The Last Threshold (Neverwinter #4)(59)

“Need I?” Kimmuriel replied.

Klutarch looked surprised, but Beniago, of course, knew the truth of it.

“Well, they’re—” Klutarch started.

“Irrelevant,” Beniago finished for him. “Our good friend Kimmuriel here has just informed us that Bregan D’aerthe’s return to Luskan will signal the ascent of Ship Kurth above the others. The other high captains will agree, or their successors will.”

It took a moment for Klutarch to digest that, judging by his expression, but when he caught on to the implications behind the confident statement, his face brightened, albeit briefly.

Briefly, for clearly implied in Beniago’s words loomed a similar threat against House Kurth.

“We should go to High Captain Kurth,” Klutarch said.

“You go,” Kimmuriel answered, and he turned to stare at Beniago, who cleared his throat and waved Klutarch away.

“There is more, then?” Beniago asked when he was alone with the dark elves.

“You grow comfortable in your light skin, I see,” Kimmuriel replied.

With a chuckle, Beniago reached up and pulled off his earring, dispelling the illusion, and he stood before Kimmuriel in his true drow form.

“Kurth will agree,” Kimmuriel stated more than asked.

“He is stubborn and headstrong, but ultimately pragmatic,” Beniago answered anyway.

“If he doesn’t, are you ready to assume the mantle of high captain?”

Beniago wasn’t thrilled at that prospect, but said, “As you command, of course.”

“Let us hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Then there is more,” Beniago reasoned

“Your cousin, Tiago Baenre, has settled in with the Xorlarrins in the ruins of Gauntlgrym,” Kimmuriel explained. “Their expedition appears to be going along splendidly.”

“Thus, Bregan D’aerthe’s renewed interest in the region.”

“Of course, but there is a potential problem. Your cousin Tiago has taken an interest with a rogue from Menzoberranzan known to be wandering the region.”

Beniago sighed, understanding the implications all too well. “Drizzt Do’Urden will kill him, and Quenthel will go to war over it.”

“And war, in this case, is not good for business,” said Kimmuriel.

“What would you have me do?”

“Get Drizzt out of the way.”

Beniago looked at his leader with incredulity, and not a small amount of terror. Drizzt would prove formidable enough by himself, of course, as Beniago knew from personal experience, and even more so given the characters with whom he had surrounded himself, and even if Beniago—Beniago Baenre—could somehow find a way to dispatch the rogue, Jarlaxle had made it quite clear to all of them that such an event would trigger harsh retribution. No drow, particularly no drow of Bregan D’aerthe, cared to cross Jarlaxle.

“Not to kill him, you fool,” Kimmuriel remarked, and Beniago breathed a sigh of relief.

“Be clever,” Kimmuriel explained. “Find a way to keep Drizzt and Tiago apart, for the foreseeable future at least.”

“You could go to Tiago.”

“We have,” said Kimmuriel. “Jarlaxle himself spoke with him.”

“And he is as stubborn, prideful, and headstrong as ever,” Beniago presumed. Kimmuriel didn’t bother responding, so Beniago asked, “Where is Drizzt?”

“In Port Llast.”

That perked up Beniago, for Port Llast was becoming the focus of the discussion about Luskan over the last few days. The situation had just become more complicated, he feared, but when he got past that initial reaction, he saw as well a glimmer of hope.

He was a lieutenant of Bregan D’aerthe, he reminded himself, and though with many peers, he was outranked only by Kimmuriel, Jarlaxle, and the independent Valas Hune in the organization’s hierarchy. Luskan was his post, and Luskan was about to become very, very important to the organization once more.

This was Beniago’s chance to elevate himself above the many other lieutenants. He wasn’t about to let his miserable cousin Tiago, whose father had betrayed Beniago and had him driven from the Baenre ranks to the waiting arms of Bregan D’aerthe in the first place, spoil it.

“Make Kurth agree,” Beniago bade Kimmuriel. “I can better serve our interests from my current position. Instruct Kurth to grant me leeway in negotiating the disposition of Port Llast.”

“You’re already plotting your course,” Kimmuriel said, and Beniago bowed at the compliment from this most intelligent and pragmatic drow.





“Problem?” Artemis Entreri asked Drizzt that night, the pair already a third of the way to Luskan despite their late start.

Drizzt rolled the figurine of the black panther over in his hands. “I don’t know.”

“You haven’t been calling her lately.”

“I haven’t seen the need.”

Entreri tapped him on the shoulder and forced him to look up, straight into the assassin’s doubting expression. “We’ve been in a dozen fights since you felled the sea devil on the docks.”

“I was often behind the wall, using a bow,” Drizzt replied.

“And often not.”

Drizzt sighed and nodded, unable to escape the accusation.