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mean to be watchin' them meself," he said to Drizzt, though he sent the message
more pointedly to Sali Dalib and the little goblin. "One trick and I'll cut 'em
in half!" Less than an hour later, five camels moved out of southern Memnon and
into the Calim Desert with ceramic water jugs clunking on their sides. Drizzt
and Bruenor led the way, following the signposts of the Trade Way. The drow wore
his mask, but kept the cowl of his cloak as low as he could, for the sizzling
sunlight on the white sands burned at his eyes, which had once been accustomed
to the absolute blackness of the underworld.
Sali Dalib, his assistant sitting on the camel in front of him, came in the
middle, with Wulfgar and Catti-brie bringing up the rear. Catti-brie kept
Taulmaril across her lap, a silver arrow notched as a continual reminder to the
sneaky merchant.
The day grew hotter than anything the friends had ever experienced, except
for Drizzt, who had lived in the very bowels of the world. Not a cloud hindered
the sun's brutal rays, and not a wisp of a breeze came to offer any relief. Sali
Dalib, more used to the heat, knew the lack of wind to be a blessing, for wind
in the desert meant blowing and blinding sand, the most dangerous killer of the
Calim.
The night was better, with the temperature dropping comfortably and a full
moon turning the endless line of dunes into a silvery dreamscape, like the
rolling waves of the ocean. The friends set a camp for a few hours, taking turns
watching over their reluctant guides.
Catti-brie awoke sometime after midnight. She sat and stretched, figuring it
to be her turn on watch.. She saw Drizzt, standing on the edge of the firelight,
staring into the starry heavens.
Hadn't Drizzt taken the first watch.? she wondered.
Catti-brie studied the moon's position to make certain of the hour. There
could be no doubt; the night grew long.
"Trouble?" she asked softly, going to Drizzt's side. A loud snore from
Bruenor answered the question for Drizzt.
"Might I spell ye, then?" she asked. "Even a drow elf needs to sleep."
"I can find my rest under the cowl of my cloak," Drizzt replied, turning to
meet her concerned gaze with his lavender eyes, "when the sun is high."
"Might I join ye, then?" Catti-brie asked. "Suren a wondrous night."
Drizzt smiled and turned his gaze back to the heavens, to the allure of the
evening sky with a mystical longing in his heart as profound as any surface elf
had ever experienced.
Catti-brie slipped her slender fingers around his and stood quietly by his
side, not wanting to disturb his enchantment further, sharing more than mere
words with her dearest of friends.
* * *
The heat was worse the next day, and even worse the following, but the
camels plodded on effortlessly, and the four friends, who had come through so
many hardships, accepted the brutal trek as just one more obstacle on the
journey they had to complete.
They saw no other signs of life and considered that a blessing, for anything
living in that desolate region could only be hostile. The heat was enemy enough,
and they felt as if their skin would simply shrivel and crack away.
Whenever one of them felt like quitting, like the relentless sun and burning
sand and heat were simply too much to bear, he or she just thought of Regis.
What terrible tortures was the halfling now enduring at the hands of his
former master?
Epilogue
From the shadows of a doorway, Entreri watched Pasha Pook make his way up
the staircase to the exit of the guildhouse. It had been less than an hour since
Pook had regained his ruby pendant and already he was off to put it to use.
Entreri had to give the guildmaster credit; he was never late for the dinner
bell.
The assassin waited for Pook to clear the house altogether, then made his
way stealthily back to the top level. The guards outside the final door made no
move to stop him, though Entreri did not remember them from his earlier days in
the guild. Pook must have prudently put out the word of Entreri's station in the
guild, according him all the privileges he used to enjoy.
Never late for the dinner bell.
Entreri moved to the door to his old room, where LaValle now resided, and
knocked softly.
"Come in, come in," the wizard greeted him, hardly surprised that the
assassin had returned.
"It is good to be back," Entreri said.
"And good to have you back," replied the wizard sincerely. "Things have not
been the same since you left us, and they have only become worse in recent
months."
Entreri understood the wizard's point. "Rassiter?"
LaValle grimaced. "Keep your back to the wall when that one is about," A
shudder shook through him, but he composed himself quickly. "But with you back
at Pook's side, Rassiter will learn his place."
"Perhaps," replied Entreri, "though I am not so certain that. Pook was as
glad to see me."
"You understand Pook," LaValle chuckled. "Ever thinking as a guildmaster! He
desired to set the rules for your meeting with him to assert his authority. But
that incident is far behind us already."
Entreri's look gave the wizard the impression that he was not so certain.
"Pook will forget it," LaValle assured him.
"Those who pursued me should not so easily be forgotten," Entreri replied.
"Pook called upon Pinochet to complete the task," said LaValle. "The pirate
has never failed."
"The pirate has never faced such foes," Entreri answered. He looked to the
table and LaValle's crystal ball. "We should be certain."
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