F O U R (60 page)

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

anticlimax, which was absurd, really. Itthis far                had been astonishingly difficult to get

.

ordinary teleportation. Save for a spHe stepped into the portal, and experilit second of blindness, it was jenced none of the spinning vertigo of ust likestriding from one room to the next. The only problem was the d

rider waitin

on the other side.                           g

The wizard struggled not to make a sound.  Still, the huge creature, half spider,half drow

turned toward him. Pharaun had no fear , a bow in its hand and a quiver  of arrows slung across its naked back, of a single such aberration, but the

goddess only knew just how elaborate this  trap actually was. He  whirled back toward the magical doorway just as R

yld came thrR                      ough.

yld, who'd slain his share of Menzoberranzan, knew that this one—a hybrdriders in the caverns surrounding

torso of a dark elf m           id creature with the head, arms, and ale married to  the body and segmented legs of a colossal

spider—was larger than average; a robust  example of its species, if species was the

proper  term.  Nature  didn't  make  them,  magic  did.  Sometimes,  when  the d                                goddess

eemed  one  of  her  worshipers  insufficiently  reverent,  the  punishment  was

transformation at the hands of a circle of priestesses and a demon called a

yochlol.The Master of Melee-Magthere naturally focused on the venomous aberration

as soon as he stepped through the portal, but like every competent warrior—and unlike Pharaun, evidently—he also took

The portal had deposited them  in a larin the disposition of the entire area.ge,  unfurnished hall with a number of openings along the wall. It was the sort of central hub used in c

astles to link the

various wings. A couple males were wandering through, and while neither hadventured into the drider'

s  immediate vicinity

him  or flee from  him           , they weren't preparing to attack ,  either. Nor did the  creature himself appear on the ver e of

assaulting anyone, though he regarded                 g the newcomers with  a scowl.Som

ewhat pleased to be ahead of his  clever friend for once, Ryld gripped

Pharaun by the shoulder."Steady

," the swordsman said. "Don't emThe wizard looked around, then grinned barrass yourself."and said, "Right. Our friends didn'

t

trick us into entering a trap. The drider's  maNo.                 gically constrained."

R

portal, which dwindled to nothing behiyld glanced back to see that the  two bogus ores had stepped through the nd them. It was the bigger and moretalkative of the duo who was speaking.

"The driders help us of their own free will."

In the blink of an eye, the goblinoids "Interesting," said Pharaun.       turned into an aristocratic warrior—Houndaer T

uin'Tarl, specifically, whom Ryld had trained—and a craftsman of

one sort or another.  The prince closed  the portal with a  wave  of his arm.

"Do you still use that second-intention indirect attack?" Ryld asked. "That was a nice move."

For the first time, Houndaer smiled a  smile that had neither malice nor suspicion in it.

"You remember that, Master? It's  been so long, I'

remember me."                   m surprised you even

"W"I always remember the ones who truly learn."ell, thank you. It's  good to have you with us, and you're going to be glad you

Richard Lee Byers

163

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

are. Great things are in store." the noble said. The drider scuttled toward them."Ah, here comes T

sabrak. You'll see his  mind isn't sluggish or otherwise crippled,

yet he's  on our side nonetheless."In point of fact, the drider didn't look  especially congenial. The length of  hi

s

legs  lifted his  head  above  those  of  the  four  dark  elves,  and he  glared  down at them

with eyes full of madness and hate. Ryld  inferred that Tsabrak  had entered into a typical Menzoberranyr alliance. He'd thrown  in with  th

e runaways  to  secure some

practical advantage, but he still loathed
 
all
 
the drow who'd deformed him and cast him out.

"What is this?" the drider snarled, exposing his fangs. They seemed to impedehis speech a trifle. "Syrzan said no!"

Syrzan wasn't  a typical drow name, but Ryld had no  idea to which other race it might belong. He glanced ove

he didn't know, either    r at Pharaun, who conveyed with a subtle shrug that .

"Syrzan is my ally, not my superior," said Houndaerthing. "I make my own decisions, and I'      , glaring back at the spiderThey'                ve decided these gentlemen can help us. re masters of Tier Breche—""I know who they are!" T

sabrak screamed,

venom, flying from his lips.  "Do you think me a mindless flecks of foam, perhaps mixed with beast?  I  studied  on TierBreche the same as anyone!"

how unlikely it is they can do us any harm"Then you know how useful their talents could be," said the craftsman, "and disarmed them."             , particularly now that the prince has

It? R"Just point us to Syrzan," Houndaer  said. "It will allay your fears."yld wondered.

"I can't," the drider said. "It's gone off somewhere."

"Where?" Houndaer asked

"Agitating slaves? Acquiring more magic fire from its secret source? How do Iknow? You'll just have to sit on these two until it gets back."

"That's all right," the noble said. "Master Argith and I can reminisce about old

times. We'll all wait in the room where  Syrzan interviewed the other recruits."

the masters don'"Perhaps you'd care to tag along," the craftsman said, "to make absolutely sure

Pharaun beamed up at the bloodthirsty abt cause any trouble."    erration and asked, "Please? There are

years."half a dozen questions concerning drider existence that  have perplexed me for T

sabrak ignored him, instead glowering  at Houndaer and the artisan as if he

suspected them of playing a trick on him.Finally, he said, "Yes. I'

"Fine." Houndaer nodded to Rll go. Somebody with sense needs to be there."yld and Pharaun and said, "Come this way ".

The masters and their hosts, or captors, set off through a maze of passageways. As promised, Pharaun treated T

sabrak to  a  barrage  of  ques

drider failed to respond, cheerfully answered himself wi tions, and, when the th  a  gush  of scholarlspeculation.                              y

R

and dusty place where Pharyld paid little attention. He was too busy studying the rogues' citadel, a forlorn aun's monologue echoed away into the quiet. No servants were in evidence, merely runaway males and driders, who often

recognized their former instructors and curiously peered after  them.  The marks ofmagical attacks, bursts of lightning and sprays of a

cid,  scarred the  walls.

By all appearances, the conspirators  were hiding in the seat of a House

Richard Lee Byers

164

War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

extinguished by its enemies. No one was fortress without the Baenre'

s  permission,  and few would dare.

supposed to take possession of such a The vacant castles

were supposedly cursed and haunted insanity               places, breeding grounds for sickness,

squatters had broken the c, and bad luck. As if to  compound the potential for ill fortune, the traffic and even in corners where they opious shrouds of spiderwedidn't.     b wherever they impeded

windows. The glass was gone but the molded calcite cames remaAt one point, the masters and their warders passed a row of small octagonal ined. R ldgl                                 y

anced  out  and saw mansions  shining green  and violet  far  below.

had taken a stalactite castle, hanging fro             The rogues place. No doubt the isolation had attracted them.m the cavern ceiling, for their hiding

A minute later,  the little procession reached its destination, a chapel with

rows of benches, a crooked aisle snaking up the middle to an asymmetrical basalt altar

,  and murals, agleam  with silvery phosphorescence, carved inbasrelief on the walls and ceiling. T

o  Ryld's  surprise, these last depicted  not  the

Dem

Lolth herself. Apparently the House that once abode here had sacrificed to onweb but other hells entirely devoid of spiders, yochlols, or the goddess

The dark elves settled themforbidden deities. Perhaps that transgression had contributed to its downfall.selves in the pews. While Houndaer and the

commoner seemed convinced of the masters'  claim  of estrangement from  Tier

Breche, they nonetheless retained possession of the newcomers'  gear. Tsabrak crouched just inside the door, his legs splayed out on either side of the ent

rance.

"I admire the decor," Pharaun said. "Wit

Cyric, Orcus, Bane, Ghaunadaur, and Vhaeraun. Quite a nice selhout even trying, I noticed imecti   ages of on  of patron powers for the discriminating worshiper "

.

"We'

"I'  re not looking for a new god," Houndaer spat.m  sure," the wizard said. "Perha

Argith and m           ps you'd be kind enough to tell Master e  what your grand and glorious scheme
 
is
 
all about. And wh

now?"                                y

"Why now?" the noble asked."Our fellowship has existed for decades," the craftsm

a

recently that we all eloped and took up residence here full timn cut in, "though it's only e. Formerly we

me

"If you'rely gathered for an hour or two every fortnight or so."re a maMenzoberranzan, you need somle," Houndaer said, "and  utterly dissatisfied with your place in

e  sort of a refuge, don'

"I quite agree," the wizard said. "Of course, others have opted for a mt you?"      erchantHouse, the Academ

y,  or Bregan D'aerthe.Houndaer m

ade a spitting sound. "Those are j ust  places to hide from  the

matrons. This is a fortress for males who want to turn Menzoberranzan upside

down and put ourselves on top. Why not? Aren't  our mages and even our  warriors as powerful as the cler

Pharaun grinned and said, "They certainlygy?           are now that the priestesses have