War Of The Spider Queen
Book 1
Dissolution
C h a p t e r
T H I R T E E N
GromAs Quenthel skulked down the corridorph was casting his radiant heat into th, it occurred to her that at the same time, e base of Narbondel. Even revelers and same. She wouldn'necromancers were settling in for a restt have a chance to rela. She, howeverx until late the next night, unless, of , was too busy to do the course, she wound up resting forever.of the aching eyes, fuzzy head, and leadFortunately, one of the Baenre alchemists brewed a stimulant to delay the onset Quenthel extracted a silver vial of the stuff fromen limbs that lack of rest produced. and took a sip of it. She gasped, and her shoulder m one of the pouches on her belt uscles jumped. Jolted back to alertness, she continued on her way
.
In another minute, she reached the door to Drisinil's quarters. In deference to thestatus of her family, the novice resided in one of Arach-Tinilith's most comfortablestudent habitations. Quenthel regretted not sticking her in a dank little hole. Perhaps then the girl would have learned her place.
The high priestess inspected the arched limestone panel that was the door. She couldn't see any magical wards.
"Is it safe?" she whispered to the vipers.
"W
How reassuring, Quenthel thought, but it e believe so," Yngoth replied. was either trust them or use anotherprecious, irreplaceable scroll to wipe away protections that probably didn't exist.She activated the power of her brooch. When a novice came to Arach-Tthe enchantments on certain doors were keyed to allow her to ent inilith, er, based on the unique magical signature of her House insignia, rooms the high priestesses deemed it necessary for her to pass into. Only Quenthel's brooch could unlock them all.
She unlocked Drisinil's door and warily cracked it open. No manor did any mechanical trap j gic sparked, ab a blade at her. As quietly as she could, Quenthelcrept on into the suite. Sensing her desire for quiet, the snakes hung mute and lim
She found Drisinil sitting mp. otionless in a chair, her bandaged, mutilated hands in her lap. For a moment, Quenthel, thinking the other female must have adauntless spirit to enter the Reverie at such a perilous time, rather admired
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Dissolution
puddle of liquor on the floorher—then she caught the smell of brandy, and noticed the bottle lying in a .
Drisinil as the lQuenthel stalked toward the novice. It occurred to her that she was doing to iving darkness had done to her. The thought vaguely amused her
perhaps sim ,ply because she was finally the predator, not the prey. Smiling, she
gently laid the vipers across the other drow's face and upper torso. The snakes hissed and writhed.
pushed her back down in her chairDrisinil roused with a cry and a start. She started to rear up, and Quenthel ."Si
t! " the Baenre snapped ", or the serpents will bite ".
Her wide eyes framed by the cool, scaly loops of the vipers, Drisinil stopped
struggling."Mistress, what'
s wrong?"
Quenthel smiled and said, "Very good, child, you sound sincere. Aftefirst ploy failed, you should at the very least have rested elsewhere." r your
"I don't know what you mean."
Drisinil's hand shifted stealthily, no doubt toward a hidden weapon or charm.
The vipers struck at the student's face, their fangs missing her sharp-nosedfeatures by a fraction of an inch. She froze.
easier if you don't insult mYou have spirit, you believe I punished you too harshly"Please," Quenthel said. "This will go and you' y intelligence.
, re Barrison De A
rmgo, eager to bring down the one House standing between your family and
supremacy. Of course you're involved in the plot against me. You're also an idiot if you didn't think I'd realize it."
"Plot?"
Quenthel sighed. "Halavin tried to kill me last night, and she didn't act alone. A single traitor couldn't have drugged all the food and drink set out at
various
points around the temple. It would have required abandoning her station for lonenough that som g
eone would have marked her absence."
"Halavin could have tainted the meal while it was still in the kitchen."
"She was never there."
"Then perhaps the demon poisoned the viands with its ma"No. As I' gic."
m sure you noted, each spirit represents
one
of the facets of reality over
which the goddess holds special dominion. Poison is the weapon of an assassiwhile with its continually fluctuating fo n,
rm, last night's assailant was plainly a
manifestation of chaos.
"The conspirators," Quenthel continued, "had to contaminate each and evertable because they didn't know where I would stop and eat. Many fell unconscious, y
but you and the other plotters knew not to samDrisinil said, "I had no part in it." ple the repast."
"Novice, you're beginning to irritate me. Admithe vipers and interrogate som t your guilt, or I'll give you to
eone else." The serpents hissed and flicked their
tongues."All right," said Drisinil, "I was involved. A little. The others talked m
e into it.
Don't kill me."
dar
"I know what your little cabal has
ed."
done, but I want to understand how
you
Drisinil swallowed and said, "You . . . you said it yourself. Each demon seeks tokill only you, and each in its own particular way reflects the divine m
ajesty of
Lolth. We thought she sent them. We thought we were doing what the goddess
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Dissolution
wanted."
"Because you're imbeciles. Has no oneIf Lolth wanted me dead, I couldn't surv taught you to look ive h beyond appearances?
er displeasure for a heartbeat, let
alone three nights. The attacks resemble her doing because some blasphemousmortal arranged it so, to manipulate you into doing her killing for her
. I'd hoped
you conspirators knew the trickster's identity, but 1 see it isn't so.""No."
"Curse you all!"
Quenthel exploded. "The goddess favors
me.
How couldpossibly doubt it? I'm a Baenre, the Mistress of Arach-Tinilith, and I rose to the you
rank of high priestess more quickly that any Menzoberranyr ever has! "
some reason for distancing herself from the city"I know . . ." The novice hesitated, then said, "The Mother of Lusts must have , and we . . . speculated "."Some of you did, I'
m sure.
imagine your Aunt Molvayas would relisOthers simply liked the h seeing me dead. She'idea of eliminating me. I d have an excellent chance of becoming mistress in her turn. W
e Baenre don't have another
princess seasoned enough to assume the role.""It
was
my aunt!" Drisinil exclaimed. "She
demons kill you. I didn't even want to came up with the idea of helping the within our family help. I thought it was a stupid idea, but
Quenthel smiled. "It', she holds authority over me."s too bad you weren't more impressed with my authority "."I'
m sorry."
"No doubt that. Now
Drisinil didn't hesitate an instant. "My aunt, Vlondril T, I need the names of all the conspirators."uin'Tarl . . ."
As ever
surprised at the number of conspirato, Quenthel maintained a calm, knowing expression, but inwardly she was unprecedented, but then she wa rs. An eighth of the temple! It was
When Drisinil finished, the Baenre said, "Thank you. Where did you gas living in unprecedented times. ther to
hatch your schemes?""One of the unused storerooms in the fifth leg," Drisinil said.
Quenthel shook her head. "That won't do. It'sgroup in Lirdnolu's old classroom. Nobody's used it sin not big enough. Convene the
so it will seem a safe meeting place." ce she had her throat slit, Drisinil blinked. "Convene?"
"Yes. Last night's plot failed, so obviously you must hatch a new one. You've
chosen a new chamber for the conference because you suspect the storeroom is
no longer safe. Say whatever you need to say to assemble your cabal in four hours'
time."
"If I do, will you spare me?"
know"Why not? As you', it suddenly occurs to mve explained, you only participated reluctantly. But you e that we have a problem. If I send you forth to
perform this task, how do I know you won't simply flee Tier Breche and takerefuge in your m
other's castle?"
death.""Mistress, you already explained that such a course could only lead to my
""But did you believe mMi e? Do you still? How can I be sure?"stress
... I ..."
"If I had my magic, I could compel you to do as you're told, but in its
absence, I must take other measures."Quenthel raised the whip, sweeping the vipers off Drisinil's face in the
process, and slammed the metal butt of the weapon down in the middle of her
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