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By Root 1544 0

the deck and then swept up, kicking and cursing, into a merrow's arms. The creature easily slung the thrashing elf over its shoulder. It dropped into a half-crouch, then sprang up over the rail and into the sea. They plunged deep into the icy water. Above her Liriel heard two more splashes, and then no more. The pirates were no doubt dealing with the merrow remaining on board. This gave her a certain amount of grim satisfaction, but did nothing to improve her situation. Not that she faulted the humans-the attack had taken no more than a few seconds. The sea ogres were incredibly fast fighters. They were even faster in water. Hrolf's men tossed out nets in a desperate attempt to ensnare and retrieve the merrow and their captive, but the merrow were beyond reach almost as soon as they hit the water.

Suddenly her captor thrust her away. Liriel wriggled beyond its reach and swam frantically toward the surface, her lungs burning for air.

But the sea ogres were not through with her. Two of the creatures flanked her and seized her wrists. They pulled her taut between them so she could not reach any of her weapons or even get in a decent kick. The third merrow produced a small silver ring and jammed it onto the middle finger ofher hand. Then, grinning horribly, it punched her in the stomach.

The drow doubled over, expelling the last ofher precious air with an audible oo/! and a rush of bubbles. Water flowed into her lungs to fill the void. To her astonishment, she found that she could breathe it!

So this was how the merrow intended to kidnap her, she realized. From some unknown and powerful source, they had acquired a ring of water-breathing. She had heard of such trinkets. The trio encircled her, indicated with grunts and gestures that she was to accompany them.

Now that the immediate threat of death was past, Liriel's mind began to race over possible ways to escape. She would have to outthink them; she could not overcome three creatures of such size and power in battle.

Then, suddenly, something exploded, with a cracking of ribs and a spray of blood, from her captor's chest. Liriel recognized one of her own throwing spiders. She seized the weapon-ignoring the clinging bits of flesh and sinewand whirled upon the nearest sea ogre.

But the creature was fast and in its native element; the drow's movements were slowed by the unfamiliar heaviness of the water. The merrow seized Liriel's wrist. The drow slapped downward with her hand, but the spider did no more than touch the ogre's scaly forearm.

Then Xzorsh swam into view, his spear held ready. With a quick thrust, he struck the spider and drove its barbed legs deep. The enchantment triggered, and the spider began to burrow its way through the sea ogre's flesh. Immediately the merrow let out a gurgling yelp and dropped its hold on Liriel. Bracing its wounded arm against its hip, the ogre seized the spider's metal body and frantically tried to pull it free. If the merrow had had the time and wit to consider the matter, it might have realized the folly of this strategy. Whereas the spider might have eaten through the arm and been content, it now continued on its path and dug its way deep into the creature's groin. It was odd, Liriel thought as the merrow's howls echoed through the water, that she'd always thought ofthe sea as a silent place.

She left the merrow to its fate and swam toward the two fighters that grappled in unequal combat. Pulling her short sword, she prepared to even the score against the sole surviving merrow. To her way of thinking, two elves just about made up one of the sea ogres.

But Xzorsh seemed to have the battle well in hand. His new knife flashed and wove in a compelling-if entirely unfamiliar-pattern as he nimbly dodged the merrow's lunging bites and the swiping blows of its taloned hands. As Liriel watched, she began to make sense of the battle. The sea elf shadowed many of the larger creature's movements, using the currents and eddies caused by the merrow's attacks to speed his own knife. It was a complicated and multilayered school of swordplay,