F O U R (17 page)

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

one of Nym's captives in their turn?" R

yld frowned, pondering the notion. "You're guessing that priestesses in a diversity of Houses have grown m

ore

could provoke a spate of runaway males, butharsh and unreasonable. Obviously what could make the     , that all those priestesses curdle in unison?"               dispositions of

"I have a hunch that when we figure that out, we'll be getting somewhere ".The two m

asters circled around a colossal  snail pulling a dozen-wheeled cart. The

creature's m

survived an encounter with such a giant outh opened into an O and Pharaun—who had once only narrowly mollusk in the wild—nearly  sacrificed his

undoubtedly been divested of its ability dignity by flinching, even though he to spew a caustic sludge. Sure enough, knew this particular specimen had nothing flew from the draft creature's ma

Th                 w except a few clear, harmless droplets. e  Wagoner lashed  the  hostile  sna

"What did you learn downstairs?" asked Ril with his long-handled whip. yld.

able to oblige an old comrade. Th"Nothing, really," said Pharaun, "nothiat was pleasant in its own wayng we hadn't already inferred. Still, I was " ."If  neither of us discovered anything substantial, our visit to the Jewel B

ox was a

waste of time."

"Not a bit of it. The bloodshed perked you  up, didn't it? You've pretty much  beensmiling ever since."

"Don't be ridiculous. I admit it was an interesting little scuffle . . ."

Ryld began to recount the battle one action at a time, with comprehensive

analysis of the alternative options and underlying strategy. Pharaun nodded and did his best to look interested.

Trmarched briskly down the corridoriel, Matron Mother of House Baenre and a diminutive ebony doll of a dark elf, covering  ground  rapidly  despite  her  short  strid

,e.

Eight feet tall, his two goat like legs more  nimble even than most drow's, Jeggred had no difficulty keeping up with his  mothersecretary                  . The scurrying, frazzled drow ,  though, looked as if she was in immiarmload of parchment. When T         nent danger of dropping her riel hearwanted to move faster still. Only a sense that a femd voices conversing a few yards ahead, she anot to com                  le in her august position ought promi

"I think it's a test," said one soft femse her dignity by running held the impulse in check. ale voice.

"I worry it's a sign of disfavor," answered  the other"Perhaps we'                  ,  a hair deeper and a bit nasal. ve done something to offend—"

Triel and her companions rounded a corner.  There before them  loitered a pair of her cousins. Their mouths fell open when they saw her.

Triel looked up at her son's face, which, with its slightly elongated muzzle,mouthful of long, pointed fangs, slanted eyes, and pointed ears, seemed a blend ofdrow and wolf. That wordless glance sufficed to  convey her will.Jeggred pounced, his long, coarse mane streaming out behind him.  With each of his huge, clawed fighting hands, he grabbed a cousin by the throat and hoisted her up against the calcite wall. His two smaller

,  drow-like hands flexed as if they too wished to get in on the violence.

Richard Lee Byers

44

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

Perhaps they did. Triel had conceived a child in a ritual coupling with the glabrezu demon Belshazu.

The result was Jeggred, a half-fiend known as a draegloth, a precious gift of theSpider Queen. His mother was quite prepared to believe that cruelty and bloodlust burned in every mote and particle of his being. Only his reflexive subserviencetendered not because T                         ,riel had borne him but because she was first ampriestesses of Lolth, kept him  from  im               ong the mediately slaughtering his prisoners, orindeed,                                 , pretty  much  anyone  else  with  whom  he  came  in  contact.Occasionally Triel's lack of  height was an advantage. It didn't feel awkward orclaustrophobic to step inside the circle  of Jeggred's  two longer arms and standbefore the cousins. Up close, she could smell  the  sweat  of  their  fear  just  as  easily  as she could hear the little choking sounds they were making or the thuds as their heels bumped against the carved surface behind them

.

The cousin on the left started m"I forbade you to speak of the situation in public," she snarled. aking more noise, a tortured gargling. Perhapsshe was trying to say that she and the other one had been alone. "This is a public part of the castle," Triel said. "Anyone, any male might have comealong and overheard you." She swdidn't accidentall        ung her whip of fangs, aiming low to ensure she y  lash  Jeggred's  hands  or  arms. The five  writhing  adders  gashedtheir targets but not enough to satisfy their  mistress. She struck again and again. Heranger rose and rose until it became a kind ofnothing existed but the cousins'  thrashing, the sm rapture, a sweet simplicity in which ell and feel of their blood spattering her face, and the pleasant exertion of her snapping  arm.simShe never knew what brought her out of  that joyous condition. Perhaps it was ply that she was winded, but when  she came to her senses, the two  babblerswere dangling limp and silent in Jeggred's  grip. iling. They'dcousins' excruciating torture, but there Both the draegloth and the scribe were smwere things still to be done thoroughly enjoyed the , and she'd wasted time losing her temper. Which was bad. Matron Mother Baenre, de facto ruler of the entire city of

Menzoberranzan, should be able  to govern herself as well. Trand comiel's emotional volatility  was of comparatively recent origin. She'd been calm petent all the while she served  as Mistress of Arach-Tinilith. That role, arguably second only to her mother's  in  prestige, had suited her well     ',  and she d never aspired to anything more. Nor had she truly believed that more waim                  s even possible. Her mother seemed mortal. Indestructible. But then, suddenly,  she was gone, and the ambition that at one time or another goaded every dark elf  awoke in Triel's breast. How could she not strive to ascend to her mother's  throne? How could she let her other kin climb over her head to  order her about forever after? Quenthel or one of

She managed to claim  the title of Matron Motherfeel somewhat overwhelmed           , and though she soon came to wasn'           by the scope and intricacies  of the position, at first it t  so bad. Things were relatively  normal and didn't require some dramatic intervention from  on high to set them

Moreover            right.  ph to  advise her.  Trbrother invariably disagreed, but T,  she had Quenthel and Grom         ue, her sister and riel cpick the one that suited her      ould review their competing proposals and

.  It was considthe ideas herself.            erably easier than having to come up with

But she had a crisis to manage, perhaps the  greatest crisis in the long history of the

Richard Lee Byers

45

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

dark elves, and apparently she would confide in Gromph, and insolent Quenthel have to do it alone. She obviously  couldn't claimed  sh

e

of Tier Breche before she could focus on anythi    had to attend to the security ng else.

Tr

"Let themiel gave her head a shake, trying to dislodge her doubts and worries. down."

Jeggred obeyed, and she turned to the secretary."When you get a chance," she said, raising her voice over the choking g

asps of

the two cousins, "have somebody haul them  out to Arach-Tback together, and have som               inilith to be patched

eone wash away the blood. But for now, we'd  best get

moving. I think we're late."

The trio moved on. A final turn brought  them  to the door. Behind it was the dais

overlooking the largest audience chamber in  House Baenre. A pair of sentriesguarded the entry to ensure that no one  would sneak through to stab the m

atron

mother in the back. They snapped to  attention  when they saw her coming. T

riel swept on through the entry with Jeggred  and the clerk in tow.  The hall on the

other side glowed with soft magical  light to facilitate the examination of documents. A sweet perfume scented the ai

r,  and  a fresco  of  Lolth  adorned  the

ceiling. The guards along the walls—dark elves near the dais, ogre  and minotaurslaves farth

er down—saluted,  while the  supplicants and petitioners made the

obeisance proper to their stations, anything  from  a dignified inclination of the head and spreading of the hands to an abj

ect grovel flat on the floor.

Looking down on them  from  the elevated platform, Triel reflected that it was astonishing just how many such folk  turned up each and every tenday

.  She'd

thought people were always  demanding her attention when she ruled the Academb                                  y,

ut  she'd  had  no  conception  of  the  hordes  of  idiots  who

Baen                      constantly  sought Matron re's  ear,  often  to  resolve trivial  if  not  nonsensical concerns.

She sat down on her mother's  throne, an empress's ransom  in gold with a flaring

back shaped to resemble anlar            arc of spider web. Her predecessor had been a relatively

ge female, and her successor always felt a  bit  childlike  and  lost  in  the  chair.  Shehad enough of a sense of irony to com

prehend theShe surveyed the waiting throng and discovered Faeryl Zauvirr at the veaccidental symbolism.

ry  frontwith som

e  long, bulky rolled papers tucked under her arm. The matron mother

smiled, for at least she knew how to deal  with this one particular petitioner.  For a

blessed change, Waerva, one  of the lesser females of her House, had made herself useful. She'd com

e  up with some  significant information and a sensible idea of

what to do about it.

Triel decided she might as well start out