• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Kвras said nothing.

"They lie. I was here. I. saw what happened. Vhaeraun leaped through the gate to attack Eilistraee."

"Suppose you're right. What does it matter? He was still slain."

Valdar shook his head. "Tell me this. Have you attempted an augury these past four months?"

Kвras gave a terse nod.

"Was it answered?"

Kвras spoke guardedly. "Yes."

"Did the one who answered wear a mask?"

"Of course. A trophy of her victory."

"And the face-what you could see of it? Female or male?"

"Neither. And both. Just like the voice. But the priestesses have an answer for that, too. It is part of the balance. Vhaeraun allowed himself to be killed so the two deities could merge."

Valdar raised an eyebrow. "And you believe that?"

"Not… entirely."

"Look closely, next time you attempt an augury. Look into the eyes of this 'Eilistraee.' See if they are entirely moonstone blue-or if they contain a flash of some other color."

Kвras lowered his dagger slightly. "You've seen this?"

"Yes."

Kвras thought about that. He shook his head. "That proves nothing. Eilistraee took on aspects of Vhaeraun when she killed him."

"Did she? Or did Vhaeraun take on aspects of Eilistraee?"

Kвras waved his dagger. "We're arguing in circles. And none of it matters. It's Eilistraee's priestesses who are in charge now, not us."

"Are they? Or is it Vhaeraun who's the true power behind the throne?" Valdar held his free hand across his mouth. "What better mask to hide behind, than the illusion of defeat?" He lowered his hand again. "I've thought long on this-asked myself the very questions you're asking now. Then I realized that feigning his own death and giving the priestesses the illusion of control was all part of the Masked Lord's plan. Just as we infiltrate the settlements of the Night Above in the guise of surface elves, Vhaeraun has infiltrated Eilistraee's realm. Our clerics are within her shrines, constantly testing the limits of her priestess's control with scores of tiny acts of defiance. Soon, we'll be inside the Promenade itself. When the time comes, Vhaeraun will throw off his disguise, and those who have maintained his faith will take her strongholds from within."

It sounded good-too good. Kвras couldn't allow himself to be seduced by it. "And what if you're wrong?" he countered. "What if it's Eilistraee's priestesses who are eroding our faith from within?" He gave a bitter laugh. "We're already nine-tenths defeated. Better to claim what power you can within the new order than to cling to false hope."

"It is not a false hope!" Valdar snapped, his pink eyes blazing. "Nobody saw Vhaeraun die. Not even me-and I was here, staring through the gate as it opened. Think about it. Vhaeraun has tricked Eilistraee's faithful into joining our fight. He's using her shrines as a stepping stone. A staging ground for the eventual overthrow of Lolth and her matriarchies. Then the natural order will be restored. We Nightshadows will return to the Underdark, and males will rule." He paused to catch his breath. "Vhaeraun's plan is a brilliant one, in every detail. What more perfect treachery can there be than to feign one's own death and infiltrate the very body of one's enemy? It's the perfect disguise."

Kвras had been listening intently. But the time for talking was almost at an end. In another moment, he'd finish it-kill his target, and probably take a fatal wound himself. If he survived, he might very well wind up trapped in this cavern, eventually dying of starvation. He was resigned to that. But before he pressed home his attack, there was one last question he had to ask.

"It all sounds plausible," he said. "But what proof can you offer that it's true?"

Valdar's eyes gleamed. "The order to kill me came from a priestess. And that priestess-whoever she is-takes her orders from her deity. Do you honestly believe Eilistraee would condone an assassination of one of her own? Or does that strike you as being more like an order that Vhaeraun would give?"

"Why would he order you killed? If,