A/N: Took my pretty long to update again, eh? I just hope my Muse won't for a gods-know-how-long holidays again. However, I'm starting university in the end of September (by the way, September 26th happens to be my 20th birthday), so I'll try to write next chapter before it starts. *fingers crossed*

And as always - if you spot any mistakes, please, notify me about it, so I can correct it. Thanks in advance!

Disclaimer: I own nothing, just Elvorfiring Greyn and this fanfic, along with some stuff are completely just my fault. Damn!

Ties closing

"I take it that you are Aarin Gend, the former spymaster of Lord Nasher?"

With wry smile he answered. "Yes, you're taking it correctly. Aarin Gend, the former spymaster of the city of Neverwinter, pleased to meet you. Anything you need of me?"

Ayala nodded. "I needed to find you. Our..." she hesitated for a moment, "organization was searching for you several last weeks."

"And?"

She took a deep breath. Damn, she was used to deal with almost everyone - but this dark skinned man in front of her was making her feel nervous with his searching gaze. It was as if he was looking into her very soul in search of the truth she was trying to hide from him.

"We were told that you were close to Elvorfiring Greyn once."

She felt him tensing. His face remained the same as before but his voice carried some of the tension. "I would prefer to say that we still are close."

Nodding, she replied carefully. "Yes, that I can understand. However, we also have been told that she was in the ruins which are currently... more than just ruined." seeing him opening his mouth to speak she quickly added: "But I have some news for you about this matter."

This time Aarin didn't try to hide his nervousness. "Then stop plying cat and mouse! Speak finally!"

Ayala shook her head. "If you want to know where she is now, you should read this, master Gend." She handed him some book. He looked on the title. Shadows of Undrentide - Adventures of Elvorfiring Greyn and her faithful kobold companion by Deekin Scalesinger. Alarmed, he looked up to ask Ayala what the hell is this supposed to mean. But Ayala disappeared without traces, leaving Aarin with questions burning in his mouth.

o.O.o

Morning caught Aarin with deep shadows under his eyes, his mind troubled with the book he was reading throughout the night. 'So... Elvorfiring survived destruction of Netherese ruins and the Plane of Shadows... But where she's heading now?' He made up his mind. 'Tomorrow I'm leaving for coast. There I have better chance to hear about her...'

Garrick wasn't overly surprised when he told him about his departure. He looked him straight into eyes and told him: "Find her, master spy. Find her - and don't you dare to lose her from your sight again. She's a rare woman - it would be a shame, if you let her slip out from your reach."

Aarin gave him a weak smile. "If she'll have me, I'll never let her go again."

His friend just smiled knowingly. "Do you think that if she didn't loved you anymore, she would still wear the necklace you gave her?"

"That, my friend, I'm not sure anymore..."

Garrick had another thing for him. A teleport spell scroll Ayala left here. "You just need to think about the place where you would like to be - and the spell take you there." And so he used the spell to get to the City of Splendors, to Waterdeep.

o.O.o.O.o

She dreamed. In her rare sleeps she usualy dreamed about the places she visited. But now, she was in place she never visited - she was sure about it. Dark and with symbols of webs and spiders everywhere. Then she saw her, drow woman. Wearing a revealing armor and crown just added to the feel of authority the whip in her hand evoked.

She wasn't alone in the hall, there was also a group of other drow - mages and female assassins. And then she spoke; her voice carrying the traces of impatience and threat.

"Lu'oh verve yorn usstan inbal ulu kyorl, m'elzar?"

The mage before her replied in fearful tone while bowing deeply: "Fridj natha stath mzild klew'aren, jabbress."

The woman cracked her whip, while the mages were finishing the preparations. One of them was painting a big pentacle on the marble ground, while the others were liting up candles and chanting some complicated incantation. Their voices echoed in the hall. Then it was obviously finished, because the mage turned back to his mistress and said: "Ol zhah xunor, jabbress," and joined the chanting of the others, while moving his hands in complicated motions of spell Elvorfiring recognized as summoning spell. The next moment she felt herself tugged in the middle of the pentacle painted over the ground.

The woman watched her with a disbelief in her whole posture. "Vel'bol? Natha... natha kivvil?"

"Si...siyo, jabress," stuttered the mage. The woman looked to be disgusted for some reason Elvorfiring didn't understand at the moment. Before the mage could react, the woman waved her hands - and instead of the leader mage there was just a small pile of dust in front of her. Then her eyes focused on Elvorfiring once more. she spoke again, this time in Common:

"So... you are the one who's believed to be a menace to my power, to be the one whom I should be wary of, surfacer... What is your name, jalil?"

'I guess it would be pointless to tell her that I have been here all the time, wouldn't it?' But then, Elvorfiring looked straight into the drow woman's eyes and answered her question in drow, in language her father taught her: "F'sarn Elvorfiring Greyn, jalil. Lueth dos alur tlu kyone, jalil - ka dos inbal natha sanrr whol ol."

In the cold eyes of the woman appeared a small trace of respect. "I'll take that into my consideration, Elvorfiring Greyn. But you should be more wary of me than I of you..." She felt herself slipping out. Only the voice of the drow woman echoed in her ears. "You shall find out soon enough. Until than, jalil..."

She opened her eyes, feeling something was wrong. The her ears caught a silent click of a lock being opened. Slowly turning her head to the side she saw a white-haired figure - 'a drow!' - crouching over the chest she locked her belongings in. Alarm rang loudly in her head when she jumped from her bed, just when the crouching figure made last move, the chest disappeared and the figure turned towards the bed with a dagger raised. Soon they were fighting, the assassin with a dangerous looking dagger and Elvorfiring with her bare hands. Then she managed to twist the dagger out of the assassin's hand - and then the assasin's death was a matter of a few moments. 'Gods... sometimes I have more good luck than good thoughts...'

Suddenly the door flew open, Tamsil - daughter of the owner of the inn - storming inside. "What hap..." Then her eyes noticed Elvorfiring lack of clothing and the dead drow on the floor.

"Gods, a drow in our inn?!"

"Yeah, a drow in your inn," replied Elvorfiring sarcastically. "She teleported my things gods know where and then tried to killl me. Was it an accident or did I do something what brought me this as a special treatment?"

Tamsil shot her an angry glare. "Elvorfiring - that's not funny! I'll have to tell my father about it - he will know what to do." With that she turned on her heel and wanted to leave the room, when Elvorfiring called her: "Hey, and what about my equipment? I can't just run all around wearing just my underwear."

Tamsil just stuck her head back to the room. "Oh, that. Father always has some equimpent in the armory just across this corridor. I'm sure you can use everything you wish from there." With that she finally disappeared, leaving Elvorfiring alone once more. So, she can get some new equipment, she thought - but all her things were gone. All she had was Deekin's book and amulet Aarin gave her. A small smile appeared on her lips; both of those things were important to her, each one in a special way. 'Where are you, Deekin? And where are you right now, my love?'

Walking to the armory she was told about she chose her new equipment carefully. She was going to miss her Greenleaf armor or her rapier - but things she found here weren't as bad as she feared. Going back to her room she found another thing the assasin left there - the Reaper's Relic. She felt a shiver travelling down her spine but then she just stuck it into her pocket and went downstairs. It's time to meet Durnan and tell him what she thinks about being ambushed by drow assassins.

Translation from drow (thanks to House Maerdyn):

Lu'oh verve yorn usstan inbal ulu kyorl, m'elzar? - How long will I have to wait, mage?

Fridj natha stath mzild klew'aren, jabbress. - Just a few more moments, mistress.

Ol zhah xunor, jabbress. - It's done, mistress.

Vel'bol? Natha... natha kivvil? - What? A surfacer?

Siyo, jabress - Yes, mistress.

F'sarn Elvorfiring Greyn, jalil. Lueth dos alur tlu kyone, jalil - ka dos inbal natha sanrr whol ol. - I'm Elvorfiring Greyn, female. And you should be careful, female - if you have a reason for it.