hand,he reminded Quenthel.You must find out from Oothoon where the ship is - a task that will be easier than you think. Thesavaboard has already been set up for you. All of the pieces are already in place.
That brought Quenthel up short, and she asked,They are?
Yngoth's tongue flickered in and out in the serpents equivalent of a smile.
To learn where the ship of chaos is, Pharaun must meet with Oot-hoon a second time. If he thinks you have been consumed, he may lower his guard slightly. And that may be his downfall.
Quenthel frowned and sent,I don't understand.
Listen, and you will,Yngoth continued.You will tell Oothoon that Lolth is dead -
Oothoon won't believe me,Quenthel interrupted.I don't believe it myself.
Your ring will prevent the aboleth from hearing your thoughts or from detecting your lies,Hsiv reminded her.Then, once Oothoon has deemed you unworthy of eating, you will offer her Pharaun, instead. You will tell her that in return for her telling you where the ship of chaos lies, you will convince Pharaun that you have been eaten. Thus tricked, he will swim willingly into the jaws of death.
The aboleth will eat him!K'Sothra cried.
And you'll be rid of Pharaun at last,Zinda added.In a way that even Triel won't find fault with.
How will I convince Pharaun I'm dead?Quenthel asked.
You won't,Yngoth answered. Twisting to stare at the entrance to the cave, the viper fixed its eyes on Jeggred.He will. Take Jeggred with you - and tell him nothing of your plans. That way, his grief will be all the more convincing. Give him an order, and make sure he fixes it in his mind, that if you should be killed, he is not to take his revenge upon the aboleth. He instead must fight his way back to Pharaun and tell him what happened, so the others may carry word of your death back to Menzoberranzan. Tell Jeggred thathe must succeed in doing this - at all costs - or the life of his mistress will have been forfeited for nothing.
As if he'd somehow sensed that they were talking about him, Jeg-gred stirred and glanced back over his shoulder. His eyes narrowed, but he obeyed Quenthel's sharp gesture instantly, returning his at-tention to the tunnel.
Quenthel, meanwhile, was relieved to learn that there was a way out of her dilemma - one that would finally pay Pharaun back for his intolerable insubordination.
She stared at Yngoth expectantly and asked,How am I to avoid being eaten by the aboleth?
The viper bared its fangs in a menacing smile.
You still have your rod,Yngoth replied.
Quenthel nodded.
And that bottle of lace fungus wine you've been saving.
Yes,Quenthel answered.But how in the Abyss are those going to -
Listen,Yngoth said again.And I will explain. . . .
Quenthel listened avidly. By the time Yngoth was finished speak-ing, her lips were parted in a feral grin.
It might just work,she thought to the snake, sending a wave of excitement along with the thought. Then, on a grimmer note, she added,It must.
The other vipers, who had maintained a respectful silence as Yngoth outlined the plan, writhed in anticipation of seeing it carried out. Even Qorra, the serpent who almost never spoke, could hardly contain herself.
Oh!she said.This will be such fun!
Jeggred waited just outside the audienceroom in which Quen-thel was speaking with the aboleth matriarch, every muscle in his body tense. Quenthel was in there, atone, with two of them. She'd let one of the creatures - the one that wasn't Oothoon - move into a position behind her. Why had she allowed it to do that?
Jeggred didn't like the bloated fish-folk. They could not be trusted. Even with water filling his nostrils, he could smell the stink of deceit. He glanced, eyes narrowed, at a third aboleth, which had been ordered out into the corridor by its matriarch when Quenthel had told Jeggred to wait outside. Jeggred itched to rend its rubbery looking flesh, to see if its blood ran red. He could picture it ... the blood would fill the water in a cloud. What a heady feast that would be - to inhale blood with each breath!
One of the trailing tentacles of the aboleth guarding him drifted close to his shoulder. Jeggred lashed out, clawing a furrow in its flesh.
Its three eyes blinking, the aboleth let out a burbling cry and yanked the tentacle away. It did not attack.
Jeggred, his pulse pounding in his ears, prepared to hurl himself after it, to close for the kill. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he