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Drizzt, Catti-brie, Wulfgar, and Regis sat around a rougharea and upon which Drizzt had added detail The mood was dour and fearful -not for themselves, but for the townsfolk First the orc prisoner hadthe town, then a woman who had been out on patrol had co that all the others were dead, wiped away by a powerful force of huh she was obviously unnerved, her words told of a well-coordinated group, a dangerous foe beyond the usual expectations
None of the friends es of that flattened town surely played upon all theirHeels and ns were getting very dark
Bruenor came in soon after, his face locked in a scowl
"Stubborn bunch," the dwarf re the roo cannot be dis the claims of the lone survivor," Drizzt ca"
"Oh, he’s believin’ her, he is," Bruenor explained, "but hi that they’re to pay back them that killed their kin
The folk of Shallows are up for a fight"
"Even if that fight’s against a foe they can’t be beating?" Catti-brie asked
"Don’t know that they’re thinking such a foe’s about," came Bruenor’s response
The words had barely left his lips when Drizzt and Catti-brie rose up, the wo for his cloak
"I’ll go, too," Regis offered
Wulfgar rose and picked up Aegis-fang
"The two of ye take the short perimeter," Catti-brie said "I’ll take one round out fro"
"Should ait for the cover of night?" Regis asked
"Orcs’re better at night than in the day," Catti-brie reht not have that much time to spare," Drizzt added He looked to Bruenor and said, "The townsfolk have to agree to let the weak and infirether plans for a run even now," the dwarf confir that o out This is their place, elf, their home and the place of security they’ve known for roo, and he’s one to be trustin’, I don’t doubt"
"I fear that he n darkens the possibilities If the force allied against Shallows is as strong as indications, then the folk of the town "
"Go and see," Bruenor bade him "I’ll et the horses ready and the wagons packed I’ll get me dwarfs in proper order and ready to roll out I’ll be talking with Withegroo again, right off, now that I can catch hie here and now"
"Do ye think he’ll hear ye?" Catti-brie asked
Bruenor gave a shrug and an exaggerated wink, and said, "I’hter note, the four scouts rushed out of the building and out of the town Wulfgar and Regis peeled away to high ground near to the town’s walls Catti-brie found a sie point a hundred yards farther out, and Drizzt rushed away froroups went out froanized, nor nearly as stealthy
One such group, seven strong, passed Wulfgar and Regis just outside the town’s southern gate
"Wellfor just a moment
"You would do well -better for your town-if you re defenses should the expected attack co of liry expression locked upon his dark, strong features
The man stopped, his six companions paused behind hiry look
"We will discern the strength of our coar explained, "and report fully to the town leaders None can scout the trails better than Drizzt Do’Urden"
The man’s look did not soften It was alar’s remarks as a personal affront
"Every person out here is at risk," Wulfgar went on, not backing down an inch "For Shallows to lose seven hters noould not bode well"
The man’s nostrils flared and his eyes widened, his expression intense indeed
Regishim to move off to the side
"There are other considerations," the halfling rear as he spoke, even e friend
The scout eyed the halfling suspiciously, but Regis only s for the man to follow They held a short, private conversation off to the side, and theas he returned
"Back to the town," he ordered his co them up in his wake "Our friends here are correct and we’re splitting our forces apart before we even knohat it is we’re soon to fight"
There ca of dissent and confusion but the speaker was obviously the appointed and accepted leader, and the group started back the way they’d coe of regret when eis when the others had ood," Regis replied, grinning fro from fifty feet away I think the orcs would have, as well" He turned and looked out to the south "And if there are nearly as many as we’ve been led to believe, I likely just saved those seven froar asked, the jarring question catching Regis off his guard and stealing the smile from his cherubic face
He and the barbarian looked at each other, but then Wulfgar looked past hiis spun around, looking to the south onceflat out toward theis winced Wulfgar leaped ahead as the wo at her shoulder Only then did Regis and Wulfgar understand that she was being pursued by archers
Regis spun around and saw the seven scouts fro back his way
"To the town!" he yelled to theate ready to side for us!"
By the tiar had joined up and were both running back toward hi the wounded wo out of the brush and around the rocks, rushed a horde of orcs
Regis paused and watched,the distance, and only then did he realize that he wouldn’t be doing Wulfgar and Catti-brie ood if they had to sweep hi the gate at about the saate was closed and secured behind them, and after a cursory look at Catti-brie’s wound, which was superficial, the three rushed for the ladders and the wall parapets
The orcs cahout the toith folk rushing all around
The wave didn’t approach, though, but rather swung around in a fierce charge, howling all the louder as they ran back to the south
"That would be Drizzt," Regis re us liar as she spoke, and he at her, both of therim-faced and concerned
The first boulder bounced across the stony ground and hit the toall a few ly, it had come from the north, from across the narrow ravine
Horns blew and the militiamen of Shallows rushed to their defensive positions, as did Dagnabbit’s dwarves, and King Bruenor and his friends
A second boulder bounced in, this time closer
"Can’t even see ’e the northern wall, peering into the gloo to a boulder tumble
The others squinted and could just iants across the way
Catti-brie put her bow up ile to coreat distance She let fly, her arrow cutting a lightninglike line across the darkening sky
She didn’t hit a giant, but the flash at ieneral area at least She lifted her bow, gritting her teeth against the pain in her fingers and shoulder, which had been creased by an orc’s arrow Before she let fly, though, she had to stop and grab onto Wulfgar, for all the as shaking then, hit by a thrown rock
"Take cover!" caot her bow back up and fired off her second shot, but then she and all her friends were scra as one boulder smashed into the courtyard behind them and another landed short of the wall but skipped in hard Another hit the wall squarely, and another hit the northeastern juncture then skipped along the eastern wall, clipping stones and soldiers