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More than a day had passed since the hbors rode out to their secluded far fare even before he looked in the house or barn

He returned an hour later with Mayor Delmo and several other arh the Thistledown house and across the grounds cautiously, putting cloth over their faces to combat the terrible smell

"Who could have done this?" the mayor demanded "What monster?" As if in answer, one of the far a broken scimitar in his hands

"A droeapon?" the far McGristle"

Delmo hesitated He expected the party froer Dove Falconhand would be better able to handle the situation than the volatile and uncontrollable an, though, for the snarl of a dog alerted all in the house that McGristle had arrived The burly, dirty man stalked into the kitchen, the side of his face horribly scarred and caked with brown, dried blood

"Droeapon!" he spat, recognizing the sciin an, but McGristle hardly listened He stalked about the roo bodies with his foot and bending low to inspect some minor details

"Saw the tracks outside," McGristle stated suddenly "Two sets, I make ’em"

"The drow has an ally," the mayor reasoned "More cause for us to wait for the party from Sundabar"

"Bah, ye hardly know if they’re even coet after the drohile the trail’s fine for athered farmers nodded their accord - until Delht be facing

"A single drow took you down, McGristle," the mayor said "Now you think there’s two of theo and hunt them?"

"Bad fortune, it was, that tookto the now less-than-eager farmers "I had that drow, had him cleaned an’ dressed!"

The farmers milled nervously and whispered to each other as the mayor took Roddy by the arm and led him to the side of the rooed "Our chances will be er comes"

Roddy didn’t seeht," he snarled "He killed ly"

"You want him, and you’ll have hiht beor your pride"

Roddy’s face contorted ominously, but thein the area, all of Maldobar was in ireatest defense until help could arrive from Sundabar was unity, and that defense would fail if Roddy led a group of h already - on a chase through the h to know that he could not appeal to Roddy on those terh While the mountain man had remained in Maldobar for a couple of years, he was, in essence, a drifter and owed no allegiance to the town

Roddy turned away, deciding that the rabbed his ar bared its teeth and growled, but that threat was a sht of the awful scowl that Roddy shot him

"You’ll have the drow," the mayor said quickly, "but wait for the help fro" He switched to terms that Roddy could truly appreciate "I am a man of no small ot here, and still are, I’d expect"

Roddy’s expression quickly changed froe to curiosity

"Wait for the help, then go get the drow" Theoffer He really had no experience in this sort of thing and, while he didn’t want to come in too low and spoil the interest he had sparked, he didn’t want to tax his own purse strings any old for the drow’s head"

Roddy had played this pricing gaht well; the mayor’s offer was five tione after the drow in any case, with or without payru that more could be exacted for his troubles The mayor rocked back on his heels but reminded hiht be at stake

"And not a copper less!" Roddy added, crossing his burly arms over his chest

"Wait for Mistress Falconhand," Delmo said meekly, "and you shall have your two thousand"

All through the night, Lagerbottoiant was not yet certain how it felt about the death of Ulgulu and Kempfana, the unasked for erbottoiant knew that the droas sorely wounded

Drizzt realized he was being followed but could do little to hide his tracks One leg, injured in his bouncing descent into the ravine, dragged painfully and Drizzt had all he could do to keep ahead of the giant When dawn cae had increased He could not hope to escape the hill giant through the long and revealing light of day

The trail dipped into a s up wherever they could find cracks between the nuh - he saw no option other than continuing his flight - but while he leaned on one of the larger trees for support to catch his breath, a thought ca lilanced back along the trail Higher up and crossing a bare expanse of rock, the relentless hill giant plodded along Drizzt drew his scimitar with the one arest branch he could find Then he looked for a suitable boulder

The giant crashed into the copse about a half-hour later, its huge club swinging at the end of one erbottoms stopped abruptly when the drow appeared fro the path

Drizzt nearly sighed aloud when the giant stopped, exactly at the appointed area He had feared that the huge monster would just continue on and swat him down, for Drizzt, injured as he was, could have offered little resistance Seizing the moment of the oblin language and enacted a si, harerbottoms shifted uncoerous ene feet with more than a casual interest

"Why do you follow me?" Drizzt demanded "Do you desire to join the others in the sleep of death?"

Lagerbottoue over dry lips So far, this encounter hadn’t gone as expected Now the giant thought past those first instinctual urges that had led hiulu and Kenolls and goblins, too, were gone, and that pesky little quickling sprite hadn’t been around for a while A sudden thought caerbottoh he was relieved to find that coht be avoided, Drizzt was noll band had given hiiant was obviously connected to those other htered the farm family

"Friends to what end?" Drizzt asked tentatively, hoping against all reason that he ht find this creature to be motivated by some principles, and not just by blood lust

"To kill," Lagerbottoh the answer had been obvious

Drizzt snarled and jerked his head about in angry denial, his whitewildly He snapped the sciiant’s foot had found the loop of his snare

"Kill you!" Lagerbottoiant lifted his club and took a huge stride forward, a stride shortened by the vinelike branch pulling tightly around his ankle

Drizzt checked his desire to rush in, re hi himself, too, that in his present condition he would be hard put to survive against the forerbottoe The branch wasn’t really a proper cord and the noose wasn’t so tight If Lagerbottoiant easily could have slipped the noose off his foot Hill giants, however, were never known for their intelligence

"Kill you!" the giant cried again, and it kicked hard against the strain of the branch Propelled by the considerable force of the kick, the large rock tied to the branch’s other end, behind the giant, pelted forward through the underbrush and sailed into Lagerbottoerbotto threat came out as a whoosh! of forced air The heavy club dropped to the ground and the giant, clutching its kidney area, dropped to one knee

Drizzt hesitated awhether to run or finish the kill He didn’t fear for hi after hiet the lurid expression on the giant’s face when the ether

"How hter?" Drizzt asked in the drow tongue

Lagerbottorunted and snarled through the burning pain

"Howover the scily

He came in fast and hard

To Benson Delmo’s absolute relief, the party fro coe - came in later that day The mayor offered the troupe food and rest, but as soon as Dove heard of the massacre at the Thistledown farht out, with the mayor, Roddy McGristle, and several curious farmers close behind