One of the twins gasped. Throwing both hands over her mouth, she dropped the manicure tools, sending them clinking in several directions across the polished white marble floor. She scooted away from the divan, unmindful of Maligor's burning gaze. The other slaves also appeared startled, but they were wiser. They remained rooted to their posts.
Perturbed, Maligor silently marked the twin for stringent punishment, then turned back to Asp.
His lieutenant noiselessly slithered toward the divan, the candlelight playing over her glittering crimson and charcoal scales and causing the scales to reflect eerily on the marble. From the waist down, Asp resembled a colorful sand boa with a ridge of armored, triangular-shaped scales down her back and a tail that tapered to a black point. From the waist up, she was a lovely young woman, more beautiful than even the slaves in the room. She was a spirit naga, a member of a race of unhuman women, and Maligor knew she could shape-change into any human or demi-human form. He wondered whether this was her true appearance or merely a magical fabrication. It really didn't matter, he reasoned. He was dishonest enough with his own body, cloaking his years with his potion bottles.
Her true appearance did not matter; he found her easy on his old eyes. Still, his other senses found her unsettling. Like all spirit nagas, or "snake women of the underground" as many men preferred to call them, Asp smelled of rotting flesh. And that scent, coupled with the musky oil on his feet, made Maligor wince.
Her tail undulated back and forth over the smooth floor, then acted as a brace as Asp rose like a spitting cobra to address him. From the tip of her tail to the top of her head, Asp measured almost twenty feet long.
"My Lord Maligor, may I speak freely here?" She glowered at the slaves and hissed at the elf for emphasis. Abruptly the music stopped.
"A moment," he answered, his eyes reluctantly leaving the human part of Asp's form and turning to his slaves. He clapped his wrinkled hands once, and guards stationed beyond the entrance moved in to escort the slave women to their chamber. With a bony finger, he indicated the twin who had shown improper behavior, and a guard nodded and smiled knowingly as the slaves were ushered from the room.
Asp was pleased to see the women's alarmed expressions and felt amused that one would be whipped-or worse-because of her. She enjoyed terrifying Maligor's female slaves and often went out of her way to do so. The snake-woman claimed she did it to put them in their place, while adding to her own sense of superiority over humans.
Maligor chose to believe she was jealous.
For nearly three summers, the naga had been the Red Wizard's companion, initially studying under him as an apprentice, then gaining a trusted position as leader of his guard force and chief instructor of his army. They shared an unusual relationship that couldn't quite be considered affection. Maligor believed himself incapable of love.
Still, the Red Wizard enjoyed her company and respected her abilities and cunning, using her to his best advantage. In turn, the keenly intelligent Asp used Maligor to help her gain stature in Thay and more wealth than she could have stolen from the drow and other races who dwelt in the underground. In those three years, the Red Wizard hadn't noticed the snake-woman age one bit. Not one wrinkle had formed on her delicate face; not one silver hair shone on her head. He knew a naga's life spanned many human generations, and in that respect, he considered her a fitting confidante. Maligor intended to live a very long time.
She glided to his side, wrapped her tail around the base of a stack of pastel satin pillows next to the divan, and eased herself onto them. She rarely used furniture, finding most of it awkward for her body, a human folly. But if she remained upright, she would tower above Maligor, something she knew the wizard would not tolerate.
"My army…?" Maligor began.
"Their training is progressing satisfactorily," she replied. "I drill the gnolls to the point of exhaustion."
"Good," he said simply, peering into her lidless eyes. "My beautiful general has a fist of iron."
"My lord?"
Maligor reached up and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his hand.
She smiled coyly, then her face took on an intense expression. "My lord, I'm curious about the gnoll guard-the missing one you sent the darkenbeast after."
The Red Wizard sighed and dropped his hand from her face. "Your concern is the army, Asp. That's what I called you here for. I want a detailed report."
"But my lord…" the naga began.
"The matter of the errant gnoll has been taken care of," Maligor lied. "Now to other things. We have much work to do, my lovely."
The wizard propped himself up on an elbow and gazed harshly at Asp while she detailed the army's numbers, capabilities, and state of readiness. In the candlelight, the naga's eyes appeared nearly luminescent. With those eyes, she could charm lesser men and often did, forcing them to do her bidding. That ability helped her to deal with Maligor's soldiers.
"Then the army is ready," the Red Wizard concluded. "It is time to take action, Asp. I have been content for too many years with my holdings and position as Zulkir of Alteration. None of the wizards in my school have the power to challenge me. But the other Red Wizards, the other zulkirs…" He paused, thinking primarily of Szass Tam, his arch rival. "It is time to show them I am an unstoppable force. It is time I became the most powerful Red Wizard in Thay."
Asp extended a smooth, slender hand and gently laid it on Maligor's shoulder. Her thin lips smiled and her eyes sparkled.
"It is your rightful place, my lord, to reign supreme among the Red Wizards. With my help, you will become all-powerful. None will be able to challenge you." She brought her face so close to his that he could smell the fragrance she had dabbed on to mask her own odor. The fragrance reminded him of lilies.
"You have a plan?" she posed.
"Yes," he replied simply. Maligor stretched his limbs on the divan, then pushed himself off it. The marble floor felt uncomfortably cool to his oiled, bare feet. Raising the hem of his red robes, he stepped into his red satin slippers and glanced over his shoulder at Asp.
Her eyes were wide in anticipation of learning his new scheme, but Maligor did not delude himself. He knew the snake-woman would support him only because she stood to gain something as well.
Striding across the room, past a large, gray marble tub set into the floor, Maligor reached a waist-high walnut cabinet filled with bottles of rare wines and liqueurs. He stooped and paused, intently studying the labels through the beveled glass, then opened the cabinet and grasped what he considered an unusual delight. The bottle was round like a melon at the bottom, but its neck was thin and twisted in a spiral. Although decades old, the bottle was spotless; the glass was thick, tinted blue, and filled with the Moonshaes' finest peach liqueur. Reaching farther into the cabinet, he retrieved two pear-shaped, clear crystal goblets. Slaves usually handled menial tasks such as this, but the wizard didn't want other ears present just now. Returning to the divan, he sat and passed the bottle to Asp. He held a goblet in each hand, waiting. The naga's eyes narrowed, and a corner of her lips turned slightly downward. Maligor knew she preferred thick noxious mixtures that would make most men wretch. But to please him, she would drink the liqueur.
She thrust the painted nail of her left index finger into the cork, twisted once, and popped it open, discarding the remains on the floor for the slaves to clean up. The spirit naga poured one glass nearly full of the sweet-smelling, amber-colored liquid, but the second she filled only halfway. Asp knew the ritual. She took the glass with the lesser amount and raised it to her lips. Taking a full swallow, she nodded to Maligor and licked the sweet-tasting liqueur off her bottom lip with her thin tongue. Maligor, ever fearful of poisons or other contaminants, never drank first.