Left

Teysa caught Aliara's eye and pointed to the left. The half-elf nodded and took point without being asked.

The staircase was narrow and curved away to the right as it rose. Teysa followed behind a few paces, just enough to keep Aliara in sight. She tried to move as quietly as possible, but each scuff of her feet against the stone steps seemed to fill the silence. The half-elf, by contrast, crept as silently as a cat. The staircase was lit by braziers set into the wall at intervals; they were filled not with flame but with chunks of some material that glowed incandescently, like banked coals. The light flickered slightly, causing Teysa's shadow to jump around on the inner wall of the staircase.

As they rose, the spiral of the staircase grew tighter. The stairs were irregular in height and length-- after stubbing her toes a few times, Teysa had to look down constantly. The effect was rather disorienting. Once, she paused to get her bearings, and Aliara disappeared around the turn. Teysa hurried to catch up, but when she passed the bend she could see no sign of her friend. She looked around in disbelief and vaulted forward, taking the steps two or three at a time, but the staircase was empty aside from her and the dim braziers. Her panic mounting, she sagged against the wall, head spinning. _Did I pass her? _She felt disoriented and a sick sense of vertigo gripped her. She gripped her head and stumbled forward, lurching up the stairs-- and nearly crashed head-first into Aliara, who had paused on a landing. The half-elf looked up. "Tey, are you ok? You look awful."

Teysa blinked in surprise. Aliara had seemed to come from nowhere. She hadn't seen her before almost walking into her. She shook her head to clear it. "No... no, I'm fine. A little winded. Why'd you stop?"

Aliara pointed. The stairs continued upward, but the landing they were on featured a square doorway cut in the wall that led into a narrow corridor. Teysa nodded and gestured forward. They skulked into the corridor in single file. Aliara led the way and peered cautiously around the corner before gesturing for Teysa to follow her.

The corridor turned out to be a narrow passage lined with curtained doorways. Each was hung with beads, feathers, strings of precious metals and pearls, or other decorations, and bore glyphs sewn into the fabric of the curtain or daubed on in paint. No two were identical, and Teysa regarded the runes uneasily.

"Can you read these?" she whispered. Aliara shook her head. "No. I don't even recognize the language. It doesn't look like Drow at all."

The corridor went on for fifty feet before terminating at a heavy metal door. Where is Mish'li? The priestess had promised to meet them here, but since leaving the sermon they had not seen another living soul. They crept along the corridor, one step after another.

Aliara stopped short. She raised her left arm, a short, sharp gesture of warning. Teysa pulled up short as well and tensed. Aliara patted her on the shoulder and pointed. Up ahead one of the doors was clear-- the curtain had been drawn aside and pinned up somewhere in the room. Signaling that Teysa stay where she is, Aliara stalked forward slightly, until she could see into the room. She looked back and smiled at Teysa, beckoning her forward.

Mish'li stood in the doorway with her arms crossed. She held out a hand and waved the women into her room. Standing aside, she waited until they were inside, then dropped the curtain over her door. Teysa felt a slight breeze and a subtle change to the texture of the air in the room, and breathed out, letting go of the tension that had held her since the sermon.

Mish'li smiled and bowed to them. "Greetings, ladies. You can speak freely in here. The curtain wards us; you will not be heard."

Teysa looked around. The room was a spartan cell, furnished with a small bed in one corner and a simple stone desk. The walls were bare stone, windowless, and the only light came from one of the glowing braziers. One corner of the room was given over to a small shrine, where Lolth's holy symbol sat surrounded by a ring of black candles. They burned fitfully, the flames shuddering as though in a breeze. Teysa looked away uneasily.

Aliara spoke up. "So, what's the plan, Mish'li? We're risking a lot coming here." Teysa rested a warning hand on her partner's arm. This is not the time, Li.
To her credit, Mish'li remained composed. "I know, Aliara. I am risking a great deal to help you as well. If you are committed to this-- if you really want to get into the Basilica-- I can do it. I ask you one last time to reconsider. Tell the Matron that no good will come of poking around here. I don't know exactly what happened to Siri'ka, but this is no longer a safe place for her kind."

"I appreciate your concern," Teysa responded, "but we have to see this through. She laid a duty on us and we will see it carried out. Siri'ka deserves that much at least."

Mish'li raised her eyebrows. "Your dedication is admirable. If you're sure, then yes, I can get you in." She crossed the room to the bed and reached underneath, pulling out an iron chest. "I have some acolytes' robes for you. You won't manage to fool anyone who talks to you, but the guards might not look twice. There are plenty of non-drow acolytes so you shouldn't attract too much notice unless you go looking for trouble."

Aliara snorted. "So what, we just walk in the front door? That's your plan? We just hope nobody asks us the time, or for directions, or anything?"

"What you asked for is difficult," Mish'li responded in the same placid tone. "It is not a simple matter to enter the Basilica unnoticed. This is the best of several bad options."

"I'd like to hear the second best." Aliara's voice dripped with sarcasm. Teysa squeezed her arm gently, and the half-elf hung her head. "I'm sorry. That was rude. You are doing us a favor. But I would like to hear an alternative, if you have one."

Mish'li sighed. "I suppose you could go in through the tunnels. There are miles of them, and they connect underground to the Basilica's cellars. Nobody knows how old they are-- they probably predate the temples. There's a reason nobody uses them, though. There are things down there in the darkness that make the Fangs look like picnicking children. They're best avoided. You can't even bring light down there. It just attracts them. My way really is safer."

Aliara turned to Teysa. "So, Tey, what'll it be? Do we bluff our way in or try the tunnels?"