Resurrection

As she turned to leave the scrying chamber, a tremor shook the House, a byproduct of the

Xorlarrin onslaught.

Telepathically connected to her First and Second daughters through the magical amulets they wore, she projected, Anival, what is happening?

Her First Daughter's calm mental voice returned, Xorlarrin ogre shock-troops bearing a magically augmented battering ram attempted the gates. All of them are dead and the ram ruined. The wards hold, and the Xorlarrin cannot gain even the moat. They appear to be regrouping. Another House may join them soon, Matron Mother.

Yasraena knew, but to her First Daughter she replied with only, Very well. Continue on and keep me apprised.

Yasraena did not know how long her House could withstand the continued siege of the Xorlarrin wizards. Wards and protective spells sheathed the House's moat, bridge, and adamantine wall-some of them Yasraena had cast, some her forbears, many the lichdrow-but wards could be broken. So far, the Xorlarrin had not been able to breach them, but sooner or later, given enough time, they probably would.

Yasraena silently prayed to Lolth that the wards would hold for just a short time longer, long enough for the lichdrow to reincorporate and again stand at her side. That was all she would need to save the House. Unless. .

Perhaps there was another way. It galled her, but it might save her House.

She would contact Triel Baenre. At the very least, she might be able to give her House more time.

Without another word, she left her underlings behind and headed for her private chambers. As she exited the scrying chamber, she heard Esvena berating the male wizards.

Chapter Five

Traveling the rocky, uneven terrain proved difficult. Pits, gorges, and smoking lakes of acid forced Pharaun and his three traveling companions to weave a circuitous route. They picked their way around gorges and holes, between the tall, black spires of petrified legs. Pharaun particularly disliked walking in the shadow of the petrified spider legs. He felt at any moment that they would return to life and catch them up in their embrace. Spiders and webs thronged the petrified limbs, darting into cracks and crevices.

The wind fought against them as they moved, and it whistled through the songspider webs.

Pharaun was sweating. He felt exposed.

"Mistress," he said to Quenthel. "The passage of hours may bring a dawn. We are under open sky."

Pharaun had no desire to experience the blinding light of another sunrise like he had seen in the World Above.

Quenthel did not look at him. One of her whip vipers-Yngoth, Pharaun was certain-hovered near her ear for a moment. Quenthel nodded.

"A sun will rise over Lolth's Pits," she said. "But it is dim, red, and distant. You have nothing to fear, Master Mizzrym. We will find traveling under its light as easy as traveling by night."

Jeggred snorted and asked, "Do the snakes of your whip fill the holes in your understanding of the Spider Queen's realm, aunt?"

Danifae snickered, or perhaps it was a cough.

Over her shoulder, Quenthel answered, "Sometimes, nephew. They are demons-bound by me-

and have some knowledge of the Lower Planes that I require them to impart. Perhaps Mistress

Danifae can fill in the rest of our understanding?"

She stopped, turned, and looked at Danifae.

The battle-captive did not lower her hood. "When I have something to add," she said, "I will offer it."

Quenthel smiled at her nephew and started again to walk.

"Perhaps we should use spells to transport us, Mistress?" Pharaun suggested to Quenthel,

though he did not know exactly where they were going.

Quenthel shook her head and replied, "No, mage. This is the Spider Queen's realm, and she wants us to experience it. We will walk until I say otherwise."

Pharaun frowned but made no other answer. He could have flown, of course, using the ring he had taken from Belshazu, but decided not to provoke Quenthel. For him, the new Demonweb Pits was an obstacle to be overcome. For Quenthel, it was a religious ordeal to be experienced. Circumventing it would have been heresy.

Throughout their nighttime trek, the eight stars of Lolth peered down at them through a hole in the clouds that moved with the satellites across the night sky. Pharaun felt the Spider Queen's gaze pressing into his back like the tips of eight spears. Lolth's voice, in the form of the keening of the wind through the songspider webs, hummed in his ears. Pharaun found it maddening but kept his thoughts to himself.

High above them, the river of souls streamed silently onward. Sparking power vortices continued to dot the sky and vomit forth the spirits of the dead.

Pharaun marveled at the number of drow souls. He knew that all of them must have died after