"What?!" screeched Matron Abelinda McNamara at the elderboy of her house, Angelo, who was lying prostrate on the floor. "You mean to tell me that my youngest daughter has fled the underdark and forsaken her kin?"
"Yes, Matron Mother" mumbled a petrified Angelo.
"And just what are we going to do now that a another of our high priestesses has fled?" asked Matron Abelinda, more to her self than anyone else in the room.
"Ma-ma-matron Mother" Angelo stuttered, "If we can find Tanwen, then maybe we can find Blaize."
"Yes, yes that sounds all well and good, but we've been looking for Tanwen for 30 years or better. Where else do we look?" The matron mumbled to herself. "Summon my daughters so that I may tell them the news of their latest sisters departure" she snapped at a slave, who scurried away to do her bidding. " Just a question. Is anyone else of importance missing that I should know about?" asked Abelinda in a steely voice.
"Yes Matron. It is Edward" Angelo quickly and quietly said.
You mean to tell me that BLAIZE took Edward, the head of my army, with her to Lolth knows were?"
"Who's missing?" yawned Lucetta as she and her sisters entered the room.
"Why only your dear sister Blaize and her lover Edward." Abelinda sarcastically replied. Immediately the four daughters were wide-awake, and standing next to their mothers throne.
"Well what is the plan? Are we going to go get them?" asked Lucette, Lucettas' twin.
" I am not quite sure that we should go after them," Katrin, the eldest daughter of house McNamara, quietly said, quickly adding, "at least until we consult the spider queen."
As Katrin was speaking, the doors to the antechamber opened, and in walked Lysnader, secondboy of house McNamara. Abelinda turned and placed her icy stare upon the newest member of the conversation, saying, " So was your time spent with the patrol useful? Did you find any trace of your eldest sister or the newest runaways?"
He bowed deeply and shook his head. " No Matron. I found no trace of any of the runaways, although we traveled a ten-day away from the city." He quickly continued " Angelo and I have been summoned to go on the next patrol, this going as far a Skull Port, and the commanders are planning to stay there a score of days at the least. It is said that a group of roving human warriors plan to come to Menzoberranzan and attack the ruling council" he said.
" We heard rumors of the raid at the Academy. That's why they are raising some of the students to high priestess so quickly, but they said that we have to wait till next year." Lucetta and Lucette said simultaneously.
"The mistresses told you that?" spat Abelinda. "Who all is graduating?"
"All of the Baenre girls" Lucette answered sulkily.
"All of them? But three of them are younger than even Titania" Katrin said disbelievingly.
"Titania you are supposed to graduate year after next… Correct?" Stated Matron Abelinda.
" Yes Matron mother" Titania said quietly.
"Then how in the nine bloody hells are those girls graduating?" Matron Abelinda screamed in sudden fury. Calming instantly, she continued. "We'll worry about this matter later. We have more pressing matters to tend to."