war of the spider queen 1 dissolution-第106部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ks　of　knowing　yourself　shrewder　than　everybody　else。〃
〃I　assure　you；　the　ores　cannot　prevail。〃
〃At　the　very　least；　they'll　destroy　some　of　the　lovely　architecture　the　founders　sculpted　from　the　living　rock；　and　they'll　set　a　defiant　example　for　future　generations　of　thralls。　Your　scheme　will　harm　not　merely　the　priestesses　but　Menzoberranzan　itself；　and　I　disapprove　of　that。　It's　sloppy　and　inept。　Only　a　fool　mars　the　very　treasure　he's　striving　to　acquire。〃
A　sneer　in　its　tone；　Syrzan　said；　〃I　wouldn't　have　taken　you　for　a　panottriot。〃
〃Odd；　isn't　it？　I'll　tell　you　something　even　stranger。　In　my　way；　I'm　also　a　devout　child　of　Lolth。　Oh；　it's　never　kept　me　from　pursuing　my　own　ends…even　past　the　point　of　murdering　a　priestess　or　two…but　though　I　strive　for　personal　preeminence；　I　would　never　seek　to　topple　the　entire　social　order　she　established。　I　certainly　wouldn't　conspire　to　place　her　chosen　people　and　city　under　the　rule　of　a　lesser　creature。〃
〃Even　gods　die；　drow。　Perhaps　Lolth　is　no　more。　If　Menzoberranzan　is　indeed　the　mortal　realm　she　loves　best；　why　else　would　she　abandon　you？〃
〃A　test？　A　punishment？　A　whim？　Who　can　say？　But　I　doubt　the　Spider　Queen　is　dead。　I　saw　her　once；　and　I　don't　just　mean　the　manifestation　who　visited　Menzoberranzan　during　the　Time　of　Troubles。　I've　gazed　upon　the　Dark　Mother　in　the　full　majesty　of　her　divinity；　and　I　can't　imagine　that　anything　could　ever　lay　her　low。〃
〃You　have　looked　upon　the　Spider　Queen？〃
〃I　thought　you　might　be　interested　in　that；〃　said　the　mage。　〃It　wasn't　long　after　I　graduated　from　Sorcere；　returned　home　to　serve　my　mother；　and　sided　with　my　sister　Sabal　against　her　twin　Greyanna。　One　night；　a　delegation　of　priestesses　came　to　our　stalactite　castle。　Triel　Baenre　herself　led　the　expedition…she　was　Mistress　of　Arach…Tinilith　in　those　days…and　she'd　brought　along　dignitaries　from　Houses　Xorlarrin；　Agrach　Dyrr；　Bar…rison　Del'Armgo；　and　other　families　of　note。　It　was　a　momentous　occanotsion；　especially　for　me；　because　all　these　great　ladies　had　e　to　arrest　me。
〃I　never　did　find　out　if　Greyanna　instigated　the　affair。　It　was　the　kind　of　thing　she　would　have　done；　but　it　needn't　have　been　her。　You'll　scarcely　credit　it；　but　in　those　days；　I　was　considered　an　insolent；　uppity　scapenotgrace；　a　far　cry　from　the　meek　and　modest　gentleman　you　see　before　you　today。　A　good　many　clerics　may　have　suspected　me　of　irreverence。〃
〃This　is　what　happened　to　Tsabrak；〃　Syrzan　said。　〃The　priestesses　arnotrested　him；　turned　him　into　a　drider；　and　drove　him　forth。〃
〃Sometimes　they　mete　out　punishments　even　fouler；〃　Pharaun　said；　〃but　first　they　examine　you　to　determine　your　true　sentiments。　I　hoped　my　mother　would　intervene。　She　was　one　of　the　great　Matrons　of　Menzoberranzan；　and　I'd　scored　a　number　of　coups　for　House　Mizzrym；　but　she　never　said　a　word。　Perhaps　she　believed　me　a　traitor　in　the　making　or　was　reluctant　to　disagree　with　the　Baenre。　Maybe　she　simply　found　my　predicament　amusing。　Miz'ri's　like　that。
〃Be　that　as　it　may；　the　priestesses　threw　me　in　a　dungeon　and　put　me　to　the　question；　employing　whips　and　other　toys。　Somehow　I　managed　to　resist　the　urge　to　make　a　spurious　confession　merely　to　stop　the　pain。　A　fellow　wizard　cast　a　mind…reading　spell；　only　to　slap　up　against　the　denotfenses　most　mages　erect　to　protect　their　thoughts。　I　imagine　an　illithid　would　have　smashed　right　through；　but　he　was　unequal　to　the　challenge。〃
〃Then　you　passed　the　test？〃　Syrzan　asked。
〃Alas；　no；〃　Pharaun　laughed。　〃The　examiners　deemed　the　results　innotconclusive　and　accordingly　asked　a　higher　power　to　make　the　determinanottion。　They　laid　me　on　an　obsidian　altar；　performed　a　dancing；　keening；　self…mutilating　ritual　together；　and　the　torture　chamber　faded　away。　You'd　think　I　would　have　been　glad　of　it；　wouldn't　you；　but　my　new　surroundings　were　no　less　ominous。〃
Pharaun's　captors　had　ignored　his　silver　ring；　obviously　thinking　it　mere　jewelry；　if　they　noticed　it　at　all。　As　soon　as　he'd　looked　at　Syrzan；　he'd　disnotcovered　its　magic　operated　even　within　the　confines　of　the　lich's　phantasnotmal　creation。　He　forced　an　idea　into　his　subconscious　and　continued　to　prattle。
〃The　priestesses　had　drugged　me　to　prevent　my　resisting　their　attennottions；　then　used　me　with　considerable　brutality。　It　took　me　a　while　just　to　lift　my　battered　head　and　look　around。　When　I　did；　I　perceived　that　I　lay　atop　an　enormous　object　with　the　shape　of　a　staffer　length　of　cord　made　of　a　substance　that　gave　ever　so　slightly　but　was　as　strong　as　adamantine　nonetheless。　Otherwise；　it　would　have　disintegrated　under　its　own　weight。　Far　ahead；　my　perch　fused　at　right　angles　with　another　such　object；　which　connected　with　still　others；　the　pattern　spreading　out　to　form；　I　suddenly　realized；　a　spiderweb　of　insane　plexity；　huge　enough　to　make　a　world。　If　it　was　attached　to　anything；　the　anchor　points　were　too　distant　for　me　to　see。　Perhaps　it　just　went　on　and　on　forever。〃
〃The　Demonweb；〃　Syrzan　said。
Pharaun　surreptitiously　examined　his　captor's　talismans；　using　the　magic　in　the　silver　ring；　trying　to　figure　out　which　one　would　allow　an　il…lithid　to　send　a　psionic　〃Call〃　to