Disclaimer : I deserve to be drawn and quartered for taking so long with this chapter. I do all-together too much stuff. What with school, acting, and my Dad hogging the computer it's a wonder anything gets done. Still that is no excuse. If any of my beloved readers are still with me: I don't deserve your attention!
It should be said that I am still having problems with punctuation when I switch from one party of characters to another. So please bear with me on that issue until I find a way to resolve it.
Mirror Me Dark
By Semdai Bloodquill
Chapter Twelve : Great Distances
Entreri had never seen a sorrier sight in all his long years. Jarlaxle had grown worse than the old assassin had feared. The aged, drow mercenary was hardly conscious anymore, at least not in the sense of being coherent as well as awake. Often Jarlaxle simply lay on his back, his faded, once scarlet eyes half-glazed and half-open in his delirium. Nothing stayed in his stomach very long before it was forced out, accompanied by buckets of blood. Artemis had to wonder to himself how Jarlaxle was even still alive.
Then he remembered how stubborn and spirited Jarlaxle was and returned to his constant vigil over his companion.
The Night Eyes didn't exactly treat them badly, but that made no improvement of them in Artemis Entreri's opinion. He refused the food he was offered and would not allow anyone to approach Jarlaxle. Nor did the old assassin risk sleeping for any amount of time.
Yet, Entreri knew he could not keep up his defiance for very long. He was not young anymore and not as resilient as he once was. He needed to eat and rest soon.
Entreri's thoughts drifted to his daughter. Where was she in her quest? Had she returned to the city only to find him and Jarlaxle gone? Did she guess what had happened to them? Had she met up with Seivriel yet? Did she suspect that the Draegloth pirate was her mother?
If so, how would the discovery affect her?
Jarlaxle's voice stirred Entreri from his thoughts. " Artemis," the old drow moaned, his whole body shaking uncontrollably.
" I'm here," Entreri reassured, reaching out and touching Jarlaxle's forehead. It was dangerously cold to the touch. The dark elf's midnight black skin had paled to a dusty charcoal in several patches.
" Where's Lazuli?" Jarlaxle coughed.
" She's on her way back here," Artemis lied. Why make Jarlaxle suffer more?
" I miss her," the sick drow cried softly. A bloody tear slipped from his eye. Artemis regarded the tear with surprise. He had believed the evil dark elves were incapable of tears.
" So do I," Entreri sighed. " I hope she's all right."
" He'll help her..." Jarlaxle closed his eyes and smiled. " I know he'll come. He's just like his father after all..."
Entreri was confused for only a moment. Then he realized who Jarlaxle was speaking of.
" You mean Drizzt, don't you?" He demanded softly. " He never died in that tower. That's why you dragged me away from him, so you could save him without me finding out. You tricked me."
Jarlaxle opened his eyes again. Surprisingly, Artemis was stung by the genuine pain and guilt in the drow's eyes.
" Yes. I deceived you. You could not give up your pride, so I did what I felt I had to."
" Why did you not let him die then? Surely you knew I would find out sooner or later."
" I couldn't. His father was the only friend I ever had in Menzoberranzan." Jarlaxle grimaced in pain. " I couldn't let Zaknafein's legacy die like that..."
" I think I understand." Artemis reached out and clasped Jarlaxle's cold hand tightly. " You rest now and regain your strength. I may need your help tonight." Jarlaxle smiled weakly before settling back into his pillow, asleep again.
Entreri's mind tossed and turned chaotically. Drizzt was still alive. Where did that leave him? He wasn't a famous killer in the shadows anymore. He just wanted to go on living his quiet life with Jarlaxle and Lazuli.
It was strange admitting such a thing, if only to himself. What would his twenty-year-old self think if they met on the street? The great, legendary Artemis Entreri hiding away so he could be with his friend and his daughter? Artemis laughed quietly to himself. What had he become?
He stood up and strolled to the center of the room. The only window was an opening in the middle of the ceiling, six or seven feet above his head. They had two cots, two chairs, and a table in the room. Simple, old furniture not worth anything better than kindling, except for prisoners.
Entreri thought back, trying to remember something Seivriel had once told him.
" If something ever happens to you, Artemis, you can call on me for help."
" I thought we were agreeing to stay apart, for Lazuli's sake?"
" Still, I'm indebted to you. If you ever need my help, call for me and I'll come."
She'd said something then in an unfamiliar language, but for the life of him, Artemis just couldn't remember more than a couple of words. ...Meihar estarubar.
At the time he had assumed Seivriel was saying good bye, but now he wasn't so sure. Seivriel loved riddles, and delighted in leaving them behind for people. Perhaps she had left him a way to call for her after all?
He began to pace slowly as he racked his memories, searching for anything that might help. Then he remembered something. Small and seemingly insignificant, but he remembered it now. When Lazuli was still a baby, Seivriel would sing to her. Not an unusual feat, but the song had stuck with Entreri because of how odd it was. The whole song rhymed perfectly except for the last line, 'I'll turn your foes to ash and char.' It stood out all by itself with nothing to attach it to the rest of the song.
Meihar Estarubar.
Artemis stopped in the center of the room and looked up. It was late in the afternoon, judging by how much light was left. Using that assumption, Entreri pinpointed south, where the sea ought to be. Turning to face the southern wall, Entreri inhaled deeply. " It's worth a try."
He let his breath out slowly, calming his anxious nerves. He held out his arms in front of him, palms up, and pictured Seivriel as he remembered her. He held her image in his mind and closed his eyes. Nervously, he began to sing:
Point yourself toward the sea
and call out to me
Stretch out your arm
as you say my charm
Grasp the sky tight
and in shadow or light
I'll turn your foes to ash and char
MEIHAR ESTARUBAR!
He shouted the foreign words, hoping that he was not totally mistaken.
Someone placed their hands in his. He opened his eyes and saw Seivriel's face smiling back at him warmly. He could almost see through her, as if she were made of smoke and dust, yet he could easily feel her holding his outstretched hands firmly but gently.
" I wondered if you would ever call for me, Artemis. You're such a proud, stubborn person. Just like our daughter."
When Reigaldus arrived at the newly inhabited house, he found, to no surprise, that they had visitors. Sordath had been the first to encounter the gold elves when they landed on the roof (Reig learned this later). Lazuli's somber disposition had not improved since her return home.
The elusive outcast was met by the equally elusive Dinin on his way in. Apparently, Dinin had no interest in hearing what the two faerie elves had to say. The diminishing of his hard-beaten drow beliefs was infinitesimal. Reig chose to remain at Dinin's side for the time being.
" No love for our pale cousins," Reig probed, leaning casually against the wall. Dinin scowled at him fiercely. " I was just asking," Reig said in his defense, holding his hands out in surrender.
" You astound me," Dinin remarked. " Your behavior belies the color of your skin. Were you not brought up in drow society?"
" Yes and no," was Reig's answer. " I'm a third born son."
" Then why are you even alive," Dinin asked. According to drow custom, every third born son was killed at birth as an offering to the Spider Queen.
" Nessa saved me," Reig explained. " She took me out of Menzoberranzan to her secret home in the Underdark. She raised me there in the wilds."
" That explains so much," Dinin said dryly.
" You're certainly chipper today," Reig remarked sarcastically. " Why such a sour disposition?"
Dinin scowled again. " I can't understand the ways of this surface world. It goes against everything I've ever known."
" You'll get used to it," Reig quipped, nudging Dinin playfully, " try to break those centuries of conditioning. Didn't you hate always being less than equal to the opposite sex?" Dinin glared at Reig, but it held no real malice. Reigaldus took this to mean that he had made his point and offered his signature smirk in reply.
" How old are you," Dinin asked, his consternation eminent on his angular face.
" Ninety-eight," Reigaldus replied as he stretched his arms above his head. A satisfying pop informed him that his arms could reach no higher.
" How are you so world-wise when you're barely more than a child," Dinin exclaimed.
" I don't know," Reigaldus shrugged. " I just am."
" Do you have any family besides your sister," Dinin found he wanted to know more about this strange young brother-in-law.
" I have a twin brother," Reig said nonchalantly, " but he's still living in Menzoberranzan."
" Is he as strange as you?"
" Possibly more, but in his own way," Reig said. " He was brought up in proper drow society, but he had our sister as his ween mother and she, shall we say, ruined him for Lloth. He passes for a typical drow though. I believe he gets some sort of pleasure fooling Triel into thinking otherwise."
" Matron Triel?" Dinin asked.
" Oh yes," Reig grinned sheepishly. " I forgot to mention, he's the current patron of House Baenre."
" I'm not as surprised as I should be," Dinin remarked, " but patron of the first House?"
Reigaldus grinned proudly. " He has two sons from Triel as well."
" Aren't you afraid he'll be discovered for the heretic that he is?" Dinin questioned. " Won't that mean the end of your little game?"
" Why should you care?" Reig asked slyly.
" I'm assuming that you and Nessa would be sad over your brother's death," Dinin explained quickly.
" We would, and we keep such fears ever-present in the back of our minds," Reig said, " but I think it odd that such a thought would occur to you."
Dinin had no quick retort for Reig's remark, but the eccentric young drow didn't press the matter. He just smiled.
" So you see," Tanarial was saying.
" We need you to come back with us," Zerial finished.
" Why should we believe ye?" Bruenor demanded. " The two o' ye rode in here on black horses an' all."
" They mean us no harm, Bruenor," Drizzt countered calmly, " and I believe their mounts should add credit to their story rather than diminish it."
" How so?" The old dwarf challenged, though he was half-teasing at this point.
" Only one of the fabled Drandil could have bred black pegasi of such fine quality," the drow ranger pointed out. " I doubt any light elf would take the time and effort needed to raise such creatures."
" Bah!" Bruenor huffed. " All the more reason not to trust these Dragon Elves."
" He's only being a dwarf," Drizzt whispered in elvish to the twins, " so don't mind a word he says." The twins giggled quietly.
Bruenor issued another 'bah.' " Won't get me on one o' them flying horses," he grumbled.
" We can't leave until we find Jarlaxle and my father," Lazuli protested from her chair. The golden-eyed kitten in her lap meowed urgently, which seemed to add her own approval.
" I shall consult my scrying bowl for answers, Miss Entreri," Nessa offered.
" Will that be enough?" Lazuli tested. Like her father, the young assassin was leery of magic.
" We shall see," Nessa replied. " Don't forget, Jarlaxle is also a dear friend of mine." Lazuli let the subject be after that.
The cavern beneath the Ebony Manor was as dark as a cloudy, moonless night. Still, the lack of light was no hindrance for Seivriel with her eyes shifted to Infravision. The vast cave smelled heavily of smoke and sulfur.
" Greetings, Miss Versail," the inhabitant of the cavern welcomed. His voice was deep and it seemed to make the whole cave rumble beneath Seivriel's feet.
" I trust you've had a pleasant ten-year sleep," the pirate leader said cheerily. " I noticed you didn't try to fry me when I came in."
" You're obviously no worse for the years we've been apart," the cave-dweller chuckled. " Now what brings you all the way down here to my luxurious home?"
" You might not have noticed in your sleep but we have three new dragons in the Manor," Seivriel stated.
" I know."
" Of course they're young dragons," Seivriel added, " not nearly as old and mighty as you, Deizan." She received a low chuckle for her flattery.
" You haven't changed since I met you," Deizan rumbled.
" How long has it been? Fifty, sixty years?" Seivriel reminisced.
" Seventy," Deizan corrected.
" Has it really been so long?" Seivriel sighed.
" You'll be ninety-three this year, right," Deizan asked.
" Yes."
" Sixty-nine years then," Deizan decided.
" How time flies."
" I noticed that your violin isn't with you for once," Deizan remarked. " Has it passed on to it's next wielder?"
" You could say that."
Deizan shifted from his position and let out a quick belch of flame. Fire sprang up all along the walls of the vast cave, illuminating the treasure-filled space. Deizan's horde paid due homage to his great age and many adventures.
Piles of glittering jewels and fabulous pieces of art crowded the high walls. Priceless statues of long-dead gods and goddesses stood regally in specially made alcoves, piles of shining coinage at their bases. Ornamental weapons from a multitude of different eras were hung from mantles on the walls and scattered hither and yon on the floor.
But however magnificent the piles of treasure, it all paled before Deizan himself.
Deizan's scales were a deep, bloody scarlet red. His enormous slanted eyes glowed a vibrant sea-green. Rows of spines and horns lined the old dragon's back and shoulders. Deizan stood up to his full height and stretched his wings which were fully twice the size of his massive body.
" Who wields the Dalabrian now?" Deizan demanded regally.
" My daughter," Seivriel replied. Suddenly her skin started to itch. Her hair bristled like someone was watching her.
" Someone is calling to you, Miss Versail," Deizan observed, settling back down on his pile of treasure. " I will wait."
Antioch's arrival on the scene confirmed the White Queen's words. Zandrath's emerald-eyed twin did indeed have a gift from their mother. The dagger immediately set off Zandrath's mental alarms. He could almost feel the waves of manipulation the blade emitted. It was with great reluctance that he attached the loathsome thing to his belt.
" How many faeries has your squad killed so far?" Antioch questioned.
" We have not met with the light elves yet," Zandrath replied blandly. " Our concern has been the fortification of our base and the gathering of familiarity with the area. We have made some highly detailed maps if you wish to look them over yourself." His voice almost became a sneer. Zandrath silently cursed his mother's 'gift.'
" I suppose I shouldn't expect anything more from you," Antioch said snobbishly. Either Antioch was immune to the dagger's powers or he was already so down-right awful that it didn't matter. Zandrath found this to be an amusing thought. Even the enspelled dagger couldn't make his twin any worse than he already was.
" I wonder why you even bothered to ask," Zandrath mused.
" Mind your tongue, whelp," Antioch glared at him.
Quick as lightning, Zandrath drew his personal knife and slashed a thin line of blood across his brother's left cheek. Antioch reeled back in surprise and reached up to feel the warm liquid oozing from the cut. When he looked up from his bloody fingers, Antioch saw that Zandrath had cut an identical line across his own cheek.
" If I'm a whelp," Zandrath held up his own reddened fingers to emphasize his point, " then so are you, since our blood is exactly alike." Antioch lunged at Zandrath out of pure rage.
Zandrath twisted out of the way and landed a kick to the back of Antioch's knee. The elder twin went crashing down.
" At least try to humor me," Zandrath taunted. " After all, Mother doesn't want the faeries alerted of our presence until she deems it appropriate. We'll have to settle for fighting amongst ourselves."
" Keep it up," Antioch snarled. " It will make it all the sweeter when I kill you."
" Praise to you then," Zandrath scoffed. " Let me know how that turns out." He sighed and retreated into his personal chamber.
" You dare to turn your back on me?" Antioch hissed. Zandrath turned and faced him.
" Yes, I think I do. Here, watch me do it again!" Zandrath spun around jovially and turned his back to his flabbergasted twin. " Now it's my turn to dare you to do something," the golden-eyed drow giggled. " I DARE you to stab me in the back! Go on! Right between the shoulder blades! Drop me like a stone with one crippling blow!"
" You are insane," Antioch marveled in mock horror.
" So glad you noticed," chirped the mad brother. " Now if you don't mind, I'd like to rest before we strike out on the first raid." Zandrath muttered several arcane phrases and Antioch was suddenly thrown from the room. The sane brother tumbled end over end in the dirt and stopped several paces away from the cave's entrance.
Zandrath's giggling laughter carried back to him.
Nessa poured the cold water into her scrying bowl and began humming softly over it. Lazuli hovered nearby watching the drow sorceress intently. Nessa touched the water with one of her delicate fingers and the surface began to shimmer. An image formed before Nessa's eyes that made her heart ache.
" What do you see?" Lazuli leaned eagerly over the opposite side of the bowl.
" It is worse than I feared," Nessa sighed heavily.
The image was of Jarlaxle.
" He is dying." The sorceress touched the surface again as she muttered more words under her breath. The water re-formed to show Entreri pacing back and forth across his cell. He looked thin and miserable. There were dark smudges beneath his sinking eyes and his clothes looked very dirty.
" Were are they? Can't you find that out?" Worry was evident in Lazuli's voice.
" Let's first see who it is that has taken them prisoner but not dared to kill them." Nessa calmly touched the water again.
The image of a man sitting behind a desk and reading a book appeared before them. Another man entered in a frenzy and said something to the seated man. Both men exited the room in a hurry.
" That was Terrell Dathane," Lazuli exclaimed.
" Friend of yours?"
" Not exactly. He tried to get us to join his fledgling guild. Father was, well, less than willing. I guess he's still holding a grudge."
" What worries me is that he would kidnap them but not kill them." Nessa thought for a moment before speaking again. " Can you lead us to his guildhouse?"
" Sure. It's on the other side of Shackle's Ward." Artemis had made certain that Lazuli knew where the guildhouse was so that she could easily stay away from it.
" Then that's where we shall go. One last look at Entreri first." She touched the water a third time and Entreri reappeared. But this time he was not alone, a ghost-like Seivriel floated before him. It appeared that they were conversing, but the scrying device did not provide them with sound.
" Is that Seivriel?"
" I think it's an apparition of her," Nessa corrected. " Or maybe she's teleporting across a great distance and it's taking a while for her to solidify."
Lazuli stared at the two of them in sudden understanding. Seeing the two of them together, Artemis and Seivriel, she began to pick out things. She and Artemis had the same eyes and her hair was dark like his, but it was wavy like Seivriel's was. She had Seivriel's height too and her angular face. Even the pirate's thin, pointed nose was the same as hers. She was lithely built like Artemis was, but then so was Seivriel.
Why hadn't she seen it sooner?
Seivriel was her mother!
Seivriel was somehow becoming more solid the longer Entreri looked at her.
" Are you really here?" he asked.
" Not yet," she answered. " It's a long way from here to Out Haven. Teleporting over such a distance takes time, even for a Draegloth. How's Jarlaxle?"
" He gets worse every minute," Artemis replied. " He can't eat or drink. He just gets weaker and weaker." The two of them approached Jarlaxle.
" I have an idea." Seivriel, still not quite solid, rushed to the door. " They took your sword and dagger when they captured you, right?"
" Yes."
" Wait a moment." Seivriel got down on all fours and examined the scant amount of space between the door and the floor. There was barely enough room for a mouse. She slipped her hand into the space and watched as her arm stretched and flattened and slid easily under the door. She smiled. " I'll be right back." The pirate queen pushed herself the rest of the way under the door and slunk away down the corridor.
Entreri just stared in amazement.
The door opened a few minutes later as Seivriel returned carrying their confiscated weapons over her shoulder.
" Miss me?" she asked playfully. Then she turned serious again. " We have to work quickly if we're going to escape."
" Not to put a damper on your spirits, but how are we to get Jarlaxle out too?"
Seivriel handed Entreri his jewel-encrusted dagger, a solemn expression on her face. " Use this."
She set the rest of the equipment down and held out her arm. " Take some to replenish yourself and get Jarlaxle to take enough so he can walk. We'll half to protect him while we go, but at least we won't need to carry him."
Entreri stared at the dagger in his hands and the woman offering herself to him. Could he really bring himself to do it? Take her life force so they could escape? He'd never hesitated to use the dagger's magic before, why now?
Because this time it was being offered to him.
" You know what you're doing?" he asked her in all sincerity.
" Do it quick, Artemis. We don't have much time." was her answer.
" Jarlaxle first then," Entreri insisted. He bent over the drow and shook him gently. " Wake up, Jarlaxle, Seivriel's come to help us. She has something that will help you regain your strength. Come on, wake up." He shook Jarlaxle again.
The drow moaned softly and his eyes opened a sliver.
" Welcome back." Entreri put the dagger in Jarlaxle's cold hand. " Listen to me and do as I tell you," he instructed. " When I tell you to, concentrate on the dagger. Imagine absorbing strength from it. Do you understand?"
The drow managed a single slow, heavy nod.
Seivriel approached. She was almost completely solidified now. Her silver hair was still ghostly, and her face was still partly transparent, but her eyes were hard and determined.
" I'm ready."
Entreri guided Jarlaxle's hand, but he looked away just as the blade sank deep into Seivriel's forearm. " Now, Jarlaxle. Concentrate."
The little color that had returned to Seivriel's face promptly vanished as the dagger began to suck out her vital energy. Her arm quivered slightly, and she winced visibly. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes.
Entreri swallowed, which was difficult due to the lump rapidly forming in his throat. Seivriel was obviously in pain, but she took it stoically. Entreri felt his heart ache suddenly.
At last, when she could give no more, Seivriel pulled her arm back and fell to the floor. Artemis was by her side in an instant, scooping her up into his arms and holding her tightly.
" Artemis?" It was Jarlaxle speaking, though his voice was barely above a whisper.
" I'm right here," Entreri answered. Seivriel groaned and stood with help from Artemis.
" How do you feel, Jarlaxle?" she asked, leaning over him.
" Hello, Seivriel," the drow whispered. " I feel a little better. What did you give me?"
" I'll tell you if you stand up and come with me." Jarlaxle smiled weakly.
" I can try," he said. He was slow at first but he didn't falter and in no time Jarlaxle was on his feet.
Seivriel retrieved the dagger from the floor where the drow had dropped it and handed it to Entreri. " You'll be needing this."
" I'll get the first peon we meet. You need your strength too," Entreri insisted. Seivriel smiled and let the matter go at that. She handed Entreri Charon's Claw and the sword's glove. She helped Jarlaxle with his magical bracers and put a rapier she had stolen into his hand.
" We should move quickly. I'll lead the way. Jarlaxle will stay behind me. Artemis, cover us from behind," she directed.
" I still can't see very well," Jarlaxle reminded her. " Everything's too blurry to make out much."
" Then be careful where you swing that rapier, an just pretend you can see. Hopefully, we'll be able to fool them if we have to fight."
" Let's go then." Entreri said. He drew his sword.
Reigaldus ruffled Andrazilion's snowy hackles affectionately. " You know what to do, Ander," he said to the astral wolf. Andrazilion growled softly and crept toward the guildhouse.
" Go with him, Guen," Drizzt said to his panther companion. " See if you can find Entreri and Jarlaxle." The panther slipped into the shadows and followed the wolf.
" They make a good pair, don't you think?" Reig commented, holding up Andrazilion's onyx figurine. " Two magnificent hunters. One feline. One canine. Both beautiful."
" You've never told me where you got the wolf's figurine," Drizzt pressed. Ever since he had first met Reig, Drizzt had asked him time and time again where he had acquired Andrazilion. Reig had never answered him.
" Story for another time, Brother," Reig replied slyly. They each pocketed their figurines as followed their astral companions. Bruenor, Catti-brie, and Lazuli shadowed them from their left flank, while Nessa, Wulfgar, and Regis covered the right. Dinin crouched next to Drizzt in their hiding place.
There were two sentries on the roof and one on the ground. A knife thrown by Nessa made short work of the first sentry and Catti-brie's bow, Taulmaril, took out the other two. Regis crept up to the back door and let Andrazilion and Guenwhyvar inside. Drizzt signaled to Nessa and she slithered in behind the astral predators, Wulfgar right behind her. Lazuli managed to get one of the ground floor windows open and she and Bruenor climbed in. Reig got a running jump and levitated himself the rest of the way up to the second level. Dinin followed him, Reig gave him a boost when his own levitation faltered. Drizzt went in through the front entrance, Catti-brie covered him from behind, her bow ready.
Several dead or unconscious guild soldiers already littered the floor. A few globes of darkness and a lingering globe of silence were the only other traces that Nessa had been there.
Then the first sounds of a fight started from somewhere below them.
Seivriel let out a string of curses befitting a veteran pirate. They were having rotten luck. Barely a dozen paces from the cell they had encountered four sentries making their rounds. Three had stayed to fight and the fourth had run off to get reinforcements. The remaining trio had easily forced them into a corner. Seivriel herself still hadn't fully recovered and Entreri was weak from his fast. Furthermore, neither of them could leave Jarlaxle's side for an instant.
They were effectively boxed in.
Seivriel was still oozing blood from the deep gash on her arm and Artemis was bleeding from a hard strike on his hip. Jarlaxle had taken a slash in the shoulder, but he had managed a return strike and one of the sentries at least wasn't using his best hand.
Entreri, all of a sudden, swung Charon's Claw in an arc and a curtain of black ash clouded the air between him and the guard closest to him. In a flash the said guard cried out and fell back, a spurt of blood from his belly indicating that Entreri had succeeded. Seivriel used the distraction to lunge forward and plunge her sword into the chest of the nearest sentry.
They were gambling. Jarlaxle was vulnerable and exposed.
But not helpless. When Entreri returned to the drow's side, Jarlaxle had already downed the last guard with a throwing dagger. The man was still alive and squirming, but the knife in his lung had effectively immobilized him.
" Good shot, Jarlaxle," Entreri congratulated, handing his dagger to the drow. He helped the still half-blind Jarlaxle absorb the dying guard's last bit of life.
" We have to keep moving," Seivriel reminded them, wiping blood off her lips with the back of her hand. Entreri stole a glance at the dead sentry at her feet and immediately wished he hadn't. The man's chest was nothing but a gaping, bloody hole.
Seivriel had eaten his heart.
The three of them resumed their flight, sacrificing stealth for speed. They were stopped, though, when half a dozen more soldiers appeared to block their path. Entreri joined Seivriel's cursing.
They had no chance against so many.
" Artemis," Seivriel whispered to him, " I'm going to charge them. Can you defend Jarlaxle for a few moments?"
" You'll be killed, you crazy pirate," Entreri protested. " Maybe we can fool them again."
" Not this many. Trust me, please," Seivriel was begging. Entreri had never in all the years he had known her heard Seivriel beg for anything.
" I'll do my best," he promised.
" You put up a valiant fight, but I'm afraid you just can't win," the lead guard said haughtily. " If you surrender now we might show you some mercy."
" Not a chance," Jarlaxle spat, much to everyone's surprise.
Seivriel made her move.
She dashed toward the nearest guard and howled like a demon. Her sword flew from her hands and impaled a guard who was too busy holding his ears to dodge. The leader screamed in terror as Seivriel began to change rapidly. Her skinny body thickened and horns grew out of her temples. Ink-black wings sprouted from her back, sparks flared from her mouth and nostrils.
Of course, Seivriel was nothing next to a full-blooded Balor, but to the lowly guild soldiers she was frightening enough. Two of them turned tail and ran right then and there. Another two fled after Seivriel bit through their leader's armor and took out his shoulder all in one bite.
Entreri jerked his dagger out of the last shoulder's chest in time to see Seivriel shift back into her human form. Entreri, forgetting Jarlaxle for the moment, ran to her and threw his arms around her.
" The next time you have a plan, I'm with you all the way," he promised. She offered him a weak smile in thanks.
' Only you, Artemis,' she thought to herself.
Commotion up ahead made the pair split apart. The noise was coming from the top of the twisted staircase the fleeing guards had taken. It sounded like a fight.
" Fight me like a man, you spawn of an orc and a weasel!" a voice yelled angrily. Several cries and crashing sounds followed. Then a body came tumbling down the staircase.
It was a drow. His mane of waist-length, white hair was tied up in a single braid and each pointed ear had half a dozen earrings each. But it was his eyes that were the most striking.
The left eye was a brilliant, emerald green. But the right eye changed color each time the drow blinked, green for one second, then suddenly a magnificent gold the next, then back to green. The drow cursed again, something about a sow and a minotaur that the others didn't quite catch. He stood up and was ready to charge right back up the stairs when he saw Seivriel and Entreri.
" Greetings, Pirate Queen," he said to Seivriel. " I didn't know you'd be here."
" Hello, Reig," Seivriel returned the greeting jovially.
" I'd love to chat, you know I would, but there are still some enemies left upstairs and I have to pay back whoever knocked me down these stairs, so if you'll excuse me," Reig then turned and dashed back up the staircase without another word...
...only to come crashing back down again, this time with an enormous white wolf and a giant black panther on top of him.
" No, no, no, you silly bags of fur! I'm not the enemy!" Reig yelled half angry, half laughing almost to the point of tears. " Now get off me!"
" Reigaldus, are you all right?" a new voice called from the top of the stairs.
" I'm just zany!" Reig yelled back.
The second voice came to the bottom of the stairs just as the wolf and the panther dissolved into thin, gray mist. Reig picked himself up and lightly dusted his clothes. Entreri stiffened at the sight of the newcomer, for he was also a drow, one he knew very well.
The second drow also went rigid when he saw Entreri. For a long time the two of them did not speak, they simply stared at each other.
Entreri finally moved first. He inclined his head to the drow almost politely. " Drizzt."
The purple-eyed drow returned the gesture. " Artemis."
To be continued...
AN : How is everyone enjoying the madness of Zandrath? Really, I wanna know. We aren't going to see a whole lot of him and Antioch for a while. The next chapter is mostly going to be about Deudermont, the Dragon Elves, and the reunion of Drizzt and Entreri. How did everyone like that by the way? Did I do it all right? Please let me know you're still there!