Extinction

Turning to face the pillar, Gromph lifted both hands above his head. As he chanted the words to his spell he felt a familiar, tingling rush of power flow into his hands. When the magic reached its zenith, he slapped both of them against Narbondel, directing the magic into it. The cold stone warmed under his palms and a faint crackling filled the air. Like flames climbing a burning curtain, the magical heat and light slowly began to rise through Narbondel. Gromph couldn't see it with his own eyes, but through Kyorli's he saw a muted version of it, a circle of light emitting sparks of every color from deepest red to brightest purple, rising slowly against black stone. A beautiful sight?and one that would inspire hope in those who yet held the enemy at bay in the Dark Dominion, when they returned from the tunnels.

By memory, Gromph turned in the direction of House Agrach Dyrr.

"Can you see that, lichdrow?" he whispered. "I've escaped your imprisonment. Soon, I'll be coming for you."

Later, Gromph sat in his private office in Sorcere, drumming his fingers on the desk in front of him. Kyorli sat on his shoulder; Gromph still needed the rat's eyes in order to see. He had consumed a potion that should have restored his eyesight fully, but all he could see was a series of shadows and blurs. Had it been a combination of his own permanency spell and the magic that protected Nimor that had wreaked such destruction? With time and research, he would know the answers?but with two armies still hovering on the outskirts of Menzoberranzan, time was a luxury he didn't have.

A tickling at the back of his neck alerted him to the fact that someone was watching him?something that should have been impossible within the magically warded walls of his office. It seemed to be coming from the axe he'd hung on the wall?the one his forgotten illithid visitor had left. For a moment, Gromph wondered it the observer was one of the souls trapped within it, but when he bade Kyorli to turn and take a look, he saw no movement, no face in the axe blade.

As the archmage turned away from the axe, a familiar voice whispered at him from out of the thin air?the voice of the one drow Gromph had ensured would be able to penetrate the wards of his office?

Going to Lake of Shadows, Pharaun's voice whispered in his mind. Aboleth said ship of chaos is sunk there with uridezu. Will sail ship to Abyss and appeal to Lolth directly.

At twenty-five words, the message was precisely at the limit of the sending spell Pharaun had used to contact Gromph. The archmage sat in silence, contemplating his reply. It needed to be equally brief. . and informative.

"Your mission is more urgent now. We need Lolth. Duergar and tanarukks besiege Menzoberranzan. Lichdrow Dyrr is a traitor." Gromph paused, then added in a wry voice, "An uridezu? I wish you luck."

The sense of being watched vanished, leaving Gromph sitting alone in his office. Slowly, he shook his head, wondering if that would be the last time he'd ever hear from Pharaun.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Uluyara listened in silence as Halisstra described what she had seen in Reverie. When she finished, Uluyara whispered a brief prayer, then raised a hand reverently to the night sky. Lowering it, she stared hard at Halisstra, her red eyes reflecting the moonlight.

"Lost, all these years," she said. "Our best scryers, joined in spell-song, could not find the Crescent Blade?and now a novice thinks she can succeed where they failed."

Halisstra, hearing a tone she didn't like in Uluyara's voice, bristled.

"I'm only repeating what Seyll said," she countered. "This was no hallucination. I'm sure it was her spirit who spoke to me. I think she was trying to tell me that I'm going to have to face down Quenthel Baenre in combat and that I'll need this Crescent Blade?whatever it is?to defeat her when I do."

Uluyara stared into Halisstra's eyes, as if weighing her words.

"If this is an excuse to delay rejoining your former companions," Uluyara said, "you might have picked something a little less dramatic than a search for the Crescent Blade. I'd rather you were honest with me and simply tell me you're not ready yet. If you've changed your mind, or are afraid?"

"Afraid? How dare you! I am the First Daughter of a noble House!" Halisstra spat.

Then she remembered who she was talking to?and remembered that her House was no more?and she threw herself onto the ground at Uluyara's feet.

"My apologies, Dark Lady," she whispered, tensing in expectation of the lash that would have immediately scoured her shoulders, had it been one of Lolth's high priestesses to whom she had spoken so boldly. "I was of a noble House and am not used to having my courage questioned. I was taught, long ago, to cocoon

my fear up tight and never let it unravel. I assure you that I'm not afraid?and I'm not making this up. I don't even know what the Crescent Blade is. Please, enlighten me."