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.The two homely male wizards, both in dark piwafwis, awaited them there.One of themthe one Yasraenapreviously had choked for smilinggreeted them with a bowed head and lowered eyes.He did not smile,instead eyeing Yasraena's tentacle rod with dread.The other male stood over the scrying basin, hisfurrowed brow covered in sweat, his hands held over the still water, palms downward.Without acknowledging the male, Yasraena pushed past her daughter and hurried to the edge of thewaist-high basin.Esvena followed in her wake.A wavering image showed itself in the waters.Gromph Baenre sat at a huge desk of bone, his gaze fixedintently on an unusual crystal set before him.Yasraena took the crystal to be a scrying device, though itshowed only a gray mist at the moment.Across from the archmage sat another wizard, a fat Master of Sorcere whose name Yasraena did notknow.From time to time, they exchanged words.They appeared frustrated and tired."This is very good," Yasraena said to the room."Very good, indeed."She knew that she still had time to locate the lichdrow's phylactery.The archmage remained at Sorcere.Perhaps his spell duel with the lichdrow had drained him so much that he would not make an attempt onthe House at all."The work was long, Matron Mother," said the male she had choked."The archmage's wards werepowerful.But we persisted.""You saved yourself a painful death," Yasraena said.After a pause, she added, "Well done."The male almost smiled, but one look at Yasraena's tentacle rod kept the corners of his mouth fromrising.The wizard went on, "Notice the gray mist present in the archmage's scrying crystal, Matron Mother.Ifthe archmage is attempting to scry House Agrach Dyrr through that crystal, as we suppose, the mistinessindicates that he has not yet breached our anti-scrying wards."She nodded.The lichdrow had well warded the fortress, better, apparently, than the archmage hadwarded his own chambers.Yasraena saw that the archmage and the Master of Sorcere were speaking intently.From their bodylanguage, Yasraena thought that Gromph too easily tolerated impudence in his inferiors."Why can we not hear what they are they saying?" she asked the room.Silence answered her.She looked up, and Esvena barked, "Answer the Matron Mother!"The male Yasraena had choked cleared his throat and said, "Matron Mother, the basin does not allowfor the transmission of sounds.I humbly apologize."Yasraena stared at the top of the male's head for a moment before turning back to the image.The visionwavered too much for lip readers to be of much use.She would have to rely on observation to keep herapprised of Gromph's plans.She eyed the sweating male wizard who leaned over the basin, maintaining the image.He would not beable to hold the image for much longer.She looked to Esvena."Rotate our mages so that this image is constant.It is imperative that we know what Gromph Baenre isdoing at all times."Esvena nodded.Yasraena was beginning to think that the temporary Xorlarrin withdrawal was part of some larger ploy bythe archwizard.Perhaps he would time his own assault with that of the Xorlarrin, hoping to sneak inunder cover of the battle.We've got you, Baenre, she thought, eyeing Gromph through the basin.With the Dyrr wizards' scryingeye on him, the archmage would not be able to surprise them.If he came, they would be ready.Yasraena took a deep, satisfied breath.She had asked the Spider Queen for an opportunity.She hadbeen given more time, and that was opportunity enough.Conscious of his companions' eyes upon him, Pharaun pulled a swatch of bat fur from his piwafwi,positioned his fingers in a circle, and spoke a couplet.An incorporeal, silvery orb took shape before him.With an exercise of his will, he saw through the ball asthough it were his own eyes.At his mental command, the ball sped back through the chwidencha tunnel,up the vertical shaft, and through the wall of stone that Pharaun had created to cap the tunnel.Through the eye, Pharaun saw the surface.It was night.And raining.Spider carcasses and limbs dotted the landscape.The chwidencha bodies theyhad left behind lay torn in pieces.Pharaun saw no movement, no spiders.He ceased concentration on theorb, leaving it where it was, and returned his vision to his own eyes.Quenthel stood near him, waiting.Danifae stood a few steps behind her, her expression veiled.Jeggredhulked over the battle-captive, staring at Pharaun with undisguised hunger."It is night, Mistress," Pharaun said to Quenthel."And raining lightly.The Teeming appears to haveabated."Quenthel nodded as though she had expected nothing less."Then we go," she said."Open the way."Pharaun nodded.A simple spell would suffice to move them.He visualized the surface and spoke a magical word that opened a dimensional portal between wherethey stood and the surface.A curtain of green energy formed in the air.Pharaun reached out a hand for Quenthel, and her whip serpents reared up with a hiss.Even the snakeswere more tense than usual.Pharaun's confrontation with Jeggred had thrown fuel on the fire of thepriestesses' war of nerve.Pharaun reminded himself not to get caught in the conflagration when itinevitably blew."I must touch you if you are to use the portal," he said to Quenthel [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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