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demon gave a particularly loud cry,  whiclanging of a hammer beating  metal in a forch sounded in part like the rhythmic

ge. Wincing at the noise, the priestess

Richard Lee Byers

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War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

didn't know if the extreme volume equated to

The demon turned into a miniature     a scream of pain, but she hoped so.

uncouth architectural notions of some inferior race. A forgreen tower shaped according to the

at the sword as if the keep were a magnet and the conjured weapon, force surrounding it tugged ged of steel. Quenthel found it easy to compensate  for  the  pull

.  She  slashed away  chunks

of masonry.The tower opened lengthwise  like a sarcophagus. It lurched forward, s

wallowed

the sword, and closed up again.The entity had caught Quenthel by surprise, but she didn't see why it should

matter.  It might even be more effective to  cut and stab her foe from the inside .  She

used the blade to thrust, felt the point snapped.              bite, and her psionic  link with the weapon

Startled, she nonetheless reflexively reached for another scroll. The demon spread out into a low

,  squirming red and yellow mass.  A hole dilated in the midst

shifting colors just as the intruder did, of it, and it spat the sword out. The weaand Quenthel still couldn'pon retained its shape but rippled with t feel it with her mind.

brought up the rearShe backed away, the blad. The sword swept be followed, and, rattling and growling, the demon ducked and dodged. So far      ack and forth, up and down, while she

,  she was evading it, but it hampered and hurt her simply by being near. Her mail turned to moss and

crumbled away. Her flesh throbbed with sudden pains as the demon's power

sought to transform  it. One leg turned numb and immobile for a secnearly fell. Itchy scales grew on her sk             ond, and she

world blurred to black, white, and gray, and the colors ein then faded away. Her eyes ached, the xploded back into view.

the soft, alien emHer identity itself was in flux. For one otions of an arthritic hinstant, she thought the thoughts and felt uman seamstress dwelling somewhere in

the World Above.

Somehow, despite all such disconcerting  phenomena, she ma

spell on the scroll and avoid the radiant blade at the sam    naged to read the e  time.She wasn'

t

Tinilith. She questioned that a dark elf had scribed it, for it contained a spell sure how this particular parchment had found its way to Arachthat few drow ever cast. Indeed, somebecause it invoked a force regarded as anathem priestesses would disdain to cast it,

a

knew the goddess would want her to use       to their faith. But Quenthel foe, and it was rem          any weapon necessary to vanquish her

otely possible that this magic would prevail where even the

supposedly invincible  black blade had failed.Bright, intricate harmonies sang from  the empty air

.  A field of bluish

phosphorescence sprang up around her.  Within it, she could make out intangible

geometric forms revolving around one another in complex symmetrical patterns.The cool radiance expressed the power of order

,  of law,  the antithesis of chaos.The sword that had becom

e  an extension of the demon's will froze inside  it like

an insect in amber—and the demon was  equally still. For a moment, at least.

The creature began hitching ever so slightly forward, working itself loose of therestricting m

agic.

The Mistress of Arach-Tinilith was essentially a creature of chaos as well, but

mortal and native to the ma

her            terial plane, and thus the spell had no power over .  She wheeled and dashed to the body  lying in the doorway.

part of it was moving, chewing and slurping on th        Only the spider e rest.The dead girl turned out to be Halavin Sym

rywin, who'd had the surprisingly

Richard Lee Byers

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War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

good sense to remby surprise. The novice had move all that gaudy

anaged the arba

, clinking jewelry before attemlest rather deftly  p

, conside

ting to attack

ring her

sore, mutilated hands.Quenthel stooped to pick up the weapon and the quiver containing the rest of

the enchanted quarrels. She moved warily, but the feasting arachnid paid her no

mind.

demShe turned, laid a dart in the channel,on shuddered in its nearly im      and shot. When the shaft hit it, the mobile form, but didn't die.

It occurred to her that she could get away from  it while it was trapped, musterany loyal minions who hadn't partaken of  the poisoned supper

,  and fight the thinat the head of a com                          g

pany,  just as she'd originally intended. After  the  haevents of the past minutes, the idea had a certain a          rrowing

ppeal.But after what she'd endured, she wanted to be the one to teach this v

ermin a

lesson about molesting the clergy of Lolth. Besides, the appearance  of  strength

was vital. So she  kept shooting as  fast as  the  cock

would allow                  ing action of the  weapon .  The demon inched its way toward her as if it was made of halfcooled magma.

Four bolts left, then three. She pulled the trigger,  the dart struck the demon in the middle of its horned, triangular head, and it winked out of e

xistence.

She could still hear its voice, but knew that was just because it had shriekedso long and loudly

.  She gave her head  a shake, trying to quell the phantom

sound, then glimpsed yet another shadow watching her from  some distance

away."You!" she shouted, cocking the arbalest to receive the penultimate q

uarrel.

"Come here!"

winded fromThe other dark elf bolted. Quenthel gave chase, but she was still a little the struggle with the demon, and her quarry outdistanced her and

disappeared.The Baenre stalked on through the labyrinthine chambers and corridors until

she rounded a bend and came face to face with three of her minions. The

goddess only knew what their true sentimenleveled arbalest and the obvious fact that, while her gear was mts were, but confronted with her

uch the worse

for wear

"I killed tonight', she herself was unscathed, they hastily saluted.s  intruder," she said,  "and a homegrown enemy as well. Whatdo you know of our situation? Is anyone else dead?"

"No, Mistress," said a priestess. The lowered visor of her spider-crested helmet

com

Quave, one of the senior instructors. "Most of those who atepletely concealed her features, but from  her voice, Quenthel recognized and drank the tainted meal are waking. I think th

unconscious, not kill us."       e poisoner only wanted to render us "Apparently," said Quenthel, "she was  willing to let the demon adminis

ter  the

coup de grace to me. What of those who encountered the entity before I did?"

to the point of death. They should recover as well."Quave hesitated, then said, "When they  tried to hinder it, it hurt them, but not

unknown enem"Good," Quenthel said, though she took no joy in knowing she was the y's sole target.

"What are your orders, Mistress?" asked Quave."We'll have to sort out the living from  the dead, and deal with each acc

ordingly.

We'll also look for the place where the dem

These were tasks that would doubtless keep her occupied for the rest of theon got in, and seal it."

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War Of The Spider Queen

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Dissolution

night, but she knew she had to find a way to stop the intrusions, and pull thefangs of another crisis as well.

It would all for make an arduous day's labor, with the outcome  uncertain

enough to depress even a high priestess. vipers began to stir          Still, her mood lifted slightly when her

.

* * *

"I have a healing potion," said Ryld.  He took a small pewter vial from  his pouch, unstoppered it, and held it to Pharaun's lips. The wizard drank the liquid

down.

"That might be a little better," Pharaun said after a moment. "But it's still bad.

I'm  still bleeding. On the inside, too, I think. Do you have any more?"

"No."

"Pity. A wretched little goblin did this. I can't  believe it.""Can you walk?" asked R

yld.Pharaun would have to move or be moved, som

ehow. He couldn't just lie in

the street, not in the Braeryn, not on a night when the hunt was out. It was far toodangerous.

" The mage strained to lift hims

back down. "But apparently not.""Possibly

.               elf up with his hands, then slumped

"I'll carry you," said Ryld.

He gathered the mage in his arms, and bidding Pharaun do the same, calledupon the magic of his House insignia.

onto a rooftop.           They floated slowly upward, and swung

undercreatures ran through the streetThe view from that vantage point  was far from encouraging. Screaming whooping riders in pursuit. The dark els and alleys of the Braeryn with ves killed the goblins with the th

rust

of a lance, the slash of a sword, or  simply by trampling them under the clawed

feet of their lizards. They tended to  find  intimate  mayhem  more Som                              amusing.