Extinction

The vipers had made a few suggestions, it was true, but it had been Quenthel who had pulled everything together, who had seen the pattern those suggestions wove.

Of course it was your idea, Hsiv soothed.

We are but your servants, added Yngoth.

You are a priestess of the great Spider Queen, and we bow to your wisdom in all things, Zinda said.

Quenthel nodded and absently stroked the largest viper's head.

K'Sothra twisted around to look at Hsiv and said, But she?

Silence, the elder viper interrupted.

Yes, silence, Quenthel snapped, her irritation rising to the surface once more. I can barely hear myself think, with all of you talking at once.

She squeezed the rest of the way into the cavern, Jeggred following close behind.

"I did discover the location of the ship of chaos," she told Pharaun and the others. "It went down in the Lake of Shadows." She turned to Valas and asked, "I assume you've heard of this lake?"

The Bregan D'aerthe scout chewed a moment?annoying Quenthel, who was used to more prompt answers. Her hand fell to the handle of her whip, and she was just about to draw it and threaten to flog an answer out of him when he stood, wiping the last crumbs of fungus loaf from his mouth. Why couldn't he be like Danifae who, she was pleased to see, had scurried back a pace or two? The lesser priestess was suitably cowed by the vipers, which were nearly spitting in anticipation of tasting flesh once more.

"It's a large lake," the scout continued, obviously sensing the high priestess's impatience, "about the same size as Lake Thoroot. The two are connected by an underground river."

"Flowing in which direction?" Quenthel asked.

"Toward Lake Thoroot, from the northwest."

"How far?" asked Pharaun.

"About the same distance away as the Fireflow," Valas said, and Pharauns eyes lit with recognition. "By surface and tunnel, that's about a tenday's march from here. The river might be longer, especially moving upstream."

Quenthel nodded, pleased to see they were getting somewhere at last.

Turning to Pharaun, she said, "We'll set out for the Lake of Shadows at once. Prepare your water-breathing spells."

Pharaun's eyebrows rose and he asked, "You intend that we swim there?"

"Of course," Quenthel said.

"That won't work."

Quenthel squeezed her whip handle so tightly the serpents spat venom.

"Why not?" she asked through gritted teeth.

"For one thing, if we use an underwater route, the aboleth will follow us," Pharaun said. "We're too tasty a treat to let go, and we'd end up fighting them all the way. For another, as our able scout mentioned, if the connecting river flows from the Lake of Shadows to Lake Thoroot, we'll be swimming against the current. That could make the journey much longer than a tenday, and there will be no place for me to stop and re-study my spell along the way. When its magic runs out, we'll all drown."

Quenthel was furious?but even through her rage, she could see that the mage was right.

Why didn't you think of this? she thought furiously at her whip vipers.

A hissing match ensued, in which each of the vipers berated the other four for not realizing something so obvious.

At last, Hsiv answered. Our apologies, Mistress. It will not happen again.

Valas cleared his throat and said, "There is more than one approach to the Lake of Shadows. Chosing the wrong one, farther from the ship, could cost us days. . even tendays. Did Oothoon mention anything else about the ship of chaos, Mistress? Anything that might help me to find it in such a large body of water?"

Quenthel, still glaring at Pharaun, started to shake her head. Then she remembered a passing comment the aboleth matriarch had made.

"Only one thing," she said, "that the air above the lake was thick with bats. That's what gave the lake its name. . the shadows they make against the cavern ceiling."

"That's not the only reason, Mistress. There are … oddities there," Valas said. "It's said to be a gateway of sorts to the Plane of Shadow. Anyway, I know where the Lake of Shadows is, and I know of two different ways to reach it that are reasonably safe."

Finally, Quenthel thought then asked, "What are they?"

"The lake is connected to the surface by natural chimneys in the rock?that part of the Surface Realms that lies just above it is known for the bats that fly out of the holes in a cloud every night. We could descend through one of the chimneys?but that would mean climbing up to the World Above again and traveling through the forest."

Quenthel considered that?briefly. She wasn't about to subject herself to a cold, snowy trudge through bright sunlight again.

"We're not going back to the surface," she decided.

That's wise, Hsiv's voice breathed in her ear. House Jaelre's warriors will still be looking for us.

"We want to avoid House Jaelre's warriors," Quenthel explained to Valas. "They either killed or captured Ryld Argith, the best warrior we had. We don't want to lose anyone else."