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DEFYING EXPECTATIONS
T he large lowed suddenly and fiercely, and she brought a hand up to clench it
"Devils," said Drizzt Do’Urden "So Marchion Elastul’s e"
"Telled ye as ar Hammerstriker, who had been of Elastul’s court only a few short years before "Elastul’s a shooting pain in a dwarf’s arse, but he’s not sothe trade Always the trade"
"Been h Mirabar on our road that bringed us ho Bruenor Battleha, and his nobles ain’t been happy with hi time He’s reachin’ out to us"
"And to hi down in the direction of Obould, doone Gutbuster," Bruenor uardsmen and which Bruenor had aptly appropriated as a synonym for "crazy"
"Better world, then," Thibbledorf Pwent, leader of said guardsmen, was quick to respond
"When we’re done with this, ye’re going back to Mirabar," Bruenor said to Torgar Torgar’s eyes widened and he blanched at the notion "Asto tell hi hiar Hammerstriker"
Torgar seemed less than convinced, to be sure, but he nodded He had pledged his loyalty to King Bruenor and would follow his king’s commands without co," Bruenor said
The dwarf king looked at Catti-brie, who had turned to stare off in the direction the ge sun backlit her, reflecting off the red and purple blouse she wore, a shirt that had once been the hter was in her late thirties - not old in the counting of a dwarf, but near h she still had that luminescence, a beauty that radiated from within, luster to her auburn hair and the sparkle of youth in her large blue eyes, Bruenor could see the changes that had come over her
She had Taul over one shoulder, though of late, Drizzt was the one with that bow in hand Catti-brie had become a wizard, and one with a tutor as fine as any in the land Alustriel herself, the Lady of Silverymoon and of the famed Seven Sisters, had taken Catti-brie in as a student shortly after the stale Obould’s orcs Other than the bow, Catti-brie carried only a ser, one that seemed hardly used as it sat on her hip An assorth, and she wore a pair of powerfully enchanted rings, including one that she clai the stars themselves down from the sky upon her enemies
"They’re not far," she said in a voice still melodic and filled onder
"They?" asked Drizzt
"Such a creature would not travel alone - certainly not for awith an orc of Obould’s ferocious reputation" Catti-brie reminded hiuard?"
Catti-brie shrugged, tightened her grip on the amulet, and concentrated for a few moments then nodded
"A boldwith an orc How confident must the Arcane Brotherhood be to allow devils to openly walk the land?"
"Less confident to," muttered Bruenor He moved down to the side of the stony hill that afforded him the best view of Obould’s enca a wink at Catti-brie beforedown beside the dwarf "For never would they have calculated that King Bruenor Battlehammer would rush to the aid of an orc"
"Just shut yer rulanced around nervously The agreeent, but it was clear to the halfling that the orc had unilaterally changed that plan Scores of orc warriors and sha behind rocks or in crevices, cunningly concealed and prepared for swift egress
As soon as Elastul’s emissaries had delivered the word that the Arcane BrotherhoodObould would be their first endeavor, the orc king’s every is wondered
Lady Alustriel and Bruenor had reached out to Obould, but so too had Obould begun to reach out to thee, there hadn’t been all that doms, dwarf and orc, and indeed,disputed boundaries
But they had come to join in their first co them, had traveled north to help Obould stave off a coup attere orcs
Or had they? The question nagged at Regis as he continued to glance around Ostensibly, they had agreed to coether to meet the brotherhood’s e possibility nagged at the halfling Suppose Obould instead planned to use his overwhelainst Regis and his friends?
"You wouldn’t haveBruenor and his princess Catti-brie, student of Alustriel, would you?" ca’s train of thought
Regis sheepishly turned to regard theblack ar spikes, and with that trereatsword strapped across his back
"I - I know not what you aze of the unusually perceptive orc
Obould laughed at hi less than assured
Several of the forward sentries began calling then, announcing the arrival of the outsiders Regis rushed forward and to the side to get a good look, and when he did spy the newcomers a few moments later, his heart leaped into his throat
A trio of beautiful, barely-dressed women led the way up the path One stepped proudly in front, flanked left and right by her entourage Tall, statuesque, with beautiful skin, they see but delicate shoulders, they each sprouted a pair of shining white feathered wings Everything about them spoke of otherworldliness, from their natural - or supernatural! - char, to their adornically glowing in a rainbow of hues, carried on belts twined of shining gold and silver fibers that sparkled with enchantments
It would have been easy to confuse these wooodly celestials, had it not been for their escort For behind theruesome and beastly warriors, the barbazu Each carried a saw-toothed glaive, great tips waving in the light as the hunched, green-skinned creatures shuffled behind their leaders Barbazu were also known as "bearded devils" because of a shock of facial hair that ran ear to ear down under their jawline, beneath a toothyfaces Scattered a, fleshy creatures that had no more definable shape than that of a lu, and contracting to propel theis’s count, moved steadily up the rock path toward Obould, who had climbed to the top to directly intercept the trio motioned for their shock troops to hold and caain with the sa too-red hair, too-red eyes, and too-red lips, taking the point
"You are Obould, I aht before the ih he was ht, she didn’t seem diminished before him
"Nyphithys, I assu teeth blindingly white and dangerously sharp
"We’re honored to speak with King Obould Many-Arrows," the devil said, her red eyes twinkling coyly "Your reputation has spread across Faerun Your kingdos hope to all orcs"
"And hope to the Arcane Brotherhood, it would seeaze drifted over to the side, where Regis reain - and Regis felt his knees go weak - before finally,
"We make no secret of our wishes to expand our influence," she admitted "Not to those e wish to ally, at least To others" Her voice trailed off as she again looked Regis’s way
"He is a useful infiltrator," Obould reold I havenod seehty, by all accounts," said the devil "Your healers capable Where you fail is in the Art, which leaves you dangerously vulnerable to the es that are so prevalent in Silverymoon"
"And this is what the Arcane Brotherhood offers," Obould reasoned
"We can more than match Alustriel’s power"
"And so with you behind dois’s knees eak again at Obould’s proclahts screaerously exposed - and with hi," the erinyes said, and ran her delicate hand across Obould’s ee, then," said Nyphithys
"Or an enslavement"
The erinyes stepped back and looked at him curiously
"I would provide you the fodder to absorb the spears and spells of your enemies," Obould explained "My orcs would become to you as those barbezu"
"You misunderstand"
"Do I, Nyphithys?" Obould said, and it was his turn to offer a toothy grin
"The brotherhood seeks to enhance trade and cooperation"
"Then why do you approach doms of the Silver Marches value trade"
"Surely you don’t consider yourself kin and kind with the dwarves of Mithral Hall, or with Alustriel and her delicate creatures You are a god a orcs Gruumsh adores you - I know this, as I have spoken with hiain at Obould’s strong rebuke, winced as surely as did Obould himself when Nyphithys uided the vision that is Many-Arrows," Obould replied after ahimself "I know his will"
Nyphithys beamed "My master will be pleased We will send"
Obould’s hter stopped her, and she looked at hiht us to this, our home," Obould explained, "but peace sustains us"
"Peace with dwarves?" the devil asked
Obould stood firm and didn’t bother to reply
"My master will not be pleased"
"He will exact punish of orcs," the devil warned "Your puny kingdoic of the Arcane Brotherhood"
"Who ally with devils and will send forth a horde of barbezu to entangle my armies while their overwizards rain death upon us?" Obould asked, and it was Nyphithys’s turn to stand firm
"While my own allies support my ranks with elven arroarven war hts and wizards," the orc said and drew out his greatsword, willing its massive blade to erupt with fire as it came free of its sheath
To Nyphithys and her two erinyes co, he yelled, "Let us see how ainst your barbezu and flesh beasts!"
Fro swords and spears, axes and flails, they howled and rushed forward, and the devils, ever eager for battle, fanned out and e
"Fool orc," Nyphithys said She pulled out her oord, a wicked, straight-edged blade, blood red in color, and took her strange rope from her belt as well, as did her sister erinyes devils "Our proreater power than you will ever know!"
To the sides of the principals, orcs and lesser devils crashed together in a sudden torrent of howls and shrieks