Tangled webs - Elaine Cunningham [115]
The drow repeated her request for directions a dozen times before she found someone who would tell her where Olvir's cottage lay. Some of the villagers snubbed her outright, others were too awed by the very sight of the drow to pay heed to her words, and still others showed keen suspicion about her purpose in seeking out the man. Liriel had no doubt Olvir would be amply forewarned of her coming. Indeed, the seagoing skald met her outside the cottage, while his wife and children looked on curiously from behind the half-shuttered windows. He listened politely enough, but he merely shook his head when she asked him to accompany her to speak with the First Axe.
"This is one keg you don't want to tap," he said bluntly. "Ruathym and Luskan have a treaty-the Captains' Alliance, some call it. The last war with Luskan near to grounded us, so many ships were lost, and we're in no shape to take on another battle. Aumark Lithyl is a warrior, but he knows this to be true."
"He may have no choice but to fight," Liriel pointed out. "So you say. But even if this ring is what you believe it to be, did you see it on the hand of the warship's commander? When the hand was attached? Well then, seems like all you got is a sea-elf's word. That won't hold much water around these parts-iess now than usual, what with all the good ale those pointy-eared, magic-casting bastards poured into the sea!"
Nor would they listen to a dark-elven female. Olvir was kind enough not to speak the words aloud, but Liriel heard them nonetheless.
Frustrated beyond words, she made her way back to the Green Room to search for more pieces to the puzzle. Perhaps if she could present a more detailed and reasoned whole, the stubborn males who ruled this place would give her a hearing.
One very important part of the puzzle was the myriad of strange creatures she had encountered. Liriel brought to mind the image of the hideous fish-man, and she set to work finding all the information she could about such creatures. Even if Sittl was all Xzorsh thought him to be, the long-haired sea elf was in this to the tips ofhis green ears. Someone considered him important enough to have him abducted and brought to the shores ofRuathym. If, indeed, he'd been "abducted" at all.
it didn't take Liriel long to find a familiar-sounding description, for creatures known as sahuagin were apparently frequent scourges of the northern waters. She wondered why Xzorsh had not mentioned this. He must have recognized the creature she was describing. Puzzled, she continued to read, burning candle after candle. The night was nearing the dark hour of Narbondel-midnight, the humans called it-before she thought she understood what prompted the stiff angry expression on the sea ranger's face when she'd spoken of the creature she'd glimpsed beneath his friend's handsome facade.
Some sages believed the evil sahuagin frequently gave birth to mutated young, babies that resembled sea elves in all things but a rapacious nature. It was supposed that most of these children were slain at birth. Liriel nodded as she read this; the drow killed all babies born with the slightest defect, and they would certainly destroy any child who was identical in form to a racial enemy; But some of these mutated sea children were spared, raised as sahuagin but with the knowledge that they would in time live among the sea elves. As spies and assassins, these sahuagin, known as "malenti," could do untold damage to the sea-elven enemy.
Liriel could well imagine why Xzorsh had rejected her suggestion so vehemently; Sahuagin and sea elves were mortal enemies. How could he believe this ofhis friend