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Bruenor a the lower slopes of Kelvin’s Cairn for the better part of thethick in the air, but stubborn pockets still made the trails difficult Axe in one hand and shield, e standard of Clan Battleha curses at every slick spot, at every boulder obstacle, and at dark elves in general

He rounded the northwestern, pointed nose cherry-red fro hard "Ti a stone alcove sheltered by high walls from the relentless wind

Bruenor wasn’t the only one who had noticed the comfortable spot Just before he reached the ten-foot-wide break in the rock wall, a sudden flap of leathery wings brought a huge, insectlike head rising up before hinized the beast as a reainst it

The remorhaz ca body rolling out like an ice-blue ribbon behind it Multifaceted bug eyes, shining bright white, honed in on the dwarf Short, leathery wings kept the creature’s front half reared and ready to strike while dozens of scra torso

Bruenor felt the increasing heat as the agitated creature’s back began to glow, first to a dull brown, then brightening to red

"That’ll stop the wind for a bit!" the dwarf chuckled, realizing that he could not outrun the beast He stopped his retreat and waved his axe threateningly

The reh to s the dirily

Bruenor juled his shield and body to keep the ht between the s beat ferociously, lifting the head back up The reain quickly, but Bruenor beat it to the spot He snatched his bulky axe with his shield hand, drew a long dagger, and dove forward, right between the reat head came down in a rush, but Bruenor had already slipped under the low belly, the beast’s et er up between the scale ridge

Bruenor was too tough and too well ar, but then the creature began to roll, -hot back on the dwarf

"No, ye don’t, ye confused dragon-wor to keep away from the heat He cath, tuht over

Snow sputtered and sizzled when the fiery back touched down Bruenor kicked and swatted his way past the thrashing legs to get to the vulnerable underside The dwarf’s ash

The re Bruenor to the side The das up in an instant, but not quickly enough, as the polar worh as he tried to leap away, and the dwarf cas

Then they faced off again, both showing considerably aped; with a quick snap, Bruenor’s axe took a tooth fro buckled with the blow, though, and a stu horn hooked Bruenor under the arm and hurled him far to the side

He crashed aed his head against a large stone to adjust his helmet and knock the dizziness away

The ree maw opened and the creature hissed, and Bruenor proullet

Guenhwyvar alerted Drizzt to the trouble down at the northwestern spur The drow had never seen a polar worm before, but as soon as he spotted the coh above, he knew that the das in trouble La that he had left his bow back in the cave, Drizzt drew his scimitars and followed the panther down the mountainside as quickly as the slippery trails would allow

"Come on, then!" the stubborn dwarf roared at the ree Bruenor braced hiood shot before becoreat head ca a roar from behind, hesitated and looked away

"Fool lee, and Bruenor slashed with his axe at the reat incisors The res flapped wildly, trying to get the head out of the wicked dwarf’s reach

Bruenor hit it again, and then a third ti the head down

"Think ye’re to bite at me, eh?" the dwarf cried He lashed out with his shield hand and grabbed at a horn as the reain A quick jerk turned the le and the knottedhis hty axe into the polar worm’s skull

The creature shuddered and thrashed for a second longer, then lay still, its back still glowing hotly

A second roar from Guenhwyvar took the proud dwarf’s eyes from his kill Bruenor, injured and tentative, looked up to see Drizzt and the panther fast approaching, the droith both scimitars drawn

"Co their charge He banged his axe against his heavy shield "Come on and feel me blade!"

Drizzt stopped abruptly and called for Guenhwyvar to do the sah, ears flattened

"Be gone, Guenhwyvar!" Drizzt conantly one final tione, Bruenor snapped his glare on Drizzt, standing at the other end of the fallen polar worot the belly to face irls be more to yer likin?"

The obvious reference to Catti-brie brought an angry light to Drizzt’s eyes, and his grasp on his weapons tightened

Bruenor swung his axe easily "Coot the belly to come and play with a dwarf?"

Drizzt wanted to screa over the dead monster and smash the dwarf, deny the dwarf’s words with sheer and brutal force, but he couldn’t Drizzt couldn’t deny Mielikki and couldn’t betray Mooshie He had to subliain, had to take the insults stoically and with the realization that he, and his goddess, knew the truth of what lay in his heart

The scimitars spun into their sheaths and Drizzt walked away, Guenhwyvar coo curiously At first he thought the drow a coward, but then, as the exciteradually diminished, Bruenor came to wonder about the drow’s intent Had he come down to finish off both combatants, as Bruenor had first assumed? Or had he, possibly, come down to Bruenor’s aid?

"Nah," the dwarfthe possibility "Not a dark elf!"

The walk back was long for the li Bruenor many opportunities to replay the events around the northwestern spur When he finally arrived back at theset and Catti-brie and several dwarves were gathered, ready to go out to look for him

"Ye’re hurt," one of the dwarves reht between Drizzt and her father

"Polar worot a bit of a burn for ly at their leader’s battle prowess - a polar as no easy kill - and Catti-brie sighed audibly

"I saw the drow!" Bruenor growled at her, suspecting the source of that sigh The dwarf re with the dark elf, and confused, too, about where Catti-brie fit into all of this Had Catti-brie actually met the dark elf? he wondered

"I seen hi est an’ blackest cat me eyes ever set on He came down for me, just as I dropped the worm"

"Drizzt would not!" Catti-brie interrupted, before her father could get into his custo roll

"Drizzt?" Bruenor asked, and the girl turned away, realizing that her lie was up Bruenor let it go - for the moment

"He did, I say!" the dwarf continued "Came in at me with both his blades drawn! I chased that one an’ the cat off"

"We could hunt him down," offered one of the dwarves "Run hiree with the drow’s intent, cut theot the ave it to hi as the drow stays put and stays outa our e’ll leave hi Catti-brie directly, "ye’re not to speak to, ye’re not to go near, that one again!"

"But - " Catti-brie started futilely

"Never!" Bruenor roared "I’ll have yer word now, girl, or by Moradin, I’ll have that dark elf’s head!"

Catti-brie hesitated, horribly trapped

"Tell irl mumbled, and she fled back to the dark shelter of the cave

"Cassius, Spokesruff man explained "Says ye’d know the drow if any would"

Bruenor glanced around his formal audience hall to the many other dwarves in attendance, none of theer Bruenor dropped his bearded chin into his palm and yaidely, deterht have bluffed the crudeout of the halls without further bother, but Catti-brie, sitting at her father’s side, shuffled uneasily

Roddy McGristle did notmovement "Cassius says ye must’ve seen the drow, him bein’ so close"