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So to worry Robillard had already left the Merusted that his captain, as he had put it, "couldn’t be counted on" Waillan Micanty was still at the bar beside Drizzt, though the young man had taken up a conversation with another sailor on the other side of him

Drizzt, his back to the bar, continued to survey the crowd, perfectly at ease a the sailors It hadn’t always been so Drizzt had coh Waterdeep only twice before he and Catti-brie had left Mithril Hall, first on his way to Cali Entreri, and on the return trip, when he and his friends weretheir way back to reclaih the city in disguise, using a ical h, made without the mask, had been a trickier proposition The Sea Sprite had put into Waterdeep Harbor in earlybut, at Deudermont’s request, Drizzt and his friends had waited until after dark to leave the city for the road to the east

Upon his return to Waterdeep with Catti-brie six years ago, Drizzt had dared to walk openly as a drow It had been an uncomfortable experience, eyes were upon hied hies, but knew that sooner or later, he would have to fight, or even worse, he would be slain from afar, likely by a hidden bowman, for no better reason than the color of the skin

Then the Sea Sprite had put in and Drizzt had found Deudermont, his old friend and a reat city Soon after, Drizzt had beco Dock Street, because of his personal reputation, spread in no small way by Captain Deudermont Wherever the Sea Sprite docked, it was made clear that Drizzt Do’Urden, this most unusual of dark elves, was a member of her heroic crew Drizzt’s road had been easier, had even becoh it all, Catti-brie and Guenhwyvar had been beside hi at a table with two of the Sea Sprite’s crew, the great panther curled up on the floor about her legs Guenhwyvar had become a mascot to the patrons of the Merlad that he could sometimes call in the cat, not for battle, but simply for companionship Drizzt wondered which reason would hold this day Catti-brie had requested the panther, saying her feet were cold, and Drizzt had agreed, but in the back of the drow’s ht be in trouble Guenhwyvar ht be needed for more than companionship

The drow surely relaxed a h of relief as Captain Deuderlanced around, then focused on Drizzt and sidled up to the bar

"Calier said to the bartender, for it had scoured Deudermont’s mind and knew that to be the man’s custoether, the doppleganger had learned much of Captain Deudermont and of the Sea Sprite

Drizzt turned about and leaned over the bar "You are late," he re to discern if there had been any trouble

"A minor problem," the impostor assured him

"What is it, Guen?" Catti-brie asked softly as the panther’s head ca in the direction of Drizzt and Deuderrowl resonating fro body "What do ye see?"

Guenhwyvar continued to watch the pair closely, but Catti-brie dis there must be a rat or the like in the far corner beyond Drizzt and the captain

"Caerwich," the iarded the man curiously "Caerwich?" he echoed Drizzt knew the na the Sword Coast knew the name of the tiny island, which was too small and remote to appear on the vast majority of nautical charts

"We must put out at once for Caerwich," the i Drizzt directly in the eye So perfect was the disguise of the doppleganger that Drizzt hadn’t the slightest idea that anything was ae to Drizzt Caeras a shipboard story, a tale of a haunted island that played hoh some sailors claimed to have visited the place Certainly Drizzt and Deudermont had never spoken of it For the captain to announce that they ain Drizzt studied Deuder how uncomfortable Deudermont see the taverns of Dock Street Drizzt believed so had unnerved Deudermont Whatever had delayed his arrival at the Merured it to be a visit by one of Waterdeep’s secretive lords, perhaps even reatly Perhaps Deudermont’s announcement wasn’t so out of place Many times in the last six years, the Sea Sprite, the tool of Waterdeep’s Lords, had been assigned private, unusual missions, and so the drow accepted the inforer hadn’t counted on was Guenhwyvar, who crouched so low that her belly brushed against the floor as she inched for Deudermont’s back, her ears flat

"Guenhwyvar!" Drizzt scolded

The doppleganger spun about, putting its back to the wooden bar just as Guenhwyvar charged in, co

the creature to the bar Had the doppleganger kept its wits and played the innocent victiht have talked its way out of the predicanized Guenhwyvar, or at least the fact that this panther was not of the Prinized that about the panther, it figured the panther would recognize the same

Purely on instinct, the creature batted Guenhwyvar with its forear the six-hundred pound cat halfway across the wide rooain at Drizzt, it found that the drow had his scimitars in hand

"Who are you?" Drizzt derabbed at the blades, catching one Drizzt struck, tentatively and with the flat of his free blade, for he feared that this ht be Deudermont under some type of enchantment He smacked the iht the blade in its open hand, and it rushed forward and bowled Drizzt aside

The rest of those in the tavern were up then, hts But the crew of the Sea Sprite, particularly Catti-brie, realized the absolute strangeness of the scene

The dopplegangeraside the one confused sailor, one of the Sea Sprite’s crewmen, who stood in its way

Catti-brie had her bow ready, and she put an arrow, trailing silvery sparks, into the wall right beside the creature’s head The doppleganger spun to face her, hissed loudly, and was subsequently buried by six hundred pounds of flying panther This tith of her foe and by the tireat cat was sitting on the doppleganger’s back, her powerful jaws cla’s neck Drizzt was there in an instant, followed closely by Catti-brie, Waillan Micanty and the rest of the crew, andthe proprietor of the Mere frorabbing the i its head so that he could look into its face Drizzt rubbed his free hand across the thing’s cheek, looking for ers away before the doppleganger bit at the the creature’s face to slam hard back into the floor

"Go and check out Dock Street!" Drizzt called to Waillan "Near to where you last saw the captain!"

"But " Waillan protested, pointing to the prone form

"This is not Captain Deudermont," Drizzt assured him "This is not even human!"

Waillan motioned to several of the Sea Sprite’s crew and headed out, followed by many other sailors who called the captain

"And call for the Watch!" Drizzt yelled after the to the famed Waterdeep patrols "Be ready with your bow," Drizzt said to Catti-brie and she nodded and fitted another arrow to the bowstring

Working with Guenhwyvar, the drow ainst a wall The bartender offered soer’s hands behind its back

"I ask you one ly The creature , a diabolical sound indeed