Page 31 (2/2)

"Perhaps you underesti realized that Cassius would not back away from the plan that he had set in motion, the spokesis that was genuinely co

"Let us pray, for both our sakes, that the latter is the truth," Cassius continued,to his seat at the table "But I truly believe this to be the case I have faith in you, even if you do not I remember hat you did to Spokesh it took his own declaration that he had been tricked to make me realize the truth of the situation A is of Lonelywood, and is blushed and conceded the point

"And if you can deal with the stubborn likes of Keree with your perceptions of Kessell as sois, "but wizards have a way of uncovering wizardlike tricks And you forget the demon I would not even attempt to deceive one of its kind!"

"Let us hope that you shall not have to deal with that one," Cassius agreed with a visible shudder "Yet I feel that you o to the tower and try to dissuade the wizard If we cannot soathered army at bay until its own inner turmoil becomes our ally, then we are surely doomed Believe me, as I am your friend, that I would not ask you to journey into such peril if I saw any other possible path" A pained look of helpless eh the spokes opti s for the overly pressured spokesic of the plan and the absence of other avenues to explore Kessell hadn’t given the of Targos, the wizard had demonstrated his ability to likewise destroy Bryn Shander, and the halfling had little doubt that Kessell would carry out his vile threat

So Regis ca wasn’t easily spurred to action, but when he , he usually tried to do it properly

"First of all," he began, "I must tell you in the strictest of confidence that I do indeed have limmer of hope returned to Cassius’s eyes He leaned forward, anxious to hear is calmed him with an outstretched pal explained, "that I do not, as some tales claim, have the power to pervert what is in a person’s heart I could not convince Kessell to abandon his evil path any more than I could convince Spokesman Kemp to make peace with Termalaine" He rose from his cushioned chair and paced around the table, his hands clasped behind his back Cassius watched hiure out exactly what he was leading up to with his adh, I do have a way of s frois admitted "Like the incident you have referred to, when I convinced Ke upon a certain preferable course of action would actually help hiain, Cassius, all that you have learned about the wizard and his arht discover a way to s that he has co’s eloquence stunned the spokesis in the eye, he could see the proerated

"We know fro forces of the four towns on Maer Dualdon," Cassius explained "Likewise, Jensin Brent and Schermont are poised upon Lac Dinneshere, and combined with the fleets on Redwaters, they should prove a powerful force indeed!

"Kee, and I doubt if any of the other refugees entertain thoughts of surrender or fleeing"

"Where could they go?" Regis muttered He looked pitifully at Cassius, who had no words of comfort Cassius had put on a show of confidence and hope for the others at the council and for the people in the town, but he could not look at Regis now and make hollow promises

Glensather suddenly burst back into the room "The wizard is back on the field!" he cried "He has deain!"

The three rushed fro as is silenced him "I am prepared," he assured Cassius "I don’t know if this outrageous sche, but you have my vow that I’ll work hard to carry out the deception"

Then they were at the gate "It is on the shoulder "We have no other hope" He started to turn away, but Regis had one final question that he needed answered

"If I find that Kessell is beyond rimly "What am I to do if the deception fails?"

Cassius looked around at the thousands of woainst the chill wind in the city’s coan slowly, "if Kessell cannot be dissuaded froainst Bryn Shander," he paused again, if only to delay having to hear himself utter the words, "you are then under my personal orders to surrender the city"

Cassius turned away and headed for the parapets to witness the critical confrontation Regis didn’t hesitate any longer, for he knew that any pause at this frightening juncture would probably cause hi place in some dark hole in the city Before he even had the chance to reconsider, he was through the gate and boldlyspector of Akar Kessell

Kessell had again appeared between twowith ar iis the distinct ie, would strike him dead before he even reached the botto had to keep his eyes focused on Kessell to even continue his approach The wretched trolls disgusted and revulsed hi he had ever encountered, and it took all of his willpower to ate, he could s stench

But so the evil wizard

Kessell studied the emissary for quite a while He certainly hadn’t expected a halfling to represent the city and wondered why Cassius hadn’t co "Do you come before me as the official representative of Bryn Shander and all who now reside within her walls?"

Regis nodded "I ais of Lonelywood," he answered, "a friend to Cassius and former member of the Council of Ten I have been appointed to speak for the people within the city"

Kessell’s eyes narrowed in anticipation of his victory "And do you bear their is shuffled uneasily, purposely shifting so that the ruby pendant would start into hty wizard, that we reement"

Kessell’s eyes widened He looked at Cassius upon the wall "I said unconditional!" he shrieked Behind hirow "Now you shall witness the folly of your insolence!"

"Wait!" pleaded Regis, juain the wizard’s attention "There are sos that you should be aware of before all is decided!"

Kessell paid little attention to the halfling’s raht his attention Even through the protection offered by the distance between his physical body and theof his iis couldn’t resist the urge to shtly, when he realized that the eyes of the wizard no longer blinked "I have some infor said quietly

Kessell signaled for hiis whispered "There are too oblins would be pleased to hear what I have to say!"

Kessell considered the halfling’s words for a moment He felt curiously subdued for some reason that he couldn’t yet understand "Very well, halfling," he agreed "I shall hear your words" With a flash and a puff of sis looked back over his shoulder at the people on the wall and nodded

Under telepathic command from within the tower, the trolls shifted the is’s reflection A second flash and puff of sone

On the wall, Cassius returned the halfling’s nod, though Regis had already disappeared The spokesis had thrown hi and Bryn Shander still stood If his guess, based on the ti of the wizard’s actions, was correct, Cryshal-Tirith drew ht of the sun

It appeared that his plan had bought theh his bleary eyes, Drizzt recognized the dark shape that hovered over hied his head when he had been thrown from the scimitar’s hilt and Guenhwyvar, his loyal co hours the drow had reh the cat had also been battered in the fight with Errtu

Drizzt rolled into a sitting position and tried to reorient hiht that dawn had co from the west He had been out for the better part of a day, drained coy in its battle with the deard The cat’s shoulder hung limp from its collision with the stone wall, and Errtu had torn a deep cut into one of its forelegs

More than injuries, though, fatigue earing on the ical beast It had overstayed the normal limits of its visit to the material plane by many hours The chord between its home plane and the drow’s was only kept intact by the cat’s ownminute that it reth

Drizzt stroked the muscled neck tenderly He understood the sacrifice Guenhwyvar had made for his sake, and he wished that he could comply with the cat’s needs and send it back to its oorld

But he could not If the cat returned to its own plane, it would be hours before it would regain the strength required to reestablish a link back to this world And he needed the cat now

"A bit longer," he begged The faithful beast lay down beside him without any hint of protest Drizzt looked upon it with pity and petted the neck once again How he longed to release the cat from his service! Yet he could not

From what Errtu had told his of the Material Plane

Drizzt needed the cat’s eyes