From: aaron@amisk.cs.ualberta.ca (Aaron V. Humphrey)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [MI][Demon Spiders]  House of Cards
Date: 10 Jan 94 23:13:39 GMT
Message-ID: <aaron.758243619@amisk.cs.ualberta.ca>


"So it seems you've been running in circles
 Now you can't even get to first base
 And you feel like the tide has turned against you
 Welcome to the human race."
   ---Timbuk 3, "Welcome To The Human Race"


Lately, Noctu thought, everything had been going wrong.

It had been a gradual downturn at first.  His attempt to use the necromancer
Nercrum against Hot Seccho of the Night Martens had backfired, and instead the
half-drow Bethor Rinch, whom Noctu had been grooming for leadership, had died
in an "accident".

This had been only the first of a series of Demon Spider infiltrators to meet
their deaths.  Noctu had been unable to determine who was responsibe for the
deaths, but suspected the Dark Blades, who seemed to have dropped out of
sight.

Then, only a couple of weeks ago, one of his operatives had found a package
containing several substances Noctu identified as native only to the
Underwurlde.  His initial excitement at discovering a link to his former home
palled when he could find no trace of those smuggling the material out.

And most recently, the rock that hit the Low City.  One of the Demon Spider
hideouts had been just underground there, and the impact had caused a cave-in
and the death of several, including his lieutenant, Shatoc.

The only thing that _had_ been going right, he reflected, was the task he was
performing for Lolth.  She had been willing to give him another chance after
his initial failure with the woman Elstree.  So, once Clivia was firmly in
charge of Stiletto, he put the object where Lolth had told him to place it,
and made sure it was guarded securely.  And these past months, he had been
given signs of Her approval.

He felt a presence outside his door.  It was not Shatoc.  Shatoc was dead, and
his replacement, Egochia, was still not comfortable in Noctu's presence. 
Well, he would be broken in in time.  "Come in," he said as Egochia was
raising his hand to knock.

"Someone to see you, sir," Egochia said deferentially.  "A woman.  She said
something about a nest."

"Send her in," Noctu said impatiently.  It would be a message from Clivia,
then.

The woman that entered was tall, lanky, and dark-skinned.  "You are..."

"Abayomi, sir," she said.  She seemed much less in awe of him than Egochia,
but she was still respectful.

"What news?"

"She said to tell you that she has seen the one who was at Yirma's.  The one
who didn't kill her when he had the chance."

Noctu sat immobile for several minutes.  Abayomi, to give her credit, remained
so for almost as long.

"You may go," he said finally.  "Tell her I will come to the nest tonight. 
And tell her that, if possible, he is to be watched."

"Yes, sir," she said.  She gave him a cursory bow and left.

After she left, he extinguished the light in the room.  The darkness made it
easier to think, but all his thoughts led to the same conclusion.  The
Trickster was making his move.  That was the only possible explanation for
Alfvaen's presence.

It was time to defend the nest.

-- 
--Alfvaen(Editor of Communique)
Current Album--Bruce Cockburn:Nothing But A Burning Light
Current Read--Piers Anthony:Firefly
"trees are just canoes that haven't yet been reamed out" --finerty