war of the spider queen 1 dissolution-第52章

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Pharaun　caught　hold　of　the　hem　of　Ryld's　piwafwi　and　glanced　around　at　Greyanna。　Her　face　a　mask　of　fury；　she　tossed　away　her　scroll；　which　was　likely　blank；　and　held　her　hands　high　to　receive　the　long　staff　materializing　from　some　extra　dimensional　storage。　He　could　see　why　she　wanted　the　instrunotment。　It　blazed　with　mystic　power；　but　it　was　also　slow　in　attaining　tanginotbility。　Some　chance　interaction　of　the　magical　energies　playing　about　the　battleground　was　retarding　its　transition　to　the　physical　plane。
Why；　then；　didn't　she　leave　off　summoning　it　and　attack　in　some　other　manner？　Why…
In　a　flash　of　inspiration；　the　answer　came　to　him；　and　it　was　astonishing。
But　he　was　scarcely　in　a　place　conducive　to　contemplation　of　his　disnotcovery；　and　it　was　time　to　remedy　that。　He　peered　at　the　brooch　he'd　taken　from　Relonor；　found　the　trigger　word　implicit　in　the　kaleidoscopic　pattern　shining　around　it；　and　spoke。





Greyanna　regarded　the　open　space　in　the　middle　of　the　ring　of　aimlessly　milling　skeletons；　and　the　stirges　swooping　and　wheeling　above。　A　moment　before；　Pharaun　and　his　hulking　acplice　had　been　standing　there；　but　they　were　gone。　If　her　eyes　had　not　deceived　her；　her　brother　had　flashed　her　that　old　familiar　mocking　grin　as　he　vanished。　How　dare　he　smirk　at　her　like　that　when　it　was　she　who　had　driven　him　from　House　Mizzrym！
She　regarded　her　iron　staff；　taller　than　she　was；　square　in　cross…section；　graven　with　hundreds　of　tiny　runes；　and　warm　as　blood　to　the　touch。　The　weapon　had　failed　her。　She　trembled　with　the　impulse　to　swing　it　over　her　head　and　smash　it　against　the　stone　beneath　her　feet　until　it　was　defaced；　deformed；　and　useless。
She　didn't；　because　she　knew　Pharaun's　escape　was　really　her　fault；　not　the　staff's。　She　should　have　summoned　the　weapon　sooner。　She　should　have　been　more　aggressive　with　the　sack。　Damn　this　degrading　and　inexnotplicable　season！　Because　of　its　vicissitudes；　her　mother　had　instructed　her　to　play　the　miser　with　every　personal　resource；　even　though　she　was　fightnoting　for　the　welfare　of　House　Mizzrym　and　all　Menzoberranzan。
Well；　she　wouldn't　make　the　same　mistake　next　time。　It　was　her　renotsponsibility　to　look　after　her　troops　and　return　them　to　the　castle。　She　dismounted；　squared　her　shoulders；　put　on　a　calm；　manding　expresnotsion；　and　proceeded　with　the　business　at　hand。
Neither　of　the　twins　were　hurt；　and　her　cousin　Aunrae　merely　needed　the　ball　of　darkness　around　her　head　dispelled。　It　was　Relonor　who　connotcerned　Greyanna；　but　fortunately　the　mage　was　still　alive。　A　healing　potion　mended　him　sufficiently　to　stand；　clutching　his　sash　so　it　wouldn't　slip　off　and　shrugging　out　of　his　ice…encrusted　cloak。
While　the　twins　helped　Relonor　hobble　about　and　so　restore　his　circunotlation；　Aunrae　came　sidling　up　to　Greyanna。　To　her　cousin's　admittedly　jaundiced　eye；　in　Aunrae　the　usual　Mizzrym　tendency　to　leanness　had　run　to　a　grotesque　extreme。　The　younger　female　resembled　a　stick　insect。
〃My　miseration　on　your　failure；〃　Aunrae　said。
Her　expression　was　grave；　but　she　wasn't　really　trying　to　hide　the　smile　lurking　underneath。
〃I　didn't　realize　just　how　powerful　Pharaun　has　bee；〃　Greyanna　adnotmitted。　〃Before　his　exile；　he　was　quite　petent　but　nothing　extraordinotnary。　It　was　his　cunning　that　made　him　so　dangerous。　I　see　that　all　the　decades　in　Tier　Breche　have　turned　him　into　one　of　the　most　formidable　wizards　in　the　city。　That　plicates　things；　but　I'll　manage。〃
〃I　hope　the　matron　will　forgive　you　your　ignorance；〃　Aunrae　said。　〃You've　wasted　so　much　magic　to　no　effect。〃
The　conjured　skeletons　and　stirges　began　to　wink　out　of　existence；　leavnoting　a　residue　of　magic　energy。　The　air　seemed　to　tingle　and　buzz；　though　if　a　person　stopped　and　listened；　it　really　wasn't。
〃Is　that　how　you　see　it？〃　Greyanna　asked。
Aunrae　shrugged。　〃I'm　just　worried　she'll　feel　you　bungled　things；　that　your　hatred　of　Pharaun　made　you　blind　and　clumsy。　She　might　even　decide　someone　else　is　more　deserving　of　the　preeminence　you　currently　possess。　Of　course；　I　hope　not！　You　know　I　wish　you　well。　My　plan　for　my　future　has　always　been　to　supp