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He’d do the same with Dahlia, of course--perhaps evenSylora Salht even work more to his benefit, Barrabus ni had killed Dahlia in a eance on Barrabus’s hated master
That was Barrabus’s hope, then, as he sat just outside the firelight of the s Dahlia’s movements as she set the bedrolls and performed other mundane tasks Yes, a capture would be best He focused on that as he watched her building a fire, and reminded himself of the difficulty presented by either task, capture or assassination, though the latter seemed much easier
He reminded hiht
He had to take her fast, without a struggle He scanned the ca that Dahlia had her weapon broken into flails and within easy reach on her hips, looped under her sash belt To the side lay a fallen tree, propping the backpacks and bedrolls, and farther beyond that, slung over a low branch were saddlebags--rations, likely--and beside those, hooked on a broken lireen cloak, one side of it fairly shredded
Barrabus glanced around and stealthilyfirst, then got the cloak, apparently without attracting any attention He donned the cloak and pulled the hood low over his face
Still, fearing that wasn’t enough, he went into the firelight, bent low, and turned sidelong, even walking backward h to help shield his identity
"Drop it there," Dahlia instructed, pointing to the side of the fire and showing little interest in what see companion
Once he’d set events into uessed hi to anticipate every ni had made him reckless This was Drizzt Do’Urden and Dahlia he’d tracked down, not a pair of ridiculous Ashmadai zealots!
The whole plan seemed absurd to hi and run off into the forest night
He did drop the kindling, but then he struck, sword and dagger out and swinging
To his surprise, Dahlia was ready, her weapons co into sudden blocks and counters He had the initiative, but not the surprise!
How could that be?
He went at her furiously, knowing that his advantage, sliht be, would prove short-lived
In those few heartbeats of battle, his desperation to win multiplied a hundred-fold because of the iht better than ever he could re Dahlia’s blocking flail, and bore forward, accepting a stinging hit froe His dagger ainst the elf’s throat He would have her surrender, or he would have her life
Except that a dark forger climbed up to score the victory, a sci hiht and offer a defense, Drizzt worked that blade and the other inside Barrabus’s arainst the would-be assassin’s throat
So he would die, and Alegni would bring him back and torment him all the more Or perhaps, Barrabus wondered in that last breath, the Dread Ring would catch him first and animate him as a zombie
Better that!
Dahlia had warned Drizzt quite succinctly and repeatedly about the Netherese champion, the stealthy killer That hy Drizzt had doubled back several times after they’d entered the area, and particularly after their battle with the Shadovar patrol
So when Drizzt had ostensibly gone off that night to gather firewood, which they didn’t need, the drow had actually cliet back near the ca a brilliant overspin defense, and saw Dahlia taken back and nearly overwhelmed
Perhaps she would have been beaten, but Drizzt wasn’t about to let it come to that
In short order, he turned the tables, and had Barrabus the Gray helpless and about to die
In short order, Drizzt looked into the eyes of the Netherese chaed home
But he didn’t strike--he couldn’t strike Paralyzed by a flood of memories that nearly knocked hi aped The skin tone rong, of course, being grayer than Drizzt remembered it, but the overall impression, the way he moved, his features …
"Artemis Entreri," Drizzt whispered in shock He wondered if he was just fooling hier had begun Drizzt thinking about his old neh so that Barrabus, had he been thinking of a counter, ht have broken away
"Arte his head, wondering if this randson, more likely
The Netherese champion, this Barrabus the Gray, smiled as if in admission of the absurdity of it all
"It cannot be," Drizzt said, ainst the assassin’s throat and forced hiainst a thick tree
"Finish him!" Dahlia insisted, but when she moved forward, Drizzt’s free arain, Drizzt Do’Urden," said Barrabus the Gray He looked down at the scimitar, chuckled, and added sardonically, "As well met as ever, it would seem"
"Who are you?"
"You spokeyou!" Dahlia insisted