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SAVA, FIVE-AND-A-HALF WAYS

My bilge rats are gru to the peasants who lived in the section of the city that was his domain, the northeastern quadrant of Luskan south of the Mirar "I can’t have fires taking down their hovels, now can I? Your war’s not a cheap thing!"

"My war?" old Rethnor replied, leaning back in his chair Kensidan sat beside him, his chair pushed back fros crossed as always

"Word’s out that you provoked Deudermont from the start," Barah captains by far, and the tallest, though in their sailing days, he was the lightest of the bunch, a twig of a man, thinner even than the fretful Taerl, who veryensued around the table, but it ended when theof the five interjected, "I heard it, too"

All eyes turned to regard High Captain Kurth, a dark h captains, who seerizzled beard, which seerowth, but more of that shadowy cloak was a result of thethe five lived out on the river, on Closeguard Island, the gateway to Cutlass Island, which housed the Hosttower of the Arcane With such a strategic position in the current conflict, many believed that Kurth held the upper hand

Froreed with that assessment

Never a boisterous or happy rih relatively unscathed so far, see his fist on the table, a display that brought a knowing smile to Kensidan’s face The perceptive son of Rethnor realized then where Baram and Kurth had heard the rumor Suljack was not the ent

"These ruan, but such an outcry ca here, Crow!" Baralad that we’re letting ye do that!" Taerl, the third of the five, agreed, his large head bobbing stupidly at the end of his long, skinny neck - a neck possessed of the largest Ada beside Taerl, Suljack wore an expression of absolute horror and rubbed his face nervously

"Have you lost your voice, Rethnor?" High Captain Kurth added "I’ve been told that you’ve turned your Ship over to the boy, all but for him to speak for you here, then mayhaps it’s tih was full of phleg health, and it did hten the tension than to alleviate it "My son speaks for Ship Rethnor, because his words coreat difficulty "If he utters a word that I don’t like, I will say so"

"High captains aloneall my brats and have them blabber at all of Taerl’s brats? Ora few of his island whores"

Kensidan and Rethnor exchanged looks, the son nodding for his father to take the lead

"No," Rethnor said to the others, "I have not yet surrendered " He began to cough and hock and continued for a long while - long enough for more than one of the others to roll his eyes at the not-so-subtle re, strong voice instead of all that ridiculous wheezing

"It’s notto Deuderht this on himself In his supreme confidence, he has overreached - his ith the pirates has becoreat an annoyance for the lords of Waterdeep Solid information tells that he has made no friend of Mirabar, either It’s all perfectly reasonable, a pattern that has played out ti pause ensued, where the oldhard to catch his breath After another coughing session, he continued, "What is h captains"

"It’s a startling turn-around!" Bara There is s from the northern section of the city Powerful wizards lay dead in our streets"

"Good A cleansing leaves opportunity, a truth not reflected in these long and frightened faces"

Rethnor’s re wide-eyed Kurth, though, just folded his hands on his lap and stared hard at old Rethnor, ever hisdays, the two had often tangled, and none of that had changed when they traded their waterborne ships for their respective "Ships" of state

"My bilge rats - " Bararump and complain, and in the end accept what is offered to them," said Rethnor "They have no other choice"

"They could rise up"

"And you would slaughter them until the survivors sat back down," said Rethnor "View this as an opportunity,have we sat on our hands while Arklem Greeth reaps and rapes the wealth of Luskan He pays us well, indeed, but our gains are a e arcane, who knows and lives for Luskan" Baraan to chuckle at his curious choice of words

"He knows Luskan," Bararin of his own "Better him than sons on Luskan," said Rethnor "He is a young lord, borne to riches, who fancies hi more I doubt he will survive his folly, and even should he, he will take his thousand bows and seek ten thousandus with Deuderreater reputation than Braine"

"True, but not to our loss," Rethnor explained "Should Deudermont prevail, the people of Luskan would all but worship him"

"Some already do that," said Bara ranks are to be told," Taerl corrected "I’d not’ve thought folks would dare follow anyone against the likes o’ Arklem Greeth, but they are"

"And at no cost to us," said Rethnor

"You would want Deudermont as ruler above us five, then?" asked Baraed "Do you really think hirowing nuht prove to be," Taerl replied

"In this fight, perhaps, but Arklem Greeth has the resources to see where Deudermont cannot see, and to kill quickly where Deuderain after a long pause It was obvious that thethe limit of his stamina "For our purposes, ouldn’t be worse off with Deudermont at the head of Luskan, even openly, as Arkle as the other high captains exchanged curious glances, so

Kensidan stood up andis ended," he announced, and he called a Ship Rethnor guard over to thu father on the back in the hopes that they could extract som

"We haven’t even answered the question we came to discuss," Barauard? They’re getting eager, and they don’t rightly knohich side to join They sat in their barracks on Blood Island and let Deuderh, and the northern span of the Harbor Cross fell into the water!"

"We do nothing with thery look then turned to Kurth for support Kurth, though, just sat there, hands folded, expression hidden behind his dark cloud

"My father will not allow those guards who heed Ship Rethnor’s call, at least, to act," the Crow explained "Let Deuderht, and ill join in as it decisively turns"

"For the winner, of course," Taerl reasoned in sarcastic tones

"It’s not our fight, but that does not mean that it cannot be our spoils," Suljack said He looked at Kensidan, seee arcane will turn the whole of the guard against Deuder just that!" Taerl added

"Thenwhyhasn’t he?" Rethnor shouted between gasps and coughs

"Because they won’t listen to hi "They won’t fight against Deudermont"

"Just what Luskan needs," Kurth replied with a heavy sigh "A hero"

"Unexpected allies from every front," Deuderis Lord Bra with Arabeth Raurym and the Mirabarran dwarves and humans who had unexpectedly thrown in with Braainst Arkleed in the Hosttower and we have not even crossed to Closeguard Isle yet"

"It’s going better than we reed, "but these are wizards, my friend, and never to be underestimated"

"Arklem Greeth has a trick or ten ready for us, I don’t doubt," said Deudermont "But with an overwizard and her minions now on our side, we can better anticipate and so better defeat such tricks Unless, of course, this Arabeth Raurym is the first of those very deceptions"

He said it in jest, but his glance at Robillard showed anything but levity

"She isn’t," the wizard assured hienuine, and not unexpected It was she, I’m sure - and so is Arklem Greeth - who betrayed the Arcane Brotherhood’s advances into the Silver Marches No, her survival depends upon Arkle"

"She has put everything on the line for our cause"

"Or for her own," Robillard replied

"So be it," said Deuderth to ensure the destruction of the Hosttower’s perverse leader"

"And then what?" Regis asked

Deuderis and replied, "What do you mean? You cannot support the rule of Arklem Greeth, who is not even alive His very existence is a perversion!"

Regis nodded "All true, I expect," he replied "I only wonder" He looked to Drizzt for support, but then just shook his head, not believing hiet into such a debate with Captain Deudermont

Deuderlasses, handing theood and just, and the world will be aright," Deuderlass in toast

The others joined in, though the tapping of glasses was not enthusiastic

"Enough time has passed," Deudermont said after a sip He referred to Lord Brao and join Brambleberry with Arabeth and the Mirabarrans His intentional delay in going was a calculated stutter in bringing in the leadership, to keep the balance of power on Brambleberry’s side He and Deuderether