Prologue

The pencil slowly glided over the lined paper, outlining and shading. My tongue was between my lips, my eyes narrowed in concentration. This drawing had to be perfect.

"Lizzie?" asked a voice. "Fais-tu attention?"

"Huh?" I asked, looking up from my notebook.

Madame de Venoge looked at me in disapproval. "I asked you to conjugate the past tense of venir," she scolded me.

"Venu," I answered automatically.

Madame D. sighed. "Please pay more attention en classe, Lizzie," she said, turning back to the board.

"Oui, Madame," I replied meekly.

As soon as she had turned around, my eyes went back to my drawing, though I dared not lift my pencil again. The face was half-completed, one eye fully shaded, the other lightly outlined. The mouth curved up in a smile, and the hair, although the face was male, flowed freely down the back. The hands rested on the hilts of what, when finished, would be two curved swords.

I grinned.

"What'cha drawing?" asked my best friend Hannah at church that night.

"A picture," I answered, being purposefully vague.

Hannah rolled her eyes dramatically. "Well, duh," she said sarcastically. "But what is it a picture of?"

"A guy," I said, still being vague. Hannah just gave me her 'are-you-kidding-me' look.

"All right, all right," I said, finally relenting. "If you must know, I'm drawing character art for a book my family is reading."

"Oh," Hannah said, satisfied with my answer. "Let me see it!"

"No!" I replied, jerking my notebook away and slamming it shut.

"Pleeeeeeeeeease?" she asked, making a mock begging gesture.

"Aw… fine," I said, handing over my notebook.

"I win," she said smugly. I stuck my tongue out at her. She laughed. Opening my notebook, she flipped through the many pages of doodles and writing until she found the page I had been drawing on. The picture was still not done, although the face had been completed and the swords were fully drawn.

"Where's his legs?" asked Hannah.

I rolled my eyes. "Well, it's not done yet, guppy," I said. "I still have to draw his legs."

"Oh," Hannah said. "Who is it?"

"It's the main character of the book we're reading," I said.

"What's his name?" Hannah asked, irritated at the specifics I required. I grinned at her. Score one for Lizzie, I thought.

"It's Drizzt," I replied.

"Ooh, cool name," she said, handing the notebook back.

I grinned. "Yeah," I said. "I love the story."

"What's it about?" Hannah asked curiously.

"Read it and then you'll know," I told her, grinning even wider.

She stuck out her tongue at me. "You're no fun, you know that?" she told me.

I laughed. "Love you too, Zan," I said.

"Come on, girls, time for practice!" came my dad's voice from the church gym.

"Whoa, we're gonna be late!" Hannah exclaimed.

We both ran for the gym doors.

I was up way after everyone else in my family had drifted off, continuing to work on my drawing. The legs came into being, then the tall boots, and then I went to work shading and re-shading, trying to get the outlines perfect. When I was finished, I sat back and inspected my work. The drawing was awesome. I traced the dark pencil lines with my index finger, wiping the smudged graphite onto my pajama pants.

"What would it be like to be part of this fantasy?" I wondered aloud. I sighed when I heard myself speak; my voice sounded strange and hollow in the emptiness of the midnight hour. I closed my notebook, gently set it back on top of my backpack, and laid my head down on my pillow, closing my eyes. Sleep, however, did not visit me easily that night, and when it finally came, it brought with it exactly what I had wished for… which was more than I had even imagined.

Part I- Awakening

I sat up, groaning in exhaustion. My eyes were crusted shut, filled with gunk.

"Gross," I muttered, rubbing them in disgust. My disgust, however, quickly turned to alarm. "Crap!" I exclaimed. "I'm going to be late for school!"

My eyes finally clean and free of clog, I opened them wide. What I saw, however, startled the words right out of my mouth.

I was sitting in a lavish bedroom. The furniture, all stone, was carved delicately into long, spindly designs reminiscent of spider legs. I turned to look at the headboard of the bed. It rose a good 3 feet above where I lay covered by the blanket, a solid chunk of stone with a humongous spider design carved into its center.

I flopped back down onto the blanket. "I'm dreaming," I said weakly to myself, but there was no conviction in the statement.

Just then, the door opened. I nearly screamed in fright when a glowing red humanoid shape walked through the door. I kept my mouth shut, however. Maybe it couldn't see me; the room was dark.

"Rise, Nysta," its voice commanded. I could tell that the… thing, whatever it was, was female, and was obviously used to being in charge.

"Nysta?" I asked in confusion, forgetting my resolve to stay silent.

"Do not play games with me!" the voice roared. The area where, on a person, the face would have been, glowed more intensely and with a whiter hue.

"Ah… of course! Yes ma'am," I answered hastily, trying to make up for my slip of the tongue with respect.

The thing's facial area glowed even brighter. "I do not care how close you are to becoming a high priestess," it hissed dangerously. "You will address me as Matron Adrys. Understood?"

The last word was roared so loudly, I had to physically resist raising my hands to cover my ears. The title, though, sent a shiver down my spine. There was only one place I knew of where the females were addressed in this manner.

"Yes, Matron Adrys," I said compliantly. The door slammed shut.

As soon as the shape had disappeared and the door slammed shut, I began to hyperventilate. I knew where I was, and despite my wish before dropping off to sleep the night before, this was not a place where I wanted to be.

Staring around the room, I suddenly felt the full weight of my predicament descend upon my shoulders. My stomach clenched, vicelike, and suddenly I could not draw breath. I clutched my abdomen, gasping and shaking as waves of fear rolled over me. In my moment of terror, I managed to draw breath enough for only one word, but that single word encompassed all of my fear, terror and anxiety.

"Menzoberranzan," I gasped.

As soon as the panic attack had calmed, I tried to figure out what I should do. I was stranded in the darkest of the dark places, the subterranean metropolis home of the evil drow race. I had apparently been mistaken for the occupant of this room, who could be back any moment. Briefly, considering what the matron of whatever House this was would do to me when she found out I was human, a chill ran down my spine. I had to escape, that much was clear. Once out, however, I had to find a way back to my world, a task not so easily performed as said.

Remembering that Matron Adrys had called for me, I walked over to the closet in the room to find it chock-full of dark black, cobweb-like clothing. I pulled out the nearest garment, a simple black robe with a bit of detailing at the sleeves, and pulled it over my head. Or, rather, I tried to pull it over my head, but found it caught on something long and pointy… and attached. I cried out as the robe pulled on whatever new extremities had sprouted from my head.

Maybe the bed was cursed, I thought with a chill. It was just the sort of thing a murderous drow assassin would do, especially considering how valued and enviable it was to have a high priestess as a member of one's House. I reached up, slowly and tentatively, and laid a hand on whatever the things were. They felt stiff, and stood up straight. I had no idea what to make of them. Reaching up with the other hand, I unhooked the robe from the growths, letting it slide over my head. I then felt the growths again. They were long, whatever they were. I ran my hand down the side of one, getting closer and closer to the side of my head. The growth widened out near the bottom, and I felt a small, round hole in it right near the side of my head. I stuck my index finger in the hole, curious. Instantly, the hearing in my left ear was muffled and blotted. I yanked my finger out of the hole, a new wave of revulsion sweeping over me as I realized what the growths were.

They were ears. Elf ears. I had become a drow.

I rested my face in both hands, trying to keep the worry and repulsion down in my stomach. Not only was I stranded hopelessly in Menzoberranzan, I had now assumed the form of a member of the most hated and evil race in all of… wherever I was.

The Forgotten Realms, I remembered suddenly, not sure how I remembered through the anxiety clawing at my stomach like the claws of a great cat.

A cat, I thought suddenly. The notion stirred loose an idea in my head, which drifted slowly around, tantalizingly out of reach. Something to do with a great cat…

"Guenhwyvar!" I cried, suddenly remembering. Guenhwyvar was the magical, astral panther that belonged to the only moral, principled drow in all of the Forgotten Realms.

"Drizzt," I breathed, and the answer became clear to me. I had to find him, if I could. Surely one such as he would sympathize with me, as I had no intention of sympathizing with the rest of the drow.

"But where is he?" I muttered. Suddenly, I remembered again the summons I had received. Quick as a flash, I yanked open the door of the bedchamber and dashed out into the unfamiliar hallway. It was likely, since I was female, that the site of the meeting I had been called to was the House chapel, where the drow worshipped their dark and evil false deity, Lolth the Spider Queen. My stomach clenched again. The drow's monstrous goddess was really just a powerful monster from a different plane, but she was just as evil as the dark elves that were her puppets. I did not look forward to the prospect of facing those who followed her. Besides that dark and morbid thought, I had no idea where I was. The long, stone corridor was completely strange to me.

Suddenly, another elf raced up the stairs, skidding, somehow gracefully, to a stop when he saw me. Despite being male, his hair was long and flowing. Two twin daggers were strapped into his belt.

"Nysta!" he yelled. "Matron Adrys is furious with you!"

Fear clenched my stomach. That was not good.

The male drow grabbed my hand, pulling me along the corridor. I followed him willingly, letting him lead me down a series of winding hallways, all the while memorizing every turn. Finally, we stopped in front of a set of stone double doors with a huge spider carved into them. The male let go of my hand, gesturing for me to go first. Still nervous, I did so.

The chapel anteroom was enormous, bigger than any room I had ever seen in my entire life. A large stone chair sat directly facing the doorway, and in the chair sat the glowing figure of Matron Adrys.

Infrared, not glowing, I realized. Drow, as a subterranean race, had the innate ability to see in the infrared spectrum, sensing the patterns of heat around them.

"Nysta," growled the matron mother from the chair.

"My regrets, Matron Adrys," I responded, somehow managing to control the shaking in my voice. "There was business that needed prompt attendance."

Adrys glared at me, her face burning white for a second, then let it drop.

"Nysta, Nelthiel, Denfein," she began. For the first time, I noticed another female in the room, on the other side of the great stone chair.

"As you know, House Ro'ez is currently the thirteenth House," the matron continued.

Ro'ez, I silently repeated to myself, memorizing my assumed surname.

"Yes, Matron Mother," the other female replied.

"You must also have heard tell of the second son of House Do'Urden who departed the city a decade ago," Adrys continued.

My heart started beating extra-hard. Drizzt had already escaped into the wild Underdark. He would be almost impossible to find out there.

"His leave-taking has put House Do'Urden out of Lolth's favor," said Matron Adrys. I heard the sheer glee in her voice.

"Are we to attack them, then?" asked the other female.

"Of course not, Nelthiel!" snapped the matron. "Even without the protection of the Spider Queen, House Do'Urden is still quite formidable. However, there is another House who may war with them soon, which will put us into station as twelfth House."

"What House plans war with House Do'Urden?" asked Nelthiel.

"House Hun'ett," answered Matron Adrys.

Nelthiel seemed confused. "But… are they not also out of the Spider Queen's favor?" she asked curiously.

"Yes," answered Matron Adrys, waving a hand dismissively. "That is no concern of ours. Whatever happens, one of them will be destroyed."

"Or both," muttered the male. Denfein, I realized. He said it too quietly for anyone but me to hear him, though.

"And while the victorious House is weakened…" Adrys continued, trailing off, obviously waiting.

Nelthiel completed her thought. "We shall commence with an attack on the victor," she said slowly. I was sickened by the gleeful grin spreading across her face.

"Precisely!" exclaimed Adrys.

"And because we are in the favor of Lolth, we are destined for victory," said Nelthiel excitedly.

"Eleventh House," said Matron Adrys, laughing in wicked delight. Then, her demeanor grew once again serious. "Denfein, Nysta, you are dismissed," she said, waving a hand at myself and Denfein. "Nelthiel, you stay."

Denfein bowed low, and I copied him, unsure of what the proper response to a dismissal was. When the bow provoked no wrath from Matron Adrys, I straightened quickly and followed Denfein out of the room.

I ran back upstairs to the chamber that was supposedly mine, slamming the door behind me. I felt nauseous right in the pit of my stomach.

I have got to get out of here, I thought desperately.

I knew that was not possible, though. I had no weapons, no food, and no plan. I would most definitely be apprehended.

"First things first," I muttered to myself. "I have got to get some weapons." There was no telling what sort of horrendous… thing… might present itself out in the vast expanse of the wild Underdark.

I sighed. There was only one place I knew to get weapons. I had no idea, though, where the armory was located on the Ro'ez compound.

I went to the window and opened it up. The city spread out below me, wreathed in colors. It was eerily fascinating to see in the infrared spectrum. I turned my attention down towards the foot of House Ro'ez, searching for anything that would clue me in as to where the armory was located. I saw plenty of common soldiers milling about, as well as goblin slaves, but nothing at all that would point in the direction of an armory.

I sighed again. I was going to have to find it myself.

I quietly slipped out of my room, gently closing the door behind me. I walked quickly and lightly down the series of hallways I had memorized, but this time, I went past the chapel doors and on down a new corridor. I passed a series of doors, all of which looked completely identical. Just when I was beginning to believe that I would never find what I sought, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see a tall male, older than Denfein, walking towards me. A long sword hung from his belt, and I just caught sight of the hilt of a dagger in his boot.

He stopped and bowed to me. "Hello, Nysta," he said.

"Um… hello," I replied, not sure how to respond without giving myself away.

He seemed not to notice my hesitation, though. "Where are you off to?" he asked. His voice sounded pleasant, but I did not let that fool me for one minute into thinking him kind or moral.

"The armory," I told him. I winced internally as the truth came so easily from my lips; I was going to have to be a little more secretive in my current situation.

"What luck," he said, smiling, although I noticed that it failed to reach his eyes. "I am headed there myself. Would you like to accompany me?"

"Yes, thank you," I replied, trying to sound at least a little unconcerned. Inside, however, I was jumping at my sheer dumb luck.

"After you," I said, trying to sound disinterested.

He began walking again, and I followed him, once again memorizing the corridors. In time, we reached the end of our journey, one of the many identical doors in the walls of the corridors. He reached out and pulled the door open, entering before me. I tried not to gasp as I followed him in. Racks upon racks of glittering weapons lined the walls of the enormous room, which I realized must also double as a training area, as it did in the Do'Urden compound.

I stepped up to inspect all the weaponry. All of it was finely crafted, all the blades sharp and wicked-looking. Hearing the ring of metal on metal behind me, I turned to see my companion removing his sword from his belt.

"Choose your weapon," he told me with a mirthless grin.

More than a little intimidated, I returned to my inspection, although now I kept one eye on him, or more specifically, on the dagger in his boot. Finally, I chose a long, thin saber, like the kind my brother had let me use at his fencing studio. It felt light and perfectly balanced in my hand.

My companion raised his eyebrow. "An unusual choice," he remarked casually.

"Is there a problem with my choice?" I asked coolly.

He smiled, and this time it did reach his eyes. "Not at all," he told me. "I am curious, though… what happened to your whip?" His eyes traveled down to rest on my belt.

His question startled me for a moment, and I had to think hard until I remembered the vicious snake-headed whips carried by female nobles, specifically clerics.

"I… er… I did not find it necessary for this excursion," I replied, my palms beginning to sweat.

This time, he laughed; a real, long, hearty laugh that came right from his belly.

"You don't have to play that game with me," he said, still chuckling.

"Huh?" I asked, now thoroughly confused.

He took the time to wipe his eyes and compose himself before answering. "You are not like us," he said, the smile still in his eyes.

"Um…" I began, trying to find a suitable answer that would ward off his accusation.

He held up a hand to stop me. "It's all right. The truth is, I know who you are. I brought you here."

My mouth dropped open. "What?" I said, astonished.

"Let me explain," he said.

"Please do," I replied, now curious and more than a little annoyed.

"You exist in a different world than this one," he told me. "However, using my abilities, I was able to connect to your thoughts. You are a very intriguing person. Using my mental connection, I heard you wondering what it would be like to participate in this 'fantasy,' which, by the way, is not a fantasy at all. And so I brought you here."

"So… you're a wizard," I guessed.

He bowed with a flourish. "Nyadenalan, top graduate of Sorcere, at your service," he said, chuckling as he did so.

"And what, if I may be so bold, was your purpose in bringing me here?" I asked him, now more curious than angry.

"Why, to let you experience this for yourself," he said, sounding surprised.

"You do realize that the heart of Menzoberranzan was not where I desired to be," I told him.

"Ah, yes," he said, running his hand through his long white hair. "That was a result of a minor technical difficulty. I meant to bring you to the location you desired to visit; that is to say, the exact location in the Underdark where Drizzt Do'Urden currently holds camp. I was, however, interrupted while spellcasting, and so I only had time to utter the words that would bring you here to House Ro'ez. However, I do not view my mistake as all bad."

"So… are you actually a drow?" I asked him. "Because you don't seem like any of the others… at least not in private."

Nyadenalan laughed. "I call myself drow, though I am not sure exactly what description I fit. But if your question was, 'Are you a shape-changer or some other form of creature,' then rest assured that I am not."

"Okay, so now answer me this: what about your mistake do you view as good?" I asked, returning to his earlier statement.

"Now you have me to guide you away," he replied. "I can train you minimally in the use of weapons, give you food, and point you in the general direction of away from Menzoberranzan. How does that sound?"

"Well… okay, I guess," I said hesitantly, still not sure if trusting him was the smartest idea. However, he was the closest thing to a friend that I'd found in the twelve hours or so that I'd been here, and so I decided to go for it.

"One thing," I said. Nyadenalan looked up, and I continued. "Relating to weapons… I can use a saber moderately well," I told him. "My brother is a fencer, and he taught me how to use one."

"Let us test that skill, then," Nyadenalan replied, drawing his sword. "Can you defeat me?"

I raised the saber into the defensive position. "I can try," I replied.

Nyadenalan and I sparred for the rest of the day. I easily defeated him when I used the saber, which had a better balance than any of the ones my brother owned. However, I was not so proficient when it came to daggers or other, heavier swords. I certainly could not lift an axe by myself, and the spears and polearms were too unwieldy and long for my short frame.

Nyadenalan taught me basic maneuvers in close range using a short dagger, a kris, and a dirk, and a few more advanced maneuvers at long ranges that I could perform quite easily with my saber. Eventually, though, we grew tired, and sat down on the stone floor to rest our weary bodies. Nyadenalan laughed amiably. "You have quite a skill," he remarked, sighing contentedly as the weight left his feet.

"Years of practice," I returned, letting out a sizable sigh of my own.

We sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes, content to let ourselves cool down after practicing for so long. Then I turned to him.

"So… escaping," I began, the previous events of the day returning to me.

"Soon," he promised. "I have to formulate a convincing argument for your disappearance."

"How about 'she was eliminated,'" I suggested. "That seems to be popular around here."

He chuckled. "That would, admittedly, be realistic," he agreed. "However, as much as I detest the ways of my people, I don't want to falsely implicate another House and make them suffer the wrath of Matron Adrys."

I nodded; his reasoning was sound. Then, a thought struck me.

"Why do you hate the ways of your people?" I asked. "And, I mean, not for the obvious reasons… what makes you different in the way that Drizzt is different?"

Nyadenalan considered that seriously, his face scrunching up as he thought. "I'm not really sure," he answered me honestly.

"Are there others like you and Drizzt?" I asked him.

He shrugged helplessly. "I wish I could provide you with better answers, but as far as I know, no." Then he revised his statement. "Well, except for…"

"Zaknafein," I finished for him.

He glanced at me in surprise. "You know of him?" he asked.

I nodded, although the thought made me want to vomit. I knew of him, and of what he would become, thanks to the twisted desires of Drizzt's evil mother, Matron Malice.

"Then you must know of what became of him," my companion said solemnly.

I just nodded.

Nyadenalan sighed again, a sigh of sorrow this time. "It was a waste," he said. "It was a waste, not only of a fine weapon master, but also of a great source of potential for the betterment of this race."

It was my turn to glance at him in surprise. "You think one individual could possibly affect this entire race?" I asked incredulously.

"Maybe not just one," Nyadenalan replied. "But perhaps two… or three… or four."

"Only three now," I told him.

He grinned. "A mere day here and already you consider yourself part of this world."