Page 17 (1/2)
Book 3
Trails Anew
16 Days of Old
A squat stone tower stood in a s of a steep hill Because it was ivy covered and overgrown, a casual passer-by would not even have noticed the structure
But the Companions of the Hall were not casual in their search This was the Herald’s Holdfast, possibly the solution to their entire search
"Are you certain that this is the place?" Regis asked Drizzt as they peered over a small bluff Truly the ancient tower appearedstirred anywhere nearby, not even anih an eerie, reverent hush surrounded the place
"I ae of the tower It has stood forhas it been empty?" Bruenor asked, thus far disappointed in the place that had been described to hioal
"It is not empty," Drizzt replied "Unless the information I received was in err"
Bruenor juht," he gru us right now, I’ll wager, drooling for us to come in! Let’s be on with it, then! Sundabar’s a day more away than e left!"
The dwarf’s three friends joined hirown path that had once been a ay to the tower’s door They approached the ancient stone door cautiously, eapons drawn
Moss-covered and worn to a smooth finish by the toll of time, apparently it hadn’t been opened in ar "If any ar leaned Aegis-fang against the wall and e door He set his feet as best he could and ran his hands across the stone in search of a good niche to push against
But as soon as he applied the slightest pressure to the stone portal, it swung inward, silently and without effort
A cool breeze wafted out of the still darkness within, carrying a blend of unfae The friends sensed the place as otherworldly, belonging to a different tiree of trepidation that Drizzt led theh their footfalls echoed in the quiet darkness The daylight beyond the door offered little relief, as though some barrier remained between the inside of the tower and the world beyond
"We should light a torch - " Regis began, but he stopped abruptly, frightened by the unintentional voluar cried suddenly, noticing that the silent portal had begun to close behind the theth could not deny the , just a hushed rush of air that resounded like a giant’s sigh
The lightless toe door blocked out the final slit of sunlight did not colow lit up the room, the entrance hall to the Herald’s Holdfast
No words could they speak above the profound awe that enveloped them They stood in view of the history of the race of Man within a bubble of tie and belonging In the blink of an eye they had been propelled into the position of removed observers, their own existence suspended in a different ti of the huod Intricate tapestries, their once-vivid colors faded and their distinct lines now blurred, swept the friends into a fantastic collage of i a story again and again; the same tale, it seemed, but subtly altered each time, to present different principles and varied outcoe lined the walls, beneath the standards and crests of a thousand longforgotten kingdoes, some familiar but most unknown to any but the most studious of scholars, stared down at theh to emote the very character of thedirectly across the cylindrical cha into the hill behind the tower Only when it began to swing open did the coe to break free of the spell of the place
None went for their weapons, though, understanding that whoever, or whatever, inhabited this toould be beyond such earthly strength
An ancient man stepped into the room, older than anyone they had ever seen before His face had retained its fullness, not holloith age, but his skin appeared almost wooden in texture, with lines that seee that defied time as stubbornly as an ancient tree His asthat transcended the definition of steps He came in close to the friends and waited, his ar, satiny robe, peacefully dropped to his sides
"Are you the herald of the tower?" Drizzt asked
"Old Night, I a with serenity "Welcome, Companions of the Hall The Lady Alustriel infor, and of your quest"
Even consuar did not lanced over at Drizzt,smile
Drizzt turned away and sht proclaiest in the Holdfast, except for the library, of course"
He noticed Bruenor’s disgruntled scowl "The tradition of your race runs deep, good dwarf, and deeper yet does the elves’," he explained "But crises in history are enerations than in centuries The short-lived hudole dwarven king would rule his people in peace"
"No patience!" Bruenor huffed, apparently appeased
"Agreed," laughed Old Night "But coht"
He led theh the doorway and down a similarly lit hallway Doors on either side of them identified the various chaoodly races, and even a few for the history of orcs and goblins and the giantkind
The friends and Old Night supped at a huge, round table, its ancient wood as hard as e, ht could not reave the ih, it was delicious, with a flavor so the friends had ever eaten before The drink, a crystalline wine, possessed a rich bouquet surpassing even the legendary elixirs of the elves
Old Night entertained therand tales of ancient heroes, and of events that had shaped the Realms into their present state The coh in all probability substantial clues about Mithril Hall loomed only a door or tay
When the ht rose from his chair and looked around at them with a weird, curious intensity "The day will coain On that day, I am sure, one of the tales I tell will concern the Colorious quest"
The friends could not reply to the honor that the ancient man had paid the for a long, long in anew" He led thereatest library in all the North
Voluh piles on the ht indicated one particular table, a smaller one off to the side, with a solitary book opened upon it
"I have done ht explained "And in all the volu dwarves, this was the only one I could find that held any reference to Mithril Hall"
Bruenorhands It ritten in High Dwarven, the language of Dumathoin, Keeper of Secrets Under the Mountain, a script nearly lost in the Reale quickly, then read aloud the passages of concern
"King Elhtily from the labors of Garumn and the kin of Clan Battlehammer, but the dwarves of the secret ains Settlestone proved a valuable and trustworthy ally whence Garuin the secret trail to market of the leam of revelation in his eye
"Settlestone," he whispered "I know that name" He dove back into the book