Chapter 12 Chapter 9 Kavi

"Is Kavi Island small?" Katie asked Deudermont.Another week passed in an idle voyage.The schooner was drifting alone in the sea, but she was so crowded with people that there was hardly any room for a moment of solitude.Such is life in the open sea, you are never left alone while the whole world seems to disappear.Katie and Drizzt were always together, watching the churning waters for hours on end, but they still felt an overwhelming sense of loneliness inside of them. "A few miles." The captain replied casually, as if it was just an instinctive reaction on his part. "Then you want to find it with the naked eye?" Katie said sharply, and glanced lazily at Drizzt again.

"That's how we found Gull Rock, and it's no bigger than Kavi," Drizzt reminded Katie.He didn't want to make Katie so depressed, and at the same time he wanted to calm her anger. "Bah, everyone knows Seagull Rock." Katie retorted him. "We know where we are, and we know where we have to go," Deudermont insisted, "and we have maps, so our voyage is not blind." Katie frowned at Duggin.The provider of that map was hard at work scrubbing the deck.Her displeased expression had already told Deudermont that she did not trust the map. "The magician also got new sentries," Deudermont said.Katie couldn't deny it, but she doubted how useful such a "sentry" would be.Harkle and Robillard take some gulls from Gull Rock, claiming that they can talk to them by magic.The two magicians said that these seagulls could be of great help, and they blasted the seagulls to the surface of the sea every day, and then waited for them to come back to report.

Katie didn't hold out much hope for them, she thought the birds would surely fly back to Gull Rock, perhaps laughing at the two stupid mages along the way.However, only two of the ten birds brought on board by the magician flew away, and the rest had already regarded the Sea Spirit as their new home. "There was no error in that map after we left Mingtan." Drizzt said softly to Katie.Seeing the look of fear and irritation on the young woman's beautiful bronzed face, the Dark Elf was troubled that he could not comfort her heart.He could understand Katie's feelings because he had the same negative thoughts in his mind.They all know the hardships of this journey. From this perspective, their current situation is not too bad, at least not as bad as expected.They had been away from inhabited land for several weeks, much of that time out to sea.And they haven't lost a single one so far.Although their material reserves are not abundant, they are enough to meet their needs.Thanks to Guenhwyvar and Harkle, Drizzt couldn't help smiling at the thought of them.Soon after they left the Wien Gate, the Panther and the Wizard wiped out most of the nasty rats on board.

Although the trip had been smooth so far, Drizzt still couldn't restrain the growing irritability in his heart.He understood that this was the effect of the monotony of the sea and the sense of helpless loneliness.He loves sailing and the feeling of riding on the waves.But the endless emptiness of traveling across the seas was gnawing at his nerves. Katie left them muttering something under her breath.Drizzt looked at Deudermont, and the experienced captain smiled back at him, relaxing the drow's mind. "I've seen it happen," Deudermont said to him calmly. "When we see Mingtan, or when we're heading east, she's not like that."

"Would you do that?" Drizzt asked. "Would you abandon the news that the doppelganger had given?" Deudermont thought for a long time, "I have come here because I believe this is my destiny. No matter what danger awaits me, I will face it with open eyes. But I will not use my Let our subordinates take unnecessary risks. If our food reserves cannot guarantee the continued safety of voyages, we will turn back." "Where's the doppelganger?" Drizzt asked. "Didn't my enemies find me before? They will find me again." Deudermont replied easily.In this vast and bewildered ocean, this man became the strong support of Drizzt and all the crew like a rock in the sea.

"Then let's get on with it," Drizzt told him. ※※※※ The ensuing journey was shorter than anyone expected.Within an hour of their conversation, Harkle Hubbell ran up to Deudermont, clapping his hands happily. Behind Deudermont, more than a dozen sailors with anxious expressions had gathered.From his usual position in the bow, Drizzt leaped up to the yards of the mainmast, looking down at the chaotic scene below.He looked up and saw that Katie was also looking down with concern from the observation deck. "Oh, my Reggie is a croaking bird!" cried Harkle cheerfully.

"Reggie?" Deudermont and several people nearby asked in unison. "It's Revel's nickname, and he's a very good magician! He made a frog like a horse, or a horse like a frog, and that's not easy! What did he call her? Pond Leaper ? Or a river jumper? Or..." "Harkle," said Deudermont dryly, wanting to bring the magician back to the real world from the mess of memories. "Oh, of course," said Harkle incoherently, "yes, yes, where am I? Oh, yes, I'm going to tell you about Revel. He's a really nice guy, um, a nice guy. He He fought valiantly in the Vale of Baumin, and his story is written in legend. Once..."

"Harkle!" Deudermont couldn't bear it any longer, and he burst into anger directly. "What?" the magician asked inexplicably. "That damned gull," growled Deudermont at him, "what did it find?" "Oh, yes!" Harkle clapped his hands again. "That bird, that bird, Reggie. Yes, yes, a fine bird, faster than anyone else." "Harkle!" Twenty voices roared at him simultaneously. "We found an island." Harkle, who was quite frightened, finally turned to the topic.Robila stepped onto the deck angrily, "The bird mentioned an island when it came back today. It's not far from the left side of the bow."

"How big is it?" Deudermont asked. Robilar shrugged and giggled, "All islands are huge in the eyes of seagulls. It could be a reef or a continent." "Or a whale," interrupted Harkle hastily. It didn't matter, Tahi's charts showed Kawi Island in this area, and if the bird did find an island, it must be Kawi. "You and Dugin, show me the way." Deudermont stood before the wheel and said to Robilla. "And Reggie," interrupted Harkle cheerfully.He pointed to the sky, and they saw a bird perched on top of the mainmast, above Katie's head.

Seeing Kitty's disgusted expression and the bow in her hand, Drizzt felt that something bad might happen.Fortunately the gull had heard Harkle's call, and landed on his shoulder, and took off without spilling anything on the young woman. If it weren't for the bird, Sea Sprite would probably have sailed straight past Kawi Island, half a mile away, without seeing it at all.It was a low, conical island, not more than a hundred or two hundred yards in diameter.A blue mist covered the entire island.Even from a close distance, it only appears to be one giant wave. As the schooner approached the mist, it half-furled its sails and slid slowly toward the island.The sea breeze becomes cold, and the sun also seems to give people a sense of nothingness.After driving around the island of Deudermont for a week, I couldn't find any suitable place to stop.

After returning to the starting point, Deudermont steered the Sea Sprite straight into the mist. "Ghost wind," said the trembling Dugin nervously, "this is a place of ghosts, I told you." The little man rubbed his ears desperately, regretting that he didn't disembark at the Wien Gate.Dugin's other ear was also grabbed, but it was not his own hand.He turned his head and saw Drizzt Do'Urden's eyes.The dark elf's tall and slender body felt oppressive to him at this moment. "Ghost..." Du Gang wanted to speak, but Drizzt pressed his lips with a finger. Du Jin leaned weakly against the railing of the boat and did not speak again. Deudermont ordered the crew to lower the sails again, and Sea Sprite's speed became very slow.The fog became thicker, and the environment around him and the current under his feet made Deudermont tense.He called for Katie, but heard no answer.His cries were completely swallowed up by the thick fog. Deudermont nodded to Drizzt.Drow jumped onto the bow yard, lowered his body, and began to observe the situation of the waterway ahead.After a while, he saw something, and his eyes widened immediately. About fifty yards ahead of the bow a pole poked out of the water. Drizzt judged in the blink of an eye that it was the tip of a ship's mast. "Stop the boat!" he yelled sharply. Before Deudermont could react to the warning, Robila had already entered the spellcasting state.The magician fired his energy directly in front of the Sea Spirit, and the turbulent flow formed by the splashing giant waves prevented the Sea Spirit's gliding inertia.The sails of the Sea Spirit have been fully furled.When the anchor dropped, there was a huge echo, which made people shudder. "How deep?" Deudermont asked the anchored sailor.The scale on the anchor chain can indicate the depth of the seabed. "A hundred feet," replied a sailor after a moment. Drizzt returned to the captain, "I guess it's a hidden reef. There is a sunken ship two captains ahead of us. Only the top of the mainmast is still exposed on the sea, but the hull has not capsized. It should be in the It sank suddenly while driving in haste." "It directly tore the bottom of the ship." Robila speculated. "We are about a hundred or two hundred yards from the bottom of the sea." Deudermont said, trying to look into the mist.He looked aft again.The Sea Spirit carried two small boats, which were suspended on both sides of the stern. "We can go around again," Robillard understood the captain's intention, "maybe we can find a suitable place to anchor." "I will not risk my boat," Deudermont replied, "we will go ashore in a small boat." He turned to look at the crew beside him, "Put a small boat down." Twenty minutes later, Deudermont, Drizzt, Catti-brie, the two wizards, Veran Mason, and a very reluctant and very frightened Durgin were all crammed into a small boat.The side of the fully loaded boat is only a palm's height from the black water.Deudermont gave special instructions to those who remained on board.The crew were to steer the Sea Spirit a thousand yards out of the mist, where they awaited their return.If they hadn't appeared by twilight, the Sea Sprite would leave here and approach Carvey for the last time at noon tomorrow. If they were not found by then, the crew was to bring Sea Sprite home safely. Seven people left the Sea Spirit.Durgin and Veran oared, Katie scoured the bow for the reef, and Drizzt knelt behind her, tasked with pointing out to Deudermont the mast he had just seen. Drizzt couldn't find it. "No reef," Katie reported from the bow, "I guess it's a good deep water port," she looked back at Drizzt and Deudermont, "you should have sailed the Sea Sprite directly to that damned On the beach." Deudermont looked at Drow, who was struggling to search the fog, puzzled by the missing mast.He was about to admit that he was wrong when the bottom of the boat suddenly hit a sharp reef. Robilar hastily cast a spell that levitated him, Harkle, Deudermont, and Kitty, while Drizzt, Durgin, and Velan worked together to lift the boat over the reef.Finally, the group sat back on the boat. "Just let the Sea Sprite come in?" Drizzt asked Katie. "There used to be nothing there," insisted the young woman.Catti-brie had been Sea Sprite's lookout for five years, and they said she had the best eyes in the Sword Coast.How could she miss a reef, and that was what she was looking for deliberately. Not long after, Harkle, who was sitting in the stern, suddenly let out a cry.The others turned their heads and saw a ship's mast standing beside the magician. Now, everyone, especially Drizzt, had the same doubts as Katie.They had just passed this mast, why hadn't anyone seen it? Dugin rubbed his ears frantically. "It's the result of the fog," said Deudermont calmly, "that allows us to go around the mast unnoticed." The others were somewhat reassured by this inference.Only Dugin was still shaking his head, and Veran patted him on the shoulder. "Pull your oars hard," he said to Durgin, "and let the captain do what you want." Katie leaned over the side of the ship, trying to take a closer look at the wreck of the sunken ship.But the mist covered the water, and she could only see a blur of grayness.In the end, Deudermont gave up trying to gather intelligence here and ordered Veran and Dugin to row the boat straight to the island. At first, Durkin nodded eagerly, glad to get out of the water so quickly.But when he thought of their destination, he put down his oars again and began rubbing his ears again. The waves here are not big, but the turning waves still prevent the boat from advancing step by step.The group soon saw the island, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't seem to get there. "Pull hard!" Deudermont ordered his oarsmen.But he also knew that they had tried their best, and they also hoped to leave this place as soon as possible.At last the captain looked at Robilar dejectedly.The magician sighed, and reached into the numerous pockets, looking for helpful spell materials. Katie watched carefully from the bow for any signs of habitation on the white shore.But they were too far from the shore, and there was a thick fog between them.The young woman lowered her head and stretched her tired neck, and glanced into the black water by the way. She saw little candles. Katie frowned suspiciously.She looked up, wiped her eyes, and looked down again. Yes, it was candlelight, candlelight at the bottom of the water... Katie bent down curiously and tried to look into the water.Finally, she could see clearly the shape behind the little light closest to her. Katie fell back into the boat, suffocating. "Dead man," though she wanted to shout, but her voice was barely above a whisper.Her sudden movement caught everyone's attention, and then she jumped up suddenly, a swollen, black hand was clasping the gunwale in front of her. Du Jin saw the young woman draw her sword and screamed in fright.Drizzt leaped ahead of the two oarsmen. Katie saw the head of the undead poking out of the water, and a horrible, rotting face appeared before her. The sharp sword Kajid slashed violently, but only landed on the ship's side, cutting a deep cut on the side of the ship, almost extending to the water. "What are you doing?" Durkin shouted.Drizzt, standing by Katie's side, wondered for the same reason.He saw no trace of ghosts.Only Katie's sword remained embedded in the planks of the skiff. "Go ashore!" Katie finally regained the ability to speak loudly. "Go ashore!" Drizzt looked at her carefully, then looked around, "Candlelight?" He also noticed the strange light underwater. The word ignited fear in Deudermont, Robilla, Veran, and Dugin.They all thought of the stories they had heard about the undead in the sea. Those ghosts who could not enter the kingdom of death were hidden in the waves, and their swollen bodies were marked by demonic candles. "It's so beautiful!" Hakoo, in a fit of madness, lay on the side of the boat, admiring the demonic light in the water. "Let's land!" Deudermont yelled.But he didn't bother giving orders at all.Velan and Dugin were already paddling madly. Robila was completely immersed in the meditative state of casting spells.He summoned a wave, causing it to lift the boat and rush it toward the shore.The jolt of the boat as it was lifted sent Katie down in the cabin, and Drizzt was nearly thrown out. The real unlucky one is Harkle, who is still engrossed in watching the wonders of the seabed.The fast-flying boat tilted, and he rolled into the sea with a somersault. The boat plunged into the sand on the shore. In the shallows, ten yards from shore, a drenched Harkle stood up. A dozen bloated, misshapen bodies surrounded him. "Oh, hello..." The friendly Harkle hurriedly raised his head to say hello, but his eyes widened immediately, almost out of their sockets. "Oh!" Harkle exclaimed, and ran to the beach. Katie had already raised the tamari, and after a moment of aiming, she fired an arrow. Harkle screamed again as the silver arrow brushed past him.Then he heard the splash of the weight falling and looked back to see a zombie lying on the water, and realized that Katie wasn't shooting him. Another arrow followed, knocking down another zombie.At this moment, the water under Harkle's feet became shallower, and he was finally able to escape the remaining monsters relatively smoothly.He stumbled to the sand when he heard the crackle of fire behind him.Looking back, he found a wall of fire erected behind him, separating him from the sea and zombies. He hurried to the six companions and expressed his thanks to Robila.He shook Robila's hand desperately, breaking his meditative state when casting the spell. The firewall is gone.Where there were ten zombies standing, there were now twenty zombies, and more zombies rose from the bottom of the water. "Well done," Robilla said dryly. Katie kills another zombie. Robila shook the fingers of one hand, and five streaks of green magic energy shot out from the five fingertips and shot towards the beach.Three of them hit a zombie in a row, causing him to sink back into the water.The latter two hit another zombie, causing him to fall into complete death. "No idea at all," Harkle remarked. Robilla yelled at him, "Can you do better?" Harkle snapped his fingers angrily, and the challenge began. Drizzt and the others stepped back, their weapons at the ready.But everyone knows that it is best not to attack while the magician is casting a spell.Katie fired a few more arrows, then let Tamari down as well.The opportunity to perform was left to the two magicians. "A Calishan snake charmer taught me this trick," Harkle said, flicking a strand of twine into the air, and began to chant the spell in a high, husky voice.A thick seaweed jumped out of the sea, wrapped around a nearby zombie like a python, and dragged him into the water. Harkle smiled smugly. Robila snorted disdainfully, "Is it only possible to deal with one?" He began to cast another spell.Robila twirled and jumped, throwing countless pieces of metal into the air.Then, suddenly, he stopped, pointing one hand at the beach.Metal fragments melted into liquid droplets, flying into the zombie crowd one after another.Several zombies were shot, and the metal droplets burned through the remnants of their clothing, rotting flesh, and even penetrated their bones. Moments later, five terrifying zombies fell to the ground. "Oh, easy." Harkle hurriedly took out a metal rod and pointed it at the surface of the water in order to prove that he had good reasons for derogating Robilla. A few seconds later, a bolt of lightning split into the water, forming a circular arc that engulfed many monsters. What followed was extremely weird, but it can also be said to be very funny.The zombie's hair all stood on end.These monsters were originally slow-moving, but now they were trembling at a very high frequency, jumping around, until they finally fell into the water. After it was all over, the number of zombies was cut in half.But almost the entire beach has zombies slowly crawling up. Harkle still snapped his fingers triumphantly, "Easy." "That's all," Robilla muttered. Katie had loosened her bowstring.Looking at her companions, she felt very happy from the bottom of her heart.Even Du Jin, who was still in his body not so long ago, is now smiling because of the angry magic battle of these two magicians.Looking at the two of them, Deudermont's tense mood relaxed a lot. He was always afraid that these terrifying enemies would discourage his team from continuing to explore further.Now it seems that his worries are unnecessary. It was Robila's turn to perform, and this time he didn't use any items, just aimed at a zombie that had walked onto the beach, and started chanting a spell under his breath.The arms are waving up and down in odd poses.A line of fire shot out from his fingertips and hit the hapless monster, and the flames engulfed his body in no time.Robbie twitched his finger, and the line of fire entangled the second monster. "Firebreathing," he said to his opponent in the contest, "is one of Aganatha's legacy." Harkle snorted, "Aganatha is just a trick." His words drew a growl from Robilar. Harkle took a few things out of his pocket. "Darts," he held them up, "are painted with rhubarb and adder's stomach juice." "Mayoufu!" Robila shouted happily. "It is indeed Ma Youfu! That is a magician!" "I know Mayouf," said Robila. Harkle stopped casting spells all of a sudden, and asked stammeringly, "How old are you?" "I know Ma Youfu's masterpiece." Robila explained. "Oh." Harkle started casting the spell again. To prove his erudition, Robilla also took a handful of beads that smelled of pine tar from his pocket.Harkle smelled the fragrance, but he didn't pay attention to it as he was in the final stage of casting the spell. The dart whizzed out of Harkle's hand and penetrated the body of the nearest zombie.Acid sprayed from the dart, corroding an ever-expanding hole in the zombie's body.The zombie scratched feebly at the huge wound, bent down, as if trying to get in through the hole. The zombie then fell to the ground. "Mayoufu!" Harkle declared proudly.But when he turned around, he couldn't help but shut his mouth.A cluster of small fireballs shot out from Robila's hand and flew into the zombie crowd. "Stronger Mayouf's spell." Harkle had to admit. "Stop doing this stupid show again," Captain Deudermont interrupted. "We'll just have to run off the beach. I don't believe they'll catch up." A magician didn't care about his orders at all. "We're not on a boat." Robillard threw out such a sentence without looking back.Then he said to Harkle again, "Have you surrendered?" "I was just warming up just now!" The stubborn Harkle showed no sign of weakness. The two began to cast their most powerful spells at the same time.Robilar produced a keg, and Harko put on a snakeskin glove and a long thin fingernail. Robila's spell took effect first, and a huge bottomless pit suddenly appeared at the foot of the zombie group, and the blindly advancing zombies fell into the pit one after another.Luo Bi raised his hand, and a second deep pit appeared not far away. "Earthbreaker," he whispered to Harkle between the incantations. "Bigby," Harkle said, "you know Bigby, too?" Robilla turned pale with anger.Of course he knew Bigby!That was one of the most powerful magicians in history. Harkle summoned a huge transparent hand out of thin air near the first pit.Robilla stared at the palm with wide eyes.It stretched three fingers, only the middle finger curled under the thumb, aimed at the pit. "I have improved Bigby." Harkle shouted excitedly.At this time, a zombie walked by the palm. "Duyingke!" Hakoo yelled, and the middle finger of his palm popped out, knocking the zombie into a deep pit. Harkle raised his chin at Robbie, "Bigby's snap of his fingers." After he finished speaking, he focused on his thug hand again, and his palm moved on the beach according to his wishes, and the walking zombies—"Duink "Into the pit. Robila didn't know whether to object to his opportunism or to applaud his beautiful record.He had to admit that Hubbell was very good.But Robila is still confident of winning this contest.He took out a diamond, for which he paid a thousand ducats. "Otiluke," he said to Harkle defiantly.Robilar was speaking of another powerful master of magic, whose art was compulsory for all magicians.Harkle was starting to turn pale now. He didn't know much about the legendary Otiluke. But looking at the greatly reduced enemy group in front of him, Robilar couldn't help hesitating whether such a precious treasure should be wasted.He tapped the diamond with his finger, put it back in his pocket, and took out a crystal instead. "Otiluke," he said again, deciding to cast the same spell in another way.Soon, all the waves on the beach froze, sealing the zombies in a thick layer of ice. "Oh, well done," Harkle said to Robillar, who clasped his hands in triumph and looked away from the zombie and Harkle.This spell clears the beach of all enemies and the battle is over. But Harkle still has to fight for the final victory.He looked at the zombie struggling in the ice, and gave Robilla another look.He reached into the deepest pocket and took out a ceramic bottle, "This is a super powerful thing, have you heard of Tan Sen?" Robilla put her finger to her lips. "Oh, yes," he said after a moment, "Of course, crazy Tansen." Robilla's eyes widened at the thought of the meaning of the name.It is said that Tansen's spell can turn a magician into a warrior in a short time-a berserker! "Don't use Tansen's spell!" Robila yelled and threw Harkle to the ground, preventing him from opening the cork. "Help me!" Robilla called for help from the others, and the companions ran to end their scuffle. They separated the two wizards, and Deudermont said it was time to leave the beach. Drizzt nodded to Katie, and took the lead to go deep into the island.The young woman did not follow closely.She was very curious about the friendship between the two magicians.Robillard was much more lively and cheerful than he had been before, and Katie thought Harkle Hubbell had indeed been a positive influence on the gloomy man. "That Earthbreaker worked so well after I worked hard on the Bigby," she heard Harkle say. "You should have taught me that. I have a werewolf cousin named Peterdo, He always likes to bury things in the yard, whether it's bones or staffs. This groundbreaker will help me find..." Katie shook her head and ran to Drizzt.She stopped suddenly and looked back at the boat.Duggin Tamas was sitting in the boat, shaking his head.Katie signaled the others to pay attention to his unusual behavior. "I want to go back to the boat," Durkin said firmly, "the magician can send me back." He clung to the side of the boat desperately, his knuckles turning white from the effort. "Come on," Drizzt told him. Dugin remained motionless. "You will have the chance to witness wonders that few can see," said the ranger, taking out the panther statue and placing it on the sand. "You know Carvey better than anyone on the Sea Spear," Deudermont said, walking towards him. "We need your knowledge." "I don't know anything," retorted Durkin. "But still more than we know," Deudermont said. "You will be rewarded." Drizzt's words made Durgin's eyes light up, but Drow's explanation of this "reward" immediately brought him back to his previous expression. "Who knows what adventures we may have?" Drizzt said. "Who knows what secrets await us?" "Adventure?" Du Jin looked at the battlefield on the beach, his tone full of worry.The zombies were still standing upright in the water. "Compensation?" He sneered. "It's better to say it's punishment. Have I done anything to hurt you?" "We are here to unravel a mystery," Drizzt seemed to pique the man's curiosity. "Growth comes from learning. The meaning of our lives is to discover the secrets of this world." "Who wants to know those things?" Du Jin said dismissively, he was not at all interested in Drow's ambitions.Wielan Mason liked to listen to the encouragement of the drow ranger, but he also hated the dejected look of this little man.The young sailor went up to the boat, took Dugin's hands away, and dragged him to the sand. "My magical powers cannot send you back," said Robilar expressionlessly. "Tamsyn can," Harkle said. "Don't talk about Tansen." Robilla turned to stare at him. "Why can't you say Tan Sen?" "Just don't say Tansen." Robila's tone became very severe.Harkle muttered a few times, but did not continue to refute. "Save your magics," Veran said to the two of them, "we'll put them to better use." Doo-jin started complaining non-stop again. "When this is over, you'll have a story that will leave everyone in Mintan Harbor dumbfounded," Drizzt said to the little man. This sentence seemed to calm Duggin a bit, but Katie added without interest, "If you're still alive." Drizzt and Deudermont glared at her simultaneously, but the young woman just blinked narrowly and walked away. "I will tell the lord about this." Du Jin felt that he had managed to say something destructive, but found that no one was listening. Drizzt summoned Guenhwyvar, and all seven adventurers gathered around Deudermont when the panther appeared on the sand.The captain drew the general outline of the island on the sand, and drew an X where they were.Use another X outside the outline to indicate Sea Sprite's location. "What's your opinion?" He looked at Du Jin. "I've heard people say 'the witch of the moaning cave,'" the little man whispered. "There seem to be caves along the coast," said Kitty, "or here." She pointed to Deudermont's map with her finger.Where she pointed was a butte that gave Carvey a low, conical appearance. "Let's search inland first, and then search the coast by boat." Deudermont made a decision.Frozen zombies on the beach have warned them of the dangers along the coast.When they went inland, they found that the unusually thick shrubs and ferns here made it almost impossible for them to move. As soon as they left the open area of ​​the beach, various sounds erupted around them.Numerous strange birds uttered calls of different thicknesses, and the hoarse roar of beasts was something they had never heard before.Drizzt and Guenhwyvar were at the front and flanks of the team respectively, and their figures all disappeared into the bushes without a sound. Durgin groaned constantly, appalled by the loss of ranks. Catti-brie sneered at his insignificance, as if he could die without Drizzt and Guenhwyvar. They searched for more than an hour, and then took a break in a small clearing on the conical hillside.Drizzt sent Guenhwyvar out.He knew that during their rest period, the Panthers searched a wider area than they had traveled all day. "We went down behind the mountain and returned to the boat from the south," said Deudermont. "Then we went over the mountain and returned to the boat from the north." "We may have walked through that cave and not found it," Robillard murmured.They all know that this situation is very likely to happen.The jungle here is unusually dense and dark.And the fog on the island is not thin at all. "Well, maybe there's something for the two magicians," said Deudermont sarcastically, "if they haven't spent so much mana proving something." "There are enemies attacking us there," retorted Harkle. "I can kill 'em with a bow and arrow," said Katie. "That would be a waste of arrows!" Harkle thought she couldn't refute his argument. Everyone else knew, though, that Katie used a magic arrow. "I'll never run out of arrows," she reminded Harkle.The magician sat down on the ground dejectedly. Drizzt jumped to his feet suddenly, staring into the depths of the jungle.His hand reached into the pocket containing the onyx statue. Katie immediately removed the Tamari from her shoulders, and the others also got ready to fight. "Guenhwyvar?" she asked Drizzt. Drizzt nodded, something had happened to the Panther.But he couldn't be sure what it was.Intuitively, he lowered the statue to the ground and summoned the panther again.After a while, gray mist appeared and condensed into shape.The strong and powerful Guenhwyvar came to Drow's side. "Two of these things?" asked Durkin. "It's the same cat," Katie explained to him, "and Guan'er came home for some reason." Drizzt nodded, looking at Deudermont, "Guanhilvar can find out the reason again." They were on their way again.一行人跟在关海法身后，穿过一片片树丛。很快，他们就到了锥形山峰的北面斜坡。在一片悬垂的苔藓后面，他们找到了一个黝黑的洞口。崔斯特示意关海法进去，但黑豹没有再向里迈出一步。 崔斯特好奇地望着她。 “我要回小船那里去。”杜金向后走去。罗毕拉早就厌倦了他的胆小怕事，便抽出一支法杖，直指他的眉心。魔法师一句话也没有说，他也不必说什么。 杜金自动转身面对洞口。 崔斯特蹲伏在黑豹身边。他不知道关海法为什么不愿进入洞穴。他明白，关海法并不是害怕，也许这个地区施有某种魔法，阻止了黑豹的行动。 崔斯特抽出闪光，神异的弯刀上像往常一样跃动着蓝色火焰。他示意伙伴们等在洞口，就闪进青苔遮蔽的洞口。在黑暗中用片刻的工夫调整了视线，卓尔便向山洞深处走去。 闪光的蓝芒熄灭了。崔斯特躲入一块大石后面。他发现自己的移动速度没有预料中那样快捷。脚腕上的加速魔法带没有起到任何作用。 “抗魔法，”他理解了关海法不能进入这里的原因。卓尔转身想离开洞穴，却发现不耐烦的朋友们已经跟随他走了进来。哈寇和罗毕拉的神情非常古怪，凯蒂则在不停地拨弄着额头上突然失效的猫眼坠饰。 “我怎么忘记了我所有的法术？”哈寇大声说，他的声音在空旷的洞穴里回荡出很远。罗毕拉捂住了他的嘴。 “嘘！”罗毕拉知道在这种环境里，暴露自己是极不明智的。但是当他想到哈寇所说的内容时，突然用更大的声音喊道：“我也是！”然后他又捂住了自己的嘴。 “这里抑制所有的魔法，”崔斯特告诉他们，“所以关海法无法进入这里。 “也许这就是大猫回家的原因。”凯蒂补充道。 他们的讨论结束得非常突兀，所有人都把目光转向了维兰，他的手中突然出现了一枝点燃的火把。 “我可不想像瞎子一样走路，”年轻的海员手里高高举着用灌木绑扎成的火把。 剩下的人也没有理由反对他。他们刚刚走进洞穴几步，周围就已经黑暗到几乎什么都看不见的地步了。而且他们能明显感觉到这座洞穴的空间相当宽广。众人所面对的似乎是无尽的深邃和寒冷。即使是这座岛上黏稠的潮气也被阻隔在洞外。 他们又向里走了一段路，火把的光芒向他们证明了这座洞穴的宏伟。卵圆形的洞穴最深处差不多有一百尺。碎裂的地面分成了高低不同的几块，巨大的钟乳石从洞顶一直垂到地面。 崔斯特本想进行一次系统的探索，直到一个声音打破了寂静。 “谁能找到我的视觉？”洞穴深处传来一个高亢的声音。那里比探险队所在的位置要高十二尺。探险者们纷纷尽全力想看清那里。凯蒂扣紧了塔玛瑞的弓弦，同时又在怀疑失去魔法加持的塔玛瑞能发挥多少威力。 杜金把身体转向洞口，却看见罗毕拉的法杖正对着自己。虽然魔法师的目光还是同样严厉，但杜金只是犹豫了一下，就想到罗毕拉在这里已经失去了力量。 “谁能找到我的视觉？”高亢的声音再次发问。 杜金蹿向苔藓覆盖的洞口。 冒险者们同时回头望向他。 “让他走。”杜德蒙说。船长从维兰手里拿过火把，慢慢向前移动。剩下五个人跟在他身后。崔斯特一直将自己隐藏在洞壁形成的阴影里。 问话声第三次响起，平静的语气让人感到这个女巫仿佛并不为水手们的来访而感到奇怪。她从一堆乱石中走到他们面前。这个年老的女巫穿着一件破碎的黑色长袍，将身体完全倚靠在一根被磨得发亮的短杖上。她大张着嘴，似乎正在困难地喘息。从那里面只能看见一颗黄色的牙齿。即使从远处，也能看出她的眼睛灰暗浑浊，无法反射任何一点亮光。 “谁能承受知识的重担？”她问。她侧转过头，呆立了半晌，突然爆发出一阵尖厉的笑声。 杜德蒙举起手，示意其他人停下，然后大胆地迈出一步。“我能，”他高声说道，“我是海灵号的杜德蒙，我到卡维……” “回去！”女巫的厉声喝喊让船长不由得后退了一步。凯蒂将弓拉紧了少许，但并没有把它举起来。 “这并不为你，不为任何男人！”女巫的眼睛盯住了凯蒂。 “这是为两个，仅仅两个，”女巫沙哑的声音中蕴含着某种节律，仿佛她正在背诵一部英雄史诗，“不是为任何男人，不是为任何那种皮肤被阳光晒成棕色的东西。” 这个明显的特指让崔斯特垂下双肩。他离开阴影，眼睛看着凯蒂。年轻女子看起来和他一样沮丧。这件事的起因又落到了崔斯特的身上。杜德蒙几乎在深水城被杀，海灵号和她的船员都处在危险之中。他们跋涉千里，远离家乡，只是因为他崔斯特的血脉。 崔斯特还刀入鞘，走向凯蒂。他们一起走过震惊的船长，来到盲眼女巫的面前。 “向你问候，德蒙·纳夏斯巴农的叛徒，”盲眼女巫说。她说的是崔斯特家族的古名，这个名字在魔索布莱城以外的地方几乎无人知晓。“也问候你，矮人的女儿，投出最强矛枪的人！” 女巫最后一句话让两个人产生了一点困惑。不过他们马上就明白了，女巫所说的最强矛枪指的应该是凯蒂使其落下的那些钟乳石，它们戳穿了班瑞家族的礼拜堂。女巫所说的是崔斯特的过去，是他们以为已经摆脱的敌人。 盲眼女巫示意他们靠近她。崔斯特和凯蒂尽自己的勇气所限走到了这个丑陋女人十步以外的地方。女巫仍然站在他们之上几尺的地方，似乎是无所不知的她显示出强大的压迫感。这个丑妇竭力站直身体，绷紧自己弯曲的双肩。她用一双混浊的眼珠直盯着崔斯特·杜垩登。 她开始用平静而快速的嗓音背诵厄图交给她的诗章： 没有偶然的道路，只有谋定的前途， 父亲的灵魂留下更远的脚步。 罗丝的叛徒， 正因为仇恨而被他搜捕。 家族的倾颓，矛枪的隳突， 蜘蛛神后的荣耀受到玷污。 崔斯特·杜垩登身上，有一根针刺入， 刺入他衣袍之下，刺入他心灵深处。 一场挑战，对背叛者源头的背叛， 你不能抵挡，那金色的指环。 你能得到，只有当那猛兽摆脱了羁绊， 脱离那深溯魔域漩涡中的溃烂。 向罗丝奉献，得到罗丝的垂怜， 你会寻到最黑暗的路径。 呈现在绝不忏悔者面前， 你若行于其上，必受无穷的熬煎！ 崔斯特·杜垩登，去找对你最深的仇嫌。 一个朋友，一个敌人，在你最初的家园。 在那里，你能找到对幽灵的恐惧， 维系于爱与对战斗的祈愿。 盲眼女巫猝然停止了吟诵，她无光的眼睛四处游移；身体僵直不动，仿佛方才的吟咏已经耗去了她的力量。随后她便没入乱石中，消失了踪影。 崔斯特呆立在原地，几乎没有注意到她的行动。他垂下肩膀，浑身的力量都被这难以想像的事件抽干。“向罗丝奉献，”黑暗精灵喃喃自语，感到无限的悲哀。他只能再说出一个词，“扎克纳梵。”