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But I do not doubt the risk in this I knoho Arteht hope he noill be Dahlia, for all of those qualities that intrigue erous and haunted by deun to comprehend And now I find myself even e young tiefling has put her ris--Aht be the most easily trusted of the bunch, and yet when first I met her, she was part of a band that had come to slay me and imprison Dahlia in support of forces dark indeed And Afafrenfere … well, I siiven what I have come to know of these coations to those truths I hold dear, I cannot follow them
Whether I can or should convince theether
--Drizzt Do’Urden
Chapter 1: Echoes of the Past
DARK CLOUDS ROILED OVERHEAD, BUT EVERY NOW AND THEN, THE MOONLIGHT broke through the overcast and shined softly through the roo on Dahlia’s s away from Drizzt
The drow propped hiht Her sleep was restful now, her breathing rhythmic and even, but shortly before she had flailed about in so out, "No!"
She see perhaps orback
Drizzt couldn’t decipher the details, of course It reminded him that this companion of his was truly unknown to him What demons did Dahlia carry on those saze lifted from her to the , and to the orld beyond What was he doing here, back in the city of Neverwinter? Biding tierous journey to Gauntlgrym, and on that journey had found many surprises, and a pair of new companions, dwarf and human Entreri had survived unexpectedly, for the sword, which he had been convinced was the cause of his longevity, had been destroyed
Indeed, when Drizzt had tossed Charon’s Claw over the rim of the primordial pit, he had done so with the near certainty that Arte with the blade And yet, Entreri had survived
They’d ventured into the darkness and had come out victorious, yet neither Drizzt nor Dahlia had relished the adventure, or could now savor in the victory For Drizzt, there re resentment and jealousy, because Dahlia and Entreri had shared much over the last days, an intimacy, he feared, even deeper than that which he kneith Dahlia Drizzt was her lover, Entreri had merely kissed her--and that, when Entreri was certain that he was about to die Yet it seemed to Drizzt that Dahlia had emotionally opened herself to Entreri lanced back at Dahlia
Was he here in Neverwinter distracting hilast he would find his own grave?
Many tiiven hi battle and blood The Hunter smothered pain Many times in the past, the Hunter had kept Drizzt safe from his torn heart as the days passed and the woundsnow, Drizzt wondered? The notion see Dahlia the way he had used battlefield enemies in times past?
No, it was more than that, he told himself He cared for Dahlia There was an attraction based on more than sexuality and more than a need for companionship The ued hi within her, hidden--even fro
But as his gaze again lifted toward theand the wider world, Drizzt had to ad his ti of the final dissolution of the Companions of the Hall fade away Or likely it went even deeper
He was afraid, terrified even
He was afraid that his life had been a lie, that his dedication to coood worth fighting for was a fool’s errand in a world too full of selfishness and evil The weight of darkness seemed to mock him
What was the point of it all?
He rolled to the side of the bed and sat up He thought of Luskan and Captain Deuderht of Farray ht somewhere between hts of any living e, which had established an orc kingdo Bruenor’s greatest achievereatest folly?
Or worse, did it even matter?
For many heartbeats, that question spun in the air before him, out of reach Had his life been no ain and rolled around
The denial rang out within Drizzt even as it reached his ear Drizzt glanced back over his shoulder She lay on her back, at peace in sluht enough to hint at her blue woad tattoo
No! Drizzt heard again inside his heart and soul, and instead of the failures and the losses, he forced hiht of young Wulfgar, under his and Bruenor’s tutelage, who grew straight and strong and who brought together the barbarian tribes and the folk of Ten-Towns in peace and common cause
Surely that had been no pyrrhic victory!
He thought of Deuderain, not of the final defeat, but of thejustice to tides run ith merciless pirates The final outcoood deeds, and how ood captain and crew of Sea Sprite?
"What a fool I’ve been," Drizzt whispered
He threw aside his indecision, threw aside his personal pain, threw aside the darkness
He rose and dressed and moved to the door He looked back at Dahlia, then walked back to her side, bent low, and kissed her on the forehead She didn’t stir, and Drizzt quietly left the roo Bruenor, he walked with confidence
Down the hall, he knocked on a door When there caain, loudly
Wearing only his pants, his hair a mess, Artemis Entreri pulled the door open wide "What?" he asked, his tone filled with annoyance, but also a measure of concern
"Come with me," Drizzt said
Entreri looked at him incredulously
"Not now," Drizzt explained "Not this night But come with me when I leave the city of Neverwinter behind I have an idea, a … reason, but I need your help"