Page 3 (1/2)

"Well, there she is, lad, the City of Sails," Bruenor said to Wulfgar as the two looked down upon Luskan from a sar took in the vieith a profound sigh of admiration Luskan housed e cities in the south and to its nearest neighbor, Waterdeep, a few hundredbarbarian, who had spent all of his eighteen years aes of Ten-Towns, the fortified seaport seerand indeed

A wall encoically spaced at varying intervals Even froar couldthe parapets, their spear tips shining in the new light of the day

"Not a proar noted

"Luskan does not readily welcome visitors," said Drizzt, who had coates for merchants, but ordinary travelers are usually turned away"

"Our first contact is there," growled Bruenor "And I et in!"

Drizzt nodded and did not press the arguinal journey to Ten-Towns The city’s inhabitants, primarily human, looked upon other races with disdain Even surface elves and dwarves were often refused entry Drizzt suspected that the guards would do more to a drow elf than si," Bruenor continued, his angry tones reflecting his deter would turn him from his course "We’re to break caates ’fore noon Where’s that blasted Rumblebelly?"

Drizzt looked back over his shoulder in the direction of the cah Bruenor’s question holly rhetorical Regis had been the first to bed and the last to awaken (and never without help) every day since the coive him a kick!" Bruenor ordered He turned back to the camp, but Drizzt put a hand on his ar sleep," the drow suggested "Perhaps it would be better if we caht of dusk"

Drizzt’s request confused Bruenor for just a moment - until he looked nized the trepidation in his eyes The two had become so close in their years of friendship that Bruenor often forgot that Drizzt was an outcast The farther they traveled froed by the color of his skin and the reputation of his people

"Aye, let ’im sleep," Bruenor conceded "Maybe I could use a bitand set a leisurely pace, only to discover later that they had ed the distance to the city It ell past sunset and into the early hours of darkness when they finally arrived at the city’s north gate

The structure was as unwelcole iron-bound door set into the stone wall between two short, squared toas tightly shut before them A dozen fur-capped heads poked out froate and the companions sensed many more eyes, and probably bows, trained upon them from the darkness atop the towers

"Who are you who coates of Luskan?" came a voice from the wall

"Travelers from the north," answered Bruenor "A weary band come all the way froate closed at sunset," replied the voice "Go away!"

"Son of a hairless gnoll," grumbled Bruenor under his breath He slapped his axe across his hands as though hehand on the dwarf’s shoulder, his own sensitive ears recognizing the clear, distinctive click of a crossbow crank

Then Regis unexpectedly took control of the situation He straightened his pants, which had dropped below the bulge of his belly, and hooked his thu his shoulders back, he walked out in front of his coood sir?" he called to the soldier on the wall

"I ahtkeeper of the North Gate That is all you need to know!" cais, First Citizen of Bryn Shander No doubt you have heard s"

The companions heard whispers up above, then a pause "We have viewed the scri frooblin war andlow "The spokesmen of Ten-Toill not be pleased to learn that I was turned into the night at the gate of our favored trading partner"

Again caer silence Presently the four heard a grating sound behind the door, a portcullis being raised, knew Regis, and then the banging of the door’s bolts being thrown The halfling looked back over his shoulder at his surprised friends and sh dwarven friend," he laughed

The door opened just a crack and two men slipped out, unarmed but cautious It was quite obvious that they ell protected fro the parapets, hts of crossbows

"I ah it was difficult to judge his exact size because of the htkeeper," said the other "Shohat you have brought to trade"

"Trade?" echoed Bruenor angrily "Who said anything about trade?" He slapped his axe across his hands again, drawing nervous shufflings from above "Does this look like the blade of a stinkin’ is and Drizzt both ar, as tense as Bruenor, stayed off to the side, his huge ar into the iatekeeper

The two soldiers backed away defensively and the Nightkeeper spoke again, this tiis, "why do you cois stepped in front of Bruenor and steadied himself squarely before the soldier "Era preli to fabricate a story as he went along "I have sos foron this end, including the paying price for scrimshaw, shall be in place to handle the sale"

The two soldiers exchanged knowing shtkeeper whispered harshly "Would you not have been better suited to sioods?"

Regis squir that these soldiers were far too experienced to fall for his ploy Fighting his better judge that its hypnotic powers could convince the Nightkeeper to let the the stone at all and further opening the trail for the assassin that he kneasn’t far behind

Jierdan started suddenly, however, as he noticed the figure standing beside Bruenor Drizzt Do’Urden’s cloak had shifted slightly, revealing the black skin of his face

As if on cue, the Nightkeeper tensed as well and, following his companion’s lead, quickly discerned the cause of Jierdan’s sudden reaction Reluctantly, the four adventurers dropped their hands to their weapons, ready for a fight they didn’t want

But Jierdan ended the tension as quickly as he had begun it, by bringing his ar the drow openly "Drizzt Do’Urden?" he asked caluessed

The drow nodded, surprised at the recognition

"Your name, too, has come down to Luskan with the tales frown Icewind Dale," Jierdan explained "Pardon our, surprise" He bowed low "We do not see ain, but did not answer, uncoatekeeper bothered to ask him his name or his business And the drow had quickly coether, silently slipping over a city’s wall in the darkness and seeking the seedier side, where heunnoticed in the dark corners with the other rogues Had his naht him a measure of respect even this far from Ten-Towns?

Bruenor turned to Drizzt and winked, his own anger dissipated by the fact that his friend had finally been given his due froer

But Drizzt wasn’t convinced He didn’t dare hope for such a thing - it left hiht hard to hide He preferred to keep his suspicions and his guard as close to him as the dark cowl of his cloak He cocked a curious ear as the two soldiers backed away to hold a private conversation

"I care not of his nahtkeeper whisper at Jierdan "No drow elf shall pass ate!"

"You err," Jierdan retorted "These are the heroes of Ten-Towns The halfling is truly First Citizen of Bryn Shander, the drow a ranger with a deadly, but undeniably honorable, reputation, and the dwarf - note the foa standard on his shield - is Bruenor Battlehammer, leader of his clan in the dale"

"And what of the giant barbarian?" asked the Nightkeeper, using a sarcastic tone in an atteh he was obviously a bit nervous "What rogue reat size, his youth, and a measure of control beyond his years It seeht be the young king of the tribes that the tale-tellers have spoken of We should not turn these travelers away; the consequences rave"

"What could Luskan possibly fear frohtkeeper balked

"There are other trading ports," Jierdan retorted "Not every battle is fought with a sword The loss of Ten-Towns’ scrimshaould not be viewed favorably by ourships that put in each season"

The Nightkeeper scrutinized the four strangers again He didn’t trust therand claims, and he didn’t want them in his city But he knew, too, that if his suspicions rong and he did so to jeopardize the scrimshaw trade, his own future would be bleak The soldiers of Luskan answered to the ive errors that thinned their purses

The Nightkeeper threw up his hands in defeat "Go in, then," he told the companions "Keep to the wall and make your way down to the docks The last lane holds the Cutlass, and you’ll be warh there!"

Drizzt studied the proud strides of his friends as they uessed that they had also overheard pieces of the conversation Bruenor confiruard towers, down the road along the wall

"Here, elf," the dwarf snorted, nudging Drizzt and being obviously pleased "So the word’s gone beyond the dale and we’re heared of even this far south What have ye to say o’ that?"

Drizzt shrugged again and Bruenor chuckled, assuis and Wulfgar, too, shared in Bruenor’s ood-hearted slap on the back as he slipped to the lead of the troupe

But Drizzt’s discorin on Jierdan’s face as they had passed, a smile that went beyond admiration And while he had no doubts that sooblin army had reached the City of Sails, it struck Drizzt odd that a simple soldier knew so atekeeper, solely responsible for deter

Luskan’s streets were tightly packed with two - and three-story buildings, a reflection of the desperation of the people there to huddle within the safety of the city’s high wall, away froe northland An occasional tower, a guard post, perhaps, or a prouild’s way to show superiority, sprouted from the roofline A wary city, Luskan survived, even flourished, in the dangerous frontier by holding fast to an attitude of alertness that often slipped over the line into paranoia It was a city of shadows, and the four visitors this night keenly felt the curious and dangerous stares peeking out from every darkened hole as they hest section of the city, where thieves, outlaws, and beggars abounded in their narrow alleys and shadowed crannies A perpetual ground fog wafted in fro the already dim avenues into even more mysterious pathways

Such was the lane the four friends found the down, the last lane before the piers themselves, a particularly decrepit run called Half-Moon Street Regis, Drizzt, and Bruenor knew iabonds and ruffians, and each put a hand to his weapon Wulfgar walked openly and without fear, although he, too, sensed the threatening at that the area was atypically foul, he was determined to approach his first experience with civilization with an open mind