In Servant of the Shard, Salvatore focuses on two of his greatest villains.
Having seized the Crystal Shard at the end of The Silent Blade, the dark elf Jarlaxle now struggles to control it. Grudgingly aided by the assassin Artemis Entreri, they must desperately look elsewhere for help before the gem destroys them and all that they worked for.
The Assassin
Surrounded by dark elves, Artemis Entreri tightens his grip on the streets of Calimport. While he urges caution, his black-skinned sponsor grows ever more ambitious. The assassin will soon find himself on a path his most hated enemy has walked before him--a path that leads to a place where someone like Entreri would never be welcome.
The Drow
Jarlaxle has ascended from dark Menzoberranzan with only evil intentions. The malevolent Crystal Shard's influence on him intensifies until even the drow agents he brought with him grow fearful. When Bregan D'aerthe itself begins to turn on him, Jarlaxle will be forced to find a savior in the man he's come to enslave.
