in Hlondeth, which was topped by a spouting serpent, this church was devoid of any representation of its deity. Instead, its tower was capped by a curved object, also of brightly polished silver, that Arvin guessed must be the horn that had just sounded.
The midday genuflection was brief; moments later the dock workers were back at their tasks. Aboard the ship, two sailors brought out a gangplank. ran it over the side, and lashed it to the rail. Arvin moved toward it, then remembered the other passenger. He stepped back, eyes lowered, as the yuan-ti slowly made his way to the gangplank. The yuan-ti gave a smug hiss as he passed Arvin and slithered down the gangplank to the pier.
Arvin watched, amused, as the weedy-looking boy-pretending to be one of the cluster of touts for the inns and tavel as-crowded around the bottom of the gangplank with the other boys. The gangplank suddenly tipped-one of the dock workers must have bumped it-and the yuan-ti stumbled. The boy jumped forward to steady him. As he caught the yuan-ti, his left hand darted into a pocket inside the yuan-ti's cloak. The yuan-ti bared his fangs in an irritated hiss, and the boy backed away, bowing and making a sweeping gesture with his right hand in order to draw onlookers' eyes away from the object he'd palmed with his left.
The yuan-ti wasn't fooled. His slit eyes narrowed, and he touched his pocket with slender fingers. 'Thief!' he hissed.
Arvin, descending the gangplank, was surprised by the speed of the yuan-ti's reaction, given the fellow's earlier sluggishness. The yuan-ti lunged forward, grabbing for the boy's wrist.
The boy was faster. The yuan-ti's hand caught his shirt cuff, but he wrenched his arm free and danced back out of the way. His hands-now empty-were spread wide. 'He's crazy!' he protested. 'All I did was help when he stumbled.'
The doxy moved into position at the base of the flight of steps. Arvin knew what would happen next. The rogue would turn and flee-only to run headlong into her. During this 'accidental collision' whatever he'd just stolen would be exchanged. Eventually he would be caught, and searched, but by this time the doxy would be well on her way down the pier and out of sight, passing the object off to the next rogue.
The yuan-ti, however, wasn't playing along. Instead of calling out for the militia-or whoever patrolled this city-he used magic. No words were spoken, no gestures used. but suddenly the young rogue's face blanched and his hands started to tremble. Arvin knew just how he felt, having been the target of a yuan-ti's magical fear himself.
'You've… made a mistake, sir,' he gasped.
The yuan-ti raised a hand and flicked his fingers. Acidic sweat sprayed from his fingertips, striking the boy in the face. The young rogue howled and clawed at his eyes.
'Give it back,' the yuan-ti demanded.
The boy turned and ran-blindly, crashing into the dock workers and shoving them out of the way. As he neared the base of the steps, the doxy opened her mouth as if to call out to him then thought better of it and turned away. The rogue waved his arms around, feeling blindly for her then staggered up the steps.
The yuan-ti turned to the officer on board the ship. 'Use your wand,' he hissed. 'Stop him.'
The officer shook his head… slowly.
Nearly spitting with anger, the first yuan-ti slithered after the blinded rogue. The stairs slowed him down somewhat-he slithered back and forth along them, humping his serpent's body up them one by one-but the boy's progress was even slower. He ran headlong into a pair of dock workers who were carrying a heavy sack between them and careened backward down the stairs. As he scrambled to his feet again, the yuan-ti lashed out, trying to bite him, and just missed. The yuan-ti's fangs caught the boy's collar, tearing it, and the boy shrieked. 'He's trying to kill me! Stop him, somebody!'
Arvin strode down the gangplank and onto the pier.
He caught the doxy's eye, made his left hand into a fist, placed it on his open right palm, and jerked his hands upward. Help him.
The doxy's eyes widened as she saw Arvin using silent speech. For a heartbeat, she hesitated. Then, as the young rogue on the steps screamed a second time, she shook her head and hurried away.
Arvin was furious. The doxy could easily have saved the boy by 'accidentally' colliding with the yuan-ti. She still had eyes to see with, and could have run away, but she'd abandoned him instead. Muttering to himself-and wondering what in the Abyss he was thinking, getting involved in the local guild's business-Arvin ascended the steps. He slipped his gloved hand inside the back of his shirt and grasped the dagger that was sheathed there. With a whisper, he vanished the weapon into his glove; it would make a persuasive backup if his psionics failed. He readied himself to manifest a charm and felt the familiar prickle of energy coiling at the base of his scalp, waiting to be unleashed. But as he reached the top of the steps, he paused. Maybe just maybe-this dispute would resolve itself.
The young rogue had backed up against the dais that held the statue of the gauntlet. He threw down whatever it was he'd stolen; Arvin heard a metallic clatter as the object hit the cobblestones. 'Take it!' the boy screamed. 'Take it. and let me be! You've blinded me-what more do you want?'
The yuan-ti slithered over to the object-a small silver jewelry case-and picked it up. He slipped the case back inside his pocket and smiled at the boy, baring his fangs. His long forked tongue flicked in and out of his mouth, tasting the young rogue's fear. 'Your death,' the yuan-ti answered belatedly. Then he slithered forward.
None of the people in the small plaza that surrounded the statue came to the aid of the blinded
boy-thieves must have been as despised in this city as they were in Hlondeth. And yuan-ti must have been just as greatly feared. The humans had parted to let the angry yuan-ti pass, though Arvin noted they weren't lowering their gazes. Instead they stared at the yuan-ti, faint smiles quirking their lips, as if expecting something to happen.
They didn't have long to wait. The young rogue, hearing the rustle of the yuan-ti's tunic and cloak against the ground, spun in place then leaped. His jump carried him up onto the ankle-high dais, where he crashed into the gauntlet. He clung to it like a drowning man clutching a log as the yuan-ti reared above him, savoring his terror. A drop of venom fell from his fangs onto the boy's hair. Amazingly, though the young rogue flinched, he did not move.
Arvin manifested his charm.
The yuan-ti cocked his head, as if listening to a distant sound, then shook it.
'Mager yuan-ti!' Arvin called in as obsequious a tone as he could manage, sorry that he hadn't bothered to ask the yuan-ti his name during their day-and-aha if-long voyage across the Reach. 'You're needed back at the ship. The crew aren't certain which trunks are yours. Don't waste your time on this boy. You got your jewelry case back. All's well now, friend.'
The yuan-ti stared at Arvin for several heartbeats while flakes of snow drifted down between them. His lips twitched in a sneer. 'Friend?' he asked.
'Damn,' Arvin muttered. Quickly, he spoke the command word that made the dagger reappear in his gloved fist. He started to raise it-but a man beside him caught his arm. The fellow-a large man in a food-stained apron, his lack of a cloak indicating he'd stepped out of a building to watch the fight-shook his head. 'No need, stranger,' he whispered. 'The gauntlet will provide sanctuary.'
While Arvin was still trying to get his arm free-the man beside him might have been stout, but he had a grip tight as a coiled serpent-the yuan-ti lashed out at the rogue, fangs bared.
Halfway through his lunge the yuan-ti jerked to a halt. He strained for several moments against an unseen force, his body quivering, then slowly drew back. He studied the rogue for a moment, swaying back and forth, and glanced at the gauntlet. Then he reached down to grab the young rogue's ankles.
It was clear to Arvin what the yuan-ti intended-to drag the boy away from the gauntlet, which obviously was providing some sort of magical protection. But once again, the yuan-ti jerked to a halt, his grasping fingers just shy of the rogue's ankle. The yuan-ti shook for a moment in silent rage, and his face flushed red where it was not covered by scales.
A woman in the crowd chuckled.
The yuan-ti spun and lashed out at her instead.
Screaming, she jerked away, clutching her shoulder. She tried to get to the gauntlet, but the yuan-ti slithered into her path, cutting her off. The crowd, suddenly fearful, broke apart. Several people shouted, and some ran.
The young rogue, still gripping the gauntlet, turned his head from side to side, trying to hear what was happening through all the commotion.
