F O U R (39 page)
Richard Lee Byers
103
War Of The Spider Queen
Book 1
Dissolution
C h a p t e r
E L E V E N
for hours, until spaces she knew intimately Quenthel's patrol had stalked the shadowy, candlelit passages of Arach-T
inilith
unreal, and her subordinates' nerves visibly frayed with the waiting. She called a began to seem strange and subtly halt to let the underlings rest and coll
ect themselves. They stopped in a small
chapel with the images of skulls, daggers, and spiders worked in bas-relief on the walls and the bones of long-dead prieste
sses interred beneath the floor. Rumor
whispered that a cleric had cut her own
sometimes haunted it, but the Baenre had never seen the apparition, and it wasn'throat in this sanctuary and her ghost tin evidence then.
The priestesses and novices settled Eventually Jyslin, a second-year studenton the pews. For a while, no one s with a heart-shaped face and silver poke.
studs in her earlobes, said, "Perhaps nothing will happen."
female cut a warlike figure Quenthel stared coldly at the novice. Liwith her mace, mail, and shield, but her dread showed ke the rest of the party, the younger in her troubled maroon eyes and shiny
, sweaty brow."W
to hope otherwise. Instead I suggeste will face another demon tonight," Quenthel said. "I feel it, so it's pointless remembering what you've learned." you concentrate on staying alert and
Jyslin lowered her eyes and whispered, "Y"W es, Mistress."
into it, we'ishful thinking is for cowards," Quenthel said, "and if you fools are lapsing ve lingered here too long. Up with you."Reluctantly, someone'
s
Quenthel's minions rose. She led them onward. links of supple black mail chiming ever so faintly, In light of the two previous intrusions and the obvious uselessness of the w
ards
the mages of Sorcere had created, Quenthel had placed Arach-Tinilith on alert and organized her staff and students into squads of eight. Most of the units would
stand watch at set locati
Baenre princess had opted to lead one of tons, but several would patrol the entire building. The he latter.She'd also decided to throw open the st
the potent enchanted tools and weapons sorerooms and armories and dispense all students bore enchanted arms and talismans worthy of atill deposited there. Even the first-year hi
gh priestess.Not that the gear had done much to bolster Jyslin'
s
another novice. Had Quenthel not been suffering her own carefully masked morale, nor that of many
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War Of The Spider Queen
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Dissolution
anxieties, their glumness might have amused her.throughout their childhoods. They'd even achieved a certain in The girls had seen demons
in Arach-Tinilith, but this was the first time such entities had timacy with them
them, and they'd realized posed a threat to No doubt some of the females had alsothey hadn't truly known the ferocious beings at all.
that they themselves ha been perceptive enough to recognize mustered them in what was more or d been in comparatively little danger until Quenthel
resentment, like their uneasiness, was irreless her personal defense. If so, their
was their duty to serve her levant. They were her underlings, and it ."It's the wrath of Lolth herself," whisper
student who wore her hair in three long braids. Obviouslyed Minolin Fey-Branche, a fifth-year , she didn't intend forher voice to carry to the front of
the procession. "First she
then sends her fiends to kill us." strips us of our magic,
Quenthel whirled. Sensing her anger, her whip vipers rose, weaving and hissing.
the unfit, but she has not condemned her entire temple. She would not"Shut up!" she snapped. "The Spider Queen may be testing us, eliminating ".Minolin lowered her eyes. "Yes, Mistress," she said tonelessly
.
Quenthel noticed that no one else looked reassured, either."Y
"Wou disgust me," the Baenre said. "All of you."e apologize, Mistress," said Jyslin.
said. "If a novice showed a hint of
cowardice or disobedience, my sister"I remember my training," Quenthel Triel would make her fast for a tenday
, and eat rancid filth for another after that. I should do the same, butunfortunately, with Arach-Tinilith under siege, I need my people s
tr
all right, though it should shame you take it, you can have another restong. So . You'llfill your bellies, and it had better stiffen your spines. Otherwise, we'll see how
many of you I have to flog before the rest cease their criCome." nging and whining.
She led them on to a classroom where the kitchen staff had set a table. She'd
ordered them to prepare a cold supper and leave it at various points around the
temple, so that the weary sentinels could at least refresh themselves with food,
brown slices of rothe steak steepedand the cooks had done a decent job of it. On a silver salver lay pink and competing with Arach-Tinilith' in a tawny marinade, their aroma
s omnipresent scent of incense. Other trays
and bowls held raw mushroom pieces with a creamy dipping sauce and a salad of black, white, and red diced fungus, while the pi
tchers presumably contained
wine, watered as per her command. Quenthel hoped the alcohol would hearten
those residents whom Lolth's absence and the incursions of the past two
nights had terrified, but she didn't want any of the temple'sdrunk and incapacitated. defenders sloppy
Some of Quenthel's minions fell to as if they expected this to be their last meal. Others, likely as certain of their fate, seemed too tense to do m
ore than
pick at the viands.
survive the night, in a sense, she belongeThe mistress of the Academy supposd to the latter partyed that, though she intended to . Her stomach was somewhat queasy
appetite. , and the long hours of edgy anticipation had killed her
Com
e on, dem
The entity failed to respond to her silent plea. on, she thought, let's get this over with. . . .
She decided her throat was a little parched, caught Jyslin'
s eye, and said, "Pour
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Dissolution
me a cup."
"Y
The second-year novice performes, Mistress." ed the service with commendable alacrity.She filled the silver goblet too high for gentility'
s sake, but Quenthel expected no
better from a commoner. The Baenre accepted the cup with a nod and raised it
to her lips.Her whip of fangs hung from her wrist by the wyvern-hide loop that pi
erced
its handle. She felt a thrill of alarm surge across the psionic link she shared
with the vipers . At the same instant, the snakes reared and dashed the
from her grasp. She stared at them in am goblet azement.
"Poison," Yngoth said, his slit-pupiled eyes glinting in their scaly sockets. "We
smelled it."
Quenthel looked around. Her followers had heard the serpent's declaration and were gawking at her and the reptiles in consternation.
perfectly good health, but she trusted the vipers and knew it wouldn'They appeared to be in t last."Pur
They never got the chance. Almge yourselves," she said. "Now!"ost as one, they succumbed to the toxin, swaying, staggering, and collapsing. Som
e
sickness hit them retched involuntarily as the
Quenthel shifted the whip back to her ha, but it didn't help. They passed out like the rest.nd, peered in all directions, and badeth
e vipers do the same. She'd realized her demonic assailants were
suggest the several dominions of the goddess, and therefore an " supposed to assassin" of somesort would turn up sooner or later
. Still, she foolishly assumed that being would
attack in some obvious way just as the "spider" and "darkness" had. She hadn't
expected it to emthat tactic m ploy stealth and attempt to poison her, though in retrospect,
ade perfect sense.
on done all it planned to do, or, since its first
ploy had failed, would it strike at her in somThe question was, had the dem e other way?Off to the west, som
eone scream
Quenthel had her answer ed, the sound echoing down the stone halls. Her heart beat faster, her m, and it was the one she'outh felt drier still, and she realized she wd expected.