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All along the hill, the fisher the barbarians of what s the sword to the unfortunate ones ere not quite dead

Yet aer of mercy was to be found A man fro barbarian over onto its back, preparing to finish the job with his dagger Bruenor ca the youth as the standard bearer who had dented his helmet, stayed the fisher but a boy, and he can’t have known truly what he an’ his people did"

"Bah," huffed the fishers have shown to our children, I ask you? He’s half in the grave anyway"

"Still I ask ye to let hiainst his shoulder "In fact, I insist!"

The fisherman returned the dwarf’s scowl, but he had witnessed Bruenor’s proficiency in battle and thought the better of pushing hih, he headed off around the hill to find less protected victirass and moaned

"So ye’ve a bit of life left in ye yet," said Bruenor He knelt beside the lad’s head and lifted it by the hair to meet his eyes "Hear me well, boy I saved yer life here - why, I’m not quite knowin’ - but don’t ye think ye’ve been pardoned by the people of Ten-Towns I want ye to see theis in yer blood, and if it is, then let the fisherman’s blade end ye here and now! But I’m feelin’ there’s ht

"Ye’re to serve me and me people in our mines for five years and a day to prove yourself worthy of life and freedom"

Bruenor saw that the youth had slumped back into unconsciousness "Never mind," he muttered "Ye’ll hear me well before all’s done, be sure o’ that!" He ently instead

Onlookers to the spectacle of the gruff dwarf showing kindness to the barbarian youth were indeed startled, but none could guess the implications of what they had witnessed Bruenor himself, for all of his assumptions of this barbarian’s character, could not have foreseen that this boy, Wulfgar, would grow into the ion of the tundra

Far to the south, in a wide pass a peaks of the Spine of the World, Akar Kessell languished in the soft life that Crenshinibon had provided for hioblin slaves had captured yet another female fro else had caught his eye S into the empty sky frouessed He had heard ru when he and the wizards fro Easthaven But it didn’t matter to hiht here in Cryshal-Tirith and had no desire to travel anywhere else

No desires that rought of his oill

Crenshinibon was a relic that was truly alive in its ic And part of its life was the desire to conquer and command The crystal shard was not content with an existence in a desolate oblins It wanted more It wanted power

Kessell’s own subconscious recollections of Ten-Tohen he had spotted the coluer, so it now used the sae grasped at the wizard’s deepest needs He saw himself seated on a throne in Bryn Shander, iined the response froes there, especially Eldulac and Dendybar, learned of Akar Kessell, Lord of Ten-Towns and Ruler of all Icewind Dale! Would they offer him a robe in their puny order then?

Despite Kessell’s true enjoyht appealed to hi the paths that he oal

He ruled out trying to dooblin tribe, for even the least intelligent of the goblins had held out against his i tiotten away froained their ability to determine their own actions and had fled into the ainst the hu within the structure of Cryshal-Tirith, destructive forces beyond anything he had ever heard of, even in the Hosttower This would help, but it wouldn’t be enough Even the strength of Crenshinibon was liather neer to replace expended energy Furthermore, in Ten-Towns there were too le sphere of influence, and Kessell didn’t want to destroy theed to have hu before him, real men like the ones who had persecuted hiained the shard

His ponderings eventually led hi He would need an aroblins he presently commanded Fanatically devoted to his every wish, they would (in fact, several had) gladly die for hiulf the wide region of the three lakes with any seain covertly insinuated into his will by the crystal shard, came upon the wizard "How many holes and caves," Kessell cried aloud, "are there in this vast and rugged iants, do they harbor?" The beginnings of a devious vision took shape in his iant ar across the plains, unstoppable and irresistable

Hoould make men tremble!

He lay back on a soft pillow and called for the new hareae drea and whih, that he would certainly consider the possibilities of lordship over Ten-Towns that had opened wide before hioblins could always find hi

Crenshinibon, too, seemed to be at peace It had placed the seed within Kessell’s erminate into a plan of conquest But, like Kessell, the relic had no need for haste

The crystal shard had waited ten thousand years to return to life and see this opportunity of power flicker again It could wait a few more