war of the spider queen 1 dissolution-第114章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


Abruptly　the　Baenre　realized　her　thoughts　were　nudging　her　out　of　the　desired　state。　Vlondril　had　also　said　that　was　always　the　way。　The　mind　didn't　like　to　hush。　It　wanted　to　babble。　Quenthel　took　another　deep；　slow　breath；　exhaled　it　through　her　mouth；　and　expelled　that　importunate　inner　voice　along　with　it。
Time　passed。　She　had　no　idea　how　much　time；　nor；　immersed　in　the　meditation；　did　she　care。　The　temple　was　utterly　silent；　which　surely　meant　that　most　everyone　had　exited；　or　perhaps；　in　one　or　two　instances；　perished。
Gradually　it　dawned　on　Quenthel　that　her　trance　wasn't　quite　perfect。　The　dead　quiet；　proof　that　all　instruction；　prayers；　and　rituals　had　ceased；　irked　her　just　a　little；　and　she　doubted　she　could　purge　that　final　hint　of　emotion。　She　cared　too　much　about　her　role　of　Mistress　of　Arach…Tinilith。　She'd　e　to　the　Academy　intent　on　making　it　grander　and　more　effective　than　ever　before。　Thus　would　she　honor　Lolth　and　demonstrate　her　fitness　to　one　day　rule　the　entire　city。　Instead；　she'd　presided　over　an　extended　disnotaster；　regular　functions　disrupted；　residents　battered　or　even　dead。
It　galled　her　to　think　how　many　of　her　sister　nobles　would　blame　her；　but　she　knew　it　wasn't　her　fault。　It　was　in　large　measure　the　fault　of　the　teachers　and　students　themselves。　Most　who　had　perished　earned　their　denotstruction　by　dint　of　their　idiotic　little　mutiny；　and　actually；　that　was　as　it　should　be。　The　traitors　had　violated　the　precepts　of　Lolth。
Indeed；　when　Quenthel　thought　about　it；　the　real　misfortune　might　be　that　weaklings　like　Jyslin　and　Minolin　were　still　alive。　They　were　cowards　and　whiners；　unfit；　but　they'd　survive　merely　because　the　manifestation　of　evil　hadn't　passed　their　way；　and　because　the　Baenre　herself　had　sent　them　to　safety。　Perhaps　that　had　been　a　mistake。
Quenthel　realized　she　was　ruminating　once　more。　With　an　effort　of　will　she　arrested　the　internal　monologue。　For　a　few　seconds。
But　as　Vlondril　had　taught　her；　it　was　devilishly　hard　to　attain　passivity　by　straining　for　it。　Besides；　Quenthel　was　pondering　important　matters；　new　insights　that　would　guide　her　steps　in　the　days　to　e。
If　preserving　even　the　most　worthless　specimens　of　her　flock　constituted　an　error；　at　least　it　was　one　she　could　rectify。　She'd　already　slaughtered　the　mutineers。　How　easy；　then；　it　would　be　to　butcher　those　who　lacked　even　the　spirit　to　rebel。　She　imagined　herself　stalking　among　her　underlings；　peering　into　their　eyes；　swinging　the　whip　whenever　she　discerned　inadenotquacy。　The　trance　state　facilitated　visualization；　and　the　fantasy　was　as　vivid　as　life。　She　smelled　the　blood　and　felt　it　splatter　her　face。　The　muscles　of　her　whip　arm　clenched　and　relaxed。
Quenthel　could　kill　everyone　if　necessary。　She'd　enjoy　it；　and　perhaps　when　the　clergy　was　pure　and　strong　again；　Lolth　would　condescend　to　speak。
If　not；　that　might　mean　that　all　Menzoberranzan　required　cleansing；　benotginning　with　the　First　House。　Quenthel　would　usurp　pathetic；　indecisive　Triel's　throne…not　in　a　hundred　years　but　now；　and　preparation　be　damned。　Then；　the　very　next　day；　she　and　her　kin　would　wage　a　war　of　exnottermination　on　the　thousands　who　served　the　goddess　and　her　chosen　prophet　with　false　hearts　or　insufficient　zeal。
How　glorious　it　would　be；　and　it　could　begin　as　soon　as　she　ferreted　out　the　first　weakling。　Her　fingers　closed　on　the　haft　of　her　whip；　or　rather　they　tried　and　in　so　doing　reminded　her　that　she　was　in　reality　holding　the　thin　bone　wand。
She'd　forgotten　all　about　the　magical　artifact　and　the　demon　as　well；　and　she　could　only　think　of　one　explanation。　Despite　her　vigilance；　the　spirit　had　managed　to　possess　her　without　her　realizing　it。
For　without　its　influence；　those　thoughts　would　never　have　occurred　to　her。　Destroy　her　own　followers？　Try　to　murder　Triel　without　the　vaguest　semblance　of　a　strategy；　and　fight　virtually　every　other　House　in　the　city　at　once？
It　wasn't　the　prospect　of　wholesale　bloodshed　that　dismayed　her…war　and　torture　were　her　birthright　and　often　her　delight…but　this　was　evil　without　sense；　a　delirium　that　would　surely　destroy　her　and　conceiv