Authors: JASON

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F O U R (22 page)

S E V E N

when the flamFor an instant, the world blazed bright e was gone it left little m re thand hot, searing Phara

un's skin. However

o an a tactile memory of pain. Gaspin

g,the wizard took stock of him

self. Except fo

Some combination of the protective ench r a blister or two, he was all right. antments woven into both his vest and

bearing the insignia of Sorcere, had saved himpiwafwi, his innate drow resistance to hostile magic, and the s from fatal burns. ilver ring he wore R

yld had drawn Splitter. An arrow whstreet, and the burly swordsm izzed down from a rooftop across the

an batted it out of the air. A huge flying mount

wheeled overhead, vanishing from view before Pharaun could get a good look at it.

"Are you all right?" Ryld asked."Just singed a little," Pharaun replied.

"Here are your rogues, not so canny after all. We'll either have to rise into the air after them or pull them down to the street."

"We'll do neither. Follow me."

"Run?" the weapons master asked, swatting away another arrow.wanted to catch one of them." "I thought we

"Just follow ".

Pharaun began moving down the street, meanwhile peering upwar

for his attackers. R d, looking yld scowled but trailed along behind him.

The Master of Sorcere glimpsed a swirling motion from the corner of his He pivoted. Crouched on the edge of a roof, a spell caster spun his hands i eye.

n fluid

Gesturing, speaking rapidlyystic passes. , Pharaun rattled off his own incantation. He was racing the other m

age, and he finished his ma

le gic first. Five darts of azure light aped from his fingertips, shot at the spell caster, a

From that distance, he couldn't tell how badly he'd h nd plunged into his chest. urt his colleague, but at the

least his foe flailed his arms in pain. The Academician'

spell. s attack had disrupted his R

yld knocked another arrow away, and only then did Pharaun realize that this

time, the shaft had been hurtling at him. An instant later, a studded mace

Richard Lee Byers

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

seemingly made of shadow flew out of nowhere and swung itself at his head.

Splitter flicked over and tapped that manidid, the war club vanished at the great sword'festation. As conjured objects often s touch.

The two m"In here," Pharaun said.asters ran to the arched sandstone door of one of the modest houses

on the street. Pharaun suspected that the tetrouble, and evidently R nants had locked it at the first sign of

He sim yld agreed, because he didn't bother trying the handle. ply booted the door and broke the latch. The weapons master scrambled

inside.

The front room of the home was crowded. Pharaun mi

The population of the city had grown considerably since its founding but the ght have expected that.

num

in wherever they could.ber of stalagmite buildings was of necessity fixed. The poor had to squeeze Thus, an abundance of paupers lived in the hovel, and a goodly number of them

had gathered in this common space, either to relax or to dip rothe stew from the iron caldron on the trestle table. Surprisi

ngly, the simple meal actually smelled

appetizing. The aroma made Pharaun's mouth water and reminded him that he hadn't dined in several hours.

Ryld brandished Splitter at the occupants of the house with a flashy facility

calculated to quell aggressive im"W pulses.

The weapons me apologize for the intrusion," Pharaun said.aster glowered at him."That pillar of fire was divine m "Why are we running?"

displaying the silver Sorcere ring and gic, not arcane." Pharaun lifted his hand, reminding his friend of its power to identify

, not just protect him from, magic. "It's priestesses attacking us. Killing them would call attention to us, m

ake the Council even more eager to put a

stop to our inquiry. It might even make themhow our mission turns out or of what G want to kill us irrespective of

romph decides ".

Pharaun grinned and added, "I know I promised you glorious mayhem, but that will have to wait."

Ryld replied, "It's a difficult thing to sneak away from foes who hold the high

ground.""I'

m an inexhaustible font of tricks, haven't you noticed?" Pharaun beamed

at the assembled paupers and said, "How would you all like to assist two

masters of the Academy engaged in a mission of vital im

Archm portance? I assure you, age Baenre himself will wax giddy with gratitude when I inform him of

your aid."His audience stared back at him

, fear in their eyes. One of the female

commoners produced a bone-handled, granite-headed mallet and threw it. Ryld

caught it and hurled it back. The mathe laborer' keshift weapon thudded into the center of

s forehead, and she collapsed.

He waited a beat. "Splendid, then just stould anyone else care to express a reseand still. I assure you, this worvation of any sort?" Pharaun asked. n't hurt."The Master of Sorcere pulled a wisp of fleece from a pocket and recited a

incantation. With a soft hissing, a wave of magical force shimmered

the room. When it touched the paupers, they changed, each into a facsi through mile of

Ryld or Pharaun himself. Only a single child remained unaffected.

"Excellent," said Pharaun. "Now all you have to do is go outside, at whichpoint, I recom

mend you scatter. With luck, many, if not all of you, will survive."

"No!" cried one of Ryld's doubles in a high, agitated voice. "You can't make

Richard Lee Byers

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

us—"

"But we can," said Pharaun. "I can fill the house with a poisonousfriend can start chopping you to pieces. ... S vapor, my

o please, be sensible, go now. If

the enemy breaks in here, your chances will be significantly worse ".

They looked sullenly back at him. He smiled and shrugged, and Ryld hefted Splitter

. The commoners began to scurry toward the door.

The two masters fell in at the back of the crowd, prepared to chivvy folk along

as necessary."Shadows of the Pit," m

urmured Pharaun, "I wasn't at all sure they would

actually do it. I am a persuasive devil, aren't I? It must be m"Decoys aren'

t a bad idea," said Ryld, "but now that I think of it, why n

y honest face."

ot just

turn us invisible?"

Pharaun snorted. "Do I tell you which end of the sword to grip? Invisibility's

too common a trick. I'm sure our foes are prepared to counter it. Whereas the

illusion may work. It's one of my personal, private spells, and we Mizzrym are

famously deft with phantasm. Now, when we get outside, don't lose track of me.

You don't want to go skipping of

Most of the com f with the wrong Pharaun."moners had vacated the

steadying him house. Pharaun drew a deep breath, self, and he and RThe com yld plunged out into the open.

one had attacked any of themoners were scattering as direct. Perhaps, as he'ed. As far as Pharaun could tell, no d hoped, the enemy was entirelflum y

moxed.

The masters, fleeing like the rest, turned one corner and another. Pharaun was

beginning to feel the smugness that comes from outwitting an adversary when

something rattled and rustled above his head. He looked up in time for it to

slam him in the face and knock him

thick, coarse strands of rope com down. Dropped from a fair height, the prising the net struck with the force of a club.Also trapped, R

yld cursed, the language vulgar enough to make the Braerynproud.

Pharaun needed a second to shake off the shock of the impact, and he realized

his current situation was even more unfortunate than he'd

net, woven in a spider web pattern, was animate. Scraping his skin, striving to initially thought. The

render him completely immobile, the heavy mesh shifted and tightened around

him.

A foulwing landed on the street. In the saddle sat an otherwise handsome priestess with a scarred face—a Mizzrym

Strangely, she wore a domino mask, and Pharaun suspected he kface, lean, intelligent, and sardonic. new why.Grinning, the female said, "I knew you'd try to trick me with illusions, Pharaun.

That's why I brought a talis

Though he wasn't sure she could see it froman of true seeing."m outside the net, Pharaun made it apoint to smile back when he said, "And you were correct. Hello, Gr

eyanna ".