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The dissipating globe of darkness found Regis once again clinging to his log, which was now littlehis head "We are beyond ourselves," he sighed "We cannot h"

"Faith, Ruh the water to join the halfling "Tales we beto our children’s children, and for others to tell e’re no is snipped "Or perhaps we’ll live this day and be no"Not yet, is with an adventurous s to retrieve his arrows, noted how heavily Wulfgar leaned upon the wor barbarian was sian to suspect so in his pose, as though it, or perhaps his lower back, had been injured

When Wulfgar saw the drow’s concerned look, he straightened stoically "Let us is and doing his best to hide a li man was made of stuff as hard as the tundra in midwinter, and too altruistic and proud to adained by the admission His friends couldn’t stop to wait for him to heal, and they certainly couldn’t carry hiar truly was injured When he splashed into the water after his fall from the tree, he had wickedly twisted his back In the heat of the battle, his adrenaline pu pain But now each step came hard

Drizzt saw it as clearly as he saw the despair upon Regis’s normally cheerful face, and as clearly as the exhaustion that kept the dwarf’s axe swinging low, despite Bruenor’s opti He looked all about at the moors, which seemed to stretch forever in every direction, and wondered for the first tione beyond themselves

Guenhwyvar hadn’t been injured in the battle, just a bit shaken up, but Drizzt, recognizing the cat’s li, sent it back to its own plane He would have liked to keep the wary panther at their point But the water was too deep for the cat, and the only way Guenhwyvar could have keptfrom tree to tree Drizzt kneouldn’t work; he and his friends would have to go on alone

Reaching deep within themselves to reinforce their resolve, the co the wore any of the score of arrows that he had fired, knowing all too well that he would probably need theain before they saw the end of the s and provisions

Soon after, the friends drifted through the bog with as little physical effort as they couldevery s With the heat of the day, though - the hottest one yet - and the gentle rocking of the logs on the quiet water, all but Drizzt dropped off, one by one, to sleep

The drow kept the ilant, they couldn’t afford any delay, or any lapses Luckily, the water opened up beyond the lagoon, and there were few obstructions for Drizzt to deal with The bog beca little detail, just general outlines and any sudden htning reflexes and uncanny discipline The water trolls hit again, and the tiny flicker of consciousness that Drizzt Do’Urden had re summoned hie of surprise

Wulfgar, and Bruenor, too, sprang from their slumber at the instant of his call, weapons in hand Only two trolls rose to meet them this tiis slept through the whole affair

The cool night ca the waves of heat Bruenorat all tiis cannot push," Drizzt reasoned "He is too short for the bog"

"Then let hiar offered stoically "I need no help"

"Then the two of ye take the first shift," said Bruenor "Ruood for an hour or two!"

Drizzt clis for the first time that day and put his head down on his pack He did not close his eyes, though Bruenor’s plan of working in turns sounded fair, but iuide theer More than a few tiis took their shift, the drow lifted his head and gave the halfling sos and some advice about their best direction

There would be no sleep for Drizzt again this night He vowed to rest in the , but when dawn at last broke, he found the trees and reeds again hunched in around theh it were a single, sentient being watching over thee

The ater actually proved of benefit to the colassy surface was easier than hiking, and despite the crouching perils, they encountered nothing hostile after their second rout of the water trolls When their path finally returned to blackened land after days and nights of gliding, they suspected that they ht have covered most of the distance to the other side of the Everis up the tallest tree they could find, for the halfling was the only one light enough to get to the highest branches (especially since the journey had all but dissipated the roundness of his belly), their hopes were confirmed Far on the eastern horizon, but no is saw trees - not the small copses of birch or the moss-covered swamp trees of the moors, but a thick forest of oak and el in their step, despite their exhaustion They walked upon solid ground again, and knew that they would have to ca near, but they now also carried the knowledge that the ordeal of the Ever its foul inhabitants defeat the of the journey

"We should end our trek this day," Drizzt suggested, though the sun was more than an hour froathering presence, as the trolls awakened froe scents of the visitors to the moors "We must pick our carasp"

"We’ll lose an hour and ative side of the plan than to argue The dwarf remembered the horrible battle at the mound all too well, and had no desire to repeat that colossal effort

"We shall gain the time back tomorrow," reasoned Drizzt "Our need at present is to stay alive"

Wulfgar wholly agreed "The ser each step," he said, "froht"

"But on our own ter to a heavily overgrown ridge off to their left

"Too open," said Bruenor "Trolls’d climb it as easily as we, and too many at a tiis countered with a sneaky sic

They spent the rest of the daylight preparing their defenses Wulfgar and Bruenor carried in as ic lines to lengthen the diais cleared a firebreak at the top of the ridge and Drizzt kept a cautious lookout Their defense plan was sie outside their canized the weakness of the plan, though he had nothing better to offer He had fought trolls before they had ever come to these moors, and he understood the stubbornness of the wretched beasts When the fla before the dawning of the new day - he and his friends would be wide open to the ree of the fires would dissuade any further enear and Bruenor would have liked to do more, the memories of the mound too vivid for theainst the ry eyes upon thee and crouched low in anxious wait

An hour passed, seeht deepened

"Where are they?" Bruenor de uncharacteristic ihter

"Why don’t they co on panic

"Be patient and be glad," Drizzt offered "The ht we put behind us before we do battle, the better our chance to see the dawn Theyto rush us all at once, Bruenor said griar, coloom "Let the fire taste as much of the foul blood as itis and Bruenor The dwarf’s axe stopped its nervous bounce and came to rest calis, the most reluctant warrior, took up his srip

Another long hour passed

The delay did not at all ease the coer was very near now - they could s in the mist and darkness beyond their view

"Strike up the torches," Drizzt told Regis

"We’ll bring the beasts upon us froued