Streams of Silver - Chapter Nine
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i_read_whatLast time, we had fucking Harpells. This time, god willing, we'll have no fucking Harpells. That will already improve this chapter by a factor of ten.
So we join Jierdan, who is back at his post beside the Nightkeeper. This is good timing because it puts him in a position to receive some very interesting information. A troupe from Ten Towns has just arrived: they haven't rested in two days, and they've had a murder and a kidnapping. They name the victim: Catti-brie, daughter of Bruenor Battlehammer.
On the plus side, it sounds like Entreri's attempt to frame Catti-brie was unsuccessful. On the downside, more villains now know who she is, as Jierdan takes this information straight to the wizard, Dendybar.
Dendybar, for his part, is frustrated. They've lost the trail of Drizzt and the others. His mage underling Sydney hasn't been able to find a trace, but then perhaps she doesn't really have time, since Dendybar ALSO has her investigating Entreri. She reports that he's feared by ruffians and vagabonds, and guesses he's a hired killer from the south. She thinks Catti-brie is an unwilling companion, though "she has made no move to be free of him". This allows Jierdan a chance for a melodramatic entrance, and he takes it.
Jierdan passes along the info about Catti-brie, and Dendybar recognizes her name. He orders Sydney to bring Entreri to him, though Sydney has her doubts about her ability to do that. But then SHE lucks into something just as useful:
Apparently, Harkle Harpell (oh dear god) is a suitor of hers, and he's calling via crystal ball to give her the exciting news about his dark elf visitor. Sydney, described as "passionless", likes to keep Harkle dangling so she can use him. This is, of course, presented like a flaw of hers. I've always wondered about that kind of thing: why is the uninterested woman always blamed for stringing a guy along? Personally, I'd rather blame the guy for not wising up and realizing that if it hasn't happened yet, it's not going to happen.
Anyway, Sydney now knows where Drizzt is. Or was, two days ago. Fucking Harpells.
We scene transition to a familiar face; Whisper. I don't care what the book tells me, I still think she had every right to raise her prices once she knew who she was dealing with. She's still wearing the marks of her encounter with our "heroes": her nose is broken and disjointed, splayed across her cheek.
Entreri has come to her for information. Whisper warns her prices are high, but she realizes quickly that the only reward she'll get for cooperating is her life. She tells him that Bruenor has a map of the northland. When Entreri mocks her for letting them slip through her grasp after wounding her, but Whisper believes that our heroes are "too dangerous for actions of frivolous vengeance."
I like Whisper, she's smart and focused on self-preservation. It's a shame that's not going to save her.
Anyway, Entreri isn't stupid. He realizes that if someone like Whisper is cowed, then his opponents are dangerous. He's also seen the aftermath of Wulfgar's fight. And I am completely lost as to the timeline of anything! This sounds like Wulfgar and Drizzt and company JUST left Luskan, but I thought that was days ago!
Anyway, Whisper decides to give him a bit more information in the form of melodramatic character shilling:
"Fearless is the dwarf," Whisper offered, sensing his dismay and taking pleasure in furthering his discomfort. "And ware the drow, Artemis Entreri," she hissed pointedly, attempting to relegate him to a similar level of respect for the companions with the grimness of her tone. "He walks in shadows that we cannot see, and strikes from the darkness. He conjures a demon in the form of a great cat and -"
Entreri starts to leave, and Whisper tosses off a passing comment about how men don't come to her room uninvited, and she chooses her fight carefully. Then this happens:
She turned back to a small dressing table and took out the jar of unguent, quite pleased with herself. She examined her wound in the table's mirror. Not too bad. The salve would erase it as it had erased so many scars from the trials of her profession.
She understood her stupidity when she saw the shadow slip past her reflection in the mirror, and felt the brush of air at her back. Her business allowed no tolerance for errors, and offered no second chance. For the first and -last time in her life, Whisper had let her pride rise above her judgment.
A final groan escaped her as the jeweled dagger sunk deeply into her back.
"I, too, choose my fights with care," Entreri whispered into her ear.
God damnit, Salvatore. There goes one of the few women we actually have in this series. Now we're stuck with Catti-brie, who you won't allow to be effective, and Sydney, who is a simple henchwoman. I suppose if I were to be generous, I could count a Harpell, but notice something about the ones with speaking lines? Harkle, Regweld, the old dude?
All men.
And for the life of me, I'm still not sure what "mistake" Whisper made here. She gave him all of the information he wanted to know. If anything, her real mistake was meeting Bruenor and Drizzt to begin with. (And she WAS justified in raising her prices, given that dealing with them got her murdered!)
The next morning, we have Entreri at the Hosttower. He doesn't want to be there, but he's running out of options. He's sure his quarry has left Luskan. Catti-brie is with him. (Where was she when he was with Whisper? Did she try to escape or send a warning?)
Dendybar notes that they've left the city "as long as a week ago". Okay. Now I'm really lost. But it's good to have some measure of time frame. He wants an alliance with Entreri and has information to offer. In exchange, Entreri gives his name, though not his motivation for following our heroes. They do clarify that they're actually after different members of the group, and thus their interests aren't competitive. Dendybar has Sydney give over the information, which I won't repeat because we know it already.
Dendybar and Entreri have a bit of a pissing contest over whether or not Dendybar would be an effective traveling companion that turns out pointless because he's sending Sydney and Jierdan in his place. Sydney asks about Catti-brie, because she thinks the girl might be a liability. I hope she's right. Dendybar acknowledges her concern by ordering her to take a golem named Bok.
Oh, yay. Let's appropriate Jewish folklore now. I really wish fantasy writers would think of other names for their animated constructs.
Entreri and Catti-brie are both uneasy about this for different reasons, but Entreri does realize that the wizard probably has a way for him to catch up to the gang faster. They arrange to meet at night.
We skip ahead (after some little magicky bit where Dendybar strengthens his construct) to the departure. Sydney creates four magical horses (Bok can't ride), and Catti-brie makes a note to herself of the strained group dynamic, in hopes of eventually exploiting it, as the chapter ends.
I hope she gets that chance.
So we join Jierdan, who is back at his post beside the Nightkeeper. This is good timing because it puts him in a position to receive some very interesting information. A troupe from Ten Towns has just arrived: they haven't rested in two days, and they've had a murder and a kidnapping. They name the victim: Catti-brie, daughter of Bruenor Battlehammer.
On the plus side, it sounds like Entreri's attempt to frame Catti-brie was unsuccessful. On the downside, more villains now know who she is, as Jierdan takes this information straight to the wizard, Dendybar.
Dendybar, for his part, is frustrated. They've lost the trail of Drizzt and the others. His mage underling Sydney hasn't been able to find a trace, but then perhaps she doesn't really have time, since Dendybar ALSO has her investigating Entreri. She reports that he's feared by ruffians and vagabonds, and guesses he's a hired killer from the south. She thinks Catti-brie is an unwilling companion, though "she has made no move to be free of him". This allows Jierdan a chance for a melodramatic entrance, and he takes it.
Jierdan passes along the info about Catti-brie, and Dendybar recognizes her name. He orders Sydney to bring Entreri to him, though Sydney has her doubts about her ability to do that. But then SHE lucks into something just as useful:
Apparently, Harkle Harpell (oh dear god) is a suitor of hers, and he's calling via crystal ball to give her the exciting news about his dark elf visitor. Sydney, described as "passionless", likes to keep Harkle dangling so she can use him. This is, of course, presented like a flaw of hers. I've always wondered about that kind of thing: why is the uninterested woman always blamed for stringing a guy along? Personally, I'd rather blame the guy for not wising up and realizing that if it hasn't happened yet, it's not going to happen.
Anyway, Sydney now knows where Drizzt is. Or was, two days ago. Fucking Harpells.
We scene transition to a familiar face; Whisper. I don't care what the book tells me, I still think she had every right to raise her prices once she knew who she was dealing with. She's still wearing the marks of her encounter with our "heroes": her nose is broken and disjointed, splayed across her cheek.
Entreri has come to her for information. Whisper warns her prices are high, but she realizes quickly that the only reward she'll get for cooperating is her life. She tells him that Bruenor has a map of the northland. When Entreri mocks her for letting them slip through her grasp after wounding her, but Whisper believes that our heroes are "too dangerous for actions of frivolous vengeance."
I like Whisper, she's smart and focused on self-preservation. It's a shame that's not going to save her.
Anyway, Entreri isn't stupid. He realizes that if someone like Whisper is cowed, then his opponents are dangerous. He's also seen the aftermath of Wulfgar's fight. And I am completely lost as to the timeline of anything! This sounds like Wulfgar and Drizzt and company JUST left Luskan, but I thought that was days ago!
Anyway, Whisper decides to give him a bit more information in the form of melodramatic character shilling:
"Fearless is the dwarf," Whisper offered, sensing his dismay and taking pleasure in furthering his discomfort. "And ware the drow, Artemis Entreri," she hissed pointedly, attempting to relegate him to a similar level of respect for the companions with the grimness of her tone. "He walks in shadows that we cannot see, and strikes from the darkness. He conjures a demon in the form of a great cat and -"
Entreri starts to leave, and Whisper tosses off a passing comment about how men don't come to her room uninvited, and she chooses her fight carefully. Then this happens:
She turned back to a small dressing table and took out the jar of unguent, quite pleased with herself. She examined her wound in the table's mirror. Not too bad. The salve would erase it as it had erased so many scars from the trials of her profession.
She understood her stupidity when she saw the shadow slip past her reflection in the mirror, and felt the brush of air at her back. Her business allowed no tolerance for errors, and offered no second chance. For the first and -last time in her life, Whisper had let her pride rise above her judgment.
A final groan escaped her as the jeweled dagger sunk deeply into her back.
"I, too, choose my fights with care," Entreri whispered into her ear.
God damnit, Salvatore. There goes one of the few women we actually have in this series. Now we're stuck with Catti-brie, who you won't allow to be effective, and Sydney, who is a simple henchwoman. I suppose if I were to be generous, I could count a Harpell, but notice something about the ones with speaking lines? Harkle, Regweld, the old dude?
All men.
And for the life of me, I'm still not sure what "mistake" Whisper made here. She gave him all of the information he wanted to know. If anything, her real mistake was meeting Bruenor and Drizzt to begin with. (And she WAS justified in raising her prices, given that dealing with them got her murdered!)
The next morning, we have Entreri at the Hosttower. He doesn't want to be there, but he's running out of options. He's sure his quarry has left Luskan. Catti-brie is with him. (Where was she when he was with Whisper? Did she try to escape or send a warning?)
Dendybar notes that they've left the city "as long as a week ago". Okay. Now I'm really lost. But it's good to have some measure of time frame. He wants an alliance with Entreri and has information to offer. In exchange, Entreri gives his name, though not his motivation for following our heroes. They do clarify that they're actually after different members of the group, and thus their interests aren't competitive. Dendybar has Sydney give over the information, which I won't repeat because we know it already.
Dendybar and Entreri have a bit of a pissing contest over whether or not Dendybar would be an effective traveling companion that turns out pointless because he's sending Sydney and Jierdan in his place. Sydney asks about Catti-brie, because she thinks the girl might be a liability. I hope she's right. Dendybar acknowledges her concern by ordering her to take a golem named Bok.
Oh, yay. Let's appropriate Jewish folklore now. I really wish fantasy writers would think of other names for their animated constructs.
Entreri and Catti-brie are both uneasy about this for different reasons, but Entreri does realize that the wizard probably has a way for him to catch up to the gang faster. They arrange to meet at night.
We skip ahead (after some little magicky bit where Dendybar strengthens his construct) to the departure. Sydney creates four magical horses (Bok can't ride), and Catti-brie makes a note to herself of the strained group dynamic, in hopes of eventually exploiting it, as the chapter ends.
I hope she gets that chance.
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Date: 2020-06-23 06:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2020-06-23 09:01 pm (UTC)