Chapter 7 Chapter 5 The Land of Wandering Souls

The party crossed the bridge to Mirabar, and then followed the Mirabar River to a place ten days' journey east of the city.The tall trees of the Prowling Forest loomed to the south of them.Those woods are said to harbor many tribes of orcs and other unsavory neighbors.The mountains of the Spine of the World rose to their north, their white snow-capped mountains a challenge to the coming summer. Tall grasses surrounded them, and dandelions dotted the rolling fields of Dhaka Khandjong Valley.However, the ever-vigilant dwarves were not paralyzed by the calm season and landscape before them.In the far north, anywhere outside the city, it is not to be taken lightly.They doubled their guards at night, surrounding the wagon with Drizzt, Catti-brie, and Wulfgar guarding the flanks.From time to time Drizzt also summoned Guenhwyvar to join the trio.

At the eastern end of the valley, just a few hundred miles from Mirabar, the Mirabar River turned north and flowed at the foot of the Spine of the World. The Sneaking Forest also turned to the north. A few miles south of the river, it grew along the river like a shadow. "The road is going to be difficult." Bruno reminded everyone when setting up camp. "We'll be back at the foot of the mountain before noon tomorrow, and then we'll walk close to the shadows of the woods." He looked around at his people and saw that they all nodded reluctantly. "It's going to be tougher in the next few days," Bruno told everyone, without blinking an eye this time.

Then everyone dispersed and returned to their respective posts. "In my opinion, the road is not that difficult," Delly Cody said to Wulfgar.He was walking towards her and Colson, their youngest daughter.Delly parked the truck on the side of a small slope, "at least better than the streets of Luskan." "We've been lucky so far," Wulfgar replied, reaching out to hug Colson.Delly gladly handed him the baby. Wulfgar looked at the little girl. She was Moralda Hollinger, the daughter of the Lord's wife of Orkney, the town nestled under the Spine of the World, the road the party had taken when they left Icewind Dale. to the west.It was Wulfgar who saved Coulson from the clutches of the lord and his cruel sister, a bastard daughter who was being tortured because she wasn't Flinger's own daughter.To protect her husband's dignity, Moralda lied that she had been raped on the road, and the Lord of Orkney concluded that Wulfgar was the child's father.

Of course Wulfgar wasn't the real father, and he hadn't even known Moralda before.But looking at Colson, he cherished this little life very much, and he even wished that he was her father.Lifting his gaze from Coulson, Wulfgar found Delly gazing at him affectionately, and he immediately felt himself a truly lucky man. "Going out with Drizzt and Catti-brie tonight?" Delly asked. Wulfgar shook his head. "We're too close to the prowling woods. Drizzt and Catti-brie can be on guard without me." "You stayed because you were worried about me and Colson." Delly explained the reason.Wulfgar made no objection.

The woman came to take the child away, and Wulfgar turned to cover her hand, grinning at her the whole time. "You can't let go of your responsibilities because of me." Delly complained.Wulfgar smiled at her. "This." He said lifting the child up.When Delly came to hug her, he hugged Colson back. "That's my responsibility, first and foremost—and Drizzt and Catti-brie know it. We're now very close to the Sneak Forest, which means very close to the Orcs. You'd think Lu The streets of Skan are worse than this wild place, because you haven't seen the real danger. You've never seen a real battle, my dear, and I hope it's always this peaceful, but here..."

He stopped talking and just shook his head. "If the orcs come to attack us, you will protect Colson and me," Delly said. Wulfgar looked at her firmly, then looked down at Colson who was sleeping like an angel in his arms, and smiled calmly. "No orc, no giant, and no dragon can harm you," he promised his younger daughter, then looked up at Delly with the same look. Delly wanted to answer something, and Wulfgar guessed she was about to drop one of those trademark sarcasms, but she didn't.She stopped suddenly, looked at him like that, nodded calmly and told him: she had no doubts.

As Bruno warned, the next day's journey was much more difficult, with green meadows giving way to boulder-strewn trails leading up into the foothills.The terrain to the south is flatter, but the dwarves will be in the shadows of the thick undergrowth and the perilous forest of stealth.There were so many strong dwarves in the team, Bruenor decided to show the enemy this team of dwarves well, so that they could recognize the strength of this team. The dwarves didn't complain about it.When a ditch or a particularly badly damaged road surface was encountered, the wheels of the wagon could not roll over, and the dwarves would walk around the wagon and lift it over with their strong arms.This is the so-called method of the dwarves. This kind of attitude that does not care about suffering and happiness, but practicality first allows them to dig long tunnels in hard rock.Although each digging is not very far, but always moving forward.

Watching them march, Drizzt began to understand what kind of determination and foresight it was to create a place as magnificent and incredible as Mithril Hall.He also understood what kind of patience it was for Bruno to successfully forge the tooth of Aegis - in order to perfectly show the praise of the dwarf god, every pattern needs to be carefully carved on the hammer head, and every small flaw may will make the whole process fail. On the second day after walking out of the Dakahan Dejun Pass, the team was very close to the sneaking forest, and birds could be heard singing in the trees. At this time, a loud shout in front confirmed another worry of Bruno.

"The orcs are out of the forest!" "Form battle formation!" Bruno ordered. "One team to the left, form a wedge formation!" Dagna Jr. shouted. "The other team goes to the right and forms a phalanx!" On the left, deep in the forest, Drizzt and Catti-brie watched, and the experienced dwarven warriors reacted with precision.A small group of orcs rushed out of the woods to the van at the head of the group. These orcs didn't seem to have scouted their target carefully, and when they saw their opponents waiting for them after rushing out of the bushes, they collectively braked and fled to one side in a panic, wishing their parents had a few more legs.

The dwarves behave with characteristic poise and discipline—well, most dwarves.Thiberdorf Panter and his Ripper special training team ignored the orders of Bruno and Dagna Jr., and formed their own formation—a tactic unique to them.They call that "clustering".But to Drizzt and Catti-brie, it reminded them of an avalanche.Panter and his men yelled and yelled, rushing headlong into the dark shadows of the woods in pursuit of the orcs, and with this joyful frenzy they raced into the first bushes. "The orcs may have an ambush," Catti-brie warned, "use a few troops as bait to get us into their 'snap'."

At this time, there was another shout in the woods, and to the south of the truck, the remains of animals, plants and some orcs began to fly around where the Ripper team rushed in. "Otherwise, the orcs are too stupid." Drizzt replied. He and Catti-brie left the heights to join Bruenor.When they found King Bruno, he was standing on the stool of the carriage with his hands on his hips.Several teams of dwarves surrounded him in a tight formation.A team of fighters was skilfully passing the other two defensive phalanxes, preparing to attack. "Aren't you going to have some fun?" Bruno asked. Drizzt looked at the woods again, and the commotion continued, like a volcanic eruption, and he shook his head. "It's too dangerous." Drow explained. "Damn Panter makes drills look like nothing," Bruno complained to his friend. He jerked back suddenly, and Drizzt, Catti-brie, and Regis, standing near him, did the same. An orc flew out of the bushes and fell face-down in front of the dwarf king.Before Bruno's men could make a move, a roar came from the bushes. Everyone looked up in surprise and saw Thiberdorf Panter standing high on the tree, and then jumped with the help of the end of the branch. The orc was about to get up when Panter landed on its back impartially, smashing it back to the ground.It may have been dead, but the berserker, covered in twigs and leaves, grew even more frenzied, tearing the orc to pieces in an instant. Panter jumped up and danced around. "You can keep the procession going, my lord!" he called to Bruno. "We can get this here soon." "Walkwood will never be the same again," Drizzt muttered. "If I were a squirrel living here, I might consider moving," said Catti-brie. "I'm going to hire a big bird to take me away," Regis added. "Should we still stay here?" Little Dagna asked Bruno. "No, let the truck go on," the dwarf king said with a wave of his hand, "We can't stop here." Pant and his men soon joined the team again, although some were injured, they didn't care, and sang triumphant songs together.This team has never known seriousness.Their songs are more like the happy melodies of children playing. "Looking at Panter makes me think that my youthful training was a waste of youth," Drizzt said to Catti-brie later, and the two and Guenhwyvar began patrolling the northern foothills again. "Yeah, you could go and spend your time finding a stone wall and butting your head against it, like Panter and his men did." "Without a helmet?" "Yeah." The girl said affirmatively with no expression on her face. "But I think Bruno would have armored that poor wall. To keep the structure intact." "Ha." Drizzt nodded, then shook his head resignedly. No more orcs appeared after that day, nor for the next few days.The way was still hard, and progress was slow, but not one of the dwarves complained; even when marching among the rocks on a rainy day, there was no complaint. But as the days wore on and more and more complaints spread through the ranks, it became clear that Bruno had no plans to return south anytime soon. "Orcs." Catti-brie examined some mutilated footprints on the high ground.The girl raised her head and looked around, as if she was trying to find something in the wind and air. "Maybe not a few days." "At least for a while," Drizzt replied.He was standing not far away, arms folded across his chest, leaning against a boulder, watching Catti-brie carefully as if he knew something she didn't. "What's the matter?" Hearing this hint, the girl asked him. "Maybe I have a wider view here," Drizzt replied. Catti-brie squinted and gave Drow a hard look, who was grinning mischievously.So she returned the same smile with her thin lips.She was about to send a few cheap compliments, but Drow didn't seem to be joking.So she stood up, took a few steps back, and looked at the footprints from a wider perspective.Only then did she realize that there were some larger footprints beside the orc footprints.quite big. "The orcs come here first," she said firmly. "How do you know?" Although Drizzt didn't want to play the role of teacher, he seemed interested in how the woman came to this conclusion. "The giant may be following the orc, and I suspect the orc is following the giant." "How do you know they weren't walking together?" Catti-brie looked back at the footprints, "Not the hill giants," She explained that the orcs are usually allied with the hill giants. "And those footprints are too big." "Possibly a mountain giant," Drizzt said. "Same creature, but bigger." Catti-brie shook her head suspiciously.Most mountain giants never wear shoes, and at best wrap their feet in animal hides.And the traces of these heels are very clear, she believes that this special pair of shoes must work well.Moreover, this footprint is relatively thin. Of course, this is relatively speaking. Usually, the feet of mountain giants are big and wide. "The rock giants may wear shoes," the girl reasoned, "and the frost giants always wear shoes, too." "So you think they're following the orcs?" The girl looked at Drizzt again, and shrugged.Drizzt asked too bluntly, and she found her reasoning very tenuous. "Maybe," she said, "maybe they're just unrelated. Maybe they were just passing by." "Could it be the frost giants with the orcs?" she asked suspiciously. "Where is that woman with Drow?" Drizzt laughed mockingly. The two didn't continue to care about those footprints and continued to move forward.The traces were not new, let alone an orc, or a group of orcs plus a giant or two, had to think before attacking an army of five hundred dwarves. The weather was hot and dry, but there was no sign of the monster anymore for the stubborn eastbound dwarves.They climbed up a dusty path with the sun beating down on their backs.However, when they climbed to the top of the mountain and began to walk down the back of the mountain, it seemed that they had come to another world. A huge, rocky valley loomed before them, with towering mountains to the north and south.The valley is dotted with dark places, and even those places cannot block the sunlight from getting in through the cracks.The ground seemed dark, silent, and somehow mysterious.Although there is no obvious source of water, there are still a few wisps of mist floating in the valley, and the weeds are covered with dew. Bruenor, Regis, Dagna Jr. and the Wulfgar family led the way down the hill to find Drizzt and Catti-brie who were waiting for the motorcade. "What unpleasant things did you see?" Bruno asked Drizzt, and he found a trace of uneasiness on the normally calm Drow.Drizzt shook his head, as if he didn't know how to express it in words. "It's kind of weird," he explained. He looked back into the dark valley and shook his head again. "I feel it too," Catti-brie put in. "Someone is watching us." "Probably so," Bruno said. He crackled his whip through the air and sent his somewhat restless party down the road.The dwarf let out a good laugh, but those around him didn't look too comfortable, especially Wulfgar, who kept looking back at Delly and Coulson. "It's better not to have your car in front," Drizzt reminded Bruno. "As I told him before," echoed Dagna Jr. Bruno just snorted, and while telling the team to move on, he turned his head to greet the car behind and the guards next to the car. "Bah, they're all hesitant." Bruno complained. "Can't you feel it?" Little Dagna asked. "Feeling? My whole body is soaked in it, boy! We're going to stop there," he pointed to a flat and open land not far below, which is about a third of the way up the ridge, "and gather them together Arise, and I will tell them a legend." "Legend?" Catti-brie asked the question on everyone's mind. "The legend of this pass," Bruno explained, "Fair Pass." For Bruno's friends from Icewind Dale who are not dwarves, this name means nothing, but little Dagna turned pale when he heard this name - of course, only those who have seen the pale face of a dwarf People can see it.Nevertheless, Dagna Jr. carried out the order with usual efficiency, and he organized the convoy to line up from the top of the ridge to the high ground Bruno pointed out.After the dwarves had assembled in a frantic fashion, each finding a suitable place, Bruenor climbed into a van and began his speech. "You're smelling ghosts, and that's what's bothering you," he explained. "You should smell ghosts here, because they are all over here. The souls of the dwarves of the ancient Danzo kingdom have been dead for a long time. They died in the battle with the orcs." He swept his arms to the east, Looking at the wide pass ahead, "What a great battle! Your ancestors died here by the hundreds, boys, and their enemies by the thousands. Remember this. We won the Filipino Battle of the Pass, so if you see any ghosts on your way, if he's an Orc, taunt them as much as you can, and if it's a Dwarf, bow to him." The warriors who had followed Bruenor here from Icewind Dale looked at their leader with sincere respect, though he raised his voice and emphasized the matter again to his Horde brothers to draw their attention.Bruno Warhammer knew that there would be supernatural events waiting for them in this famous haunted place of ghosts. He even felt a little timid in his heart, but he didn't show it. "Now we should go further south," he continued, "following the plains of trolls and into the plains of Nesme." He paused and shook his head, then shouted "Hey!" Drizzt and his friends watched Bruenor's men, the dwarven warriors who were full of voices and passions, and showed no sign of fear or worry. "But I thought, boys, we might have a little trouble passing the dead heroes," Bruenor concluded. "You mustn't disgrace the Warhammer Horde. Now go get your band together, we're in When crossing the mountain pass, line up the trucks tightly in two rows, and if you encounter those old guys, remember to maintain the due respect I reminded." The soldiers quickly followed the command and began to act, regrouped the trucks, and marched towards the wide mountain pass.They lined up closely according to Bruno's instructions and moved in pairs.Before the last wagons were ready to go, a dwarf sang a song in praise of the legendary heroes of an ancient battle, though not of the battle at Fell Pass.At this moment, all the dwarves chanted along, their voices were strong and firm, dispelling the chill in this gloomy place. "Even if there are ghosts here," Drizzt whispered to Catti-brie, "they wouldn't dare to come out and disturb our team." Beside them, Delly followed Wulfgar quietly. . "You keep telling me how scary the road is," she grumbled. "Now I'm actually a little worried." "I never knew a better place for us," Delly told him, "to give your life for a man from a miserable city? I don't want that to happen. " "Neither of us," said Catti-brie approvingly, and she gave the slightly startled Savage a disarming smile, "yes, none of us." The wind whimpered in the valley, maybe it was the wind, or something else, and it sounded like it was accompaniment to the continuous singing.The ground was covered with white stones, and the dwarves thought they were just stones at first, until one of the dwarves approached and found that they were all bones.The bones of orcs and dwarves were layered together, with skulls and leg bones, some exposed on the ground, while others were half buried underground.Rusted metal, broken swords, and some long-rusted armor were also scattered around the bones.The mist pervading in the valley transformed into strange shapes, sometimes like dwarves and orcs, as if the masters of these rotten bones were still alive. Soldiers of the Warhammer Horde followed their steadfast leader in mournful song.They paid tribute to the undead with singing, and the singing echoed in the valley one after another. They camped for the night, and the wagons gathered in circles.Panicked horses were drawn to the center, and a ring of torches was lit tightly around the campsite.The dwarves kept singing to keep the undead from approaching the living at night. "You two don't go out at night," Bruenor told Drizzt and Catti-brie. "Don't call your stupid big cat, Elf." "It's best not to let any other planar creatures enter here," Bruno explained, "including that cat." "Are you worried that if you open the door to the Grunt Grim Fortress, some terrifying creatures from other worlds may enter?" "I've talked to my priests, and it's not the best time to find a stronghold." Drizzt nodded in agreement. "I think it's best for me and Drizzt to hang out together," Catti-brie said. "I don't want that." "why?" "What are you trying to say, Bruno?" Drizzt interrupted. He and Catti-brie moved closer to the dwarves, including Regis who had been eavesdropping. "This is a haunted place." Bruno said after looking around. "Here are all your ancestors," Catti-brie replied. "Not only that," Bruno said, "I guess most of us, including the undead, want to get through the night." "Guess?" Regis asked a little suspiciously. Bruenor just shrugged and didn't answer, then turned to Drizzt. "We need to investigate here," he explained. "You think Gauntgrim Fortress is near here?" Bruenor shrugged again, "It's just a suspicion—its location should be closer to Mirabar—but we found some clues here. This battle was hundreds of years ago when the orcs had the upper hand, and our ancestors They are wiser than they are... Hence the win.Some of the underground tunnels in the passes here, some caves are natural, and some were dug by the dwarves of the kingdom of Danzo.Our ancestors opened up these tunnels with each other as a place to rest and replenish, heal wounds, and repair weapons. What is even more astonishing is that they once led a small group of orcs here. When this group of stupid orcs rushed into the passage, Danzo's warriors suddenly came out from their hiding places, scattered their attack, and They were caught off guard. " "It was undoubtedly a tough battle. The orcs have always been our dwarven enemies, and many ancestor warriors died here. But in the end we won, killing most of the orcs and driving them back to their homeland. I believe that the passage where the ancestors fought must be buried somewhere here, and I want to find out this secret passage." "That must be a dirty and disgusting place," Catti-brie added. "Someone has to figure it out," Bruno seemed to agree, "maybe that person is me." "You mean all of us?" Regis corrected. Bruno gave him a sly smile. "Are you going to take your people to dig that ancient passage under the ground?" Drizzt asked. "No, as I said, take everyone through here first. We must return to Mithril Hall to complete my throne succession ceremony. This is the first thing to do. When winter comes, we will decide how many people to bring back. Let's see Let's see what we can find." "Then why do you have to pass by here?" "Use your brains, Elf," Bruno glanced at the surrounding campsite, where there was silence except their tents, he replied, "When you already know that there is danger ahead, you will prepare for the worst." Go face it, of course you may imagine the worst and retreat, and if you think about it, you will no longer be afraid." Indeed, after glancing at the surrounding tents again, Drizzt finally understood Bruno's good intentions. The night didn't seem to be all quiet, and at one point, a group of soldiers on guard yelled "There's a ghost!" Then make the camp go crazy. There are always some strange shadows flickering in the dark night, causing bursts of screams.Although the journey was very hard during the day, the soldiers still did not sleep well that night.When dawn came, they had to go on again, singing away the fear in their hearts, as a dwarf should do. "The Dream Mountain and the Skyfire," Bruno explained to his friends, pointing to two peaks, one facing north and the other facing south. "Take note of what we have passed, elf. You are a ranger, and know your way better than us. It may be useful when you come back later." The day passed safely, and the procession passed five hills along the way, although it was not yet complete.After dawn they were on the road again.When it was almost noon, the whole team marched briskly, singing the song from a few days ago repeatedly from front to back. Warcrazy's troops and the other dwarves followed quickly. At this time, a truck not far from Bruno suddenly tilted, and the right wheel behind it fell off.The horses pulling the cart jumped violently and neighed after being frightened.The two dwarf coachmen had difficulty controlling the situation. They jumped from the side of the car and hurriedly grabbed the sides of the car to prevent it from collapsing backwards.Facing the rear was a huge pit, like a gaping hungry mouth. Seeing the situation, Drizzt rushed over quickly, leaping to the side of the frightened horse and holding it back.With a flickering scimitar he cut the horse's reins, freeing it from the entire convoy. Catti-brie ran past Drow to help the coachmen; Wulfgar jumped from Bruenor's cart and joined the aid. The weight of the wagon dragged the two still struggling dwarves, and Catti-brie, who had come to rescue them, down the dark pit. Without hesitation, Wulfgar threw himself down beside the pit, his chest against the edge of the cliff.His strong arms caught the remaining harness of the wagon, and the wagon did not fall completely.However, it was a steep cliff, and Wulfgar could only temporarily drag the car and people from falling down. The savage yelled anxiously, when a small figure ran towards the pit, and quickly came behind him.Drizzt didn't call Regis, and they found that the halfling had joined them at some point, and he and Bruenor stood beside the wagon, grabbing the end of the rope. "Catch 'em!" a cry came from below. Little Dagna and many other dwarves and Bruenor grabbed the tow rope and held it in place. Catti-brie was the first to climb up from the edge of the cliff, and the two injured dwarves were dragged up soon after, but luckily they were not seriously injured. "Where's the glutton?" Bruenor called, and when the other three climbed up, only the halfling was missing. "There are so many tunnels down here!" Regis screamed from below, it turned out that he fell down in the chaos. Hearing the shout, the dwarves hurriedly used their powerful arms to pull Regis up from underneath.Wulfgar could no longer hold on to the broken van, and it sank, disappearing into the darkness, with a thump, thud, and fading into oblivion. "What do you see?" Bruenor and the others called to Regis, and the poor halfling was trembling with terror, pale as an autumn cloud. He shook his head, eyes wide open, motionless, "I thought it was you," he said to one of the drivers, "I... I wanted to hand you the rope. It fell... I mean Nothing came across... I said." "Relax, halfling," Bruenor reassured him, patting Regis on the shoulder, "you're safe now." Regis nodded, seemingly still not recovering from his panic. Delly gave Wulfgar a warm hug and kiss from the sidelines. "You've done a great job," she whispered to him. "If you hadn't caught the wagon, the three of them would have fallen and shattered." Wulfgar looked from her side to Catti-brie, who was lying comfortably in Drizzt's arms, but was also looking at Wulfgar, eyes full of gratitude. Looking around, he found that everyone was very excited by this incident. Bruno Warhammer walked to the edge of the pit, put his hands on his hips and shouted: "You bloody ghosts! You can turn into a cloud of smoke to scare people, fart neither!" A low moan echoed from the bottom of the deep pit, and some dwarves retreated one after another. Bruno was fearless, "Oh, you're really pissing me off now!" He insulted, "If you want to say something, come out and explain it, what's the point of hiding!" The humming stopped suddenly, and there was an uneasy silence, not a single dwarf dared to move or make a sound, they all wondered whether Bruenor's provocation would attract the ghost to attack. After a while, finally nothing happened, and nothing weird came out of the deep pit, and the crowd of onlookers slowly dispersed. "Let Panter and his men line up and lead the way," Bruno ordered Dagna Jr. "I don't want to lose a wagon any more." The procession began to move again, Drizzt guarding his dwarf friend. "Challenge with the undead?" he asked. "Bah, they're nothing but bluff, and probably don't even know they're dead." "Maybe." "Keep this place firmly in mind, Elf," said Bruenor, "I think this is where we will unravel the mystery of Gauntgrim Fortress." The determined dwarf king stepped back to his carriage and took another shot. Patting Regis on the shoulder, he commanded the team to move on, as if nothing had happened. "Bruenor Warhammer, always determined to go his own way." Drizzt whispered. "Isn't he always like that?" Catti-brie asked rhetorically, coming up to Drow, wrapping her arms lightly around his waist. For three days, they walked the rugged mountain roads of Fell Pass.On the way, there are constantly ghosts looming and frightening, and the gloomy wind in the valley keeps whizzing past.Some of the areas traversed are relatively flat, while others are littered with remnants of ancient battles. Not all of the ancient ruins that warriors see are tangible, and sometimes it's often just a sense of loss.It's a land of soul-wrenching, heavy, palpable mourning. On the third day, Catti-brie, who climbed a certain high slope, found that not far away, there was a silver river passing through this land, winding eastward and upward, like a giant snake .This discovery cheered her up. "Surbring Plain." Hearing Catti-brie's description, Bruno had a smile on his face, and the other dwarves cheered up, nodding in agreement.A few miles away lies the eastern part of Mithral Hall, the great Thurbrin River, along which the Dwarves once opened the gates through the East. "We'll be home in a few days," Bruno said.With joy on their faces, they finally passed the haunted mountain pass safely and are about to go home. "I still don't understand why you're taking everyone this route—if all we have to do is get back to Mithril Hall." Catti-brie confronted Bruno amidst the excitement around him . "For that is the way I return home, and so do you; and the elf, Regis, Wulfgar, if he wills it. So does little Dagna and my best soldiers. Now We know the route, we've gained experience under the protection of the military. And we're about to start the real quest." "Did you think the officials of Mithril Hall agreed to let you run out again?" Katie asked him. "You are their king now, maybe you remember?" "They agree? Yes, I'm the king now, but you remember," Bruno responded loudly, "I don't need anyone's permission, girl, who else has the right to question what I have done?" For this point, Catti-brie really couldn't answer. "Aren't you going out with Drizzt?" Bruno asked. "He took Regis out today," said Catti-brie.She looked north, as if trying to scout out something along the ridge. "The halfling must be talking too much, right?" "No, he wanted to go with him himself." "It's unbelievable, Regis would do this." Bruenor shook his bearded head. Regis, the former hedonist, seemed to have undergone a major transformation.Instead of complaining as he used to, he always had something encouraging to say to his friends as he crossed the icy winds of the Spine of the World.In every action, the little halfling always rushed forward, wanting to help, while in the past he was always used to hiding behind others. The shift unnerved Bruno and the others, and it was unexpected.Regardless, it seems like a welcome change. Not far away, when Wulfgar walked up to Delly, he found her looking away from the crowd, discussing something about Catti-brie and Bruno.野蛮人注意到他的妻子几乎是专注地盯着凯蒂布莉儿看，以女人特有的眼光仔细地打量着凯蒂。他伸开有力的双臂从她身后抱住她。 “她是个好同伴。”他说。 “我看得出你还爱着她。” 沃夫加将黛丽轻轻地转向他，“不……” “哦，你当然还爱她，我的感觉不会错的！” 沃夫加有些语塞地回答，不知道到底该讲些什么。 “她现在对我来说，是路途上，战斗中的好同伴而已……” “也是你生命中的……” 黛丽接着说。 “不。”沃夫加坚持说。“我曾经希望能够和她在一起，但这已经是过去的想法了。遇到你和蔻尔森之后，我感到幸福和满足。” “谁说你不是这样的？” “可是你刚才说……” “我说凯蒂布莉儿是你生命中的好同伴，事实上她确实是，”黛莉更正说，“你不必为了我而故意避开她。” “我不想伤害你。” “她也不想。她是你的朋友，我愿意看到这样。”她推开了沃夫加，往后退了几步凝视着他，脸上绽放出真诚的笑容，“说实话，我一直很担心你会仍然希望得到她的爱。我无法抑制住这种想法，虽然我并非要故意这么做。自从我俩在一起之后我就很相信你，你真的不必要为了保护我而远离凯蒂，因为她确实是你的好朋友。好多人都希望有象她这样的一个朋友呢。” “我也希望，”沃夫加承认说，有些好奇地望着他的妻子。“你为什么现在要和我说这些？” 黛莉不禁笑了笑。 “布鲁诺正在说从这里回秘银厅的事情。他希望你能和他一起回去。” “我只想呆在你与蔻尔森的身边。” 当野蛮人这么试探地问她时候，黛莉摇了下头。 “你这一生都会和我和我们的女儿在一起的。但现在你应该同布鲁诺、崔斯特、凯蒂和瑞吉斯他们一起上路。我知道，你爱他们每个人。” “这条路途很危险。”沃夫加说。 “那你更应该跟随他们并帮助他们了。” “这些人是矮人！” 尼克维利格大声叫道，他的声音显得有些很兴奋，如释重负。 屈德没能爬上那块陡峭的岩石，因此无法看到布鲁诺车队往南留下的足迹。他斜靠着石头，头垂下来。他的左腿又肿又胀，已经无法弯曲。屈德不知道在那个小村庄稍做休整时候，他那被撕裂的伤腿有多糟糕，不过他明白要不是在那里接受了些治疗他根本无法再继续赶路，也许是神灵的护佑，牧师的祈祷终于起了效果。 一路上，当他跟着尼克维利格飞快赶路时，坚强的屈德还是没有任何的怨言。他们走得异常辛苦和艰难，两个矮人都几乎快要耗尽他们最后的力气。他们需要暂时休息一下，正当此时，他们发现了同行者的足迹。 “如果我们朝着东南方向走就一定能赶上他们。”尼克维利格说，“你还能走得动么？” “那必须一直不停地跑。”屈德说，“这点距离够我们跑到累死。” 尼克维利格点头表示同意，他转回身，小心翼翼地试图从块陡峭山崖上爬下来。忽然，他停住呆在那里，紧紧地盯着某个地方看着。屈德顺着同伴的眼神望去，看到离他们不远不近的地方有一只巨大的豹子，浑身的毛色仿佛夜空一般漆黑，正蜷曲在一处突出的岩石上。 “别动。“尼克维利格低声叫道。 几乎不用回答，屈德的想法和尼克的一模一样，虽然他知道那只大猫肯定也看到了他们。 他考虑着如果它向他们扑过来，自己该如何行动，他将如何在那豹子的蛮力和利爪下求生？ 他决定，如果那只猫就这么扑过来，一定要让它血肉横飞。 几秒钟的停滞后，豹子和矮人谁都没有动。 发出一声低低的吼叫后，屈德从躲藏的山壁后闪身走到前面，将那把巨大的斧子垂放到身体一侧，做好了战斗的准备。 那只黑豹只是望了望他，并没有任何威胁的姿态，事实上，它显得有点毫不在乎的样子。 “请不要和她打。”从旁边传来一个喊声，两个矮人瞥见一个棕发的小半身人忽然出现在他们面前。“有人要和关海法打起来的话，她会停不住的。” “那是你的大猫？”屈德问道。 “不是我的，”半身人回复说，“她是我朋友的朋友，如果你们能明白的话。” 屈德点点头问：“那么，你到底是谁？” “我也想知道你们是谁，”半身人说，“实际上我正准备问你们呢。” “如果你先回答我的提问。” 半身人弯了弯腰，“我是秘银厅的瑞吉斯，”他说，“国王布鲁诺•战锤的朋友，也是你们刚看到那只经过车队的侦察员。我们从冰风谷回来。” 听了此话，屈德和尼克都松了口气。 “秘银厅之王的身边的人么，真是罕见啊。”屈德说。 “奇怪到你无法想象。”瑞吉斯快嘴回道。 他转头看了看身边，这时两个矮人也注意到此地居然又多出一个黑色的身影，这一次不是什么黑豹，而是一个黑暗精灵。 屈德差不多吃惊地要倒地。而他的朋友，正在往下攀爬的尼克维利格也惊到几乎抓不住山壁。 “你们还没告诉我你们是谁，”瑞吉斯忽然想起了什么，“而且我想你们应该没有听说过崔斯特•杜垩登的名字和他的大猫关海法吧。” “等一下，我知道他！“尼克维利格从上面向屈德喊道，”布鲁诺的卓尔朋友，我们都有所耳闻！” “既然知道我，那不妨告诉我你们又来自何方呢？”崔斯特问道。 尼克维利格迅速从山壁上滑了下来，正好落到屈德身边，这两个矮人显得镇定一些了，尼克维利格顺手拍掉外套上堆积的尘土。 “我叫屈德•迈克努科历司；”屈德说，“这是我的朋友尼克维利格，我们是艾默瑞斯•战冠王的部下，来自众箭要塞。” “你们似乎走了很远的路来到此地。“崔斯特意识到这一点。 “无法想象的远，”屈德回答说，“一路上我们为了甩掉了兽人和巨人的跟踪，走了很多弯路。” “我想，你们有很值得告诉我们的经历，”崔斯特说道，“但这儿不是听故事的好地方，让我们去和布鲁诺会合吧，他肯定会有兴趣听你们的述说。” “布鲁诺王也正在车队里？” 尼克维利格问。 “我们从冰风谷返回秘银厅，这里一路上埋葬着刚特格瑞姆•战锤部落的英灵。” “向摩拉丁吾神告慰死去的人。”屈德习惯性地行了矮人的礼节。 崔斯特点点头，“愿摩拉丁保佑布鲁诺王。” “愿摩拉丁或者哪位神灵保佑我们，指引我们去找回我们的队伍吧。”瑞吉斯跟着喊道。崔斯特和两个矮人望了一眼半身人，他正不安地东张西望，似乎很担心屈德和尼克威里格所说的那些巨人随时会冲过来，向他们五个扔大石头一样。 “小关，继续巡察。”崔斯特向黑豹下了命令，随即走向矮人。 当那个敏锐的卓儿精灵靠近的时候，两个大胡子本能地打了个激灵，身子一下子变得僵硬。 “瑞吉斯，你陪他们去找布鲁诺，”崔斯特说，“我和关海法在周围转转。”他向矮人们行了个礼，崔斯特跃开后，屈德和尼克维利格显然地放松了神经。 “有崔斯特在身边我们会很安全的，”瑞吉斯也走近了和矮人说道，“比你们意料得要安全多了。” 屈德和尼克维利格互相对视了一眼，转向半身人点了下头，尽管他们对瑞吉斯的话还是半信半疑。 “不用担心，”半身人很了解似地眨了眨眼睛继续说道，“你们很快会习惯他的。”