Speak! Ynvanah's voice fairly shrieked.

Cyznul quickened his pace, shoving his way through the commotion in the bazaar. So edgy was he that he fried a goblin for bumping into him. Taking one look at the charred heap and how the rest of the commoners scrambled away from him, he breathed and forced himself to relax.

We have completed the task, matron mother, he replied.

A brief pause of astonishment. Already?

I have placed a location spell on our mercenary.

Cyznul sensed the tacit approval from the other end.

... But I have my suspicions.

He could imagine Ynvanah tensing.

Our mercenary is either a double agent for us or for Zeerith. I warn you to tread carefully.

I'm always careful, insolent male, her voice growled. And I heed no one but Lolth. Come to me with your sniveling weaknesses when you have actual evidence.

The link terminated. Cyznul grimaced. Despite her brusque words, he felt his mother's fear.

_________________

Xarw quickly looked at Cyznul whom seemed to be out of it, by that he meant in his thoughts and he seemed to have little attention to the surrounding world. There was something worrying about that, but he didn`t put it on further notice and smirked slightly.

"So Cyznul... are you ready to your part of your family`s duty?"

Xarw broke the silence with the question.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"We are returning to House Vren'arach." Cyznul gestured at the row of compounds beyond the bazaar. "And you, mercenary, will earn your payment there. But first of all..." He turned with a sudden idea.

"How many mages and soldiers does Xorlarrin have?" he asked, curious.

_________________

"Enough..."

Xarw said mysteriously and then looked at Cyznul with smirk.

"How many do you have?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

At this Cyznul decided to lay the blame on his mother. "If Ynvanah should wish to impart that trivial detail on you, she may. I am but a lowling male with no liberties whatsoever."

It was then that he saw the smoke and flashes of light flaring out from across the cavern, where his house compound was. He touched his Vren'arach insignia and levitated up to get a better view. What he saw quickened his heartbeat. House Vren'arach was obscured in a thick black smoke penetrated only by sporadic flashes of magic. He was surprised by the way his stomach lurched at the sight.

Cyznul! Cyznul! his younger sister Qushamen's voice sounded in his head.

House Vren'arach...?

Under attack, she moaned. Come quickly. Matron mother and Vushaz bid you hurry.

Beckoning at Xarw, Cyznul set off at a rapid pace down the street.

_________________

Xarw follow Cyznul, but before the gates someone whistled to get his attention and he stopped to look at a man by the shadows. It was another spy from Bregan D`aerthe, but Xarw hadn`t known of the attack so they warned him now.

The last thing the mathron mother would do, would be killing Xarw in a painful way he thought as he greeted the spy.

"An attack by a lower house?"

"Perhaps... but we have things under control..."

"Jarlaxle?"

"There where he always happens to be in situations like this..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Cyznul hadn't noticed that Xarw wasn't behind him anymore. He stumbled in the smoke, trying to catch a glimpse of the rival house's insignias. At last he gave up and levitated upward. In his magic-enhanced vision the wards of House Vren'arach shone red and green. Those around the adamantine outer walls had already been dispelled. Now only the higher inner wall stood between the assaulters and their victory. He frowned at the sheer numbers of the enemy. He could find no reason why a ruling house would want to destroy Vren'arach, unless Lolth had commanded it. If it was a lesser house, it had been bolstered by an outside ally.

He looked behind to make sure Xarw was at the moment still loyal. He saw him standing by the gates.

"Xarw!" he called. "Get up here!"

_________________

Xarw looked at the spy with grin as he shrugged and rushed up the walls, he ran to Cyznul, but stopped at a safe distance.

"What?"

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"You serve Vren'arach," Cyznul reminded the mercenary. Using his insignia to get him past the wards, he cast a spell that transported both he and Xarw to the Vren'arach balcony.

His older sister Vushaz and his younger Belwore barely glanced at him as he landed. Vushaz was clothed in her full battle gear. She held a wicked mace in one hand and her viper whip in the other. The six serpents on the end hissed into the house weapons master's face.

"Are you so incompetent that you cannot even hold the outer wall?" she terrorized. Her vipers wound around the male's neck.

"Forgive... me...."

"Vushaz," Belwore said. "Cyznul and our mercenary are back."

The weapons master fled as soon as Vushaz turned away. The high priestess rounded on Cyznul. "Which house is attacking?" she fairly screamed in his ear.

"How should I know?" Cyznul, greatly daring, retorted. "I can tell you which houses are not attacking - "

She slapped him three times across the face, stinging blows that rocked him backward. Her vipers drew level with his eyes and flicked their tongues disdainfully at him.

"Find out then!" she shrieked. "And you!" She slapped Xarw once and not nearly as hard as she had Cyznul. At this critical moment she could not afford to alienate Bregan D'aerthe. "Go with him!"

_________________

"I think not..."

Xarw retoted with a relaxed stance as he tookout symbol from his pocket that he had picked off a dead soldier.

"I found that off a corpse there..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Vushaz tore the brooch from Xarw's hand. Her eyes widened at the sight of it. All color drained out of her face.

"What?" Belwore said in alarm, moving to her sister's side.

"No..." Vushaz moaned in despair.

"Has the fickle Spider Queen condemned us then?" Cyznul said with fine irony. He was startled at the own bitterness in his tone.

"Barrison Del'Armgo, Second House of Menzoberranzan," Belwore breathed. "Dark Mother help us."

_________________

"Well... upstarts are being watched very carefully and you seemed like a threat so we decided destroy you ..."

Xarw said with a calm voice.

"After this night Barison will have gotten rid of 2 significant competitors, you the upstarts and the fourth house that planned to destroy them in time... of course all the aid came from us.."

Xarw smiled grimly as he pulled out his dagger and stabbed Belwore in the throat as other Bregan D`aerthe soldier surrounded them.

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

"Traitor!" Vushaz snarled, her scourge cracking. The fangs of the six vipers each sank into six individual drow. "You dare to attack a high priestess, a mistress of Arach-Tinilith!" She chanted a spell. Darkness roiled at her fingertips, then swiftly vanished. She shrieked and her whip cracked again.

Cyznul stood off to the side, watching all this. Lolth had stopped granting her high priestess spells. It could only mean one thing. He sent a link out to his mother. Ynvanah? Where are you?

He received only silence. Ynvanah's mind had fled this plane. The high priestess of Vren'arach was dying, the matron mother already dead. Lolth had turned her back on House Vren'arach.

"Cyznul!" Vushaz shouted.

Cyznul said nothing, made no move to help his sister. "Farewell Vushaz," he murmured, and teleported.

_________________

Xarw smiled as he heard the word traitor.

"I am no traitor, but a soldier just following orders..."

He saw Cyznul teleport away and smiled.

"Our mages will get him... now stand down and surrender so that we can spare your life giving you a deal that will keep you alive... if you won`t then you will die..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!

Vushaz's whip stilled. The six vipers flicked their tongues in agitation. But the former mistress of Arach-Tinilith was still a drow, bred to the ways of treachery like any other drow.

"Tell me more."

--------

After casting a number of wards on his person that would make him invulnerable to scrying and detection, Cyznul perched atop a stalagmite and watched the destruction of House Vren'arach. Barrison Del'Armgo and Bregan D'aerthe would be after him, he knew. But for a strange reason he could not tear his gaze from the house that had once been his home.

Petty sentiments.

Cyznul was no longer a noble with a house to defend him. Should he return to Sorcere, every apprentice and master would be after him. Lrekial would be laughing now if he could see this.

There was only one choice left available to him.

He scanned the battlefield for a glimpse of Jarlaxle.

_________________

Currently Jaraxle was sitting lazyly in the dead mathron mothers chair as Xarw and Vushaz arrived with guards, Xarw leaned on the wall in his ordinary way and then smiled as Jarlaxle stood up.

"Welcome Vushaz... you are fortunate that it wasn`t you that Xarw`s dagger hit, but such acts are necesarry because Barison have their own demands in these issues... she was just too dangerous alive, but I understand you brother got away? Well he will be soon reached by our mages..."

---

Three figures sneaked near Cyznul after their teleportation and walked out in the open.

"We would very much appriciate if you joined us Cyznul, Jarlaxle wants to meet you..."

_________________

Let him curse my name
On these blood stained pages of misery
Let him call me a tyrant so cruel
Let him curse my name, but remember the truth!