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Their pace held slow but steady The springti, had beco in places to createat their boots with every step, as if it were trying desperately to hold thehtest on his feet, had the easiest ti coar, felt no muddy wetness in his warm boots Still, the other three, who had spent so many years in Icewind Dale and were accustotime travel, plodded on without complaint They knew from the outset that the slowest and , until they got around the western edges of the Spine of the World and out of Icewind Dale
Every now and then they found patches of great stones, the reo from Ten Towns to the western pass, but these did little ht path, so that seemed of little importance in the vast open stretches of the tundra All they really had to do was keep the towering mountains to the south, and they would not lose their way
Drizzt led theions of sprouting yellow grass, for this, at least, afforded soround Of course-and the drow and his Mends knew it-tall grass erous tundra yetis, always hungry beasts that often feasted on unwary travelers
With Drizzt Do’Urden leading theh, the friends did not consider themselves unwary
They put the river far behind them and found yet another stretch of that ancient road when the sun was halfway to the western horizon There, just beyond one long rock slab, they also caon," Catti-brie rerooves
"Two," Regis coroove
Catti-brie shook her head "One," she corrected, following the tracks, noting how they sometimes joined and other times separated, and alith a wider track as they , its back end often unaligned with the front"
"Well done," Drizzt congratulated her, for he, too, had co east and not on left Breis, always current on the goings-on of Ten Towns, coreat difficulty navigating the ht be other troubles they’re findin’," came Bruenor’s call fro low over a srass
The friends moved to join him and saw immediately his cause for concern: several tracks pressed deep into the mud
"Yetis," the dwarf said distastefully "And they caon tracks and then went back They’re knowin’ this for a used trail or I’nome"
"And the yeti tracks arethe water still within thelanced around nervously, as if he expected a hundred of the shaggy beasts to leap out at them
Drizzt, too, bent low to study the depressions and began to shake his head
"They are recent," Catti-brie insisted
"I do not disagree with your assessment of the time," the drow explained "Only with the identification of the creature"
"Not a horse," Bruenor said with a grunt "Unless that horse’s lost two legs A yeti, and a da," the drow explained "Not a yeti, but a giant"
"Giant?" the dwarf echoed skeptically "We’re tenout here?"
"What indeed?" the droered, his grih Giants rarely came out of the Spine of the World Mountains, and then only to cause ue- that would be the best scenario-or perhaps it was an advanced scout for a larger and roup
Bruenor cursed and dropped the head of his many-notched axe hard into the soft turf "If ye’re thinkin’ o’ walking all the way back to the durned towns, then be thinkin’ again, elf," he said "Sooner I’m outta this h without our help all these years They’re not needin’ us to turn back now!"
"But if they are giants-" Catti-brie started to argue, but Drizzt cut her short
"I’ve no intention of turning back," he said "Not yet Not until we have proof that these tracks foretell a greater disaster than one, or even a handful, of giants could perpetrate No, our road remains east, and all the quicker because I now hope to catch that lone wagon before the fall of darkness, or soon after if we roup and it knows of the wagon’s recent passage, then the Breht soon be in dire need of our help"
They set off at a swifter pace, following the wagon tracks, and within a couple of hours they saw the on wheel Two of the five uards, pulled hard to try and lift the carriage while a third, a young and strong is identified as Master Cah hardly successfully, to realign the tilted wheel Both the guards had sunk past their ankles into the et the carriage up high enough for the fit
How the faces of all five brightened when they noted the approach of Drizzt and his friends, a well-known co the folk of Icewind Dale
"Well met, I should say, Master Do’Urden!" the th of your barbarian friend I will pay you well, I proht, yet if our luck holds as it has since we left Bremen, I fear that winter will find us still in the dale"
Bruenor handed his axe to Catti-brie and ar "Co and I’ll show ye an anvil pose"
With a nonchalant shrug, Wulfgar brought Regis swinging down fro et mud all over his new boots
"Ye think ye can lift it?" Bruenor asked Wulfgar as the huge on Without a word, without even putting down his on and pulled hard The , but in the end it could not resist, and the wheel cauards, after a moment of disbelief, found handholds and siher Down to hands and knees went Bruenor, setting his bent back under the axle right beside the wheel "Go ahead and set the durned thing," he said and then he groaned as the weight caar took the wheel fro merchant and pulled it into line, then pushed it is-fang in both hands, and gave it a good whack, setting it firht, and Wulfgar ain, just a few inches, so that Bruenor could slip out fro about with a bright sin a new career, good dwarf and on repair"
"There is an aspiration fit for a dwarven king," Drizzt reis "Give up your throne, good Bruenor, and fix the carts of ard h at that, except for Wulfgar, who siis, still fretting over his muddy boots
"You are far out fro to the west Are you leaving Icewind Dale once more?"
"Briefly," Drizzt replied "We have business in the south"
"Luskan?"
"Beyond Luskan," the drow explained "But ill indeed be going through that city, it would seehtened, obviously happy to hear that bit of news He reached to a jingling purse on his belt, but Drizzt held up a hand, thinking it ridiculous that the man should offer to pay
"Of course," Ca that Bruenor Battleha a simple merchant could ever hope to achieve "I wish there was some way Iwe, could repay you for your help Or even better, I wish that there was so us to Luskan I have hired fine and able guards, of course," he added, nodding to the two erous place, and friendly swords-or warhammers or axes-are alelco no objections, nodded "We will indeed travel with you out of the dale," he said
"Is your on has been dragging , and our team is weary We had hoped to repair the wheel and then find a suitable caht"
Drizzt looked to his friends and again saw no coo to the Spirit Soaring and destroy Crenshinibon was indeed vital, was in no great hurry The drow found a cah bluff not so far away and they all settled down for the night Camlaine offered his new companions a fine meal of rich venison stew They passed the meal with idle chatter, with Ca, stories about problems in Bremen over the winter, mostly, and about the first catch of the prized knucklehead trout, the fish that provided the bone material for the scrimshaw Drizzt and the others listened politely, not really interested Regis, however, who had lived on the banks of Maer Dualdon and had spent years ed Ca to Luskan The halfling poured over each piece for a long while, studying every detail
"Ye think we’ll be seeing theht?" Cattibrie asked Drizzt quietly, the two roup
The drow shook his head "The one who happened upon the tracks turned back for thethe route I had feared that he then went in pursuit of the wagon, but since Camlaine and his creere not so far away, and sinceno other sign of any beheht be bringing trouble to the next wagon along," Catti-brie reasoned
Drizzt conceded the point with a nod and a srew more intense as he and the beautiful woman locked stares There had been a notable strain between thear’s absence, Drizzt and Catti-brie had forged a deeper friendship, one bordering on love But now Wulfgar, who had been engaged to marry Catti-brie at the tis between the drow and the woman had become far h For some reason that neither of the friends could understand, for this one second, it was as if they were the only two people in all the world, or as if ti the others in a state of oblivion
It didn’t last, not more than a brief moment, for a commotion at the other side of the encampment drew the two apart When she looked past Drizzt, Catti-brie found Wulfgar staring at theain, it was only for a ar, called to the group, waving his ariant friend decided to show its ugly face," Catti-brie said to Drizzt When they joined the others, the guard was pointing out toward another bluff, this one an oozingtundra
"Behind that," the guard said
Drizzt studied the mound intently; Catti-brie pulled Taulmaril, the Heartseeker bow, from her shoulder and set an arrow
"Too siant to hide behind," Bruenor insisted, but the dwarf clutched his axe tightly as he spoke
Drizzt nodded his agreear alternately,that they should cover hi a careful and quiet path that brought hilance back to ensure that his friends were ready, the drow skipped up the side of the mound, his twin scimitars drawn
And then he relaxed, and put his deadly blades away, as aa wolf-skin wrap, caht
"Kierstaad, son of Revjak," Catti-brie re his hero," Bruenor added, looking up at Wulfgar, for it was no secret to any of them, or to any of the barbarians of Icewind Dale, that Kierstaad idolized Wulfgar The youngand followed the co Ice to rescue Wulfgar froreatness that the tribes of Icewind Dale reatness that he, too, so desired
Wulfgar frowned at the sight
Kierstaad and Drizzt exchanged a feords, then both roup "He has coar," the drow explained
"To beg for the survival of the tribes," Kierstaad ad at his barbarian kin
"The tribes fare well under the care of Berkthgar the Bold," Wulfgar insisted
"They do not!" Kierstaad replied harshly, and the others took that as their cue to give the two ar understands the old ways, that is true," Kierstaad went on "But the old ways do not offer the hope of anything greater than the lives we have known for centuries Only Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, can truly unite the tribes and strengthen our bond with the folk of Ten Towns"
"That would be for the better?" Wulfgar asked skeptically
"Yes!" Kierstaad replied without hesitation "No longer should any tribeser should we be so coar, with his friends, can change our wayscan lead us to a better place"
"You speak foolishness," Wulfgar said, waving his hand and turning froet away that easily The young hly by the ar him about
Kierstaad started to offer yet another arguar still considered the folk of Ten Towns, even the dwarven folk of Wulfgar’s own adoptive father, s that young Kierstaad wanted to say to Wulfgar, soman, to try and convince him that his place ith the tribes But all those words went flying away as Kierstaad went flying away, for Wulfgar turned about viciously, following the young ing the young ht and then a backward roll down the side of the bluff
Wulfgar turned aith a low, feral growl, stor back to his supper bowl Protests came at him from every side, particularly from Catti-brie "Ye didn’t have to hit the boy," she yelled, but Wulfgar only waved his hand at her and snarled again, then went back to his food
Drizzt was the first one down to Kierstaad’s side The young barbarian was lying facedown in the ht behind, offering one of his many handkerchiefs to wipe some of the mud from Kierstaad’s face-and also to allow thetears from his eyes
"Heback up the hill, but Drizzt had hiht against the pull
"This ar and Berkthgar Wulfgar made his choice, and that choice was the road"
"Blood before friends-that is the rule of the tribes," Kierstaad argued "And Wulfgar’s blood kin need hi expression came over his fair, ebon-skinned face, a look that settled Kierstaad more than any words ever could "Is it so?" the drow asked calar, or does Kierstaad need hi ar has been angry with you for a long time," the drow explained "Perhaps you will not find a position that pleases you while Berkthgar rules the tribes"
Kierstaad pulled roughly away; his face screwed up with anger "This is not about Kierstaad’s position within the tribes," he insisted "My people need Wulfgar, and so I have cois said "Nor can you drag hiuess"
Frustration evident on his face, Kierstaad began clenching and unclenching his fists at his side He looked up the bluff, then took a step that way, but agile Drizzt moved quickly in front of him
"He’ll not follow," the drow said "Even Berkthgar begged Wulfgar to rear’s oords, is not his place at this time"
"But it is!"
"No!" Drizzt said forcefully, stopping Kierstaad’s further arguar has determined that it is not his place Truly I was relieved to learn that he did not accept the leadership froar, for I, too, care about the welfare of the tribes of Icewind Dale"
Even Regis looked at the droith surprise at that see
"You do not believe Wulfgar to be the rightful leader?" Kierstaad asked incredulously
"Not at this tiony theeffects of Errtu’s torar is not now fit to lead the tribes-he is having a difficult enough ti himself"
"But we are his kin," Kierstaad tried to argue, but as he spoke thear feels pain, then he should be with us, in our care"
"And how ar’s heart?" Drizzt asked "No, Kierstaad I applaud your intentions, but your hopes are false Wulfgar needs time to remember who he truly is, to remember all that was once important to hih I’ll not argue your contention of the importance of blood kin, I tell you now in all honesty that those who love Wulfgar the most are here, not back with the tribes"
Kierstaad started to reply but only huffed and stared e no practical rebuttal
"We will return soon enough," the drow explained "Before the turn of winter, I hope, or in the spring soon after, at the latest Perhaps Wulfgar will find again his heart and soul on the road with his friends Perhaps he will return to Icewind Dale ready to assume the leadership that he truly deserves and that the tribes truly deserve"
"And if not?" Kierstaad asked
Drizzt only shrugged He was beginning to understand the depth of Wulfgar’s pain and could uarantees
"Keep him safe," Kierstaad said
Drizzt nodded
"On your word," the young barbarian pressed
"We care for each other," the drow replied "It has been that way since before we set out from Icewind Dale to reclaio"
Kierstaad continued to stare up the bluff "My tribe has ca sloay "It is not far"
"Stay with us through the night," the drow offered
"Master Cais added hopefully Drizzt knew just fro to split the portions an extra way that Kierstaad’s plight had touched his little friend
But Kierstaad, obviously too ear, only shook his head and started off to the north, across the eis said, looking back up the hill at Wulfgar
"Hoould that help?" the drow asked
"I think our large friend could use a bit of humility"
Drizzt shook his head "His reaction to Kierstaad’s touch was just that: a reaction," the drow explained He was beginning to understand Wulfgar’sof Kierstaad had been wrought of no conscious thought Drizzt recalled his days back in Melee Magthere, the drow school for fighters In that always dangerous environment, where enemies lurked around every corner, Drizzt had seen such reactions, had reacted siar was back with friends now in a safe enough place, but emotionally he was still the prisoner of Errtu, his constant defenses still in place against the intrusions of the demon and itsis replied
No, he could not, Drizzt thought, but he kept the notion silent An idea ca twinkle in his lavender eyes, a look that Regis had seen ?" the halfling proiants," Drizzt replied with a coy s caravans"
"You believe that they will coht?"
"I believe that they are back in theparty to the trail," Drizzt answered honestly "And ould be long gone before they ever arrived"
"Would be?" Regis echoed softly, still studying the drow’s glowing eyes-no trick of the late-day sun-and the way Drizzt’s gaze drifted back toward the snowy peaks shining in the south "What are you thinking?" "We cannot wait for the giants’ return," the drow said "Nor do I wish to leave any future caravans in peril Perhaps Wulfgar and I should go out this night"
Regis’s jaw dropped open, his duh to the drow’s lips
"In er who trained an to explain
"You plan to take one or both of the o to the is asked
"No, no," Drizzt replied "Montolio had been quite a rider in his youth, before he lost his vision, of course And the horses he chose to ride were the strongest and least broken by saddles But he had a technique-he called it ’running the horse’-to cal the lead and snap a whip behind the in wide and hard circles, even to get the"
"Would that not onlyasked, for he knew little about horses
Drizzt shook his head "The strongest of horses possesses too y, Montolio explained to me Thus, he would take them out and let them release that extra layer, and when he would then cli but in control"
Regis shrugged and nodded, accepting the story "What has that to do with Wulfgar?" he asked, but his expression changed to one of understanding even as the question caar as Montolio ran the horses," he reasoned
"Perhaps he needs a good fight," Drizzt replied "And truly I wish to rid the region of any trouble with giants"
"It will take you hours to get to theto the south "Perhaps longer if the giants’ trail is not clear to follow"
"But ill move much quicker than you three if you stay, as we proar and I will be back beside you within two or three days, long before you’ve turned the corner around the Spine of the World"
"Bruenor will not like being left out," Regis remarked