Chapter 3
Jozzlyn's heart was still pounding when she closed the door to her rooms. Immediately she began packing a satchel of food and clothing. Since she was not much more than a prisoner, she had no problem figuring out what she would pack. Before sitting down to think about her plan, she removed a block of stone from her wall. She removed her one handed crossbow from the hole. Behind it, was a box that held poisonous darts. These she kept hidden, as Triel was highly suspicious of anyone who carried weapons around her. Lastly, she grabbed one of her precious bracers, one that she had stolen from the weapon's room only a year ago. She placed it on her right wrist. Jozzlyn waited three hours before leaving her room. She hoped that Jarlaxle would wait until the next day before torturing Drizzt. She crept out into the hall with once last glance of her chamber.
"What am I doing? I will be caught and strangled by Triel's own hand, if she doesn't do something worse." She turned to the left and cautiously began the trek down toward the dungeons. Coming around the corner, something slammed hard against her, knocking her off balance.
"Mistress Jozzlyn," a male voice spoke. She looked up to see none other than Gromph Baenre. His eyes explored her body.
"Greetings. I have just come back from speaking with Mistress Triel. She has called a meeting. She has requested yourself and Mistress Quenthel to attend. I cannot seem to find her, and Mistress Triel said you may know where she is." Jozzlyn was amazed at how quickly the lie slipped from her lips.
"Indeed. I will be on my way then, " Gromph said irritably. As he walked past Jozzlyn he brushed his hand against her thigh.
"Too easy," thought Jozzlyn. If a male would think with his head instead of his cock, he may have noticed that I was carrying a sack and shaking like a kobold when I spoke to him." She made her way to the top of the dungeon stairway. She silently crept down the stairs one at a time. She reached behind her and pulled her crossbow from her bag. As silent as her footsteps, she loaded a poisonous dart into the bow. Before the first guard even saw her, a dart had pieced his neck. He fell to the floor, Jozzlyn barely catching his rapier before it clanged to the floor. She removed his sword and carried it in her right hand. Her bow, now loaded with another dart was in her left. She made her way to the door of the isolation room. In the side room to the left of the door she heard several male voices.
She cursed under her breath. "There are definitely more than two of them," she thought. Setting her bow and the rapier to the side, she reached into her bag again and brought out a small sack of powder. She then wrapped her cloak around her nose and mouth, and poured a generous amount of powder into her hands. Within seconds, she was around the corner into the side room. The three males who were keeping guard barely had time to turn in her direction before Jozzlyn's powder hit them square in their faces. The males began clawing at their faces as the powder burned their eyes and throat. They began screaming and running into each other as Jozzlyn took it upon herself to use a few of her remaining darts to silence them. Aided by her magical bracer, the men were unconscious in a minute. She snatched the keys from the guard closest to the door. "Too much noise!" thought Jozzlyn as she unlocked the door. She raced into the isolation room. She ran over to Drizzt who was awake and alert.
"You came." He said.
"Yes, and I had some trouble with the guards outside. I had to use fire dust on them and the bastards began screaming before I could silence them." Jozzlyn moaned as she unlocked the chains around Drizzt's feet."We must hurry."
When Drizzt was free, he quickly found his clothes. "Where do they keep prisoner's weapons?" he said.
"Over there, in the storeroom. That is if Jarlaxle hasn't taken them for himself."
Jozzlyn heard Drizzt rummaging through the weapons none too quietly. "Be quiet, are you trying to get us killed more quickly?" she whispered.
"Well I figured if anyone heard the guards they would have already came by now." Drizzt replied. He came out the room holding a scimitar. "Jozzlyn, meet Twinkle."
Before she could reply, he had grabbed her wrist and steered her towards the door. "Let's go. Where is Gromph's room?"
Jozzlyn ran ahead, "This way. I sent him away, but he will be back as soon as her realizes I lied to him."
They ran down the hall, Jozzlyn holding her crossbow, and Drizzt with his scimitar. They came to a fork in the hall, and two kobolds were coming down the right hallway. Jozzlyn hesitated, and pulled Drizzt close to her.
"Kobolds. They are stupid. Walk casually behind me like I have commanded you to follow me." She walked out into the hallway and never even looked at the kobolds. As they walked past the two servants, Jozzlyn hissed at the one closest to her. It shrieked and they both fled down the hallway.
They came to a corridor with several doors. "His is the one on the left, on the far side."
Drizzt shook his head and went to the door. He pressed on the latch, but the door would not budge. "Back up," he said. "Go back into the hall we just came from, and scream if you see anyone coming."
Jozzlyn was too frightened to do anything but obey. She heard a loud noise, and peeked around the corner. Drizzt had kicked the door in and was nowhere to be found. She waited until what seemed like hours before Drizzt reappeared. He was clutching a mask.
"Arrogant fool. It was kept in an unlocked box aside his bedding."
"Let's go," said Jozzlyn. "I heard footsteps."Her heart was beating so fast she thought it may escape from her chest.
Jozzlyn lead them through the twists and turns of the fortress. Drizzt was right on her heels. Just then, two male drow came around the next bend. They were wearing the colors of Bregan D'aerthe. Before she could turn to warn Drizzt he had already unleashed his scimitars. A mad grin had spread across his face. He was ready to fight. The two males rushed him, but Drizzt was more than a match for them both. With one quick motion, he had gashed the tallest drow's forearm. He kicked off from the wall and bashed the other on the back of the skull with Twinkle. The drow fell, unconscious. The other with the bleeding forearm came back around to face Drizzt who was now behind him. With one quick motion, Drizzt sliced his scimitar across the drow's belly, leaving him to fall to his knees in pain. Before she knew it, Jozzlyn was being dragged ahead into a large room with a chute on the outer wall.
"Here, this is perfect," Drizzt exclaimed. I was led in on this side of the fortress, which means the fence will be closest here."
"Wait. The fence is suicide. How will we get over it?" Jozzlyn asked. Just then, they heard shouts and footsteps coming down the hall.
"Just trust me, Jozzlyn. We have to go." Drizzt climbed into the chute and crawled until he saw the fence pulsating with magic. He took the spider mask out of his cloak and gave it to Jozzlyn to hold. He grabbed Jozzlyn's other hand and led her to the thin walkway used by the patrol. They ran along the path until Drizzt stopped in his tracks. Jozzlyn ran into him from behind. Before she even saw him, she heard his voice.
"Well, well. Here is our escaped prisoner. And who is that with you…have you made a friend?"