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We always put in here," Buainst a fallen tree overhanging the river The jarring shock nearly sent Regis and Bruenor tu too many supplies all at once," the rotund dwarf explained "Me brother and cousins eat ’enabbit fast!"

Drizzt nodded-they did indeed need solanced warily at the trees clustered about the river Several times over the previous two days the friends had noted is had seen the pursuers clearly enough to identify theed pursuit, and any pursuit longer than a few hours would be considered dogged by goblin standards, it seeain

"How long to resupply and get back out?" the drow asked

"Oh, not more’n an hour," Bumpo replied

"Half that ti friend’ll help" He nodded to Drizzt and

Catti-brie then, and they took the signal; Bruenor hadn’t included the

It didn’t take the seasoned pair of hunters long to find goblin sign, the tracks of at least a score of the wicked little creatures And not far away The goblins had apparently veered from the river at this point, and when Drizzt and Catti-brieeast to seeabout up ahead, the two understood the goblins’ reasoning Bottoenerally north for the past hour, for the river hooked at this juncture, but the boat would soon turn back east, then south, then back to the east oncedirectly to the east, the goblin band would get to the banks in the east far ahead of the dwarves’ boat

"Ah, they’re knowing the river then," Bumpo said when Drizzt and Catti-brie returned to report their findings "They’ll be beatin’ us to the spot, and the river’s narrower there, not wide enough for us to avoid a fight"

Bruenor turned a serious gaze upon Drizzt "How , elf?" he asked

"A score," Drizzt replied "Perhaps asour place for fighting, then," Bruenor said "If we’re to fight, then let it be on ground of our own choosing"

Everyone around noted the lack of dismay in Bruenor’s tone

"They’ll be seein’ the boat a long way off," Bumpo explained "If we’re to keep it here, tied up, theyhis head before the dwarf ever finished "Botto as planned," he explained, "but without we three" He indicated Bruenor and Catti-brie, thenhis belt so that he could slide off the pouch that held the Crystal Shard "This re "Above all else, keep it safe"

"So they will cois reasoned, and Drizzt nodded

"Be quick, if you please," the halfling added

"What’re ye gru over, Rumblebelly?" Bruenor asked with a chuckle "Ye just loaded a ton o’ food on the boat, and knowing ye the way I do I’et back aboard!"

Regis looked down doubtfully at the pouch, but his face did brighten as he turned to regard the supply-laden boat

They parted cois pushed off fro back into the swift currents Before they had gone far Drizzt, on the riverbank, took out his onyx figurine, set it down, and called for his panther co straight to the east, following the saoblin troupe

Guenhwyvar took the point position, blending into the brush, barely seerasses and bushes as she passed Drizzt ca as liaison between the cat and the other tho brought up the rear, Bruenor with his axe comfortably across his shoulder and Catti-brie with Taulmaril in hand, arrow notched and ready

"Well, if we’re to be fightin’, then this’ll be the place," Donat said a short while later as Bottoion of narrower banks and swifter current and with is took one look at the area and groaned, not liking the prospects at all Goblins could be anywhere, he realized, taking a good measure of the many bushes and hillocks He took little coiddiness of the four dwarves, for he had been around dwarves long enough to know that they were always happy before a fight, noto the halfling ca voice, re him that with a word he could construct a crystalline tower-a tower that a thousand goblins couldn’t breach-if Regis just took control of the crystal shard The goblins wouldn’t even try to take the tower, Regis knew, for Crenshinibon would ith him to control the little wretches

They could not resist

Drizzt, looking back with his back against a tree some distance ahead of Bruenor and Catti-brie, motioned for the wooblin on the branch above, a goblin intent on the river ahead and taking no note of the approaching friends No need to tell the whole troupe that danger was about, the ranger decided, and Cattibrie’s thunderous boould certainly raise the general alarer, one sciility, heperfectly without using his free hand, he closed suddenly in five quick steps The drow clah bow and bowstring and over the surprised goblin’s mouth, and drove his sci the blade upward as he went to slice soblin for a few seconds, letting it descend into the complete blackness of death, then carefully set it down over the branch, laying the crude bow atop it

Drizzt looked all around for Guenhwyvar, but the panther was nowhere to be seen He had instructed the cat to hold back until thestarted and trusted that Guenhwyvar would do as told

That fight fast approached, Drizzt knew, for the goblins were all about, huddled in bushes and in trees near to the riverbank He didn’t like the prospects for a quick victory here; the region was too ju holes He would have liked the luxury of spending an hour or oblins

But then Botto a bend not so far away

Drizzt looked back to his waiting friends, ly for them to co arrow fro by the base of Drizzt’s tree, diving through so it squired fro wildly

Those screa both his deadly blades, leaped down atop the one to the side, and felling the one under hiainst his torso and using his h the unfortunate creature

And he nearly collided instrong, crossed by the descending drow and crashed into yet another bush atop a shadowy goblin foroblin of the three to escape Drizzt’s initial leap staggered to the side against the trunk of the same tree from which Drizzt had jumped and turned about, spear raised to throw

It heard the cursing howl and tried to turn its angle to the newest foe, but Bruenor ca weapon and transferring hisstop, everyforward

"Daht take him some time to extricate the embedded weapon froed and twisted, Catti-brie ca fly another arrow This one blasted a goblin from a tree She dropped her bow and in one fluid motion drew out Khazid’hea, her powerfully enchanted sword The blade glowing fiercely, she ran on

Still Bruenor tugged

Drizzt, both the other two goblins quite dead, leaped up and ran on, disappearing through a small cluster of trees

Up ahead, Guenhwyvar ran up the side of a tree, and the terrified goblins on the lowest branches both threw their spears errantly and tried to leap to the ground Onepanther claw and was pulled, squir wildly, back up to its death

"Da all the fun "I gotta hit the stinkin’ things softer!"

He couldn’t raise the crystal tower on the boat, of course, but right over the side, even in the river Yes, the bottoht be under the water, but Crenshinibon would still show hiot spears!" Bumpo Thunderpuncher cried "To the wall! To the wall!" On cue, the dwarf captain and his three kinsfolk dived down to the deck and rolled up against the blocking side wall closest to the goblin-infested shore Donat, who got there first, quickly broke open a wooden locker, each dwarf taking up a crossbow and huddling tight against the shielding planking while loading

All of the is’s eye, and he shook away his visions of a crystal tower, hardly believing that he could have even considered raising the thing, and looked, quite startled, at the dwarves He looked up as the boat drifted beneath an overhanging lioblin there, its arm poised to throw

The four dwarves rolled in unison to their backs, lining up their crossbows and letting fly Each bolt hit itsit up and over so that it tu craft

But not before it had thrown the spear and thrown it well

Regis yelped and tried to dodge, but too late He felt the spear dive into the back of his shoulder The halfling heard, with sickening clarity, the tip of it prodding right through hiainst the deck He was down, facedown, and he heard hih his voice came froes of the decking planks as the dwarves pulled hireat distance, Donat crying, "They killed him! They killed him to death!"

And then he was alone, and so cold, and he heard the splashing of water as swie of the boat