clawed hands tucked from sight. Jar laxle wished that the ugly creature would wear a mask and hood as well. Its bulbous, purplish head, sporting four tentacles where its mouth should have been, and milky white pupilless eyes, was among the most repulsive things Jarlaxle had ever seen. Normally, if gains could be made, the mercenary would have looked past a being's appearance, but Jarlaxle preferred to have little contact with the ugly, mysterious, and ultimately deadly illithids.
Most drow held similar feelings toward illithids, and it momen tarily struck Jarlaxle as odd that Matron Baenre would have El Vid denvelp so obviously positioned. When he scrutinized the female drow facing Matron Baenre, though, the mercenary understood.
She was scrawny and small, shorter than even Triel and appearing much weaker. Her black robes were unremarkable, and she wore no other visible equipment certainly not the attire befitting a matron mother. But this drow, K'yorl Odran, was indeed a matron mother, leader of Oblodra, the third house of Menzoberranzan.
K'yorl? Jarlaxle's fingers motioned to Dantrag, the mercenary's facial expression incredulous. K'yorl was among the most despised of Menzoberranzan's rulers. Personally, Matron Baenre hated K'yorl, and had many times openly expressed her belief that Men zoberranzan would be better off without the troublesome Odran. The only thing that had stopped House Baenre from obliterating Oblodra was the fact that the females of the third house possessed mysterious powers of the mind. If anyone could understand the motivations and private thoughts of mysterious and dangerous K'yorl, it would be the illithid, El Viddenvelp.
Three hundred, K'yorl was saying.
Matron Baenre slumped back in her chair, a sour expression on her face. A pittance, she replied.
Half of my slave force, K'yorl responded, flashing her cus tomary grin, a well known signal that not so sly K'yorl was lying.
Matron Baenre cackled, then stopped abruptly. She came for ward in her seat, her slender hands resting atop the fabulous dia monds, and her scowl unrelenting. Her ruby red eyes narrowed to slits. She uttered something under her breath and removed one of her hands from atop the diamond. The magnificent gem flared to inner life and loosed a concentrated beam of purple light, striking K'yorl's attendant, an unremarkable male, and engulfing him in a series of cascading, crackling arcs of purple glowing energy. He cried out, threw his hands up in the air, and fought back against the consuming waves.
Matron Baenre, lifted her other hand and a second beam joined the first. Now the male drow seemed like no more than a purple sil houette.
Jarlaxle watched closely as K'yorl closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. Her eyes came back open almost immediately, and she stared with disbelief at El Viddenvelp. The mercenary was worldly enough to realize that, in that split second, a battle of wills had just occurred, and he was not surprised that the mind flayer had appar ently won out.
The unfortunate Oblodran male was no more than a shadow by then, and a moment later, he wasn't even that. He was simply no more.
K'yorl Odran scowled fiercely, seemed on the verge of an explo sion, but Matron Baenre, as deadly as any drow alive, did not back down.
Unexpectedly, K'yorl grinned widely again and announced lightheartedly, He was just a male.
K'yorl! Baenre snarled. This duty is sanctified by Lloth, and you shall cooperate!
Threats? spoke K'yorl.
Matron Baenre rose from her throne and walked right in front of the unflinching K'yorl. She raised her left hand to the Oblodran female's cheek, and calm K'yorl couldn't help but wince. On that hand Matron Baenre wore a huge golden ring, its four uncompleted bands shifting as though they were the eight legs of a living spider. Its huge blue black sapphire shimmered. That ring, K'yorl knew, contained a living velsharess orbb, a queen spider, a far more deadly cousin of the surface world's black widow.
You must understand the importance, Matron Baenre cooed.
To Jarlaxle's amazement (and he noted that Dantrag's hand immediately went to his sword hilt, as though the weapon master would leap out of the extradimensional spying pocket and slay the impudent Oblodran), K'yorl slapped Matron Baenre's hand away.
Barrison Del'Armgo has agreed, Matron Baenre said calmly, shifting her hand upright to keep her dangerous daughter and illithid advisor from taking any action.
K'yorl grinned, an obvious bluff, for the matron mother of the third house could not be thrilled to hear that the first two houses had allied