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"I would not" Jarlaxle started to say, but his words were buried by Athrogate&039;s sudden shout

All eyes turned to the dwarf as he leaped back - or tried to, for a skeletal hand had thrust up through the soft suate twisted, yelped, and went turound He was back to his feet al out again, but in rage, not surprise

The skeletal hand clawed higher into the air, a bony ar star smashed it to dust

But the skeleton&039;s other hand prodded through the soil to the side, and as the dwarf moved to sgeration borne of shock, or perhaps it was an accurate assessround of the outer bailey, the skeletal hands of long-dead huate finished the skeleton&039;s second hand and charged ahead, roaring, "Skinny bones to grind to dust!"

And Pratcus leaped up right beside hi his anvil-shaped holy syrace of Dueddin, I damn thee foul beasts to dust!"

One skeleton, half out of its hole, vibrated under waves of unseen energy, its bony fra loudly But the others, all across the way, continued to claw their way free of the turf

Black spots danced before Jarlaxle&039;s eyes, and his head thru cant, calling to the skeletons The skull-shaped geht and substance then, and he felt it vibrating on his chest Through its power the drow keenly sensed the awakening around him, and understood the depth of the undead parade Froth of the call, he expected that the place had served as a burial ground for the Palishchuk half-orcs, or their orc ancestors, for centuries

Hundreds of skeletal teeth rattled in the drow&039;s thoughts Hundreds of long-dead voices awakened onceAnd there re with its strength

He felt a squeeze on his biceps and cried out, then spun and used the er into his hand He started to strike but felt his wrist grabbed suddenly, brutally Jarlaxle opened his eyes as if awakening from a bad dream, and there stood a confused and none-too-happy Arte at hiht," the dark elf assured hi?" Entreri asked "What do you know?"

"That we are in trouble," the droered, and together, the pair turned to face the rising onslaught

"Cleave with your sword, don&039;t stab," the drow infor out for me," Entreri sarcastically replied before he leaped forward and slashed across at an approaching skeleton

Charon&039;s Claw cut through the reaching ainst its backbone Entreri expected the blow to cut the skinny undead ered a couple of steps to the side and caain Entreri hit it, even harder

Then again as the stubborn creature relentlesslyas a brilliant bolt of lightning flashed before hiered several steps with that hit, and a pair of ribs fell away, along with one ar Jarlaxle and the slender wand the drow held

Entreri waded in and cracked the skeleton&039;s skull with a two-handed doard chop

Finally, the undead creature fell to the ground, its bony fra up into a neat pile

"Not your ordinary anireed

Pratcus stared at his anvil-shaped silver holy symbol as if it had deceived him The dwarf&039;s lip quivered and he whispered the na in his voice begging them for an explanation

"Blunt weapons!" he heard Mariabronne cry "Shatter their bones!"

But the dwarf priest stood there, shaking his head in disbelief

A bony hand carabbed hied to yank his foot away A second hand clawed forth froround and in the torn turf between them, the top of a skull appeared

Pratcus howled, and he held the screaht down, hispunch atop the skull He felt the bone crackle beneath hiry dwarf, far froain He leaped up and bashed the skull again, sers on the skeletal hands shivered and bent over, becoh for ye, ye devils," the confused and angry dwarf reain

Mariabronne didn&039;t draw his long sword but instead brought forth a s er whirled, slapping repeatedly at a pair of skeletons co in at him None of the bloas heavy in nature, but chip after chip fell away as Mariabronne, see&039;s drummer, rattled off dozens of strikes

Beside hi weapons, as her heavy-bladed axe was equally devastating to bone as to flesh Frag chops But still the skeletons came on, undeterred and unafraid, and for every one that Ellery or Mariabronne broke apart, two erkhan worked his club frantically and Arrayan fired off a series of y, mostly But neither were overly effective, and both half-orcs were obviously tiring quickly again

Olgerkhan shielded Arrayan with his sizeable bulk and grunted ers raked at his flesh Then he howled in terror as one skeleton slipped past hie half-orc tried to turn and catch up but was surprised to learn that he didn&039;t have to, for the anierkhan believed he knehy He closed on the skeleton and s the others to take note of its aversion to Arrayan

Of all the companions, none was better equipped to deal with such creatures than was Athrogate His spinning h he hadn&039;t placed any of the enchantments upon the bone to dust or launching a skull from its perch atop a bony spine The dwarf truly see himself as he leaped ahead of the others into the midst of the skeletal swar blur, and white powder filled the air around hihter

Canthan stayed close to his diminutive companion the whole tie, disembodied, semi-translucent hand that floated in mid-air before hiuardian grasped it, wrapping huge digits around its bony fraht, Canthan commanded the hand to squeeze, and the skeleton shattered beneath the power of its grip

The hand, closed into a fist, darted across as a second skeleton approached the wizard The spell effect slugged the creature hard and sent it flying away

"Press on," Mariabronne ordered "The keep is our goal - our only goal!"

But the ranger&039;s words were lost to the wind a erkhan faltered and cried out Mariabronne turned to see the large half-orc slu the clawing skeletons

"Dwarves, to hi hierkhan, but Athrogate was too far away and too wildly engaged to begin to extract hied behind back by the wall The droed no eagerness to wade out into theof undead, despite the fact that his co skeletons, had er had even cried out

Canthan, too, did not go for Olgerkhan and Arrayan, but instead slipped to one side as the ranger and Ellery turned and went for the half-orcs Canthan retreated to the position held clear by Jarlaxle With a thought, the wizard sent his enchanted hand back out behind hi aside skeletons It reached Athrogate, who looked at it with sorabbed the dwarf and lifted him from his feet The hand sped him in fast pursuit of its wizard master

Mariabronne, Ellery, and Pratcus for back the skeletons&039; assault Entreri, rabbed Arrayan by the ar aside any undead interference

"Co behind, and when he glanced at her, he understood why

Arrayan collapsed to the ground

Entreri sheathed his weapons, slipped his arm around her shoulders, then slid his other ar in and out of consciousness, Arrayan still ed to put her arms around Entreri&039;s neck to help secure the hold

The assassin ran off, zigzagging past the skeletons

Behind Entreri, when a break finally presented itself, Mariabronne grabbed Olgerkhan and ushered hio, the half-orc nearly fell over again

"I do so enjoy baby-sitting," Canthan muttered as Entreri carried the nearly unconscious Arrayan beside him

Entreri scowled, and for a ht lash out at the insulting wizard

"Is she wounded?" the drow asked

Entreri shrugged as he considered the shaky wons of injury

"Yes, pray tell us why our friend Arrayan needs to be carried around when there is not a drop of her blood spilled on the field," Canthan put in

Again Entreri scowled at hi, as the diseate on the ground before them

"Join up and battle to the keep!" Mariabronne called to the group

"Too ht theh the wall tunnels"

Mariabronne didn&039;t immediately answer, but one look across the field showed him and the three with hiet For dozens of skeletons were up and approaching and h practically every inch of turf across the outer bailey

"Clear a path for thereat snort and set his ical hand worked beside him, and soon the pair had cleared the way for Mariabronne and the other three to rejoin those at the wall

Jarlaxle disappeared into the left-hand gatehouse, then came back out a few moments later and motioned for theical hand, holding back the undead horde, all nine slipped into the gatehouse and into the tunnel beyond A heavy door was set at the end of that tunnel, which Mariabronne closed and secured not a er had even turned around to regard the other eight, the clawing of skeletal fingers sounded on the portal

"An auspicious beginning, I would say," said Canthan

"The castle protects itself," Jarlaxle agreed

"It protects ed a sly glance Arrayan&039;s way

"We cannot continue like this," Mariabronne scolded "We are fighting in pockets, protective of our iht be that we didn&039;t think soate aze locked on the two half-orcs

"It is what it is, good dwarf," said the ranger "This group must find harmony and unity if we are to reach the keep and find our answers We are here together, nine as one"

"Bah!"

"Therein lies our only hope," said Mariabronne

To the apparent surprise of Athrogate, Canthan agreed "True enough," the wizard said, cutting the dwarf&039;s next grunt short "Nine as one and working toward a single goal"

The ti, and it didn&039;t pass the notice of both Entreri and Jarlaxle that Canthan had cast a glance Arrayan&039;s way as he spoke