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arched by without so

much as glancing her way.  Hiding from  her own troops was another bizarre

alm                                  ,ost surreal experience.

When the warriors passed, she hurried on up the slope. In another minute, she reached the top of the rise. Before her rose the m

ost opulent fortresses in the city.

At the easternmost end of the expanse,  House Baenre

ground of all, dwarfing every other structure.      towered on the highest

Xorlarrin, residence of the Fifth House. She turned her steps toward the tall, slender spire known as Spelltower Bands of shimmering faerie fire strithe iron walls.                            ped

sentries on the battlements. Had she not She climbed the steep steps to the gaalready known it, their vigilance wote under the watchful eyes of the uld

have shown that she could maintain complete anonymity no longer.Still, she'd do the best she could.

business, she said, "I'When a sentry armed with spear and long sword strode over to ask her m                       t letyour amazement show."  going to show you something remarkable. Don'

He looked skeptical. He lived in the Spelltower,  after all, and had seen hisshare of marvels.

"All right, ma'aShe twitched open her m. Show me, if you will."
piwafwi,
 
giving him a glimpse of the Baenre H

ouse

insignia hanging at her throat.His eyes widened, but otherwise, he did a  fair job of doing as she'd bade hi

m.

"I want to enter the tower without a"How may I serve you?" he asked softly, the slightest quaver in his voice.

and I want to talk to your matron alone."nyone paying the least attention to me, "Please, come with me."

The guard led her through the gate and into a confusion of service passagessuch as every castle possessed. The corridors eventually brought them i

nto a

nicely appointed room with comfortable-looking sandstone chairs, a  carnelian-and-obsidian

sava
 
set awaiting a pair of players, and frescos of some of Lolth's

attendant demons adorning the walls.

restlessly about the room. Finally the door opened, and Zeerith Q'Her escort departed in search of his  mistress, leaving Quenthel to prowl Zorlar-rin

for a dignified bearing and composure that rarely failed her even islipped through. Her features were plain and nondescript, but she was notable n the mostextreme situations. For a matron, her  costume was rather plain and austere.

The two princesses saluted one another, then Zeerith ushered her guest to aseat.

"When Antatlab told me you'd come without a single guard, I wondered ifhe'd  gone mad," the matron remarked.

"He'"Can I trust him not to gossip about my visit?"

honor of your company?"s discreet enough. Now,  may I  ask why I'm so unexpectedly enjoying the

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Quenthel related the events of the past three nights."If I still possessed my  magic," she concluded. "I could deal with this matter easily, but as things stand  ... I need help."

The words galled her"Why have you sought it here?" Zeerith asked.,  but they had to be said.

"The Xorlarrins have always supported the Baenre and profited thereby.Try as I might, I can't  think of a compelling reason you'your House boasts many of the best wizards in Menzoberranzan. So, if I md want me dead, and ust trust someone, you're a good chance. Will you aid me, Matron?"

Zeerith took her time replying. Quenthel knew the other female was cold-bloodedly pondering whether to help, deny

, or  betray her. Where did the greatestadvantage lie?

"Your plight is an outrage," the Xorlarrin said at last, "an affront to all priestesses. Of course I'support when my clan'll aid you. For ten thousand talents of gold, and your sknowledge."        dispute with House Agrach Dyrr becomes  public

"The one I'"What dispute?"ll be stirring up in a tenday or two. Do we have a bargain?"

Quenthel's  mouth tightened. If she'd come  to the Spelltower in the full making conditions, but by arriving incpanoply of a Baenre princess, Zeerith would have thought twice about desperation and in so doing, shifted the transaction to another level.ognito the mistress had shown her

"Y

"I thank you for your generosityes," she growled, "I agree.""Every night," said Q     . What do you require?"uenthel, "a new  demon comes to kill me, and I fend itoff as best I can. If this goes on, a night will come when  the entity kills meinstead.  I  need  to  do  more.  I  need  to  end  the  siege,  and  it's  mmages know a way                     y  hope  your .  I confess I don't. I've ransacked every vault, chest, anddrawer in Arach-T

"So that'    inilith and found nothing that will serve."s  why you came in secret. You want a weapon, and you don't wantyour foe to know about it. Otherwise, he might take counter-measures "."Correct."

Zeerith rose. "We'll ask Horroodissomoth. He can do it if anyone can, and he'll keep his mouth shut after ".

She opened the door and directed Antatlab, who'd been standing watch outside,to go and fetch her patron and House wizard.

Horroodissomoth arrived shortly thereafter.disgust, for the m              Quenthel felt a little twinge of age was the antithesis  of the typical vital dark elf male. Hisfeatures were lined and wrinkled, and his posture, bent. Rumor had it that his appearance of decrepitude had resulted not from  extreme age but rather  somedangerous magical experimentation.

Moving stiffly,  all but creaking audibly,  Horroodissomoth tendered obeisance then, at Zeerith's  invitation, settled in a chair to listen to a reprise of Quenthel'sstory.  At first the wizard's demeanor was impassive, perhaps even  utterlydisinterested, but a light came  into his rheumy  eyes when he realized she wasasking him  to solve a magical problem."Hmm, " he said, "hmm.  I think I might have something that will help. In away,  I regret giving it to you, because as far as I know, it's unique. Even weXorlarrins don't know how to make another.  But on the other hand, I've alwaysbeen curious to see if it actually works."

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Ousstyl had interbred with humans. NatuGossip whispered that at some point init and would do their meager  best to punish anyone they srally the contemporary Ousstyls denied the distant past, the females of House uspected of passing therumor.  Still, as Faeryl gazed  across the table atTalin-dra Ousstyl, Matron Mother ofthe  Fifty-second  House,  she  could  readily  believe  it.  Talindra  was  tall  and,  for  adark elf, extraordinarily rawboned. Her  jaw  was too  square,  and  her ears,insuffher  iciently pointed. Most telling of all  was the scatter of empty plates before .  She'd annihilated every  morsel of her seven-course supper with a lesser being's insatiable voracity.Ta

"Excuse me."lindra finished with a juicy belch.elsewhere in the ambassadorial residence."Of course," Faeryl said. She thought  Inwardly she heard a thump issuing from , she flinched but Talindradidn't seem to notice the sound.

"Wsupper and spirited me away to ell," the matron said, "that was tasty,this private room, because you but I believe you invited my brood to wanted to talk of something more important than cuisine."

Faeryl smiled and said, "You've found me I don't always devote myself to the interests of Ched Nasad as a whole. out, and I have a confession to make.

Occasionally I work solely to advance the fortunes of House Zauvirr "."How could it be otherwise?" Talindra said, raising her golden cup. "Familalways. Family over all."                         y,noble in the toast. She'd  always enjoyed the sweetdessert wine, but this time it tasted too Faeryl joined the other her nerves were to blame.      sweet, almost sickeningly so. She supposed

The envoy set down her drink and said,  "Let us discuss how our two families might  be  of

service  to  one  another.  In  Ched  Nasad,  we  Zauvirr  are  allied  with

House Mylyl. For the immediate future, we  must remain so. Yet  it's  also  time  forthe Mylyls to begin their decline, for their wealth ainto our hands. Y                nd influence to start passing

T      ou see the problem."alindra grinned and said,  "Yrealizing who's to blame."    ou want to attack the Mylyls without them "So why not do it through an intermediary?"guest failed to react. FortunatelyElsewhere, someone let out a thin, little wa, the sounds of pain were reasil. Faeryl tensed, but once again, her onably common indark elf dwellings.

"Ylong, dangerous journeou want me to lend you some of my males," the matron said, "to make the The Mylyls would have no idea who they ary to Ched Nasad to raid and e, nor that they'kill for you. It makes sense. r

But what do I get out of it? Why—?"            e working for you. , strode to Talindra's side, and raised a steelbaton.A warrior threw open the door

The matron was too quick for him. Surging up in her chair,  she knocked him cold with a punch to the jaw

Faeryl.          ,  drew a long knife from her belt, and pivoted toward The ambassador snatched up Mother'stable all the while. She sprang up, swung thKiss, which had been lying under the e basalt-headed war hammer in an arc and balked the oncoming Talindra for an instant.

T For the next few seconds, the two nobles  battled, neither able to score; then alindra used her free hand to clasp a  round medallion pinned  to her bodice. Red

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light shone from between her fingers.

the fight considerablyIf the matron had the capacity to throw a . Faeryl needed to  end it quicklyspell, that changed the complexion of , perhaps before the firstmagical effect manifested. She charged  her opponent, strikin

g at  her head  in  anall-out attack.

It was a reckless move, and she sufferjabbed painfully into her         ed the consequences. The knife point

beneath her silken gown. Mother'ribs. Luckily, it failed to penetrate the mail she wore s  Kiss slammed into the Men-zoberranyr's  head