Rise of the Blade - Charles Moffat [76]
"An arrangement? But-"
"But you didn't know about it? Yes, Pierce, I've perfected my Mind Shield spell so you can only get parts I let you have. For years now Valeska and I have made deals with each other. I make her speciality spells and in return she does special errands for me. Then there is the matter of her goal to overthrow Lloth. She doesn't need Harpers getting in her way when she already has a hard goal like overthrowing a goddess in front of her."
"But-"
"Let me continue! You and I both know the Harpers can never defeat the drow in Undermountain. So what does the city do? They try and work out trade deals with the drow, hoping to appeal to their greedy side in order to ensure the safety of Waterdeep itself. What do the drow do? They send an ambassador which Valeska promptly kills. She, and I for that matter, don't care how many drow die in the process so long as our people are finally freed from Lloth lies. Its time our people weren't brainwashed from birth."
Pierce frowned and stared at Draque, knowing there was something else. "What else are you not telling me?"
Draque puffed on his cigar and glanced at Pierce sternly. "When Valeska goes back to the Underdark to take Lloth down, I'm going with her. I'm going to die eventually anyway so I might as well serve my people."
Pierce looked back to the drow bard. From so far away it was hard to get inside her mind, especially with the confusion of the many minds all around him. As soon as he caught hold of her thoughts, he grabbed hold and held on tight with his mind. It was like trying to grab a swaying rope that was just out of reach and finally catching it.
Closing his eyes, the Doctor locked onto Valeska's thoughts. She was primarily concerned with the intricate details of her violin playing but underneath that was the subconscious ideas whirling about. She was afraid. Deathly afraid and it wasn't of heights because she knew she could levitate to safety. For a moment the warrior was struck by a sense of total vulnerability and had to remind himself who he was and where he was. She was out in the open. Shieldless and vulnerable to attack. After a hundred years of evading her people and humans on the surface she had become paranoid about being in open places. The clustered alleys of Waterdeep and caves below it in Undermountain were more suited to her and even there she was always fighting to keep alive. He saw images of cozy booths in taverns as havens and tables in the middle of taprooms as a place of vulnerability.
Pierce had never thought of taverns in such a way. He had always sat at the bar or at most at a table near the door so he could leave quickly if necessary but that was it. After twenty years of adventuring one could easily forget all the different taverns and inns he had stayed in but Valeska hadn't. Each one was different and a clear facet of her mind.
The crossbow, he realized quickly was another facet of her. It was a long range weapon with enormous force that could punch through the hardest of armours. She preferred it over any other weapon because it could keep her hidden and safe away from trouble. The twin hand crossbows at her belt were made for speed and enchanted to be incredibly quick and self loading. She could shoot them at least eight times before an opponent even got near her and by that time the mix of poison would have taken effect.
The drow bard used sleep poison like all drow, but she also tipped them with various other poisons that could cause death or simply slow their heart down until only a trained person could tell that the victim was still alive. She had kept some of the drow who pursued her alive and then-
Draque nudged Pierce and broke the warrior's concentration. The mage held him upright with one arm and nodded upwards.
The Doctor looked up at Valeska and saw that she was near the finale. When she finished it was a long note which she cut off suddenly like the music had simply