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"Where is Deuder ed s the most distant and caustic runa, the surly dho served as Bruenor’s garrison commander at Mithril Hall

"No doubt," Drizzt replied

Robillard turned to regard hilare

"Of course, Deudermont’s one to steal from us all the time," Catti-brie added "Takes a fancy to the finest o’ ladies and the finest o’ wine, and is free hat’s not his to be free with"

A growl escaped Robillard’s thin lips and he pushed off the bar and walked away

"I’d like to know that one’s tale," Catti-brie re the departing wizard’s back Indeed, Robillard was a strange one, and the drow figured that so terrible must have happened to him somewhere in his past Perhaps he had unintentionally killed someone, or had been rejected by a true love Perhaps he had seen too much of wizardry, had looked into places where a o

Catti-brie’s siht had sparked a sudden interest within Drizzt Do’Urden Who was this Robillard, and what precipitated his perpetual boredoer?

"Where is Deuder Drizzt’s trance He turned to see Waillan Micanty, a lad of barely twenty winters, with sandy-colored hair, cinnae dimples that always showed because Waillan never seeest of the Sea Sprite’s crew, younger even than Catti-brie, but with an uncanny eye on the ballista Waillan’s shots were fast becoh, he would no doubt asse the Sword Coast Waillan Micanty had put one ballista bolt through theof a pirate captain’s quarters at four hundred yards and had skewered the pirate captain as theon his cutlass The h his closed cabin door and out onto the deck The pirate ship struck her colors i had really even begun

"We are expecting the ht of the bea man Drizzt couldn’t help but notice the contrast between this youngster and Robillard, as probably the oldest of the crew, except for Drizzt

Waillan nodded "Should be here by now," he reht every word

"You are expecting him?" Drizzt was quick to ask

"I need to speak with his" The young man blushed deep red and moved close to Drizzt so that Catti-brie could not hear "A lady friend," he explained

Drizzt found his s even more "The captain is overdue," he said "I’er"

"He was less than a dozen doors dohen I last saw hi this way I thought he’d beat rew a bit concerned "How long ago was that?"

Waillan shrugged "I been here since the fight before," he said

Drizzt turned and leaned back against the bar He and Catti-brie exchanged concerned looks this tihts There wasn’t much to interest the captain between the Mermaid’s Ar that should have detained Deuder s of the water he was drinking He looked to Robillard, now sitting by hih a table not far from the man held open chairs beside the four that were occupied by members of the Sea Sprite’s crew Drizzt wasn’t too concerned Perhaps Deudered his ht But still, Dock Street in Waterdeep was a dangerous place, and the drow ranger’s sixth sense, that warrior instinct, told him to be wary

Deuder went on He was lying on the cold ground now, thatassu on his back The physical torture was not so great any, the captain felt the creature within his e that it could no doubt use against his friends

You will taste fine, Deuderhts Better than the old Scaramundi

Despite the unreality of it all, the lack of true sensation, the captain felt his sto He believed he knew, in that distant corner of consciousness, what ers were not common in the Realms, but the feho had h havoc to secure the wretched reputation of the alien race

Deuder was the grasp of the creature that the captain felt as if he eightless, si to his feet He was spun around to face the thing, to face himself, and he expected then to be devoured

"Not yet," the creature replied to his unspoken fears "I need your thoughts, good Captain Deuderh about you and your ship to sail it out of Waterdeep Harbor, far to the west and far to the south, to an island that fe, butand Deudermont had just focused fully on it when the creature’s head shot forward, its forehead sla him senseless Soht have passed-Deuderainst his cheek once htly bound behind his back, his ankles likewise strapped, and a tight gag was about his h to see the creature, wearing his forrate

Deuder as it lifted that sewer covering, a h near to five hundred pounds The creature casually leaned it against the wall of a building, then turned and grabbed Deuder him in

The stench ful, worse than the captain would have expected even froet his face out of the muck, he understood the source

Scaramundi, it had to be Scaramundi, lay beside him, caked in blood, more than half of his torso torn away, eaten by the creature Deuderrate clanked back into place, and then he lay still, horrified and helpless, knowing that he would soon share the sarisly fate