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"The deadforjuice is poor in vitality," Ma the body behind"

"Ooo, an

"None of that, now," Thernadad said "Our host has done enough Suck air and saliva for a bit"

The Copper hardly heard them He wished he hadn’t throay that hel else, he could poke thebats with it

"Good news, ood news" Food, freshwater, an end to all these twists and turns Even a change in light level He was tired of groping through the dark, led on by bat yeeks from patch of dim moss to patch of di for the last thousand paces or so with just one eye open, trying to sleep as he slid his three good legs forward and hopped over his bad

"How far?"

"Y’be s it just over this next incline"

The bats fleearily ahead He climbed up a rocky tunnel Someone had cleared a path of loose boulders

"All I sain," Thernadad said

They passed over a makeshift wall in the tunnel, the source of all the loose boulders, and descended The Copper smelled wood: Splintered shields lay all about, so out of them He extracted a few arrowheads and sed the over?

"M’perishing," Thernadad gasped

"We’ll rest"

The Copper hoped he could find fish in the river His appetite had progressed froo He curled up Past the "wall" the tunnel turned into another series of chahts Lights!"

It took the Copper a moment to realize that he’d been asleep He shook his head, clearing cobwebs some industrious spider had woven on his ear He scanned the downslope with his good eye,corners

Behind the bea beards and thick curves of light-frosted hel the cavern," Thernadad said "Better run, sir"

"I don’t think I’ather ’round; let’s go down this incline Oh, neverto the cavern roof in the downslope, hidden by a series of serrations not very different from the ones on the roof of his roups to better search all the chath below and up the slope from him, the bats lay on the floor, as relaxed as he could make them, save for Ma stepped on by a dwarf

The dwarves probed the darkness with their lights and began to descend into the chamber This had better work, or he had nowhere to run…

A dwarvish lantern flicked across a length of stiff bat wing, and the Copper got ain their re to step on us," Enjor yeeked

"Faaaa!" Mamedi said "Keep your ears down"

The dwarves froze in their tracks and gru sound

The young bat, Uthaned, gave a twitch

The dwarves hurried back up toward their fellows, shouting warnings