"Bring her to us"

Teysa looked at Aliara, then back at the Eel. "Can we talk for a moment?"

The drow waved a hand. "But of courth. Take your time. I'm not going anywhere." She reached under one of the pillows and pulled out a golden bowl filled with sugar-crusted figs. Plucking one between her fingers, she daintily popped it in her mouth and chewed animatedly. Teysa and Aliara withdrew to the corner and held a hushed conference.

"What do you think, Li? Do we go or does she come to us?"
"I think we should let her come to us. Why risk going into the Temple Precinct?"
Teysa considered this. "Do you trust the Eel to bring her here safely, though? I mean, if she gets stuffed in a sack or something, she might not be inclined to help us."
Aliara frowned. "Maybe. But it won't do us any good if we don't meet her because we were caught and killed."

"Fine. We'll bring her here. I hope we don't regret this." Teysa stood and turned. "Milady, we've decided. We thank you for your gracious offer to host the meeting. We'll meet her here."

The Eel brightened up. She tossed her bowl aside, sending figs flying everywhere. "Ecthellent! Wait right there, I'll have her brought in." Teysa froze. "Milady, do you mean-"
The drow laughed and gave an exaggerated shrug. "Well, I wath bored waiting for you to come back, tho I dethided to jutht go ahead and bring her down. Lucky for me that you managed to kill thothe lithards, huh? Otherwithe that might have been embarrathing!" She put two fingers in her mouth and let out a piercing whistle.

The back flap of the tent parted, and two burly male drow entered, carrying a chair between them. It was occupied; a drow woman sat stiffly, her wrists and ankles tied to the chair's arms and legs, and a burlap sack covered her head. She writhed when they set her down, but made no sound. The Eel stood next to her, her hands parted like a showman preparing to unveil his next act. With a flourish, she tugged the hood off.

The drow in the chair was young-looking, with high-boned cheeks and an aristocratic cast to her features. Her makeup was smudged, but her lashes were long and expressive, and her eyes were a deep green. She wore a long black gown of modest cut, threaded with silver, and had long white hair that cascaded down her back in looping braids. A leather gag was stuffed into her mouth, and she grunted angrily around it. The Eel reached down and patted her on the head. "Here you go. One Mith'li, ath promithed. Pleathe try not to break her." She reached down and untied the gag. "I'll give you your privathy. Tata, ladieth." She left in the direction her "pets" had gone, wiggling her butt far more than was strictly necessary.

Immediately Teysa ran over to the chair and kneeled down next to it, fumbling with the knots. "Mish'li! I am so, so sorry! I didn't ask her to do this, I swear! We just wanted to get in touch with you, not kidnap you!"

Mish'li fumed. "Who in the hells are you? What do you want? Untie me at once!"
Aliara crouched down on the other side of her and started to unpick the knot around the drow's wrist. "Mish'li, I am Aliara. This is Teysa. Please, forgive us. If we had known what the Eel had planned we would never have asked for her help."

With both of her wrists free, the drow massaged feeling back into her hands. She sat with her arms crossed while Teysa and Aliara untied her feet. "Very well. I will hear you out. Why did you want to speak with me so badly that you made a deal with this... creature?"

"We have been investigating the disappearance of the drider envoy Siri'ka. The trail led us to you," Teysa explained.

Immediately Mish'li's expression changed. She stared at Teysa. "Then... you come from the warren? The Matron sent you?"
Aliara nodded. "Yes. She wanted us to figure out what was going on."

Mish'li pursed her lips. "Well. I suppose I understand your urgency now. Yes, I met Siri'ka. She was very agitated. She told me she needed to get into the Basilica. I warned her off it, but she would not be deterred. There are ways in there... secret ways, ways she could pass unnoticed. The guards would kill any drider that trespassed in their holy space. That must be what happened to her." She sighed. "Poor Siri'ka. She came to me because she knew I was sympathetic to the driders' plight. Things have been getting ugly for them in the City lately. You must have noticed. I gave her what help I could, but it must not have been enough."

Aliara nodded. "We've seen it. It's all over the place. You think that's it? The guards found her and killed her? Have you seen the body?"
Mish'li shook her head. "I have not heard anything. Of course, if a drider penetrated their most sacred temple, they probably would want to hush it up."

"Well, that's it, then. Tey, we should head back to the warren and-"
Teysa cut her off. "Mish'li, can you get us into the Basilica?"
Aliara gaped. "Tey? Tey, are you serious? What are you talking about?"
Teysa ignored her. "Those tunnels, or whatever they are. Will we be able to use them?"

Mish'li looked uncertain. "I... suppose so. But you should listen to your friend. This is suicide."

Teysa turned to Aliara and rested a hand on her shoulder. Immediately the half-elf grabbed it and squeezed. "Tey, I know you want to help them, but think about what you're saying. This is ****. Not risky, not dangerous. This is ****." She stared pleadingly, and the paladin was astonished to see tears forming in her partner's eyes.

"Li... I have to. I'm sorry. I won't make you come with me. Someone needs to tell the warren what happened. But I have to know. If we just leave now, things are going to get worse and worse here. How far can they be from launching an attack on the driders?"
Aliara closed her eyes. Tears streaked her face. She sniffed once and nodded. When she spoke, her voice was thick and quavery.
"You're right. I'm sorry. I'm such a coward. I'll come with you." She squeezed again, and Teysa squeezed back. "I'll come with you. I promise."

Mish'li looked down at them with an expression of mild alarm. She reached into her hair and pulled out two round clips. Teysa saw that they looked like medallions; the seam where the halves of the clip parted was so fine as to be invisible. One side bore a woman's face, the other a spiderweb. The drow pressed them into her hands. "Take these, then. They will grant you safe passage to the Chapel of the Veil of Sorrows. Come tomorrow, after the second morning bell-- after the sermon, come into the back and up the stairs." She paused. "When you hear the sermon, please don't think less of me. We're not all fanatics." She stood. "I should return, before my absence is noted. I will wait for you tomorrow." She bowed deeply and left the tent.

Teysa and Aliara were left standing alone. Aliara wiped the last few tears from her face and put on a brave smile. "Well, we're in it now, Tey. I hope you know what you're doing."

Teysa smiled wanly. "Me too, Li. Me too." She wrapped her arms around the half elf, and Aliara pressed her head into Teysa's chest. They stood there a moment, neither willing to break the embrace, until a giggle broke the silence.

The Eel stood in the corner of the room, puffing on the hookah. She blew out a smoke ring and let the pipe fall. "Thorry to interrupt, ladieth. I trutht your meeting went well?"
Teysa nodded. "Thank you very much for setting it up, milady. You are too kind to us."
The Eel smiled. "Pleathe. It wath my pleathure. You did my thuch a favor. And..." she bit her lip, causing her piercings to rattle and clink. "I mutht thay, I find you intriguing. We get tho few thurfathe dwellerth down here." She sprawled back against the cushions, legs spread, giving them an excellent view of her pierced pussy. A tiny thatch of white hair dotted her mound, but the ebony lips were bare and glistening. She picked up the hookah pipe and took a deep drag. "You are loverth, correct? I thee how you look at each other."

Teysa felt her face grow warm and flushed. Next to her Aliara gasped. Eventually, Teysa stammered out "Y-yes, we are. W-why do you ask?"

The Eel watched her for a moment, her eyes twinkling. Then she breathed out two thin streams of smoke from her nostrils, like a dragon perched on its hoard. "You really are delithiouth, my dear. Won't you two thtay with me awhile? We can thmoke, and talk, and I can thow you thome of my... toyth." She beckoned Teysa over with one long, thin finger. "Your friend can thtay, too. I don't mind tharing. Come on, I won't bite... unleth you want me to." She smiled and her dark tongue darted lasciviously from between her lips.

To her surprise, Teysa felt a warmth hatching inside her pussy. She found herself suddenly short of breath, and she twitched involuntarily. Images swam unbidden into her imagination: the Eel crawling all over her, kissing her, caressing her, parting her nether lips with one of those delicate fingers...

"Well? What do you thay?"