Tangled webs - Elaine Cunningham [28]
"it's not just a question ofwho's willing, lass," Hrolf commented. "Think on this: what's to keep them from holding our man and going for an even trade or even refusing to trade at all? Don't get me wrong-your magic's a fine way to kidnap a man. It will put the other captain off guard, at least for a moment or two. But it's not enough."
"What, then?" Liriel demanded.
Hrolf smiled slyly. "The Ffolk of the Moonshaes are a hearty people, not easy to spook. Picture their captain finding himself face-to-face with a stranger who appeared all of a sudden on his ship. Who among us is most likely to strike head-numbing fear into the poor sod?"
All eyes turned to Liriel.
A slow, wicked smile spread across the drow's face, and she nodded her acceptance. Her eyes sparkled as she began to improvise the details of the plot. Soon the pirates were chuckling with delight. None argued or even frowned as she passed out their assignments with the absolute assurance of a battle chieftain.
Of all the men aboard, only two were not caught up in the excitement: ibn, who puffed stolidly away at his pipe, and Fyodor, who tried without success to hide his disappointment as he watched the shining, animated face of the plotting drow.
Liriel cast the spell at dusk. Although she was slowly becoming accustomed to the punishing glare of the sun an.d sea twilight was a time ofmystery, a time of natural magic thai the drow recognized and intended to exploit. Sea and sky melded into one darkness, but the shadows resisted banishment. As they faded with the failing light, they seemed to leave an unseen presence behind. In the cusp between day and night, between shadow and dreams, anything seemed possible. This was important, for Liriel's spell depended upon her victims' capacity for awe as surely as it did her dark-elven wizardry. Fo~ ~uch an enchantment no time was more potent than twilight.
The Moonshae vessel was also ideally suited for Liriel's purposes. She realized this the moment the teleportation spell set her down upon its deck. She prowled silently about, her piwafwi cloaking her in invisibility as she studied the ship, observed the line of command. She even explored the cabins, the better to know her prey. One small chamber was littered with bits and pieces so odd they could only be spell components. Liriel quickly searched t~ cabin and, to her delight, found a small book filled With unfamiliar spells based upon sea magic. She pocketed the treasure and resumed her search.
The merchant ship was small but of a modern design, with a sturdy aft castle built as an original part of the ship rather than as a temporary, add-on platform. It had a sternpost rudder, steered with a tiller. The man at the tiller had to be told what to do, because he was under the after castle and couldn't see where the ship was headed. At the moment these orders came from the captain, who was perched in the crow's nest atop the ship's single mast. Ratlines-evenly spaced light ropes that formed ladders-ran up to the crow's nest from either side of the ship.. Silent and invisible, the drow scrambled up the lines and climbed into the crow's nest beside the captain. He was leaning over the edge, frowning as he listened to the agitated report of two of his men.
"What do you mean, Drustan is gone?" he called. "Gone where?"
"We have him," Liriel said, flipping open her sheltering piwafwi.
The captain straightened abruptly and whirled toward the sound of her voice. His face bleached in terror at the sight of a dark elf, close enough to touch.
"He is with my people," the drow continued and was rewarded by the look of horror that came into the captain's eyes. Clearly, he thought his man had somehow been whisked away to the fell, underground realm of the dark elves. All the better, Liriel thought smugly. She cocked an eyebrow. "We might be persuaded to return him."
The man tried to speak. No sound emerged. He licked his lips nervously and