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SUNSET IN LUSKAN

There could be noposture as he approached Arabeth Raurym, who had been summoned to his audience chamber at Ten Oaks

Where lie your loyalties?" he asked

Arabeth tried to keep her own posture firely inti me, an Overwizard of the Hosttower of the Arcane?"

"The what?"

"The achievement still merits respect!" said Arabeth, but her voice faltered just a bit when she noted that the Crow had drawn a long, wicked dagger "Back, I warn you"

She retreated a few quick steps and began waving her ar Kensidan kept the measure of his approach and see Arabeth blasted hi bolt, one that should have lifted hi, and sent hi across the room to slam into the back wall, a blast that should have burned a hole into hi, a blast that should have sent his heart to tre happened

The lightning burst out froers, then juststopped

Arabeth&039;s face crinkled in a ave a little cry and stuht, toward the door

At that ht to trust the voices in the darkness all along He rushed forward just enough to tap Arabeth on the shoulder as she rushed past, and in that touch, he released all of the energy of her lightning bolt, energy that had been caught and held

The woh the air, but not so far, for she had enacted ic was absorbed Of lobe of blackness appeared at the door, blocking her way She gave a little yelp and staggered off to the side again, the Crow laughing behind her

Three figures stepped out frolobe of darkness

Kensidan watched Arabeth all the while, grinning as her eyes opened, as she tried to screa to the floor on her behind

The second of the dark elves thrust his hands out toward her, and the woman&039;s screay rushed through her, juhts and sensibilities She continued her doard spiral to lay on the floor, babbling and curling up like a frightened child

"What is your plan?" said the leader of the drow, the one with the gigantic pluarb "Or do you intend to have others fight all of your battles this day?"

Kensidan nodded, an admission that it did indeed seereater purpose we intend," he agreed

"Well said," the drow replied

"Deuderh captain proht be better off allowing to run away"

Kensidan didn&039;t ave his master a curious, almost incredulous look at that A free Deuderht, and would surely return with many powerful allies

"We shall see," was all the Crow could promise He looked to Arabeth "Don&039;t kill her She will be loyaland pleasurable enough"

The droith the big hat tipped it at that, and Kensidan nodded his gratitude Then he flipped his cloak up high to the sides and as it descended, Kensidan sees Then he was a bird, a large crow He flew to the sill of his openand leaped off for Suljack&039;s palace, a place he knew quite well

"He will be a good ally," Kian D&039;aerthe "As long as we never trust hih escaped Jarlaxle&039;s lips as he replied, "Just like ho in to help his friend disappeared when Drizzt and this curious dwarf joined in battle, a start so furious and brutal that the halfling figured it to be over before he could even draw his - in light of the titanic struggle suddenly exploding before histar and scis, et a feel for each other than either trying to land a killing blow What stunned Regis the most was the way the dwarf kept up with Drizzt He had seen the dark elf in battle many times, but the idea that the short, stout, thick-listars could pace hi in astonishment

But there it was The dwarf&039;s weapon hu opposite, just enough to force a miss He didn&039;t want to connect a thin scistar head flew past and the dwarf didn&039;t pull it up short, but let it swing far out to his left to connect on the wall of the alleyway, and when it did, the ensuing explosion revealed that there was e chunk of the building blasted away, leaving a gaping hole

Pulling his oing short, his feet sped by his ed ahead, only wincing slightly at the crashing blast when the ht wince was too asped The das already into his duck and turn as the spiked ball took out the wall, co fast around, his left ar out as wide as it could go

If his opponent hadn&039;t been a dwarf, but a taller hu caved in underneath histar head caress in the blink of a surprised eye and threw hi but air, the drow landing lightly on his feet soainst a lesser opponent, there would have been a clear opening then The great twirling swing had brought the dwarf to an overbalanced and nearly defenseless state But so strong was he that he growled hiht away fro as he did so that when he caain directly squared to the drow

More iht, his ar a sain The balls spun at the ends of their respective chains, ready to block or strike

"How do you hurt hi for Drizzt to hear

The drow did hear, though, as was evidenced by his responding shrug as he and the dwarf engaged yet again They began to circle, Drizzt sliding to put his back along the wall theopposite

It was the look on Drizzt&039;s face as he turned the back side of that circle that alerted Regis to trouble, for the drow suddenly broke concentration on his priis&039;s way

Purely on instinct, Regis snapped out hissword right before it would have entered his back Regis gave a yelp of surprise, and still got cut across his left araze going to Drizzt, and he found hi to yell out, "No!" as if all the world had suddenly turned upside down

For Drizzt had started to sprint Regis&039;s way, and so quick was he that against ale

But that dasn&039;t any eneis could only stare in horror as the dwarf&039;s pri a hole in the building, ca drow

Drizzt sensed it, or anticipated it, and he dived into a forward roll

He couldn&039;t avoid the star, and his roll went all the faster for the added ly, the blow didn&039;t prove lethal, though, and the drow cais&039;s attacker - who, spying his certain dooin his turn, backstepping still, when Drizzt caught hi in a blur Thein round, his chest stabbed three separate tiis for just apursuit, but the das still far back in the alleyway, casually spinning his is, and he tucked one scimitar under his other aris stepped into it, Drizzt hoisted hirab onto the low roof of the shed and pull hiht

The drow turned the ht, scimitars in hand, but still the dwarf had not approached

"Could&039;ve killed ye to death, darkskin," the dwarf said "Could&039;ve put ic on the ball that clipped ye, and oh, but ye&039;d still be rollin&039;! Clear out o&039; the streets and into the bay, ye&039;d still be rollin&039;! Bwahahahaha!"

Regis looked to Drizzt, and was shocked to see that his friend was not disagreeing

"Or I could&039;ve just chased ye down the hall," the dent on "Quick as ye were rid o&039; that fool wouldn&039;t&039;ve been quick enough to set yerself against the catastrophe coree "But you didn&039;t," Drizzt said, walking slowly back toward his adversary "You didn&039;t enact the ic and you didn&039;t pursue me Twice you had the win, by your own boast, and twice you didn&039;t take it"

"Bah, wasn&039;t fair!" bellowed the dwarf "What&039;s the fun in that?"

"Then you have honor," said Drizzt

"Got nothin&039; else, elf"

"Then aste it?" Drizzt cried "You are a fine warrior, to be sure Join with me and with Deudermont Put your skills -

"What?" the dwarf interrupted "To the cause of good? There ain&039;t no cause of good, ye fool elf Not in the fightin&039; There&039;s only them wantin&039; more power, and the killers like yerself and meself helpin&039; one side or the other side - they&039;re both the same side, ye see - climb to the top o&039; the hill"

"No," said Drizzt "There isone, I&039;uessin&039;!"

"I can offer you amnesty, here and now," said Drizzt "All past criiven, or at leastnot asked about"

"Bwahahahaha!" the dwarf roared again "If ye only knowed the half of it, elf, ye wouldn&039;t be so quick to put Athrogate by yer side!" And with that, he charged, yelling, "Have at it!"

Drizzt paused only long enough to look up at Regis and snap, "Go!"

Regis had barely cla steps up the steep roof when he heard the pair below coether

"Screaer deeper into the belly of the woling at his own cleverness, tossed the pained woman aside, as the door to the room crashed open and Captain Deudermont, diverted by the screams from his rush to the kitchen service door of Suljack&039;s palace, charged in

"Noble to a fault," said Kensidan "And with the road of retreat clear before you I suppose I should salute you, but alas, I siaze went from the injured woainst asill

"Have you taken in the view, Captain?" Kensidan asked "The fall of the City of SailsIt&039;s a , don&039;t you think?"

"Why would you do this?" Deuder forward in cautious and measured steps

"I?" Kensidan replied "It was not Ship Rethnor that went against the Hosttower"

"That fight is ended, and won"

"This fight is that fight, you fool," said Kensidan "When you decapitated Luskan, you set into le for power"

"We could have joined forces and ruled from a position of justice"

"Justice for the poor - ah, yes, that is the beauty of your rhetoric," Kensidan replied in atone, and he hopped up fro dagger "And has it not occurred to the captain of a pirate hunter that not all the poor of Luskan are so deserving of justice? Or that there are afoot in the city many ouldn&039;t prosper as well under such an idyllic design?"

"That is why I needed the high captains, fool," Deuder every word

"Can you be so innocent, Deuderly surrender power?"

"Can you be so cynical, Kensidan, son of Rethnor, as to be blind to the possibilities of the coht them with piracy," Kensidan replied

"You had a choice You could have changed things"

"And you had a choice You could have minded your own business You could have left Luskan alone, and now, one ho you, but in truth, it&039;s your own pride that blinded you to the realities of this place you would rereed that has kept you here A tragedy, indeed, for here you will die, and Luskan will steer onto a course even farther froroaned

"Let me take her out of here," Deudermont said

"Of course," Kensidan replied "All you have to do is kill me, and she&039;s yours"

Without any further hesitation, Captain Deudermont launched hi a trail before hier, thinking to bring his sword to bear for a quick kill, but Deudermont was far too fast and practiced Kensidan wound up only barely tapping the thrusting sith his dagger before flailing wildly with his oord to hardly move Deudermont&039;s aside

The captain retracted quickly and thrust again, pulled up short before another series of wild parry atteood!" said Kensidan

Deuderh the coht his sword up high for a following doard strike

Kensidan barely got his sword up horizontally above hi a wall The weight of the blow had hi to keep his feet

Deudermont methodically pursued, unimpressed by the son of Rethnor&039;s swords fool would dare to coreat that he fancied hi inco ringing in his thoughts, Deudermont moved at his foe with a flurry, but measured every strike so he could quickly revert to a fully defensive posture

But no counterattack came, not even when it seemed as if he had obviously overplayed his attacks

The captain didn&039;t show his smile, but the conclusion seeroaned again, bringing rage to Deudermont, and he assured himself that his victory would strike an i with him on his return to the City of Sails

So he went for the kill, skipping in fast, s his blade so as to avoid the aard parry of the dagger

Kensidan leaped straight up in the air, but Deudermont kneould have him fast on his descent

Except that Kensidan didn&039;t come down

Deudermont&039;s confusion only s above hies batted hi aside He turned and waved his sword to fend hi

He set doith a hop on three-toed feet, a gigantic, arded Deuderht to take in the scene

"A nickna hard to parse his words correctly and coherently, trying hard not to let on how off balance the eous creature had left him

The Crow skipped his way and Deuder wide, the Crow leaped up, clawed feet co Deuder to fall back, and did e a few black feathers

But the Crow ca forward his torso and feet as he beat his wings back Deuder his sword in to properly fend the creature off Six toes, widespread, all ending with lethal talons clawed at hied to nick one of the feet, but the Crow dropped it fast out of harm&039;s hile the other foot slipped past the captain&039;s defenses and caught hold of his shoulder

The wings beat furiously, the Crow changing his angle as he raked that foot down, tearing the captain froht his sword slashing across, but the creature was too fast and too nimble, and the taloned foot slipped out of his reach The bird caht shoulder, sending hith fro beat and a leap had the Crow straddling the fallen ht, but the next peck hit hi him back to the floor

Blood poured down from his brow across his left eye and cheek, but ht as, thoroughly dazed, he faded in and out of consciousness

Regis kept his head down, focusing solely on the task before hi each handhold cautiously but expediently, the halfling et to Deuder his pace as he gained confidence with the climb He finally hit his stride and was just about to look up when he buh, black boots filled his vision

Regis froze and slowly lifted his gaze, up past the fine fabric of well-tailored trousers, up past a fabulously crafted belt buckle, a fine gray vest and white shirt, to a face he never expected

"You!" he cried in dis his arms up before his face as a seratedhis balance, but even the unexpected tu stuck in the neck by the quarrel Down the roof Regis tuth fro even his voice as he tried to cry out

The dwarf&039;s swings didn&039;t coainst Drizzt And Drizzt quickly realized that the dasn&039;t even breathing hard Using his anklets to speed his steps, Drizzt pushed the issue, scaht back around the dwarf, and out and back suddenly as the furious little creature spun to keep up

The droorked a blur ofthe stubby-limbed dwarf to rush every which way