[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
and Drizzt.
The road meandered, continuing on down the back of the hill. Harkle stood for a moment scratching
his chin, a puzzled expression on his face. "The sixth post," he told himself, "but to the left or the right?"
A man working on a ladder (another amusing curiosity - to see a ladder rise up above the phony rails
of the fence and come to rest in mid-air against the top of the invisible wall) came to their aid. "Forgot
again?" he chuckled at Harkle. "He pointed to the railing off to one side. "Sixth post to your left!"
Harkle shrugged away his embarrassment and moved on.
The companions watched the workman curiously as they passed from the hill, their mounts still tucked
under their arms. He had a bucket and some rags and was rubbing several reddish-brown spots from the
invisible wall.
"Low-flying birds," Harkle explained apologetically. "But have no fear, Regweld is working on the
problem even as we speak.
"Now we have come to the end of our meeting, though many years shall pass before you are forgotten
in the Ivy Mansion! The road takes you right through the village of Longsaddle. You can restock your
supplies there - it has all been arranged."
"Me deepest regards to yerself and yer kin," said Bruenor, bowing low. "Suren Longsaddle has been a
bright spot on a bleary road!" The others were quick to agree.
"Farewell then, Companions of the Hall," sighed Harkle. "The Harpells expect to see a small token
when you at last find Mithril Hall and start the ancient forges burning again!" .
"A king's treasure!" Bruenor assured him as they moved away.
They were back on the road beyond Longsaddle's borders before noon, their mounts trotting along
easily with fully stuffed packs.
"Well, which do ye prefer, elf," Bruenor asked later that day, "the jabs of a mad soldier's spear, or the
pokings of a wonderin' wizard's nose?"
Drizzt chuckled defensively as he thought about the question. Longsaddle had been so different from
anywhere he had ever been, and yet, so much the same. In either case, his color singled him out as an
oddity, and it wasn't so much the hostility of his usual treatment that bothered him, as the embarrassing
reminders that he would ever be different.
Only Wulfgar, riding beside him, caught his mumbled reply.
"The road."
9
There is No Honor
"Why do you approach the city before the light of dawn?" the Nightkeeper of the North Gate asked the
emissary for the merchant caravan that had pulled up outside Luskan's wall. Jierdan, in his post beside
file:///F|/rah/R.%20A.%20Salvatore/R.%20A.%20...d%20Dale%202%20-%20Streams%20of%20Silver.html (66 of 172) [1/23/03 5:28:54 PM]
Streams of Silver
the Nightkeeper, watched with special interest, certain that. this troupe had come from Ten-Towns.
"We would not impose upon the regulations of the city if our business were not urgent," answered the
spokesman. "We have not rested for two days." Another, man emerged from the cluster of wagons, a
body limp across his shoulders.
"Murdered on the road," explained the spokesman. "And another of the party taken. Catti-brie,
daughter of Bruenor Battlehammer himself!"
"A dwarf-maid?" Jierdan blurted out, suspecting otherwise, but masking his excitement for fear that it
might implicate him.
"Nay, no dwarf. A woman," lamented the spokeman. "Fairest in all the dale, maybe in all the north.
The dwarf took her in as an orphaned child and claimed her as his own."
"Orcs?" asked the Nightkeeper, more concerned with potential hazards on the road than with the fate
of a single woman.
"This was not the work of orcs," replied the spokesman. "Stealth and cunning took Catti-brie from us
and killed the driver. We did not even discover the foul deed until the next morn."
Jierdan needed no further information, not even a more complete description of Catti-brie, to put the
pieces together. Her connection to Bruenor explained Entreri's interest in her. Jierdan looked to the
eastern horizon and the first rays of the coming dawn, anxious to be cleared of his duties on the wall so
that he could go report his findings to Dendybar. This little piece of news should help to alleviate the
mottled wizard's anger at him for losing the drow's trail on the docks.
"He has not found them?" Dendybar hissed at Sydney.
"He has found nothing but a cold trail," the younger mage replied. "If they are on the docks yet, they
are well disguised."
Dendybar paused to consider his apprentice's report. Something was out of place with this scenario.
Four distinctive characters simply could not have vanished. "Have you learned anything of the assassin,
then, or of his companion?"
"The vagabonds in the alleys fear him. Even the ruffians give him a respectfully wide berth."
"So our friend is known among the bowel-dwellers," Dendybar mused.
"A hired killer, I would guess," reasoned Sydney. "Probably from the south - Waterdeep, perhaps,
though we should have heard more of him if that were the case. Perhaps even farther south, from the
lands beyond our vision."
"Interesting," replied Dendybar, trying to formulate some theory to satisfy all the variables. "And the
girl?"
Sydney shrugged. "I do not believe that she follows him willingly, though she has made no move to be
free of him. And when you saw him in Morkai's vision, he was riding alone."
"He acquired her," came an unexpected reply from the doorway. Jierdan entered the room.
"What? Unannounced?" sneered Dendybar.
"I have news - it could not wait," Jierdan replied boldly.
"Have they left the city?" Sydney prompted, voicing her suspicions to heighten the anger she read on
the mottled wizard's pallid face. Sydney well understood the dangers and the difficulties of the docks,
and almost pitied Jierdan for incurring the wrath of the merciless Dendybar in a situation beyond his
control. But Jierdan remained her competition for the mottled wizard's favor, and she wouldn't let
sympathy stand in the way of her ambitions.
"No," Jierdan snapped at her. "My news does not concern the drow's party." He looked back to
file:///F|/rah/R.%20A.%20Salvatore/R.%20A.%20...d%20Dale%202%20-%20Streams%20of%20Silver.html (67 of 172) [1/23/03 5:28:54 PM]
Streams of Silver
Dendybar. "A caravan arrived in Luskan today - in search of the woman."
"Who is she?" asked Dendybar, suddenly very interested and forgetting his anger at the intrusion.
"The adopted daughter of Bruenor Battlehamer," Jierdan replied. "Cat-"
"Catti-brie! Of course!" hissed Dendybar, himself familiar with most of the prominent people in Ten-
Towns. "I should have guessed!" He turned to Sydney. " My respect for our mysterious rider grows each
day. Find him and bring him back to me!"
Sydney nodded, though she feared that Dendybar's request would prove more difficult than the mottled
wizard believed, probably even beyond her skills altogether.
She spent that night, until the early hours of the following morning, searching the alleyways and
meeting places of the dockside area. But even using her contacts on the docks and all the magical tricks
at her disposal, she found no sign of Entreri and Catti-brie, and no one willing or able to pass along any
information that might help her in her search.
Tired and frustrated, she returned to the Hosttower the next day, passing the corridor to Dendybar's [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl karpacz24.htw.pl
and Drizzt.
The road meandered, continuing on down the back of the hill. Harkle stood for a moment scratching
his chin, a puzzled expression on his face. "The sixth post," he told himself, "but to the left or the right?"
A man working on a ladder (another amusing curiosity - to see a ladder rise up above the phony rails
of the fence and come to rest in mid-air against the top of the invisible wall) came to their aid. "Forgot
again?" he chuckled at Harkle. "He pointed to the railing off to one side. "Sixth post to your left!"
Harkle shrugged away his embarrassment and moved on.
The companions watched the workman curiously as they passed from the hill, their mounts still tucked
under their arms. He had a bucket and some rags and was rubbing several reddish-brown spots from the
invisible wall.
"Low-flying birds," Harkle explained apologetically. "But have no fear, Regweld is working on the
problem even as we speak.
"Now we have come to the end of our meeting, though many years shall pass before you are forgotten
in the Ivy Mansion! The road takes you right through the village of Longsaddle. You can restock your
supplies there - it has all been arranged."
"Me deepest regards to yerself and yer kin," said Bruenor, bowing low. "Suren Longsaddle has been a
bright spot on a bleary road!" The others were quick to agree.
"Farewell then, Companions of the Hall," sighed Harkle. "The Harpells expect to see a small token
when you at last find Mithril Hall and start the ancient forges burning again!" .
"A king's treasure!" Bruenor assured him as they moved away.
They were back on the road beyond Longsaddle's borders before noon, their mounts trotting along
easily with fully stuffed packs.
"Well, which do ye prefer, elf," Bruenor asked later that day, "the jabs of a mad soldier's spear, or the
pokings of a wonderin' wizard's nose?"
Drizzt chuckled defensively as he thought about the question. Longsaddle had been so different from
anywhere he had ever been, and yet, so much the same. In either case, his color singled him out as an
oddity, and it wasn't so much the hostility of his usual treatment that bothered him, as the embarrassing
reminders that he would ever be different.
Only Wulfgar, riding beside him, caught his mumbled reply.
"The road."
9
There is No Honor
"Why do you approach the city before the light of dawn?" the Nightkeeper of the North Gate asked the
emissary for the merchant caravan that had pulled up outside Luskan's wall. Jierdan, in his post beside
file:///F|/rah/R.%20A.%20Salvatore/R.%20A.%20...d%20Dale%202%20-%20Streams%20of%20Silver.html (66 of 172) [1/23/03 5:28:54 PM]
Streams of Silver
the Nightkeeper, watched with special interest, certain that. this troupe had come from Ten-Towns.
"We would not impose upon the regulations of the city if our business were not urgent," answered the
spokesman. "We have not rested for two days." Another, man emerged from the cluster of wagons, a
body limp across his shoulders.
"Murdered on the road," explained the spokesman. "And another of the party taken. Catti-brie,
daughter of Bruenor Battlehammer himself!"
"A dwarf-maid?" Jierdan blurted out, suspecting otherwise, but masking his excitement for fear that it
might implicate him.
"Nay, no dwarf. A woman," lamented the spokeman. "Fairest in all the dale, maybe in all the north.
The dwarf took her in as an orphaned child and claimed her as his own."
"Orcs?" asked the Nightkeeper, more concerned with potential hazards on the road than with the fate
of a single woman.
"This was not the work of orcs," replied the spokesman. "Stealth and cunning took Catti-brie from us
and killed the driver. We did not even discover the foul deed until the next morn."
Jierdan needed no further information, not even a more complete description of Catti-brie, to put the
pieces together. Her connection to Bruenor explained Entreri's interest in her. Jierdan looked to the
eastern horizon and the first rays of the coming dawn, anxious to be cleared of his duties on the wall so
that he could go report his findings to Dendybar. This little piece of news should help to alleviate the
mottled wizard's anger at him for losing the drow's trail on the docks.
"He has not found them?" Dendybar hissed at Sydney.
"He has found nothing but a cold trail," the younger mage replied. "If they are on the docks yet, they
are well disguised."
Dendybar paused to consider his apprentice's report. Something was out of place with this scenario.
Four distinctive characters simply could not have vanished. "Have you learned anything of the assassin,
then, or of his companion?"
"The vagabonds in the alleys fear him. Even the ruffians give him a respectfully wide berth."
"So our friend is known among the bowel-dwellers," Dendybar mused.
"A hired killer, I would guess," reasoned Sydney. "Probably from the south - Waterdeep, perhaps,
though we should have heard more of him if that were the case. Perhaps even farther south, from the
lands beyond our vision."
"Interesting," replied Dendybar, trying to formulate some theory to satisfy all the variables. "And the
girl?"
Sydney shrugged. "I do not believe that she follows him willingly, though she has made no move to be
free of him. And when you saw him in Morkai's vision, he was riding alone."
"He acquired her," came an unexpected reply from the doorway. Jierdan entered the room.
"What? Unannounced?" sneered Dendybar.
"I have news - it could not wait," Jierdan replied boldly.
"Have they left the city?" Sydney prompted, voicing her suspicions to heighten the anger she read on
the mottled wizard's pallid face. Sydney well understood the dangers and the difficulties of the docks,
and almost pitied Jierdan for incurring the wrath of the merciless Dendybar in a situation beyond his
control. But Jierdan remained her competition for the mottled wizard's favor, and she wouldn't let
sympathy stand in the way of her ambitions.
"No," Jierdan snapped at her. "My news does not concern the drow's party." He looked back to
file:///F|/rah/R.%20A.%20Salvatore/R.%20A.%20...d%20Dale%202%20-%20Streams%20of%20Silver.html (67 of 172) [1/23/03 5:28:54 PM]
Streams of Silver
Dendybar. "A caravan arrived in Luskan today - in search of the woman."
"Who is she?" asked Dendybar, suddenly very interested and forgetting his anger at the intrusion.
"The adopted daughter of Bruenor Battlehamer," Jierdan replied. "Cat-"
"Catti-brie! Of course!" hissed Dendybar, himself familiar with most of the prominent people in Ten-
Towns. "I should have guessed!" He turned to Sydney. " My respect for our mysterious rider grows each
day. Find him and bring him back to me!"
Sydney nodded, though she feared that Dendybar's request would prove more difficult than the mottled
wizard believed, probably even beyond her skills altogether.
She spent that night, until the early hours of the following morning, searching the alleyways and
meeting places of the dockside area. But even using her contacts on the docks and all the magical tricks
at her disposal, she found no sign of Entreri and Catti-brie, and no one willing or able to pass along any
information that might help her in her search.
Tired and frustrated, she returned to the Hosttower the next day, passing the corridor to Dendybar's [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]