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The heat of a sar back to consciousness He caily and, at first, could not coled out of a blanket that he did not re dead just a few yards away, the huge icicle rooted firlobe of darkness had dissipated, and Wulfgar gawked at how accurate the drow’s approxion’s left eye, and the black shafts of two others stuck out frorasp the security of Aegisfang’s fa the pervading nued to stand up, searching around frantically for his weapon And where, he wondered, was the drow?

Then he heard the tapping coed, heatop a hill of coins, breaking away its icy covering with Wulfgar’s warhareeting "Well on’s Bane!" he called

"And to you, friend elf," Wulfgar responded, thoroughly pleased to see the drow again "You have followedanother chunk of ice off the treasure "There was little excitee ahead in our competition of kills! Ten and one-half to ten and one-half," he declared, son to split between us I claireed "And clai on a fine silver chain around his neck "A few baubles," he explained "I need no riches and doubt that I would be able to carry much out of here, anyway! A few baubles will suffice"

He sifted through the portion of the pile he had just freed froem-encrusted sword pommel, its black adamantite hilt masterfully sculpted into the likeness of the toothedcat The lure of the intricate workers he slid the rest of the weapon out froold

A scied Drizzt raised it before hihtness and perfect balance

"A few baublesand this," he corrected

Even before he had encountered the dragon, Wulfgar wondered hoould escape the underground caverns "The current of the water is too strong and the ledge of the waterdrop too high to go back through Everh he knew that the droould have surh those barriers, I have no more deer blubber to protect us from the cold e leave the water"

"I also have no ain," Drizzt assured the barbarian "Yet I rely onme into such situations prepared! Thus the wood for the fire and the blanket that I put upon you, both wrapped in sealskin And also this" He produced a three-pronged grapple and so cord from his belt He had already discovered an escape route

Drizzt pointed up to a small hole in the roof above the had taken part of the cha with it "I cannot hope to throw the hook so high, but your e"

"In better tith to make the attempt" The barbarian had coon’s breath had descended upon hiht now used up, he felt the pervading cold keenly "I fear thathands could not even close upon the hook!"

"Then run!" yelled the drow "Let your chilled body war around the wide chas and fingers In a short while, he began to feel the inner war

It took hiet it to catch fast on soile elf veritably running up the cord

Wulfgar finished his business in the cavern, collecting a bag of riches and some other items he kneould need He hadthe cord, but with the drow’s assistance froed to scra sun dipped below the horizon

They ca a much-needed and well-deserved rest in the coain before dawn, running west They ran side by side for two days, ht the barbarian tribes, both of theood friend," said Wulfgar as he bent low to inspect the trails "I shall never forget what you have done for ar," Drizzt replied sohty warhammer terrorize your ene back, but wondering if he would ever see his large coency of his mission to pause and ponder his ee encampment of the asse the standard of the Tribe of the Elk, the younger Wulfgar hadof Teht, and possibly die, beside hilorious test of a warrior "Innocent savagery," heto the contradiction of the words as he recalled his ignorance in those days so long ago But his perceptions had undergone a considerable change Bruenor and Drizzt, by beco him the intricacies of their world, had personalized the people he had previously looked uponhim to face the brutal consequences of his actions

A bitter bile welled in Wulfgar’s throat at the thought of the tribes launching another raid against Ten-Towns Even side goblins and giants

As he neared the periorot, no ceremonial Mead Hall, in all the ca the respective standards of the tribal kings, comprised the center of the assembly, surrounded by the open caar could see that nearly all of the tribes were present, but their coth was little more than half the size of the assembly five years previous Drizzt’s observations that the barbarians hadn’t yet recovered fro painfully true

Two guardsar He had is-fang at his feet and raised his hands to show that his intentions were honorable

"Who are you that co?" asked one of the guards He sized up the stranger, greatly ihty weapon lying at his feet "Surely you are no beggar, noble warrior, yet you are unknown to us"

"I aar replied, recognizing the ar, warrior of the Tribe of the Elk I was lost to you five years ago, ehis phrases to avoid the subject of their defeat Barbarians did not talk of such unpleasantar, and he re the boy’s age when he last saw hi man He was soon satisfied that the si warrior!" he said warar "I have seen great and wondrous things and learned much wisdom Many are the tales that I shall tell, but, in truth, I have not the ti"

Revjak nodded and ih the rows of firepits "Heafstaag will be glad of your return"

Too quietly to be heard Wulfgar replied, "Not so glad"

A curious crowd gathered around the i warrior as he neared the central tent of the enca and returned iar to enter

Wulfgar hoisted Aegis-fang upon his shoulder, but did not move toward the flap that Revjak held open "What I have to say shall be spoken openly and before all the people," he said loudly enough for Heafstaag to hear "Let Heafstaag come to me!"

Confused e, for the ruhout the crowd did not speak of Wulfgar, the son of Beornegar, as a descendant of royal bloodlines

Heafstaag rushed out of the tent He er, his chest puffed out and his one good eye glaring at Wulfgar The crowd hushed, expecting the ruthless king to slay the i’s dangerous stare and did not back away an inch "I aar, son of Beorne before hiht at the Battle of Bryn Shander; wielder of Aegis-fang, the Giant Foe," he held the great hah before hier of Gwaeron Windstroiant chieftain, Biggrin," he paused for athe anticipation of his next proclamation When he was satisfied that he held the crowd’s fullest attention, he continued, "I a man on all the tundra had claie," Wulfgar growled in a low, threatening tone

"I shall kill you," Heafstaag replied with as much calar’s huge shoulders and cordedhis position at this time, on the brink of an apparent victory over the fisher warrior, then the people would never allow such a fight They would force Wulfgar to relinquish his claiht do you make such a claim?"

"You would lead our people at the beckon of a wizard," Wulfgar retorted He listened closely to the sounds of the crowd to measure their approval or disapproval of his accusation "You would have theoblins and orcs!" No one dared protest aloud, but Wulfgar could sense that ed about the co battle That would explain the absence of the Mead Hall, as well, for Heafstaag ise enough to realize that sih emotions of such a celebration

Revjak interposed before Heafstaag could reply - ords or eapon "Son of Beornegar," Revjak said firht to question the orders of the king You have declared an open challenge; the rules of tradition deht to such a fight"

Excitear knew immediately that his father’s old friend had intervened to prevent the start of an unrecognized, and therefore unofficial, brawl The olderwarrior could coar further sensed that Revjak, and perhaps e would be successfully carried through