia cinderella dalia sinfel a tall and beautiful blue-eyed elf dalia strives to surprise as much with her appearances with her brilliant fighting techniques once the lover of drizzed she is now the companion of artemis and tray the two finding a better way together than either ever paved alone wibbledorf print a walking weapon in his spiked and sharp-ridged armor puente is a battle-hardened dwarf whose loyalty is as strong as the aroma emanating from him he led every seemingly suicidal charge with a cry of me king and gave his life saving king bruner in the bowels of gontelgrim his death was not the end of puente though for he was slain by a vampire and now continues as one a cursed and miserable thing haunting the lowest tunnels of gontelgrim and satisfying his insatiable hunger by feeding on the goblins beyond the dwarven realm the brothers boulder shoulder ivan and pickle ivan boulder shoulder is a grizzled old veteran of many battles mundane and magical he's risen to a position of great trust as a commander in bruner's gontel grim guard more eccentric and extreme than ivan the green-haired pickle fancies himself a druid or doo dad and help donald topolino create wonderful vineyards and bleeding vines his limited and stilted vocabulary only adds to the deceptive innocence of this quite powerful dwarf kimura oblodra a powerful dry psionicist kimura serves as co-leader of breaking the earth beside jarl axel he is the logical foil to the emotional jar laxal and jarlaxel knows it eternal beings lolf the lady of chaos the demon queen of spiders the queen of the demon web pits the mighty demon lolf reigns as the most influential goddess of the drow particularly in the greatest drau city menzo baranson known as the city of spiders for the devotion of its inhabitants true to her name the lady of chaos constantly shocks her followers keeping her true plans buried beneath the webbing of other more obvious and understandable schemes her end goal above all is chaos escovitne and yakardaria lesser demons known as yoklo they serve as two of the handmaidens of loaf the pair have proven so resourceful and skilled that loth gives them great reign in walking the ways of the drow and making a glorious mess of everything prologue the year of dwarvenkind reborn dale reckoning 1488 brother apha friendfear repeatedly told himself not to be taken in by the old man's appearance he seemed so withered so frail a wisp of a human whose shrunken features would have most people guessing him to be over a century old they'd be right although a guess of a century would be about half of the man's actual age half a friend fear spun to the left rolling fast around and around keeping away from his opponent he made it to the weapon rack and pulled forth a long sword its blade thin and curving half a friend fear whirled about presenting the weapon suddenly as if he expected the old man to be standing right behind him ready to strike but cain grand master of flowers remained on the raised circular platform in the center of the large round room he stood at seeming peace relaxed and empty-handed he hadn't chased after friend fear after their last open-handed exchange of blows and neither had he moved to any of the other weapon racks spaced about the curving walls to answer after friend fierce katana brother aphra friend fear stalked back toward the deus and stepped up to stand across from his opponent who still did not react the tip of his sword held steady pointed right at kane as the younger monk stalked in carefully turning his feet and shifting his weight to remain in perfect balance standing in such a way as to allow him a sudden retreat or to dart out to the side you were doing well with your open palm kane said to him in a tone so very soothing magically soothing half a friend fear realized only when he noted the dip in his sword tip under his drooping eyelids he cried shaking himself from the fog and he leaped forward sword stabbing but kane's left arm shot up vertically and slapped out just a bit backhanding the blade on its side and pushing the stab harmlessly to the left retract and stab the same hand came back to center forearm hitting the blade and pushing it to the old monk's retract right stab the left arm vertically swept another backhand and brought another near miss so close so tempting half a friend fear executed three more sudden and powerful stabs and each time he thought he had a hit right up until the very moment the blade slid to the side of the grand master of flowers close enough to shave him if he had a beard of any length or volume another thrust went for the old monk's gut and half a friend fear cleverly added a left-footed kick for kane's hip but now it was kane's right hand coming across to turn the blade combined with a sudden movement into a stork-like pose his right leg snapping up to intercept after friend fear's kick after friend fear's foot struck kane's shin hard but kane's bent leg only bent more absorbing the impact stealing the sharpness of the blow suddenly vulnerable after friend fear couldn't even wait for his kicking leg to return to the ground instead pivoting on his right foot rotating his heel in quickly pushing forward his kicking leg and punching out with his left hand mccain's hands were quicker his left looped over the angled sword pushing it out wider as his right hand disengaged the blade and snapped out suddenly viper-like striking first slamming after friend fear's ribs just under his left breast wasn't a typically sharp strike crunching at the point of impact and instead felt more like a sudden immovable brace as if afrofriend fear had crashed into a stone wall a moving stone wall as kane's hand kept driving forward undeniably half a friend fear felt the monk's key releasing through that strike shoving him with tremendous force he felt as if he should be able to resist that combination of physical and spiritual blows he was twice this withered old monk's weight he had to be stronger much stronger he had to resist but he could not his left hook came around but was short of the mark so very far short of the mark and only when seeing the pathetic strike missing by feet not inches did aphra friend fear understand that he was flying backward finally stumbling to a stop but nearly tumbling end over end on the lower part of the floor a dozen feet and more from grandmaster kane after friend fear brought his hands up and out to either side one clinched tightly about the sword the other balled into a tight fist he tightened his jaw too and flexed his muscles in a sudden and powerful movement forcing blood to flow through him with power and the healing power of his own key down came his arms and the powerful young monk called upon more of his energy pool physical and spiritual to enact a sudden and powerful leap landing in a role just before grand master kane he came to his feet with a powerful stab and bore in with kicks cuts and punches a whirling machine of devastation kane picked off every strike but after friend fear moved with such startling power and precision that he felt no counters from the mighty opponent a cross went the sword missing though whether cain had ducted or jumped it after friend fear didn't even know and didn't even care as he executed the sudden also futile backhand he didn't mind the second miss at all for the backhand was for nothing more than to properly align his blade as it came back out to the right afrofriend fear rolled the sword with a flip of his wrist and rolled his arm with a flip of his shoulder lifting the blade up high with startling suddenness down and across he swung again he missed and again he knew he would miss even shortening the swing for this too was a faint and after friend fear continued his follow-through bringing the sword and his arm down and around using the momentum in a sudden flip up and over ending with the perfect execution of his sword coming around in an overhead swing second hand joining the first on its long hilt bringing more weight to the downward stroke a cut thrumming with lethality even though the blade was blunted for practice afrofriend fear felt a pang of guilt for the headache he would bring to kane when the old monk awakened but no his downward chop was met by kane's arms uplifted above him in a cross and as the sword connected the very moment it connected the eye blink of its touching flesh cain's arms uncrossed even had the blade been sharp enough to cut stone the impact with the old monk's arms was too short for any serious bite and after friend fear doubted that any steel in the land would have been strong enough to withstand kane's scissor out when kane's arms out flew the broken half of the sword blade and before after friend fear could even register the movement kane's right hand swooped down and in then shot straight up wrist cocked palm up and rising slamming the sword hilt under afrofriend fear's hands up when kane's hand driving driving pushing the half sword right from after friend fear's grasp and sending it flying after friend fear went into a desperate flurry striking and kicking left and right up high and down low so did cain the monastic brothers exchanging a blur of heavy strikes and kicks too many to count too many for afrofriend fear to even take note of any individually he didn't know how he was blocking kane's barrage just as he didn't know how kane was blocking his for he was past his own consciousness then into a zone of pure reaction muscle memory overwhelming any notion of planned sequence but then a miss a missed block by kane half a friend fear his right cross straight it didn't connect but he had cain dodging awkwardly down to his left or so after friend fear thought until he jabbed out with his left for at that moment he felt grand master kane's right foot sweeping out and around his own planted right leg and when cain's right palm snapped up to intercept half her friend fear felt an immovable object there one that forced him backward over kane's tripping leg as he extended kane completed his move by driving that blocking palm forward and driving his right leg powerfully back dumping after friend fear to the ground desperate backward roll brought after friend fear to his feet and he was amazed at how quickly he had executed that escape even though kane was right there before him hand flowing in a blur of chops and punches working hard and brilliantly after fear deflected or absorbed those blows putting him in what seemed to clench with the grand master the two only a foot apart their arms interlocked out and down to either side afrofriend fear moved to headbutt but before he even got going he felt a stunning blow on his face a kick a kick impossible his mind screamed at him he and kane were too close how could cain possibly have kicked him in the face when they were barely a foot apart he didn't believe it he refused to believe it even when he was sitting on the ground half a friend fear shook his head shook the swirling stars out of his eyes and looked up to find cain staring down at him extending a hand to help him back to his feet he took the hand and started up but slumped back down to his bum then half fell half rolled down to his side time later he knew not how long after friend fear propped himself up on his elbow and looked at his opponent his dear friend who sat cross-legged before him i thought my forward flip and chalk maneuver effective after friend fear said spitting blood with every word he had a pretty sizable gash in his lip he knew and the ache in his jaw sent waves of sharp fire with each movement it would kill almost any opponent kane congratulated not you kane shrugged no drizzed have a friend fear teased for the dark elf had taken his place as kane's private student after a moment and a pensive pose kane shrugged again but added no verbal denial if dresden half a friend fear fought on whom would grandmaster kane place his wager half a friend fear asked grandmaster kane wants for nothing so he has no need of wagers cain answered pretend you may not like my answer half a friend fear laughed then groaned and grabbed at his face he pinched his bloody nose between his thumb and index finger and pushed it to the side that made his teeth hurt and he suspected a crack in the bone from the bottom of his nose to his gum line if you could defeat me why would you bother challenging the mistress of winter kane asked then and after friend fear looked at him with surprise at the change in topic mr savannah awaits my second challenge he asked a not subtle reminder that savann had defeated afrofriend fear the previous season the monk tried to keep the eagerness out of his voice he had been chasing savann for a long time now both before and after his defeat and had nearly recovered and improved enough to challenge her a second time to become the master of the east wind but salon too perhaps spurred by our friend fear surge had trained hard and had climbed to the next rank before after friend fear could formally initiate that second challenge she was now the mistress of winter enough for friend fear had attained the unclaimed rank of master of the east wind without proving himself in training combat against any of the three monks at the monastery of the yellow rose ranked above him savann the mistress of winter periwinkle shin the master of spring and kane grand master of flowers cain nodded for now the rank immediately above after friend fear was occupied and there could be only one for after frankfurt to become the master of winter he had to defeat the current mistress of winter savanne then he would have to defend his new title most likely against a resurgence of on or perhaps the rising master of the west wind halavash who was by all accounts also making great strides in his training and also rumored to be working quietly with grand master kane will grandmaster kane bet on that fight no if he did would he know which to bet upon yes if he did would grandmaster kane think of a safe bet half a friend fear pressed cain grinned at that and answered yes then started walking away may we both live long enough so that one day i might properly challenge you half a friend fear called after him cain stopped and held still for a moment then slowly turned about brother half a friend fear you are my friend through you and with you i and we have accomplished great deeds for the good of the foe and so i say this and hope you hear it is my most important lesson of all this cannot be your goal to take the title of grand master of flowers i only wish to challenge you and to defeat you because in that victory i will see my own improvement have a friend fear answered cain nodded your own improvement he agree the competition is within yourself my friend the striving for physical and spiritual peace and perfection and yet we challenge each other to measure that improvement what is your goal cain asked you just said it no cain replied it is not your goal never think of it as your goal it is your journey it is how you make sense of your existence and peace with the tumult of the mortal self and the uncertainty of the ending we all know we must one day face all in the order of saint solar strive to be as grandmaster kane after friend fear said the scribe wonder takes a tome seeking the goal of finishing a toe pursuing the goal single-mindedly diminishes the experience of those months of penning surrenders the joy emotions insights and memories of his journey through the process so i ask again what is your goal half a friend fear stared at him blankly you have no goal grandmaster cain answered his own question what is your journey to learn to live to grow to move toward the truth after friend fear answered the truth the truth of myself the truth of all that is around me grand master kane smiled with satisfaction and nodded his approval do not lose sight of that cain warned as he departed or you will relinquish the title of master of winter very quickly after you have achieved it it took off a friend fear a moment to realize the implications of cain's last words the grandmaster so wise and knowing fully expected him to defeat savan overwhelmed he slumped back onto the floor he still had no idea how kane had kicked him in the face with such force when the two had been practically face to face someday he would understand he thought and he put it out of mind it would come in time or it would not along the trails and trials of his physical and spiritual journey half a friend fear sat on a high rocky bluff a tight ledge after a difficult climb and one that held great notoriety with the order of saint solars for from this place a century and a half before the great cain had transcended his physical body and become one with the multiverse after friend fear had his legs crossed tightly before him his hands on his knees palms up thumb tapping his index finger his breathing was slow and perfectly steady the exhale and inhale at exactly the same length the monk's mind was deep inside and far without all at once he had never been more away from his own body it had never felt less removed from it he felt his goal nearing felt as if he had at last learned the bonds of his physical limitations the very glue that gave off her friend fear form he didn't feel the cold bite of the high mountain wind he didn't hear it in his ears nor the squawking of the great condors that drifted about on the updrafts of the high mountain for the immediate area didn't matter his focus was inside himself and all about everywhere without he teased the glue with his will felt as if he was weakening the bonds he could break them all together he was confident and when he did he would know eternity he would transcend his mortal coil he would become one with everything thinking about it interrupted after friend fears needed concentration though the memory burned within him for he had done this before but with help grand master kane had been within him possessing him sharing their form when the great white dragon had reared before them cain had broken after friend fear's physical bonds had unglued the multitude of particles that had come together to make the collection the being known as our friend fear the beauty of that experience was not easily forgotten even though it had only been a short journey to the place of everything for kane had reformed him almost immediately as soon as the dragon's murderous freezing breath had been expended so that after friend fear could then slay the worm the monk fell back into his meditation forced himself to patience and again settled in that place of deep calm a place both empty of thought and contemplative at the same time he searched out the bombs once more he felt the glue and began to disperse it to disperse himself a hand slapped down in his shoulder startling him before he could truly begin the process half a friend fear's eyes popped open wide he felt the wind he heard the wind he snapped his head to the side to find grandmaster kane standing there slowly shaking his head you are not ready cain told him half a friend fear blinked repeatedly shocked come let us return to the monastery cain said holding out a hand half a friend fear shook his head this is not your place nor your choice nor your journey he blurted cain didn't blink and didn't retract his hand you are the grandmaster of flowers the greatest of the order of saints solars ever after friend fear said and with all respect with more respect than i have ever known for another i tell you again this is not your place it is my place because you are the grandmaster of flowers because i am your friend kane said i can do this the younger monk insisted i know then but you cannot yet undo this after friend fear started to reply but held quiet and just stared you will transcend cain explained you will become as one with the everything and you will know harmony and beauty beyond anything you have ever imagined but that will be the end of our friends here death of this existence yes and death is the end of everything i do not know cain admit it when you first transcend it is not the end you know this too from our journey together from your body but the time to return is short days not months and what may come after that period when there is no return i do not know for what is after that we have only faith i have faith do you cain shrugged i do not know what i do not know i do however have hope and i will return quickly before that point where i cannot no you will not you are not ready you do not think me strong enough i have a friend fear asked doing well to keep any anger out of his question you think i will not be able you will not want to kane interrupted your ties to this place are not strong enough for you to consider turning about once you have initiated that journey what does that even mean cain shrugged it means that you are not ready to take this step from your mortal coil almost but not yet there are several ranks before you patience i beg the world is a dangerous place perhaps i will lose my chance and will be taken from this world when it is not of my choosing cain shrugged as if that hardly mattered not yet he said as your friend i beg of you half a friend fear winced at that both disappointed yet truly flattered to hear such concern from this greatest of monks you came back he said because he couldn't think of anything else to say i almost did not he said quietly and that startled after friend fear i almost did not even think to i was much older than you are now and much stronger in the ways of our order though fear not my friend for you too will rise to that level of mind and body perfection of that i do not doubt unless of course you follow through with this transcendence and then you are gone forevermore cain held out his hand once more i wish to make this journey have a friend fear said i know and i know why after friend fear's gaze went from the hand to grandmaster cain's eyes because of him pop it whom you loved cain said because he is there you hope waiting and his embrace you wish again more than anything have a friend fear's mouth hung open he tried to shake his head in denial but failed miserably nothing in the multiverse is more powerful than love my friend cain said and he smiled and moved his hand half a friend fear took the offered assistance and unwound his legs easily rising beside his friend do you think he is there grandmaster do you think he waits for me cain shrugged and after friend fear understood that the man had no answer and would not lie to him for the sake of comfort you already said it cain did reply you have faith and i have hope the two remained quiet for some time as they picked their way along the trail down the mountainside i still do not understand have a friend fear admitted when they came in sight of the lights of the monastery of the yellow rose soon after sunset you make it sound as if the return to your mortal coil is a great feat of tremendous struggle it is the younger monk shrugged when we went together beyond this body of mine in the face of the great white dragon the return seemed so easy kane finished it seemed easy to you because you did not initiate the transcendence nor were you even aware of the action and so you had not even begun to hear the music of the heavens or see the beauty of everything before i pulled you back into the being known as afrofriend fear but you did so effortlessly not as much as you believe but yes with each ascent beyond the mortal coil the barriers to and from the place beyond become thinner in that instance the danger to us and to our friends was so immediate that it was a smooth return i agree we had to be there oh woe to those we loved but half a friend fear said he seemed to choke on the word and just shook his head you will come to better understand cain promised continue your studies make of perfection your mind and body but i warn you when you think yourself ready and this could be years from now and i may not still be here to guide you in that first instance of transcendence well it might be your only one in the other end of our friend fear in this existence so you have said but why master half a friend fear pressed i know that my work here is not done if i know that i am not ready to experience the next if there is a next cane put it if there is a next half a friend fear agreed if i know these things then why do you suppose that i will forsake my mortal existence as a man cain paused and considered that for a moment then offered a kind smile to the younger monk you have made love the act itself and to completion yes have a friend for your blush yes of course then you know the moment when the body demands continuation the man's release master yes the body will not turn back and the mental and emotional discipline needed to deny that call of ecstasy is enormous when you transcend you will know such joy unrelenting even building as time which becomes meaningless passes get the time to find the needed discipline the denial of pure desire is short and failure means that you will be forever removed from this existence after friend fear just stared at him jaw hanging open i know not how to put it more clearly or bluntly the ancient monk answered that blank stare you will not want to come back and so you as you are known and as you know yourself will be no more grandmaster kane waited a few moments as the weight of his words sank in for the visibly shaken after friend fear then asked do you still wish to do this i do the younger monk answered but perhaps not quite yet when you are ready said cain how will i know when you are not afraid that you will not return when you believe that you have learned here all that you wish to garner from this existence it is not about sadness and weariness with life no such a state of mind would make transcending the mortal form impossible but rather it is about fullness such fullness that you know there is little more room in this existence for anything new that is where you are that is where i have been for a century and more yet you are still here grandmaster kane shrugged somewhat he answered cryptically part of me is still here part of me is removed forevermore then tell me of the mystery i cannot that part of me which knows is not here i don't understand then there is something more even than transcending the physical form kane shrugged again prompting after friend fear to restate i don't understand do not need to understand not now not yet you have much yet to learn then tell me grandmaster what do i need to know now that you will not want to come back that is all part one shifting fates and jarring perspectives what place is this that is my world what dark coil has my spirit embodied in light i see my skin as black in darkness it glows white in the heat of this rage i cannot dismiss wood that i had the courage to depart this place or this life or to stand openly against the wrongness that is the world of these my kin to seek an existence that does not run afoul to that which i believe and to that which i hold dear faith is truth zach defend a word and i am called yet a drow i am not by choice or by deed let them discover this being that i am then let them reign their wrath on these old shoulders already burdened by the hopelessness of menzo berenson menzo barons on what hell are you zach nuffain dwarden homeland chapter 1 the year of the black hound dale reckoning 1296 so many moving parts she didn't like walking these particular boulevards of men's o'barrens on known as the braerin or stench streets here lurked the houseless drow rogues offs and refugees from houses sacked here lurked the fallen priestesses and the dangerous bastard children of this house or that doomed to a life of poverty mostly at least for matron malice of house to urden also knew that he alert the members of bregen diaz a band of mercenaries that had grown quite powerful and wealthy within the city structure rogues all but useful rogues to the house matrons who knew how to take advantage of their services from zach nefane her consort and house weapon master malice had contacted jarl axel the leader of breaking the earth and received the name of the person she intended to visit this day the person for whom she was walking the stench streets of menzoberranza it was quite a sacrifice and the matron had already made up her mind that this person had better tell her that which he wanted to hear or she would leave the man dead on the floor of his hovel malice was quite relieved when she had last spotted the house in question she wasn't afraid of this part of her journey just disgusted and wanted to conclude her business and returned to her house as soon as possible she moved to the door glanced about for the escorts who were shadowing her and nodded for them to lock down the area then she cast a spell then a second both at the door then added a third and a fourth upon herself to protect from any trickery a fifth spell blew open the door and matron malice strode through into the small room beyond to the shocked expression of the robed man on one side of the table within and the look of absolute terror on the face of the woman sitting across from him i am not done here the man protested alice looked from him to the crystal ball set on a base in the middle of the small circular table she could just barely make out the distorted shapes of an image floating within it a wave of her hand cleared the ball you are now she said the woman then protested i paid well for my time alice's glare stole her voice at the end of the sentence the matron took a good look at the woman she was younger than malice but not by much and though she was shapely and seemed to think herself quite attractive and alluring given the cut of her dress her face and bare arms showed the scars and bruises of one living in the darkness of the stench streets wear no house emblem child she said to which matron do you belong why would i tell you because if you do not then i know that you belong to no house so if i kill you no one will care woman protested the rogue man and he stood to face the intruder he was old and withered wearing more than a few scars on his face and his thread bare old robes hung loosely on his two thin shoulders priestess she corrected priestess he said his tone a bit less indignant high priestess malice corrected high priestess the old drow corrected voice thinner matron malice corrected playing her hand openly and the drow mail seemed to shrink he cleared his throat i am not accustomed to uninvited guests you said calmly you startled me and you dear malice said turning her gaze on the woman are you ready to boast of a house though of course you know that if you name one and are proven a liar the punishment will grow you eight legs instead of just losing the two you seem to cherish the woman shifted at that pulling down the top fold of her slit dress to better cover her legs you are of no house malice said when the clearly terrified woman stuttered over some indecipherable mumble go outside and wait for me alice instructed perhaps better things await you in your future she glanced back at the road man is that what you saw in the crystal ball for her drow appeared truly flummoxed it is yes malice added throwing the weight of a spell of suggestion behind the question yes the man blurted yes yes of course i was about to tell her go malice told the woman she wisely scrambled from the chair and darted outside never taking her gaze off the man malice walked over to the vacated chair and moved to sit she glanced at the fabric though and the many stains upon it a wave of her hand sent it flying aside a quick incantation produced a floating disc of blue light where the chair had been and upon that matron malice sat he motioned to the other chair but got only a concerned and confused stare in return you are how cross once of a house that shall no longer be named malice said i am of house obloter no you're not not yet but you hope they will one day take you in or should i say you hope they will not see that you are not truly a master of the magic of the mind but rather a mundane wizard with one extraordinary gift the man cleared his throat but there was more nervousness than indignity in the sound sit down pal cross malice ordered i am your most important customer oh i do not understand the man replied awkwardly but he did take his seat which seemed to malice a clear signal of surrender jar laxal told me of you malice explained the old drow man blew a sigh he could have arranged i do not need him to arrange anything i am here you are here and i require a service she shifted on the floating disk and crossed her legs comfortably wanting to show this fool that she was confident of her ability to obliterate him with a word who am i she asked and she placed her snake-headed scourge on the table the living serpents writhing and hissing their fangs dripping deadly venom how crows took a deep breath then cautiously leaned forward and began mumbling staring into the crystal ball which immediately clouded tell me seer who i am and tell me why i am here said malice he continued to stare and continued to chant for a long while malice couldn't make out many of the words but she understood the arcane inflection of a mage well enough which played into what charlaxal had told her of the man this drow paul cross had graduated from sorcerer the drow academy for wizards and had been well regarded until he had fallen out of favor with the mighty grump bannery an event coinciding with the utter destruction of his family house since that long ago day he had made his meager living on the stench streets telling fortunes and he had been doing it for so long according to joel axel he had actually become quite adept at it and more than that paul cross survived because he knew how to keep the secrets of his clients matron deworden he said a few moments later obvious respect in his voice i have heard of you i am honored that you sought my services prove you are worth it the man licked his lips and cleared his throat and went back to concentrating on the crystal ball never averting his gaze he reached into a pocket and produced a quartet of small bones which he tossed on the left side of the ball then he reached in again and drew forth four more tossing them to the right side which drew more hissing threats from the snakes of the scourge despite herself malice admired the man's concentration as he glanced left then right where he managed to ignore the deadly serpents and focus on his throne divinatory relics yes he said and a thin smile creased his face yes great matron malice you are with child i knew that she stated flatly she lied she had only suspected a pregnancy but that wasn't the most important question here of course tell me the sire she ordered how crow swallowed hard and seemed off balance and of course he should be telling a matron she was pregnant was almost always a blessed thing of course but telling her that her child was from a man not her preference could get somebody horribly murdered or worse the sire malice said again flatly tell me the father of this child look in your ball and name the man you know of me and so you know my reputation one proudly earned i assure you i can narrow it down to four possibilities you will tell me which man it is the man began to sweat his pleading to the crystal ball became a bit more uneven and edgy his nerves sounding clearly with every arcane syllable but then he stopped suddenly staring for a moment he seemed confused but then the grin returned and his expression showed an epiphany i know this man he said and malice realized that he was talking to himself as she considered that remark and this location hope began to swell within her who is the father she demanded he was of house sim frey the seer dared to reply for how simfrey was no more and it was not considered wise for someone particularly a lowly male to speak the name of that which did not exist zachnophane he quickly corrected zach nefane to worthiness the fault he fell forward staring more deeply into the ball and from the backside malice could tell that the images were changing quickly but the seer was gaining insight and knowledge he didn't dare interrupt not then a long while later the seer gave a gasp and fell back in his seat seeming fully spent his robes clinging to his emaciated form his face lathered in sweat yes matron malice your hopes are realized he said confidently malice was impressed though she wasn't about to show it as with your daughter priestess virna this is a child of zachnophane the seer told her you know him i knew of him paul cross admitted though that was many decades ago i am glad that you are pleased with this news it would not take a seer to see that who would not be thrilled at the thought of another daughter sired by the great weapon master pal crows nodded but his expression turned to one of curiosity i did not say it would be a daughter he remarked you did not have to zachnafen is too great a lover and sire to bring forth a mere male malice asserted but seeing powell cross his skull added you doubt the blessings of love of course not he blurted i would not even waste your time to look further to confirm that which you already know matron malice didn't rise to leave she just willed her floating disc toward the door waved it open and glided out into the street there stood the woman from the table shifting nervously from foot to foot wearing a look fluctuating between hopefulness and trepidation what do you want alice growled at her you told me to wait outside for you the woman replied are you good at following orders yes matron she said then you will make a fine slave at my house said malice and she looked to the shadows past the woman and gave a slight nod yes matron what a slave i am not her sentence ended there as a fine sword slid through her back to front the tip exiting her flesh just below her left breast bits of her heart upon it you are no witness either alice told her she fell down dead she and her entourage returned to the west wall and housed the worden you did well then charlaxal told pal cross a bit later the flamboyant mercenary leader taking a seat at the divining table though he had long before warned the seer never to try a divination regarding him she killed maeda flava was dying anyway girl axel interrupted you knew that she knew that it is a pity yes but it was a better end than the yellow mold growing in her lungs would have offered palkross dropped his old face into his thin hands what is the problem jarl axel bad him you told her what she wanted to know she left quite happy happy enough to murder someone came the sarcastic response an act which no doubt made that one even happier jarl axel replied with a laugh that sounded quite helpless because it was velcro sighed and buried his face again she won't kill you you old fool jarl axel said she would have done so already you told her what she wanted to hear the worst that will happen is that you will have to suffer her presence again sometime in the future if zachnophane shoots true once more i told her what she wanted to hear thou cross agreed but i did not tell her all that i saw jarl axel perked up at that it is not a daughter growing in her belly the old seer explained it is a son you lied to her pal crow shook his head vehemently she did not even bother to ask she was so sure she will not be pleased not at all then it is a sun gel axel said by the shrug as if it did not matter matron malice already has two does she not now feign and dinan it was charlaxl's turn to blow a heavy sigh woman continued to grow heavier as he played the scenario through oh indeed matron malice would not be pleased and even less so in her knowledge that this doomed child was the progeny of zachnophane cheryl axel took his leave then and made his meandering way to the oozing my conned the finest tavern in the stench streets particularly since joel axel had purchased a controlling interest in the place some 50 years earlier he wasn't surprised to find zachnovane there his scouts had already reported as much to him after all the weapon master sat at his usual table in the back right hand corner of the common room ah what brings you out on this fine night charlaxal asked as he approached motioning to the bar for some more drinks same thing that brings me anywhere zach nefane replied wherever i am i can find happiness and knowing that there are a hundred other places in this city i'd rather not be jarlaxell stared at him for a long moment i'm trying to determine if i should be complimented you shouldn't that brought a laugh from joel axel in any case it is good to see you again we went years without so much as a greeting and what now the fourth time in the last two ten days malice has been extraordinarily wretched of late zaknafine replied and took a long swig of his drink charlaxal almost said something that would have tipped his hand but he bit it back the witch is pregnant zach nefane declared charlaxal started in surprise not from the news of course but from how fast the news had traveled had matron malice even returned to house de warden from her visit with the seer charlax stammered over a response finally settling on is it yours are you hinting that my wife is unfaithful zach nevane said with a scowl jarlaxel laughed as did zachnophane when he couldn't hold the angry facade any longer patron malice's sexual excursions remained a matter of public record and awe after all i'm almost certain that i'm the father zach nefan said because you're just better than the others gerald axel teased quality yes sacnifine replied but also the matter of quantity the witch hasn't let me sleep in weeks i can always tell when she's getting ready to sack another house charlexil nodded just as her appetite was well known so it was no secret among those in the know that house the worden was setting its sights on house to veer and no one was more in the know than jarl axel of breaking the earth you are happier with this news the last time with the first one gerald axel observed zach nefane held up his free hand helplessly as he took another swallow of his drink the new round arrived then and jarl axel took his own and quickly waved the serving man away you do not feel that pride any longer when you look upon virna he dared to ask she seems rather exceptional as priestesses go yes and no zachnafane admitted i could have expected no more from any daughter i sired in the house of malice to urden than virna has offered i am no fool i know this i knew it from the moment i first saw my child and saw that my child was a girl i think she has done well but i'm not going to deny the pain of seeing my child my daughter become a devotee of that wretched loaf what choice did she have what chance did she have zach nefane corrected he gave a little resigned chuckle it is interesting and it caught me by surprise i admit this purpose of parenthood these bonds beyond the expected what do you mean charlaxal asked surprised to hear zach nefan speaking so openly the purpose all of it zachnovane replied of this existence i mean on a most basic level i fear death and i think that true of everyone but the most adult in their god beliefs i long for personal immortality of course don't you i don't know that i'd i mean that would be a long time yes so you lie to yourself that you will one day welcome that last close of your eyes zachnovane snorted the jar laxal i know will try to talk death itself out of that bargain charlaxa lifted his glass in a toast to that thought so yes i would desire immortality and hope there is an existence beyond this one said zach nephine i am surprised though to learn that through my children i find some relief against my fears they are a form of immortality i never thought of it like that until the day i first saw virna that's a good thing it is a scary thing zack nefane replied to see your child charlaxal is to no vulnerability is to know that there is something in the world that leaves you truly vulnerable but there is this person more important to you than you and that if anything terrible happened to her it would be a hundred times more painful than if it had happened to you i fear death i don't want to die this i know but i know too that i would throw myself before a spear aimed for my child even one who has become a priestess of the spider queen so you are pleased that matron malice is again with child jarl axel asked your child sachnoffene seemed perplexed when faced with a stark question he gave what seemed to shrug then finished his drink and slid his chair back from the table i have to be back in the house he said rising we have much to do before the war there is no war zach nefan protested what a silly notion house the warden has no ambitions of course that would go against the edicts of the city's ruling council but we must prepare ourselves in case something terrible befalls one of the houses ranked above us of course jarl axel agreed and he smiled at zach neffen's reminder of how truly demented the laws of men zoberans on were there was nothing wrong with wiping out a rival house of course the only wrong would be getting caught in the act that the getting caught and not the act itself was what the ruling matrons could not abide he watched sacnofane all the way out of the bar then sat back and digested the unusually candid conversation with the typically reserved man he knew that house doerden was mere months from their attack on house de vere and so he likely wouldn't see his friend again for many months perhaps years and it was an interesting feeling noticing how much that saddened him that's why he so savored these moments sitting across from zach nefan the man was ever full of surprising depth and insight charlaxal appreciated that but it weighed on him now zachnophane would sire a boy this time and since this would be the third son of house tiwarden the devout matron malice would surely give the child to the spider queen quickly and mercilessly particularly given this conversation charlaxal feared that such an act would utterly devastate his old friend matron malice didn't like this place not at all too many males haunted the winding corridors and sweeping stairs or kneeled before the vast shells of scrolls and old tomes and not just any males these were the most powerful men in menzo baronson including more than a few notably archmage gromf the eldest son of matron mother by henry herself who could likely destroy malice in a fight even more disconcerting matron malice did not belong in this place and very few knew she was here and these potential adversaries the great drow wizards of sorcerer could surely dispose of a body i am right here came a soothing voice no not a voice but rather a telepathic message that resonated within her it has been arranged you are here at the suffrage of archmage gromf and none would dare move against you matron malice hated allowing that wretched jar laxal creature and his even more wretched oblong scionus friend into her thoughts but she couldn't deny that jarl axel's magical message was anything but comforting the woman winced at that internal admission and concentrated even more fiercely on expelling jarl axle from her thoughts if he was in there talking to her then he could also be in there feeling her emotions as if they were his own she did not want him to recognize her trepidation she was the matron of house to urden a rising and powerful drow house after all malice came to a strange and narrow wooden door one that would have seemed more fitting in the tower of an elven wizard in some ancient forest above ground its knotted boards rose to shoulder height then rounded and curved upward into somewhat of a point the matron cast a spell of warding then another of magical detection before she finished the second the door swung inward revealing a small landing in a dark descending stair be well matron malice said the voice in her head i will await your return he couldn't go down there with her at least not magically malice thought for this portal was set with a powerful spell of disenchantment the woman took a steadying breath and strode forward onto the landing she grasped the smooth and rounded railing the unfamiliar touch of wood surface wood well burnished the railing creaked as did the stairs when she began her descent down and around they wound far below the multi-towered structure of sorcerer she was in blackness then so that even with her keen drow vision she could not see the wall beside her or the stairs before her she went on not even attempting to cast a magical light she didn't need it she was a matron of a rising and powerful house she told herself resolutely no male would dare strike at her she didn't count her steps but she knew it was more than a hundred later when she spotted a distant light far below a single candle it seemed spider webs brushed her face but that neither startled nor scared matron malice indeed the presence of spiders comforted her these were allies of lolf the spider queen and matron malice was in the favor of the goddess she picked up her pace managing a smile when she felt a spider run off a web and skitter down her cheek lolth was with her it occurred to her that the mere presence of these blessed little creatures was an admission of fealty by this mage she had come to visit she came off the last step onto a wider floor it was still dark but not black but the candle burning in its sconce on a table set off to the side as she neared she noted a chair waiting for her on the right side of the table and a seated figure off to the left not near the table but against the natural stone wall a few feet from the setting malice understood she took her seat greetings i am honored the hunched robed figure said he kept his head bowed his grey cow pulled below his face look at me malice ordered for she was curious it had been a long time since she had seen this man looking down at him straddling him after a torrid tryst no matron it is better that i do not how am i to properly prepare the unguent if i do not even fully understand the depth of the affliction it is not an affliction the man said his voice growing tight with anger malice thought to reiterate her command more forcefully she was a matron and he a mere male but she held back this wizard kell russ hannette was an accomplished master in sorcerer a powerful wizard though one who was apparently somewhat reckless his specialty was in creating new spells combining magical effects to make the whole greater than the sum of the individual dreamers many of the spells taught at sorcerer were the result of the work of gelrus though anonymously by order of the archmage such dabbling was not without reward but also not without great risk and on one occasion decades before kell roose's magical combination had backfired quite literally taking the flesh from his face which was by all accounts malice had heard little more than a mix of bone and green goo now she wanted to see it even more so because the wizard was clearly uncomfortable showing her seeing it would give her an edge here perhaps by putting gel roots into a measure of discomfort and matron malice was never one to forego a possible advantage look at me she ordered normally she would have strengthened such demand with a magical spell but such an enchantment would likely have little effect on the formidable wizard and if she made the magical attempt he would probably detect it i have that which you seek galrus answered instead a quite effective deflection i have associates that are actinilith and what the priestesses have shown me along with that which i hold here in my own library informs me that the long ago rumors you heard were not without merit it can be done alice said leaning forward she reminded herself not to give up on viewing this disfigured creature but that seemed like a distant desire in that moment it can be done and it is not so difficult to task the mage answered i believe that it would be a more popular and common occurrence if it was more widely understood and of course if it did not hold dire implications for the child such as kellroos shrugged a weird and unbalanced motion in his heavy robes and with his scrawny shoulders and did look up then matron malice fell back in her chair in surprise and horror nothing she had heard of his disfigurement could have prepared her for the reality of gel rush the faceless one the descriptions had been honest though or his face was a collage of bone edges stretched and desiccated skin lipless and gumless mouth and a drooping triangular hole where his nose used to be he didn't seem to have any eyelids either appearing like a corpse long decaying except for the notable splotches of green goo some looking like the wax refuge of a melted candle other bits seeming almost foamy and more fluid the last recollection of the man flashed in malice's thoughts he had never been overly handsome by drow standards but pretty enough but now it is an auspicious beginning to life gel roos answered alice shook away her surprise she took a deep breath which merely gave her a blast of the rotting aroma of the wizard's face and tried to respond though she had completely lost the conversation you asked of the implications to the child he reminded her it would be an auspicious beginning yes yes of course she stammered but is it more than that is there a curse a lasting stain the faceless one shrugged again i have seen nothing to indicate so but then most of the children born in the ritual have been sons third sons and so he let it hang there and malice needed no explanation a third son in a drow house was traditionally given to loaf perhaps that is the curse of birth magic gel roost then added the curse to the house that a son was born not a preferred daughter and the most deadly curse to the child very soon after tell me more of it malice pressed quickly there are wizards who routinely inflict pain upon themselves in the moments of casting using that sting to sharpen their focus and thus produce the most powerful spell they can manage this is just about the pain of childbirth alice asked incredulously yes of course it hurt but that alone couldn't possibly explain the potential power of the birthing magic ritual there is more to birth than pain gilrus replied it is an experience unlike any other one that encompasses both the body both bodies mothers and childs and the mind heart and spirit the corporeal and ethereal it is a moment of great vulnerability but also one of great reception and in that open state the mother seems to collect all the magical energies about her almost as if she is bringing the magical energy of those spell casters around her into her own dweemer is that possible galru shook his head i am a mere male matron malice i cannot fully understand the experience of giving birth he lifted up a skinny hand holding a scroll tube and moved it across to the woman you have read it malice asked taking the item there would be no reason gel roof said with a wheezing chuckle this is one spell that is truly beyond my means also my priestess associates forbade me from even glancing at the spell and instructed me to relay to you though they know not your identity that great secrecy is demanded copy nothing of the dreamer forget it as you cast it and speak little of it let the rumors swirl as mystery is no threat alice rolled the scroll tube in her hand feeling the weight of his words she had used birth magic before but only in a minor way and certainly nothing akin to this even on that occasion though a simple spell of poison to aid her ascent she had felt possibilities more profound joining other priestesses in the ritual she felt as if she could hardly breathe as if she was holding in her hand the power of a goddess clearly gel roost continued this kind of power could be seen as a threat to the matrons of the ruling council this is no mere dewey armor matron malice do not underestimate the magical destructive power you will discover in the heightened moments of childbirth and i warn you as one who wishes you well do not seek to exploit or abuse that power beyond our agreement here the ruling council and the priestesses of eric tinoleth will be paying attention and the combined weight of what would fall upon house the worden in the event well he left it there with another shrug i may need your protection the young man barely more than a boy explained to joel axel the two sitting in the oozing michonne late one quiet night you are the noble son of a ruling house what could i possibly offer the man massage sighed and shook his head at the ridiculous remark even he would rarely been out of his house before being sent to serve his older sibling as a slave and sorcerer at the drow academy was worldly enough to understand the growing power of breaking the earth the band had the complete endorsement and protection of house bayenry even without that jarlaxel had created enough quiet alliances and assembled enough firepower to make the band of rogues formidable on its own charlaxxel knew it and knew that massage knew it so his feigned humility could elicit no more than a groan from the young man why do you think you would need the protection of breaking the earth joel axel asked finally what you asked me to do could get me sacrificed or turned into a driver ask i have asked nothing of you jarl axel reminded you came to me with a request and a bag of gold coins and you refused my contract i told you that such things are better taken care of within a family else one risks war and wars are messy and costly but i did not ask you to do anything you hinted that i might find more allies if i succeeded how so jarl axel asked massage started to answer but bit his lip and tried to honestly recount his previous meeting with this most enigmatic drow when he had gone to charlaxal hoping to pay for an assassination the clever rogue had merely explained that such things were better handled within the house both for the reason jarl axel had just reiterated and also because then the assassin had in no small way proven himself worthy of the resulting rise in stature massage wanted jarl axel to do this he was afraid rightfully so for his much older brother was quite powerful in the ways of arcane magic at one point powerful enough to be considered a possible future challenger to grant bayenri as archmage of the men's oberenson all of that promise had fallen away in the flash of a spell gone horribly irreversibly wrong i will tell you this much gerald axel said leaning forward in his seat his hand coming over the table and sitting there palm up fingers beckoning how much massage asked all of it no and i leave and warn you to take great care in your next schemes and great care in pointing any fingers or words toward me or this place and it better be worth the price massage mumbled pulling out the small bag of gold and dropping it onto gerald axel's still waiting palm events are soon to unfold that may show you your opportunity both to do that which you wish and to get away with it charlaxa replied pay very close heed to the student who serves as your brother's primary assistant as soon as he finished the sentence jarloxa was up and away not looking back massage cocked his head curiously as he watched the mercenary depart alton he whispered under his breath at first he felt cheated but he put that notion aside charlaxal's reputation was not to be dismissed the rogue's cryptic words were known to move houses to war the young apprentice who fought himself a slave drained his drink and left the using michonne soon after determined to pay very close attention indeed why would you get involved in this dabney the only priestess and one of the very few women in breaking the earth asked charlaxa when the young man had left the tavern charlaxal dropped the pouch of gold on the bar no risk and some coin to show for it he replied you can have all the coin you want without getting involved in the family squabbles of a ruling house dabney reminded there may be gain here the target is surely no friend to us and if the whelp is successful i'll know a secret he can ill afford to have whispered and the whelp will no longer be a whelp will he he'll be the elder boy of a powerful ruling still that target is no minor player nor is matron santa fe or the house she rules the house that speaks ill of us at every meeting of the ruling council joel axel reminded dabney settled back and spent a while digesting that obvious exaggeration if not outright lie house hanette would not dare speak ill of breaking the earth in the presence of matron mother bayenry and had even dealt with the mercenary band on more than one occasion to mutual benefit but then the priestess had her epiphany when jarlaxel referred to us he didn't mean break into the earth he meant zach nefane to urden and by extension jarl axel as well it was no secret that matron cinnafe was often quite vocal against the quick rise of ambitious malista urden and her band and the rumors were long standing that malice's youngest daughter had been sired by cinephae's patron and that insatiable malice had often bettered sinnefey's eldest son before his unfortunate circumstance you can have all the coin you want without getting involved in the family's squabbles of a ruling house dabney repeated because she was out of other things to say ah yes jarl axel agreed but it would not be as much fun despite the final warning of the ugly faceless one matron malice was almost giddy with excitement when she returned to house thorden she would soon deliver another child of zachnophane and now she was confident that house de vere would be destroyed even without the birth magic she had thought that de vere was ripe for the picking and with this added boost her victory seemed assured and likely a victory with minimal damage to her own house it was only one tempering notion here or rather two potential issues though very related despite her earlier bravado could she really be certain that zach nevane's progeny would be a daughter and if it was a boy she would have no recourse particularly after utilizing a most sacred spell which required the blessing of love a male child even zach nevane's child third boy of the house would have to be sacrificed if it was a daughter there remained the possibility of a residual curse from the casting of the destructive birth magic but no malice told herself determined to press on in her insatiable desire to climb the ranks of menzo baranson they didn't know there would be a curse or if there was perhaps it wouldn't truly prove to be a curse at all but possibly a blessing her eldest daughter briza was the child of a brutish sire who was part demon or cambian or some grandparent not of this plane of existence by all rumors and yet the savage breezer and even more so the ultimately savage you forget alarmgo certainly couldn't consider that trait in affliction or curse it will be a daughter a priestess malice whispered to herself and she will have the ambition of matron malice and the discipline of zachnophane as she smiled she silently added and this one will have the compassion beaten out of her she will not be like verna chapter two expendable she is pleased quite charlaxel reported to matron mother evan el bayenri in the dungeon chapel of the city's first house the great ban returned to our entourage her five daughters three of them high priestesses a fourth soon-to-be and the fifth young sosumptu no doubt on her path to be perhaps the greatest of all for her devotion could not be doubted jarlaxa liked that one so some too she was the quietest of matron mother by henry's daughters and least ambitious despite her obvious skill in her clerical studies you will watch carefully from afar the great band reinstructed oh i will answer blade and cursed the second oldest charlaxa wince despite himself he hated and feared that one most of all she was a hulking thing with wide and strong shoulders and took particular delight in inflicting pain was there anything she had ever done to anyone whom she perceived below her station that was not cruel we will corrected another another of whom jarl axel carried a great enmity this was vendus the fourth bannery daughter who seemed determined to ascend to the rank of high priestess by whipping as many victims as possible to death with her horrid seven-headed scourge its living serpents writhing in her side as she spoke as if they understood every word and anticipated the taste of blood now she will then recommended nodding toward her eldest daughter triel she was the shortest of the group not even topping five feet and quite ugly as drow women went but she was broad and strong and calculating charlaxal knew triel would succeed ivan albaneri to the throne of the first house if the old witch ever decided to die that was probably a good thing to the mercenaries thinking treyel wasn't blinded by unrelenting sadism like the other two nor was she a pampered and privileged knit like quentil the third daughter nor was she blindly wholly consumed by her love for love like so some too she would rule and she would rule the house and the city wisely and with a measured hand publicly at least thus she would want jarl laxal in his growing mercenary band to carry out her dirtier deeds charlaxal couldn't suppress his nod considering his possible relationship with this one compared to that of the great and powerful evanel even l the eternal who had sat as a powerful force in menzo barons on and indeed as the matron mother of the city beyond the memories of the oldest drow they said she was two thousand years old many times the life expectancy of a drow charlaxal believed it even l the eternal was different i hope high priestess triel is not dismayed by what she sees matron mother bay henry said turning back to jalaxel you should hope so as well i took her to the faceless one as you instructed me jarl axel replied when will she cast the spell she will give birth early in the next year matrimony looked to treyel her expression questioning if birth magic is as powerful as they say trial started it is the matron mother interjected then should we be concerned would matron malista werden dare turn her sights to a greater target she is not suicidal child said the matron mother do you think any of the ruling council would allow for such a thing without extreme retribution trial nodded and fell silent leave us bain reinstructed her and you she told quenthil and back to your studies child she told sosum to charlaxxle shifted nervously which was no common occurrence for the confident and capable rogue he hadn't been thrilled when told of the location of this meeting and was less so now being in this place with matron mother by henry's two most vicious and sadistic daughters for this was the burial chapel for bayern renobles and jarlaxel was surrounded by the graves of those who had gone before including the tomb of one dokueyo bayenri resting directly behind the spot where the matron mother had chosen to place her magically created seat purposely of course everything she did was purposeful charlaxal had a history with dokueo one might even say that jarl axel had killed dokueo though jarlaxel had no memory of it for it all had happened in the first moments of his life the faceless one has promised his help they henry asked charlaxille the rogue nodded he will clean up the loose ends at sorcerer when house the word and executes the assault matron mother ban re-shuttered visibly a hideous fool she said so consumed by ambition that he melted his own face i do so hate ambitious men who cannot accept their place charlaxal didn't try to hide his smile at that particularly given the positions of banri's two openly admitted sons one the arch mage of menzo barons on the other dan trag a superb weapon master considered to be the finest swordsman in men's oberenson dantrag wanted nothing more than to be appointed as the principal master of melee mag there the drow academy of physical combat a position for which he was supremely qualified but matron mother bayenry wouldn't allow it valuing his presence in the house too much to say nothing of his own ambition what has the faceless one told you of the birth magic bay henry asked surprised by the question jaralaxel shrugged and immediately lifted his guard if he admitted knowing too much might be henry loose vendais and bladen cursed upon him then and there i only arranged the meeting as you instructed he answered i never glanced at the scroll or where he got it or jarlaxil started then fumbled over the thought and spent a moment considering the question he had seen he realized and had an idea at least of where the faceless one kept the original he penned it then repressed yes from an original scroll yes and now jarlaxel knows where that original is yes no somewhat the rogue stuttered good said the matron mother you will better discern the location nothing more nothing less of the original writing jar lacks a last completely lost by this unexpected turn in the conversation if matron mother bayenry wanted him to enlist the faceless one again with such a dreamer that could be easily enough achieved unless jarlaxel cocked his head matron mother he asked leadingly are you begone charlaxil she replied you bore me need i have my daughters here remind you that all that we have said is for no other ears or all that you have learned is for no one outside this room in the moment that you learned it no of course not the rogue answered and now he was hiding his smile for he he alone among madrao outside of house bayenri now knew that matron mother bayenri was pregnant in menzo berenson perhaps more than anywhere else in the world knowledge was power of course in men's oberenson knowing things often got one killed particularly if that informed person was a man jarlaxo left the compound of the first house soon after mulling it all over he performed many tasks for matron mother bay henry and the others of her family but this one had kept him off balance from the very beginning even the desire of house bayenry to put their thumb on the scale of power in this inter-house battle had caught him by surprise more so when he had learned that bayenri wanted to intervene on behalf of house thorden house though urton was the city's tenth house the dewardens were no threat to house by henry of course and would almost certainly never be so why did bayenri care and particularly why would she care about house de vere the city's fourth house when that house was widely rumored to be on the decline was house de vere reversing their fortunes and quietly regrouping growing too strong for their own good jarl axel wondered did the matron mother feel the need to take them down charlaxal suspected he was missing something here and that bothered him most of all he survived on information he hated not knowing something when knowing that something could lead to profitable opportunities he sent out couriers as soon as he arrived at the oozing michonne then gathered together some food and tried to enjoy his meal and release the spinning troubles from his mind it would all make sense soon enough he assured himself repeatedly dabney joined him soon after in answer to one of his summonses she took her seat tentatively charlaxille noticed never taking her stare off him is there a problem he asked and would you like some food no and no she answered but i know why you have asked me here and the subject is beyond my understanding and my freedom to discuss you have never heard of the birth magic ritual i did not say that well it is not a subject to be discussed certainly not with a man and certainly not by a priestess who is not in the favor of love are you not the spider queen has not abandoned you joel axel replied there are no mercenaries carrying bounties for your murder your magical spells do not fail you i was never a high priestess you still receive your magical bounty from love dabney replied with a slight nod that seemed more of a shrug charlaxal backed away from the conversation which normally was not an unusual subject between him and dabney they both understood the anomaly here dabney had abandoned any formal house or church structure she had openly spoken ill of love there was nothing in her life now to indicate any fealty to love order the spider queen's spokeswoman on the material plane matron mother bayenry yet her spells still came to her even the more powerful ones that required some acquiescence from the other worldly handmaidens of lolf she was an instrument of chaos jarl axel had concluded loth liked that even if the instrument didn't much like love in a strange way that gave jarl axel a bit more respect for the spider queen she would put her own ego aside it seemed and allow dabney to do her work even if dabney didn't do it in her name pragmatism always impressed joel axel and yet dabney would still not betray this particular bit of information charlaxal's second summons was answered then when another drow joined them at the table exceptionally thin and not tall the man seemed almost a child in a decorated night shirt rather than a formidable wizard in appropriate robes charlaxal knew better than to let appearances deceive him well met has alfine he said i believe you know my friend here priestess tapnae the man said in greeting i am glad that you were able to join us said charlaxil a fortunate coincidence nothing more the man replied i did not expect to hear from you how fair is matron curel charlax lied dabney when he asked that question expecting her surprised expression and indeed she was suddenly looking at the newcomer with more scrutiny course she was for matron curel odren was the matriarch of house oblodra the city's third house and the most unusual and unnerving house the odrons or oblotrins drew their power from psionic the strange mine magics they were ranked third but no one really knew how powerful that family might be since the magic was so unconventional and not fully understood as vicious as ever as alphane replied how do you know matron curel dabney asked and has how feign turned a startled stare her way i am her elder boy he answered have you never been formally introduced to has alfayno blodra gerald axel remarked knowing the answer but wanted to see her reaction but you are babney stated then turn to jarl axel but he is a wizard he studied at sorcerer when i graduated from eric tinoleth it is true as alfayne said not all the nobles of my house are proficient in mind magic and the more traditional wizardry serves as a fine compliment and puts curel's eyes outside of houseoblodra said jarlaxil she hardly needs that as elfane said dryly she can wear the eyes of anyone she wants whenever she wants that reminder had jarl axel shifting a bit in his chair then adjusting his eye patch simply to feel the magical item which protected him from the kind of possession to which hazal feign had just eluded what do you wish of me as a faint asked impatiently i am only curious if you have heard any rumors of war perhaps why would i be foolish enough to speak openly of any such thing because you value my friendship said jarl axel you wish to be granted a title of savant at sorcerer i may be in a position to help you acquire that what is the price just the answer to my question there is a rumor that a band of rogues are trying to start a minor house perhaps by defeating the city's least house as alfayne said after a moment of reflection that rumor is ten ten days old and more and it is when i started came the dry reply i speak of house to veer then you speak alone as a faint sternly replied the name angers you austivira is the fourth house also blowdry the third any such rumors are dangerous more so because house de vere has quietly allied with house barris and del armgo jarl axel replied taking a chance on a hunch here no winner lies with matron ms barris armgo the oblong wizard answered unconvincingly in the uncomfortable silence that followed charlaxal noticed that hazelfane wasn't even asking him what rumors of how severe he might have heard rumors that would certainly affect house oblodry to jar laxal then unasked question might be the most important information of all is there anything else hazophane asked gerald axel shook his head i expect payment of course i will speak to archmage grom charles axel assured him azzafain abruptly rose and departed the tavern charlaxa watched him go then turned to see dabney staring at him shaking her head clearly at a loss what she asked what did i just witness de vere is stirring jarl axel told her i thought the wording was stirring they are but only because house de vere has done something that has shaken matron jennifer de vere's standing with a spider queen you think she meant to move against house oblondra wouldn't that please lol since matron curel is hardly devout yes you would think that charlaxal replied a smile curling on his face as it all began to become clear to him yes devere had meant to move on house oblodra but something had stopped them matron jennifer would not have even considered a move against the strange and strangely powerful third house without the blessing of either matron mother bayenri or mesbaris armgo the unpredictable matron of the audacious second ranked house it had to be barris and alarmgo the mercenary decided so that explained why matron mother bayenry had taken more than a passing interest in the expected fight and why she had allowed the intervention of the faceless one with the coveted and rare birth magic spell this probably wasn't even about how severe at all to matron mother by henry's thinking charlaxal mused but rather a warning to any other houses that might consider allying with the wild and wildly ambitious armgo family charlaxal daphne asked and he realized it was not for the first time matron jennifer de vere is out of favor with the spider queen or soon will be he replied find out why a mere male should not be speaking of such favor or disfavor where matrons are concerned dabney replied mere jarl axel said with a rye grin why yes i would agree with you on the point that no mere male should speak of such things need i ask you again his grin proved infectious and dabney left the table in the tavern wearing a smile of her own the intrigue of men's oberon's on was fun charlaxl knew and it pleased him whenever one of his mercenary band came to recognize that truth it was all a game always dangerous often deadly but still a game there was a lightness in jarl axel's step a few days later after dabney and some of his other scouts had finally discerned the impetus for the coming war it seemed that matron jennifer de vere in her desire to please matron ms barris armgo had overstepped her bounds quite sacrilegiously anxious to weaken house oblondra so that her house could pass it perhaps even eliminating the strange psionicist house altogether if it came to blows jinafe had cast blessings upon a group of deep gnomes they hated swift neblen in order to help them on a quest to eliminate a certain member of house obladra's noble family it was a reasonable attempt jarl axel thought certainly the deep gnomes were not to be given the blessing of lol for normal circumstances but this was house oblondra ahmenzo baron's on drow family whose devotion to lolth was always in question nobody liked the oblon since everybody feared them a reasonable risk but apparently matron jennifer had lost her bet for the gnomes had been destroyed the oblong secured and now house deveir had shown its hand their holed up their compound huddled in fear charlaxxel's cyonus's friend kimoriel oblodry informed him matron jennifer understands that she has lost the favor of the spider queen and so her house is vulnerable the armgo forces will not defend her unless she regains that favor and without that alliance there are several houses that can likely overcome de vere like house o blowdredge our laxal dryly replied we have no interest in inter-house warfare memorial replied as jarl axel had expected it was true enough obviously given the history this was a strange time in menzo baronson as both the second and third houses had ascended rather swiftly none ever more swiftly than house barris and alarmgoes surely and with minimal battles along the way unlike the dewardens in most other climbing houses these two hadn't clawed their way one battle at a time when house paris and alarmgo it had long last fully revealed their power it became clear that only bayenri was greater and that it would take two probably three of the other great houses to combine their strength to have a chance against them for the oblongs they had been given the status demanded by matron cure simply because no one had any desire to do battle with them their psionics had the lothian is wholly unnerved curel had demanded a high seat on the ruling council and they had given her the third rank with matron mother bayenry and matron ms barris armgo leading the vote it was a secret deal jarl axel knew though surely one that would not hold forever curel would be content with the third rank and the two greatest houses would be glad for the strange buffer between them and the rest but now house de vere had potentially upset all of that and so jar lacks all knew matron mez barris would wash her hands of them she wasn't about to risk her coveted seat right behind house bayenry for the sake of a house like de vere which was too highly ranked in the first place does your brother even know that he was the target jarl axel remarked he is not my brother the impassive comorial replied and it was technically true as comorio was not the son of matron cure he had been taken into the noble family as a son however because of his extraordinary intellect and his growing prowess in the art of mind magic hazel feign is a noble son of house obladra as his commorial if matron cure was the rumored sire instead of the obvious mother no one would believe that heritage charlaxa laughed knowing that to be as close to a joke as he would ever hear from this passionless one and now it all makes sense to you memorial said quite astutely jarl axel thought matron mother bayenry is pleased matron mesbaurus fearful some house will overwhelm house de vere and so matron ms barris's budding alliance will meet a swift end charlaxal snickered but didn't reply he thought not for the first time and certainly not for the last that someday he would be thrilled to formally induct commorial into break into the earth as a full member beholden only to the band and not the dangerous matron cure and how do you know that he asked commorial arched a thin white eyebrow i know many things indeed he did jarl axel understood interrogation was never more fully served than in the act of mental possession memorial could thread his thoughts into the mind of another weaker intellect with practiced ease with that unsettling thought jarlaxel adjusted his eye patch as he had the previous night when talking to hazelfane it's becoming a bit of a tell he thought and promised himself to work on not reaching for the eye patch every time psionics was discussed what else do you know comorial stared at him unblinking the faceless one the birth magic kimura replied you should show more respect it is quite powerful comorial snickered which rarely happened it is i suppose as near to the mind magic as mundane wizards and priestesses can approach ah yes the haughtiness of the oblongs jarl axel thought but did not say underestimated at your peril he did say commorial snickered again i ask then if you are so sure of this why aren't the oblodrons or odrons or whatever name your house currently wears sitting atop the ruling council have you ever watched a lizard race where was this going i have wagered more than the treasury of household blow drawn such events when they run in the higher tunnels where the air isn't still a wise rider keeps his mount behind the shoulder of the lead runners immorial explained he lets them do the work in breaking the press of the wind until it is time to glide past them matron mother by henry would pay me well for such information gerald axel slyly replied she would but you won't tell her his certainty bothered joel axel mostly because the mercenary leader knew that kimura was right chapter 3 seeds denindo erden rolled out from under the swirling cloud of conjured wretchedness his vision blurry eyes burning throat thick with bile and mucus he realized immediately as he executed his second role putting him clear of the conjured cloud and started to stand that he had chosen the wrong exit angle magical webbing grabbed at him as he began to rise clinging and holding fast now thane had thrown the second wee armor to the left of the cloud while danine had expected it on the right he tried to pull free half turned and slashed with his drow blades except these were blunted practice swords and not the fine edged magical weapons the drow warrior usually carried denim turned to face his adversary and tugged hard against the stubborn webs and indeed he felt as if he was making progress and expected to break free not in time he realized as nalthane's waggling fingers completed the next spell a bolt of lightning leaping out to slam against poor dineen throwing him backward the webs behind him burned in the blast so he wasn't trapped at least but he was surely stung by the lightning bolt and he tried to keep his muscles behaving and following his commands but they some of them at least seemed to have developed minds of their own his legs trembled and a step forward became a slide to the side and poor dineen was down on the ground again gyrating uncontrollably for a few moments doing all he could to simply hold on to his twin swords he gradually regained control tasting blood in his mouth from the damage caused by chattering teeth and threw himself to his feet and there stood now feign his next spell ready to launch yield zach nefane ordered from the side the battle has ended now feign flashed that awful grin one that bit into the heart of the proud dinin he hadn't wanted this fight but had been goaded here by his most powerful doerden sister breeza she had taunted him to the point where any refusal on his part would have been more embarrassing even in his defeat so we have a winner said zach nevane now feign crossed his arms over his chest in a gesture of condescension and superiority this time zach nefane added and i will add by the flip of a coin now fain's grin became a frown i struck him three times before he got near to me had him choking and caught and helpless and the last strike the lightning bolt could have been fatal had this been a true fight and not a sparring match you guessed correctly on the location of the web said zach nefane had didn't even come out the other side of your magical cloud of stench he still would have faced the lightning nalthane argued unhindered by the web though and so he might have avoided its bite and where would now feign then be if you think all of my tricks had played out weapon master then you are mistaken sachnafene shrugged and let it go but dinin did not it is a ridiculous challenge in the first place he argued a wizard strikes from range a fighter up close how could a fighter succeed when the wizard knows the battlefield and his strike from afar you chose to accept the match zach nefane reminded him it was not one i arranged nor one i advised you to take my brother is correct now thane said in a fair fight a mere warrior has no chance against a wizard as soon as the words left his mouth the timbre of the very air seemed to change now feign bit off the last word and dineen fell perfectly silent his eyes going wide as he looked from zach to fame to now thing for many heartbeats sachnithane just smiled then he waved in off to the side walked to the weapon rack across from now feign and took up a pair of swords waving them easily to test their balance what is this now thane demanded it is a challenge for you to back up your last proclamation of course i have already used my spells you are a noble son of a powerful family a graduate of sorcerer and one also trained in the arts marshall you have plenty of spells left of course i do not wish another challenge to stay but you have found one now thing for now i am curious i am a mere warrior after all and you a wizard if your assertion proves correct perhaps i will toss aside my swords and go study in sorcerer at the side of the room near the dissipating web and stinking cloud janine snickered are you ready zach nefane asked no said nalthane yes said zachnophane prepare you may strike first now thane glanced all around then closed his eyes only briefly obviously formulating a series of spells to reign over this more formidable enemy he exploded into motion arms waving chanting his arcane words zachnophane true to his word didn't move standing easily some forty feet away a pea of flame appeared in nalthane's hand he threw it across the room then immediately launched into a second spell deneen gasped in shock a fireball in a room in house to worden now faint had thrown a fireball backnathan leaped up and back spinning as he rose rose rose incredibly so free called upon his innate drow powers and his house emblem to enact a levitation spell as he lifted from the floor he was up more than a dozen feet when the p of fire dropped and exploded into a magnificent fireball and when the roiling flames had cleared there was zachnophane tucked up into the top corner where the curving wall of the arena joined with the ceiling his magical poefy cloaked tight about him perhaps the flames had reached him and bit at him but if so he hardly appeared injured as he unwound and turned planting his feet against that corner his magical levitation still enacted he kicked off gliding down and away from the wall toward nalthane and he reached into his drow powers once more the magic of the race granted by the emanations of the phasers and planted a globe of darkness on the floor before nalthane deneen gasped again when zack's levitation expired when he dropped with perfect angle and tucked to land in a row one that sent him spinning back to his feet with such force that when he leaped away such a great leap it proved to be launching him right over the 10-foot darkness globe a lightning bolt cut through the heart of that globe beneath him harmlessly and now the skilled zachnothane landed with grace once more at the far edge of the darkness globe rolling to his feet and rushing forward with stunning speed and precision now feign slashed his own practice sword across to slow the weapon master and lifted his hand his fingers arcing with lightning energy but that electrical slap got nowhere near zachnophane who dropped to a slide on his knees back bending under the sword swing and the reach of those lightning crackling fingers across came zach's left hand sword on a low backhand now feigned fast stepping to avoid getting tripped up across came zack's right hand blade just behind it on the same level but in a wider arc the nalthane escaped the brunt of it only by stumbling backward zachnophane let the swords continue around using the momentum to spin back up onto his feet rushing forward as he came around malthane's shocking grasp swung down at him but zach's sword was faster slapping hard against the wizard's forehead with enough force to draw a yelp of pain back fell now feign forward came zachnophane his twin swords rolling out and under then doubly stabbing forward as nalthane tried to run out of the room and retreat dulled tips of the blades caught the wizard in the armpits and zach nephain bore forward and up lifting poor nauthane into the air where two running strides by zachnophane slammed him into the practice arena's wall and there zach held him scowling if you wish to make such boasts of the superiority of priestesses i have to accept it zach nefane admitted but you speak of professions mostly filled by we the mere males of men's oberenson and that when it is just we men i will not abide a mere warrior now feign if i take out your heart and hold it beating before your eyes will you admit the error of such a claim saknofane now thane said through a pained grimace will you i am the elder boy of house the worden now feign managed to growl out and i am a murderer with little to lose zack answered will you admit it i was wrong now fain said zachnophane twisting a blade with each forced word zachnophane retracted and now thane dropped to the floor we support each other against them zachniffene told him and turned as he spoke to include dinin we men we lessers we have enough enemies here in the city of spiders without battling each other now faint didn't respond other than to grab his pained armpits and stumble aside rushing out of the room he will probably run to matron malice to cry about the treatment dinin said walking over zach scowled at him too he defeated you the weapon master reminded dineen stop eyes hard how did you let that happen you foolishly chose to attempt an attack instead of backing out of the cloud you could have easily exhausted his magical abilities but you got impatient i have taught you better than that did you think to impress me i guessed incorrectly but still upset danina argued you shouldn't have guessed it all he is a wizard a mediocre wizard who defeated you it is hardly fair to put a melee warrior in an open arena with a caster who can strike at range true zack said his voice dripping was sarcasm what warrior could ever win such a challenge that is not an inspired you were i am the weapon master of house to warden zach nefan finished it is my duty to keep you alive and prepared for all events i did that but you failed here miserably in a house fight you would be dead and i would suffer the wrath of matron malice for your impatience and stupidity i am a house noble dining growled back son of a matron an angry one i see zach taunted and up came his sword suddenly tapping against the underside of dinin's chin the outrage dinin fell back then came forward swords appearing in his hands a sudden and brutal attack to repay the insult his left hand blade stabbed ahead and was easily guided wide by zack's already uplifted sword that was the faint however for dinin's right hand blade came under and around the hooked swords a clever move executed with impressive precision balance and strength but zach fane's right hand blade came up horizontally to lift that stabbing blade and the weapon masters parrying weapon bent over diagonally so that the lifted sword got pinched between it and the blocking lower sword up went sacnifain's arms lifting dinin's arms and swords up high lifting dining up on his tiptoes sachnafein stepped in close and snapped his head forward driving his forehead into dinin's nose as the younger warrior fell back a step zachnophane rushed forward still holding arms and swords up high and let go of his left hand blade leaving it still hanging from the trap of swords above the weapon master stepped his left foot across to the right and ahead then looped it back behind his opponent even as his left hand slammed against dinin's chest tripping him backward dinin didn't resist disengaging his swords from zachnophanes landing easily and smoothly and rolled perfectly over into a crouch weapons ready for zack's advance but zachnophane wasn't there the weapon master sword clanged down from on high since spinning by dinin's disengage since zach had let it go only when it landed the sharp sound a signal did deneen lower his blades he knew of course he knew sachthane had mirrored his movement and was behind him and that remaining sword whacked the young dewarden hard in the back of his head do better zach nefane whispered in dining's ear and he left his defeated opponent there crouched in pain and put these swords away and tidy up the room zach fein continued as he walked away tossing his remaining practice weapon to the floor you embarrass me deneen called after him in a threatening tone you embarrass yourself zach answered i am just a mirror the ugliness of your weaknesses are yours alone a great pity that would be brisa dared to somberly reply and she felt the cold glare of matron malice as soon as she had uttered the sentence she thought herself foolish dangerously so and felt suddenly vulnerable pity the sacrifice frieza stammered she understood that she should have let it go and allowed her mother to vent her fears without giving them any credence at all malice had only mentioned the possibility of her child saknifain's child being a boy in a remark that it could not happen that lolth would not let it happen but it will not happen malice said again biting short every word the spider queen would not allow it to happen of course matron it cannot be then why did you cast your voice with such lament because i wish it could be he's a blurted hardly thinking it through she was just trying to say something anything to calm her very pregnant mother you wish malice retorted her eyes flashing with anger what priestess would wish for a mere boy frieza paused that unsure sagnifain's boy she decided sachnafen is a mere man true but he has brought great advantage to house to word and what might alice fell back in her seat and gave a hearty laugh and breeza exhaled great advantage and great pleasure the matron agreed yes daughter any child of zach nephine boy or girl could be a boon to house to worden but it cannot be any child can it most of all we must hold strong in the favor of the spider queen particularly now as i ask of her this great surge of divine power with which to punish matron jinfei for her heresy we know what is necessary to achieve that malice continued or what would be necessary if this child of zach nephine was of the lesser gender what are we to do i have already birthed two boys and both remain alive the laws of love cannot be questioned frieza nodded and kept her head bent her gaze to the floor she left her mother soon after marveling in malice's leadership matron malice hadn't asked her to do anything yet she understood exactly what her mother wished and breeza had an idea of how she might grant that wish she found her brother on the front balcony of house to worden overlooking the city high up from the floor house the warden was built into the western wall of the cavern that held men's o'barrens on this balcony and the one for the house chapel both affording grand views of the magically lit city stalactites and stalagmites dancing in the colored flames of fairy fire the giant time clock pillar of norbendell glowing softly in the distance these balconies were also the only way to get into the house's second floor affording a measure of protection against the mundane shock troops used by most drow houses who could not levitate even though he had the hood of his pawaf we pulled up over his head frieza noted her brother's dower expression as she neared the set of his jaw gave it away as he stood leaning on the rail staring out over the city she noted too when he turned to look at her that he had his head wrapped in a bandage now thane did that to you she asked with both surprise and more than a little bit of mocking in her tone sachnafein i thought you were sparring now fame this day in preparation the weapon master had a few lessons to offer us both after that match din said practically spitting the words yes i've noticed his foul mood of late briesa said taking a spot at the balcony beside him and turning her gaze to the city it is expected of course why sacrifice the battles he lives for them and this will be the greatest challenge yet by far you think he is afraid afraid breeza echoed with a snort of what of defeat of dying i think zach nephine would welcome his own death so great is his self-loathing that drew a curious stare from deneen and he silently mouthed self-loathing breeza hid her smile like her brother she knew that if anything sagnifain was too in love with himself too haughty and believed himself somehow above the edicts of the priestesses who served the spider queen that truth didn't serve her now however his mood might be based on fear breeza added but not for himself or for house to urden we will win and he knows it but there is another involved one whose future is far less certain deneen's expression grew more puzzled still and briesa resisted the urge to reach out and slug her slow-witted brother aldenin had ever survived so long in menzo baronson she would never know for she didn't consider him clever enough in the webs of drow culture you may have noticed that matron malice has grown of late she said dryly yes with zach nevane's child it has whispered so it is his this time for sure and the rumors speaker vernes is as well perhaps he has others scattered about the city he was coveted by many for breeding in the distant past so i have heard this one is different to him and likely to matron malice this one is surely of his loins and will bring immediate aid to house doerden in the very act of being born and this one is very possibly an immediate mortal peril because of the spell shh breeza scolded lower your voice that is known to the nobles of house though erden alone no not because of that thing brother you more than i should understand third son dinin said after a moment of pause and both his voice and expression showed that he hadn't thought of that before and so zack nevane is in a foul mood and so is matron malice i warn she will not dare disobey the edicts of the spider queen of course and particularly not now when she is asking lol for so much in the coming battle but a male child of zachnophane would be grand indeed in her estimation a most worthy addition to the doerden ranks she would value a girl more dana argued of course she would if it is a girl then there is no issue matron malice is coming to believe that it is a son she carries said breeza still i think you are wrong there brother in this case given the sire i think the notion of a boy truly intrigues matron malice another fighter of zach nefan's caliber she could enrich the family simply by renting him out to other matrons once he becomes a man she could do that with zach nefan now tanin said seeming quite annoyed and you must read her i am sure take care how you speak to a high priestess she warned that is exactly my point anin replied no matter how great this son might be he will never be as great as as brisa but a girl a daughter of zachofane like virna breeze a retorted chortling either you nor i are children of zachnophane and yet i remain far superior to virna in every measurable way far superior and that will not change matron malice has no love for zachnophane it is simply family business i fear not at all the possibility that matron malice will have another girl another daughter of zach nephine i remain the high priestess of house the worden and next in line to the title of matron by the time a new child could possibly grow strong enough to challenge me matron malice will likely already be dead or will have sealed the line of ascension but a boydening a son of zachnophane that could shake the very foundation of house noble ranking among the men of deremon and ashes bernon her use of the formal and ancient name of house the worden focused in ian's thoughts more clearly but you just said that malice would not go against the edicts of the spider queen surely in these critical times malice frieza said quietly threateningly matron malice the flummoxed warrior corrected certainly not briesa said but neither would matron malice be displeased if one of her other sons found the misfortune to fall in the battle with de vere unlikely but not impossible said brisa and she turned and walked away confident her words had resonated chapter four the ever turning wheel of menzo barons on dinin was in a foul mood when he exited the lizard corral and the lower level of house to worden making his way to a spot below the chapel balcony his mission the last before the battle had been successful he had identified and magically marked the sentient shrieker mushrooms along the house de vere border wall and had gone to see the faceless one relaying to him the timing and the assassination of the deveer wizard alton who remained at sorcerer with that success dinin had returned to the stable and fine spirits excited for the battle which would prove the most consequential of his life thus far he was sure but inside the whispers among the lizard handlers had confirmed the second boy's concerns matron malice they now knew would deliver a son the son of zack nothing the third son of daremon and ashes bernard and thus a child to be sacrificed to loaf malice would resent that dinu after his talk with brisa he could not ignore that his mother would greatly lament this precious sacrifice and he knew her well enough to understand that her resentment would linger for years decades and it would be aimed primarily at the two persons responsible for the sacrifice of zach nefan's son dineen and nalthane yet other fears as well suspecting that breeza had not come to him unbidden by their mother and if that were the case she had likely gone too to nalthane yes it made sense to him and it worried him if matron malice lost nalthane this night zachnafane's son almost certainly a warrior would grow in the shadow of elderboy dineen also a warrior but if it was dane who died this night then the elder boy would be a wizard and no rival to the growing second boy warrior there were three possibilities here none of them ideal but one deneen believed better than the other two he tapped his house emblem and floated from the floor rising up easily in the shadows of the exposed portions of the compound then stepping over lightly onto the balcony releasing the magic where have you been he heard even as he touched down upon the stone he turned to severeness approaching you have been gone too long be at ease sister i had much to do i know what you had to do an obviously nervous fearing a retorted do you have you ever marked shriek or sister not so easy a task one step too close and they sound their alarms and yet you have to be quite close to put the silenced hand crossbow quarrels into their thick stems and if you miss guess what happens i need not your sarcasm brother not now deneen started to reply sharply but he leaned back instead and took full measure of virna allowing her the benefit of his doubt she was his favorite sister after all the closest in age to him and one who did not flaunt her station above him as a woman a noble daughter and a priestess of love what do you know virna pray tell me it will be a boy fiona admitted the whispers of that have already reached the stables to nina greed fear an aside heavily does it bother you because it is your brother both sire and damn didn't he nast trying not to taunt fearne here or is it because of the thought of what must be done perhaps what matron malice will make you do personally high priestess breeza will wield the dagger virna said quickly but the speed of her words could not hide her discomfort deneen did not chuckle but couldn't suppress his grin he had always known virina's heart to be softer than that of the typical drau woman and much more so than the typical drought priestess surely breeze's remarks to him concerning virena came flashing to mind yes why would the powerful and vicious breeza ever fear her station as matron malice's heir to this one a weak vierna would compassionate virna even have the temperament to be nominated as a high priestess go take your place he told virna reminding himself that he had to be kind to her at this time she was the one assigned to send him magical messages in the fight after all i must report and assemble my battle group urina took another breath gave a slight nod and scurried away through the archway and down the house's main central corridor deneen gave her a few moments and started in boldly down the corridor to the ornate brass door walking the antechamber to the house chapel the audience hall of the high priestesses and this night the war room of houstorden after he had delivered his assurances to matron malice and the others deneen led his column out of house to warden 60 drow soldiers and 100 goblin kin fighters marching close behind him with the clumsy humanoids waiting back a safe distance the drow battle group crept into position other battle groups soon arrived the silent hand codes working up and down the line as the commoner priestesses took their places and found their marks the marx dinin had put on the alarm shriekers the moment slipped by seeming like hours to anxious to nin the priestesses on the battlefield finally moved stepping forth to cast their spells of protection beginning all at once as if they had received confirmation that the time was upon them the magical waves rolled along the dawarden line bolstering protecting silencing dinin rushed out and produced a sheet of shiny metal and a small pinprick magical light source quite literally a tiny dreamer cast at the inner base of a hollowed pin he flashed the object three times to signal his brother in risen the house patron and their respective brigades then deneen spun it up into the air and his own brigade took the signal and stepped forward hand crossbows firing at the marked shrieker mushrooms each throwing a dart enchanted by the priestesses with magical silence on came the drow warriors quietly to the wall and over the wall dineen at the front he was the first to encounter a deveer sentry the man drew a sword and stabbed it to neen as he came over the wall but the blade never got close to the fine warrior deneen's superior sword coming up fast to parry then repost a stab that had the deveer warrior half turning to dodge in rush to knee between the man and the parapet didn't rolled about as he went turning his back to the man but sending his left hand blade around and out to block the devir's backhand as he too pivoted in came the davier's second blade for the crouching dineen almost reaching its target almost but dineen used a blunt tactic instead bracing himself against the stone parapet and double kicking out a move unexpected from a nimble drow swordsman a move talked to a select few by zack nefane who was without peer among the drow and rather unorthodox fighting styles both feet landed and the devire warrior flew from the ledge tumbling the 20 feet to the floor of the house courtyard dineen went down right behind dropping fast and enacting his levitation only at the very end to ease his landing the other drow rolling to absorb some of the damage came up shakily and gingerly on a wounded leg without his balance deneen overwhelmed him hitting him with a series of sudden and brutal stabs and slashes the davier warrior fought well he blocked almost half of dinin's strikes as he fell over dead several sudden flashes to the left turned in about in time to see the main gate of how devere swinging inward smoking and sparking from a series of diwarden lightning bolts and then bursting into its own explosions fireballs lightning bolts and even an ice storm as the deveer glyphs and wards went off the magical barrage amused him in because none of it made a sound the dawarden priestesses had performed well other doerden soldiers came down beside the noble second boy goblins and bug bears rushed into the breached gate and kept charging across the compound so fast and so silently had the initial assault come that the main de vere forces hadn't even yet risen to oppose the attack that was critical to ninu as his confidence in their success began to soar for house de vere could put many more fighters on the field than house the worden could muster and this was severe's home turf with their noble priestesses and matron on the grounds dunin flashed for his forces to keep pressing fast and hard to not let them breathe do not let them form any defense his fingers signed to those around him who quickly echoed the message along the line still danine knew it would not be enough not nearly come on he mowed feudally at the silence again heartbeat seemed like ours finally wonderfully he felt the reverberations of some powerful magic so powerful that it made the hair on his arms and neck stand up and left his skin tingling in its passing wake he glanced down the line to his fellow warriors who looked confused then to the one priestess who had come over the wall with the battle group it was shaking so hard her mouth hanging open tears flowing from her eyes that dinin thought she might simply fall over tears of divine joy didn't understood this was the birth magic his sisters had been whispering about he realized though he really didn't even know what that might mean somehow it seemed vicious malice had utilized and transformed the pain and emotions of childbirth into the weight of the ritualistic spell conjured about that unholy table of love a warrior looked to the compound before him almost expecting it to crumble to dust yet nothing seemed to happen at least not to him he had to trust so he called upon his warriors they charged the main houses bug bears and goblins for the main doors able dark elves levitating to balconies and dropping ropes for their companions the doors burst open and deveer defenders mostly goblin kin charged out to meet the invaders and in an eye blink the front of the doerden line became a tumble of swords and axes falling bodies and falling limbs then in grinned as he watched the battle for the defenders seemed sluggish indeed their every effort being more than matched by the attackers alfayne's group arrived at the shattered gate and magic reigned in to strengthen the attack fire and lightning blasting over the joined combatants and stretching back to the house melting to veer fodder and more than a few of the doerden's slave warriors as well soon after dining grinned again when he saw light shining from the narrow windows of the higher chambers sachnafein had penetrated those rooms he knew using light bulbs to confuse his enemies ah the beauty dinin whispered and now he heard his voice for he was out of the silence he waved his drow warriors on and together they charged into house de vere some time later his blade dripping with severe blood half his brigade wounds at her dead dinin came upon his brother in a lower hall of one of the lesser stalagmite pillars of house de vere it's near its end he told malthane risen is winning through to the top and it is believed that zach nefan's dark work has been completed appearing so animated that he seemed silly to dinin now thane nodded and replied two score of house severe soldiers have already turned allegiance to us they see the end one house serves them as well as another and in the eyes of commoners no house is worth dying for our task will soon be finished tiny noted the movements about him and his brother few soldiers were in the area all pressing to other levels and corridors he focused on nalthane looking for any signs that his brother was about to begin a treacherous spell too quickly for anyone to take note now thane said and an infound irony in that now dwarden dereman is the ninth house of men's oberon's on and de vere be damned look out deneen cried suddenly peering over nalthane's shoulder now feign spun at the expected threat and demean struck and struck true his fine sword slipping through nalthane's spine too quickly for anyone to take note whispered in the new elder boy of house the warden name the child high priestess prisa demanded her fingers rolling on the hilt of the ceremonial dagger its tip hovering above the chest of the newborn her half brother who had been laying on the back of the spider idol dressed the exhausted matron mother answered the child's name is driss breezer began her sacred chant formally naming the babe before giving it to lolf but neither maya the youngest of the dewordan daughters nor virna heard her both reaching out to connect with their brothers alfine and dineen must know the child's name before it was sacrificed but the whole of the family could partake in the great gift of the spider queen dress theona heard to nin respond to her magical message and she felt a strong emotive surge from him surprisingly so maya heard nothing from nalphane and knew that her magical message had not reached him their preparations had been careful and exquisite the bonding tight between them but yet nothing there could be only one explanation for that wait maya yelled drawing horrified looks from both brisa and malice now thane is dead the baby is no longer the third living son as the discussion commenced between maya and briza who still seemed eager to kill the newborn virena barely heard it her focus locked on maya her thoughts still on deneen's strange reaction perhaps nalthane had been killed by a de vere but virna had her doubts stay your hand matron malice commanded ending the argument between maya and breeza lolf is content our victory is one welcome then your brother the newest member of house to urden my full brother virna thought but certainly did not say in truth she wasn't even sure that zachofane was her father she'd heard many rumors but had never received any confirmation still she was grinning now anxious to see her new brother drizzed grow chapter five hopes fears vulnerabilities he was perhaps the first perhaps the only person within sorcerer who knew that house de vere had fallen thanks to a break in the earth associate he happened to run into when he was taking the faceless one's chamber pot out for dumping happened to assange passed that thought through his lips a few times knowing that it was no coincidence charlaxal wanted him to know of the development he was never surer of that than when he returned to his duties in his older brother's chambers an altender arrived to answer a summons from the powerful master massage knew that a matron had been in to see the faceless one recently and that another nobleman had been there earlier that same day so though he was thrown back massage was not really surprised when the faceless one sent a mighty magical blast at alton almost as soon as the older davier brother entered the chamber a bolt that shattered the door and tossed poor alton to the floor it didn't kill alton though and the wounded veer wisely rolled and scrambled and sprinted out of the room down the curving stair beyond clean it up the frustrated faceless one yelled and massaged and galrus swept out of the room in pursuit of his target massage nodded and started sweeping but as soon as galrus was out of sight he moved for the door he paused and rushed to the side to an enchanted item he had long admired then out he went in pursuit following the taunts of the faceless one do not run de vere you only lengthen your torment he heard some glass shatter inside knowing he would have yet more to clean and knowing too that glass and blood was a particularly nasty mess that sound told him exactly where he'd find the two however because he knew this suite of rooms in sorcerer better than anyone alive even galrus the faceless one himself my mirror massage heard gel roost cry confirming his guess first my door and now this my mirror do you know the pains i suffered to acquire such a rare device massage had to fight hard to suppress a laugh why did you not just stand still and let the deed be finished cleanly kellroos demanded his massage came to the side of the room's entrance why would you want to kill me alton desperately pleaded because you broke my mirror massage slapped a hand over his mouth to shield his snort but a grand comeback he thought he peeked in as the drow continued to banter then stepped back and slowly so slowly pulled back the drawstring and locked it when he peered back in he understood that the conversation was about to end with absolute finality who alton cried what house did this or what conspiracy of houses brought down de vere massage paused wanting to know that answer as well ah you should at least be told assassin's brother taunted the poor doomed man i suppose it is your right to know before you join your kin in the realm of death the dramatic pause had both alton and massage leaning forward with anticipation or at least alter was trying to massage noted except that the poor fool was caught in a magical web of sticky filaments not that it mattered but you broke my mirror gel roos howled die stupid stupid boy find your own answers the moment of truth massage knew he lifted the finely crafted likely enchanted two-handed heavy crossbow leveled it and as galrus gyrated gathering the energy of his next killing spell he pulled the trigger dalrus made some deep gurgling croaking sound his back arching arms flying up and wide then he fell face down on the floor twitching and dying nice weapon faceless one massage noted rolling it over in his hand it was obviously magical and the large quarrel that had just cut through galrus's spine was very heavily poisoned although massage was pretty sure that it would have killed the wizard even without that insurance as he set the next quarrel in the weapon the trap to veer babbling and pleading massage carefully considered his next move what would jarl axel do he listened to alton's claims the easiest thing would be to shoot the idiot and thus make it appear as if the student and the master had killed each other in a heated exchange of spells and crossbow bolts but was the easiest thing always the most beneficial what would charlaxal do zachnafane had been told that virna was possibly his child only long after the girl had come into the world indeed soon after her fifth birthday even then for more than a decade sacnifine had been led to believe that it was merely a fleeting possibility it wasn't until she had gone off to become a priestess of love that malice had told him the truth that he was almost certainly the father of virna the timing was deliberate by that point zach defene knew that the young woman was lost to him particularly since she was going to embrace the spider queen she was becoming that which zach nevane hated most of all still he and verna had subsequently developed the closest relationship that zach neffein knew with any of malice's female children indeed with anyone in all of house thorden other than perhaps janine it was a relative standard however and a very low bar of measurement as he considered it zach figured that his feelings toward virna might stay his hand if he was about to kill her or might not this time though felt different this time zachnophane entered the quiet side chamber to find virna sitting by the cradle knowing that the child in the cradle without doubt was his his son drizzed he asked for that was the name he had been told upon returning from the slaughter at house to veer biernan nodded and moved back inviting the weapon master to move up close she knew zach realized look at his eyes bierna told him as he peered at the babe wrapped in soft furs so striking purple eyes such a rarity among the drow and these were rarer still for the intensity of the coloring almost as if they were backlit shining out from the hollows of drizz stark face verna kept talking but zach wasn't listening he leaned over the cradle and stared taking in the look and the smell of this baby his son a sea of emotions swirled about him different and distinct each rising like a wave threatening to break over him and drown him did this his progeny afford him some measure of immortality was this child lying here before him his son his blood destined to carry on his name and memory long after he had zachnovan gone recently passed his 400th birthday middle aged for a drow although all knew that the back half once a reputation particularly a grand reputation had been formed proved a much more difficult span than the first how many weapon masters or noble-born fighters or even commoners in the braerin wanted to challenge zachnovane to prove their own worth among that number were weapon masters of great skill and strength tan tracked by henry of the first house with a ghent alarmgo of the second house along with too many others who would love to have their names spoken as the warrior who defeated zachnafe every day was a threat of course one lapse could spell the end for him as could one bad decision by the orphan reckless matron malice now zach had a child one he knew about from the beginning one he could help mold one who would carry on when he was gone he couldn't deny his pride his hopes his soaring heart when looking upon this little one then the flip side of that spinning sparkling coin hit him quite unexpectedly and quite forcibly zachnovane took a deep breath to steady himself and had to brace himself on the side of the cradle for several heartbeats what would happen to him if this child this beautiful little creature named drist was taken from him what pain might he know of his child like so many in the city particularly those with ambitious matrons found the wrong end of a spear zach glanced back at virna silently chastising himself for never considering such a thing regarding her he didn't hate her the way he hated her sisters or her mother but he had never been very close to her he had never been given the chance now she was a priestess of loaf and it disgusted him loth disgusted him the way the goddess played her people against each other disgusted him the sexism of drow society disgusted him the brutality of the women who raised drow children disgusted him all of that was almost without exception even among the matrons who put men into positions of power like house barris and alarmgo known for its male warriors and house or lauren whose powerful wizards were mostly male those matrons didn't value men more highly he believed now they simply used what they had for their own craven ambitions it was all because of love and virena perhaps his daughter had given herself to love how was she destined to train drizz this son of zach nephine to be another subservient pawn in the grand scheme of the lady of chaos zach nefan wondered if there were other drow enclaves somewhere in the wide underdark perhaps in the wider world above where the corrupting influences of the spider queen were not ever present how he wished he could find such a place and spirit drizzed off to there but not verna he thought and the notion unsettled him no she was likely too far gone too corrupted zach realized he was wearing all his myriad emotions on his face by virena's puzzled stare what is it she asked her eyes roaming his face studying him carefully there were so many things zach wanted to say to her right then regrets anger apologies all of it wanted to come spouting forth but he couldn't sort where any of it fit especially in this moment with his new son looking back at him a child that had escaped death only by good fortune and the timing of a few heartbeats from what he had been told it is nothing zach nefane replied i only hope that this child will grow up to exceed nalthane for the glory of matron malice and house tillerton we all hope that ernest said and she added with a sly grin reminding zach nevane of the parentage involved and we all expect that matron malice most of all much will be asked of this second boy saknaphane tried not to wince at that for he understood all too well what such expectations might entail brilliant jarl axel said quite unexpectedly making the mage sitting across from him glance up a look of surprise on his face as much as that melted face could appear surprised charlaxal thought the young man over by the door had a much stronger reaction rolling back on his heels eyes going wide charlaxal made a mental note to keep a close eye on that one what do you mean the mage quietly asked i did only as i was told you were told to take the place of galrus hanette charlax last with sarcastic surprise he eyed the young man over by the doorway again and added your brother i believe i you speak with the voice of a fool the mage retorted a reckless fool if you think i fear alt and de vere then you are mistaken charlaxor shrugged and chortled i did not fear gel ruse hanette so why would i fear you the faceless one's eyes rolled in their near skinless sockets to regard the young apprentice who slyly stepped back out of the room but then returned a moment later at the end of a quartet of long swords two wielded by each of the break in the earth who had quietly and secretly entered the faceless one suite in sorcerer the faceless one sucked in his breath which made a whistling noise through the many holes in his mouth and throat before you act either of you consider that no one may enter sorcerer without the knowledge and permission of archmage grumph jarlaxel warned but be at ease charlaxal added leaning back comfortably in his seat he does not know or if grump does know he doesn't care i am not accusing you alton de vere nor judging you in any negative way indeed i above all others tend to salute such resiliency and cleverness and yes i do know what galrus had planned for you on the night of the fall of house de vere like archmage gromp i do not care for any of that i care only of that which is now not what was perhaps you would do well to understand that which was determines that which is said the new faceless one formerly alton de vere what obviously burned off his own face after disposing of gel ruse hanette's he sat up straighter trying desperately charlaxel knew to hold on to some level of danger and mystique he was trying to command the situation something charlaxa found quite amusing and you think it all resourcefulness or cleverness or simply chance charlaxal asked you do not think that matron mother bayenry knows of and allowed the death of the old wretch poor young man there are so many parts of the world of which you do not know but i warn you to know this one thing above all always you do well to stay in the favor of matron mother bay henry as do you alton half growled half wheezed back at him always i am no fool came the easy reply yet you come here and threaten me of course not i come here to advise you and advise you wisely and so i will again do not let your anger move you to rash action house de vere is dead alton lives he glanced at the other and added and massage lives the city of spiders goes along with that charlaxal tipped his wide brimmed hat in rose motioning to his minions and following them out of the room but not without pausing to cast a smile and a nod of admiration in the direction of young massage hanette one designed to let the young man and the mage seated at the table know that he charlaxell knew much more about what had happened than he should so many drow had found similar surprises regarding jarl axel over this secret or that knowledge was power particularly in menzo berenson charlaxal was undeniably powerful and growing more so all the time chapter six simply by his presence step was lighter than usual that day in the second month of dale reckoning 1304 as he made his way through house the worden he hadn't been inside the main chambers in many days as malice had been keeping him busy with this task or that it had surprised him how much being away had made him mistressed oh how zach had rushed through those last tasks thrown at him including traveling to the island of donegarden to select a proper rothe for a house celebration meal and going to iraq tinoleth to deliver a long paper prepared by maya dewerden explaining the names and preferences food drink sexual and execution of the more common handmaidens lolth had been sending to menzo baronson to answer the calls of high priestesses of late zach neffen had been as surprised by this task as the priestess who had opened the door of eric tinolith a startlement that had fast dissolved into a profound scowl men were not very welcomed at eric tinolith though a handful of matrons sometimes used men as couriers to the school just to show that they were important enough to thumb their noses at the unspoken rules sacnifene had spent a long two hours inside eric tinolith snake-headed scourges writhing all about him angry glares from every priestess who saw him his reputation preceded him all in this school knew that the weapon master of house the worden seemed to take special enjoyment in killing priestesses high priestesses even matrons yes malice had sent him there to dare someone anyone to strike at him he was her bait her proof that she was too important to anger he didn't much like being used as such of course but as soon as he was dismissed by sosum to be henry one of the more powerful mistresses of eric tinoleth he had sprinted from the place and left behind any ill feelings before his foot touched the cobblestones outside the spider-shaped structure's front door then he had collected the house the word and commoner sitting outside on the steps of tear brash and together they had run with all speed to the cavern's main exit where zach presented his exit pass to the guards out into the underdark they went silent as death swift as a descending sword going to fetch dining with all speed leaving the commoner as dineen's replacement zachnophane had been briefed on the route of dinin's patrol group and knew these nearby caverns quite well still it took them three full days to find the patrol and it would take two more to get back to menzo berenson's gate zachnovane pushed him in to make it back in a day and a half answering every complaint from the elder boy with a scowl that broke no debate when dinin at last came to sort out the reason for the rush he actually laughed it's acnephane trauman don't celebrate birthdays he reminded he is a boy not a man he is not a girl he does not matter that remark had zach nevane spinning about to face the elder boy anger flashing in his red eyes would you care to say that again zach asked in a low even voice do you deny it he matters to me deneen paused and wisely nodded and when zach nevane turned around muttered wood that any of the rest of us had that retort stopped zachnophane in his tracks for a moment he felt regret guilt but only for a moment only until he considered the source a clear reminder that this one was not being genuine but this one was never genuine in this instance dinin was trying to gain some minor advantage the ploy showed zach just how threatened aneen must feel by his younger brother aladdin would not even get past his seventh birthday i have trained you to the best of my abilities he replied not bothering to look back if you are still inadequate that is because of your own limitations not mine or perhaps because of the breeding deneen offered and now zach did stop and spin about once more that is the incitement of this rush is it not tomorrow is drizz seventh birthday why do you even remember it if it is not important because the other celebration is important and will be mentioned by matron malice for that is also the seventh anniversary of my ascension to elder boy of house thou arten sachnathane had to nod that anniversary not drizzt's birthday was why he had been sent out to personally select a roth a cow for the family meal not the nin's ascension of course but because this was the anniversary of house de warden's move to become the ninth house of menzo berenson a most fortunate coincidence you will agree danine asked zach nefane shrugged as if it did not matter but his nonchalance wasn't buying him anything he understood from deneen's grin i hurry because we must be there and be presentable in time for the celebration he said finally the least of the three events no doubt the unending sarcasm of this one yet zachnafine couldn't argue with any of dinin's reasoning and he found that he didn't want to so he merely laughed and shrugged again you are observant he said your mind is keen your thoughts ever forward matron malice is fortunate to have you as her elder boy she knows it too danine seemed caught off guard by that of course he was when had zach fane ever complimented him you think i care nothing for you but that is not true zach nevane told him and with some sincerity you're in my charge i am trusted to prepare you to ever prepare you along with every other warrior of house to worden not nearly to the same level true enough but it is out of fear of matron malice not love of elder boy dinin perhaps a bit sacrifine admitted but i am not your enemy i have never been your enemy and unless you give me reason i will never be your enemy i am the one who dismisses the whispers elderboy zachnophane played those last two lines over in his head now as he trotted through house to worden he had accomplished much in those tunnels beside dinin it gained a measure of the elder boy's trust perhaps but more than that those last two lines had left deneen no room to wriggle because the whispers was a reference that had struck dineen profoundly sacnife knew the truth of now feign's demise and deneen needed zach neffen to keep dismissing the rumors of that truth yes zachnophane didn't have to worry that nene might look for advantage at drizz's expense so he had properly relayed his message to dineen and now he was back in house toward nearing the chapel nearing his son happy for the first time in days then he heard the whimper then the growl a young boy's grown between tightly clenched teeth zachnophane peeked in and he sucked in his breath when he saw drizzed the boy sat on the side of the room on the floor stripped to the waist and with his left hand reaching back over his right shoulder fingers gingerly touching a new wound there the two punctures of a viper's strike dots of blood visible that wasn't all this new wound was surrounded by scars all too familiar to zach nefane and all males and men's oberyn's on scars made by the fangs of the vipers when the priest is struck with her scourge then dragged it along the victim's back this latest strike showed no trails of the dragging fangs but the one beside it surely did it is not so bad he heard virena say as he moved to the door of the chapel only silas bit you and her bite is more pain than damage then her tone changed rapidly quit looking at me birna demanded and lifted her scourge threateningly do you want more why came the boy's answer one full of innocence and pain and confusion zachnovane noted the movement as virna rocked back on her heels you must learn idiot child she said you must learn your place and hone your abilities you can do well for a mere boy a mere man in this city but if you do not learn your place if you do not hold it strong in your heart then know that you will suffer a most cruel fate like being whipped by those wicked vipers drist asked and zach nefane's eyes widened his heart caught somewhere between swelling pride and a terrible fear that drizzed would meet a swift end if he could not learn to curb his own venom fearness snorted hardly you cannot imagine the pleasure the matron will take in tormenting you or the end result of her torture if you are lucky you will die do all women take pleasure in such pain the question came from a place of innocence zach understood as did virna apparently for instead of lifting her whip she fell farther back upon her heels if i don't teach you you will be horribly punished she said at length better me than another zach believed it yet heard mumblings about and from virna about her wean mother status overseeing the growth of drizzt she would likely have become a high priestess by now if her studies hadn't been interrupted by the unexpected survival of this child zach snuck in for a better view his grimace deepened when those scars came more clearly into view his boy's back had been truly dug but not by virna zachnophane realized for the wound showed several parallel sets of scars fearne wasn't yet a high priestess that she carried a snakeheaded scourge at all was unusual hers had only two writhing snakes the one that had made the marks on drizzed had many more zachnovane nodded recognizing the mark of a certain werden his hand went to his sword pommel murdering his red eyes he took a deep breath he earned it i trust zach said lightly standing straight and walking past the pews openly as if he hadn't been trying to sneak in or conceal himself at all verna clearly uneasy jumped at the sound of his voice she spun on zach to feign her expression roiling through a series of emotions ending with the look of superiority the priestess scowl that zach knew so well a look that seemed to say of course trist had earned it if for no other reason than his gender she couldn't hold it though and zack nefane silently hoped that was because of her lack of conviction as far as he could tell in the seven years verna had been tutoring drizz as his ween mother she had been far less cruel than most others he had known in such a role his mind wanders fairness said to zach and scolded dressed at the same time turning her disapproving scowl upon him she looked up to a statue said in the wall above the boy he can reach it i've seen him float up there to polish the whole of it in one levitation but his thoughts are elsewhere always elsewhere i polished it yesterday drizz complained and verna's eyes and nostrils flared and you will polish it again and now zach nevane said before she could scold him it is important this is your place the reward is tomorrow young durden but the punishment is immediate verna warned one of the snakes on her scourge hissing the other slithering up and around her arm sighing drizz gathered up his shirt beginning his levitation before he had even pulled it over his head enacting the driamera so fully with his own innate magical abilities that he didn't even need to wait to touch the house emblem pinned to the garment as he floated up zach turned to verna with a smile said in a sing-song manner an old drow saying usually reserved for girls this one seems to need less of the holy lash and more of the cake nostrils flared again he had gone too far perhaps zachnovane understood and he quickly dismissed himself and moved away not wanting to make things any worse for drizz certainly he went to his own chambers to change from his trail-weathered clothes then to matron malice's palatial suite to announce his return he was surprised when the female guards led him into the private chambers to find most of the house nobles there beside malice brisa maya patron risen dinin sachnafein gauged the mood quickly and it was not one expected on the eve of a grand celebration almost as soon as he was announced by the guards who then departed priestess verna entered the room the timing zach suspected was not coincidental i have done all the tasks you assigned me matron zachnovane said with a bow not secretly enough the woman replied drawing a curious look from zach but malice hadn't mentioned any secrecy to him when she had sent him forth indeed how might one be secret when procuring special rafee from the tenders on the island how might one be secret when going out among a drought patrol and replacing a noble warrior with a house commoner how might one be secret to the other houses of men's oberenson when delivering an essay to eric tinolith every major house in the city every middling house in the city kept eyes on that structure above all others there is too much whispering matron malice announced standing dramatically and waving her arm out to encompass all the nobles in the room there will be no celebration tomorrow no bell boca hall that brought a series of groans and murmurs from the others one that seemed a bit too practiced to zach nefane beside him beerus shifted uncomfortably and she wilted beneath his gaze when he more carefully regarded her we cannot have the ruling council see us celebrating on the anniversary of house de vere's demise matron malice went on there is too much whispering about complicity at this time perhaps signaling too much whispering among members of this very house zach noted that her gaze kept lingering on him as she spoke and it was all he could do to suppress a laugh at the ridiculousness of it all everyone in menzo barons on knew what had happened to house de vere everyone but then zach realized that she wasn't talking about whispers regarding house de vere's fall no she was playing one of her games one aimed at him she turned to her eldest daughter the ever vicious breezer and nodded he is still in the chapel brisa asked moving swiftly for the door hand falling to the handle of her six-headed scourge firing him uttered an affirmation what did you do zachnovane quietly demanded a virna what did you do matron malice corrected him sharply what did you dare to do i did nothing a flummoxed zack replied the boy will be given to you for training when it is time malice said to him until then he is not your matter not your student none of your business the breaking of a child is the domain of the wean mother alone except for others i sometimes call into play as she finished the room's door shut hard breezy departing saknofane lowered his head both to appear humble and to hide his building rage this wasn't any training technique for drizz he knew even though his son was about to be whipped severely no this was malice training him reminding him after all that he was just a man a very small man in a matriarchal world charlaxa was stopped in his tracks when he went into the using my conad that same night he had just returned from a private and secret meeting with mistress so sumptu with the topic of house de worden and an unexpected visit from zach nevane who was known to the bayenri's as an old associate of jarlaxel had come up thus he was still thinking of his old friend when he returned to his tavern only to find none other than zach nefane dewerden sitting there at his old corner table along the back wall garlaxo closed his uncovered eye and stared at the weapon master through the magic of his eye patch hardly believing that his friend we had not seen in several years was sitting at his old table hunched over his drink looking so much like the same zach nefan simfray would first come into this place the mercenary leader moved to the bar and collected a drink of his own then waved off on important questions from his minions and made his way directly to zach the fans table dropping into a seat across from the weapon master as comfortably as he might slip on his old shoes two old times he said lifting his glass in toast zachnovane stared at him cautiously for just a moment then nodded and lifted his glass clinking it against jarl axel's i am quite pleased dare i say honored that you have returned to my most humble establishment charlaxal said you can say it but i won't believe it zach nevane answered bringing a wide grin to joel axel's face you see right through me alas like a skinny gelatinous cube this time zach led the toast yet you remain as opaque as black pudding to me charlaxal said as they clinked glasses again no one who has ever known jarl axel would believe such a thing but that is the charm of your lies everyone knows you're lying but most spend too much time trying to find a purpose in the falsehoods i know you better than that charles axel i know that the charm is the point nothing more usually and you can tell the difference and discern those times when there is more of course i have heard such things before from who no one who lived long enough for you to know them or who died honorably enough for me to tell you about them sacnifine considered that for just a moment then shrugged and took another drink it is good to see you again jarl axel said after a few moments moments during which zach nevane's eyes drifted to the side absently something was bothering him i need your help zack said turning his gaze intensely upon the mercenary leader charlaxle didn't reply i know zack said i have avoided you for years and here i am coming to you when my own situation demands it of me i understand you are my friend jarl axel interrupted there are not many who i can proclaim possess that label if you need my help and did not come to me then i would be offended nodded get me out of here out of the city i need you to get me out of the city in hiding do you plan to run away from enzo barons on no no nothing like that i would just leave now but not forever for the first time i have a more compelling reason and my own weakness to stay the second boy jarl axel reasoned and zacnafain nodded and why leave the mercenary leader asked for him the second boy my son drizzed zach explained malice uses matron malice charlaxal sternly corrected and when zack froze in a surprise stare charlaxxel couldn't hold the joke and gave a laugh do tell my friend what is that vile witch doing now she uses drizz to punish me and control me by punishing him most severely zack explained there is little i can do to help him in the next few years i can barely get near to him and when i do malice often shows me just how foolish i was to interfere with her designs so you would leave the child to malice for the sake of the child as foolish as that sounds i cannot do anything but leave the child to malice and in those moments of weakness when i think otherwise i am fast reminded at tris expense it is no small thing that you ask charla axel said after considering zach's request for a short while malice will not easily let you go and woe to drizzed i fear if you just run out nay i cannot just run out i want you to arrange it and in a manner where malice cannot refuse charla axel sat back and rubbed his face he had only one extra menzo bearings on mission on his docket and that involved a very complicated and dangerous situation one that could blow back badly on a house associated with anyone involved on bregandia's side otherwise this particular mission would fit sachnafen's wishes perfectly what do you know of house jar laxa last hunsren zack asked with obvious surprise the stone heads i was just on donnygarden securing a rothe from a daughter of househundren a minor house yes when no one would mention except for their stewardship of the fields and cattle of donnygarden not so minor and that perception will change charlaxxel assured him they control most of the city's farms but they're weak in the city yes but they have tendrils ones that must be tended and occasionally clipped understand they are in the favor of love and more than that in the favor of the eight houses of the ruling council all eight even oblodra this sounds like an assassination thaknowfane said you asked me to kill someone in exchange for your actions to get me out of the city well if it is a priestess of wealth i agree would that it were that easy gerald axel replied now this will involve much more than that both in danger and in cleverness i hesitate because i am neither dangerous nor clever zachnophane asked with a snort oh you are both perhaps more than almost any person i have ever known who was not born to great power but there are implications here beyond you implications to house to worden unless we are very careful we are always very careful i fear that i may have to recount a story about the two of us running across the webbing balconies of chad nassar there were three of us zach nefane reminded and jarl axel winced at the reference to arathis hewn who had once been the mercenary leader's closest ally and principal advisor in that too zach continued i was careful and clever and very dangerous mortally so indeed i'm still working on things there is much for me to consider and much ground work to be laid charlaxxel explained when can you return to me it will be ten days at least i expect before i can again sneak out from house to worden good i will need that time and perhaps more to properly sort through this possibility and if it is not possible then i will find another way to help you remove yourself from enzo barons on for an extended respite jarl axel promised zach nefan nodded then finished his drink with one great gulp and rose from his seat with only a slight nod to his old friend the weapon master left the tavern for house tower you heard jar lacks a last priestess stamney who came up to the table as soon as zachnophane was gone only the end you'll think to involve zachnophane in our dealings with house hundred he is closely associated with a prominent house she warned you could well start a war i always profit in war jarl axel glibly replied how great your prophet if zach nothing is killed dabney asked how great your guilt if he is not but his child is not so great jarl axel admitted and that is why we must be clever can you tell me that you would be distressed to have zach nevane by your side again when you venture into the wilds of the underdark dabney's answer came as a smile once she let linger for several heartbeats before asking you think matron malice will let him go that is the easy part charlaxal replied what may happen when he is gone is far more challenging hearing his own words as he spoke them sent the mercenary leaning back in contemplation did he really want to go this far this early in the solidification of breaking the earth as a powerful force in menzo barons on by including zack he was indeed risking inciting a house war and one that could be traced back to him worse jarl axel knew well that if things went badly out in the tunnels of the underdark it was very lucky his entire expeditionary team would be obliterated by the hundreds that would include zach no matter his skill was it a chance charlaxa was willing to take the passing of the days was interminable for zachaine as he went about his duties in house towerden as far as he knew matron malice hadn't learned of his secret venture out to the stench streets to visit jarl axel or at least she hadn't punished drist for it and had said nothing to zack now the weapon master spent his time almost exclusively on the first level the commoner level of house though work working tirelessly with the house guards in coordinating their watches and perfecting their fighting formations he only floated up to the second floor on occasional nights and only then when malice summoned him to her bed he didn't want to do anything to incur the matron's wrath at that time now that she had a way to truly wound him the vulnerability yes that zachofan could never have imagined such a feeling of helplessness and profound emotional pain he thought of the many hours he had spent with the babe in those first days after the fall of house devere of the bond he'd formed with drizzed now he suspected those visits too had been granted by malice for exactly this end even though her own heart was blackened by the shadow of lady love she understood the vulnerability of parenthood she considered it a weakness no doubt and she had likely suspected all along that zachmathane was possessed of such weakness and she was correct zach understood that so clearly now for the first time in his life he was terrified of her for the first time he knew that she could truly break him always she could murder him torture him even turn him into a driver stubborn zachofane could accept those risks but now now malice could do all that to zach's child she could break him he was working with a score of warriors out at the lizard stable in the far back end of the first level when the courier rushed in anxious and out of breath from hustling zachnophane weapon master she gasped when she saw zach every step she took in her run to zach thumped in his heart as if someone were beating it with a drumstick the young woman skidded to an abrupt stop nearly crashing into him despite her exceptional drow agility and thrust the parchment out at him to the throne room with you at once by order of matron malice she blurted i am in the middle of at once the woman yelled at him i am to accept no excuse by order of matron malice there is no excuse at once zach pulled the parchment from her hand reading it as he departed then throwing it aside when he saw that it was nothing more than a sign no from malice telling him to appear at once without a hint of the reason he feared he knew the reason he feared for drizzed he tried very hard to keep his stride solid and assured as he crossed the room toward the dais where malice sat flanked by her three daughters he took some comfort in the fact that not one of them not even breeza seemed happy at that moment as they surely would have been particularly breeza if there was a brutal punishment soon to come he focused on virna for the last few strides but her expression was impassive almost bored you have been rarely seen of late malice said to him as he moved before the stairs to the throne and bowed appropriately i have not left the house you have spent little time among the nobles we have not been to war in seven years zach explained i fear that those less devout among us have lost their way in any fighting beyond singular combat these are lessons that must be renewed and so i yes yes yes malice dismissed the notion i am sure that we will be well served by your efforts but you are the weapon master and your duties are far beyond moving the pawns into formation i am available to the elder boy or to any of the nobles if they wish private training enough with your talk of training you and civic fool matron malice scolded you're one of the prime faces of house though urden your most important role is to please me at my whim beyond that you are to present to men's oberon's on at large and not just to those within the strength of our house you would have me go out into the city not to the stench streets if that is what you are hinting the matron was quick to reply no but there are other opportunities that arise from time to time that i expect you to embrace and so to shine brilliantly upon the ninth house of menzo baranson at your service always great matron malice he said with another bow such an opportunity has been offered to us this day malice explained matron by henry has sent a note to me of an expedition departing the city very soon aiming at sacking a fledgling city of filthy's first nebula we have gnomes to conquer and i expect your personal victories to exceed any of the others of course matron malice zack replied keeping his head bowed for he was trying to work through this news was this charlaxal's expedition under cover or was there really a deep known ban nearby that needed to be conquered arrive at the north gate when narbendel's light has climbed the height of a single woman report to she paused and read the name on a parchment she held report to city scout beniago kurth of the first house who will lead the group sacnifying quietly breathed a huge sigh of relief beniago kurth was indeed a nobleman of that most powerful house but he was also one of the most important diplomats and scouts in jarl break in the earth zachnophane had found his escape part two entrenchment and enlightenment i am caught off balance and in a way more painful than any disadvantage i've ever known even in combat unlike in combat i fear that the recovery will prove much more difficult and will take me many 10 days or months or years or lifetimes if i can ever find my way through to a place of acceptance with my son and those he considers his dearest friends indeed those he values more than he values me that last thought is not a complaint certainly for these are the friends he has surrounded himself with for the majority of his life the companions who have journeyed beside him on many adventures and stood beside him in many fights legendary battles from what charlaxa has told me so there is no jealousy here nor bitterness about his relationship with these others besides my current predicament is my own fault i know this but admitting it even to myself is painful i hear the words coming out of my mouth reflexive jokes and jabs and it is not until i see the expressions coming back at me and then sometimes the angry words that i realize that i have offended i am nearly 200 years removed from the world of the living perhaps it is the different time but more than that i am in a place the likes of which i never knew in my former life my former life was that of a dark elf a lothian drow i never lived beyond men's oberon's on and spent the entirety of my half millennium there with only in the exceptions of missions all but too exclusively in the underdark and almost all either patrolling the perimeter corridors around the cavern that holds my city home or to other drow cities in the thrall of the spider queen usually cheden assad i saw a few humans a few dozen dwarves and only a handful of elves in that past life and i did not mistreat them and encouraged others as much as i could without forfeiting my life to similarly show mercy i thought that was correct of me it was something to hang a mantle of pride upon how big of zachnovae not to torture or murder a dwarf simply for being a dwarf i did not recognize my own prejudice attributing my quieter honest feelings to the simple matter of that is the way of things it did not even occur to me that in applauding my own kindness there was to an unspoken condescension unspoken but i cannot honestly say unintended for while i recognized the value of the human or dwarf or elf or halfling or gnome as a person and not as a goblinoid monster and while i tried in my brief interactions to judge that non-drow person by her beliefs and what was in her heart by her words or behavior the judgment i expressed was conscious alone it wasn't in my heart whether it was simply my upbringing the community about me the way of things hidden from my determination to prove otherwise the truth was i thought that i as draw was superior i couldn't admit it to myself perhaps i didn't consciously know this truth but i imposed upon those other races limitations of expectation of their abilities physical and mental i see it now see it clearly particularly when confronted with the reality that my son has married a human that she carries within her womb a child both drow and human i recognize within me my own feelings of prejudice but that does not mean they will be easily expunged no i see that truth every time a prod a jab a mock slips past my tongue one diminishing to the many non-drow around me or one somehow designed to remind those few drow around me of the way of things now i know the way of things is the most stubborn and debilitating demon of all zach nefan der worden chapter 7 the year of dwarven kind reborn dale reckoning 1488 the 800 we have a gift for you yikardaria the yokel told matron jindiya milan who had camped with her forces in the destroyed halfling village that had been known as bleeding vines you seem to need it giggled escavidney another of the handmaidens of the spider queen the two could not have been more obvious they had come not in their natural form which resembled a slumping half-melted candle of dripping mud but walking as beautiful drow women fully and unashamedly naked to them so they had explained to jindiya when she had once complained of their distracting presence wearing the mantle of a drow was no more than putting on the costume of an animal so why would they bother with pretty clothes when the form itself was so much more aesthetically pleasing i need it the matron asked skepticism displayed openly on her face the dwarves are in their hole with no way out the halflings are she paused and swept her hand across to invite them to look upon the gutted buildings blaskin has fallen to breven and margasser by all accounts and poured last is gutted i have all but won the north and so swiftly oh but said yakardaria should we tell lady lol that you refuse her great and generous gift escovidney added no of course not shintya blurted where are your demon hordes yikordaria asked down below fighting in the upper levels of the complex the dwarves call gauntlegrim but one that i will soon rename in tribute to the glorious queen of spiders the upper tunnels said escovidney the dwarves are a stubborn foe yekardaria added i have been told by more than one demon lord that a hundred demons are being destroyed for every dwarf falling perhaps more than a hundred shindia malar and shrug the demons can be replenished they open their gates to the abyss and more stream through even many of the same reconstituted lesser fiends that were destroyed the day before but you have fewer major demons now who can perform such portal magic than you had in the beginning of your adventure yikardaria reminded her of course and so i have ordered the major fiends back from the fighting shindia replied it is not an easy command to enforce i admit they do so love killing tell us child what will you do when the first armies of the humans show up to do battle with you here said yikar daria when the lords of waterdeep arrive with their thousands and your demon armies remain underground in mortal battle with the dwarves matron jindia's face tightened and when you recall the demons to fight up here do you think the dwarves will remain in their hole icardaria went on they are not cowardly luskin will luskin will do nothing to aid you here yekardaria insisted the city teeters and will do so for months if not years there remain other forces up there more formidable than those of brethrenton the host tower vindia muttered others said the handmaiden if you speak of jarl axel's mercenaries then go to men's oberenzon and demand that matron mother beyond release him and lash him the yokels both chuckled the world is wide up here matring india said escavidney there are many forces with which you must contend you are vulnerable up here with the demon hordes engaged below but i have the blessing of lolf the retrievers shindi has started to argue one of the constructs failed and was destroyed ikardari interrupted and the blood drained from jindia's face ikardaria stared at her hard letting her know that she was taking the loss of the retriever personally how can that be shindia asked a rare stutter in her voice the other returned to the abyss victorious escovidney added and so dresdoeworden is destroyed and for that you are rewarded your reward is lady lost gift unless you are so certain that it is not needed that you refuse it now matron india verily beamed at the news elated that she would forever be known as the matron who defeated lol's mortal enemy she heard their words however or she quickly replied i accept any gift from the spider queen with gratitude and reference the yokels looked to each other then stepped back from jindia each held her hands far out before her left hand up high right hand lower they touched fingers and began to chant then slowly moved back and apart sweeping their hands as they let go of each other trailing lines of black smoke they shaped that smoke into a tall and wide doorway and moved aside chanting still as the smoke curled inward filling the area inside the formed rectangle their chance grew louder now compelling obedience from within through the gate came a huge spider leg then a second and a large driver stepped forth quickly moving to the side then another and a third after that and on and on a hundred drivers another hundred and more spilling forth moving around into the predetermined formations filling the whole of the ruined halfling town and more and the gate pushed out the milani drow and the dryder escorts they had brought from enzo barons on what is this made transgender breathe barely able to get sound past her quivering lips lolf does not dismiss the drivers from her service when they are killed said yikardaria behold an army of long dead drivers the heretical drow of millennia lost now they are yours a greater army still jindia fumbled for words that would not come hundreds of dreiders at her beck and coal she had hoped to come forth and fulfill her destiny to destroy the heretics a goal that seemed at least half completed at this point but now this new power given to her what else might she accomplish the demon army is not permanent icardaria said as if reading her mind no demonic army ever is on the material plane when they are gone the north will be captured but not by you not for long no your allies here will hold luskin in port last and all the lands of the northern sword coast but your place is not here gontogram said jindiya think bigger escovidney replied matron zerath now of house to work and we'll be happy to strike out and retake the great complex and the magical forge for the children of love as grant by henry will be reigned in by the dominance of your allies in luskin to choose a side and he will undoubtedly choose you menzo baron's on may tringindia breathe i am the destroyer of the prime heretic and my armies will return zactofane to his grave forthwith even house bayenry will bow before me when i return to menzo barons on with his army and my back the oaklands looked at each other and smiled and stepped through their gate and were gone the smoky portal diminishing behind them when the yokels disappeared chari hunzrin the first priestess of the powerful drow house that had allied with house milan moved up tentatively to stand beside matring india what was that conversation she asked in a halting tone from where and how have these dryers come dry's dewerden is destroyed chari sucked in her breath but still is this this shindia replied with a chuckle this my dear high priestess chari is proof that your matron chose wisely in a lying with house milan this high priestess chari is victory the word hung in the air for a few moments and engineer like the sound so she said it again victory mcqueen buy me yellow beard it's good to see you well said skitted a thunderclap wide belt a burly dwarf with a beard so badly captured by an ill-attempted braiding that had more resembled a clue of worms thrown across a floor than anything that should be sitting on a living creature's face and to see you as well skid thunderclap queen malabritch's battle hammer replied the dwarf who had given himself that middle name and very much preferred others use it beamed a gap-toothed smile at the lovely queen of gontelgrim i just think that has even up in the fight in front i've been taking me shara hits as of all up there she answered there seen so many demon critters all together nerd not close and they keep coming skittiday murmured nodding and down here at the low gate mallet britches asked quiet me queen you seen him any of them not a stinking drow me queen alabritches stepped through the large iron door then moved to the parapet beside skidaday staring out over the half wall and down the long corridor we know they'd be out there aimee queen i seen him in the crystal ball before king bruner sent me down here but nothing the dwarf shook his head what's saggy that we go out looking mcqueen get your boys together 20 your best and let's go have a look skittaday's eyes widened at that and he seemed as if he were trying and failing to stop his head from shaking come on then bella british has told him with a wink yourself can stay if you're not up for it never that me queen you're hesitating the orders put me here just here with a door to shut the seal gontelgrim your orders from king bruner of course i amy queen and who am i army queen i mean you're me queen one of me queens iib so get your best 20. we're going out yes me queen skittiday replied with great enthusiasm and he bounded back through the open portal rushing past the side rooms shouting for his boys telling them to stand too male britches kept staring down the long hallway one filled with magical light spells beyond her vision she wasn't surprised that skiddaddy and the others hadn't seen anything at this gate but the drow were out there and they were plotting and planning he saw the trowel from afar not daring to get close despite his incorporeal gaseous form hundreds of them milled about the underdark corridors below gontelgrim setting up their chapels and barracks in natural chambers sending patrols out every which way among their ranks were many wizards and even more priestesses he knew for thibaldorf print was no stranger to the emblems and ways of the dark elves those he avoided with care as the wizards and priestesses could find him even in this form and likely destroy him he returned to the lower entry corridor floating high up along the corner where the worked stone wall joined the ceiling just as a troop of dwarves unexpectedly came forth when studied them curiously not beginning to understand why they would leave the defensive position there were just over a score of dwarves hundreds of drow the vampire dwarf grew more concerned indeed when he recognized one in particular malibrishes queen malibrishes it took all point goodmaster to hold himself in that gaseous state to resist the urge to become corporeal before these dwarves it wasn't their reaction he feared but his own for the temptation was stronger now a nagging itch a constant hunger and one that grew nearly overwhelming with a simple glance at the beautiful queen mala britches perhaps i'm strong enough now to make her me love for air he felt his form growing more solid the gas contracting she'll be my own queen bruner's got another silent growl shut out the voices in his head when forced the gaseous cloud to widen once more ah but she'd love me and i'd be given her life forevermore the wispy cloud that was sibeldorf went flew off down the corridor moving far ahead of the dwarven troop far ahead of the temptation of queen mala britches and of all the others for that matter for point now could look upon no reasoning living humanoid without the desire to feed and worse without the desire to dominate to enslave or now even to elevate another several others perhaps into the full undead state of vampirism i can make my own clan plan puente nog clan gut buster and i but what a powerful clan we'd be we'd save gontogram eye and chase these dern drow back to their hole prince slipped through a crack in the floor and materialized in a lower empty corridor he would have been gasping for breath he knew if he still drew breath simply overwhelmed the vampire stalked back and forth along the hallway trying to sort out rational thought from evil inspired fantasy trying to separate conscious desire from the demands of blood and murder that would not let him go he didn't know how long had passed when the first sounds of battle came to his ears with his enhanced hearing queen mala britches he mumbled with alarm before he was conscious of the transformation the gaseous cloud of puente slipped through the ceiling cracks and flew along the upper corridor even in that form he could smell the blood the sweet sweet smell of blood he moved as if on the winds of a hurricane though the air this deep was still through the walls through cracks in the ceiling through some more walls to cut the corners of long bending corridors he found the dwarves engaged with the force of several drow and a host of goblins and bug bears he spotted queen mala britches at once the powerful woman executing a vicious slash with a double bladed axe opening the chest of a charging bug bear stopping that charge is surely as if the creature had run into a stone wall the bug bear flew and the bug bear's blood flew and the ladder seemed to point to be moving slowly every droplet flying distinctly clear to sea too clear to see and the smell flooded into him a droplet even spattered far enough to pass through the gas cloud point could taste it coppery sticky sweet the dwarf went down tripped up by a goblin stabbed by a second with a female drow leaping in to finish the task prince rage overruled his vampiric needs the clouds swooped and thickened and twent landed on his feet right beside the dwarf right before the drow who pulled up in surprise when punched his right fist across hands spiked slamming the goblin that had stabbed the fallen dwarf driving right into the creature's chest it fell back sliding off the bloody spike yelping and gasping its spurting blood as the drow retreated the vampiric battle rager leaped up and back his powerful legs propelling him high into the air above the goblin the one who had initially tripped the dwarf as it lunged forward in an attempt to stab him in the back down crashed puente burying the goblin beneath him although unfortunately atop the fallen dwarf point grabbed the goblin and yanked it aside rolling to his back and pulling it right over him then rolling farther to be back on top there the dwarf began to shake and shudder his entire body twitching and rolling his ridged sharp armor cutting the goblin apart the blood but not goblin blood no point hated the taste of goblin blood but here was dwarf blood right here on the floor before him no his thoughts protested no he screamed and he saw the retreating drow and he focused on her his legs began to pump wildly propelling him forward slipping in the blood tripping over the groaning dwarf he caught his balance by stepping on the stabbed and writhing goblin heavily planting his boot and leaping away the drow's swords came at him in a blur too fast for him to block so he didn't try he just put his head down and bore forward blasting the huge spikes at atop his helm into the torso of the drow then pressed on more driving the lighter and weaker elf backward back back back to slam into the wall when thrashed about like a wolf killing a rabbit he punched a kneed and kicked long after the drow had stopped moving then yanked back extracting his head spike and watched the drow sink to a sitting position against the wall still alive and the smell oh that sweet smell went dove on her and bitter in the neck the sounds of battle receded replaced by the pumping of the drow woman's heart that's all he heard that's all he cared about the blood he drank and drank puente by moridin's beard he heard suddenly sharply and his eyes popped open he felt as if a child had just walked in on him making love but the moment passed equally quickly he spun and looked at the speaker queen malibritch's her face a mask of horror horror revulsion shamed the vampire scanned the room only briefly enough to discern that the dwarves had won though several looked wounded goblins and bug bears littered the room along with this one torn drow dippledorf quent never feared an enemy never feared a fight but now he ran and heard malabritches calling to her charges as he left instructing them to gather up the dark elf woman and get her back to gontelgrim before the curse can take her the curse you are a curse and abomination the vampire fell against a wall needing to brace himself with something tangible else he'd simply collapse he was surprised by the tears that came to his eyes thinking that effect had been lost when he stopped drawing breath me king he whispered trying to remember all those old times beside bruner the good times in mithril hall the hunt together for this place gontelgrim brent's last actions had been in defense of king bruner and always had he been ready and willing to give his life for that wonderful wonderful dwarf now to hear the words of queen mala britches bruner's wife the words which led to an inescapable conclusion was an abomination and for all his willpower all his inner heart and strength all his loyalty to bruner he knew then beyond all doubt curse was stronger he couldn't control it was only a matter of time before he murdered a dwarf and brought it into the undeath beside him the wild dwarf vampire gave a profound feral growl pushed himself off the wall and started his run once more away from the dwarves and toward the drow when he saw their first ranks he thought to crash through to kill as many as he could and keep fighting until a priest is called upon the powers of her wretched demon queen and blasted him into oblivion but no even there he failed when the first alarms were raised the vampire within thibaldorf went would not allow the suicide run the curse within him overruled his determination he became once more a cloud of gas rising up to the ceiling finding a crack and disappearing marin sometime later he became corporeal once more he slumped down onto the floor trying to sort it all out and recited a litany that had become his primary prayer take me home moridin you got me caught here twixed me heart and me hunger and i cannot i cannot it didn't seem like divine guidance to him then but even as he spoke the words thibledorf puente found what seemed to be middle ground he decided to shadow the drow to strike where and when he could do the most damage perhaps to somehow relay tactical information about their movements back to the guardians of gontogrim determined now he became a bat and with those heightened senses the vampire was soon enough back near the vast drought force how many dwarves were killed matron mother quenthal bayenri asked the drow who had come with reports of the skirmish the two young drow women glanced to each other with obvious concern quentil recognized they were surrounded by the greatest matrons of the greatest houses of men's oberenson the al-sharesi were more queens of the city than mere leaders of individual houses and the matron mother herself was addressing them directly we thought we had one killed the taller of the pair began we wounded them all the others seeming suddenly nervous and alarmed quickly interjected the first looked to her and caught on clearly yes matron mother and there were but a few drow there and only sarchblin along with goblins and bug bears even a pathetic battle dwarf can defeat those goblin king a pathetic battle dwarf echoed quentin do you know who wielded the axe that cleaved the head of matron mother evan el bayenri both young women shrank back now completely off balance only sarchlyn asked matron zerath thorton why only warriors where were the wizards and priestesses this was a small scouting party and moving off to the side of the main corridors matron ms barra's arm go answered before the couriers could we must not underestimate these dwarves said matron zerath particularly not now when we must carefully pick our battles and even more carefully make sure that none of them lead to something unfortunate and irreversible let the wizards scout with their magics matron mother quenthal decided risk no drow risk no dwarves and do not let the vicious slaves out there at all they do nothing to bolster our cause in this time and everything to destroy it the two young women glanced at each other again go quentil demanded go and spread my decree and tighten the ranks there will be no skirmishes at all unless i deem otherwise you do not truly think that king bruner battlehammer will parlay with us mess barris asked after the matron mother dismissed the gathering with only the valshiressi and sosam to be henry was considered among that elite group by most of the city remaining they are bloodthirsty beasts little more offered matron bearton fae of house fey branch a notable ally of house bayenry indeed burton's daughter minolen fay was now a high priestess in house bannery and was the wife of gromph and the mother of ivanil quenthal's expected successor to the title of matron mother it was certainly notable to the other val charessi that beerton of all of them had spoken in some contradiction to matron mother quentil quenthal noted it too a reminder that her decisions here could make or break her reign if we must battle our way through the dwarven city then let us be quick about it the ever vicious mess barris armgo said with a rather wicked chuckle we have been down that deadly road before matron zerath countered some of us more than others retorted ms barrus narrowed her eyes at the obvious slight she and her powerful family once the third house of men's oberenson had reclaimed the complex standing in their way now naming it lauren as a satellite city to menzo barons on but then king bruner had arrived with an army of delzoon dwarves and zira's family had been chased away suffering many losses and much humiliation her seat on the ruling council had been saved only by matron mother quentin's rather surprising decision to install the zorlar and survivors as replacements to house the worden with xerath becoming the new incarnation of matron dewerden send forth scouts many scouts matron mother quenthal ordered wizard scouts weaving spells of divination find us other paths to circumvent i'll not put my trust in dwarves of course nor will i throw an army against fortified dwarven defenses at singular gates that have been hardened against an invasion such as our own quenthil waved away all other questions she needed to be alone something was not right here was terribly wrong she knew that within the memories of evanel the eternal the blessing she had been given lay the answers but they eluded her she couldn't put it all together and the result she knew without doubt would be the end of everything they are a diabolical enemy well skilled in the ways of cruel murder matron the first priestess of house milan who had herself once been a matron of a different drow house also there in the vast entry cavern before the walls of gontelgrim was cherry hunsron look at their weapons india continued pointing up with the stalagmite mound to a hollowed-out fortified bombardment emplacement the sideslinger catapult cleverly situated so that it could be retracted and loaded under cover of the stalagmite's thick stone its throwing arm then sweeping out along trenches dug through the mound to deliver devastating missiles to its area of control such via little beasts a bailor told me that four thousand demons were destroyed in taking this cavern cherry said they will be replaced shindia assured her some but many major fiends met their destruction here and so were banished to the abyss for a century they too will be replaced if that is even necessary jindia answered now with a bit of peek in her voice the cavern has fallen has it not the dwarves have been chased back within their walls yes and your mother matron shakti still has not arrived said jindia do you not realize that her absence makes me believe that the alliance of house hanson is not as complete as she insisted cherie cast a nervous glance kirnal's way but the former matron didn't respond and tried to pretend cherry noted that she hadn't even noticed she is trying to bring house feint labar into our conspiracy cherry answered india jindiya's snore cut her short before she could elaborate that dalmatlabar is a fool and a treacherous scalawag shindia said the venom in jindia's voice surprised cheri but the enmity did not india had tried hard to bring matron vadalma to her cause before she had decided to make an attempt at conquering these surface lands and then again later on so cherie had heard after receiving the retrievers from lost handmaidens feient labar was no minor house in men's oberenson ranked behind only bayenri embarrassed and alarmgo now with a disaster that had befallen house solar and hearing gauntlet everyone believed that ranking to be a temporary thing however and there was only one way for house fei and labar to go down they could not begin to challenge either of the top two houses and once matron zereth had fully integrated her powerful family into the remains of house tilwarden it was expected that she would soon enough climb back into that third ranking where she had sat for many years as matron of house or lauren matron india took a deep breath look around you she said sweeping her arm out left and right the other two priestesses followed that gesture though they needn't have to understand the point of jindiya's display the cavern was full of drieders skittering all about the mounds patrolling every inch to ensure the safety of this most important trio of women particularly india who commanded them cherie understood the point completely house feint labar was noted as among the most devout of men zoberans on but matron vidalma had once again rebuffed the conspiracy even though india had proclaimed that loth's blessing was upon this entire expedition she had demons after all she had retrievers retrievers which numbered among the most precious gifts lolth could give to any of her servants and now delivered again by the handmaidens of the spider queen shindia had drivers so many monstrous huge and powerful drivers perhaps matron shakti will convince her matron cherry offered the evidence of lol's favor upon you cannot be missed or understated india just snorted and waved her hand dismissively she knew that she didn't need house fans labar now to reunderstood her army was sufficient in finishing her conquest and the main goal the destruction of drizz d'orton had already been accomplished by one of the retrievers what penalties might matron india exact upon matron vidalma when she returned victorious to menzo berenson the dalma will understand her foolishness and cowardice when faced with lost obvious desires shindia said and chari noted that india had excluded the matron's proper title for the second time when we returned to the city of spiders with all the land from luskin to gontelgrim under my control only then will adalma understand her errand choice perhaps i will grant her another chance to join with me perhaps the elation of conquest will put me in a merciful mood cherry understood the subtext of these boasts well enough on the heels of a great and sweeping victory over the dwarves over breaking the earth's hold on luskin and over the two heretics drizzed and zachnophane shindia meant to openly challenge matron mother bayenri for the prime seat at the table of the ruling council of course she would give matron vidalma a chance to again a lie with her and likely matron mesbaris of the second house would be invited as well because it wasn't likely that matron mother quentin by henry would simply step aside and war with house bayenry was no small matter even with the blessings of love not for the first time first priestess chari hunzarin thought this whole expedition ange india's goals utterly absurd but when she looked around at the hundreds of triders serving matron jindia so obediently she was reminded why her mother had decided to throw in with house milan malfush patron jindia shouted and an enormous driver skidded to a stop her hard legs scraping the stone the powerful abomination turned noted the speaker and charged with all speed to stand before matron india this one had taken control of all the drieders with sheer power even matron jindia's own driders were showing deference to this old being brought back from the dead shindia didn't mind that quite the opposite from for malphus was obedient eagerly so what word from inside the wall shindia demanded the demons are hard pressed malfush replied looking down from on high but with her eyes averted in abject respect it seemed so silly to chari for this one with her huge trident could almost certainly have struck india dead than in there but like a fully broken lizard beneath the rider's crop there was only deference the greater fiends worked tirelessly to gate in more soldiers from their abyssal home alfoose went on and send them straight away into the dwarven tunnels to do battle but they are being killed as fast as they are summoned kirino milan dared to say drawing a sharp look from jindia yes malfoosh confirm but the dwarves are not demons they grow tired and then they make mistakes when a minor fiend is killed it is fast replaced but when a dwarf is killed it is simply dead well stated shindia congratulated the trider her stern gaze never leaving kirnall when matron jindiya allows me to take my lesions inside the wall the dwarven defenses will crumble and they will die more quickly malforce promised you may yet get your wish mighty malfush shindia said i grow impatient this is the last fortress standing between me and my our glorious return to men's oberenson and then the drivers will know battle indeed jerry hunsron thought but wisely did not say chapter 8 purgatory or hell you cannot think to go in there we just exclaimed when dahlia took the reins from him and veered the coach toward a side trail from the main road known as the trade way a side road that seemed to lead to the ruined keep of thornhold down at the seashore a fortress whose wall had just been scaled by a spider the size of a young dragon the halfling couldn't get the reins from her so he leaned forward and grabbed them nearer the team and gave a great tug abruptly stopping the carriage we have to see what that was dalia argued and she reached to move the halflings meddling hands away but then grimaced and dropped the reins altogether clutching her broken arm against her chest and hissing in pain i already know what it was and that's why i have no desire we just started to argue but he saw a sudden look of surprise in dahlia's eyes and stopped then followed her gaze to the south along the trade way behind them where once more the curly-haired little girl who by all appearances seemed a creepy little demon creature if regis had ever seen one was in view floating after them smiling that wicked smile regis thought it curious though but while this little one had the aspects he would expect from a demonic being or an undead specter for some reason he couldn't yet comprehend she wasn't revolting to him still it concerned him more than a little that the child had chased them all the way from water deep from house margasser go just go dahlia cried and regis didn't argue this time snapping the reins urging the team to leap ahead he guided them back onto the main road pushing them to a full gallop as soon as the ground smooth beneath the carriage the world has gone mad dahlia muttered shaking her head tears rolling down her cheeks she looked back not at the floating demon child but into the passenger compartment of the coach where her beloved artemis and tray lay wrapped in a shroud of some unknown material a death shroud she was certain and one that was every so often spitting vicious little wasps now a demon child chasing them and a gigantic spider climbing a castle wall it was all too much for her we just dropped a comforting hand on her leg and slowed the team just a bit for the demon child was not moving swiftly and had already fallen far behind hold help he told her again we have nothing else then we have nothing dalia whispered and regis heard and he couldn't disagree rumble belly the halfling and dahlia heard above the clatter of the rolling coach and the stamp of horse's hooves we just slowed the coach but did not dare stop and turn back in the direction of the call rumble belly he heard again and a dwarf crashed out of the brush at the side of the road a broad fella with black hair and a beard braided and tied with bits of dung after kate bridges breathed leaning back and tugging the reins to hold the team what's he doing out here dalia asked with her regis explained when another figure a drow woman stepped onto the road beside the dwarf they are the ones who got me to water deep we just didn't try to turn the coach around on the narrow road so he held the team steady and let the two trot up to them climb up dahlia told the two before they could even exchange greetings we've no time to tarry up or in eh atherogate asked regis noted that the dwarf was carrying a large sack over one shoulder and sticking out from it was a pommel won the halfling new well for its end was carved into the likeness of a panther of gwenevar before he could say anything about that however he noticed evanel's face crinkle with surprise then settle into curiosity as she stared through the window into the carriage's passenger compartment talia started to say something but regis grabbed her good arm and squeezed bidding her be silent for he saw that evanel was then whispering something as if casting a spell the drow woman's face crinkled again with even greater surprise and apparent disgust what is this she demanded turning to the two on the driver's bench it is contrary trapped within said dahlia dead no dahlia said too sharply and even elenathrogate stared at her and what is it even i'll asked again even more insistently she knew something they did not regis surmised and she didn't look happy about it what she asked again you should ask her we just remarked looking past the drow and down the road nodding his chin to turn ivanelle there came the little demon child floating smiling always smiling we must go dahlia said but even l held up her hand and shook her head ather gate take the cocoon out of the carriage even though instructed be ready to jump in fast if we must flee will not leave him darya shouted down at her but regis quickly begged her to be silent hold trust dalia he said ivana is powerful more than you can imagine i have seen her banish great demons with but a few words even if she thought to protest atherogate did as instructed laying the shrouded body down at the side of the coach yelping as a wasp flew out and bitted him he slapped it flat then pulled the stubborn thing from his face and looked at it curiously i seen a lot and seen a bee but now i'm not knowing what i see he remarked even l glanced over at him body's a bug but face is a people the dwarf said holding up the strange creature he ended with a whoa now and stepped fast up toward the front of the carriage when the strange demon-like little girl floated up to hover before evanel close enough for atherogate to see that her eyes were perfectly white hello the child said sweetly she seemed to study ivanelle more closely then smiled even wider and said hello with much more enthusiasm i know you even elle said oh you will everybody will one day even he'll cast a spell then another and the little girl hardly seemed to mind clearly even more tickled by the beautiful draw woman's apparent confusion you cannot see the truth only because you cannot believe the truth the floating child said how can it be the little girl giggled and shrugged i know you evanelle insisted but it cannot be but it is how has all the world gone matt asked the befuddled drow woman a powerful priestess and powerful wizard who knew as well as any living mortal the workings of magic and of the plains of existence and of things like this little girl things that should not be given form she did this to him dalia said she struggled past regis and jumped down awkwardly cradling her arm she reached back for her powerful staff but regis grabbed the other end and tugged with all his strength i will destroy you all you promised the child i will send you back to hell hell evanelle echoed that is her name that is one name said the little girl heaven torment said ivanelle mentor the girl answered what is this regis demanded but he went silent when he realized that no one was listening to him i said atherogate and he stepped up beside his drow companion to the girl he said punishment reward the little girl giggled there is always another name a balancing name and you are the judge said ivanelle i am the scale the girl corrected judgement evanel said justice the girl retorted perfectly mimicking her intensity evanel started to say something more but paused and conceded the point with a nod and held up her hand to make sure her companions stayed back what is this we just yelled once more i am called sharon at this time the girl said sharon you mean said ivanelle that is one name sometimes given by the people who need to invent names to try to make sense out of that which they cannot understand but then of course so is sharon the boat keeper atherogate muttered you should not be here said evanel dear evanelle i am ever present particularly to those who deny my ever-present voice sharon replied is that not reason enough but like this evanel's hands swept out before her taking in the breath of the floating child what is this form you have been given an unusual circumstance yes perhaps unique sharon shrugged i did not ask for it i did not will it it was there and so she giggled again you took form when demogorgon fell the drow reasoned it is an interesting time that fiend is a great corrupter after all perhaps i wondered what his absence might mean for those who hear my whispers and what the fall of the barrier of the phase risk might mean that too an interesting time even l agreed but it shouldn't interest you that is not your place quite definitely not definitely so it keenly interests me of course and why would it not this is the time of chaos and so these are the times that try the soul most especially what a grand circumstance of revelation not revelation to you evan elle argued how can it be for the crimes of the heart are ever known to you ah but now the criminals can see it themselves she motioned to the cocoon and now i can show them the consequences think back you have been given the gift of memories older than your form this time now it is not so different from how love was given for millennia ago regis noted evanel rocking back on her heels at that strange remark and he found himself surprised when the drow began nodding her head seeming almost as if she didn't want to but could not help herself when love was given form the drau priestess repeated and it was clear to all that she was speaking to herself then to sharon she said in an unusual time can you hear an unusual request eyewitness i do not try you are not judgment sharon didn't respond and for once her smile left her face although regis wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a portent of doom then what is he even hell demanded pointing to the cocooned entreary he is of his own making of course liar dalia accused and she jumped forward and brandished her staff threateningly though the movement had her grimacing in pain you did this to him sharon just looked at her sweetly and dahlia fell silent talia's face began to twist and she began to chew her lip and tears came to her eyes her strong pose melted into shivers and in but a few moments the powerful woman staggered backward gasping for breath and trying to cry out her head shaking in horrified denial did you have to do that evanelle asked would you rather that sharon asked nodding her chin toward the cocoon did you have to do that as well the little girl shrugged give him back even else said i ask this of you give him back in fairness his journey is not yet complete his path had changed absent you who should not be here in this manifestation can artemis and tree not walk the road to the end of his days perhaps to a destination less harsh he has walked longer than any human should a most interesting journey though smiled once more even giggled and conceded the point with a nod do you not see the problem ethan elle asked her you are interfering you should not be here and simply because you are you are passing final judgment on that which is not final sharon's side and shrug and side again you know i speak the truth said ivanelle you have known this truth for a while now from the beginning or are you such that you can force all to be true to themselves except for you that brought a laugh from sharon one that seemed heartfelt bravo clever trau how clever will you be in the end i wonder she smiled inside perhaps it is time for me to leave she agreed and she glanced to the side to the cocoon and issued a sharp puff of breath immediately the cocoon began to dissolve into more stinging wasps no dahlia cried and took a step that way she fell back as a second swarm a rose similar to the first but of a different shade then she fell back some more and atherogate howled and joined her and regis jumped off the far side of the bench seat as the two swarms engaged wasp to wasp biting and stinging fighting each other mutual death and mutual embrace a wild war of tiny creatures so evenly matched that the swarms diminished equally see sharon asked as the last of them dropped to the ground and died there is always another name on the ground artemis and trerry coughed and vomited jerking over to the side before half sitting huddling and shaking dahlia rushed to him as did atherogate it was interesting sharon told ivanelle the little girl began to float back down the south road growing less substantial coming around the back of the carriage regis was shocked to watch ivan l run after her sharon she called conscience conscience the halfling asked his eyes widening as he began to figure it out the girl growing translucent stopped and turned tell me ethan l implored her tell you heaven or hell the drow priestess asked can you tell me for you sharon asked incredulously starkly shocked as if the question itself was so out of bounds that it should never be asked of her we just thought no even i'll clarify for that i know you cannot but for all for all of us for the world and those who inhabit this world this place i ask you who see most clearly of all where does it go which side of the scale will prove the heavier the girl laughed at her tell me even how begged tell yourself and sharon floated away to nothingness regis ran to ivanelle who started suddenly her head jerking her gasp great indeed what the halfling asked even l didn't answer for sharon had told only her in her head where that little girl voice had whispered the ark of reason bends to heaven the darkness of a few can force hell what we just pressed a smile grew on ivanelle's face and she began to nod what you must it is a long game my friend even l told him a long road but hold faith for now i believe that it is one worth traveling what regis asked again his voice trailing away are you going to tell me what this is all about you already know what was her name she has many conscience looked down at regis and smiled and turned and went back to tend to enter we just didn't watch her go he kept his gaze down the south road with a little girl sharon had faded to nothingness he stared as if he was still seeing her and in his mind's eye he was replaying the earlier encounters he glanced to the side just for a moment to see dahlia as he considered the very different reactions he and the elf woman had experienced when confronted with the specter of sharon he had been strangely comfortable but dahlia quite the opposite he knew enough of dahlia's past to put things together and he found himself nodding as he considered evanel's remarks in the exchange yes he thought in the weakening of the planar barrier the hordes of demons had been set free of the abyss and so too had come this thing sharon wasn't a creature and yet she was an inescapable part of every reasoning creature sharon was conscious given form and substance a gasp turned the halfling about to find artemis contrary sitting up his face pallid his eyes haunted and red his jaw hanging open with drool all over his chin and cheek estalia pulled off in tray's shirt we just lost his breath yet again for the man's shoulders chest belly everywhere and his torso in his arms was parked with small red wounds the wasps we just realized the wasps that had bothered dahlia but had barely noticed the halfling the stinging wasps of conscience truly regis didn't know what to think or how to feel he had witnessed something beyond his comprehension and at the same time something that seemed miraculous as ivanel cast spells of healing over in trari the man already seeming much better it occurred to the halfling that perhaps the cocoon of sharon might prove to be a great blessing to the man a warning grim and painful artemis contrary was a much better man than he used to be breeches believed and maybe just maybe this brutal episode would encourage him to even better things ahead he could hope so at least of course this was all contingent on evanel's suspicion being correct it was quite possible that this little creature sharon was nothing more than a malevolent deceitful demon in his heart though we just found he didn't believe that despite everything the chaos the destruction the giant spider the pains of contrary regis had a lightness to his step when he joined the others by the side of the road come even hell bid them all thornhold is just ahead down at the water oh don't go there we just warned there's a monster a monster spider dahlia agreed it scaled the wall we were far down the road yet saw it so great was its size not a spider atherogate said and i we seen it go over the wall a retriever ethanol explained a great demonic construct there is likely nothing left alive in thornhold and you still want to go in there we just asked with an eyebrow arched it is almost surely gone even l answered chase dressed in there atherogate said in regis gas he give me his stuff for safe keeping then took the dern thing halfway across the world and over the wall come even l said let us see she started off and the others followed dahlia helping in train to his feet once there though the man took only a moment to steady himself then bent and retrieved his weapons and cloak and moved to follow i'm glad you're okay we just said to him as he shambled past and tray looked over at him skeptically but nodded and continued on his way reaches recognized that skepticism and didn't take it as an affront no we just understood the real source for in truth artemis and prairie looked anything but okay he was free of the wasp cocoon but he was not he still heard their buzz felt their tiny feet crawling over him and other vicious demon insects were not biting him any longer he could still feel their stings profoundly he looked to ivanelle many steps ahead of him and moving determinedly through the rocky ground before the old keep she might have some answers he thought but did he really need them or in the mind of artemis and trary his ghastly experience seemed clear enough only one question nagged at him was it some form of purgatory some forced painful penance or was it hell eternal hell he hoped for the former and feared the latter but he knew that the choice was correctly delineated while in there the insects biting or stinging or whatever it was that they did to inflict such fire he could see nothing with his physical eyes but couldn't unsee the many crimes he had committed not every fight and killing had come at him in that seemingly endless loop of atrocity no only the ones he knew to be unjustified unjustified that was something that artemis and prairie had never openly admitted not to dressed not to jarl axel not to his first love kalihi not even to dahlia in the unrelenting anger that had consumed him for most of his life had he ever really admitted it to himself now he felt as if he could not hide from those instances now they weighed heavy in his heart and flickered like a thunderstorm in his mind flashing between the two raw memories of unspeakable unrelenting undiminishing pain pain he deserved he knew pain he could only hope would cleanse him of those old dead events like fires consuming the rotting husks of used up trees he heard dahlia talking to him rather insistently at his side and looked over at her you're free now she was saying we found you we got you we got you from that place and tray didn't know how to answer so instead he asked the question limbo or hell dahlia looked at him curiously and did not respond but she swallowed hard an artemis and tree knew by that and by her blanching face as the blood drain that she certainly understood chapter nine the city lost she raced through the streets of luskin she tried to stay to the shadows because she knew that danger was all about her it had all been going so well the city had settled under its new conquerors and the streets though not yet quiet were beginning to show signs of normalcy in the tavern the talk had been light and flowing freely but then she had been recognized she was sure of it she had noted the look on the face of the man hurriedly leaving despite her fears bonnie charlie didn't run straight to the secret entrance to illusk the ruins beneath luskin she had to make sure that she was clear of pursuit that no eyes were on her before she got to the cemetery near the bridge to close guard isle and the false grave that brought her to the secret descending stairway just as she was beginning to hope she had outrun any pursuers the woman turned her corner into an alleyway and nearly ran into a pair of knolls each fully two feet taller than she they weren't part of the pursuit she hoped for she had clearly surprised them more than they had surprised her she hadn't the time to figure it out the woman threw herself into the nearest burly knoll her dagger coming out pommeled tight against her ribs as she used her weight to insert the blade deep into the knoll's belly she pulled the dagger out and shoved the wounded creature away and slashed across as the second tried in vain to draw its sword scoring a lucky cut across the beast's throat her arm just getting past the snarling creatures hyena-like face and snapping maw down it went gurgling but the other was howling loudly and was being answered by others not far away she ran down the alleyway zigzagging this way and that when she heard renewed pursuit behind her she grabbed at any loose items trash a broken cart an empty cask as she passed throwing them down behind her to impede the pursuers bonnie charlie stumbled in surprise as a javelin flew by her head skipping off the wall of the building to her left she glanced back as she caught herself against another cask and her heart sank and she knew she was doomed for the lane behind her was full of the rampaging humanoids she stumbled out the far end of the alley gripping her right shoulder where another javelin had clipped her she knew she was about to be killed or worse knew they were right behind her she even cried out as she turned flashing her small weapon in desperation and it took her a long moment to decipher the sight before her darkness filled the alleyway not the night but true darkness magical darkness she heard the yells of the knolls then the click of crossbows and fewer howls and more grunts the slide of a sword as if against the metal breastplate a yelp of pain one mole spilled out of the alley before her stumbling bleeding yes covered in its own blood it jerked weirdly once and again and it took bonnie charlie a few moments to realize the two new wounds were from heavy crossbow boats before the dying beast fell a drow rushed out of the darkness grabbed it and yanked it back in his sword going to murderous work before he and his brutish victim disappeared from bonnie charlie's astonished gaze the drow came back out his face at least to illust now you fool he scolded bonnie charlie didn't need to be told twice i think it obvious that your trip was less successful than we had hoped comorial opelodra greeted bonnie charlie when she returned to the secret hideaway of break in the earth deep in the ruins beneath the city of luskin i got some information the woman replied her nervousness showing in the sweat on her brow as she stood before the coldly analytical and surprisingly dangerous drow cyonicist and now you have become useless to our cause because you were clearly recognized commurial stated those who recognized her are dead however came another voice another drow entering the small room of breaking the earth's beside a tall red-haired man who appeared to be human bonnie charlie was more comforted by the arrival of braelyn john kaye a drow scout and a fellow of an easy manner than of the other person who she knew to be no human he was beniago kurth the front for breaking the earth in the city not only a drow but a member of the ruling house of the underdark city of menzo baranson beniago had not been threatening to her any more than any of the others and less so than commorial surely but there was something about him some easy danger that had the woman on edge at the mere sight of him you are certain of this commorial asked we had scouts all about braelyn answered it was a gang of ugly knolls nothing more and they're too bloodthirsty to flee and too stupid to know they should flee i agree with his assessment beneagle added and he fixed a stern gaze on bonnie charlie that had the little hairs on her arms tingling with fear she got lucky bonnie charlie steeled herself against the tall man's withering glare she decided then not to mention the man in the tavern who she was sure had recognized her as soon as she finished that thought however comorial chuckled and she knew that she had indeed just told him exactly that the psionicist said nothing however and even nodded a bit of the woman he asked me to find out some things eh bonnie charlie said defiantly hoping that she was reading comorial correctly and i went didn't i put your angry eyes away mate i brought a snort from braylon beniago's only angry because he still looks like a human the scout said lightheartedly though between us clever lady he was much uglier before the transformation bonnie charlie returned his smile and was much relieved by braylon's tone well what did you learn beniago asked ignoring the jibes not here said commurial and he started out of the room the other three following bonnie charlie paid close attention as the four walked the ways of illusk the dark elf had built formidable defenses here and the preparedness and deadliness of their many centuries could not be questioned bonnie charlie wanted to know them all if she was captured up above her knowledge of this place might prove her salvation and what did she owe the drow anyway you owe us your life and nothing less memorial walked up beside her and whispered in her ear almost as soon as the question had crossed her mind the woman's legs went weak wolfgar had warned her so many times about this one about how he could enter her mind with ease and read her every thought he had just read her thoughts about the man in the tavern obviously and now she had slipped again bonnie charlie had no way to defend against that no he whispered you don't she chewed her lip as comorial sidled away taking up the lead once more as he guided them into the deeper recesses of the break in the earth position heading for the room the woman knew best the room where wolfgard waited the barbarian was not alone but with priestess dabney one of the very few women bonnie charlie had seen in the drow ban dabney glanced at comorial and gave a nod then launched into the chant of a divine spell a dreamer of healing obviously or wolfgard took it in with the satisfied expression of an old codger sitting on a dock inhaling a cloud of fine pipe weed smoke shall i take my leave dabney asked no need commorial replied he turned to bonnie charlie tell them what you have learned bonnie charlie paused before she began noting the exact words of comorial yes tell them for comorial already knew it all of it perhaps more of it than bonnie charlie herself could recall consciously she wished she was back at sea bouncing on the waves in pursuit of a merchant galley they're all behind the new high captain the woman said clearing her head of those far-off dreams all the ships rethnorm bahram bahram is no surprise that hiago said every high captain of ship baram has been willing to move whatever way looks safest for ship aram likely that one was opening wide his doors for the invaders before they even got into port all of them bonnie charlie said hi captain brevenden's taken your seat beneagle ship curves now ship margaster a water deviant noble family commorial noted taking luskin out in the open asked braelyn john kaye that seems foolhardy or confident beniago added that is a common way of thinking among thieves and insurgents comorial explained when you steal what you want claim it loudly and dare anyone to do something to take it away a dare i'd take wolfgah remarked the city's all fallen in line behind him bunny charlie went on even the knolls that came in with brevinden's fleet are given free run of the city why wolfgar asked climbing to his feet and stretching the stiffness and pain out of his shoulders why would they do that brevan led the attack and slaughtered many sure yet half of luskin or moore seems to have surrendered without a fight why because he don't have dark skin bonnie charlie answered bluntly before the others could that drew long stares from the drow in the room but one's more of curiosity than animosity it seems that my disguise did not fool them then beniago agreed with a laugh a human in the captain's chair in appearance but still they knew that the power behind lusk in these last years has been drow in origin now they have a human water deviant lord to call high captain someone who looks like most of them someone they think grand and beautiful such primitive emotions are the trough of despots kimura said so brevindon's taking close guard isle and ship kurth as his home the other ships have rallied behind him and gromf won't let the host tower do anything against him said braylon john k is that it then is it time for breaking the earth to move on all eyes went to comorial the undisputed leader of the band with jarl axel nowhere to be found no commurial answered no let them settle in and grow comfortable for a bit longer then we strike and often the facade of strength is impressive unless one understands the weakness behind it a leader assuming control as brevan margaster has done has also created great enmity with many powerful people who having the courage to confront him so we will make him mortal figuratively and literally and let the support for his marauders be shown as the true fact but the option behind brevindon will remain us raylan argued or him comorial answered motioning toward wolfgar you asked me to be a puppet ruler for breaking the earth the proud barbarian retorted as soon as the shock wore off i ask you to help us rid luskin of this demon-backed invasion gamoreal answered in fact i insist upon it i and i've agreed to that part but i have no desire to rule a city you won't or to pretend to rule a city wolfgart clarified in a determined tone that broke no debate we will find a path to satisfy both our needs the barbarian heard in his head and he tried to keep his expression unchanged with no hint of the revulsion inspired by comorial's telepathic intrusion evident get out and go south memorial instructed braylon relate the news of luskin and learn the events and status of gontogrim stay underground and through the tunnels until you are well out of the city take this he handed braelyn a small whistle set on a silver chain and take with you any others you deem necessary to facilitate the mission grayling stared at the strange whistle for a moment nodding which let gomorial know that the man recognized it and why should he not for jarlaxel had long worn a similar whistle about his neck he looped the chain over his head and looked up any idea necessary priestess stabney kemorial considered it for a moment then replied no not her she remains here i may have need of her should i be honored dabney asked lightly with a hint of jest a hint of sarcasm comorial was having none of it and showed her as much with his cold expression honored he answered no perhaps you should be afraid dabney started to respond but held back i am to go all the way to gothelgrim braelyn john k asked obviously trying to change the subject if you must commorial replied but take great care and if you encounter something unexpected then use the whistle he paused for just a heartbeat something unexpected and dramatic he clarified do not waste my time unless you are certain that your call will not prove to be a waste of my time couldn't you just go to gontogram and be back in short order wolfgard asked commorial do not pretend to understand that which you do not scionisis was quick to respond there are costs to every action and i have more pressing needs for my powers than to run his courier between the cities and here then he'll go asked and commorial knew from his tone that he was simply trying to change the subject before it got out of hand intercepting a likely rude retort from the often crass barbarian are we to stay hidden below or should we commence with some actions to make brevindon's reign less than simple like kimura last there are lots of dead knolls in an alley beniago said with a rye grin seems a promising beginning for a resistance what is the strongest ship other than brevenden's ship kirth commorial asked rethnor easily nibble at them the psionicist instructed wound them but only a bit around the edges and make it look like the new ship margaster is doing then go to ship bahram and make them realize that shipmagaster will eliminate any and all competitors beniago interrupted commorial smiled and nodded soon after wolfgard somehow found himself alone in the room with commorial something he never much enjoyed as we discussed when first the city fell comorial told him if all goes well you may get one strike that is your only chance and if all doesn't go well then you're almost certainly a dead man my only chance wolf car echoed emphasizing comorial's use of a singular pronoun i am almost certainly a dead man what of comorial he asked just because he wanted to hear the drow's derisive snort whatever happened here in luskin wolfgart understood clearly that the stakes were higher for him than for this strange drow and likely higher than for any of jar laxal's mercenary band breaking the earth always seemed to play things that way one more thing for you to consider as we await our opportunity said commorial your friend this pirate woman bonnie charlie whatever wolfgard asked with a shrug and he was surprised by how much he privately cared she was recognized in the city but she chose not to share that you should make it very clear to her that if she even thinks of betraying us i will know and if i know again then she will find a worse fate than any creature of your surface world could ever inflict upon her even a mere thought wolfgar asked people of many thoughts that they will not act upon would any friend remain a friend if he looked into the mind of a companion at the wrong moment i can separate whimsy from true threat whimsy i accept to a point you can't just keep your opinions to yourself is that why commorial has no friends you speak as if that is a bad thing comorio replied and left the room wolfgard blew out a long sigh thinking that he would indeed have a long talk with bonnie charlie as much as he hated many of the drow and commorial in particular he understood that he and bonnie charlie had to throw in with break in the earth fully if they were to have any chance of surviving this nightmare only comorial or jar laxal if he returned had any hope of getting gromf to open the portals to gontelgrim and without that wolfgar had little expectation that he would ever see his friends again or he was fairly certain of what braelyn and the others would find in the south a land no doubt brimming with powerful enemies and monsters far beyond him yes he needed to speak with bonnie charlie and immediately again wolfgard had to pause and consider how much he cared about whether or not this woman survived he wasn't in love with her or anything like that he told himself stubbornly dismissing the notion before even entertaining it but she had proven a loyal companion and that seemed a virtue and scarce supply in the city of sales loth is with her grump replied when the cyonisis cornered him in his extra-dimensional mansion within the host tower of the arcane later that same day matrin jindiya milan would not have come this far would not be commanding such an array of demons and vagabonds without the blessing of love many with the blessing of loth have lost before comorial replied even in men's oberenson and if those victors were not also in the blessing of loaf what happened to them i wonder gromp replied why are you afraid why are you not the simple question set comorio back on his heels a bit which was highly unusual and why do you care so much grump pressed i work with pray in the earth break in the earth will survive you can be gone from the city from this part of the world if needed in short order jarlax will survive the centuries because none are better at navigating such a web than he i expect he hopes as much for the man he named as a co-leader of his coveted band commorial hardly heard the words shaking his head through it all look at yourself gromp scolded you care commorial oblodra and how remarkable that any oblo draw or odron cares have you gone soft then have you abandoned your sole goal in life to find the one eternal truth along with those tentacle waggling illithids commorial wanted to deny his words to deny him but his responses sounded without conviction have you become enamored of the flesh commorial grave asked more seriously have you found within your emotionless mind a bit of love for that which we mere mortals covet you have felt the power of the hive mind unleashed the psyonosis reminded him for grant had been with him when they had channeled the awesome psionic power of the entire illithid collective into the weapon evanel had made of drizz in order to destroy demogorgon and it was glorious the former archmage admitted i hope to find it again but to do so i know that i have to live long enough to be worthy of it and living long enough i expect means staying on the right side of lady lolth's anger matron india came here with the full blessing of love of that i am sure two retrievers commorial two when have you ever heard of such a thing he had a point when it was hard for commorial to ignore retrievers were a great gift from the lower planes a magnificent construct rarely created because of the effort and cost camoriel did care deeply about the outcome of all this but his concern wasn't based on any love or desire no kimura was angry outraged even that silent confession struck him hard when had he ever let his anger overrule his sensibilities even when matron mother evan albaneri had dropped his home his family his mother into the claw rift obliterating all that was houseoblodra kimura had tempered his rage beneath his good judgment he had fully joined with charlaxal with break in the earth which served as a strong ally of that same matron mother bayenry many times he had thought of revenge and many times he had put those desires aside exacting what little punishment he might secretly inflict upon the bayenri's whenever he could but never anything risky it had always been more of an amusement a little bit of whimsy than anything important now though he burned with anger now he wanted brevinden taken down in no uncertain terms the demon within the margaster crushed before him he had told himself that his plan dangerous but possible was for the good of breaking the earth and there was perhaps enough truth in that for him to continue the self-deception not at this moment though at this moment kimura realized there was much more here much more personal anger driving him he wasn't certain why he was missing something he thought some element right there before him that he had not connected a memory deep in his mind a hint he had heard elsewhere something if you do not renew the flow of magic to gontogram and the primordial the beast will escape and lay waste to the region he said to grump one last time and if i do as you ask i will be picking sides and that side will not be the one favored by loth jar laxal is in there in gontelgrim as far as i can discern then jarlaxxa will have to be clever or jalaxel will be dead gamoreal stood and stared for a while longer but he really couldn't do anything he understood he was more powerful than gromp and psionics but if he tried to use any to convince gromp he would be facing off against one of the most powerful wizards in the world he wanted to satisfy his anger but he didn't want to make go away by dying he returned to illusk and the secret drow enclave gromf would not be swayed chapter 10 web weaving the surface the excited drow scout reported when he returned to his commanders the strange-looking warrior standing beside high priestess manola and fey bayenri gave a grating in guttural almost feral growl it was large and muscular particularly for a drow man with his white hair spiked like the plume of a war crown along the middle of his otherwise shaved paint a mithral ring hung from his nose gold pins had been shoved through his cheeks and he had painted garish white rings about his eyes for all his outlandish eccentricities though no one glancing upon this warrior would think him anything but formidable he wore black plate mail fitted perfectly and carried a magnificent trident in one hand with a net awaiting his grasp on his right hip he is trying too hard to be eutha gentle the priestess cerebellus or lauren dewarden whispered to her wizard brother revell nodding her chin toward the unusual warrior malek doral armgo warriors tried too hard at everything revel replied that is why they usually and thankfully die young malik doral looked over at the siblings then and growled again and ravel winked at him drawing a slap from cerebelle fool she whispered then shielding one hand and using her fingers to sign at him in the silent draw code she added he is matron mesbaris favored grandson she sees her beloved lost to the gentle inmate she sees her lover and her grandson revell silently responded his face crinkling in disgust not like that cerebelle reflexively replied but in truth she wasn't so sure of her claim in the silent code she added look at his hands even wears matron mesbarus's gloves making him even stronger did you see anyone to kill malik doral asked the scout as he stepped a bit in front of the henry high priestess elves know your place minol in face scolded shifting to stand a bit ahead of the upper email to the scout she added you may answer there was only silence he said we have found nothing alive not a bird not an elf malik doral growled ravel snorted and flashed i helped the ugly fool dies quickly perhaps i'll aid the first elf we see sarah bell elbowed him do not discount the great honor matron mother bay henry bestowed upon us by ranking us as under commanders of the scouting group with only her own high priestess and the weapon master of the second house above us interesting two spells for us to become the commanders said ravel's fingers one if i aim cleverly sarah bell tried not to giggle her harassable brother's incessant joking at least she hoped it was just that but she knew that with revell she could never be certain she led the way to join the other leaders of the party we go out to see what we might learn under the land that has no ceiling the nolan fay bayenry told the assembled group spread the word among your underlings alec doral and the four under commanders all nodded their ascent when revel turned to go sarah bell took him by the arm and held him back directing his gaze to the other two who shared their rank in this group calfaine mizram and cron to labar it did not escape sara bell's notice that these latter two under commanders were the patrons of their respective houses the third and fourth ranked in the city nor that both of those houses had been bitter rivals of house or lauren an enmity that had not likely ebbed now that matron zerath and her family had assumed the surname of dorden the zorlarens had stood as the city's third house before abdicating their seat at the ruling council in order to strike out and claim this very area as a satellite city from enzo berenson much had changed for house or lauren after the disaster within gontelgrim when the del zone dwarves had pushed them out but cerebelle doubted that those changes including the elimination of house or lauren altogether and the reincorporation of house de worden though lower in the rank than zorloran had been had done much to lessen the rivalries now on this grand march of menzo berenson consider the most important one of the era by matron mother quenthal bayenri the matrons of those third and fourth houses were hedging their bets clearly they had sent the patrons two men eminently replaceable instead of the more valuable house wizards or weapon masters or high priestesses the matrons of houses mizram and feyens labar had kept their true power close at hand back within the safety of the main battle group what did it mean cerebelle wondered anything matron mesbaris armgo no friend of either the zor lawrence or the bayenry's had sent her valued weapon master but cerebelle had considered that a reflection of mesbahras's desire to see malegdural elevated to rival the legend of uffa gentle matron mesbaris could never see her grandson to such glory if she shielded him from dangerous missions and so she would not protect him nor did ms barris herself need the protection of malik doral surely with the vast resources of house barris and alarmgo surrounding her matron mother bayenry had sent a high priestess but she had little choice if she wanted to ensure complete control of the scouting party and it was merely minol and faye after all who had joined house by henry only because she had married grump and birthed a very important daughter a daughter who was likely in this very region working against them all sarah bell thought she kept that dangerous notion very private still she could not shake the feeling that this was an odd collection on an odd expedition whatever it might be matron mother quenthal bayenry was pulling the strings here but did anyone know what the puppeteer had planned we are not to engage minol and fey was saying when the priest has turned her attention back to the parlay we are not to strike at anything we see not human not dwarf not even elf and surely neither drown or demon unless we are attacked we are here to learn not to fight you have all been warned it seemed to cerebel that minolin fey was aiming that warning of patience and temperance at one person in particular and if anyone needed such a warning it was malik doral armgo twilight had fallen across the land by the time the full scouting party had reached the entrance to the surface world that was a good thing as few among the ranks had ever seen the surface and the eyes of a drow did not easily adapt the glare of the fiery orb that haunted the overworld of torrel through half of each day they moved into their traveling formations with exceptional precision or even though these hunters had come from a myriad of drow houses and few had ever fought beside the particular drow forming about them the children of menzo berenson shared martial training and knew their place in a small group and knew the place of their small group in the larger formation silent as shadows they filtered through the deepening gloom leap frogging the point position in systemic order some climbing trees as easily as squirrels to get a wider view of the area before them they move north for a short while before turning back to the west then slowed as one when a treetop scout reported activity a short distance ahead drow hands flash signals to cover and defend when the lead scouts came rushing back to signal the approach of some unknown entities on first glance of the large shadows moving through the trees far ahead cerebelle thought them a horde of demons but as they neared as the rhythm of their scrabbling legs took on a familiar pattern she and those around her came to know the truth she glanced over at minol and fey who crouched with malek doral behind a low berm to her right the bay henry priestess flashed the name dryders sara bell wasn't surprised matron jindiya milan was up here and it was well known that she kept many drieders in her house and that she quite enjoyed inflicting that ultimate punishment on heretics the identification moved through the drow ranks but before no more than half had seen the signals the opposition force became evident a host of the giant half spider half drow creatures pushing through the underbrush revealing themselves fearlessly in all their horrid glory whether the apparent leader a gigantic brute with fiery red eyes and web-like braids in her long hair knew the identity of those before her or not wasn't clear but she acted as one would expect of a dried her she hurled a heavy spear at the berm it skipped off the top between the two leaders only narrowly missing both manola and faye reacted with her voice commanding the beast to hold but malagdorel predictably wasn't satisfied with that with me he roared coming up over the berm a second spear flew him from farther to his right but he spun around it deftly completing the circle in a straight charge at the gigantic central driver clicks of drauhan crossbow sounded a swarm of darts striking out apparently caught up in the excitement of the moment revell jumped up and began a spell but cerebelle jumped up beside him and slapped his motioning hands aside she and minol and faye began shouting then at driders and at their own drow calling a halt to the fight dare you desecrate gifts to love sarah bell yelled at her fellow drow for the dryer abominations were considered exactly that dare you challenged the priestesses of loath minol and fey yelled the drivers most of the would-be combatants both dryder and drow eased back but not malik doral and not the behemoth before him in charge the draw weapon master and up reared the driver her front two tightness legs kicking at him the driver matched the drows trident with a larger one of her own and thrust down powerfully as she dove forward in pursuit as malik doral fell back from the kicking legs malik doral took a wide-handed grip on his black trident and presented it diagonally before and above him catching the descending trident between the tines seemed ridiculous to sarah bell and the other onlookers who expected the drow to be crushed beneath the powerful press of the much larger and obviously well leveraged driver but to her astonishment and to the gasps of many others the weapon master of house barris and alarmgo caught that descending trident of the full weight of the monster coming down behind it and held them there with a roar of utter defiance and denial maligdorel spun to his right and forward turning the driver's trident above him and not releasing it until he was too far under the beast for her to bring the weapon to bear like a spider the driver jumped straight up barely avoiding malik doral's attempt to impale her abdomen she landed to the side turning in her short flight spinning her trident back to the ready and rushing at the drow even as it landed and fierce malegdorel did not shy away charging back in eagerly a ball of flame appeared in the air before the approaching combatants roiling for just an eye blink before shooting down a line of divine fire causing both driver and drow to skid to an abrupt stop the nolan fey came over the berm fearlessly striding forward with long and determined steps her robes those fitting a high priestess of good standing and the grace of lady lolth flowing around her sarah bell's jaw dropped open in surprise she had known this woman when she was manola in faye branch first priestess of house fey branch which was widely considered the least of the ruling houses and not even as strong as most of the houses ranked from 9th to 20th only the long and storied history of house faye branch along with a tight alliance with house bayenry had kept matron burton fey on the ruling council that minol in faye the one sarabelle had known the one whose only claim to station was as matron bearton's eldest daughter had been the butt of many jokes among the other women aspiring to attain the rank of high priestess but this manola and fey manola and feybe henry seemed much more self-assured indeed and much more powerful in every action what a wonder to be a member of the van renoble sarah bell thought with more than a bit of envy she grabbed her brother by the arm and tugged him behind her as she hustled to catch up to manola and faye determined that house the worden nay house or lauren would be properly represented who are you abomination who dares to attack a disciple of lady lolth the nolan faye demanded we did not know the dreider crow easing away a bit clearly intimidated who are you i am malfush malfush yes priestess she replied what kind of name is that the nolan faye demanded at that moment kronth labar ran up to minolim faye and whispered something in her ear and the drow priestess seemed to sway for just a moment before composing herself sarah bell cast a questioning glance at the patron of house feint labar but the man just shook his head and stepped back malfunce of what house minol and faye asked a question that set sarah bell back on her heels these were obviously india's drivers were they not i do not know the driver malfouch among matron jindiya's troop sara bell didn't understand why would manola and fey know any of the drivers of the milani why would she bother to hear their names what house minol and faye insisted the driver's face twisted as if she was in pain it was long ago the abomination started to reply then halted shaking her head it wasn't malfunction priestess malavozel i think malavozel lady priestess i do not know i love ozell of what house us amvas tol the dreider said summoning some pride the nolan faye turned a confused look to sara bell who could only shrug for she had never heard of such a house in men's oberenson it was a long time ago priestess the driver explained in the time of the birth of the city of spiders my house did not survive cerebellum nolan fey exchanged another confused look but cerebelle nodded her acceptance of the claim malavozel was an almost unheard of drown name now but long ago it was much more common still drivers did not live for millennia why are you here manola and faye demanded i do not know why the great queen of spiders released us back into this world priestess you're in the abyss sarah bell asked then bit it back and bowed to manola and faye for speaking out of turn the bayenry priestess didn't seem concerned however for that was the obvious question serving yes we all were but why then have you come why are you here malfush nolan fey reiterated we are tasked with clearing the wood and the hills of all enemies and we are your enemies the bayery priest is asked with obvious incredulity we did not know priestess we did not expect to see children of ladylove who are you and why have you come i must tell my matringe india cerebelle swallowed hard at the mention of the matron of house milan and for a moment she thought they might be in big trouble here we are of breaking the earth manola and fey lied pregnant the earth i know not this house it is not a house but a scouting band available to all the matrons of men's oberenson nolan fey explained we collect information and give it to the ruling council the driver seemed perplexed but in the end simply shrug we have heard of trouble in the area and have come to see if the dwarves are exterminated that kusor lauren can be given back to matron zerath as it should be said manola and faye cerebelle smiled at that surprised by the henry priestess's mental quickness and at the tribute she had just given to her beloved matron xerath she looked to her brother who was nodding obviously impressed cues or lauren of this two i know nothing it does not matter minol and faye assured the abomination you should come and speak with malfouch began we cannot minol and fey interrupted with a snort we have much to do what do you know of the dwarves they fight stubbornly but the demons are upon them they cannot hold for long good now go back to matron jindiya and tell her that many are watching her with interest the driver had no choice but to comply to disobey a drow priestess was something that had long ago been beaten out of poor malevos el probably long before she had been turned into a tormented abomination to sarah bell's surprise as the drivers fell back and she turned toward manuel and fay the bainery priestess waved to her to be silent then hustled her along moving with the entire band back for the tunnels that would take them to the main draw force it wasn't until they were well underground before manola and faye explained herself hundreds of them she said and sarah bell's eyes widened hundreds of drivers ravel asked many hundreds crontalabar replied they were all about us flanked north and south huge bands of the abominations all superbly armed sent from the abyss to serve matringe india said minol and faye her voice thick with tread released to her caused by lady lolth why are we opposing her sarah bell thought but wisely did not say not to a bannery priestess at least you should have destroyed them all of them matron mesbarus armgo told the returning scout commanders i tried matron bellagdorel insisted casting an angry side glance at minolin faye i was prevented from killing the abominable leader silence child ordered matron mother queenfell by henry not taking her sharp gaze from ms barris's adored grandson not even to offer a glance to matron ms barris you are here only because i allow you to be here and in this place in this impromptu convening of the ruling council it is not your place to speak eleg doral moved as if to argue at all the matron mother warned she turned him in olin faye but then moved her gaze over priestess cerebelle there were hundreds of them sarah bell said aiming the remark as much at malek doral as in response to the matron mother drivers from another age explained minol and fey malfouche who was malevos el ambastol quentful silenced her with an upraised hand the matron mother closed her eyes then and shut out the many whispered conversations occurring among the other matrons all about her they were concerned of course and why would they not be matron mother quentil who had been given the gift of even else own memories fell into that dark place in her mind now considering the name she smiled as her thoughts flew back across the centuries across the millennia to the fledgling days of the city of spiders oh what a grand time full of chaos but full of hope the weapon master of house ambush tall she said and all conversations stopped and all wait with baited breath a woman sarah bell said before she could stop herself quentil and the others stared at her but the matron mother nodded and cerebell took it as a signal that she should finish the thought malevos el she said quietly women were often weapon masters in the early days matron mother quenthal explained to them we are the stronger sex of course and lost divine gifts of magic were not then fully bestowed upon us it was a different time she was much like your own uther matron ms barris quenthal went on a great and powerful warrior fearless and clever if i recall correctly she would have had a promising future had it not been for the sins of matron danada amvas was given as a gift to lady loth right before the heretical weeping matron's wet eyes she looked at ms paris and smiled widely then turned about letting all the others see that grin before finally settling it on malagdorel whom she knew was becoming a bit of a troublemaker malavozel was given over into abomination by my mother matron mother evanelle as one of her first acts after accepting the rule of the city by edict of the spider queen she made of malevos el ambas toll a dryder oftentimes it is a waste particularly with promising but headstrong young women went through smile only widened as malagdul shrank back hundreds of triters matron zerath asked dreiders returned from the arms of lolth herself if this is true must we assume that matringe india is in the highest graces of the spider queen if this is true we must reconsider everything matron ms barris stated flatly we could join with matron jindia and finish what she has started returning kuzor lauren to matron xerath and subsequently properly rewarding matring india for her foresight properly rewarding the matron mother echoed sarcastically india would demand the title of matron mother if all that you assume is true and any who sought to oppose that would fall from lolt's favor and so would be an enemy of us all mess barris returned a clear threat but quentin only smiled again even snorted as if the whole thing was an absurd proposition be at ease matron she answered ms barris's tightened face to manola and faye she asked do they know who you are or under what banner you march the priest is withered under the glare of the matrons i i she stuttered trying to find her way to best answer you are a bannery dear the matron mother said you were sent to lead the group because of that fact you did well to hold back the impetuous malagdorel you likely save the entire party to say nothing of his family's reputation and thus returned to serve proper warning speak freely do the drivers know your banner no but nolan faye replied straightening herself and forcing strength into her voice i told the driver who called herself malfouch that we were of breaking the earth scouting the land after reports of conflict that caught all the matrons by surprise and incited many whispers some nods a couple of gasps but most importantly a wide smile from matron mother quenthal clever wenthal replied now matron jindia will be chasing ghosts what do you know matron mother mesbaris demanded matron shindia is no friend to charlaxal's band quenthal explained she hates them above all others for what they did to her house and family she herself was killed albeit briefly by drizz doerton and her favorite child eugene was murdered by jarl axel's other associate the human and in such a way that she could not be restored to life charlaxa was with them in that raid you remember matring india will not forgive that not ever she will be quick to believe the story woven by high priestess manola and feybe henry because she desperately wants it to be true as barris nodded unable to argue the logic well done minol and faye bayenri matron mother quentil said emphasizing that surname making it clear that minol and faye's quick thinking had brought them advantage advantage that might have been naught but disaster if matron mess barris's grandson had taken the lead and started a war in any case matron jindia will know of us soon enough matron zerath put in verbally and physically separating mess barris and quenthal by gliding her magical disc in between them we should plot our next march send only your finest scouts matron mother quentin told manola and faye only the finest and with them means to magically return to us if they become compromised i'll not have matron jindia know of our arrival for as long as we can keep the secret even if she is in the grace of love as barris asked yes quentil answered without hesitation my scouts will tell you all regarding the lands above and about gontelgrim manola assured them cus or lauren corrected matron xerath she turned a stern gaze upon matron mother quenthal if matringe india is in the good graces of the spider queen if lolth herself sanctions and aids in the march of house milan to turn this demon force against our enemies why is there any doubt remaining or any hesitation my wizards will open the deep door and we should sweep through the dwarves reclaiming tuzor lauren from enzo baronzon and snatching it right out from under matring india's grasp that we might share in her glory the dwarven forces are in the upper chambers battling demons we can push through and take the place beneath them before they even realize that which has come against them we will talk was all that quenthil would return and she looked from xerath to mezbarus repeatedly measuring them just we too as barris expression had brightened at zerath remarks but then darkened quentil noted unexpectedly so having the two powerful matrons conversing in private was not something the matron of house armgo would want particularly since it was obvious to all that she mess barris would be the topic of that private conversation breaking the earth matron india milan said her voice a husky whisper as if she were afraid that letting her voice get out of control would send her entire being out of control it is a scouting ban the driver began i know what it is you idiot shindia snapped and malfush sucked in her breath as she let it out it was accompanied by a low hum that seemed to growl the priestess said breaking the earth the dreider insisted where are they malphus shrugged they left you let them leave you did not even follow them i am not to question the words of a priestess matron india my orders are above hers of course but i had no orders for matring india when i encountered the drow i told you to clear the forest of drow that is a different matter matring india malphus reminded i we are driders serving penance for crimes against lady loft we cannot strike at the children of love unless i tell you to do so yes by your precise words matron but you had not told us to do so shindia threw up her arms and issued a frustrated growl of her own breaking the earth is not allied with our cause they oppose us in lusk and even now you idiots who was this priestess asked first priestess colonel milarn she did not offer her name lady said malfouche nor did the other priest is standing with her two priestesses kirin oppressed at least there were others wearing the robes among those many in the ranks other women shindia said catching on and following the reasoning yes and men and a warrior of great strength who battled me tried into trident until the priestess stood us down zach nephei kernel started a remark but she paused a trident shindia asked tell me more about him every detail malphus did as instructed then was dismissed leaving shindia alone with kernel and chary hunsron that had to be malegdor alarmgo keirnal said they have sent a scouting party to look in on us and determine our progress cherry said just a scouting party matron jindia asked walking out a few steps and staring toward the east where the encounter had taken place a scouting party all the way from men's oberenson with the weapon master of the city's second house i cannot imagine that matron mesbaris would put her cherished malagdorel at such a risk as that then what asked cherry they see that our victory is at hand perhaps said india they have rushed to steal my glory she spun about to look sharply at the other two women it will not be so reign in your ambitions at this time matron mother quentil told matron xerath when they were alone soon after the gathering with the scouting party we know not how this will play we know not old cyrus scoffed an army of drivers hundreds a horde of demons continually gating in more monsters daily from the abyss the dwarves are doomed the city of luskin has already fallen it is as you predicted back before we departed men's oberenson matron india will win if she is to win then we must be a large part of it quenthil replied indeed so let us beat her to the prize and take the great forge of gontogrim and depose king bruner with all haste and with no mercy but quenthal bayenry shook her head if she is to win how can she not xerath asked quenthil was beginning to sort for those exact answers but wasn't ready to explain further what is there then to know asks the earth everything it all seems plain and clear it cannot be have you not served lol the lady of chaos long enough to realize that do not be blinded by your ambition to return to gontogrim that will not happen our position on the surface in any case is to compromise now the lords of all the lands have no doubt turned their eyes to the northern reaches of the sword coast with demons roaming free and luskin in flames the flames were quiet quickly and few have ever looked to luskin for stability and fewer still by all of our scouting have formed any real alliances with king bruner quenthal didn't disagree it does not matter she replied we cannot be planning the return of q's or lauren at this time whatever the outcome of matring india's war or our march no matter how the will of love plays out neither of us can even think of sending your family back here the dust will be long and settling here and more importantly in men's oberenson you mean that you will need me there in men's oberenson to support you against the rise of house milan xerath stated flatly matron mesbaris won't stand with you of course not if she believes matringe india is in the highest graces of love and sees a chance at long long last to be rid of subjugation at the hands of house by enemy subjugation a curious word is it a notion matron zerath whom i have rescued from shame and defeat shares the old xerath wasn't often shaken or at least never showed it but at that moment she nearly tumbled off her floating disc her jaw hanging open of course not quenthil said taking the pressure off xerath you have ever been wise enough to see how spanery is a benefit and has the house that rewards its allies you would do well to remember that with every word going forward in this transitional time no more mention of cues or lauren even if king bruner battlehammer and all of his dwarves are obliterated even if gontagrim is emptied of all living things and the great forge remains there for the taking cues or lauren is not to be mentioned surely you would not leave such a treasure unused surely quentil replied and surely the magical movement of wizards of which you possess many of the finest will be critical and are using it without drawing attention and without weakening your order in men's oberenzon zearath added quenthil nodded so i will remain at house the worden and you will secretly use my wizards to bring smiths to the forge of gontogrim and you will be well rewarded quentil promised i wish to be elevated within the ruling council i want my place back and with an eye always an eye to becoming the penultimate house of men's oberenson quenthil gave only a slight nod in reply assure me that house saw lauren will not be taken for granted when the victory here is secured and house by henry holds his position zerath demanded quenthil paused forcing herself to remain tactful in the face of a demand from another matron alsto erden she corrected until i determine otherwise of course xerath agreed but not without a clench of her jaws if the name itself insulted her we will see how it plays but your house remains my most important ally said quenthil i assure you that i will not forget should it come to that can there be any doubt we worship lolf the lady of chaos dear matron xerath there is always doubt matron zerath the word and gave a helpless snort at that then wheeled her magical disc out of the extra dimensional chamber the matron mother was using as her audience hall no sooner had xerath departed than first priest is so sumptu and quenthal's daughter mirinelle entered through another magical portal i do not trust her mirinelle said her ambition is greater than her loyalty then she is a fine matron so some two said her daughter the priestess cerebelle would be more easily persuaded and held enthrall murinel said bluntly matron zerath is old and too endeared to she stopped and cast an awkward glance at her mother to matron mother even l the eternal quenthil finished for her mirinelle sucked in her breath it is good and honest reasoning said quentin calming the woman but do not speak of such things yet her tone made it clear that she wasn't scolding mirranelle as much as warning her not to get too far ahead of herself depending on how things up here fell quentin knew that xerath might have to be replaced she hoped it wouldn't come to that but she reminded herself often that xerath was old very old and though she remained an ally of house by henry her real loyalty was indeed to matron mother evanel no matter how matrin zerath tried to parse her words ever were they filled with a level of condescension toward evanel's daughters xerath had known quentin and sosamptu since their youngest days indeed she had been so samtu's first suitor at least matron vidalmat labar will not abandon us no matter the outcome here so some two said she rebuffed matron shindi on this very quest and thus does she know that ever vicious matron jindia will show her no mercy if she claims victory nor will house faye branch abandon us mirinelle added matron beerun knows that without house by henry her seat on the ruling council would be given to another almost surely to house hunzren if matringe india do you think they matter matron mother quenthal cut her short either of them if matron jindia leaves here as the ultimate victor she will find powerful allies including matron mesbaris patron zerath is no friend to the milani or to the armgos said mirinelle but both matrons xerath and mesbarus understand well that their ambitions are forever stunted as long as house banery rules so sumptu said and that has been the truth since the days when men's oberon's on was very young and the henry's reign will not end when i am matron mother quenthil declared the other two nodded natron jindia cannot win here quentin decided then we take the dwarven stronghold before she can get through asked miranelle maybe not the matron mother replied thinking aloud falling into the memories of evanel the eternal once more to find some answers an army of drivers gifted from the abyss so some to replied doubtfully two retrievers given to her by the handmaidens of love do you think you know the will of love matron mother quenthal asked slyly that gave her some to pause but mirinelle so much less experienced asked isn't it obvious with a look to the matron mother which elicited a nod from quenthil so some two offered to young mirinelle the most basic understanding of the truth of the lothian drow the only thing that is ever obvious from the demon queen of spiders is that which is obvious is not chapter 11 around the edges of darkness the large gate of thornhold was opened just a bit and was stuck but there was still a wide enough gap for the companions to slip through one at a time the spider broke the gate regis reasoned from the bend in the great hinge or what else might have done such damage it's still in here he warned i don't want to see that thing up close none of us too even elle told him but she was looking more than trary as she spoke when he glanced at the assassin regis understood ivanelle's apparent concern for the man was wobbling with every step muttering under his breath and seeming as if he might fall over at any moment it is or was a retriever as i have told you evanel went on if it remains then his focus is solely on drizzed ordin it is no threat to us unless we get between it and dressed for the sake of your friend i hope it is still in there still hunting and then we kill it regis asked evan el snorted at that preposterous thought in that case we try to find dressed first and we helped him get far ahead of the monster she blew out a long sigh i should have done that on the road when we met up with him but i hadn't the spells prepared nor would it have been a safe prospect as the retriever would go for him wherever i put him and would destroy everything in its path even if it had to cut a trench across half of toril sounds lovely dahlia muttered she skipped over to intruri and bolstered him even el nadine led the way fearlessly going through the narrow opening into the courtyard she peeked her head back out the spider is gone in the building atheragate offered the tunnels here are bigger than you think even l her face grim shook her head and when the others came through they understood well there in the middle of the courtyard was a huge bubbling mass of black ooze the now two familiar remains of a demon's departure from this plane of existence but a sound beyond their own footsteps followed the friends to that bubbling goo the place was dead the silence profound they just knew it a closer look at the demonic detritus confirmed evanel's claims for the scar was decidedly spider-shaped with the eight legs distinctly visible in front of the beastly remains the ground was torn as if hit by a ray of some sort and there were clearly footprints humanoid footprints bare feet leading into it and there too the tattered remains of clothing and boots the friends knew well there is regis mumbled his voice breaking is he dead then dalia asked and she too seemed shaky quietly tears rolled down the halfling's cheeks atherogate looked stunned his earlier grief seemingly multiplied by the thought of drizz's departure and artemis still shaken from his torturous cocoon bowed his head as he put his arm around dahlia even l realized then how profoundly this rogue dark elf had touched so many people so many disparate people with different values and core beliefs even artemis and tray it hadn't mattered whether they were openly goodly and kind folks like regis or those with far more sinister backgrounds or those like atherogate caught somewhere in the middle all of them wobbled now and regis fell to his knees and buried his face in his hands the connection to the straw went beyond mere friendship even now recognized and understood because what trist had given to them over the years could not be measured so simply as that indeed the word friend seemed empty in the face of this what trist had given them was universal and across races halfling elf human dwarf and drought too she knew for in watching regis fighting bravely and failing against his overwhelming pain evanel saw the foreshadowing of jar laxal's response above all else drist had given to those around him honesty and hard and he had tried ever tried to do what he believed was right the legacy of that touched even l profoundly in that moment and she too who hardly knew the unusual drow ranger choked back tears overwhelmed by the display of true loss playing out before her particularly that of regis the gentle halfling who had faced sharon with a smile her heart was warmed by it all well this seemed a display of justice to her honest grief generous grief offered without any expectation of personal gain she thought men's oberen's on a cold and heartless place indeed it's a big place arthrogate said again shaking himself with a bit of hope he stepped over and hoisted regis back onto his feet come on then rumble belly we're not giving up and find your faith in dressed what i ain't seeing no blood and ain't for doubting that burned elf not what we do we fight we fight until we cannot fight no more don't be the fool dahlia scolded too harshly even el thought ready to turn and cry and run at first sign are ye he's gone you ain't knowing any such thing then why did the retriever leave dahlia asked might be that the drow killed it to death in battle atherogate insisted a retriever even i'll ask gently shaking her head don't ye never doubt the boy bathroom gate said seen him kill bigger than that we just perked up at that he took a deep breath sniffled once to clear his nose and squared his shoulders go and look then evanel told the two call out if you find anything she tried to be encouraging for these dearest of friends to dressed deserved no less but she heard her own voice and understood the unmistakable thickness of the resignation there atherogate and regis started for the blasted door of the keep dahlia after helping intreri sit down on the ground rush to join them you have had better ten days even el said to intraerry walking over to join him just pain he said the whole time i was in there and lingering now i couldn't get used to it unspeakable pain unrelenting and undiminishing evanel nodded and put a hand on his shoulder take my dagger and thrust it into my heart he asked her draw out my soul itself send me to oblivion i beg for if that is what eternity has planned for me i would rather be nothingness you think you're book written i just read it it doesn't end well it doesn't have to be that way artemis and treri even l assured him those were only the chapters you've already lived there are pages still yet to be filled what do you know he asked doubtfully i know that if your fate was sealed if your story fully told sharon would have had no reason to let you return maybe just to torment me with the knowledge of what was to come no that is not her calling even though she was out of place these last days such meaningless teasing is not her role in the multiverse a role a role within the heart of every reasoning being she is the facilitator of judgment but not the judge there is no enjoyment for her either way the good or the bad there is no preference then who is the judge contrary asked some god i never acknowledged some great superior being who makes of us pawns in his own strange game you are your own judge evanel explained in places within your heart soul and memory where you cannot hide you know this above all others in those dark and private places you know what you deserve contrary snort was caught somewhere between derision and resignation did drizz deserve his fate he asked we don't know what that fate is don't we contrary ask nodding toward the spider-shaped goo in the afterlife evanel replied are we speaking of divine justice or of the foibles of mortal beings i doubt they are much the same every day many get things they do not deserve good and bad every day a thousand times every day she pause and spend a few moments just studying the man he had been through so much his pain was obvious his face was scrunched up in a mask of anger but there were tears in his eyes as well you cared for him she said it's complicated is it or do you make it complicated to cover your own ego contrary looked up at her his expression dismissive but only for a moment looking at dressed was like looking into a mirror but one with different lighting his skin was dark mine light but his soul he paused and laughed helplessly he once said so i was told that in looking at me and what i had become he feared that it was what he might have become there are no cocoons of stinging wasps awaiting drizzle urden i am sure and is that why you lament your history no he answered sharply before she had even finished a sentence no he repeated more softly i regret a lot but because of what i have done to others my own fate be damned if it is damned well then perhaps artemis contrary drist showed you what you hoped to become in some ways at least she patted him on the shoulder and stood up turning about she closed her eyes and cast a spell of detection seeking the radiations of magic she was surprised when she did indeed sense something of interest and she followed the feeling into the keep the place too felt dead to her and she saw down one hall the bodies of slain dwarves broken walls and widened doorways showed her the drizzt had led the retriever into this complex forcing the demon construct to do some of the cleansing that was much needed here she heard the voices of her friends down a different hall moving away from her but nothing seemed to miss she went back fully into her spell and it guided her to a wall which at first confused her when she got very close she noted a crack in the stone and managed to wriggle her finger in feeling about and then pulling out a silver chain upon which was set a whistle shaped like a unicorn and she said and for the first time she too found her voice cracking even in his last moments trist had thought of another of this magical mount and so he had stowed his chain out of the way she started to pocket it but changed her mind when she heard the others approaching and instead put it back into the crevice for you when you returned tristaward she whispered though she knew that to be all but impossible she went back outside to contrary and waited for the others to arrive nothing atherogate said there's a lower level dahlia added casting a glare at the dwarf he would not go down there nor would he allow us to shut your face girl atherogate said drizz might be down there regis argued he is not even else said with finality i have used my magic drist is not here he is gone just gone atherogate said taken to the abyss dahlia asked then we go to the abyss and get him arthrogate said i regis agreed evanel held up her hand to silence them all she looked at regis at his eagerness to run to the abyss in pursuit of his lost friend she doubted she could dissuade him even if she could properly relate the hopelessness of such a venture he needed this she realized he needed to feel like he was doing something anything to try to bring back that rogue drow even ellen thought she had a good measure of drizz's impact but now she understood she had underestimated him even though she had known there was something special about him about the honest life he had lived she wondered if anyone would ever so lament her passing would ever wear a mask of determination and pain as she saw now on the face of regis in time she said it late we will learn what we may and enlist the proper and powerful allies i have been there to the abyss or have memories of my namesakes ventures in the swirling smoke at least it is not a place one goes with any hope of returning but you have been there we just argued or your namesake had as you just said as the guest of a demon queen not as her enemy you think loth herself has taken trist it would take a being near her equal to grant a retriever nate two retrievers we're not going to get him back dahlia whispered maybe you're not but i am we just snapped at her an uncharacteristic edge to his voice dahlia returned a hard glare while in terrarian atherogate expressed pity for the despondent halfling i'm right though dahlia said we're not going to get him back they all turned to evanel for some response she wanted to offer the one they needed to hear three of them at least for she could not quite gauge dahlia she was surprised at how much she wanted to do that but in the end she found she couldn't deceive them and she knew the truth now she agreed we're not gronth will not answer penelope harpel told catty brie the younger woman's side her concern mounting her belly was large now the child very active as her pregnancy neared its end she wanted to find dressed more than anything in the world be with her husband her baby's father when she gave birth to their child our child but where was he for all catty bree's magical attempts for all the messages penelope had dispatched for all the efforts of the other harpels truly her friends she had no word at all of drizzed gromf panery has an answer though catty bree reasoned the gates are not working and that almost certainly comes right from the roots of the host tower of the arcane or mithril hall itself penelope said wincing in anticipation that her words would surely worry catty bree have you sent a message to the dwarves that is more difficult our scrying has shown us the area about mithril hall is overrun demon hordes and drow is not luskin also overrun catty bree reminded her the fleet the host tower is distinct and very receptive to magical messages vanellope replied the dwarves are deep in their hole and likely engaged in fierce battle we need to open the gateways catty breeze said determinately and we need most of all to learn if their collapse portends something more dire and we must be fast in our research for if the host tower has weakened its magical energy to gauntlegrim the primordial might shake itself free once more the last time that happened never winter city was obliterated i will go to grump penelope announced you don't even know if the host tower remains intact or under his control someone has to find out catty bree took penelope by the arm i cannot lose you she quietly said i know not what i've already lost old kipper will take me there and we'll both have spells ready to remove ourselves quickly if necessary i promise catty bree nodded and let go of penelope's arm and penelope swung about to wrap the very pregnant woman in a tight hug i'll find dressed she whispered in catty bree's ear i promise catty bree flashed her a smile when she pulled back and turned for the door but it was a strained one to be sure she was here preparing to give birth and it seemed as if all the worlds about her had gone crazy she had never felt so helpless in her life not even when she had been a prisoner of artemis and trary those many years before being dragged across faerun in pursuit of regis she held that memory close now a vivid reminder that she and her friends the companions of the whole had been battling long odds and winning for a very very long time pythagortz regis muttered lying atop an embankment along with his four companions below them a formation of huge drivers perhaps a hundred strong crossed a wide field the friends had been traveling for nearly a 10-day a difficult journey both emotionally and especially for artemis and prairie physically evanel had done much to aid in their progress with not just spells of healing and spells to provide nourishment but also spells to repel them on their way though not with teleportation or anything of that sort she wanted them all to digest the new reality fully and she also wanted to get a good understanding of the disposition of the lands between thornhold and gontelgrim lots of demons said atherogate those aren't demons even l corrected the demons i suspect are inside gontelgrip this is the vanguard of the drow force i thought drivers were rare said dahlia so did i even el replied i have no answers for this how about the big answer to the big question asked atherogate like how are we meaning to get to them doors he nodded out across the field but none had to follow that movement to know what he meant beyond the field lay some trees and beyond that wood the ruined and now clearly occupied halfling village of bleeding vines to the right south of the village so the empty tram station the exit and entrance tunnels to gontelgrim evident along the side of the rising mountain getting to them won't do us any good if we're marching down into a horde of demons we just remarked not seeing a better way said the dwarf you have nothing lady the halfling asked even el i have something she replied but i had hoped to gather more information before using it she rolled onto her back then and began whispering too low for any of the others to make out the words they started to understand when her magical scouts crystal-like birds began to fly in perching on her chest and whispering into her ears one by one it went on for a long while when finally an exasperated evanel sat up the land about us is all lost she announced yeah we seen that said atherogate don't take a bird to know all about us the drow woman clarified here to luskin all of the coast all of the crags poor last labors under the crack of null whips nose afro gates snorted we should go kill them all to death just because they're nose demons are about the village before us but mostly the major fiends even it went on i expect that the lesser monsters are below likely among the higher levels of gontelgrim king bruner is sorely pressed if not already conquered so what do we do regis asked evanel shook her head mulling it over we go in said atherogate and if there is no refuge within dahlia asked if it is all demons and drow then we go right through and out the other side even elle announced come now down the hill she stood up and paced down the embankment the others following atherogate bolstering in tray it was still a bit unsteady on his swollen legs join hands even though instructed them artemis contrary to me we're going to run again atherogate asked for the few times they had done this in the last days evanel had casted we armor to speed them on their way artemis and tray groaned these speeding travels were draining his limited strength this is different evanel promised mostly to the battered man she took up his hand atherogate take his other hand then you regis then dahlia no matter what happens do not let go any of you are we tripping full asked the dwarf who apparently believed he had heard this speech before or you will become substantial in the midst of a thousand fiends and not i or even your god could save you said ivanelle and as soon as the living chain was formed she began spell casting water atherogate started just shut up and hold on dahlia told him for our sake and your own hold on dalia's voice thinned as she spoke became insubstantial became as the wind in the ears of her companions for soon they were the wind and little more a cloud of swirling vapors curiously regis still felt the grip of dahlia and of atherogate though he had no hand that he could determine but they were joined blocked and he was glad if it is the cloud began to drift then move with purpose to even else tug a pull both physical somehow and telepathic all as one they swept up over the embankment and down to the field regis had to strain to hold focus when evanel took them right across the formation of drivers weaving through the abominations as if they were no more than a cloud and indeed they weren't still more than one driver took note of their passing though none showed any understanding of what this strange fog might be this is what it's like when a ghost passes by a halfling thought a chill breeze into bleeding vines they passed among drow and these enemies seemed more aware than the drivers had been several hopping and turning calling out to priestesses and regis saw one then another began casting some spell even el moved them more swiftly than because she was afraid regis knew could these priestesses pull them out of her windwalk oh the horror to be dropped into the middle of this ferocious army the halfling relaxed only a bit when they soared into the tunnel speeding down into the darkness then soon after into the grand entry cavern the place thick with demons and drivers reaches his heart sank when they crossed to the small pond then drifted over the pond and into the complex proper to find the place also teeming with monstrous denizens of the lower plains through the rooms down the stairs to the great chamber separating the top levels from the main complex and down there too demons roamed the sound of fighting made the halfling spirits leap as they passed from that huge chamber into the tighter ways leading to the great forge soon they crossed the battleground dwarven sideslinger catapults blasting minor demons to pieces dwarven soldiers holding their ground beating back the press of the horde then it was all dwarves again clerics tending to the wounded reinforcements ready for their turn at the front lines beyond that though gontelgrim king bruner's gontelgrim remained they came to a stop in a tunnel with a pair of dwarven sentries near to the main chambers of the gontelgrim leaders and there some distance from the two who guarded an ornate door that regis knew well even el released her spell the five companions became corporeal in a flash all but even else stumbling a bit from the stark transition what oh the dwarves yelled lowering their pikes and readying a charge be easy my friends said ivanelle you know me a friend of dresden of jarl axel and me regis announced rushing around to put himself between the dwarves and his companions rumble belly the two dwarves cried in unison i euregis replied you must take us to king bruner at once and to lady didola topolino please tell me that my wife is safe i rumble belly one of the dwarves replied she's as well as any of us which ain't so well you might be guessing regis of course understood that to be true enough but his relief was profound he had just lost drizzed he couldn't bear to lose his beloved denali too a knock had catty brie leaping up or rather rolling carefully from her couch and moving as fast as she could manage for her door she pulled it open expecting penelope with news from luskin but found instead a tall thin man dressed in simple light brown robes brother half a friend fear she asked surprised i am formally named as a master now but yes good lady he looked at her very swollen abdomen i trust that you are well i am he nodded and smiled warmly his gaze locked on her belly can i help you she asked feeling a bit unnerved i mean please do come in thank you lady i am looking for drizzed and i beg of you pardon my surprise and intrigue here i did not mean yes brother the child is dressed after friend fear locked eyes with catty bree his jaw hanging open he he only mentioned that he could not immediately return with me to the monastery of the yellow rose when i last spoke with him to extend grandmaster kane's invitation i had thought something amiss well so it is hardly a miss the monk replied his arms coming forward as if he wanted to hug catty brie but couldn't quite figure out if he should she stepped forward and initiated a full hug oh but a child of two such heroes will be the grandest have a friend fear stuttered his voice breaking just a bit a human and a drow half elves are not so uncommon catty bree reminded him but half drow i have never heard of her friend fear said he shook his head suddenly and quite emphatically waving his hands as if trying to take back the words and catty bree knew that he had recognized the growing scowl on her face i can only imagine the beauty of this child after friend fear cried and he surely seemed sincere fear not brother i understand your surprise and your hesitance she said generously no lady if you think it hesitants then i have misrepresented that which is in my heart the monk replied this is glorious news and the child will be wonderful and beautiful and shunned the monk's eyes widened never catty bree smiled to relieve the tension and in truth she was just teasing the exuberant after friend fear she knew certainly so the trials her half human half drow child would face and knew too that no child born to any water deviant lady or damaran queen would come into the world with a larger and more wonderful group of supporters to chase away any who could not see past the unusual combination of its heritage may your claim prove true she said oh it shall so if you come to entice dris to your monastery know that i'll not hear of it and i fear he could not anyway for a darkness has come again or perhaps it is the same darkness over and over relentless and destructive no of course he could not and word of the growing turmoil in the region has reached us in damara but that is not why i've journeyed this far west i must speak with tristan once he isn't here catty bree admitted he is in gontelgrim fighting beside king bruner she noted the blood draining from after friend fear's face what do you know brother perhaps nothing tell me has gontogram fallen i have no knowledge of gontogrim lady on my word then what why have you come half a friend fear swallowed hard grandmaster cain he paused and seemed to be searching for the proper words grandmaster cain sensed something i know not how to describe it a transcendence of the mortal body like death but not so catty bree's face screwed up in obvious confusion as a powerful priestess she knew of things like plane walking and astral projection where a powerful spellcaster could transfer herself to another plane of existence she was fairly certain that our friend fear was speaking of something else it is almost certainly nothing of concern the monk said i only mention it because it is something that would likely interest drizz after his long hours of training with a grand master of flowers perhaps grand master kane thought for the discovery of this sensation of his would tempt dressed back to the monastery catty brie offered i am sure that's it said afrofriend fear catty breeze started to press for more of an explanation but penelope harper appeared at the open door hustling inside she glanced at her friend fear only briefly with just a slight nod to acknowledge his presence i would speak with you alone she told catty bree master after friend fear has come here in search of dressed cathy pre replied i suspect his road beside us has only now just begun penelope looked at him and offered another nod then said her expression grim gromf would not permit the entrance the host tower of the arcane i her friend fear asked his extravagant quarters she clarified his door was closed to me she turned to catty bree your old acquaintances lady avalier and lord parise ulfbinder answered my call and took me into avaliere's chambers to parlay we spoke only briefly because archmage gromp was not pleased that i had even been allowed into the host tower not at all the host tower is neutral in this war by his command neutral yes it was grant who crippled the magical flow of energy and must shut down the magical portals then he sides with the invaders catty priest said according to lord paris he claims not to but the drow who have come to the lands and taken the demon army and also the fleet that lord brevind and margaster of waterdeep sailed to luskin are very powerful groff made it clear to all the mages within the host tower that he and they if they wanted to remain alive and in their new home would not go against the invaders nor would he allow me to stay since my presence alone could forfeit his neutral status a court disaster catty breeze said woe to them all the invaders are keeping far from the tower they will not challenge the powers assembled there they tried only once and the evidence of the slaughter was thick about the fields surrounding the tower if the drow win across the north it will only be a matter of time before they fully claim the host tower penelope nodded where is luskin now then after friend fear asked luskin is under the command of high captain revenden margaster it would seem fully so with only the host tower allowed some autonomy he took the city that quickly luskin's hodgepodge fleet and almost all of her captains are pirates penelope explained there was fighting for only a bloody night and a day following but the loyalties of such self-interested people as those in power and luskin are as changeable as the wind it would seem that they decided it was better to join with the invaders than to fight them so they simply bent their knees to a new invader the monk asked i'd hardly say they bent the knee but one lord or another penelope replied this lord is backed by drow so it seems and with demons n knows penelope agreed the fleet was thick with the wild beasts and now so are the streets of luskin but recognize too that the power of luskin before the attack was also held by drow gerald axel and break into the earth catty brie explained to the monk thus they traded one high captain for another penelope said and one more wretched it seems and so one who will allow them their piracy and murderous ways with even less restraint make no mistake the largest complaint paris and avaliere had heard of jar laxal's agent high captain beniago kurth was that he was bringing a measure of civility and community to the city of sales catty bree nodded and chuckled helplessly and half a friend fear looked at her curiously gerald axel is no evil person she explained even king bruner approved a break in the air secret power behind the dark veil of luskin darlaxel is fierce but only when he needs to be and only against those who deserve it his goal was to use the best interests of the people of luskin against their traditional behavior to show them a better way the monk said cadibri nodded slowly and with their consent as they found the ways of trade more lucrative and less mortal than their piracy they think they traded the drow for a water deviant lord and one wretched enough to accept their lifestyles said penelope gromf knows the truth though the city will be enslaved soon enough serving merciless masters or should i say matrons damn him catty bring muttered treacherous fool more fearful than malignant i believe penelope said from all i could garner from avalier and paris gromf is truly afraid of the storm that has come to his front door remember he was once archmage of men's oberenzon he understands the power menzo barons on has brought to bear and he feels it most keenly because he was finding a life he had never been brave enough to even imagine in the grand multi-dimensional corridors and mansions of the host tower of the arcane catty breeze sighed and waddled wearily to take a seat in a soft chair whatever his reasons whatever his feelings we must open those gates she said we cannot not from here perhaps not from the host tower either you were in no position to challenge the likes of grump by henry and we could not begin to bring enough power to bear to convince any within to go against him from gontilgram catty brie explained there may be a way to open the portals whether the host tower is involved or not you must get me to gontokrim posthaste penelope wore a doubtful expression you just teleported to luskin and back with ease catty bree argued the host tower is a prepared destination for such spells penelope said both kipper and i are attuned to the room created for this exact purpose neither of us have any real knowledge of gontogrim you have been there only once and only briefly simply to try the portal when it first became active so yes i know the portal room enough to teleport there penelope paused and offered no agreement i saw it only briefly and saw keenly its low ceiling and cramped walls certainly it is not a place favorable for such an attempt the gates are similar to a permanent circle are they not are they catty bree wanted to answer in the affirmative but she could not because she did not know please we have to try catty brie pleaded if i get to gontelgrim there is much i might be able to do how the host tower controls the primordial is the power catty bree reminded her the host tower merely harnesses the being i can speak with it to what end a primordial is a being that is far beyond our comprehension its desires are not ours and so far removed from ours that you cannot even relate to them we have to try cathy brie said again you would risk your child the question rocked catty bree send me said after friend fear i cannot send anyone said penelope the mage must accompany then go with me afrofriend fear said if familiarity with the targeted area of your spell is the key for success then go and familiarize yourself there remains that first journey catty bree reminded the agitated monk courage is needed he returned no he is right penelope agreed we cannot shy from pursuing any hope however slight in desperate times i will find kipper he is much stronger in this magic we will go to gondolgrim together and prepare a circle and return quickly she paused another cloud drifting across her expression if we are able i mean if the portal room remains free of the demon attackers we know not if any or if all of control grim has fallen take me as well said after friend fear if we appear in a place of danger i will protect you while you get us out of there i cannot ask catty bree started to argue but the monk was hearing none of it you cannot he said because there is nothing to ask of me this is my choice come he told penelope let us be quick the crumbling world will not wait for heroes who pause chapter 12 the deep pool of singular memory thiago sat on the front of his desk in illusk long and slender arms crossed over his chest kemorial sat in the corner behind him and to his left the psionicist insisting on an observational role in giving the meeting over fully to benigo who had been high captain for some time and knew the city as well as any in breaking the earth everyone seated on the benches in front of beniago was drow with the exceptions of wolfgard and bonnie charlie commorial had insisted on wolfgard's attendance and bonnie charlie had been filling a valuable role as she even after the encounter with the knolls in the alleyway could most easily slip about the streets of the city blending in and spying one by one the scouts had delivered their information leaving the most important for last braelyn jan k he was tying all the information together and in a way that seemed to offer little hope for breaking the air's continued presence in the city of sales their numbers are overwhelming braelyn continued it would seem as if all four of the other high captains have indeed pledged full fealty to breventon luskin is a city of smaller size to menzo barons on and with all four of those ships and alliance with the invaders we could not hope to defeat them even if every other person in luskin supported us and few will added another drow scout it shows the fickleness of humans short living and without honor said dabney what it shows is a city suspicious of change wolfgart interjected suffering the scowls of many others who had made it very clear they didn't want him or bonnie charlie in the room you offered them change and they were only just beginning to see it he told beniago and turned as he spoke to make sure that comorial heard him clearly as well no doubt that change would prove beneficial for all in luskin in time but it also meant the weakening of many particularly the strongest and most vicious you demanded perhaps not demanded but coaxed but they surrender their lifestyle not every pirate murders and steals because he has a future a few options some do it simply because they enjoy it they prefer a life of grand adventure without moral boundaries even if it means almost certainly but they too will find a most unpleasant and early death and you label us the evil race daphne said his men's oberon's on really any different brave and john k asked her do you doubt the joy many priestesses feel when using the scourge we are far afield of our issue here beniaga remarked when you retake luskin if you do you would do well to determine the redeemable citizens from the others wolfgard finished beniago looked to him offered a quick nod then turned back to braylon our best hope is the chaos of the knolls braelyn went on even breven and margasser cannot fully control them and their crimes against the folk of lusk and mount and what do we know of brevenden beniago asked he's a demon in him bunny charlie answered a real one red skinned and wicked and with a swirly sword that'll cut ye in half i braelyn agree that demon too may prove to be unwittingly helping us brevindon is behaving ferociously hanging people by the dozen and soon not a family in luskin will not know someone who has died at the end of one of his ropes the people will fear him the other captains will bow to him but soon enough most will hold less love for brevindon than they ever harbored for us but he's not the only demon in luskin and he has a considerable mercenary force that will never betray him including the knolls said dabney others started to respond but beniago held up his hand silencing them as he considered the information none of which was truly new to anyone in the room archmage gromp will not be persuaded he told them after a long pause and there is little we can do without suffering too many losses breaking the earth is not a war party i had hoped to find a role for us under the new leadership in moscow but given the power behind brevenden which we now know to be matron jindiya milan that will never be no we have to win here and win soon while matron jindia remains busy in the south continue nibbling on the edges but let's focus more attention to agitating the knolls against those most loyal to high captain breviden margaster push him and pressure him to greater cruelty until we can determine the best way to fully strike he ended with a look to comorial who remained impassive and gave no indication of agreement or disagreement these were the times when comoriello blodro wondered if there was such a thing as natural reincarnation or if perhaps the spirit of a sentient being could be injected into an inappropriate corporeal form both even l and quenthal bayenri is possible examples perhaps back in his own place comorio could count his friends on a single finger if charlaxal even was his friend certainly the unusual rogue was the closest to counting as one perhaps gromf b henry perhaps beniago kurth perhaps braylon john k these were his associates and with them he had established some measure of trust at least and with gromf he also held a grudging respect probably more so than comorial offered any other drow or any member of any other race on faerun but friends if he had a friend on toril it would be jarl axel and yes he knew that was stretching the definition but here in this place nothing was measured in that manner in this place comorial oblodra didn't exist other than to be a single congregation in the one being that was the whole of illicit society here in the hive mind his fingers caressing the great pulsing brain the edifice of connection and oneness thoughts and memories became interchangeable and mingled study in the hive mind was merely a matter of searching what had become your own expansive knowledge and memories rather than hearing or reading the words of a separate being kymoriel often lamented that he should have been born in illithid the hive mind knew this truth within the drow's heart of course which explained why he was so welcomed here one could not easily hide in sincerity in this place one could not easily hide anything from the elephants a large part of the individual that was commorial wanted to just stay here let luskin and break in the earth be the concerns of another he could remain at the hive mind and caress knowledge itself bask in pure thought revel in memories as visceral as if he had walked those pathways in the lonely and singular drought form he had been forced to wear arguments came back at him from so many other corners of the hive mind though he was unique here or nearly so only this synapse of the hive mind this being named comorial that existed in that drow reality and that world of faerun could bring in such expansive experiences and knowledge of that place he would be limiting the hive mind and thus limiting himself if he lost the balance between recipient and source so he accepted it for the time being and focused his thoughts as he searched demons possession phylactery the knowledge was extensive of course since demons had been milling about existence since the beginning of time itself and given their potential for destruction and damage had ever been of concern to the illiterate hive mind he wasn't learning he was remembering and that was much more powerful and rich the memory sorted the drow lightened his hand from the central brain of the community ready to remove it and depart be well be open he heard in his head the telepathic voices of so many illithids who had joined with him this day to share their memories they were one intimately in this last moment before the mental unjoining and so distinct with their communal voices that he could silently and almost instantly thank them each and every one he noted most especially pescatara the current most endeared to the central brain a position that rotated among the hive and one that commorial as an outsider would never know he noted one other for some reason as he lifted his hand from the central brain and broke the connection something about the way the mind flayer named uwunifisk had imparted the thought struck him differently this plan will not succeed kimura told beniago and the others when they gathered again in illusk beniaga's scouts and provocateurs had been out and about in the city for a ten day causing trouble riling up knolls riling up the people of luskin against the knolls even whispering dire warnings to the ambassadors of the high captains there had been some fights but few fatalities and little progress in weakening the hold of high captain breventon indeed the water deviant noble lord now fully staffed an armed ship marcaster the whole island was fast becoming a fortress and that show of strength would keep the pirates both invader and citizen in line and so comorial was reconsidering and being pushed toward his more daring conflict and what is left to us beniago asked does breaking the earth desert luskin perhaps we leave a minor gang behind to monitor and find ways to bring in some profit at least or should we go back to grump and beg him to reconsider his retreat from this fight or at least convince him to reopen the portals to gontlogrim braylon added king bruner will not allow the new events in luskin to stand if he can at last open the portals to the silver marches he will have three more dwarven armies at his command the gates are closed and gromp is too self-serving to reconsider his actions the retrievers and the sudden gains of the malarny have convinced him that loth is on their side and he's too wise to invoke the anger of the spider queen kiborio calmly explained but we're not apparently wolfgard dared to say chuckling but he was not joined in that mirth by any in the room we have underestimated brevard and margaster or more particularly this demon as beale who resides within the man commorial explained he is formidable they are formidable and they came here as prepared for the aftermath as they were for the initial victory port last two was in their thrall so we leave beneagle reasoned no came comorial's simple answer then what beniago and braelyn asked together komoria looked to the side to wolfgar who nodded knowingly we destroy them the barbarian said we send this fiend as beale back to the pits of the lower plains where it belongs the looks of the drag commanders lingered on wolfgard for a bit before shifting back to comorial who was still staring at wolfgart he knows how to do it wolfgart told them all comorial almost managed to smile at that he wished he was as sure as the barbarian on that matter something was bothering comorial nagging at him he felt as if he was missing an important fact there was a memory floating about just beyond his reach or several memories that were related somehow in a manner that would give him answers i won't miss this time wolfgart promised them all you should not have missed last time commorial thought but did not say or project telepathically his next thought following that unusual notion why did he care was that he had thought it out of frustration but no he now realized he had gone to great lengths to protect wolfgart in that fight on brevin and margasse's ship far out at sea he had protected the barbarian with a kinetic barrier giving wolfgard tremendous power in one swing to reflect all of the energy comorial shield had given him comorial had done that knowing that wolfgar so skilled and powerful would end the demon within his opponent or would at least shatter brevinden's physical body as beale was proud and thought himself invincible his fighting was aggressive reckless arrogant wolfgard couldn't miss but he had how was that possible chapter 13 convergence they came in with a flash and a puff of smoke some extra flare old kipper harpel had put into his teleportation spells simply for dramatic effect this time it almost cost him and those traveling with him dearly for when they arrived in the small portal room in gontelgrim they found two ranks of battle dwarves with loaded heavy crossbows staring at them and a sideslinger catapult on the wall straining to let loose its lethal payload bows up cried bjork lager the battle group commander as soon as the smoke had cleared and catty bree was fully revealed half the dwarves had their weapons there already having recognized the woman as a true friend of clan battle hammer every dwarfing gauntlet grim every dwarf and mithril hall every dwarf in citadel adbar and citadel felbar knew well the adopted daughter of king bruner battle hammer my lady caddy brie it is good you have come bjark said rushing up to the foursome but i'm hoping you brought a way out if you're needing it not for needing it good master dwarf the woman replied so easily slipping into the rhythm and brogue of the dwarves a way of speaking she had drowned in since her youngest days it was an unconscious reversion but a common one and one that brought a smile to her face for catty bree always felt that dwarven brogue part lyrical part guttural was fitting with battle so near every word struck like a bolstering slap on the back and conjured images of toasts to great heroes of old who had stood against mighty foes and prevailed what i'm needing is the sight of me husband to me da i but king bruner is a popular one today bjark said catty bree considered that and looked at him curiously but didn't press further as the dwarf continued we got to go the secret back ways main corridors are full of fighting might be a bit tight with yourself carrying a load just leave me friend and be quick eh hey bjork agreed bruno will be in the forge room or the place what keeps the beast not the doubt come along he nodded to the dwarf nearest the right-hand wall and that fellow hopped over and pressed on specific spots on the seemingly unremarkable stone a section of the wall dropped away revealing a narrow but clean and well-worked corridor pull a torch bjark called no need said penelope harpel and with a wave of her hand she conjured a magical light placing it on the tip of bjark's pointy helm wizards the dwarf muttered and started away we see any demon critters and he be fast and putting out that light faster than you could douse a torch penelope assured him wizards bjork muttered again the six for a second dwarf took up the rear of the line rambled along at a fine pace through winding narrow passages to catty bree and the other visitors the whole of the place seemed a vast maze with too many turns and forks and intersections of passages that all looked the same but bjork knew exactly where he was going and soon enough had the group at the end of a corridor facing what seemed like simple stone except for a metal push bar on one side with a chain hanging beside it bjork pulled the chain and they heard a bell on the other side of the door the dwarf paused for a count of three then pulled the chain rapidly once and again after a brief moment he pushed on the bar and the door silently swung open into a wide chamber a dozen battle dwarves slid their weapons away and watched them enter as one breaking into a cheer when catty bree walked out of the narrow corridor those dwarves parted nodding and happy greeting catty bree and her companions warmly just before they opened the forge room door for the four visitors they had to pause and take note of another group fast approaching down a side corridor evanel dahlia and trary regis and atherogate rushed to join them all five wearing grim expressions the woods about us are filled with dryers we just said rushing up to catty bree so many and my friend evanel grabbed a mother's shoulder and pulled him back warning him to silence with a scowl the drow woman then exchanged a rather awkward look with catty brie king bruner is in the primordial chamber i am told even elle we can relay all the news together at once the dwarves are gathering jar laxal and zacnafei now to join us a hundred questions bounced about catty breeze thoughts at that moment inspired mostly by evanel's tone and by regis something was wrong with regis the hairs on the back of catty bree's neck stood on end yes something was very wrong here she saw it on their faces all of them particularly the halflings for the halfling looked as if he might simply explode they went into the forge room and threw it to the side corridor leading to the large chamber that held the primordial of fire in a chasm whose wall swirled continually the great pit capped by water elementals there they found bruner waiting along with queen tanner bridges ivan and pickle boulder shoulder lady danala topolino and the two drow zachnoffein and jollaxel ah blessed be duma thorne bruner said when he saw his very pregnant daughter please be telling me that them dern portals are running again kipper harper teleported us in catty bree explained no portals and unlikely penelope harpel added off the dwarf king evanel flew us in as a living cloud through the drow and dryders and demons regis said atherogate bruner cried then noting his shield dwarf whom he thought lost at thornhold ah but there are stories to be telling and i'll start with the most important even else said grimly she pulled a sack from around her shoulder there is no easy way to say this she paused and took a deep breath and those who had come in with her all seemed to hold their breath at the same moment catty bree's heart fell she knew at that moment that most terrible moment she knew drist is gone ivanelle announced she laid the sack at the feet of catty bree and when it settled and pitched over a bit the pommel of a familiar scimitar stabbed out of its opening gone bruno demanded what are you meaning gone the spider we just blurted running forward because he simply had to he went straight to his wife to nala and fell into her arms needing the support he is gone even now said again where's the body bruner demanded his voice and i are rising greatly gone jarlaxel asked evanelle nodded but not dead jarl axel said evanel shrugged it was a retriever jar lacks all reminded it took him and thus he might be held prisoner in the abyss then to the abyss we go zack defene growled and bruner loudly agreed as did artemis and trary which surprised most of the others catty bree wasn't even listening though she couldn't hear anything beyond the thrumming of the blood in her ears she looked to evanel who seemed the most versed here and to jarl axel who always seemed to have an answer but no they seemed somehow beyond her reach far away indistinct like their voices like all of their voices now as they bickered and shouted over each other promising a fight or something something it was just a mosquito to her buzzing in her ear like that day that early morning when she and dressed were out on the road south of mithral hall that mosquito yes and she couldn't quite see it because she couldn't yet open her tired eyes and she could only hear it buzzing buzzing nothing focused for her and that terrible moment except the pommel so distinct so familiar the pommel dressed was lost to her she didn't know what to do so she screamed just screamed at the top of her lungs with every ounce of strength she had she threw out a wall of pure denial a stream of curses at the gods and her god and any god at divine justice itself for how could this be she just screamed and when she had thrown it all out there her knees wobbled and went out from under her down she went but not far for zach nefane as agile and quick as his son was there to catch her and support her others were fast to the spot as well regis with a potion in hand to bolster her and soon she was up again apologizing then feeling stupid for apologizing the world spun and her thoughts spun faster she pushed them all away and when bruner her beloved father came to hug her she held out her hands to stop him don't me girl the dwarf asked tears streaming down his cheeks he started for her again i cannot she said keeping her hands defensively before her she knew she just knew that if anyone touched her to comfort her she would melt she could not do that not here not now she fought through her pain she had never imagined pain like this before she let the thoughts swirl her child their child dressed in his arms and swirl some more like a whirlpool taking them all down burying them beneath an ocean of tears she always knew this could happen it was a likelihood of the life they had chosen and it had happened to her to regis to wolfgard to bruner they had been taken to the afterlife and yet they were back but now not this time she just knew she knew the deal miyaliki had given to her when she had kept the foreign eruladoon that was a special circumstance the spell plague and they were there for me a leaking off of the desires of mere mortals it would not happen again there would be no second divine intervention that was the deal no resurrection she stared at the pommel that beautiful black adamantine hilt fashioned it to the likeness of the toothed maw of a hunting cat duty responsibility she found her focus but it wavered when she noted all the stares coming at her from those around the buzzing was gone now just silence traced was gone duty responsibility they were all in trouble she was in trouble her child was in mortal danger duty responsibility but now with their child their child her child dressed child in danger the woman growled and pushed away from those standing about her toward the bag even elle had placed at her feet she fished about and found one of our first and foremost beloved guinevere so much more than a magical item so much more than a companion guinevere was family and catty bree decided that she wouldn't let the onyx figurine out of her possession until the day she gave it to her child to drizzed child she found next the buckle of the sword belt a magical construct of her own making which held within it tall maril the heart seeker her bow that she had given to dressed she removed it from the belt and slid it into her pouch she moved methodically using her duty to hold herself upright she had to think about that which she now had to do and not think about the coming trials and trauma the reality of life without dressed or the possibility of finding some way anyway to go and get him she took out trist's powafuy the wonderful and finely made cloak that never seemed to show the wear of the road charlaxxel had commissioned it for drizzed catty bree brought it in close and inhaled smelling dressed burying her face in that scent she turned and offered it to draw laxal but he held up his hands and shook his head declining yours he said it was clear he was having trouble speaking in that terrible moment keep it wear it i beg she fished around in the sack a bit more and found herself growing stronger and more determined after a few moments she stood and looked to evanel the scrimshaw pendant for andahar she asked drizz took it to run from the spider atheragate answered before even l could he wanted to get the beast as far away from the rest of us as possible even l added catty bree nodded then went to the sack pulling out the sword belt and the mithril shirt the bracers drizzed wore his anklets she held it all before her the legacy of her love on an impulse she drew his other sword the scimitar of vindranath and twinkle joined by katy brie and the forge of gontelgrim presented it powerfully and told the others her voice strong and thick with the dwarven brogue we're not to lose this war we're winning for dressed we're winning we come too far to let this dream go demons and drivers and drow be darned i and huzzah queen tanner britches cheered but the others all looked to the three drow particularly to jarl axel all except bruner who stood perfectly still except for his face which kept grimacing and twisting low growls coming forth he was lost catty bree knew and that gave her more determination and more strength it is a fair declaration the rogue mercenary admitted with a shrug or dressed then and huzzah indeed the others joined in except for catty bree bruner and one other she noted zachnophane his cheeks twitching his eyes large and sad gaze cast down she slid vidranath away and went to him directly to him and matched his stare with her own i am sorry that you never came to truly know your son or to fully understand the beauty that he gave to us all she managed to say her voice breaking several times and that you gave to him charlaxal interjected with an appreciative gnaw to joel axel cadibri cleared her throat and continued care she said and gave zach nefane the bracer and mithril shirt bruner made this for trist and these bracers he took from the corpse of dantrag bayenri i zach started to answer but could get no words out beyond that and these catty breeze surprised zack and everyone else in handing over drizzed scimitars these are yours now to wield in the name of drisdelton your son who loved you always zach nefan's hands trembled as he took the sword belt however you might feel about me or about the others around you who are not drow i trust that you will make good use of these blades and defending all that was dear to drizzt and when we win and we shall you will go as you determine with this part of drizzed in hand at least i she heard bruner say from the side and she was glad to know that the dwarf as good a friend as drizz had ever known as good a father as she could have ever hoped for agreed with her bold decision where would you have me go sagnifain asked when he had finally steadied himself where you will and if i choose to remain here by your side zach asked and he looked around at all of them taking them in one at a time meeting every gaze if i choose to remain beside all of you fighting beside you learning from you he brought his gaze back to stare directly into catty bree's eyes as he finished knowing my grandchild as i wished i might have known my son i would like that catty bree said her voice somewhat less than a whisper tears flowing from her blue eyes and then she welcomed sacnafane's hug and returned it tenfold pulling him tight against her her child his grandchild squeezed between them hugged by both of them regis was there a moment later then bruner then jarlaxel catty bree let herself be swept up in that great hug in a shared sense of loss she remembered then the words have drizzed and whispered them more to herself than to the others joy multiplies when it is shared among friends but grief diminishes with every division she opened her eyes then and looked over zach's shoulder and noted curiously artemis contrary the man was as shaken as she had ever seen him tears streamed down his cheeks as he held dahlia against his side his eyes were locked on catty brito and his thoughts she knew without doubt were full of sadness and emptiness at the loss of the drow who had been his greatest enemy his greatest rival and finally a model to him of what he might have been and perhaps of what he could strive to be catty bree wanted to tell him but she could not hold on to that hold on to that she did whisper under her breath and no one heard but her hold on to that part three lasting ramifications are they all like that do all drow children possess such innocence such simple untainted smiles that cannot survive the ugliness of our world or are you unique dressed orton and if you are so different what then is the cause the blood my blood that courses through your veins for the years you spent with your ween mother this one is different this one is different zachnovane doeworden homeland chapter 14 the year of the shattered oak dale reckoning 1313 making webs in the shadows you know these tunnels beneagle's hand movements asked of zachofane the break in the earth band had gone silent now traversing caves far from enzo berenson they had been out for several ten days and credit to the skill of beniago and a most exceptional scout nav reindeer they had avoided almost all trouble no small feat in the underdark i do zach defene answered with his fingers and you have been to the city of shimmering webs that iago's hands replied once a long time ago with charlaxa i presume and another zach replied a brilliant assassin named arathis hewn then iago answered before he could finish that set sachnafein back on his heels this bayenry knew more than he was letting on and that likely included the fact that arithesium had met a most unexpected and inconvenient end not long after the moment when the artery in arathis hewn's neck had met the sharp edge of the sword zachnovane now carried on his left hip arithes yoon had been a major force in the mercenary band second only to draw laxal within the hierarchy of breaking the earth i am surprised to witness zach nefan relating the notion of arithes eun as brilliant signed beniago he was perhaps the second most brilliant assassin i have ever known second only to the draw who killed him that is usually how it works then iago kurth nodded in salute to that we're going to chat in assad zaknafein asked so it would seem sacnifine slipped back a bit then slowing his pace to better take in the images and textures of the corridors around him using the visual and tactile cues to send his thoughts back to that most thrilling excursion perhaps the greatest adventure he had known in his life the three rogues had traveled to the city of shimmering webs to parlay with a high priestess a matron who had allowed her pride to get a bit beyond her earned reputation she had angered loth so they had been told perhaps that was true perhaps not zachnovane had thought then and still now for who could really know the will of the chaotic goddess who held these two cities men zoberans on and chad nassaud in her thrall it didn't matter anyway of course for lol didn't really care for any single high priestess or almost any matron even enough to demand retribution in this mortal existence she would surely exact any deserved revenge in the afterlife in this particular case however the offending matron had done something far more lethal than committing an offense against loaf she had offended matron mother bayenri a lot of drow had done that over the millennia zach nefane was sure but more sure was jarlaxil who had made it quite clear that few had done it twice and none had ever lived long enough to offend matron mother bayenry a third time the troop continued on their silent way for another few days but then right in an area that zach nefane remembered well a place where he had rescued a band of halfling slaves the direction shifted dramatically the hunsron band had veered to the north soon after the scout reported that the hundreds were heading back toward men's oberenzon along a lesser-used series of tunnels and caves they knew they were being followed zachnovane said to beniago i don't think so beniaga replied this particular hunsren party left under the utmost secrecy it is quite possible that they traveled all this way on purpose just in case they were being watched we are beyond the range of all but the most powerful diviners now their scrying mirrors or pools would not have kept up with the hundreds at this point they are being careful indeed then beniago nodded and once more zach nevane got the impression the bayenry fighter knew a lot more than he was letting on zachnovane shrugged off the notion as immaterial he had known jarlaxel for centuries and so was used to such things we are not bound for the city of chad nassar then the woman asked her hosts you know of chednosad do quelve hunsren asked of course priesthood sakara replied the city of shimmering webs a most worthy tribute to the spider queen do you not agree i do agree duquel replied she too was a priestess of loth hoping to ascend the rank of high priestess in the next decade or so and to answer otherwise would have amounted to sacrilege not that she had to lie in response to this question for duquel was often out of menzo berenson in service to matron harolina hunzrin and many of those journeys had indeed been to chad assad benzo baranzon's most favored trading partner not this one however matronarolino wanted to keep akara and her fellow priestess both a all to herself the hundreds had come upon the pair on the road to menzoberenzone journeying from a place they called the arak enclave which they had claimed as a small but thriving lothian drow settlement in the deeper tunnels of the underdark for arolina for all of house hunzer in this place eric enclave was an entirely new discovery perhaps matron mother baenre knew of it or more likely perhaps she had forgotten about it but matronarolina was determined to keep the information secret a heretofore unknown drow village would make a marvelous trading partner particularly if the hundreds could establish themselves before some other family or worse that mercenary ban known as bregandy earth made inroads the timing had been perfect for this expedition had been planned barely a 10-day before the chance meeting with the priestesses ikara and bolfe it occurred in some tunnels still well outside menzo berenson all the expedition party had to do was re-route the mission to chad nassad to protect their new interests and then they could proceed to this most lucrative promise that would very possibly lead them to a more lucrative relationship before breaking the earth ever knew of the arak enclave a group of hundreds called priestess to 12 away as she passed a side corridor unsurprisingly ikara's comrade buffet exited that corridor and moved to join her friend breaking the earth is following us she telepathically communicated to her sister of course they are would you expect anything less of jarl axel he knows that the hund's runs have scored a major dealer in gemstones one so rich with baubles that it could present a real curb on his insatiable ambitions ikara silently replied bullfa muttered some small talk then in case anyone nearby was wondering why the two were so near to each other without exchanging any words or hand signals then telepathically she asked do you think he knows of us he knows the two priestesses not of men's oberenson have joined with the hanzons drow priestesses yes mikkara responded but there was no hiding doubts in such telepathic communication we must assume that to be the case and if it is not ikara laughed at that charlaxal is no fool he will take whatever information he gleans straight to matron mother bayenry of course and she is also no fool perhaps this will shine more respect on house hunsren that would be good enzo barazon is such a limiting place it is time for the spider queen to spread her tendrils more ambitiously from this city and who better to do that than a rising house that typically has more nobles and commoners out in the tunnels of the wild under dark than in the city proper the same could be said of jarl axel in his break in the earth band bullfa responded he is a mere male so that is irrelevant ikara quickly reverted to audible whispers as she noted the approach of priestess to quell good news the hunsman informed them the way is mostly clear and we have eyes far ahead the journey should be swift and easy and the most recent meeting with our contact shows him ready to deal enrich with a valuable mineral he has to move the cash and quickly else his can in kind learn of his thievery why would you trust such a creature bullfe asked bluntly playing her role he's too dull-witted to be an effective liar to quell answered we know well the place and people involved you have eyes among them ikara asked though she knew the answer yes the place bullfey added blinged in stone said to quell is it known to you in the arak enclave no ikara lied but we know of these ugly little zverf neblen creatures well enough we keep many as slaves duquel nodded her approval at that and waved for the priestesses to follow soon after the hundred party broke camp moving swiftly and silently along the tunnels of the underdark noticed by none none except for nov ray and dear you

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Length: 414min 13sec (24853 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 06 2021