Despite the seriousness of her quest, and the knowledge that she soon might walk into darkness, a wide smile grew on Catti-brie's face. She understood why Drizzt had often gone from Mithril Hall to visit this place; she never guessed that the world could be so varied and wonderful.
On impulse, the young woman moved to the side of one building, a few steps down a dark, though clean, alleyway. She took out the panther figurine and set it on the cobblestones before her.
'Come, Guenhwyvar,' Catti-brie called softly. She didn't know if Drizzt had brought the panther into this city before or not, didn't know whether she was breaking any rules, but she believed that Guenhwyvar should experience this place, and believed, too, for some reason, that, in Silverymoon, she was free to follow her heart.
A gray mist surrounded the figurine, swirled, and gradually took shape. The great panther, six-hundred pounds of inky black, muscled cat, its shoulders higher than Catti-brie's waist, stood before her. Its head turned from side to side as it tried to fathom their location.
'We're in Silverymoon, Guen,' Catti-brie whispered.
The panther tossed its head, as though it had just awakened, and gave a low, calm growl.
'Keep yerself close,' Catti-brie instructed, 'right by me side. I'm not for knowing if ye should be here or not, but I wanted ye to see the place, at least.'
They came out of the alley side by side. 'Have ye seen the place before, Guen?' Catti-brie asked. 'I'm looking for Lady Alustriel. Might ye know where that'd be?'
The panther bumped close to Catti-brie's leg and moved off, apparently with purpose, and Catti-brie went right behind. Many heads turned to regard the curious couple, the road-dirty woman and her unusual companion, but the gazes were innocuous enough, and not one person screamed or hurried away in fright.
Coming around one sweeping avenue, Guenhwyvar almost ran headfirst into a pair of talking elves. They jumped back instinctively and looked from the panther to the young woman.
'Most marvelous!' one of them said in a singsong voice.
'Incredible,' the other agreed. He reached toward the panther slowly, testing the reaction. 'May I?' he asked Catti-brie.
She didn't see the harm and nodded.
The elf s face beamed as he ran his slender fingers along Guenhwyvar's muscled neck. He looked to his more hesitant companion, his smile seeming wide enough to take in his ears.
'Oh, buy the cat!' the other agreed excitedly.
Catti-brie winced; Guenhwyvar's ears flattened, and the panther let out a roar that echoed about the buildings throughout the city.
Catti-brie knew that elves were fast afoot, but these two were out of sight before she could even explain to them their mistake. 'Guenhwyvar!' she whispered harshly into the panther's flattened ear.
The cat's ears came up, and the panther turned and rose on its haunches, putting a thick paw atop each of Catti-brie's shoulders. It bumped its head into Catti-brie's face and twisted to rub against her smooth cheek. Catti- brie had to struggle just to keep her balance and it took her a long while to explain to the panther that the apology was accepted.
As they went on, pointing fingers accompanied the stares, and more than one person slipped across the avenues ahead to get on the opposite side of the street and let the woman and cat pass. Catti-brie knew that they had attracted too much attention; she began to feel foolish for bringing Guenhwyvar here in the first place. She wanted to dismiss the cat back to the Astral Plane, but she suspected that she couldn't do so without attracting even more attention.
She wasn't surprised a few moments later, when a host of armed soldiers wearing the new silver-and-light- blue uniforms of the city guard, surrounded her at a comfortable distance.
'The panther is with you,' one of them reasoned.
'Guenhwyvar,' Catti-brie replied. 'I am Catti-brie, daughter of Bruenor Battlehammer, Eighth King of Mithril Hall.'
The man nodded and smiled, and Catti-brie relaxed with a deep sigh.
'It is indeed the draw's cat!' another of the guardsmen blurted. He blushed at his uncalled-for outburst, looked to the leader, and promptly lowered his eyes.
'Aye, Guen's the friend of Drizzt Do'Urden,' Catti-brie replied. 'Is he about in the city?' she couldn't help asking, though, logically, she would have preferred to ask the question of Alustriel, who might give her a more complete answer.
'Not that I have heard,' replied the guard leader, 'but Silverymoon is honored by your presence. Princess of Mithril Hall.' He dipped a low bow, and Catti-brie blushed, not used to—or comfortable with—such treatment.
She did well to hide her disappointment about the news, reminding herself that finding Drizzt was not likely to be easy. Even if Drizzt had come into Silverymoon, he had probably done so secretly.
'I have come to speak with Lady Alustriel,' Catti-brie explained.
'You should have been escorted from the gate,' the guard leader groused, angered by the lack of proper protocol.
Catti-brie understood the man's frustration and realized that she had probably just gotten the unwitting soldiers at the Moonbridge, the invisible structure spanning the great River Rauvin, in trouble. 'They did not know me name,' she added quickly, 'or me quest. I thought it best to come through on me own and see what I might.'
'They did not question the presence of such a—' He wisely caught himself before saying 'pet.' 'A panther?' he went on.
'Guen was not beside me,' Catti-brie replied without thinking, then her face crinkled up, realizing the million questions she had probably just inspired.
Fortunately, the guards did not belabor the point. They had heard enough descriptions of the impassioned young woman to be satisfied that this was indeed the daughter of Bruenor Battlehammer. They escorted Catti-brie and Guenhwyvar (at a respectful distance) through the city, to the western wall and the graceful and enchanting palace of Lady Alustriel.
Left alone in a waiting chamber, Catti-brie decided to keep Guenhwyvar by her side. The panther's presence would give her tale credibility, she decided, and if Drizzt had been about, or still was, Guenhwyvar would sense it.
The minutes slipped by uneventfully, and restless Catti-brie grew bored. She moved to a side door and gently pushed it open, revealing a decorated powder room, with a wash basin and a small, gold-trimmed table, complete with a large mirror. Atop it was an assortment of combs and brushes, a selection of small vials, and an opened coffer containing many different colored packets of dye.
Curious, the young woman looked over her shoulder to make sure that all was quiet, then moved in and sat down. She took up a brush and roughly ran it through her tangled and thick auburn hair, thinking she should try to appear her best when standing before the Lady of Silverymoon. She scowled when she noticed dirt on her cheek, and quickly dipped her hand in the water basin and rubbed it roughly over the spot, managing a smile when it was gone.
She peeked out of the anteroom again, to make sure that no one had come. Guenhwyvar, lying comfortably on the floor, looked up and growled.
'Oh, shut yer mouth,' Catti-brie said, and she slipped back into the powder room and inspected the vials. She removed the tight top of one and sniffed, and her blue eyes opened wide in surprise at the powerful aroma. From outside the door, Guenhwyvar growled again and sneezed, and Catti-brie laughed. 'I know what ye mean,' she said to the cat.
Catti-brie went through several of the vials, crinkling her nose at some, sneezing at more than one, and finally finding one whose aroma she enjoyed. It reminded her of a field of wildflowers, not overpowering, but subtly beautiful, the background music to a spring day.
She nearly jumped out of her boots, nearly stuffed the vial up her nose, when a hand grasped her shoulder.
Catti-brie spun about, and her breath was stolen away. There stood Alustriel—it had to be! — her hair shining silver and hanging halfway down her back and her eyes sparkling more clearly than any Catti-brie had ever seen—more clearly than any eyes except Wulfgar's sky-blue orbs. The memory pained her.
