Tangled webs - Elaine Cunningham [30]
While the sailor gaped like a beached carp at his ship, Liriel cloaked herself with invisibility and slipped quietly into the sea. Her limbs felt heavy in the frigid water, and the heavy folds of her piwafwi dragged her down. Although she was a strong swimmer, it was a struggle for her to cover the short distance back to the pirate ship.
Several pairs of eager hands were outstretched to haul her aboard. Liriel barely registered the sailors' assistance, the feel of the deck beneath her feet, or the sight of it hurtling up to meet her.
Fyodor caught the drow as she fell and carried her down to Hrolf's cabin. He turned away while she listlessly stripped off her wet things, kept his eyes averted until the squeak of the cot's roping announced that she'd crawled under the covers.
"All went well," she told him in a drowsy voice, "but i have a feeling itl1 be a while before that captain stops looking over his shoulder. He'll be seeing dark elves in every shadow for many days to come."
"You need rest," Fyodor said quietly. "i will leave you now."
There was something in his tone that cut through Liriel's haze of exhaustion. She hauled herself into a sitting position and studied her friend. As she'd suspected, he did not approve of this night's work. His eyes did not condemn her, but they held sadness, resignation. This stung the drow more than she liked to admit.
"i have tasted Moonshae mead before," Liriel said abruptly, "and i know its price." She leaned over the edge of the cot and fumbled through the discarded belongings on the floor until she found a small bag. She tossed it at Fyodor. It fell short of his reflexive grab and landed, with the unmistakable chink of many coins, at his feet.
"That is what the mead would have cost in the bazaars of Menzoberranzan. The captain will find an identical bag in his cabin. The ship's wizard has also been compensated. Trust me, you don't want to know the market cost of that spellbook," she grumbled. "The point being, none of those men suffered loss from this little game. In fact, they made an enormous profit, considering they were spared the cost and trouble of carting their wares into the Underdark!" For a long moment, Fyodor stared at the unpredictable drow. "But why, little raven? Why go to such trouble if you intended only to buy the mead?"
Her smile was pure mischief, but he did not miss the flash of uncertainty in her amber eyes. "Do you think Hrolf and his boys would have been satisfied with a simple business transaction? They had their minds set on piracy! This way, Hrolf got to play out his bluff, the Moonshae merchants have their money, and everyone involved comes away with a good story to tell. No one is the worse for it." Fyodor was floored by this revelation-for never had he seen anyone go through such lengths to hide an honorable intent-and he was deeply touched by Liriel's ill-concealed desire to please him. He closed the distance between them and took one of her hands in both his own. Her fingers were still icy cold; he began to chafe them gently as he considered his next words. There was much he wanted to say, but he was not sure any of it would make sense to the drow. Despite her convoluted mind and her delight in plots and intrigues, she had little understanding of the heart's complexities.
The silence between them was long. Liriel cocked her head and peered up at him in mock astonishment. "You are thinking," she accused him teasingly. " 'There are those who think, and those who dream,' " she said, quoting his own words back to him. "You're not changing sides, are you?"
His answering smile was rueful. "No. Just dreaming, as usual."