hope that you are ready.'
Artek stared at Muragh in terror as the door began to open.
The Black Dart
The beautiful woman with sun-gold eyes stepped through the door, her green dress swishing softly. Artek smiled nervously, folding his hands behind his head and trying to lean back casually in the chair. Something sharp dug into the small of his back, and he grimaced in pain.
A faint shadow touched her smooth brow. 'Is something wrong, my love?'
He forced a smile. 'No, dearest. Only a passing sadness that you were away. But it has gone, now that you have returned.'
Her red lips coiled into a pleased smile, and she turned to shut the door. As she did, Artek whispered quietly out of the corner of his mouth.
'Quit squirming, Muragh! You'll give us away.' As Artek leaned against the skull to conceal it from view, Muragh's pointed jaw dug painfully into his spine.
'I can't help it,' came the skull's muffled reply.
'Keep still!' Artek hissed.
'Did you say something, my love?' the woman asked, turning around.
'Uh, no,' he said, loudly.
'Good,' she murmured in a sultry voice, moving toward him. 'Talking is not what I had in mind.' Sitting on the edge of the table, she leaned toward him and lifted a slender hand to the bodice of her gown, as if to untie the leathern laces. Then, with startling swiftness, she reached into the cleft of her bosom, drew out a shimmering green object, and thrust it toward Artek's face. It was a tiny serpent with ruby eyes and emerald scales.
Artek grabbed her wrist and held it fast. The snake hissed, baring its fangs, mere inches from his face.
'Why do you resist me, my love?' the woman crooned, straining against his grip. Evil light flashed in her golden eyes.
'Because I do not care for poison snakes,' Artek said through clenched teeth. He tightened his grip on her wrist.
'You judge me wrongly, my love,' she countered. 'This is a dreamserpent. Its bite will bring you only sleep, so that you will not feel pain as I transform your exquisite body.'
“Transform?' Artek asked. 'How?'
Strange exultation twisted her beautiful face. 'You are strong, my love.' She ran the fingers of her free hand down his cheek, his throat, his chest. 'I could do much with you. You could bear it. I would give you the arms of an ogre, the claws of a lion, the scaled armor of a dragon, and the poison stinger of a scorpion.' She trembled with excitement. 'You would be utterly magnificent!'
She would make him a monster? Little did she know that he was already part monster. Crimson rage flared in his brain.
'I will be nothing for you, Arcturia!' he cried.
He leapt to his feet and slammed her hand-still clutching the dreamserpent-against the table. In one swift motion, he drew his dagger and plunged it downward. A shrill, inhuman scream pierced the air as Artek pinned the woman's hand to the table. Then the illusions that masked the chamber wavered and vanished, revealing the true nature of all within.
The beautiful woman was gone. Her skin was still emerald, but now it was composed of overlying scales, like those of the serpent. Wicked spurs of bone protruded from her elbows, her shoulders, and her knees. Instead of hair, a writhing mass of slimy black tentacles sprang from her head. Her wings were not a fairy's, but rather a foul insect's, and they buzzed spastically as she tugged to free her wounded hand. She shrieked again, baring long yellow fangs.
Apparently, Arcturia had made herself the subject of her own experiments.
Grabbing Muragh, Artek hurried through the door. No longer was the space beyond bathed in silvery radiance. The air was dank and murky, and fetid water streamed down the bare stone walls. The others were there, and they all looked up at Artek in shock and confusion. Beckla had not been experimenting with vials and beakers, but with broken sticks and dirty stones. Guss sat upon a heap of festering garbage, holding a clump of worms in his hand. And still in his grimy attire, Corin sat before a rickety table littered with cracked clay plates. The lord stared down at the bowl of putrid, black sludge he had been eagerly spooning up. His face went green.
'What… what happened?' Beckla asked, shaking her head.
'It was all an illusion,' Artek explained. 'Arcturia conjured visions from our fantasies in order to control us, so that she could use us for her experiments.'
'Experiments?' Corin echoed in a quavering voice.
'I'll explain later,' Artek said gruffly. 'Right now we've got to get out of here.'
He looked up at the stone archway through which they had entered the mad apprentice's lair. The gate flashed, and in it they saw the image of the chamber where they had dived into the dark pool. 'Come on!' he shouted, urging the others toward the portal.
'Wait!' screamed a grating voice, bringing them to a halt. In dread they turned around. Arcturia stood before the open door of the side chamber, clutching her bleeding hand. 'Stay!' she cried. 'Don't you understand? I can make you beautiful. Like me!'
'We're leaving,' Artek growled.
Rage and desire twisted her hideous visage. 'If I cannot have you, then you will die!' she shrieked. Her golden eyes blazed malevolently as she clenched her wounded hand into a fist. Dark blood welled forth. Foul words of magic tumbled from her tongue, and the blood began to glow with scarlet force. The gate!' Artek shouted in alarm. 'Now!' They leapt for the portal just as Arcturia released her spell. Like a red serpent, deadly magic flashed from her wounded hand, speeding across the chamber to strike them down. Together, Artek and the others broke the gleaming surface of the gate. But just then, the image within flashed and changed. It was too late to stop. They fell through the gate as Arcturia's magic exploded behind them, shattering the archway. Screaming, they plunged down into nothingness.
Muragh said that six of Halaster's apprentices still lurked in Undermountain, Artek thought grimly. Just two more to go now.
He stared at the magical tattoo on his arm. Even as he watched, the wheel of dark ink moved slowly around the grinning death's head. The stylized sun had just passed the arrow. Somewhere far above- just how far he knew not-dawn was breaking over the city of Waterdeep. One whole day had passed already. He had only one more day to complete his mission. Only one more day to live.
He had found Corin Silvertor. That was something, at least. But they still had to escape from Undermountain, and it seemed they were farther from finding a way out than ever. A part of him wanted to give up, to lie down and die here in the darkness, but he was filled with rage at Darien Thai's betrayal. He could not quit, not now. The desire for revenge was too hot. Too strong. It would drive him on to the bitter end. He supposed he should be thankful for his orcish side, but it was that dark and feral part of him that had got him into this mess in the first place. He pulled down the sleeve of his jerkin, concealing the tattoo.
Artek surveyed his surroundings. Despite the murk, his darkvision let him see the rough walls of damp stone. The gate had dropped them into a natural tunnel of some sort, hewn by time and the flow of water. As quickly as it had appeared in midair, the sizzling gate had closed behind them. Neither Arcturia nor her crimson magic had followed them through the portal, but there was no telling where the gate had deposited them. For all they knew, they were deeper than ever in Undermountain.
In the darkness, he could make out the shapes of the others nearby. Corin lay curled in a ball, hands pillowing his head, snoring blissfully. Artek shook his head, wondering if the young nobleman truly understood the danger they were in. Maybe to Corin, this was all simply a grand adventure, like the fantastic tales told by a wandering minstrel. Artek almost envied the lord. Would that he himself had lived such a sheltered life, and knew the calm of
