Carrie Bebris - Pool of Radiance - Ruins of Myth Drannor

"Once my people enter true death, they will no longer pose a threat to you," the drow leader responded. "Know this: Before we're done I fully intend for the archmage to know the sensation of her blood draining from her body."

Kestrel studied the dark elf as intensely as she could across the gap. The drow leader stood proud and confident, apparently unperturbed by the rogue's scrutiny. "How do we know we can trust you?" Kestrel called. "You haven't even given us your name."

"Nathlilik, first daughter of the House of Kilsek. And you don't." She shrugged. "Accept our proposal or not, humans. You're the ones who need to cross this chasm."

The way Nathlilik used the word "human" as if it were a racial slur made Kestrel grind her teeth. She turned to Corran and the others. "To hell with them. We'll find another way across. I can use my grappling hooks to-"

"We accept," Corran called to Nathlilik. "Lower the bridge."

Kestrel gasped involuntarily. "But-"

"You're outvoted, Kestrel. And we can't afford for Nathlilik to change her mind while we waste time arguing."

So now her opinions were merely a waste of time? She fairly shook with anger at this latest example of the paladin's high-handedness. How dare he just shut her up? She glared at Corran, ready to unleash a stream of epithets when, entirely unbidden, Caalenfaire's final words entered her head. Do not let conflict between you threaten your mission.

With one final, very uncharitable thought toward Corran D'Arcey, she swallowed her ire. Nathlilik had begun lowering the drawbridge, and they needed to present a united front to the drow band. If anyone's egoism crippled their quest, it would be Corran's, not hers.

As they waited for the bridge to settle into place, Kestrel found herself standing off to one side with Ghleanna. Corran and the others were engrossed in watching the bridge mechanism. She studied the paladin as he bantered easily with Jarial and Faeril-even Durwyn. "Why do you all follow him so faithfully?" she muttered, half to Ghleanna and half to herself.

Ghleanna followed her gaze. "He inspires confidence."

Kestrel looked at the sorceress, puzzled. All Corran had ever inspired in her was frustration. "What do you mean?"

"When we go into battle. Just being near him-I am not afraid. Whatever odds we face, his presence makes me believe we can overcome them. I think it is because his faith is so strong." She met Kestrel's eyes. "Surely you feel it, too?"

Kestrel shook her head.

"Mayhap you have not let yourself."

Kestrel returned her gaze to Corran. To hear Ghleanna talk, the paladin had some aura about him that everyone could sense but her. As a rogue, she prided herself on her perception, on her ability to read people accurately. Had she allowed herself to become blinded? Even so, Corran had his own failings to work on, whether the others could see them or not.

The party crossed the bridge and came eye to eye with the dark elves. The Kilseks' faces held all the fierceness and arrogance of the Freths', but they also bore a weariness and desperation that hadn't been present among Razherrt's men. Perhaps Nathlilik told the truth after all.

As Kestrel passed the drow leader, their gazes locked. Nathlilik's red eyes burned with determination Kestrel knew she herself had never felt. "You really do hate the cult," she murmured.

"My lifemate, Kedar, is among those enslaved," Nathlilik said. "I will avenge him."

They found the cult sorcerer exactly where Nathlilik had said to expect him.

They did not expect to find him dead.

"Ugh." Kestrel grimaced at the sight of the corpse. The cultist lay wrapped in a cocoon of sticky white strands with only his head and neck exposed. Bite marks covered his face and throat, leaving the flesh in shreds. The expression in his frozen eyes suggested he'd died a slow, painful death. "What got him? Spiders?"

"Some kind of wild creature." Jarial knelt beside the body to lift a long gold staff from where it had fallen near the sorcerer's body. "Whatever it was, it left this behind."

She crept closer for a better look. A G-shaped hook crowned the staff, within which a glowing yellow orb floated freely. "The Staff of Sunlight"

"That's my guess."

Kestrel glanced around the rest of the room. A closed door stood opposite the one they had entered, and a table and chair sat in the corner. Several papers lay scattered on the table and floor. Ghleanna picked them up, scanning their content. "Most of these are useless notes, but this page is an order from Mordrayn. It says to eliminate the arraccat from the eastern section of the catacombs' third level."

"That's where we are, isn't it?" Durwyn asked.

Ghleanna nodded absently as she quoted from the order. "The creatures lair above the baelnorn and thus too close to our operations there."

Corran took the paper from Ghleanna's hand and studied it himself. "What's an arraccat?"

"I think it's a creature with eight eyes," said Durwyn, his voice a bit higher-pitched than normal, "and eight legs with really sharp claws… and a wide mouth with wicked fangs…"

Kestrel glanced at him in surprise, but his back was turned to her. "How do you know that, Durwyn?"

"Because I'm looking at one."

The arraccat hissed and sprang toward Durwyn. The fighter jumped out of the way, allowing the rest of the companions their first look at the creature. A cross between a spider and a cat, it stood nearly as tall as Kestrel and twice as wide. Brown fur covered its feline head, long tail, and oval arachnid body.

Just as quickly as it had arrived, it disappeared.

Faeril swept the room with her gaze. "Where did it-" Suddenly, two more appeared in the room. "Jarial! Ghleanna! Behind you!"

Ghleanna spun around, her staff cutting the forelegs out from under one of the arraccats. The creature buckled, then evaporated from sight. The other arraccat sprung at Jarial before he could strike it with the Staff of Sunlight his only weapon at hand. The beast sank its fangs into his shoulder and disappeared.

The mage cried out in pain. "Their bite stings! I think they're poisonous!"

Kestrel grabbed her club and snapped her wrist. The weapon telescoped not a moment too soon-all three arraccats reappeared, this time behind Corran, Faeril, and Durwyn. She advanced on the closest creature, but a shout from Ghleanna stopped her. "Kestrel, look out!"

She spun to discover a fourth arraccat behind her. Green saliva-or was it venom? — dripped from its fangs. Four pairs of yellow eyes glittered menacingly in the torchlight through slit lids. Kestrel avoided eye contact, knowing that if she stared into those hourglass irises too long, she'd go dizzy.

The creature sprang. She grasped her club in both hands and struck it in the head, momentarily stunning it. No sooner did it disappear from sight than another took its place. The party fought at least six creatures now-the way they kept popping in and out, Kestrel couldn't keep track-and hadn't managed to land a fatal blow on any.

"Backs to the walls!" Corran yelled. "So they can't attack from behind!"

Kestrel fought off another beast and pressed herself against the door opposite the one they'd entered. No one had had time to check what lay on the other side, but at this point she didn't care. They had to get out of this room. The arraccats now outnumbered them, and more appeared each minute. No wonder the cult sorcerer had fallen prey to the creatures-they multiplied like rabbits.

She tried the door and found it locked. Damn her luck! She fumbled in her belt pouch, willing her fingers to find the right lockpick as she tried to fend off an arraccat one-handed. A moment later, Corran was at her side. "Open it! I'll cover you!"

The paladin's blade sliced through the creature and injured another in the time it took her to locate the tool she needed and open the lock. "Durwyn! Faeril!" she shouted over a nearby arraccat's hiss. "This way! Jarial! Ghleanna!"