war of the spider queen 1 dissolution-第133章

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put　me　to　the　question；　employing　whips　and　other　toys。　Somehow　I　managed　to　resist　the　urge　to　make　a　spurious　confession　merely　to　stop　the　pain。　A　fellow　wizard　cast　a　mind…reading　spell；　only　to　slap　up　against　the　denotfenses　most　mages　erect　to　protect　their　thoughts。　I　imagine　an　illithid　would　have　smashed　right　through；　but　he　was　unequal　to　the　challenge。〃
〃Then　you　passed　the　test？〃　Syrzan　asked。
〃Alas；　no；〃　Pharaun　laughed。　〃The　examiners　deemed　the　results　innotconclusive　and　accordingly　asked　a　higher　power　to　make　the　determinanottion。　They　laid　me　on　an　obsidian　altar；　performed　a　dancing；　keening；　self…mutilating　ritual　together；　and　the　torture　chamber　faded　away。　You'd　think　I　would　have　been　glad　of　it；　wouldn't　you；　but　my　new　surroundings　were　no　less　ominous。〃
Pharaun's　captors　had　ignored　his　silver　ring；　obviously　thinking　it　mere　jewelry；　if　they　noticed　it　at　all。　As　soon　as　he'd　looked　at　Syrzan；　he'd　disnotcovered　its　magic　operated　even　within　the　confines　of　the　lich's　phantasnotmal　creation。　He　forced　an　idea　into　his　subconscious　and　continued　to　prattle。
〃The　priestesses　had　drugged　me　to　prevent　my　resisting　their　attennottions；　then　used　me　with　considerable　brutality。　It　took　me　a　while　just　to　lift　my　battered　head　and　look　around。　When　I　did；　I　perceived　that　I　lay　atop　an　enormous　object　with　the　shape　of　a　staffer　length　of　cord　made　of　a　substance　that　gave　ever　so　slightly　but　was　as　strong　as　adamantine　nonetheless。　Otherwise；　it　would　have　disintegrated　under　its　own　weight。　Far　ahead；　my　perch　fused　at　right　angles　with　another　such　object；　which　connected　with　still　others；　the　pattern　spreading　out　to　form；　I　suddenly　realized；　a　spiderweb　of　insane　plexity；　huge　enough　to　make　a　world。　If　it　was　attached　to　anything；　the　anchor　points　were　too　distant　for　me　to　see。　Perhaps　it　just　went　on　and　on　forever。〃
〃The　Demonweb；〃　Syrzan　said。
Pharaun　surreptitiously　examined　his　captor's　talismans；　using　the　magic　in　the　silver　ring；　trying　to　figure　out　which　one　would　allow　an　il…lithid　to　send　a　psionic　〃Call〃　to　every　ore　and　goblin　in　Menzoberranzan。
〃Very　good；〃　the　mage　said。　〃I　see　you　were　paying　attention　when　your　teachers　discoursed　on　the　sundry　planes　of　existence。　I　was　indeed　exiled　to　that　layer　of　the　Abyss　where　Lolth　holds　sway。　I　remembered　hearing　that　the　strands　of　the　web　were　hollow　and　that　much　of　the　life　of　the　place　existed　inside。　Well；　I　certainly　couldn't　see　any　source　of　food　or　water　on　the　outside；　let　alone　a　portal　to　take　me　home；　so；　still　dazed　and　sick　from　the　clerics'　attentions；　I　started　crawling　and　searching　for　a　means　of　entry。
〃Eventually；　I　might　have　found　one；　but　I　ran　out　of　time。　The　strand　I　was　traversing　began　to　tremble。　I　peered　about　and　saw　her　scuttling　toward　me。〃
〃Lolth？〃　Syrzan　asked。
〃Who　else？　Her　priestesses　say　she　travels　her　domain　in　a　mobile　iron　fortress；　but　she　must　have　left　it　behind　that　day。　I　beheld　the　goddess　herself　in　the　guise　of　a　spider　as　huge　as　the　Great　Mound　of　the　Baenre。　She's　appeared　to　others　in　the　same　shape　only　smaller；　but　she　was　colosnotsal　when　she　came　for　me。
〃I　was　terrified；　but　what　was　one　to　do　about　it？　Run？　Fight？　Either　effort　would　have　been　equally　absurd。　I　exercised　the　only　sensible　option。　I　huddled　atop　the　thread　and　covered　my　eyes。
〃Alas；　she　denied　me　the　forts　of　blindness。　Her　will　took　hold　of　me　and　forced　me　to　look　up。　She　was　looming　over　me；　staring　down　with　a　circle　of　luminous　ruby　orbs。
〃I　felt　as　if　her　gaze　was　not　merely　piercing　but　dissolving　me。　The　sennotsation　was　intolerable；　I　wanted　to　die；　and　in　a　way；　she　granted　my　wish。
〃Her　legs　were　immense；　but　they　tapered　to　points　at　the　ends；　and；　moving　with　a　dainty　precision；　she　used　the　two　front…most　members　to　dissect　me。　Did　the　process　kill　me？　I　don't　know。　By　all　rights；　it　should　have；　but　if　I　lost　my　life；　my　spirit　lingered　in　my　divided　flesh；　still　sufnotfering　the　horror　and　pain。
〃My　soul　was　conscious；　too；　of　its　own　destruction。　Somehow；　as　the　Spider　Queen　picked　apart　my　flesh　and　bones；　she　wa