Halisstra couldn't breathe. The blood pounded in her ears, making it difficult to hear what Matron Mother Zauvirr was saying. She didn't want to listen, anyway.

«I wish it wasn't true, Halisstra, I really do, but there's no getting around it. We caught her in the act, and when we confronted her, she wouldn't surrender. Your mother tried to flee, and the soldiers just did their jobs. By the time I got to her, I couldn't help her.»

Halisstra shook her head, trying to rid her thoughts of the hated words. Her mother, dead. It wasn't true. It couldn't be!

«No!» Halisstra cried out, pushing Danifae away. Her battle captive, all flimsy silks, was reaching out to her, trying to comfort her. «You're lying!»

She struggled to spin free, to get out of the room, but she found all avenues of escape cut off. Matron Mother Zauvirr's troops seemed to be standing idly by, as though they were merely guests in someone else's home, but they were strategically placed about the room to guard the doors. She looked around for some of her own family's soldiers, but there were none to be found. Matron Mother Zauvirr had planned well, delivering her devastating news from a position of strength.

Wilting, Halisstra sank down to the floor, unsure what to do. Only Danifae settled down next to her, making soothing noises and trying to reach out to calm her. She didn't want to be calmed. She wanted to slap the other drow, smack her across the room, but she knew better. If she had any hope at all of surviving this horrid situation, she would need the battle captive's aid. She had to think.

It wasn't so much that her mother was dead. Of course that didn't bother her. In other circumstances, she would have delighted in it, but there weren't any other circumstances. Her mother had been caught in an act of open treason against the city, or so Ssipriina claimed, and Halisstra had no way to refute it, despite the fact that it was a ludicrous notion. Her mother would never risk herself so openly, especially not aiding foreigners, regardless of how good the relationship was between their Houses. Not to mention the fact that smuggling the goods from Black Claw Mercantile out of the city would ruin House Melarn. There was nothing to gain from it and so much to lose.

Of course, when Ssipriina arrived in House Melarn's audience chamber, sat right down in Drisinil's throne and made her revelation, the unspoken implication was there. Drisinil was not acting alone. When the rest of the council learned of it, they would likely find. Halisstra just as guilty of the crimes as her mother. They would imprison or execute everyone in the family, dissolve House Melarn, and divvy up its assets. Unless she found a way to counter it.

She had no doubt that Ssipriina was behind it all, was somehow benefiting from the destruction of House Melarn, but in order to make it work, she would have to eliminate Halisstra, too. Halisstra had to move fast, but she knew that the other drow wasn't about to let the First Daughter of House Melarn out of her sight. Her only chance to get help was to send Danifae, and that would only happen if Ssipriina Zauvirr believed the battle captive was more interested in saving her own skin than in supporting her mistress.

Halisstra glanced over at Danifae, taking a deep breath to calm herself, then began to flash signs at her servant, working secretively so that only her companion could see.

You have to turn on me, she signaled. Convince them that you'd just as soon see me dead. Then get help. Go to House Maerret.

When Danifae gave an almost imperceptible nod, Halisstra reached out and slapped her. Hard. The blow sent the battle captive falling backward, skidding across the floor. Danifae's eyes widened as her hand flew up to her cheek, but before she could open her mouth to spoil the effect, Halisstra screamed at her.

«How dare you suggest such a thing! I would never consider it!»

Danifae's red eyes narrowed, and whether the venomous look was genuine or part of the ploy, Halisstra wasn't sure.

«Then rot in a cell until they put your head on a pike, Mistress.» She stood, deliberately brushing her backside, straightening the flimsy silks that did little to conceal her curvaceous body. «If you won't, then I'll do it and save myself.»

Danifae turned to Ssipriina and said, «Mistress Zauvirr, I humbly beg you to help me procure my release from her» She sneered this last as she jerked a thumb down at Halisstra, who was still sitting on the floor. «I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement that you would find gratifying enough to release me from my servitude.»

Ssipriina alternated between looking at the battle captive before her and the noble daughter on the floor, blinking in surprise at the outburst. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then snapped it shut again.

Danifae, taking advantage of the silence, continued, «I'm just now starting to recall conversations with Mistress Halisstra that I think might implicate her. Given a few moments alone in her chambers, I could recall even more evidence that proves her foreknowledge in these disgraceful, treasonous acts.»

She looked down at Halisstra, a knowing smirk on her face.

Despite the fact that she knew her servant was playing the part— at least she hoped that's all it was—Halisstra shuddered at the look on Danifae's face. Not having to try very hard to look scared, Drisinil's daughter took another deep breath.

«Matron Mother,» Halisstra said, «I assure you I had absolutely no previous awareness of any possible plots of my mother's. My battle captive is obviously lying to you, trying to save her own worthless hide in exchange for damning me with false accusations. You cannot possibly accept the word of a battle captive. She would tell you anything to see me come to a bad end.»

Ssipriina looked down at Halisstra for another moment and laughed.

«Of course she would, silly girl, and how fortunate for me.» The matron mother turned to Danifae, smiled, and said, «Perhaps we can come to some sort of an agreement. Go and see what you can uncover.»

Danifae smiled and bowed deeply to Matron Mother Zauvirr, then turned to depart. As she spun on one heel, she looked down at Halisstra, sneering.

As Halisstra let her gaze follow the backside of her servant, she heard Ssipriina take a deep breath.

«Now, what to do with you …» the matron mother said in a most unpleasant tone.

Faeryl Zauvirr loomed over her prisoner, smiling in delight. The beads of dampness that glistened on Quenthel Baenre's forehead ran in rivulets into her eyes, making her blink and squint. Her mouth was frozen in a grimace of pain and misery, though it was difficult for her to effect any other expression, with the rothhide-bound dowel wedged so deeply into her mouth. The bit was held tightly in place with braided cord tied rightly behind her neck. Her long white hair was matted limply around her head and spread across the top of the table upon which she lay.

Faeryl stepped back from the table where Quenthel was stretched tightly, her wrists and ankles locked into manacles at either end of the long, narrow rack. The high priestess's naked body was taut, like the string of an instrument, and coated in a sheen of sweat that glimmered in the light of the braziers, but still Faeryl was not satisfied.

«Perhaps we should try the needles again,» the ambassador mused aloud. «They fit so easily beneath the toenails, and it is such fun.»

Quenthel grunted and shook her head, her red eyes wide.

«No? Then maybe there's something in here that I can use to amuse myself,» Faeryl said, turning to one of the braziers and sorting the tools resting in it. «Some of these are glowing nicely, now. I've heard that these blunt ones are especially good for the eyes.»

The grunts increased in rhythm and went up an octave.

Faeryl put her face back down in front of Quenthel's again, but she was no longer smiling.

«We've only scratched the surface, Mistress Baenre,» she spat, once again stringing the honorific out. The sarcastic tone was becoming second nature to her. «We've got endless hours to enjoy this, and I want to make sure you experience every last little 'pleasantry' Jeggred inflicted on me.»

Quenthel closed her eyes as a muted groan passed the bit shoved in her mouth.

Faeryl supposed the high priestess might be trembling, or perhaps it was simply the quivering of muscles, strained from being stretched so long. She chuckled and turned to examine the other prisoner.

Jeggred had been bound tightly to a stout column, lengths of chain encircling him from ankles to chin. The bonds were so tight, the draegloth could move only his head, which he tossed from side to side as he strained to break free. He snarled as Faeryl looked at him.

«Oh, I know,» she cooed, stepping closer. «You want to gut me, don't you? You want to spill my blood and dance in it.»

«You will die a slow, painful death,» the fiend rumbled. «I will see to it personally.»

Faeryl waved her hand in front of her nose.

«Stop talking, you vile beast. Your breath is most foul.»

Jeggred only growled.

Faeryl fixed him with her gaze and said, «Do you remember the things you did to me?» She almost shuddered but forced herself to remain still. «I am going to repay you for it… every bit of it. I'll send your carcass back to Triel when I'm through.»

Jeggred smiled.

«You can't begin to understand the methods of meting out pain. My attentions were but a part of those methods, and there is nothing you can conceive of that I will notice at all.»

«Oh, really?» Faeryl replied, her lips pursed. «We'll see. My advisors have told me what things you feel and don't feel. 'He resists the bum of acid and fire, and he will not suffer from cold and lightning, they said. But we'll find something. Yes, we will. Maybe sound, hmm? There is something you don't like, and when I discover what it is, you'll enjoy it for endless hours. I promise you.»

There was a soft step upon the stone floor near the doorway. Faeryl turned in irritation to see what the intrusion was all about. It was Zammzt.

«What do you want?» Faeryl demanded.

She knew the aide was there at her mother's behest and that she was undoubtedly being summoned to attend to the matron mother. It didn't make her very happy, and though she could not take her annoyance out on her own mother, she could easily do so on the ugly male. The dark elf bent his knee and dipped his head slightly.

«I beg pardon, Mistress Zauvirr, but your mother requires your immediate presence in the audience chamber.»