Tangled webs - Elaine Cunningham [41]
The first mate, however, concerned himself with practical matters. Ibn examined their haul, placing the valuable goods to one side and tossing the debris into the sea. He was about to send the broken lid of one cask spinning, but stopped suddenly and squinted at the markings on it. The mate pursed his lips, considered, and then examined the remaining barrels. He hurried over to Hrolf, who had spent the night at watch on the forecastle. The elven female was at his side, as she was too often for ibn's taste, but the sailor had no time to indulge his prejudices.
"You must see this, Captain," ibn said with uncharacteristic urgency and handed the lid to Hrolf. "That's the mark of Alesbane the cooper. The barrel is of Ruathym make. All the barrels holding sea elves had this mark." Hrolfscowled and shrugged. "What of it?"
"Strange, it is," ibn said. "What those seal hunters could want with Sea People is more than i know or care. I just hope no more pickled elves show up, and the blame for it put on Ruathym."
Liriel saw the point at once. Although she knew little of human politics, she could scent a plot in any form. "He's right, Hrolf: We should get those wounded men back and find out what they know."
The first mate did not look grateful for her support. His red brows met in a frown, and he leveled a glare at the drow. "You're to blame for this mess," he growled.
"What had i to do with it?" she said indignantly. "The sea elves were long dead before we found them."
"That's the way of ill luck. You never see it coming, but it finds you all the same!"
"Enough, lad," Hrolf said wearily. "Best that you fmd the men we set adrift and try to sort this thing through." Liriel nodded. "i'm going below-the midday sun is still too bright for comfort-but call me when you fmd the seal hunters. I can get more information from them than theyd willingly give."
ibn folded his arms and glared at her. "You won't torture a wounded man while i'm mate of this ship!"
"Spare me the sermon," she said dryly, "and do try to remember that magic gives options quite beyond those allowed by your crude imagination."
The drow swept past the mate, regal as a Matron. But she felt his baleful glare upon her as she made her way into the hold, and she wondered what he might do if he knew what she was about to attempt.
For Liriel had found unexpected inspiration in her own words. She did have the ability to extract information from the minds of the wounded seal hunters. Not from her wizardly magic, but with clerical spells. Priestesses of Lloth could cast their sticky webs into the thoughts of anothereven if that person had passed beyond the mortal realms. Why bother questioning the seal hunters, Liriel surmised, if she could speak directly to the spirits of the dead sea elves? Of course, this was risky in the extreme. A powerful priestess could summon and command a spirit, but Liriel was a novice and had never tried the prayers and spells that would reach beyond death. She had no reason to believe Lloth would honor her request; indeed, her presumption might anger the Spider Queen. The spirits of sea elves would not be in the realms of Lloth, and Liriel doubted the drow goddess was on cordial terms with whatever elven deity sea elves worshiped.
After pondering the matter, Liriel decided that her best bet for success-not to mention survival-would not be to ask Lloth to summon the spirits, but rather to seek permission to enter the afterworld herself: it was a prospect that both chilled and fascinated the adventurous young drow.
Liriel crept into the corner of the hold where the dead elves lay, respectfully covered with a tarp. She knelt down and began to search the bodies, trying to find some clue that would tell her how they had