Page 22 (1/2)
Drizzt padded through the tunnels and past the bodies of the dead giants, slowing only to grab another hunk of h the support beaerness with coiants had hidden their treasure down here, the chaht even be soiant, since it would have joined in the fighting
The tunnel was quite long, running straight northward, and Drizzt figured that he was nowunderneath the mass of Kelvin’s Cairn He had passed the last torch, but he was glad for the darkness He had lived the htless subterranean world of his people, and his large eyes guided hiht
The hallway ended abruptly at a barred, iron-bound door, its e chain and padlock Drizzt felt a pang of guilt for leaving Wulfgar behind The drow had teaknesses; forele of uncovering the booty of his vanquished foes It wasn’t the gold or gems that lured Drizzt; he didn’t care for wealth and rarely even kept any of the treasures he had won It was si theh the soes past, or uilt feelings fleay as he pulled a small lockpick from his beltpouch He had never been forile and coordinated as any , he wasn’t particularly challenged by the clumsy lock; in a matter of seconds, it fell open Drizzt listened carefully for any sounds behind the door Hearing none, he gently lifted the large bar and set it aside Listening one last time, he drew one of his scimitars, held his breath in anticipation, and pushed in the door
His breath caloith the waning light of two torches It was se, ed out of the ical properties these items had been known to exhibit, and moved in to exaht of a man but propped up to eye level by an intricately worked iron stand That it was lined in silver and in such an out-of-the-way chainspection revealed no arcane runes or s of any kind that hinted at its properties
Able to discover nothing unusual about the piece, Drizzt carelessly stepped in front of the glass Suddenly a pinkishthe appearance of a three-dilass Drizzt jurowing spectacle
The h fed by some hidden fire Then its center e of a e painted in the tradition of some of the southern cities
"Why do you bother me?" the face asked at the empty room before the mirror Drizzt took another step to the side, further away froht He considered confronting the ured that his friends had too much at stake for him to take such a reckless chance
"Stand before e It waited for several seconds, sneering ily tense "When I discover which of you idiots inadvertently summoned me, I shall turn you into a coney and put you in a pit of wolves!" the ie screamed wildly The mirror flashed suddenly and returned to normal
Drizzt scratched his chin and wondered if there was anything more he could do or discover here He decided that the risks were sih the lair, he found Wulfgar sitting with Guenhwyvar in the e just a few yards from the closed and barred front doors The barbarian stroked the cat’s muscled shoulders and neck
"I see that Guenhwyvar has won your friendship," Drizzt said as he approached
Wulfgar s the animal a playful shake "And a true warrior!" He started to rise but was thrown violently back to the floor
An explosion rocked the lair as a ballista bolt sla their wooden bar and blasting them in One of the doors broke cleanly in half and the other’s top hinge tore away, leaving the door hanging aardly by its twisted bottoe
Drizzt drew his sciar as the barbarian tried to regain his balance
Abruptly a bearded fighter leaped onto the hanging door, a circular shield, its standard aover one arm and a notched and bloodstained battle-ax poised in the other "Co his shield with his axe - as if his clan hadn’t already h noise to rouse the lair!
"Rest easy, wild dwarf," Drizzt laughed "The verbeeg are all dead"
Bruenor spotted his friends and hopped down into the tunnel, soon followed by the rest of the rowdy clan "All dead!" the dwarf cried "Damn ye, elf, I knew ye’d keep all the play to yerself!"
"What about the reinforcear asked
Bruenor chuckled wickedly "Some faith, will ye, boy? They’re luood for ’em, I say! Only one’s alive, a s ’is stinkin’ tongue!"
After the episode with the ating the orc "Have you questioned him?" he asked Bruenor
"Ah, he’s s should make ’im squeal!"
Drizzt knew better Orcs were not loyal creatures, but under the enchant techniques weren’t usually ic, and Drizzt had a notion of what is," he instructed Bruenor "The halfling canant to know"
"Torturin’d be more fun," lamented Bruenor, but he, too, understood the wisdoestion He was iants working together And noith orcs beside thear sat in the far corner of the small chamber, as far froet One of Bruenor’s troops had returned froh they were all exhausted fro, they were too anxious about the iis and the captive orc hadroootten the prisoner firmly under his control with his ruby pendant
Bruenor busied hi the wretched, foul-s skull "Use yer heads!" he had argued in response to Drizzt and Wulfgar’s expressions of horror and disgust "A barnyard goose tastes better ’an a wild one cause it don’t use its iant’s brains!"
Drizzt and Wulfgar hadn’t seen things quite the same way They didn’t want to leave the area and h, so they huddled in the farthest corner of the roo on a private conversation
Bruenor strained to hear the that he hadinterest in
"Half for the last one in the kitchen," Wulfgar insisted, "and half for the cat"
"And you only get half for the one at the chasar "And we split the one in the hall and Biggrin down the middle?"
Drizzt nodded "Then with all halves and shared kills added up, it’s ten and one-half for me and ten and one-half for you"