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It was rare that both Gromph and Triel Baenre would be in audience with their mother at the sa’inyon and Sos’Uhters, Bladen’Kerst and Quenthel Six of the seven sat in comfortable chairs about the dais in the chapel Not Bladen’Kerst, though Ever seeed animal, the most sadistic drow in the first house paced in circles, her brow furrowed and thin lips pursed She was the second oldest daughter behind Triel and should have been out of the house by this time, perhaps as a matron in the Academy, or even more likely, as a matron mother of her own, lesser, house Matron Baenre had not allowed that, however, fearing that her daughter’s sirace House Baenre

Triel looked up and shook her head disdainfully at Bladen’Kerst every tiht Like Vendes Baenre, her younger sister who had been killed by Drizzt Do’Urden during the escape, Bladen’Kerst was an instru more She was a buffoon, a showpiece, and no real threat to anyone in House Baenre above the rank of common soldier

Quenthel was quite a differentinterludes between Bladen’Kerst’s passing, Triel’s stern and scrutinizing gaze never left that one

And Quenthel returned the look with open hostility She had risen to the rank of high priestess in record tihest favor Quenthel held no illusions about her tentative position; had it not been for that fact of favor, Triel would have obliterated her long ago For Quenthel hadstone as matron mistress of Arach-Tinilith, a position Triel had no intention of abandoning

"Sit down!" Matron Baenre snapped finally at the annoying Bladen’Kerst One of Baenre’s eyes ollen shut and the side of her face still showed the here she had collided with the wall She was not used to carrying such scars, nor were others used to seeing her that way Nor would have cleaned up her face, but these were not normal times

Bladen’Kerst stopped and stared hard at her ed signal First, they showed that Baenre’s poere not as they should be, that the ht be very vulnerable Second, coupled with the scowl that perpetually clouded the worried er

Anger overweighed the perceived, and likely temporary, vulnerability, Bladen’Kerst wisely decided, and sat down in her appointed chair Her hard boot, unusual for drow, but effective for kicking ently on the floor

No one paid her any attention, though All of theaze to Quenthel

"Now is not the time for personal ambitions," Matron Baenre said calmly, seriously

Quenthel’s eyes widened as though she had been caught couard

"I warn you," Matron Baenre pressed, not the least deterred by the innocent expression

"As do I!" Triel quickly and determinedly interjected She wouldn’t usually interrupt her ured that this matter had to be put down once and for all, and that Baenre would appreciate the assistance "You have relied on Lloth’s favor to protect you these years But Lloth is away from us now, for some reason that we do not understand You are vulnerable, my sister, more vulnerable than any of us"

Quenthel caed a smile "Would you chance that Lloth will return to us, as we both know she shall?" the younger Baenre hissed "And what ht it be that drove the Spider Queen froaze fell over heras anyone had ever been in the face of Matron Baenre

"Not what you assume!" Triel snapped She had expected Quenthel to try to lay blame on Matron Baenre’s lap The removal of the ht indeed restore so house In truth, even Triel had considered that course, but she had subsequently dis that Matron Baenre’s recent failures had anything to do with the strangeness going on about theoes beyond Lloth," Grooddess, added pointedly

"Enough," said Baenre, looking about alternately, her stare calht about the events What we must consider is how those events will affect our position"

"The city desires a pera’dene," Quenthel reasoned, the droord for scapegoat Her unblinking stare at Baenre told the matron mother who she had in mind

"Fool!" Baenre snapped into the face of that glare "Do you think they would stop with ht Quenthel off guard

"For some of the lesser houses, there never has been and never will be a better opportunity to unseat this house," Matron Baenre went on, speaking to all of them "If you think to unseat e the rebellion that is rising against us" She huffed and threw her ar our enean D’aerthe, and know that our enemies have also courted Jarlaxle And I am Baenre! Not Triel, and not Quenthel Withoutfor control, each with your own factions within the house guard Where will you be when K’yorl Oblodra enters the coht Matron Baenre had passed word to each of them that the Oblodrans had not lost their powers, and all the Baenres knew the hatred the third house held for them

"Now is not the time for personal ambitions," Matron Baenre reiterated "Now is the tiether and hold our position"

The nods about her were sincere, Baenre knew, though Quenthel was not nodding "You should hope that Lloth does not come back to me before she returns to you," the a the remark squarely at Triel

Triel seemed unimpressed "You should hope that Lloth comes back at all," she replied casually, "else I will tear off your head and have Grolohen the day is full"

Quenthel went to reply, but Gromph beat her to it

"A pleasure, my dear sister," he said to Triel There was no love lost between the two, but while Gromph was ambivalent toward Triel, he perfectly hated Quenthel and her dangerous ambitions If House Baenre fell, so, too, would Gromph

The implied alliance between the two elder Baenre children worked wonders in caler sister, and Quenthel said not another word the rest of the

"May we speak now of K’yorl, and the danger to us all?" Matron Baenre asked When no dissenting voices came forth (and if there had been, Baenre likely would have run out of patience and had the speaker put to a slow death), the matron mother took up the issue of house defense She explained that Jarlaxle and his band could still be trusted, but warned that thebadly for House Baenre Triel assured the’inyon’s report of the readiness of the house guard was bea news and the well-earned reputation of the Baenre garrison, the conversation ultimately came down to the only apparent way to fully fend off K’yorl and her psionic faht with the dwarf Gandalug, voiced it first

"What of Methil?" he asked "And the hundred illithids he represents? If they stand with us, the threat from House Oblodra seereement with the assessment, but Matron Baenre knew that such friends as mind flayers could not be counted on "Methil remains at our side because he and his people knoe are the keystone of security for his people The illithids do not number one-hundredth the drow in Menzoberranzan That is the extent of their loyalty If Methil coer, he will not stand beside us" Baenre gave an ironic, seeht even side with K’yorl," she reasoned "The wretch is akin to them with her powers of the mind Perhaps they understand one another"

"Should we speak so bluntly?" Sos’Umptu asked She looked about the dais, concerned, and the others understood that she feared Methilevery word, reading their every thought

"It does not matter," Matron Baenre replied casually "Methil already knows my fears One cannot hide from an illithid"

"Then what are we to do?" Triel asked

"We are to th," Baenre replied determinedly "We are to show no fear and no weakness And we are not to do anything that ht push Lloth further from us" She aimed that last remark at the rivals, Quenthel and Triel, particularly at Triel, who seemed more than ready to use this Lloth-absent time to be rid of her troublesome sister

"We must show the illithids we remain the power in Menzoberranzan," Baenre went on "If they know this, then they will side with us, not wanting House Baenre to be weakened by K’yorl’s advances"

"I go to Sorcere," said Groe

"And I to Arach-Tinilith," added a determined Triel

"Imy rivals," Gromph added "But a few proo far in finding allies"

"The students have been allowed no contact outside the school," Triel put in "They know of the proble of the threat to House Baenre In their ignorance, they remain loyal"

Matron Baenre nodded to both of them "And you will meet with the lower houses that we have established," she said to Quenthel, a e portion of House Baenre’s power lay in the dozen minor houses that former Baenre nobles had come to head So obviously a favorite of Lloth’s, Quenthel was the perfect choice for such an assignment

Her expression revealed that she had been won over-more by Triel and Gromph’s threats, no doubt, than by the tidbit that had just been thrown her way

Thethe rivalries, Baenre kneas to allow both Triel and Quenthel to save face and feel i had been a success and all the power of House Baenre would be coordinated into a single defensive force