Chapter 4 Chapter Two

A group of people moved at a slow but steady speed.In spring, the permafrost beneath the tundra began to thaw, and the entire tundra became like a giant sponge, and large mounds taller than Wulfgar were formed in some places.Every step they took, their boots were difficult to pull up from the ground, as if the ground was trying to stop them.Drizzt was the lightest, and as such, he was in the best shape—at least on foot.Regis sat peacefully on the uncomplaining Wulfgar's shoulders, his warm boots untouched by mud.The other three had spent many years in Icewind Dale and were used to the annoyance of spring travel; they walked ploddingly, slowly, without complaint.They knew that the slowest and most boring part of their journey would be this first stretch, until they reached the western edge of the Spine of the World and came out of Icewind Dale from there.

Occasionally they would find some flakes of boulders, remnants of the great road from Ten-Towns to the West long ago, but they served no purpose other than proof that they were still on the right path.All they could do was keep the towering mountains to their south to keep themselves from getting lost. Drizzt led them on where there was more grass, because the grass more or less made the muddy ground a little easier to walk on than before.Of course—and the drow and his companions know it well—grassy areas can also be camouflaged by dangerous tundra snow apes, usually very hungry beasts that catch unwary travelers Those who will have a full meal.

Even so, with Drizzt Do'Urden walking ahead of them, everyone didn't have to think about vigilance at all. By the middle of the afternoon they had left the Morioka River far behind, and they could still find remnants of that road.Behind a long rock block, they found some more recent wheel marks. "A carriage," said Catti-brie when she saw the deep track. "Two," Regis criticized, noticing that each track had two marks. Catti-brie shook her head. "One," she repeated, following the tracks, noting that sometimes they come together and sometimes separate, and when they separate, the tracks don't look like wheels rolling, but rather slide sideways. down. "When going forward on a dirt road like this, the rear wheels usually don't follow the same track as the front wheels."

"Well done." Drizzt praised her, for he had come to the same conclusion. "There was only one carriage, and it left from the east about a day before we did." "A merchant's carriage left Bremen three days before we got there." Regis knew all about what happened in Ten-Towns. "Then it would be very difficult for them to travel on such ground," Drizzt replied. "And they're probably in other trouble," cried Bruno, who was bending over a clump of grass by the side of the road. Friends came up to him right away, and immediately understood the reason for his concern: some deep marks had been left in the mud.

"It's the snow ape." The dwarf said blankly. "And they came right up to the car and back right away. They must have been following the car for a long time, or I'd be a bearded midget!" "And the Yeti tracks are more recent," said Catti-brie, calling attention to the water in their tracks. Regis sat on Wulfgar's shoulder, looking nervously around, as if he feared a hundred shaggy beasts would jump out and attack them. Drizzt also bent down to study the marks on the ground, and he began to shake his head. "They're recent," Catti-brie insisted.

"I don't disagree with your estimate of time," the drow explained. "But it's not a snow ape." "It can't be a horse," Bruno muttered. "Unless it's missing a pair of legs. A snow ape, pretty big." "Too big," said the drow. "It can't be a snow ape, it's a giant." "Giant?" repeated the dwarf suspiciously. "We are ten miles from the mountain. What is the giant doing outside the mountain?" "Yeah, what to do?" the drow replied, the answer evident in his relentless tone.Giants rarely run from the Spine of the World, but when they do, it does nothing but damage.Maybe it's just a bad guy getting out on his own - that's for the best - but maybe it's a scout sent in first by a bigger, more dangerous gang.

Bruenor cursed, driving his heavily dented tomahawk head down hard into the mud. "If you want to walk this way back to the threatened towns, then I advise you to think again, Elf," he said. "The sooner I get out of this damn mud the better. Those towns got along fine without our help all these years, and now they don't need us back!" "But if the giant—" Catti-brie argued, but Drizzt cut her off. "I have no intention of turning back," he said. "No. Unless we can prove that these trails portend greater disaster than one or some giants may pose. No, we will continue west, and go faster, because I now hope to be in Pursue the lone commercial vehicle before dark, or, if necessary, after dark. If the giant is a bandit scout, it now knows where the vehicle recently passed. place, the merchants of Bremen may soon be in great need of our help."

They set off again at a faster pace, following the ruts, and two hours later they saw the tradesman struggling with a loose wheel of the four-wheeler.Two of the five, the merchant's hired guards, lifted the wagon vigorously; while the third--Regis recognized him as the young and strong Bone-Merchant Carlein--was trying hard to fix the wheel, But it is difficult to succeed.The ankles of the two guards had sunk into the mud, and despite their best efforts, they could not raise the car to a suitable height for repairs. The five looked delighted when they saw Drizzt, a well-known resident of Icewind Dale, approaching his friends.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Do'Urden!" the merchant Carlain shouted. "Please ask your barbarian friend to use his power to help us. I promise I will pay you a lot. I must reach Luskan in half a month, but if our luck has been like leaving Bremen If things go on like this from now on, I'm afraid we won't be able to get out of Icewind Dale in winter." Bruenor handed Catti-brie his ax and turned to Wulfgar. "Come on, boy," he said. "Just for fun. I'll show you what a blacksmith looks like." Wulfgar shrugged nonchalantly, and let Regis off his shoulders.The halfling groaned and rushed to a haystack, not wanting to get his new boots muddy.

"Do you think you can lift it?" Bruenor asked Wulfgar as the big man stood beside the car with him.Wulfgar didn't answer, and didn't even put his great hammer, Aegis-fang, on the ground; he grabbed hold of the cart and tugged.The mud on the ground made a loud noise and clung to the wheel persistently, but it could not resist the savage's strange force; the wheel was freed from the ground. The two guards stared dumbfounded, but soon they realized that they also grabbed the car and pulled it with the same force, lifting the car higher.Bruno also put his back under the axles to lift the car. "Come on, fix the damn thing."

he said, and he began to push and moan. Wulfgar took the wheel and set it in place on the axle.He took a step back, picked up Aegis' Fang with both hands, and gave it just enough to secure it on the axle.Bruenor muttered something indistinctly under the sudden weight; then, Wulfgar lifted the cart again, and it only took a few inches for Bruno to emerge from under it.Mr. Carlain inspected their work, smiling happily and nodding his thanks. "You can start a new business, good dwarf and mighty Wulfgar," he said with a smile. "Repair the carriage." "What an aspiring career for a dwarf king," Drizzt remarked, walking past Catti-brie and Regis. "Bruno, give up your throne and fix carts for those wandering merchants." Everyone laughed except Wulfgar, who acted as if he had nothing to do with the matter; Regis didn't laugh either, but that was because he was agonizing over his muddy boots. "You are already far away from Ten Towns," Carlain said. "And there's nothing west of Ten Towns. Are you leaving Icewind Dale again?" "That's right," Drizzt replied. "We're going south on business." "To Luskan?" "Farther than Luskan," said the drow. "But we'll probably have to go through that city." Clearly Carlain was delighted to hear the news.He fumbled for his jingling wallet, but Drizzt held up a hand in refusal; it was absurd that the merchant wanted to pay. "Oh, of course..." said Carlain awkwardly, remembering that Bruenor Warhammer was indeed a dwarf king, richer than a merchant could ever imagine. "I wish I...we could help you a little bit to repay you for your help. Or... maybe better, I hope you will accompany us to Luskan. Of course, I have hired good guards ,” he continued, nodding to the two men. "But Icewind Dale is a dangerous place, it would be better if more people walked together." Drizzt looked at his friends, and no one objected, so he nodded. "We'll walk out of the valley with you," he said. "Is your mission urgent?" the craftsman asked. "We almost dragged the car here, and we were exhausted. Just now we have decided to find a suitable place to camp after the wheel is repaired." Drizzt looked at his friends, and again, no one complained.While their mission to the Monastery of the Flying Spirit to destroy Cersheniporn was indeed important, it was not rushed.The drow soon found a good camp, on a high cliff; and soon they were all settled for the night.Calle served a rich feast of venison stew for his new friends.Dinner time was spent in small talk, mostly between Carlain and his four friends, about Bremen's winter problems, and about catching the silly trout, which It is the main material of bone ornaments.Drizzt and the others listened politely, not too interested in these matters.But Regis, who had lived for many years on the shores of Lake Doulden, and made bone ornaments himself, was quite interested in what Carlain told; he asked the merchant to show him the finished product he was about to sell. Look.The halfling devoted a long time to each craft, studying every detail of each work. "Do you think we'll see the giants tonight?" Catti-brie asked in a low voice, pulling Drizzt aside. The drow shook his head. "The guy who found the rut is back in the mountains," he said. "Perhaps, he was just looking at the path. I thought for a while that he might go to track the carriage right away, but since Carlein and his friends didn't go very far, and we didn't see any signs of other giants, So I guess we won't see giants tonight." "But he might cause trouble for the next carriage that passes," said Catti-brie. Drizzt admitted it with a nod and a smile; as he and the beautiful woman gazed at each other, their feelings grew stronger.Since Wulfgar's return, the relationship between the two has become very tense, because, during the six years of Wulfgar's absence, Drizzt and Catti-brie have formed a very deep friendship, even nearly in love.But now, Wulfgar, who had been engaged to Catti-brie when he "died", has returned, so the relationship between the drow and Catti-brie has become very complicated. but not now.For reasons not even their friends could understand, at this moment, at this second, it seemed as if they were the only two people in the world, or, as if time had stopped around them, and the world around them Everyone else was forgotten by the two of them. This state of affairs did not last long; for confusion began at the other end of the camp, separating the two men.When Catti-brie's eyes left Drizzt, she found Wulfgar staring hard at them both.She and he looked at each other, but also not for long.One of Karain's guards stood behind Wulfgar, shouting to everyone, waving his arms excitedly. "Maybe our giant friend decided to show his ugly face tonight," Catti-brie said to Drizzt.When they came to the others, the guard was pointing to a small mound of dirt that looked like a miniature volcano rising out of the tundra. "Behind that," said the guard. Drizzt stared intently at the mound; Catti-brie pulled Tumari the Bow Heartseeker off his shoulder and nocked an arrow. "This bunker is too small for a giant," Bruenor insisted, but at the same time, the dwarf's hands gripped his tomahawk tightly. Drizzt nodded in agreement with Bruno.He alternately looked at Catti-brie and Wulfgar, motioning for them to cover him.Then he ran quickly, carefully and quietly, to the vicinity of the mound.He glanced back at everyone to make sure they were ready; then, the drow ran to the side of the mound and drew his dual knives. Then he relaxed and put away his deadly knives when a tall man in a wolfskin coat stepped out from behind the mound. "Kilstad, son of Rivezak," Catti-brie said. "Following his heroes," Bruno added, looking up at Wulfgar; Kilstad was known to regard Wulfgar as his idol.When they rescued Wulfgar from the devil Errtu on the sea of ​​ice, the young man had stolen the Fang of Aegis and followed them.To Kilstad, Wulfgar symbolized the greatest figure to have emerged from the tribes of Icewind Dale, and he himself strongly hoped that he could become such a great figure. Wulfgar frowned as Bruenor watched. Kilstad and Drizzt exchanged a few words, and then they came to everyone together. "He came to speak to Wulfgar," the drow explained. "It's for the survival of our species," Kilstad admitted, staring at Wulfgar. "Our race is doing well under Bethgar the Rough," Wulfgar insisted. "That's not it!" Kilstad replied bluntly, and the others started backing away to make room for the two savages. "Bethgar does know the old ways of the past," Kilstad continued. "But the ways of the past will not bring us a better life than the past, which is what we hope for. Only you, Wulfgar, son of Beornegar, can truly unite all the tribes and join forces with the Ten-Towns Forge a solid alliance." "You think that's better?" Wulfgar asked skeptically. "Yes!" Kilstad replied without hesitation. "No one will starve to death in winter. We can live without having to depend entirely on reindeer. Wulfgar, and his friends, can change the way we live...can lead us to a brighter future." "You're talking stupid," Wulfgar said, turning his back on the other barbarian, waving his hands.But Kilstad would not let him dodge these questions so easily.The young man ran up behind Wulfgar, grabbed him roughly by the arm, and turned him around. Kilstad tried to start another argument, he wanted to tell Wulfgar that Bethgar still considered the inhabitants of Ten-Towns, even the dwarves, more enemies than allies.Young Kilstad wanted to say a lot to Wulfgar, he wanted to tell him a lot, to convince him that he should stay with the barbarian tribe.But when Kilstad ran up to Wulfgar, he forgot all those words; for Wulfgar turned furiously, his arm out of the young man's grasp, and slammed The ground punched the young man, causing him to fly backwards, and then rolled backwards a long way after landing. Wulfgar growled, then turned, striding towards his supper.Everyone around him was blaming him, especially Catti-brie. "You shouldn't have hit him!" she yelled, but Wulfgar just waved his hand, roared furiously again, and began destroying his food again. Drizzt was the first to come to Kilstad.The young savage lay face down in the mud at the foot of the cliff.Regis came soon after, took one of his many handkerchiefs, and wiped the mud from Kilstad's face, and at the same time relieved the young man's pride, and wiped the smoldering water from his eyes. out of tears. "He must understand," said Kilstad, starting to walk towards Wulfgar, but Drizzt stopped him, and the young barbarian offered no serious resistance. "The matter has been decided," said the drow. "Between Wulfgar and Besgar, Wulfgar made his choice, and he chose to leave." "Our tribal rules say that blood is thicker than water," Kilstad argued. "And Wulfgar's kin need him now." Drizzt tilted his head, and a look of understanding came to his dark face, a look that comforted Kilstad better than any words. "Is that so?" the drow asked calmly. "Does the Horde need Wulfgar, or does Kilstad need him?" "What do you mean?" The young man stammered, obviously embarrassed. "Bethgar was dissatisfied with you a long time ago," said the drow. "If Beska ruled the tribe, maybe you won't be reused." Kilstad shook Drizzt roughly; his face showed a look of exasperation. "It's not about my own place in the tribe," he insisted. "My race needs Wulfgar, and that is why I have come to him." "He won't go back with you," Regis said. "I guess you won't be a burden to him either." Frustration was evident on Kilstad's face as he began to clench and loosen his fists repeatedly.He looked at the cliff, and took a step towards it, but the swift Drizzt was in his way quickly. "He won't go back with you," said the drow. "Bethgar himself had begged Wulfgar to stay and lead the Horde, but Wulfgar himself didn't think he should stay." "But he should have stayed!" "No!" Drizzt said emphatically, coldly stopping Kilstad from further arguing. "He shouldn't have stayed; and not just because Wulfgar decided to leave. In fact, I was relieved to know he handed over the reins to Bethgar, and I cared as much for the Icewind Dale barbarian tribe Happiness." The idea that even Regis looked at the drow in amazement was illogical. "Don't you think Wulfgar would make a good leader?" Kilstad asked skeptically. "Not now," Drizzt replied. "Can any of us imagine the pain he suffered? Do we know what Errtu's torment has left on him? No, Wulfgar is not fit to lead the Horde now—he can't even control him now. Own." "But...but we are his relatives." Kilstad tried to argue, but even he felt that his words did not make sense. "If Wulfgar is in pain, then he too should be with us, in our care." "How will you tend Wulfgar's wounded heart?" Drizzt asked. "No, Kilstadt. I very much appreciate your intentions, but your hopes are entirely misplaced. Wulfgar needs time; he needs to remember who he really is, needs to remember all that has ever been to him Important things. He needs time, and he needs his friends; I know his kin are important too, but I'm going to tell you frankly now that most of those who love Wulfgar are here, not in In his tribe." Kilstad wanted to answer, but he just snorted and stared at the cliff with empty eyes, unable to refute. "We'll be back soon," said the drow. "I hope to be back before winter, or, at the latest, next spring. Maybe Wulfgar can join his friends on the road and find himself whole again. Maybe when he returns to Icewind Dale, he ready to lead the tribe — and the tribe should be led by him." "What if he doesn't?" Kilstad asked. Drizzt just shrugged.He was only just beginning to understand the depth of Wulfgar's pain, and he couldn't make promises. "Protect him," Kilstad said. Drizzt nodded. "Swear," continued the young savage. "We take care of each other," the drow replied. "Ever since we set out from Icewind Dale nearly ten years ago to help restore Bruenor to the throne at Mithril Hall." Kilstad continued to stare at the cliff. "My tribe camped north of here," he explained, and began to move away slowly. "Not very far." "Spend the night here," said the drow. "Mr. Carlain's food is good," Regis added.From this sentence alone, Drizzt knew that the halfling was clearly willing to share Kilstad's worries. But Kilstad, obviously feeling awkward about facing Wulfgar again, just shook his head and set off north, across the empty tundra. "You should beat him up," Regis said, looking back at Wulfgar. "What's the use of that?" the drow asked. "I think that way our friends can learn a little lesson." Drizzt shook his head. "Kilstad touched him, and his reaction was just a subconscious one," said the drow.He was beginning to understand Wulfgar's mood more clearly now, for Wulfgar hadn't intended to hit Kilstad consciously when he hit Kilstad.Drizzt thought of his days at the Brawler's Tower, the drow's battle school.There, the surroundings were always dangerous, with enemies lurking around every corner; Drizzt had seen that reaction there, and he had had it himself.Wulfgar was now back in the relative safety of his friends, but in his heart he still considered himself Errtu's prisoner, constantly attacking the daemon's minions. "It's just his instinct." "Can he at least apologize?" Regis said. No, he couldn't, Drizzt thought, but he didn't make the point.Then an idea occurred to the drow, which made his lavender eyes glow with a peculiar light; Regis had seen that look many times before. "What are you thinking?" the halfling asked. "About those giants," Drizzt replied with a shy smile. "They could be a threat to travelers passing through here." "You think they're coming to us tonight?" "I think they're in the mountains now, maybe planning a big raid," Drizzt replied honestly. "And by the time they get here, we're already gone." "Is that so?" Regis said softly, still staring into the drow's eyes, which shone brightly, and it was by no means the setting sun—while Drizzt's eyes drifted south. The snow-covered mountains. "What the hell are you thinking?" "We cannot wait here for the giants," said the drow. "Nor do I want them to threaten future travelers who travel this way. Perhaps Wulfgar and I should go out tonight and finish them off." Regis gaped from ear to ear in astonishment, and the drow laughed at the startled look on his face. "I learned a lot about horsemanship while I was with Monterey, the ranger who trained me," Drizzt explained. "You want to go over the mountains on a merchant's horse or two?" Regis asked incredulously. "No, no," Drizzt replied. "Monterey rode well when he was young, before he went blind, of course. The horses he chose to ride were all the strongest, and he rarely saddled them. But he had a technique - he called it 'Running horses' - able to calm the horses and obey the controls. He put them out in the open, whipped them repeatedly, made them gallop, and sometimes they even tried to throw him off." "Won't that just make them more difficult?" asked the halfling, who knew almost nothing about horses. Drizzt shook his head. "Monterey told me that strong horses have a lot of energy. So he unleashes that excess energy, and when he rides them afterward, they're still fast, but more manageable. " Regis shrugged and nodded, understanding. "So what does this have to do with Wulfgar?" Even before the question escaped his lips, he knew what Drizzt meant. "You're trying to 'run' Wulfgar like the Monterey runners," he said. "Maybe he needs a fight," Drizzt replied. "And I do wish to free the area from the giants." "It will take several hours to get to the other side of the mountain." Regis estimated, looking to the south. "Maybe it would have taken longer if the traces left by the giants were not easily discernible." "But we will be much faster than the three of you, if you are with Karain." The drow replied. "Wulfgar and I will catch up with you in about two or three days, and you will still be far from the western end of the Spine of the World by then." "Bruno would not like to be left behind," Regis commented. "Then don't tell him," said the drow.Then, before Regis could deliver his predictable answer, Drizzt added: "You don't tell Catti-brie either. Tell them after Wulfgar and I leave for the night, tell them I promise to be back the day after tomorrow." Before Drizzt walked away, he asked Regis to keep it a secret, and Regis sighed in disappointment—Regis had kept Drizzt a secret before, and a frantic Catti-brie almost beat the halfling, only In order to know Drizzt's whereabouts. "Why am I always the one keeping your secret?" he asked. "Why do you always ask around for things you shouldn't know?" Drizzt answered him with a smile. The drow found Wulfgar on the other side of the camp.The big man sat alone on the ground and threw the stone on the ground absent-mindedly.He didn't look up, didn't make any gestures of apology, he buried them all under the wall of anger. Drizzt deeply sympathized with him, and found that his former torment was simmering beneath the surface.The only thing he could use to fight those terrible memories was anger.Drizzt knelt down, looking into Wulfgar's sky-blue eyes, but the big man wasn't cooperative at all. "Do you remember the first time we fought together?" the drow asked slyly. Now Wulfgar was looking at the drow. "Are you saying you're going to teach me another lesson?" he asked, his tone indicating that he was ready for the challenge. Those words hurt Drizzt deeply.He remembered seven years ago in Mithril Hall, when Drizzt was very angry because the barbarians treated Catti-brie badly.They fought fiercely, and in the end Drizzt won.He also thought of his first battle with Wulfgar, when Bruenor captured the young man during the barbarian attack on Ten-Towns and took him to be raised among the dwarven clans in Icewind Dale.Bruenor had put Drizzt in charge of educating Wulfgar as a warrior, and the first few bouts between the two had undoubtedly caused the young and overproud barbarian great pain.But those were not the things Drizzt was talking about now. "I mean, the first time we fought a real enemy together," he explained. Wulfgar's eyes narrowed as he thought about his friendship with Drizzt. "Billin and the sub-giants." Drizzt reminded. "You, me, and Guan Haifa entered a cave full of giants." Anger faded from Wulfgar's face.He gave a rare smile and nodded. "Billin is such a difficult fellow," Drizzt continued. "How many times did we hit that guy? You threw the dagger in the end—" "That was a long time ago," Wulfgar interjected.He couldn't keep his smile going, but at least he wasn't so prone to outbursts anymore.Wulfgar had rediscovered the conflicted feelings he had felt when they first started the journey, but his mind was indeed much more stable now. "But you do remember?" Drizzt asked, a smile flickering across his dark face, a gleam in his lavender eyes. "Why..." Wulfgar was about to ask, but stopped immediately, looking at his friend.He hadn't seen Drizzt in this mood for a long time, and the last time was in Mithril Hall, before the fateful battle between Drizzt and the maidservant of the Dark Queen Rose.Drizzt now was like Drizzt had been long ago, before the battle to help Bruenor regain his throne.Wulfgar was genuinely afraid of Drizzt then, fearing that his recklessness would leave everyone in a situation from which there was no escape. But Wulfgar liked Drizzt that way. "There are giants ready to rob travelers on the road," said the drow. "Since we agreed to go with Mr. Carlain, it will take us longer than we expected to get out of Icewind Dale. It seems reasonable to me to eliminate these dangerous marauders along the way." For the first time since their reunion in the ice cave after defeating Errtu, Drizzt saw the longing gleam in Wulfgar's eyes. "Have you spoken to the others?" asked the Savage. "Just you and me," Drizzt said. "And Haifa, of course. It won't be happy if it misses the fun." They waited a long time after sunset for Catti-brie, Regis, and Bruenor to fall asleep.The drow walked in front, and they walked directly to the place where they found the giant's footprints by starlight.Drizzt then fished out a small onyx leopard figurine from the bag, and placed it reverently on the ground. "Come here, Guenhyvar," he said softly. A mist began to fill around the statue, and became thicker, and then took the shape of a leopard.In the end, it was no longer the statue that emerged from the mist, but the panther itself.Guenhwyvar looked up at Drizzt, her eyes showing intelligence far above that of a leopard. Drizzt pointed to the trail left by the giant, and Guenhyvar immediately understood what he meant, and began to lead them forward. As soon as she opened her eyes she knew something was wrong.The camp was very quiet. The two guards sat on the bench of the carriage and talked softly. Catti-brie propped herself up on her elbows to get a better view of her surroundings.The campfire was almost extinguished, but the figure on the bedroll could still be seen.The closest was Regis, huddled so close to the campfire that Catti-brie was surprised to see that he escaped the flames.Bruenor slept a little away from the campfire, and it was there when Catti-brie said goodnight to her adoptive father.She sat up and stretched her neck, but she still couldn't find the two special figures. She tried to wake Bruenor, but changed her mind and went to Regis instead.Halflings always seem to know something... She gently tried to shake him awake, but he hummed and curled up tightly.She shook him more roughly and called his name, but he cursed vaguely and curled up even tighter. Catti-brie kicked his ass hard. "Hey!" he protested loudly. "Where did they go?" she asked. "What are you talking about, child?" said Bruenor wearily, awakened by Regis's cry. “崔斯特和沃夫加离开营地了。”她解释道，然后转过头，尖锐地注视着瑞吉斯。 半身人在她的注视下退缩了。“我怎么会知道？”他争辩道，但是凯蒂布莉儿可不会轻易放过他。 瑞吉斯看着布鲁诺，希望得到矮人的支持，但他发现那衣服还没有穿好的矮人慢慢地走过来，显得和凯蒂布莉儿一样的狂乱，他们俩的愤怒都指向半身人。 “崔斯特说他们明后天就会回到我们身边了。”半身人承认道。 “他们究竟去哪了？”凯蒂布莉儿问道。 瑞吉斯耸耸肩，但甚至在他做完这个动作之前，凯蒂布莉儿就抓住他的衣领把他提了起来。“你想要再玩一次这种游戏吗？”她问道。 “我猜他们是去找基尔斯达德并向他道歉。”半身人说道。“他应该得到道歉。” “如果男孩心里的确想要道歉，那也就够了。”布鲁诺评论道。矮人看来对这个答案颇为满意，他准备回到他的铺盖卷那里继续睡觉。 但是凯蒂布莉儿仍然粗鲁地抓住瑞吉斯，并且摇着头。“他没说实话。”她说道，并且把矮人拽了回来。“他们不是去那里了。”她把瑞吉斯放在地上，但是她接近了他。“你必须告诉我。”她冷静地说。“你不能玩这种游戏。我们将要一起走过费伦大陆一半那么长的距离，我们会需要对彼此的一点点信任，你不想失去我们的信任吧。” “他们去追踪巨人了！”瑞吉斯冲口说出。他不敢相信自己已经说了出来；但是他也无法拒绝凯蒂布莉儿说的话，以及她那哀怨的眼神。 “呸！”布鲁诺暴怒地叫道，重重地跺了一下他的赤脚——声音就好像他穿着靴子一样。“你这死馋鬼！你怎么不早点告诉我们？” “因为你们会让我离开这里……”瑞吉斯争论道，但当凯蒂布莉儿走到他面前时，他的声音里没法再带有怒气。 “你总是知道得太多，说得太少。”她怒吼道。“上次崔斯特离开秘银厅的时候也是这样。” “我听你的。”瑞吉斯无助地耸耸肩，回答道。 “穿上衣服。”凯蒂布莉儿命令瑞吉斯，后者怀疑地看着她。 “你听到了她说的了吧！”布鲁诺吼道。 “你们想上哪去？”半身人指着夜晚黑乎乎的苔原。 "Now?" “这又不是我第一次把那该死的精灵从苔原雪猿嘴里救出来。”矮人说道，并且走向他的铺盖卷。 “是巨人。”瑞吉斯更正道。 “那就更糟糕了！”布鲁诺更大声地吼道，吵醒了营地上的其他人。 “但是我们不能离开。”瑞吉斯反对道，指着商人和他的卫兵们。“我们答应会保护他们的。如果巨人在我们离开之后来攻击他们怎么办？” 这句话使得商队的五个成员露出关切的表情，但是凯蒂布莉儿可不管那么多。她只是继续狠狠地盯着瑞吉斯，以及他的财产，其中包括布鲁诺手下的一位铁匠为他打造的新的钉锤；那是一件美丽的武器，由秘银和生铁铸造而成，锤头做成独角兽头的形状，上面还镶嵌了两枚蓝宝石做为眼睛。 半身人认命地叹息着，把自己的紧身短上衣套在头上。 他们三个在一小时之内就出发了，沿着车辙、巨人脚印，后来是卓尔精灵和野蛮人的脚印行进。他们比前两人遇到的困难多得多，虽然凯蒂布莉儿戴了一个夜视手镯，但她并不是一名游侠，也没有崔斯特那种敏锐的感觉。布鲁诺深深弯下腰嗅着地面，然后领着其他人在黑暗中前进。 “也许我会被一只饥饿的雪猿一口吞掉。”瑞吉斯抱怨道。 “那样的话我会高高地射它一箭。”凯蒂布莉儿摆弄着她的神弓回答道。“射到它肚子上面。否则，我们把你从它肚子里拽出来时，你身上会有一个大洞的。” 当然，此后瑞吉斯并没有停止抱怨，但他明显地压低了音量，不让凯蒂布莉儿听清楚，这样她就不会有理由讽刺他了。 在黎明之前的黑暗中，两人设法翻过了世界之脊山脉脚下的小山。沃夫加抱怨了许多次，认为他们一定是跟丢了；但崔斯特非常相信关海法的能力。黑豹一直出现在他们前面，它的黑色身影显得比夜空更黑。 日出后不久，当他们正沿着蜿蜒的山路行进时，卓尔精灵发现了一个脚印，这更证明了他对黑豹的信任是正确的。这是一只巨型靴子的鞋印，出现在路上一块泥泞的洼地中。 “最多再一小时。”卓尔精灵检查完脚印后说。他回头看向沃夫加，露出微笑，淡紫色的双眼闪烁着。 早已做好了战斗准备的野蛮人点点头。 两人跟着关海法继续爬山，最后，路似乎突然消失了，在他们面前出现了一座陡峭的悬崖。崔斯特首先爬了上去，当他确认了前方并无敌人后，示意沃夫加跟上。他们来到了一个大峡谷旁边，这个山谷四周都是悬崖，但在他们的右边，也就是南方有一个出口。最初，他们猜测巨人的营地大概是掩藏在山谷中某块巨石之下，但这时，沃夫加发现山谷另一边的悬崖后面，有一道炊烟正在升起，那边距离他们约有二三百码。 崔斯特爬上附近的一棵树以便观察。他很快就确定那的确是巨人的营地。一群大怪物正坐在一块巨石后面大吃特吃。卓尔精灵又仔细地观察了附近的地形。他和关海法都可以不用进入峡谷中就到达另一边。 “你从这里掷锤过去能打到他们吗？”他问沃夫加。 野蛮人点点头。 “那你来掩护我。”卓尔精灵说道。一眨眼的工夫，他便已从左边出发，借助悬崖上突出的岩石向巨人那边移动。关海法也出发了，它的路线在崔斯特的上方。 黑暗精灵灵活地在岩石间穿行，同时，关海法也以一连串有力的跳跃前进着，一跳大约就有二十尺。半小时后，卓尔精灵已经越过了北面的悬崖，到达了东边巨人附近，距离他们大约只有二十尺。他回头向沃夫加示意，然后他站稳脚跟，深吸了一口气。为了避免被发现，他又向下移动了一点，然后目测了一下他需要跑过和跳过的距离。他不想要在落地时用双手维持平衡，而想要落地时便抽出双刀，做好战斗的准备。 他最后确定自己能够做到这些，于是他抬头看向关海法。黑豹俯伏在巨人上方约三十尺的一块岩石上。崔斯特张开嘴，做出叫喊的样子。 黑豹马上做出了反应，不过它的叫声真的很大。这吼声甚至使得大山震动起来，吸引了巨人的注意力，可能也吸引了方圆几里之内所有生物的注意力。 巨人们嚎叫着跳了起来。卓尔精灵悄悄地跑过去，并跳向他们的位置。 沃夫加高呼着战神坦帕斯之名，举起了艾吉斯之牙—但却犹豫了。他已经好久没有呼唤过这个名字了。这个名字属于一位他曾经信仰过的神祗，但在过去几年，他觉得这位神祗已经放弃了他，把他丢在深渊魔域中受苦。感情的浪潮涌向他，使他头晕目眩，恍惚间，他又回忆起了厄图地牢中的一切…… 而此时，崔斯特正危险地暴露在敌人的注意之下。 三个人一边猜测一边跟着脚印前进。凯蒂布莉儿的夜视能力比不上卓尔精灵，布鲁诺的追踪技巧也赶不上关海法。虽然如此，当他们听到黑豹那震天动地的吼声时，他们无疑知道了自己的猜测是准确的。 布鲁诺和凯蒂布莉尔都飞快地向吼声传来的地方跑去。瑞吉斯甚至没有试图去追赶他们，也没有和他们走同一条路。他转向北方，沿着一条较为易走的山路向上爬。半身人并不是害怕与巨人遭遇并且战斗，他真心的想要帮忙。也许他会占据一个制高点，向伙伴们报告战场的形势；也许他可以在安全距离外投石攻击那些巨人（他的投石技巧相当不错）；也许—— 一个树桩，撞得晕头转向的瑞吉斯心想。他刚转过一个弯，就一头撞在一个什么东西上。 不，不是树桩，瑞吉斯很快反应过来。树是不会穿靴子的。 两只巨人站起身来搜寻关海法；另外两只则注意到了正在迅速接近的卓尔精灵。崔斯特已经计算好了自己跳跃所需要的时间和距离，恰巧在悬崖边上着地，并且保持住了平衡。但是他没有预料到两个敌人正在等着她。他原指望沃夫加能够在他落地之前就放倒一个敌人，或至少吸引敌人的注意力，使黑暗精灵有足够的时间来在岩石上立足。 卓尔精灵很快做出了反应，他使用了他的种族能力——虽然在地面上生活了这么多年之后，这种能力已经几乎都消失了——召唤出一个黑暗结界。他使这个黑暗结界的中心定位于地面之上十尺，这样它便挡住了巨人的视线，但是，由于黑暗结界是一个半径只有五尺左右的圆球，这使得崔斯特能够看到巨人的腿。他抽出他的两把弯刀，闪光和冰亡，狂野地攻击着巨人。 两个巨人又踢又跺，弯下腰盲目地挥舞着他们的棒子。这种狂乱的攻击击中另外一个巨人的机会和击中崔斯特的机会一样大，但是一个巨人能够承受这样的一击而不死。 崔斯特则不能。 该死的厄图！他究竟遭受了多少苦难？他的身体与精神遭到了多少打击？他再度感觉到俾兹麦特克的钳状双臂扼住他的咽喉，感觉到他躺在深渊魔域的污秽中时厄图给予他的重击，还有那恶魔将他拽到那常盛不熄的地狱之火上面时身体的刺痛。还有女魔那温柔而诱人的触摸，这也许是所有折磨中最令人痛苦的。 而现在，他的朋友需要他。沃夫加很清楚这一点，他能够听到战斗已经开始了。他应该掷出艾吉斯之牙放倒一个敌人，他现在甚至应该已经消灭一个敌人了。 这些他都知道，他也非常想要帮助他的朋友，尽管如此，他的双眼却无法看到崔斯特与巨人的战斗场面。它们再度看向深渊魔域那旋转的灰雾。 “去你的！！”野蛮人大叫道，他试图用最强烈的愤怒来抵挡那些向他袭来的画面。 这很可能是瑞吉斯见过的最大的巨人，它大约有二十尺高，它的肩膀比瑞吉斯住过的房子的两倍还宽。瑞吉斯看着他的新钉锤，他那可怜的小钉锤，怀疑它是否能擦破那巨人的皮。然后他抬起头，看到那巨人弯下腰，伸出一只巨手，这只手把半身人抓了起来，只要它稍微再用点力，半身人就难逃一死了。 “啊，那么我就用点小点心吧？”巨人说道，它的语气和用词对于它的种族来说是令人惊奇地“文雅”。“当然，不是什么大餐，不过少总比没有好。” 瑞吉斯深吸一口气，把手放在自己的心脏上看看它还有没有在跳动。此时他感觉到脖子下面有一块熟悉的硬东西。他把它摸了出来，那是一个红宝石吊坠。他将它拿出来让那巨人看着。“漂亮的东西，你觉得呢？”他期待地问道。 “我觉得我想把我的小点心碾碎了再吃。”那巨人回答道，把半身人放在地上，抬起一只大脚。瑞吉斯尖叫着跑开，但巨人只需跨出一大步，它的另一只脚便跨到他前面。他已经无路可逃了。 崔斯特一个滚翻，躲过巨人踢来的一脚，肩膀一撞身后的石头便灵巧地再度站起身来，转过身用闪光切入了巨人的小腿。这使得巨人痛苦地大叫一声，同时，传来了另一声吼叫。那是沃夫加。紧随野蛮人的咒骂而来的是一场碎石的飞溅，某种东西——崔斯特确信那是艾吉斯之牙——重重地击中了岩壁。 此时，另一样东西从石壁后面飞出，崔斯特看到那是一块砾石而不是战锤。毫无疑问，这是由另一个巨人投掷出的。 更糟的事情还在后面。一只巨人向后移动得足够远，因而能够看到黑暗结界周围的情况，同样也看到了崔斯特。”啊，你这黑皮的耗子！”它举起自己的棒子，同时说道。 关海法从三十尺高的地方一跃而下，扑在那刚好弯下腰的巨人肩膀上，对于那巨人来说，好像是遭受了重达六百磅，还又咬又抓的炮弹的袭击。巨人不禁惊慌失措，失去了平衡并倒向悬崖，关海法则还在它的身上。 崔斯特又躲开了一次笨拙的踢腿，大声呼唤着关海法，但却无法去帮助它，因为还有一个巨人在对他攻击。 巨人旋转着掉下悬崖，关海法再度高高跳起，试图跳到沃夫加脚下的，另一侧的岩壁。而沃夫加仍在与他内心的敌人进行着战斗。 黑豹的两只前爪紧紧地抓住一块突出的岩石，这块岩石在沃夫加下面相当深的地方。它在那里狂乱地抓，咬，吼着，而巨人则继续向下落去。巨人不断地下落，下落，不停地惨叫着，最终落在一块岩石上粉身碎骨。 第二块大岩石击中了崔斯特与巨人战斗的地方，然后是第三块。石头碎裂时的巨大响声终于将沃夫加从他那黑暗的记忆中惊醒过来。他看到关海法正努力地扒住岩石的边缘以防止自己摔下悬崖，在它的身体与峡谷底部之间只有空气而已。他看到崔斯特的黑暗结界，卓尔精灵每一次挥舞他的弯刀时，刀上闪烁着的蓝色光彩。此时一个巨人抬起头来，沃夫加也看到了它，并准备向它掷出战锤。 但就在此时，又一块大岩石带着呼呼风声飞来，从那巨人身边飞过。另一块巨石击中了沃夫加脚下的岩石，几乎把他震倒在地上。野蛮人很快地找到了石头的来源。另外三个巨人正隐藏在下方偏右的一块岩石后面，在它们身后很可能还有一个山洞。此时又一块巨石直奔沃夫加飞来，他不得不深深弯下腰避免被石头打成肉酱。 他站起身来，但又被接踵而来的另外两块巨石逼得被迫采取行动。 他大吼一声——但却不是对某个神的战吼，而只是单纯的吼叫——将艾吉斯之牙举过头顶，并掷向那三个巨人。战锤带着千钧之力飞向目标，三个巨人刚好来得及躲在做为掩体的石头后面。艾吉斯之牙击中了大石。一声巨响，战锤将石头击出了一个大坑。 三个巨人站起身来，面面相觑，目瞪口呆，为这武器对石头造成的破坏所震惊。它们清醒过来之后，便争先恐后地试图去将战锤据为己有。 但艾吉斯之牙却消失在它们面前，并神奇地回到沃夫加的手中。野蛮人现在可以清楚地看到那三个巨人的藏身之处。 凯蒂布莉儿和布鲁诺来到峡谷的边缘，与沃夫加处于同一侧，但位置在他的南边，大约在野蛮人和那三个巨人之间。他们刚好来得及看到艾吉斯之牙的第二次掷出。一个巨人设法逃回了保护它们的石头后面，另一个巨人正试图往石头上面爬，战锤重重地击中了它，使它摔倒了第三个巨人身上。虽然这一击十分沉重，而凯蒂布莉儿又从她的陶玛里神弓上射出一支箭，射中了同一只巨人的背部，这也没能要了那巨人的命。 “哼，你们俩想把所有的乐趣都据为己有！”布鲁诺发着牢骚，同时寻找着一条可以让他接近巨人们的路径。“我要做一张矮人弓！” “一张弓？”凯蒂布莉儿又在弓上搭了一支箭，同时怀疑地问道。“你什么时候还学会做木工了？” 当她准备射出这一箭时，艾吉斯之牙再度旋转着飞过他们面前。布鲁诺用力地指向它。“矮人弓！” 他眨着眼睛说道，然后跑开了。 虽然巨人们受了些伤，他们还是很好地重新组织了阵形。第一个巨人高举着一块巨石出现了。 凯蒂布莉儿的下一支箭射穿了那块石头，石头裂成两半，砸在那巨人头上。 第二个巨人很快跟上，向凯蒂布莉儿投掷出一块石头，但却远远地偏离了目标。虽然如此，它也避开了凯蒂布莉儿射来的一箭。箭头深深地插在了悬崖上。 第三个巨人将巨石掷向沃夫加，此时艾吉斯之牙也恰巧回到他的手中，他被迫再度弯下身以避免被击中。但是，石头击中他身后的岩壁，出人意料地反弹回来，击中了他的臀部。 凯蒂布莉儿抬头观察他的上方，并发现他还面临着更大的危险。在他的上方又出现了一个巨人。这一个巨人体型十分庞大，举着一块超级巨石，看起来它可以一下子把沃夫加和他脚下的岩石一起砸到峡谷之中。 “沃夫加！”凯蒂布莉儿大声喊着，想要警告沃夫加。她觉得他已必死无疑了。 崔斯特并没有看到这场战锤、弓箭与砾石之间的战斗，不过他还是在战斗的间隙中看了关海法一眼。黑豹的问题不大。它已经成功地爬上了一块位置较低的岩石，看起来受了些伤，并且在为不能轻易再度加入战斗而恼火。 现在，巨人的踢打频率降低了。它已经很累了，它腿上的许多的伤口在流着血。灵巧的卓尔精灵现在唯一的麻烦就是避免在这越来越深的血泊中摔上一跤。 正在此时，他听到凯蒂布莉儿的叫声，这使他大吃一惊，以至于速度减低了很多。巨人恰巧一脚踢中了他，使得他摔倒在地并向悬崖边上滚去，离开了黑暗结界的范围。崔斯特刚站起身来便不顾疼痛爬上了附近的岩壁。那巨人也追了过来，它深深地弯下腰，还以为它的敌人会在地面上。 崔斯特跳到巨人的肩膀上，两腿夹住它的脖子，将两把弯刀从侧面刺入它的双眼。巨人嚎叫起来，直直地站着。它摸索着寻找带给它如此痛苦的敌人。但卓尔精灵的行动太迅速了。崔斯特跳下巨人的身体，跑向悬崖边上并故意发出一些声音。 巨人无助地眨着它那没了用的眼睛，它被伤口和血给完全弄瞎了。它疯狂地挥舞着双手，转向噪音的来源，蹒跚地试图抓住卓尔精灵。 但崔斯特早已不在那里了，他已经转到了巨人的身后，当巨人走到悬崖边时，他用弯刀戳入巨人的身体，并用力推着它继续向前走。巨人痛苦地嚎叫着，试图转过身来，但它的行动只是使得崔斯特更为用力地推着它。 巨人试图往回爬行，但最终还是掉下了悬崖。 沃夫加听到凯蒂布莉儿的喊声并且转过身来，但他已无法先行攻击或者做出闪避的反应了。凯蒂布莉儿开始用弓瞄准巨人，但巨人还是先掷出了石头。 石头飞过了沃夫加，飞过了凯蒂布莉儿，又飞过了已经到达南面岩壁下面的布鲁诺。它当胸击中了一个巨人，把巨人打倒在地。 凯蒂布莉儿被这突如其来的变化震惊得目瞪口呆。她看向那个巨人，她的弓还瞄着它。她看到瑞吉斯正舒服地坐在巨人的肩膀上。“是馋鬼！”她喃喃说道，这景象给她以深深的震撼。 现在，三个人——瑞吉斯控制的巨人，沃夫加和凯蒂布莉儿——都将注意转向了余下的三个巨人。 闪着银光的箭矢接连不断地向巨人们飞去，中间夹着旋转着的艾吉斯之牙以及带着呼呼风声的大石头。 这猛烈的攻势使得三个巨人没有丝毫还手之力。 一名巨人试图从旁边一条隐藏的小路逃走，此时艾吉斯之牙击中了它的肩膀。这一击之力使得它原地转了半圈，刚好来得及看见银色的箭矢飞来，下一个瞬间，这支箭射穿了它那丑陋的脸。它颓然坐在地上。第二个巨人举着巨石走出来准备攻击，但马上就被巨石击中胸口，向后飞了出去。 最后一个巨人已经受了重伤，蹲坐在石头掩体后面，甚至不敢爬回它身后十五尺处的山洞。它一直低着头，当它听到布鲁诺从高处跳下的风声时它抬起了头，但已经太晚了。 矮人国王的战斧砍开了巨人的脑壳，它的斧柄上又要增加一条刻痕了。