F O U R (67 page)

Ryld rambled on for hours, talking his throat raw,experiences as they occurred to him          recounting their shared .  Perhaps the stories would strike a spark inPharaun's  unconscious  mind,  and  in  any  case,  it  was  better  than wondering what life would be like after Syrzan corrupted his mind.just sitting and

Richard Lee Byers

182

War Of The Spider Queen

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Dissolution

Finally the wizard's chin jerked up off his chcry out. The bit turned the sound into a stcorners of his mouth. Beads of blood blossomrangled gurest. His eyes were wild, and he tried to ed from  the wounds.gle even as it cut into the

"It's all right," Ryld said. "Whatever the lich did to you, it's over ".eyes. RPharaun took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Rationality returned to his yld got the feeling that if not  for the harness, the wizard would have smiled his usual cheery smile. He nodded  to the weapons master, thanking himbashed it on the floor a few timfor the reassurance, then he inspected  the sheath constraining his hands. He eheld with nary a rattle. He shook his hs to see if he could jolt the catches open. They ead, sat still for several seconds, then plight.closed his eyes and settled back against the wall, no doubt pondering their After several miof one boot against the side of the othernutes, the wizard straightened up. He started scraping the heel .Ryld felt a stir of excitement. He could only assume  his fellow master had atalisman hidden inside the footwear. It  was odd the wizard hadn't remembereduntil then, but perhaps it was a result of the seizure.Like all drow boots, Pharaun's were high and fit snugly

.  By the time it slid off the mage's  foot, Ryld was avid with cutrews and a stocking.         riosity to see . . . nothing. Nothing but Pharaun set to work shoving off the other boot. Ryld wished he knew what his friend had in mind, but knew it would be  pointless to ask. With his handsconcealed, the spellcaster couldn't answer even in the silent drow sign  language.Eventually the second boot slipped free, whereupon Pharaun pushed off hissocks. His bare feet were of a piece with  his hands, slender and long, the digitsincluded.crossing the toes. He fumThe wizard lifted his right foot, stared bled through a sequence of mat it intently, and started curling and took R                      oves, then repeated it. It yld another few moments to comprehend, and he didn't know whether to laugh or cry

.

In point of fact, the Underdark abounded in creatures, Syrzan included, whoseextremities differed notably from a dark elf's, yet who worked magicnonetheless. So maybe Pharaun had a chance. Maybe he could cast one of thosespells that only required movement, not an incantation or material components.precise and intricate passes he'But only if he could shift his feet and toes through the proper patterns, those d  spent years learning to execute with his hands.When the toes of his right foot grew tired, he started working with those ofhis left. After that, he shifted his weight back, lifted his legs, and practiced twining them together. Rhis life not depended on the mage'yld might  have found it quite  a comical spectacle had s  success.Soon Pharaun began to sweat and occasionally to tremble, which alwaysforced him to stop and rest for a bit.  After an hour, he moved on to  the  next everything at the same time with the proper sequence and timphase of his experiment: putting the elements of the spell together, moving R                          ing.yld watched the process intently. He was no wizard, but to his untutored eye, it appeared that after a while, Pharaun was producing exactly the same pattern two times out of three. The rest he fumbled in one way or another.Finally

"That's all right," the swordsman replied. "T, breathing hard, he looked at the weapons master and shrugged.wo out of three is good odds."

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up and, heedless of the fresh blood that started from the corners of his mouth, Pharaun slumped back and spent the next few minutes resting. When he sat

against the floorhe growled through the mask. He banged the box encasing his hands twice , then looked at Ryld.

Pharaun nodded. The cage around his head clinked."I understand," the warrior said. "Make noise. Bring someone.""Ho!" R

yld shouted. "Somebody, come here! I'm a Master of Melee-M

a

must know for your plans to succeed. I'gthere. I know secrets about the defenses of the great  Houses, secrets you He continued in the same vein for sevell trade them for my freedom!"

the wall for emphasis. Meanwhile Pharaun ral minutes, clashing his chains against unconscious.               lay motionless, as if he were still

Finally, eyes appeared at the little barred window in the door."What?" the newcomer snarled. It wasn'

t  a voice Ryld had heard before.

"I heard," said the other drow"I need to talk to you,"  the weapons master said.. "You haof you, no bar            ve secrets. The alhoon will rip them out

gain required."

have information you need before "Syrzan said it would take time to turn us  into mind-slaves," Ryld replied. "I rebellion will do you no good if th  you unleash the under-creatures. Their

they even get started."      e weapons masters strike them all dead before "How could the masters-of-arm

"A secret," said R      s do that?" asked the rogue.yld, "that we brothers  of the pyramid teach to a chosen few "."I don't believe you."

"We've been studying war for millennia. Do  you think we impart  all we know to

deadlier mysteries in reserve?"every young dullard who enrolls  in the Academy,  or is it likely we hold greater, The rogue hesitated.

R"All right, tell me. If there's anything to it, I'll set you free."yld shrugged, rattling his fetters. They  were already rubbing his wrists raw.

"Shout it through a closed door?" the weapons master asked. "Is that whatreally want?"                             you

"Wait."

principle. It was best to keep information to yourself, at least until you figuThe contempt in the prisoner's tone had reminded the rogue of a basic redout how to reap a benefit from sharing it. This rogue didn'

t want a

overhearing what R                        nyone yld had to say.

renegade stepped through. He was stockyThe door clacked as a key turned in the lock. It creaked open, and the , with a broken nose squashed acrossan angular face. He'd  decorated rather nondescript clothing with g

a

ornaments, including a silver fillet set with garnets. His rapier hung f udy rom a baldric, the hilt of a dagger protruded from the top of either boot, and a hand

crossbow dangled from his belt.

himself safe. The cell was larHe stopped just inside the doorwayge enough, and the prisoners',  where he had every right to think shackles short

but didn'enough, that he was beyond their reach. He swung the door shut behind him

"All right," he said, "now you can tell mt permit it to latch.      e.""First," said R

yld, "unchain me."He thought he had to keep the renegade occupied for just a few m

ore

Richard Lee Byers

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War Of The Spider Queen

Book 1

Dissolution

seconds, long enough for Pharaun to cast his spell.The guard just laughed and said, "Don't be absurd."

"Why not?""Y

"But you mou know why not."ight just listen to the secrets and leave me  imwatching Pharaun from  the corner of his eye.       prisoned," said Ryld,

To  his dismay, the wizard wasn't  conjuring. He wasn't  moving at all. Had he

passed out again?"You're caged," said the renegade, "and I'

m  not. Therefore,
 
you
 
will have to

trust
 
me,

R   not the other way around."yld scowled, meanwhile racking his brains for inspiration. With Pharaun

inert, he was going to have to improvise a story to detain the rogue and prathe wizard would m                          y

ake a move before much longer.

entrance to a tunnel leading to the deep"All right, I suppose I have no choice. Not far beyond Bauthwaf lies the est reaches of the Underdark, whereeven our people do not—"

"What's this got to do with weapons  ma

dem                   sters killing slaves?" the guard anded.

"Listen, and you'll find out. At the lower  end of the passage is a mineral I've never seen anywhere else . . ." At last  Pharaun moved his feet. Now

renegade didn't notice. "When you crush the rock to powder  ..."   ,  if only the

"T T   1"

Evidently the guard'Hey!       s  peripheral vision  was almost as good as Ryld's, for hepivoted toward Pharaun, but not in time. A disembodied ha

yellow light appeared beside hi               nd made of pale The impetus sent him staggering closer to Rs shoulder and gave him a push.

yld. Thhim and smashed his head  against the wall until it left a sticky mess on the stone, e weapons master grabbed

then he searched the corpse and fHe discovered the one that opened his own restrainound a ring of keys clipped to its belt.ts, and Pharaun's. The

wizard flexed his fingers, restoring circulation, produced a  silken handkerchief from his sleeve, and dabbed at the blood on the sides of his  mouth.

"I think I'll establish a new school of magic," the wizard said. "Pedomancy—

the sorcery of the feet.""Why did you wait so long to throw the spell?" R

yld asked.

him had he not been carrying the means to release us from our fett"I was looking for our friend's keys. It wouldn't have done any good to attack ers. His capewas hanging over them, and it took me a minute to spot th

em ".

"I was certain something had gone wrong. Are you ready to get us out ofhere?"

"Momentarily," Pharaun said as he pulled on his socks and boots. "I thinkeverything's going splendidly

,  don't you? We

'v

for                   e acquired the knowledge we came ,  and now we'll escape, just as planned."

"We didn't plan on having to do it without our gear."