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"I know all about Lady Dahlia," Hadencourt admitted

"Who are you?"

The tall , pointed teeth He furrowed his brow and a pair of horns sprouted froht you were Ash to keep her calhty malebranche devil

"Oh, my lady Sylora, I surely as and humans, of course After all, they lory personally And let me assure you that he’s every bit as impressive as his hordes of worshipers would have you believe"

"Does Szass Tah to try to hide so this important from the archlich?"

"And he sent you here anyway," Sylora remarked

"Fear not, my lady Sylora," Hadencourt said with a deep bow "In this endeavor, I am subservient to Sylora Salm I am no spy, unless it’s your spy Such were my orders from Szass Tam, and I honor them with relish"

Her expression reflected her skepticism

"Greeth! Greeth!" Valindra chimed in

Sylora looked past the devil to the lich, and Hadencourt turned as well to regard her--fast enough to see a serious and cogent expression on Valindra’s face, albeit briefly, before she tittered and floated away

Grinning knowingly--the lich wasn’t as insane as she let on--Hadencourt faced Sylora once more

"Were I a demon of the Abyss, you would be correct in your doubts, I expect," Hadencourt said "But consider e One does not survive the Nine Hells with subterfuge, but with obedience I accepta laugh froained "Surely you will not expect me to submit to the commands of one of these mortal Ashmadai"

"You will rereed

"Well, then, with your leave, I’ll return toSylora’s nod, turned to leave

"If you wish to truly serve as one more than a couple of steps, "you will relieve me of that nuisance Dahlia"

Hadencourt turned a sly eye Sylora’s way "Szass Ta her fate"

"Szass Tam didn’t understand the depths of her traitorous ways, then"

They exchanged nods

"With pleasure, my lady Sylora," Hadencourt the war devil said

Sylora Salh experience with devils to know he rowled the Ashmadai warrior, Jestry "I have earned this moment, and you would seehis breath out in angry gasps as he considered the huddled, ash-covered zo for the walls of Neverwinter They were soreat volcanic eruption that had buried Neverwinter a decade before They sees, or human children, for the molten fires had shriveled their forht," Sylora replied "Not fully, at least All that we send in will be destroyed"

"I’er to die, Jestry?"

The Ashmadai warrior went to strict attention "If in the service of od Asmodeus--"

"Oh, shut up, fool," Sylora said

Jestry blinked in astonishht you ofyou to the Nine Hells personally, and iht for him, fearlessly, but not to die for hi and wanting are two different things," Sylora interrupted "Pray do sort out that difference, Jestry I expect you to die in service to me, if it’s necessary I don’t want you to die in service to me--not yet, at least--and surely I don’t want you to want to die in service to anyone else, and if you do then know that there will be ralower "If you die, I can raise your corpse," she explained, and ht "When I come to believe that you will be of more service to me as such, I’ll kill you myself, I pro, "Yes, aze went back to the northwest, to the distant torch lights ," Sylora bade hi the other way, to the south and deeper into the forest

"My lady?"

"Be quick"

"But … the battle against Neverwinter?"

"The servants of Szass Tam know theirJestry, after another longing look to the distant torchlight, scralea zoical scepter, and through it willed the zo They ran on all fours to the distant wall, oblivious to the ht on theseveral of the hunched forle

A group co soldiers ran up beside Valindra, but didn’t pass