Vierna.
"We are all present” Briza said, taking her place at her
Imother's side.
"Kneel” Malice commanded, and the whole family fell to
its knees. The matron mother paced slowly around them all,
each pointedly dropping his or her eyes in reverence, or
just in common sense, as the great lady walked by.
Malice stopped beside Drizzt. "You are confused by the .!
presence of Dinin and Vierna” she said. Drizzt looked up at :
her. "Do you not yet understand the subtle methods of our'
survival?"
"I had thought that my brother and sister were to con-
tinue on at the Academy” Drizzt explained.
"That would not be to our advantage” Malice replied.
"Does it not bring a house strength to have mistresses and
masters seated at the Academy?" Drizzt dared to ask. !
"It does” repli~d Malice, "but it separates the power. You
have heard tidings of war?"
"I have heard hinting of trouble” said Drizzt, looking over
at Vierna, "though nothing more tangible”
"Hinting?" Malice huffed, angered that her son could not
understand the importance. "They are more than most
houses ever hear before the blade falls!" She spun away
from Drizzt and addressed the whole group. "The rumors
hold truth” she declared.
"Who?" asked Briza. "What house conspires against House
Do'Urden?"
"None behind us in rank” Dinin replied, though the ques-
tion had not been asked to him and it was not his place to
speak unbidden.
"How do you know this?" Malice asked, letting the over-
sight pass. Malice understood Dinin's value and knew that
his contributions to this discussion would be important.
"We are the ninth house of the city” Dinin reasoned, "but
among our ranks we claim four high priestesses, two of
them former mistresses of Arach- Tinilith” He looked at Zak.
"We have, as well, two former masters of Melee-Magthere,
and Drizzt was awarded the highest laurels from the school
of fighters. Our soldiers number nearly four hundred, all
skilled and battle-tested. Only a few houses claim more”
"What is your point?" Briza asked sharply.
"We are the ninth house” Dinin laughed, "but few above
us could defeat us. . . “
" And none behind” Matron Malice finished for him. "Vou
show good judgment, Elderboy. I have come to the same
conclusions”
"One of the great houses fears House Do'Urden” Vierna
concluded. "It needs us gone to protect its own position”
"That is my belief” Malice answered. "An uncommon
practice, for family wars usually are initiated by the lower-
ranking house, desiring a better position within the city hi-
erarchy”
"Then we must take great care” Briza said.
Drizzt listened carefully to their words, trying to make
sense of it all. His eyes never left Zaknafein, though, who
knelt impassively at the side. What did the callous weapon
master think of all this? Drizzt wondered. Did the thought
of such a war thrill him, that he might be able to kill more
dark elves?
Whatever his feelings, Zak gave no outward clue. He sat
quietly and by all appearances was not even listening to the
conversation.
"It would not be Baenre” Briza said, her words sounding
like a plea for confirmation. "Certainly we have not yet be-
come a threat to them!"
"We must hope you are correct” Malice replied grimly, re-
membering vividly her tour of the ruling house. "Likely, it is
one of the weaker houses above us, fearing its own un-
steady position. I have not yet been able to learn any incrim-
inating information against any in particular, so we must
prepare for the worst. Thus, I have called Vierna and Dinin
back to my side”
"If we learn of our enemies, . . “ Drizzt began impulsively.
All eyes snapped upon him. It was bad enough for the elder-
boy to speak without being addressed, but for the second-
boy, just graduated from the Academy, the act could be
considered blasphemous.
Wanting all perspectives, Matron Malice again let the
oversight pass. "Continue” she prompted.
"If we discover which house plots against us” Drizzt said
quietly, "could we not expose it?"
"To what end?" Briza snarled at him. "Conspiracy without
action is no crime”
"Then might we use reason?" Drizzt pressed, continuing
against the barrage of incredulous glares that came at him
from every face in the room-except from Zak's. "If we are
the stronger, then let them submit without battle. Rank
House Do'Urden as it should be and let the assumed threat
to the weaker house be ended”
Malice grabbed Drizzt by the front of his cloak and
heaved him to his feet. "I forgive your foolish thoughts” she
growled, "this time!" She dropped him back to the floor, and
the silent reprimands of his siblings descended upon him.
Again, though, Zak's expression did not match the others
in the room. Indeed, Zak put a hand up over his mouth to
hide his amusement. Perhaps there remained a bit of the
Drizzt Do'Urden he had known, he dared to hope. Perhaps
the Academy had not fully tainted the young fighter's spirit.
Malice whirled on the rest of the family, simmering fury
and lust glowing in her eyes. "This is not the time to fear!
This” she cried, a slender finger pointing out from in front
of her face, "is the time to dream! We are House Do'Urden,
Daermon N'a'shezbaernon, of power beyond the under-
standing of the great houses. We are the unknown entity of
this war. We hold every advantage!
"Ninth house?" she laughed. "In short time, only seven
houses will remain ahead of us!"
"What of the patrol?" Briza cut in. "Are we to allow the se-
condboy to go off alone, exposed?"
"The patrol will begin our advantage” the conniving ma-
tron explained. "Drizzt will go, and included in his group
will be a member of at least four of the houses above us”
"One may strike at him” Briza reasoned.
"No” Malice assured her. "Our enemies in the coming war
would not reveal themselves so clearly-not yet. The ap-
pointed assassin would have to defeat two Do'Urdens in
such a confrontation”
"Two?" asked Vierna.
"Again, Lloth has shown us her favor” explained Malice.
"Dinin will lead Drizzt's patrol group”
The elderboy's eyes lit up at the news. "Then Drizzt and I
might become the assassins in this conflict” he purred.
The smile disappeared from the matron mother's face.
"You will not strike without my consent” she warned in a
tone so cold that Dinin fully understood the consequences
of disobedience, ''as you have done in the past”
Drizzt did not miss the reference to Nalfein, his murdered
bfother. His mother knew! Malice had done nothing to pun-
ish her murderous son. Now Drizzt's hand went up to his
face, to hide an expression of horror that only could have
brought him trouble in this setting.
"You are there to learn” Matron Malice said to Dinin, "to
protect your brother, as Drizzt is there to protect you. Do
not destroy our advantage for the gain of a single kill” An
evil smile found its way back onto her bone-hued face. "But,
if you learn of our enemy, . . “ she said.
"If the proper opportunity presents itself, . . “ Briza fin-
ished, guessing her mother's wicked thoughts and throwing
an equally vile smile the matron's way.
Malice looked upon her eldest daughter with approval.
Briza would prove a fine successor for the house!
Dinin's smile became wide and lascivious. Nothing pleased
the elderboy of House Do'Urden more than the opportunity
for an assassination.
"Go, then, my family” Malice said. "Remember that un-
friendly eyes are upon us, watching our every move, wait-
ing for the time to strike”
Zak was the first out of the chapel, as always, this time
with an added spring in his step. It wasn't the prospect of
fighting another war that guided his moves, though the
thought of killing more clerics of the Spider Queen certainly
pleased him. Rather, Drizzt's display of naivete, his contin-
ued misconceptions of the common weal of drow existence,
brought Zak hope.
Drizzt watched him go, thinking Zak's strides reflected
his desire to kill. Drizzt didn't know whether to follow and
confront the weapon master here and now or to let it pass,
to shrug it away as readily as he had dismissed most of the
cruel world around him. The decision was made for him
when Matron Malice stepped in front of him and kept him
in the chapel.
"To you, I say this” she began when they were alone. "You
have heard the mission I placed upon your shoulders. I will
not tolerate failure!"
Drizzt shrank back from the power of her voice.
"Protect your brother” came the grim warning, "or I shall
give you to Lloth for judgment”
Drizzt understood the implications, but the matron took
the pleasure to spell them out anyway.
"You would not enjoy your life as a drider”
A lightning blast cut across the still black waters of the un-
derground lake, searing the heads of the approaching wa-
ter trolls. Sounds of battle echoed through the cavern.
Drizzt had one monster-scrags, they were called-
cornered on a small peninsula, blocking the wretched
thing's path back to the water. Normally, a single drow faced
off evenly against a water troll would not have the advan-
tage, but as the others of his patrol group had come to see in
the past few weeks, Drizzt was no ordinary young drow.
The scrag came on, oblivious to its peril. A single, blinding
movement from Drizzt lopped off the creature's reaching
arms. Drizzt moved in quickly for the kill, knowing too well
the regenerative powers of trolls.
Then another scrag slipped out of the water at his back.
Drizzt had expected this, but he gave no outward indica-
tion that he saw the second scrag coming. He kept his con-
centration ahead of him, driving deep slashes into the
maimed and all but defenseless troll's torso.
Just as the monster behind him was about to latch its
claws onto him, Drizzt fell to his knees and cried, "Now!"
The concealed panther, crouched in the shadows at the
peninsula's base, did not hesitate. One great stride brought
Guenhwyvar into position, and it sprang, crashing heavily
onto the unsuspecting scrag, tearing the life from the thing
before it could respond to the attack.
Drizzt finished off his troll and turned to admire the pan-
ther's work. He extended his hand, and the great cat nuz-
zled it. How well the two fighters had come to know each
other! thought Drizzt.
Another blast of lightning thundered in, this one close
enough to steal Drizzt's sight.
"Guenhwyvar!" Masoj Hun'ett, the bolt's caster, cried. "1b
my side!"
The panther managed to brush against Drizzt's leg as it
moved to obey. When his vision returned, Drizzt walked off
in the other direction, not wanting to view the scolding that
Guenhwyvar always seemed to receive when he and the cat
worked together.
Masoj watched Drizzt's back as he went, wanting to put a
third bolt right between the young Do'Urden's shoulder
blades. The wizard of House Hun'ett did not miss the spec-
ter of Dinin Do'Urden, off to the side, watching with more
than casual glances.
"Learn your loyalties!" Masoj snarled at Guenhwyvar.1bo
often, the panther left the wizard's side to join in combat
with Drizzt. Masoj knew that the cat was better comple-
mented by the moves of a fighter, but he knew, too, the vul-
nerability of a wizard involved in spellcasting. Masoj
wanted Guenhwyvar at his side, protecting him from
enemies-he shot another glance at Dinin-and "friends"
alike.
He threw the statuette to the ground at his feet. "Begone!"
he commanded.
In the distance, Drizzt had engaged another scrag and
made short work of it as well. Masoj shook his head as he
watched the display of swordsmanship. Every day, Drizzt
grew stronger.
"Give the order to kill him soon, Matron SiNafay” Masoj
whispered. The young wizard did not know how much
longer he would be able to carry out the task. Masoj won-
dered whether he could win the fight even now.
Drizzt shielded his eyes as he struck a torch to seal a dead
troll's wounds. Only fire ensured that trolls would not recu-
perate, even from the grave.
The other battles had died away as well, Drizzt noted, and
he saw the flames of torches springing up all across the
bank of the lake. He wondered if all of his twelve drow com-
panions had survived, though he also wondered if he truly
cared. Others were more than ready to take their places.
Drizzt knew that the only companion who really
mattered-Guenhwyvar-was safely back in its home on
the Astral Plane.
"Form a guard!" came Dinin's echoing command as the
slaves, goblins, and orcs moved in to search for troll trea-
sure, and to salvage whatever they might of the scrags.
When the fires had consumed the scrag he'd set ablaze,
Drizzt dipped his torch in the black water, then paused for a '
moment to let his eyes readjust to the darkness. "Another
day” he said softly, "another enemy defeated”
He liked the excitement of patrolling, the thrill of the edge
of danger, and the knowledge that he was now putting his
weapons to use against vile monsters.
Even here, though, Drizzt could not escape the lethargy
that had come to pervade his life, the generill. resignation
that marked his every step. For, though his battles these
