"David Eddings - The Legacy Of The Drow II - Starless Night" - читать интересную книгу автора (Eddings David)

important meeting had become a useless bantering session. Triel seemed equally perturbed. She came
forward in her chair suddenly, her expression fierce. тАЬShe desires a legacy!тАЭ the female
declared. JarlaxleтАЩs bracelets tinkled as he tapped his fingers together, thinking that now they were finally
getting somewhere. тАЬThe rulership of Menzoberranzan is no longer sufficient for the likes of Matron Baenre,
тАЭ Triel continued, more calmly, and she moved back in her seat. тАЬShe must expand her sphere.тАЭ
тАЬI had thought your motherтАЩs visions Lloth given, тАЭ Jarlaxle remarked, and he was sincerely confused by
TrielтАЩs obvious disdain.
тАЬPerhaps, тАЭ Triel admitted. тАЬThe Spider Queen will welcome the conquest of Mithril Hall, particularly if it, in
turn, leads to the capture of that renegade DoтАЩUrden. But there are other considerations.тАЭ
тАЬBlingdenstone?тАЭ Jarlaxle asked, referring to the city of the svirfnebli, the deep gnomes, traditional enemies
of the drow.
тАЬThat is one, тАЭ Triel replied. тАЬBlingdenstone is not far off the path to the tunnels connecting Mithril Hall.тАЭ
тАЬYour mother has mentioned that the svirfnebli might be dealt with properly on the return trip, тАЭ Jarlaxle
offered, figuring that he had to throw some tidbit out if he wanted Triel to continue so
openly with him. It seemed to the mercenary that Triel must be deeply upset to be permitting him such an
honest view of her most private emotions and fears. Triel nodded, accepting the news stoically and without
surprise.
тАЬThere are other considerations, тАЭ she repeated. тАЬThe task Matron
Baenre is undertaking is enormous and will require allies along the way, perhaps even illithid allies.тАЭ
The Baenre daughterтАЩs reasoning struck Jarlaxle as sound. Matron Baenre had long kept an illithid consort,
an ugly and dangerous beast if Jarlaxle had ever seen one. He was never comfortable around the octopus
headed humanoids. Jarlaxle survived by under standing and outguessing his enemies, but his skills were
sorely lacking where illithids were concerned. The mind flayers, as members of the evil race were called,
simply didnтАЩt think the same way
as other races and acted in accord with principles and rules that no one other than an illithid seemed to
know.
Still, the dark elves had often dealt successfully with the illithid community. Menzoberranzan housed twenty
thousand skilled warriors, while the illithids in the region numbered barely a hundred. TrielтАЩs fears seemed a
bit overblown. Jarlaxle didnтАЩt tell her that, though. Given her dark and volatile mood, the mercenary preferred
to do more listening than speaking. Triel continued to shake her head, her expression typically sour. She
leaped up from the chair, her black and purple, spider adorned robes swishing as she paced a tight circle.
тАЬIt will not be House Baenre alone, тАЭ Jarlaxle reminded her, hoping to comfort Triel. тАЬMany houses show
lights in their windows.тАЭ
тАЬMother has done well in bringing the city together, тАЭ Triel admitted, and the pace of her nervous stroll
slowed.
тАЬBut still you fear, тАЭ the mercenary reasoned. тАЬAnd you need information so that you might be ready for any
consequence.тАЭ Jarlaxle couldnтАЩt help a small, ironic chuckle. He and Triel had been enemies for a long time,
neither trusting the other, and with good reason! Now she needed him. She was a priestess in a secluded
school, away from much of the cityтАЩs whispered rumors. Normally her prayers to the Spider Queen would
have provided her all the information she needed, but now, if Lloth sanctioned Matron BaenreтАЩs actions (and
that fact seemed obvious), Triel would be left, literally, in the dark. She needed a spy, and in
Menzoberranzan, Jarlaxle and his spying network, Bregan DтАЩaerthe, had no equal.
тАЬWe need each other, тАЭ Triel pointedly replied, turning to eye the mercenary squarely. тАЬMother treads on
dangerous ground, that much is obvious. If she falters, consider who will assume the seat of
the ruling house.тАЭ
True enough, Jarlaxle silently conceded. Triel, as the eldest daughter of the house, was indisputably next in
line behind Matron Baenre and, as the matron mistress of Arach Tinilith, held the most powerful position in
the city behind the matron mothers of the eight ruling houses. Triel already had established an impressive
base of power. But in Menzoberranzan, where pretense of law was no more than a facade against an
underlying chaos, power bases tended to shift as readily as lava pools.