This time, Aly was the one asleep when someone knocked on the door. Sabal heard it from the bedroom and pulled on clothes quickly. She would have shouted that she was coming, but she didn't want to wake up the sleeping wizard. Sabal closed the door to the bedroom behind herself as she walked out into the sitting room of the suite. Before she even reached the door, she could feel an altogether too familiar kind of mind on the other side of the door: twisted and black with a feline fascination for watching things struggle. Even with it disguised, she was familiar enough with it to know exactly what it was. A sudden urgency lent wings to her movement towards the door. She ripped the door open. "Camran, get away from her!" Sabal warned.

"Greetings from the Demonweb, Sabal A'Daragon," the creature said in Drow from beneath its hood. Camran backpedaled quickly when he heard their drow's warning. None of them could understand what it was saying to Sabal, but they all knew it was nothing good from her reaction. Camran saw her hand twitch towards her hip, searching for a weapon that wasn't there.

Sabal wished she had her sword. This was a Handmaiden, but if she was going to keep her cover, she was going to have to somehow get rid of it. Yvonnel would understand that much. "What do you want?" she demanded.

The hooded, formerly shambling creature moved like a great hunting cat now, hurling itself at Sabal. The wilder just barely missed her dodge. The yochlol caught her by the throat and slammed her against the wall with demonic strength. "You will bring that which was stolen to one of us," the creature purred in her ear, digging in its long nails. "Not the Lady of Sacrifice. Not Firehair. Is this understood?"

Sabal drove her knee into the creature's pelvis, breaking its grip. "Understood," she snarled as she grabbed for something heavy to smash onto its face. No one would else would be able to understand what was being said, but it would sound very much like a confrontation. She grabbed a book-end and swung it, catching the creature in the side of the head.

It shrieked with laughter as it hit the ground, the demonic sound filling the room. Before Sabal could drive her mind at its revolting alien one, Storunn had brought his axe down on its head. The body melted away like a fine mist, leaving no trace of the creature other than the look on everyone's faces and a pool of black ichor. Sabal dropped the book end just as Alystin pulled the door to their room open, half-dressed. "What—?" Aly started to say. She stopped when she recognized that smell of Abyssal wind.

"We're fine," Sabal said as calmly as she could. She felt chilled, though. Was it really so easy for Lloth's influence to be felt even on the surface? It reminded her with painful clarity that nowhere was beyond the reach of her goddess.

"I'm sorry, Sabal," Camran said, looking stricken. "If I'd realized she meant to kill you, I wouldn't have—"

Sabal held up a hand. "You're fine," she said. She could still feel those claws pressing into her neck. Whatever the reason for its assault, it had made the message stick. There would be a price to pay if she didn't give the Spider Queen what she wanted.

The door where her friends had spilled in through opened again, and this time Alustriel was there, flanked by guards. "Is everyone alright?" the human noblewoman asked, concerned. Her bright eyes immediately noted the dropped book-end, still spattered with dark blood, and Sabal's narrowed amber eyes.

"Fine," Sabal said curtly, brushing herself off.

"What was it?" Linnan asked, staring at the space where the body had laid.

"A…devil. Silverymoon is not as safe as I had thought." Sabal was sure she looked as composed as ever, but behind the façade, she felt legitimately shaken. Everything had seemed so…safe. This was a reminder that the danger and chaos of the Underdark was present just as much on the surface. More than that, it brought her full attention back to what was expected of her. It had been so easy to forget with Aly.

"How did it get through the defenses?" Nendir demanded.

"Someone must have conjured it within the High Palace," Alystin said with unwavering certainty. The echo of the demon that had been in the room was familiar to her as well: yochlol. She was an adept enough summoner that she could recognize it just by the faint impressions of magic left. She'd felt the wards herself when they walked in. A demon would not have been able to pass through that. But where was really safe from the servants of a greater deity? The idea of Lloth having an agent here chilled her to the bone all the same. "Something like that moving through the defenses would have been detected."

"It would have been," Alustriel confirmed. "And I would have noticed someone summoning something like that in my home. Just a little bit ago, I felt a wrongness. It came in with one of the guards—a strange stone slipped into his pocket. I found him, but not what was with him. The stone must have had the creature bound to it. Once it reached its intended destination, I imagine it manifested. I'm sorry I didn't reach you sooner."

"Well, of all the people it could have tried to attack…" Linnan said with a small, slightly nervous chuckle.

"What did it want? It spoke to you, Sabal," Camran said, watching his companion. The drowess seemed unharmed, though her expression suggested her thoughts were somewhere else.

"It brought its master's regards," Sabal said dryly, earning a concerned look from Alustriel and Aly both. The human noblewoman was easily powerful enough and trained enough to tell that this was a demon, not a devil. "It's fine, Camran. Why don't you four help the guards make certain there's not another one?"

"Come on, lads," Storunn said, shouldering his axe.

The guards and companions filtered out of the room until it was just Sabal, Aly, and their host. "You might have told them the truth," Alustriel said with a gentle reproach. "That was an agent of Lloth, yes?"

"Yes," Sabal said. She knew she was going to have to test the limits of her ability to twist words here. She crossed her arms, glaring down at the spot where the yochlol had fallen. Its dark blood was still pooled on the floor. "The Spider Queen is…displeased."

Alystin turned worried grey eyes on her lover. "Are you going to be alright?" she asked even though she knew Sabal could make no guarantee. Lloth was too unpredictable.

"I'll survive," Sabal said automatically.

"They're expending a great deal of effort to reach you, Sabal. More than was spent on Drizzt," Alustriel said with concern.

Sabal hesitated before speaking, trying to gauge how much was safe to reveal. "Some tools have more utility, and thus value, than others," she said. A renegade male drow had the potential to evade scrutiny so long as he stayed out from under Lloth's eyes, but a trained and devoted rarity like Sabal would draw attention wherever she went, no matter how far from Menzoberranzan. She was too useful to be forgotten.

"They won't be able to follow this with force," Aly said with a calm she didn't really feel. Panic didn't help, but it certainly felt tempting in times like this. "Just sending a message this way would have required they expend all the power they managed to accumulate. It will be a very long time before they can exert influence anywhere near Silverymoon again."

"Agreed," Alustriel said almost meditatively, clearly reflecting on this breach of security. She looked at Sabal with unspoken question in her eyes. "It was an important statement to them, then. You must have truly earned Lloth's anger."

The drowess's lips quirked up into a humorless smile. "That was Lloth's irritation, not her anger," Sabal said. "Were she truly furious, I doubt we would be having this conversation." She sighed. "I didn't think trouble would follow me so attentively. I…apologize, if I put any of your people at risk."

"Judging by the lack of mayhem, I think it was quite single-minded," Alustriel commented. She seemed to know that Sabal was feeling a bit shaken at the moment. "Whatever you decide to do, you still have my offer of assistance with its conditions, Sabal. I'm sorry it found you here. I understand if you are unwilling to stay."

The amber-eyed drowess looked over at Alustriel, feeling a sudden surge of gratitude. Alustriel had been good to her, as anxiety-provoking as the beneficience was, and that trend was continuing. There was undoubtedly a hidden string somewhere, but it reminded her of the few times in her life where someone had treated her with some level of fondness in addition to respect. "Thank you."

"I'll leave you two to talk," Alustriel said as if she'd sensed all the words that were fighting each other for a place on the tip of Aly's tongue.

The human noblewoman let herself out of the room and as soon as the door closed behind her, Aly had her arms around Sabal. "D'anthe, are you alright?" Aly asked.

"It didn't hurt me," Sabal said by way of reassurance, returning the embrace without thinking.

"That wasn't what I asked," the wizard said quietly.

Sabal sighed. "Lloth wants what Holt has," the amber-eyed drowess said in a low voice. "If She doesn't get it…"

Alystin held her lover a little tighter, feeling sick to her stomach at the idea of Sabal experiencing Lloth's wrath. Images of an amber-eyed drider flashed behind her eyes despite all of her best efforts to not go there. "We'll find it," she promised. She was far, far more afraid of what Lloth might do to Sabal than what Asmodeus's followers had in store for them.

Alustriel seemed quite genuinely sorry to see them go. Sabal had conferred with the Lady of Silverymoon in quiet words for a few minutes before she joined the group, confirming what had already been discussed. They would have her aid, provided they could obtain enough evidence. Camran had made his own farewell to Maev, reluctant to leave the young lady his heart had attached itself to. Theirs was a parting of whispers and sorrowful smiles that reminded Aly of her own early goodbyes to her lover. She turned her eyes away to avoid watching and possibly intruding on their private moment.

It would be a long journey to Waterdeep, but at least they were following a main road now. It was even paved, though the stones were cracked and weather-worn for much of the way until they neared Waterdeep. Sabal and Aly hadn't needed to say anything for the others to understand that the intruder was their reason for departure. Maybe that was why there had been no argument. Things returned to normal for the most part, though both women were understandably more guarded than they had been before. More often than not, Nendir saw Sabal lost in concentration, no doubt keeping her mind open enough to feel for threats unseen. He didn't feel that she was overreacting. If their enemy could reach them in Silverymoon, no doubt the road would be that much easier.

However, the path was quiet. They had passed many fellow travelers, many traders with the caravans that made a circuit of the Sword Coast or came from even further afield, but the small group kept their distance and Sabal kept her hood firmly in place. The land was slowly becoming more and more civilized as they headed towards the City of Splendors: forest and rough terrain gave way to carefully cultivated farms and small hamlets of a size near that of the village of Westerwood. The more they traveled, the more populated and tame the countryside became.

"What are we going to do when we reach the city?" Camran asked as they neared Waterdeep. They were less than a day out now. Waterdeep was visible in the distance when they crested a high hill, a vast and shining city that was larger than even Menzoberranzan. The smell of salt sea was on the wind, something very much foreign to Sabal and Aly.

Sabal stopped, her eyes fixed on the city. "We find Drustan Whelan," she said. "He will have answers for us, if there are any to be had."

"I've been thinking about that," Aly said. "We need to be careful. If Holt finds out that Drustan is willing to testify against him to Alustriel, the natural thought would be murder. We need Drustan alive."

"We also need to convince Drustan to talk to us," Nendir pointed out.

Storunn chuckled. "Why d'ye think we keep Sabal about? Decoration?" the dwarf said with amusement. He didn't have a high opinion of someone who trafficked with devil-worshippers, so he wasn't going to be too bent out of shape if Sabal put the fear of the gods into their future witness. "Let's get walkin'."

The road gradually became better and better paved. Guard patrols were present in force, certainly enough to deter any bandit from daring to move so close to the city. Waterdeep lacked the strange beauty of Menzoberranzan, but it was large enough to rival even Erelhei-Cinlu, the darkly enchanted capital of the drow realms. The city sprawled from the seaside north and along the flanks of the great Undermountain, virtually teeming with life as a trading hub for the whole of the north of Faerûn. The trickle of people they had seen along the way grew rapidly to become a veritable river of people flowing in and out of the city. They were just a few more faces lost among the crowd. All manner of civilized folk made their homes in the city. Sabal obviously would have stuck out without her hood, but people paid little heed to her with it on. The others drew no attention whatsoever as they made their way through the gates alongside her.

In the press of the crowds, it was easy to lose sight of each other. Aly caught Sabal's armored hand, feeling reassured when the wilder squeezed slightly in answer. Camran smiled a little bit when he saw it, but he didn't draw attention to it. The wizard was staying as close as possible to their fearsome companion, her shoulder almost in constant contact with Sabal's. Camran and Nendir kept Linnan between them so he wouldn't be swept away and Storunn brought up the rear with his usual swagger. The market district was expansive, packed full of stalls in a variety of colors which peddled almost every kind of ware under the sun. At least, all the legal wares. Sabal was certain that the illegal had its place too, just not out in the open like this.

"We should find a place to stay," Nendir said over the cacophony of crowd noise.

The Dancing Cyclops was the place the party agreed on, despite Sabal's dissent based on the name alone. It was a familial, jovial place and home base of altogether too many adventuring parties for their wilder's comfort. It was a stone-and-wood construction of two stories, with a colorfully painted sign of its namesake. Storunn pulled the door open and held it for them all, the sounds of lively music and people enjoying themselves thankfully taking over the noise of people hawking wares and carrying out business. People came in a variety, though humans dominated. There were elves, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, half-elves, and even a half-orc here. Almost everyone was armed, but they seemed friendly enough. Nendir, Linnan, Camran, and Storunn all relaxed. Aly stiffened slightly when people moved into her space, at least until Sabal started projecting that uncomfortable sensation of cold in the minds of undesirable people who orbited too close to the hooded drow and her lover.

Still, there was anonymity in a crowd, and that was quite valuable for a group like them. "We're safe enough here," Camran said while Aly bought rooms. The wizard was charming enough that the price was never hiked for her. Sabal was definitely not their go-to person for solutions that didn't involve either the careful application of terror or violence.

"I don't like it," Sabal said, her lip curling as a drunk dwarf almost sloshed ale on her.

"Sabal, you like very few things in this world," Nendir said with exasperation.

Amber eyes focused on him. "You say that like it's a bad thing," she said. She looked down at their halfling. "Linnan, keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary."

Linnan gave their drow a little salute before melting away into the crowd. Sabal trusted him to be the most perceptive of the group and the least easily spotted. Camran was too earnest, Storunn was too boisterous, and Nendir was too refined. Aly would probably have her nose in a book almost immediately and Sabal herself would draw curious looks. Hence, she had chosen their most able lookout.

The sea of thoughts rendered deafening by alcohol was almost painful for Sabal, so she gave up on sensing approaching danger and focused on walling herself off behind the frozen steel of her will. Aly returned just as they finally found an empty table off to the side. Sabal almost sighed with relief to have the wizard back unscathed, though she couldn't explain what she saw as a threat. She didn't like Waterdeep. It shared the alien nature of Silverymoon but not its tranquility and had all the underlying vice that filled Menzoberranzan's own dark recesses. She was absolutely certain of that much.

"It's going to be cramped. We have a room," Aly announced reluctantly as Linnan appeared out of the crowd about ten minutes later. There had been some spirited negotiations from her to acquire another room, but unavailable was unavailable. This wasn't the Underdark, where people would go out of their way to make her happy even if she wasn't a particularly famous drow noble. "Apparently there's a festival in town—that's why it's so crowded. Unless we want to split up and go to different inns…"

"It's fine," Sabal said brusquely, but she wasn't nearly as upset about it as she might have been. That crawling sensation Waterdeep gave her made her almost eager to have her companions nearby. As much torture as it would have taken for her to admit it, she did have every confidence that her companions would have her back if things went south with the local authorities. Provided she hadn't done anything egregious, anyway. "Holt will have spies. We need to find Whelan as quickly as possible."

What she wasn't saying, but what Aly knew she was thinking, was that they needed to find Whelan as quickly as possible because of Lloth just as much as Holt. The Spider Queen was not known as an understanding goddess who allowed for time. Her displeasure had been made quite clear to Sabal and the inquisitor was not about to test the limits thereof.

Nendir raised an eyebrow at her response. He'd expected something more acerbic from their prickly drowess. Sabal seemed more than just irritated. She seemed…worried. He didn't like that. Sabal was someone who worried other people. Still, inquiring into her thoughts would probably end with him getting snapped at. "Sounds like a plan," the elf said instead of prying. "Though we'll probably want to go at night and catch him when his shop isn't full of customers."

"Witnesses would probably be problematic," Alystin admitted softly. "Sabal, let's unpack and leave our extra gear here. We don't want to go charging into this. Waterdeep is a new city. We don't know what the politics here are or who Holt's allies happen to be."

Sabal inclined her head in an acknowledging nod by way of answer and headed up the stairs to their room. It was actually of a decent size, with straw mattresses spread out on the floor like in Westerwood. It would serve well enough. They all checked for bugs before laying their bedrolls out on top, not that there would be a lot they could do about bugs if they were there short of breaking out cantrips. Thankfully, the inn was clean and that wasn't going to be a problem.

Nendir caught Aly by the elbow as they finished and headed back down to the common area, delaying her enough that they had some space to talk out of earshot of their wilder. "She's really tense," he commented. "More than normal Sabal. Is everything alright?"

"It'll be fine," the wizard assured him. "We're just on Holt's home ground. He has the advantage now, which isn't exactly a desirable situation."

Their ranger nodded. It was a sensible answer and one that he could see in Sabal. As far as he was concerned, she was extremely cautious even when things were safe, so paranoia now wasn't a huge surprise. "We'll do fine," Nendir said. He could see a hint of Sabal's worry in Alystin's grey eyes now that he was watching her a little more closely.

"I hope so," Aly said, squaring her shoulders a little bit. "Let's catch up to the others."

Sabal was waiting for them impatiently downstairs as Linnan and Camran secured a table off to the side so their drow could have her back to a wall. It was equidistance between two doors, which she approved of. If they had to make a hasty exit, they would have options. "We can have dinner here, then go looking," Linnan said with his usual, casual cheer. "Won't be too hard to find his shop. I'll go have a look-see and chat with some locals while you lot have dinner."

The halfling went his separate way, confident in his ability to remain unnoticed. Sabal was quiet all through dinner. She ate the thick stew with its strange vegetables without a complaint, amber eyes focused over Camran's shoulder. He was sitting across from their drowess with his back to the room. She wasn't looking at anything in particular, just waiting quietly for something unpleasant to happen or for night to fall. This time, thankfully, night fell rather than some confrontation erupting and their halfling returned unscathed. They were quick to head out into the streets. Linnan lead the way, as this was more his area of expertise than anyone else's. Sabal could find people, but she was out of her element in a surface city and she didn't know Whelan's mind to locate him that way.

Their path wound through back alleys and down narrow avenues. Waterdeep was not a centrally planned city and had grown organically over the course of years, which made it a veritable warren. They were still close to the main roads, though, which made it harder to get lost. Linnan seemed to know where he was going and moved with a purpose as the others followed along. Sabal opened her mind again, hunting for any sign that their group was being shadowed. So far, they seemed to be doing well, though that put her less at ease rather than more. The followers of Asmodeus were not fools and eventually they would discover who was working against them—presuming they hadn't already. She was certain that her group's advantage would come to an end sooner rather than later.

"This is the place," Linnan announced, coming to a halt outside a small shop on the corner of the street with a steep sloping roof and a front window of glass with frosted patterns of arcane warding symbols. The sign read Panacea, a nod to Whelan's front as an apocathery. "Should we knock or do you want me to pick the lock?"

Storunn stepped forward and pounded on the door with the brazen thudding only a dwarf could generate. Aly covered her smile with one hand and Sabal rolled her eyes. "Very subtle," the inquisitor said dryly.

"Thanks," Storunn said with a broad grin.

The door opened to reveal a human man with dark hair and a bristling beard, his eyebrows thick enough to be matching caterpillars. He was swarthy and wiry in build, looking more like he hailed from Calimshan or somewhere else in the south than here on the Sword Coast. "We're closed," he said brusquely.

Sabal pulled down her hood. "I think you can accommodate us," she said smoothly, face now visible to Drustan. "Durna Thuldark recommended you highly."

The merchant's eyebrows shot up and he took a step backwards. "Come in," he said in a low voice. "I'll put the kettle on." He waved the party in, and closed the door behind them before barring it. "This is about Holt, then. Laird Thuldark expressed…interest to me when I made requests for his spell components and indicated it might draw attention with certain people whose attention it is better to not draw."

Drustan ushered them into the back room and put his iron kettle on the stove. He had to hunt around to find enough teacups. Aly and Sabal watched him carefully, hunting for signs of duplicity or nervousness. He seemed calm and collected rather than fretting, surprised but not excessively so. He'd clearly expected something to come of his interaction with Durna. Alystin was the first to speak. "If you could tell us anything about Holt, that would be appreciated," she said.

"He is a powerful man. Not one of the Masked Lords, but undoubtedly friends with at least one or two. I'm thoroughly convinced that he's made a fiendish pact of some kind. He's been…changing," Drustan explained. "Little things. The color of his eyes, the way he walks, the way he speaks. He's charming enough that he hasn't drawn suspicion. And he's not alone. He has adventurers at his beck and call. They unearth artifacts for him and acquire ingredients too rare for me to provide as well as handling potential threats. I doubt they know his true nature as you and I do."

"But you haven't gone to the authorities," Nendir said.

Drustan chuckled. "I'd rather not cool my heels in a cell, waiting for Holt to have me murdered. As long as I'm more valuable to him dead than alive, I've got nothing to worry about."

"We need to disrupt his supply of components," Sabal said, her attention focused on Drustan. "I don't expect you to stop selling to him, but if his shipments were to be destroyed, he would have another enemy to blame."

"And why, exactly, should I help you?" Drustan said casually. "And please don't say that you'll kill me if I don't comply, ussta jallil. That's hardly the foundation for a cordial relationship."

"Holt is a clear danger to everyone in Waterdeep, yourself included," Nendir said. He'd learned from his time with the group that sometimes it was better to appeal to enlightened self-interest than the angels of people's better nature.

"He won't attack the city. Suicidal he is not," the merchant said.

"Then we'll make it a strictly business arrangement," Aly said calmly. "We'll pay you and offer you protection from Holt if he decides to turn on you."

Drustan stroked his beard thoughtfully, considering the wizard for a long moment before speaking. "Now we're speaking the same language," he said, a smile forming. "But what protection could you offer me from a diabolist and a cult? There are more of them than there are of you by far."

"Lady Alustriel of the Silver Marches has agreed to extend asylum to you if things take an unpleasant turn," Sabal said. It was an arrangement she'd worked out with Alustriel just before they'd left. Part of the agreement was that Drustan would testify to the human noblewoman, but he didn't need to know that. "We can escort you to Silverymoon."

"That is certainly protection," the merchant said. He poured them each a cup of tea, but Sabal and Aly both let theirs sit cautiously. As the drow were fond of saying, any food could be poison. "As for my price, I have a request rather than pecuniary reward. A favor for a favor, as you should be able to appreciate, ussta jallil."

"You have my attention," their wilder said. She knew that she didn't need to say more to Drustan for him to understand that she wasn't agreeing to anything until she'd heard the whole story.

"Lord Holt is not my only client interested in darker things," Drustan said, ignoring the hard looks of Camran, Nendir, and Storunn. Linnan wasn't surprised after everything he'd heard while doing his investigating and for Sabal and Aly such things naturally followed. If it was illegal, it was profitable, and if it was profitable, there would be merchants of negotiable conscience who would sell it. "I have an understanding with a number of people who require a variety of substances—not all of them spell components. However, one of them has been feeling a financial squeeze and has thus been trying to force me to reduce my price when selling to him. I've refused him rather emphatically, as the substance he requires is difficult to obtain and expensive to harvest. Were I to sell to him at his price, I would quickly be a pauper. As a result, he's been threatening to call the authorities on me."

"What exactly are you asking for, Drustan?" Nendir asked, his countenance grim. He had an unpleasant feeling that he knew where this was going.

"The gentleman in question is no longer a valued customer, nor a customer of mine at all. He is a danger to myself and my business. I'd like you to make certain that he can't tell anyone about me, in the most certain of ways possible," Drustan said. "Dead men tell no tales."

Everyone looked at Sabal, waiting for her answer. Sabal could feel without needing to expend any effort the varied reactions. Alystin's reluctant acceptance, Storunn's grim opposition, Nendir and Camran's sharp disapproval, and Linnan's wariness. Of course they had to go and make it complicated. It would have been easiest just to kill the man in question and dump his body in the harbor with a few weights, if she even bothered to dispose of it. Instead, she was going to have to bend herself to suit their qualms of conscience. "What if the man in question were to simply stop making trouble?" Sabal said. "If he did not recall your face or your business or anything of that nature? If he did not continue to represent the threat of the local authorities?" It would be a more delicate use of her psionic power than she generally engaged in, but it was possible. Granted, it would still strip large chunks of his memory and thus identity from him, which she considered crueler than death, but the idea that he would be allowed to live would probably assuage the guilt of the rest of her party.

Drustan raised an eyebrow. "I would prefer certainty. I'm not sure that what you offer is even possible or sustainable."

"I assure you that I can deliver," Sabal said as she leaned forward slightly to rest her elbows on the table. "And when I am done, if you find my work unsatisfactory, then we can renegotiate. Who is this man and what is his poison?"

"He's a luhix addict," Drustan said.

Alystin inhaled sharply at the mention of luhix. She was familiar with the abyssal drug and its effects. If their man was still on it, he would be a serious problem even for a warrior like Sabal. Nendir looked over at her curiously. "Luhix?" he asked.

"It's an abyssal drug," Alystin said. "Plants that grow in the Lower Planes, powdered and sprinkled onto a self-inflicted, bloody wound that's then sealed tightly. The user feels intense pain at first, but then they are immune to pain once the drug takes effect. I was asked to deal with an overdose once, but my talents were insufficient. It was not a pretty death. You can find it in the Underdark more readily than the surface, but it is expensive even there. Thousands of gold a dose."

"Correct," Drustan said, looking faintly impressed with their wizard. "I didn't realize Durna had sent someone with a knowledge of my trade."

"I'm sure I can't compete with an expert," Alystin said to neatly deflect his thoughts. She knew more about poisons, drugs, and antidotes than even the average noble drow as she'd spent a considerable amount of time studying the healing of ailments brought on by said drugs and poisons. "I dabbled a little once in the study of such things."

"So your client was a wealthy man," Sabal said, mentally filing the information away for further examination.

"Destitute now as a result of his habit, but yes. Niall Lìosach is his name. He was an adventurer for many years, fabulously wealthy. It was luhix that granted him his success; he could wade into combat fearlessly and never flinch from a blow. It made him stronger, faster, tougher. He retired at the peak of his career, wisely, but his money soon ran out. Luhix is, as your friend wisely pointed out, expensive. Over the past few years, he has alienated his friends and incurred massive debts to finance his habit. It's to the point where no one will lend to him," Drustan said.

It would be kinder to kill this man, as far as Sabal was concerned. She knew that from a situation like that, there was little hope of recovery. Alystin was thinking in the same vein. If they left him alive, what would he have? An agonizing craving for a drug he would no longer remember how to obtain, more debt than he would ever be able to repay, and the loneliness of a life without allies? It was no way for a famous warrior to live. While drow were generally survivalists at heart, they were also proud. Sabal in particular felt that if she were in his situation, she would have rather gone out with her back against the wall and a sword in her hand.

"Where can we find him?" Sabal asked, carefully not giving voice to those thoughts.

"The Inn of the Dripping Dagger," Drustan said. "It's in the Trades Ward. Not hard to find for people like yourself. The prices there are always lower for those who are down on their luck. I imagine that's why he goes there."

Sabal sighed and stood up. "Then we will deal with him, and return," the wilder said. "A favor for a favor, Whelan."

The merchant smiled. "A favor for a favor," he echoed.

Once they were outside, the unified front of the group fractured quickly. Camran and Nendir weren't about to maintain their silence for long. "How could you agree?" Nendir demanded. "We are helping a drug dealer who's willing to have a man killed just because—"

"Quiet!" Sabal snarled, rounding on the elf. She hadn't pulled her hood up yet, so the full force of her displeasure was visible in her scarred face. Normally she would have looked impassive, but her nerves were worn and frayed after weeks of looking over her shouder since the yochlol attacked her in Silverymoon. "This is the price of Drustan's help. I did not promise you that fighting devils was for the faint-hearted. Am I content with the deal? No. But if you find this bargain so objectionable that you're willing to tear into me about it, go home. There is only worse to come."

It was a very different admonition than Nendir was used to hearing from her. Not once before had she ever told him to leave if he didn't like it. "Sabal, this isn't right. It's not fair t—"

"A fair is a place where you play games, and I don't see any gods-damned tents. Welcome to the world we all have to live in," Sabal said with that same savage intensity. "It's not right if he dies? Is living like he is right? Does right matter to you so much that you forget about how many lives are lost because of every moment of dithering delay? I know what it is to be a protector, Nendir. I have done it my entire life. Sometimes we have to do things that aren't right for the sake of others."

Alystin reached out, putting a hand on Sabal's arm. "Sabal, please," the wizard said softly. She could see Nendir was completely off-balance now and perhaps even feeling wounded. Camran didn't look much better, even if he wasn't the current victim of Sabal's verbal cut-down. She understood where her lover was coming from, but she also knew that it was motivated by Sabal's own frustration and agitation more than any wrongdoing on Nendir's part. He'd protested her decision before, it was just that Sabal had no more patience left to give.

"We have a cult to stop," Sabal said. It was a charge she understood clearly, little different from the many times she had cleaned up small cults or sects of heretics in the past. She knew that when it came to chasing things like this, one did whatever necessity and one's duties dictated. "That is my priority."

Nendir took a deep breath. "Then that's what we'll do," he said. "But we don't have to sell our souls to Drustan Whelan to do it."

"Believe me, Nendir, I know who owns my soul, and it's not Drustan Whelan," the wilder said with bleak certainty.