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Part 4 Guenhwyvar

What eyes are these that see

The pain I know in my innermost soul?

What eyes are these that see

The twisted strides of my kindred,

Led on in the wake of toys unbridled:

Arrow, bolt, and sword tip?

Yoursaye, yours,

Straight run and ,

Soft on padded paws, sheathed claws,

Weapons rested for their need,

Stained not by frivolous blood

Or murderous deceit

Face to face, ht

Would that I e

Upon this face ht keep that heart

Within ht to the proud honor of yo

Mighty Guenhwyvar,

And hold tight to my side,

My dearest friend

Chapter 17 Horaduated-forhest honors in his class Perhaps Matron Malice had whispered into the right ears, s over her son’s in-discretions, but Drizzt suspected that more likely none of those present at the Ceremony of Graduation even reate of House Do’Urden, drawing stares from the common soldiery, and over to the cavern floor below the balcony "So I am home" he re-marked under his breath, "for whatever that means" After what had happened in the drider lair, Drizzt wondered if he would ever view House Do’Urden as his ho hiood that you are home" Briza said to hi

Drizzt stepped tentatively through the entryway beside his oldest sister, trying to get a firs Home, Briza called it, but to Drizzt, House Do’Urden seemed as unfamiliar as the Academy had on his first day as a student Thn years was not such a long tiht know, but to Drizzt, more than the decade of absence now separated hireat corridor leading to the chapel anteroos, Prince Drizzt" she said, and Drizzt couldn’t tell if she was being sarcastic or not "We have heard of the honors you achieved at Melee-Magthere

Your skill did House Do’Urden proud" In spite of her words, Maya could not hide a derisive chuckle as she finished the thought "Glad, I alare stole the slances They knew of the punisher brother, and of the vicious scolding he had received at the hands of Matron Malice They each cautiously rested a hand on their snake whips, not knowing how foolish their dan-gerous young brother ht have become

It was not Matron Malice or Drizzt’s sisters that now had Drizztevery step before he took it He knehere he stood with his mother and knehat he had to do to keep her appeased There was another h, that evoked both confusion and anger in Drizzt Of all his kin, only Zaknafein pretended to be what he was not As Drizzt lanced anxiously down every side passage, wondering when Zak wouldbefore you leave for patrol?" Maya asked, pull-ing Drizzt from his contemplations

"Thro days" Drizzt replied absently, his eyes still darting from shadow to shadow Then he was at the anteroon of Zak Perhaps the weaponbeside Malice

"We know of your indiscretions; Briza snapped, suddenly cold, as she placed her hand on the latch to the anteroom’s door Drizzt was not surprised by her outburst He was be-ginning to expect such explosions froh priestesses of the Spider Queen

"Why could you not just enjoy the pleasures of the cere-mony?" Maya added "We are fortunate that the mistresses and the matron of the Academy were too involved in their own exciteht shaht have placed Matron Malice in Lloth’s disfavor; Briza was quick to add

The best thing I could ever do for her, Drizzt thought He quickly dis Briza’s uncanny proficiency at reading ri thick in the air?’

"I have learned ive me, my sisters, and know that the truth of the droorld is fast opening beforeeyes Never will 1 disappoint House Do’Urden in such a way again?’ So pleased were his sisters at the proclaht past the to push his luck too far, also slipped past the with relief that Zaknafein was not in attendance

"All praises to the Spider Queen!" Briza yelled after hiaze He bowed low a second tiroup, Zak had studied Drizzt’s everyto measure the toll a decade at the Acad-ehter

Gone noas the customary smile that lit Drizzt’s face

Gone, too, Zak supposed, was the innocence that had kept this one apart froainst the wall in a side passage He had caught only portions of the conversation at the ante-room door Most clearly he had heard Drizzt’s heartfelt ac-cord with Briza’s honoring of Lloth

"What have I done?" the weapon master asked himself He looked back around the bend in the main corridor, but the door to the anteroom had already closed

"Truly, when I look upon the drow-the droarrior!-that was my most treasured, I shame for ht have saved?"

He drew his s the length of the razor edge "A finer blade you would be had you tasted the blood of Drizzt Do’Urden, to deny this world, our world, another soul for its taking, to free that one fro torments of life!" He low-ered the weapon’s tip to the floor

"But I am a coward" he said "I have failed in the one act that could have broughtto my pitiful existence The secondboy of House Do’Urden lives, it would appear, but Drizzt Do’Urden,dead" Zak looked back to the e, the weapon rimace

"Vet this pretender lives

"A droarrior"

Zak’s weapon clanged to the stone floor and his head sluht by the embrace of his open palms, the only shield Zaknafein Do’Urden had ever found Drizzt spent the next day at rest,to keep out of the way of the other members of his im-mediate family Malice had dis, but Drizzt did not want to confront her again Likewise, he had little to say to Briza and Maya, fear-ing that sooner or later they would begin to understand the true connotations of his continuing streah, Drizzt did not want to see Zaknafein, the ainst the realities around hiht in the darkness that was Menzoberranzan

That, too, Drizzt believed, had been only a lie

On his second day houn its cycle of light, the door to Drizzfs s open and Briza walked in

"An audience with Matron Malice" she said grirabbed his boots and followed his oldest sister down the passageways to the house chapel Had Malice and the others discovered his true feelings toward their evil deity? What punish for his on the chapel’s arched entrance

"You should be more familiar andhis discolories"

Drizzt lowered his gaze and did not respond-and was t careful not to even think of theretorts he felt in his heart

His confusion doubled when they entered the chapel, for Rizzen, Maya, and Zaknafein stood before the h, stood Dinin and Vierna

"We are all present" Briza said, taking her place at her Imother’s side

"Kneel" Malice commanded, and the whole family fell to its knees The matronhis or her eyes in reverence, or just in coreat lady walked by

Malice stopped beside Drizzt "You are confused by the ! presence of Dinin and Vierna" she said Drizzt looked up at : her "Do you not yet understand the subtle ht that my brother and sister were to con-tinue on at the Acadee" Malice replied

"Does it not bring a house strength to have mistresses and masters seated at the Academy?" Drizzt dared to ask

"It does" repli~d Malice, "but it separates the power You have heard tidings of war?"

"I have heard hinting of trouble" said Drizzt, looking over at Vierna, "though nothing ered that her son could not understand the importance "They are more than most houses ever hear before the blade falls!" She spun away froroup "The rumors hold truth" she declared

"Who?" asked Briza "What house conspires against House Do’Urden?"