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Drizzt stood transfixed as a line appeared on the unble, until it became an open doorway

And inside the door, beckoning to Drizzt, stood a drow elf wearing a great plunized For some reason he could not immediately discern, Drizzt was not as surprised as he should have been

"Wellthe coue "Please do come in and speak with me"

Drizzt put one hand to a scih he had only recently sent the panther back to her astral hothat he, with the enchanted ankle bracers he wore, could cover the ground in the blink of an eye, perhaps even get a solid strike in against the mercenary

But then he would be dead, he knew, for if Jarlaxle was here, then so was Bregan D’aerthe, all about him, weapons trained upon hiain "We have business we must discuss to the benefit of us both and to our friends"

That last reference, coupled with the fact that Drizzt had come back this way on the word of an i for the mercenary leader or was, perhaps the er, uarantee that neither I nor ainst you," Jarlaxle assured him "And furthere alk away unharainstof the h to trust Jarlaxle’s word, at least Jarlaxle had held all the cards in previous s, times when the mercenary could have easily killed Drizzt, and Catti-brie as well And yet he had not, despite the fact that bringing the head of Drizzt Do’Urden back to Menzoberranzan at that tiht have proven quite profitable With a look back to the direction of the town, blocked froe, Drizzt moved to the door

Many memories came to Drizzt as he followed Jarlaxle into the structure, the round level was not as the ranger remembered it, he could not help but recall the first tione after the wizard Akar Kessell back in Icewind Dale It was not a pleasantone, for within those recollections ca of how he could defeat this tower, of how he could sever its power and send it cruh, as the e upright et any such chance

Jarlaxle ain Drizzt erous as any creature Drizzt had ever know, but he was not reckless and not vicious

One thing Drizzt did notice, though, as he moved for the seat: his feet seeh the dweomer of his bracers had diminished

"I have followed your movements for many days," Jarlaxle explained "A friend of mine requires your services, you see"

"Services?" Drizzt asked suspiciously

Jarlaxle only s the two of you together again"

"And important for you to steal the crystal shard," Drizzt reasoned

"Not so," the mercenary honestly answered "Not so Crenshinibon was not known toit wasthat which I most needed: you"

"What of Cadderly?" Drizzt asked with some concern He still was not certain whether it really had been Cadderly who had coarnered Crenshinibon from the priest? Or had the entire episode with Cadderly been merely a clever ruse?

"Cadderly re, oblivious to your quest," Jarlaxle explained "Much to the dismay of my wizard friend’s new familiar, who holds a particular hatred for Cadderly"

"Promise me that Cadderly is safe," Drizzt said in all seriousness

Jarlaxle nodded "Indeed, and you are quite welco friend"

That caught Drizzt off guard, but he had to adh Had not Jarlaxle’s cronies cois, the halfling likely would have died, or at the very least would have lost an arm

"Of course, for the ainedJarlaxle that he understood theso," Jarlaxle bantered "And we could have faked it all, providing only the illusion of healing, a spell that would have te’s wounds, only to have them reopen later on to his ultimate demise

"But I assure you that we did not," he quickly added, seeing Drizzt’s eyes narrow dangerously "No, your friend is nearly fully healed"

"Then I do thank you," Drizzt replied "Of course, you understand that I must take Crenshinibon back froh to try," Jarlaxle adh to try"

"Not now, perhaps"

"Then why ever?" the mercenary asked "What care is it to Drizzt Do’Urden if Crenshinibon works its wicked ain, the uard What care, indeed? "But does Jarlaxle remain in Menzoberranzan?" he asked "It would seeh froo," he answered "But think long and hard on your choice before co for the crystal shard, Drizzt Do’Urden Are there truly any hands in all the world better suited to wield the artifact than mine?"

Drizzt did not reply but was indeed considering the words carefully

"Enough of that," Jarlaxle said, coht you here that you ht meet an old acquaintance, one you have battled beside and battled against It seems as if he has some unfinished business with Drizzt Do’Urden, and that uncertainty is costing me precious time with hi no idea what Jarlaxleabout-for just a moment Then he reht before Drizzt and Artemis Entreri had parted ways His expression showed his disappointment clearly as he came to suspect the truth of it all

"Ye picked the wrong durned town," Bruenor said to Bumpo and Donat when he and the other two returned to Bottom Feeder,

The tarven brothers looked curiously at each other, Donat scratching his head

"Had to be this one," Bumpo insisted "By yer friend’s description, Ito us," Regis put in

"They’re good at it, then," said Catti-brie "Every one o’ them"

"Well, I knoay to find out for certain," the halfling said, a mischievous twinkle in his eye When Bruenor and Catti-brie, recognizing that tone in his voice, turned to regard hi his hypnotic ruby pendant

"Back we go," Bruenor said, starting away from the boat once more He paused and looked back at the four dwarves "Ye’re sure, are ye?" he asked

All four heads began wagging enthusiastically

Just before the threeso the cluster of houses, a small boy ran out to meet them "Did you find your friend?" he asked

"Why no, we haven’t," Catti-brie replied, holding back both Bruenor and Regis with a wave of her hand "Have ye seen hister offered

"What tower?" Bruenor asked gruffly before Catti-brie could reply

"Over there," the young boy answered, unruffled by the dwarf’s stern tone "Out back" He pointed to the ridge that rose up behind the se, and as the friends followed that line they noted several villagers ascending the ridge About halfway up the villagers began gasping in astonishround, and still others running back the way they had co, too, to the ridge and up Then they too skidded to abrupt stops, staring incredulously at the tower iis asked incredulously

"I’ low, she led them on cautiously

"Artemis Entreri wishes this contest between you two at last resolved," Jarlaxle confirmed

Drizzt’s uncharacteristic outburst made it quite obvious to Jarlaxle just how much he despised Entreri and just how sincere he was in his claiain

"Never do you disappoint me," Jarlaxle said with a chuckle "Your lack of hubris is commendable, my friend I applaud you for it and do wish, in all sincerity, that I could grant you your desire and send you and your friends on your way But that I cannot do, I fear, and I assure you that you must settle your relationship with Entreri For your friends, if not for yourself"

Drizzt chewed on that threat for a long moment While he did, Jarlaxle waved his hand in front of the mirror beside his chair, which clouded over i a clear i their way up to the base of the tower Catti-brie was in the lead,to utilize the little cover available

"I could kill theht," the mercenary assured Drizzt

"But ould you?" Drizzt asked "You gave me your word"

"And so I shall keep it," Jarlaxle replied "As long as you cooperate"

Drizzt paused, digesting the infor that Jarlaxlethe ar’s name to lure Drizzt and his friends to this place

Noas Jarlaxle’s turn to pause and think, but just for a moment "He is alive and well from what I can discern," the mercenary ad enough to find out how his present situation ht benefit me"

"Where?" Drizzt asked

Jarlaxle smiled widely "There will be ti back over his shoulder to the one staircase ascending froics will not work in here," the mercenary went on, and Drizzt understood then why his feet seemed heavier "None of the Baenre when you killed him, nor even your innate droers"

"Yet a new and wondrous aspect of the crystal shard," Drizzt remarked sarcastically

"No," Jarlaxle ad "More the help of a friend It was necessary to defeat allbetween you and Arte, with no possible unfair advantages to be gained by either party"

"Yet yourto buy hiic?"

"It is yet another piece of the tower, nothing I brought in, and all the tower is iic," Jarlaxle explained "What aover Crenshinibon It has told me so much about itself how to raise the towers and how to manipulate them to fit my needs"

"You know that I cannot allow you to keep it," Drizzt said again

"And you knoell that I would never have invited you here if I thought there was anything at all you could do to take Crenshinibon away froh He ended the sentence by looking again at the aze to theabout the base of the tower then, searching for a door-a door that Drizzt knew they would not find unless Jarlaxle willed it to be so Catti-brie did find soh: Drizzt’s tracks

"He’s in there!" she cried

"Please be Cadderly," both dark elves heard Regis reht a chuckle from Jarlaxle

"Go to Entreri," thehis hand so that the"Go and satisfy his curiosity, and then you and your friends will go your way, and I will goat the mercenary Jarlaxle didn’t press him for many moments, just locked stares with hi

"Whatever the outcoain, just to be sure

"Your friends walk away unharmed," Jarlaxle assured him "With you, or with your body"

Drizzt turned his gaze back to the staircase He could hardly believe that Arte, awaited him just up those steps His words to Jarlaxle had been sincere and heartfelt; he never wanted to see the ht with him That was Entreri’s eht so close and obviously so necessary, the drow ranger did not look forward to his climb up those stairs It wasn’t that he was afraid of the assassin Not at all While Drizzt respected Entreri’s fighting prowess, he didn’t fear the challenge

He rose fro all the good heJarlaxle, Drizzt e

Drizzt stopped and turned about "This counts as one of urine from his pouch

"Ah, yes, Guenhwyvar," Jarlaxle said, his face brightening

"I will not see Guenhwyvar in Entreri’s hands," Drizzt said "Nor in yours Whatever the outcome, she is to be returned to me or to Catti-brie"

"A pity," Jarlaxle reet to include the nificent panther in your conditions How much I would love a companion such as Guenhwyvar"

Drizzt stood up straighter, lavender eyes narrowing

"You would never trust me with such a treasure," Jarlaxle said "Nor could I blaical!" The , but Drizzt was not

"Give it to the for the door "Just toss the figurine at the wall, above where you entered Watch the results for yourself," he added,and produced an ier looked back to the door to see a sone fro his friends would hear, and tossed the onyx figurine through the portal Thinking suddenly that the whole episodeabout and scrambled to watch in the mirror

To his relief he saw the trio, Catti-brie calling for hiround The halfling wasted no ti to Guenhwyvar, and the cat soon appeared beside Drizzt’s friends, growling out to the trapped drow even as the other three called for him

"You know they’ll not leave," Jarlaxle said dryly "But go on and be done with this You have my word that your friends, all four, will not be harlancing back at the h Drizzt presented no threat to hi that bluff, drawing his weapons enchanted or not, and rushing over to cut the mercenary down But he could not, of course, not when the safety of his friends hung in the balance

Jarlaxle, so s in his chair, knew that i to throay all the confusion of this last day, the craziness that had handed the ht Drizzt to this place, to fight Artemis Entreri, no less

He took a second deep breath, stretched out his fingers and arms, and started up the stairs

Arte the many contours, staircases, and elevated planks No simple circular, empty chamber for Jarlaxle The mercenary had constructed this, the second floor of the toith y could play in to the upcoht At the center of the rooe enough for only one man The back side mirrored the front, another four steps back down to the floor level More steps completely bordered the roo ran all the way around From these, on Entreri’s left, went a plank, perhaps a foot wide, connecting the fourth step to the top landing of the center case

Yet another obstacle, a two-sided ramp, loomed near the back wall beside where Entreri paced Two others, low, circular platforms, were set about the rooh which Drizzt Do’Urden would enter

But how to make all of these props work for hihts mattered little, for Drizzt was too unpredictable a foe, was too quick and quick thinking for Entreri to lay out a plan of attack No, he would have to improvise every step and roll of the way, to counter and anticipate, and fight in measured thrusts

He drew out his weapons then, dagger and sword At first he had considered co in with tords to offset Drizzt’s twin scio with the style he knew best, and with the weapon, though its ic would not work in here, that he loved best

Back and forth he paced, stretching his muscles, ar hi hile instant, underestimate his enemy And then he stopped suddenly, and considered his own hts

He was indeed nervous, anxious and, for the first tiht sound turned him around

Drizzt Do’Urden stood on the landing

Without a word the drow ranger entered, then flinched not at all as the door slid closed behind him

"I have waited for this for er fool than I supposed," Drizzt replied

Entreri exploded intoup the back side of the center stairs, brandishing dagger and sword as he came over the lip, as if he expected Drizzt to round

The ranger hadn’t moved, hadn’t even drawn his weapons

"And a bigger fool still if you believe that I will fight you this day," Drizzt said