'Don't give up on your ranger,' the watch wizard counseled. 'From the time I knew him, and from the stories Ciwa Cthulad knew of him, Baylee Aravold is quite a resourceful man.'
Cordyan silently hoped it was true. But then, she knew the enemies the ranger had were also quite resourceful.
Krystarn Fellhammer's eyes ached from constant staring at the crystal ball Shallowsoul had charged her with. She had used her contacts among the docks of Waterdeep to find out all the ships that had left within a few hours of Baylee Arnvold's disappearance from the city. It had been twelve days, and she still could not believe so many had left at that time, nor that she had been through them all, yet hadn't found the ranger.
Still, he was one man among a whole crew. It would have been easier searching for a party rather than an individual.
She silently damned his soul once more, and leaned back from the crystal ball. She stood and crossed the room to the wine flask in the corner, pouring herself a small drink.
Shallowsoul had allowed her to bring the crystal ball to her rooms within the subterranean complex, convincing Krystarn that the lich was indeed concerned about the ranger's actions. She couldn't understand why. The Moonshaes were a long distance from the depths beneath Myth Drannor.
The crystal ball, though, was a blessing. When she had brought the device through the dimensional door leading to the library, she had felt within the crystal ball the resonance that opened the door. After working on it for a time, she felt certain she might be able to open the door with a spell of her own, triggering the release of the magic Shallowsoul already had in place.
But a more proper time awaited. She was beginning to think it might be in her best interests to see that Baylee Arnvold did in fact arrive at Myth Drannor, providing a diversion for the lich.
The twisted path of her plan delighted her. It was the first of any sort that she'd found with any hope of achieving her own goals. Mother Lloth willing, she could soon act like a true drow for the first time in over four years.
She returned to the crystal ball and peered into the glass. It was still tracking the latest ship she searched. She waved a hand over it, thinking of Chomack, Taker of Dragon's Teeth and Chief of the Sumalich Tribe.
The crystal ball clouded for a moment, then opened again to an image within the vast caverns outside the library area. The hobgoblin chieftain was locked in battle with another hobgoblin.
Krystarn watched in growing fascination as the hobgoblin chieftain cracked his whip across his opponent's face, wrapping the strands about the other hobgoblin's head. Then he lunged in with his short sword, knocking aside his opponent's axe and burying the blade in the hobgoblin's heart.
With a shudder, the other hobgoblin dropped to the cavern floor.
Chomack stepped back, holding his bloody sword aloft in victory.
Opening her perspective of the view offered, Kiystarn saw that the hobgoblin chieftain was surrounded by nearly four times as many hobgoblins as the day she'd found him. Evidently the one-on-one fight had been for the control of the tribe recently encountered.
'Chomack,' Krystarn said into the crystal ball.
The hobgoblin chieftain stared up, searching. 'What do you want?'
The other hobgoblins drew their weapons and stepped back. Some of them yelled for Chomack to take cover.
'I look in on you today,' Krystarn said, 'only to offer my congratulations. Your tribe has grown.'
'Because I am strong enough to take them,' the chieftain roared back.
A ragged cheer broke from the ranks of the hobgoblins. Many of them beat their swords against their shields.
'I also remind you of your promise to me,' Krystarn said.
'I will keep it,' the hobgoblin growled. 'As long as you keep your end of the bargain.'
'Chomack,' Krystarn said, thinking of the gold and silver that must be secreted away in the library, 'I shall give you even more than I promised.' She waved over the crystal ball and picked the next ship on her list. Its name was Tsunami Dancer. She had scried it twice before, feeling an empathy within it when she'd searched for Baylee Arnvold.
20
'Uziraff Fireblade is in the back, but I wouldn't go in there if I was you.'
Baylee looked at the whiskered barkeep behind the scarred counter of the Fickle Mermaid. The place was one the ranger vaguely remembered from a time when he and Golsway had been through the area to talk to Uziraff before. The decor was bawdy, featuring a few dozen carved mermaid statues in various forms of debauchery with mermen, humans, and even unicorns. All of the statues had been glued to whatever surface they sat on to keep the tavern's patrons from walking off with them.
'And why not?' Baylee asked.
'He's talking business with someone.'
From behind the door to the barkeep's left came the sound of blows being struck, leaving no illusions about what was going on.
“Talking?' Baylee asked. 'Or listening?'
The barkeep gave an evil grin. 'Uziraff owns the Fickle Mermaid. I don't think anyone could make him listen in here.'
Baylee walked around the end of the bar as someone groaned in pain.
The barkeep reached for a belaying pin he kept under the counter. He fisted it and came at Baylee. 'I told you stay out of this.'
Before the man knew it, Ciwa Cthulad had his long sword at the end of the man's nose. 'Unless,' the old ranger said in a calm voice, 'you wish to learn to start breathing through your ears, step away.'
The barkeep went cross-eyed looking at the unwavering sword tip. Conversation across the rest of the bar died as heads turned to the counter. A few men got up, their hands going to their hilts.
'Gentlemen,' Cthulad said, addressing the crowd, 'I assure you taking part in this would be your greatest mistake. I will kill the first man to interfere with us just to let the ones who follow have no surprise what their fates may be.'
'This isn't exactly the quiet kind of entrance I had in mind when we came here,' Baylee said in a low voice.
'You dealt the play when you threw the dice,' the old ranger replied. 'You could have waited till Uziraff was finished with his business.'
But Baylee couldn't have, because he thought he knew what kind of business it was that Uziraff was conducting. He watched as the men in the bar stood their ground, wary of Cthulad's sword. Baylee placed his hand on the doorknob and found it locked. He knelt and used a set of lock picks he carried with him, then passed through.
The room on the other side of the door looked nothing like the rest of the bar. A few books lined one wall, a hodgepodge of subjects, titles, and authors. Baylee doubted that Uziraff had read any of them. Niches held other vases and objects d'art, none of them worth much, actually on display in the room for their visual impact. Twisted creatures held men in their grip, sometimes even whole ships. A model of a treant held two humans in its branches while fire surrounded its base.
Generous in floor space, the room held a large desk, two couches, and a half dozen chairs in front of the desk. The first time Baylee had seen the office, he thought it hadn't fit the pirate's reputation.
But today, seeing Uziraff with his knee in the chest of a young man sprawled across that desk, a lead-filled cestus covering one hand, Baylee thought that it looked more representative of the pirate.
'Who dares interrupt me?' Uziraff roared, turning to look over his shoulder at the door. He was a little more than six feet tall, bronzed from the sea and the wind, and his dirty blond hair was pulled back out of his face. Wide gold hoops dangled from his ears. His beard was full, but kept short, following the angles of his face. He wore a red silk shirt and black, heavy-weight breeches that tucked into roll-top boots.
