Chapter 18 Chapter Fourteen The Excited Magician

"Where's Deudermont?" Katie and Drizzt were sitting in a small room, and when they saw Harkle stumbling in, the young woman asked this question. "Oh, out, out," answered the absent-minded magician.There were only two chairs in the room, and Drizzt and Katie placed them in front of a large window.From here, you can overlook the beautiful scenery of the Snowfall Mountains.Drizzt and Katie face each other obliquely, so they can talk conveniently while enjoying the beautiful scenery.The dark elf leaned back in the chair, resting his feet on the window sill.Harkle stood there blankly for a while, and seemed to be out of the state of fugue.He walked between the two of them, motioned Drizzt to move his feet away, and then sat down on the windowsill.

"Want to chat with us?" Katie said with obvious sarcasm—at least Drizzt could clearly feel it, and Harkle just smiled silently. "You must be discussing the poem?" asked the magician.His speculation was naturally correct, Drizzt and Katie were discussing two things, the news of Bruno leaving Mithril Hall and the crucial poem. "Of course you were talking about the poem," said Harkle, "and that's why I came to you." "What new explanation do you have for it?" Drizzt asked.But Drow doesn't hold out much hope.He loved Harkle, but he also knew not to expect too much from the wizard.After all, Harkle and his relatives are unpredictable characters.Sometimes they provide great help, such as in the battle of Mithril Hall, and other times they bring inexplicable losses.

Harkle heard drow's conflicted mood.He found himself desperately wanting to prove himself at this moment, telling the drow everything he had read in the spellbook, reciting the poem word for word as the witch had done back then.But Harkle swallowed the lines anyway, afraid of breaking the spell's confines, and the problems that might follow. "I'm thinking of Baenre," Katie said, "I mean, the drow who holds the Baenre family." Who is more suitable for this gift from Rose?" Harkle nodded, not telling Drizzt that it was wrong to think so, but he did think it was wrong.

"Katy thought it was Baenre, but the witch spoke of the Abyss, which leads me to believe that Rose has sent one of her handmaidens," Drizzt said. Harkle bit his lip and nodded aimlessly. "Cadderly can get information about the Abyss," Katie added. "He'll summon an imp or something, and get the maid's name from him." "But I fear my way..." began Drizzt. "Our way." Katie corrected him in a stern tone.Drizzt had to give in. "I fear our roads will lead to Menzoberranzan again." Drizzt sighed.It's clear he doesn't want to go back there.But for a friend, the ranger will not hesitate to go to that cursed city.

"Why there?" Harkle asked.He could hardly contain himself.The wizard saw where the witch's verse was leading Drizzt, and knew that the reference to the spirit of Drizzt's father in the second line forced the ranger to think of Menzoberranzan.But one word in the poem convinced Harkle that the drow city was never their ultimate goal. "We have discussed this," Drizzt replied, "and Menzoberranzan appears to be the Dark Path that the witch spoke of." "You think one of Rose's handmaidens is behind it?" Harkle asked Drizzt. Drow nodded, then shook his head again.

"Do you agree?" Harkle asked Katie. "Maybe so," Katie replied, "or maybe it's just a matron, that's my guess." "Won't the maid be a woman?" Harkle's question sounded unreasonable. "All of Rose's closest servants are women," Katie replied, "that's why the Spider Queen is so scary." She blinked, trying to break the awkward atmosphere in front of her. "Aren't all those matrons women too?" Harkle asked. Drizzt looked at Katie, they didn't understand what this inexplicable magician was trying to say.

Harkle suddenly waved his arms, as if he couldn't bear anything.He jumped off the ledge, almost crashing into Drizzt's arms. "She's talking about him!" cried the excited magician. "That ugly witch said it was him! 'Rose's traitor, he's hunting for hatred!'" Harkle paused, and let out another angry sigh.At this time, a "hissing" sound and a puff of gray smoke suddenly came out of his pocket. "Oh, by the gods," moaned the magician. Drizzt and Katie jumped to their feet at the same time, not because of the magician's smoking pockets, but because of his sudden sharp reasoning.

"Drizzt, who is that enemy?" Harkle asked eagerly.The magician suddenly felt that his time was running out. "He," Katie said over and over, trying to search her memory, "Jarrlaxle?" "'Never Penitent,'" Harkle reminded her. "Not the mercenary," Drizzt said.He was sure that Jarlaxle wasn't really evil. "Perhaps it's Boyinyong Banre, who's been hating me since I was at the Academy." "Think! Think! Think!" cried Harkle desperately, as the smoke from his pocket grew thicker. "What are you burning?" Katie dragged Hubbell towards her, trying to take a closer look.To her surprise and horror, her hand went through the magician's body.

"Don't be distracted!" Harkle yelled at her. "Think about it, Drizzt Do'Urden. What enemy, who is the Unrepentant? Who would fester in the vortex of the Abyss, Hate you? What beast wants to break free, only you can set him free?" Harkle's voice seemed to be gradually moving away from the two of them, and his shape began to become unreal. "I have exceeded my magical limits," the magician tried to explain to his two horrified companions, "I'm afraid I'm going to be sent away..." Harkle's voice unexpectedly regained its original intensity. "Drizzt, what beast? What enemy?" Then he disappeared, leaving Drizzt and Katie staring blankly at the empty room.

Harkle's last words when he disappeared reminded Drizzt again. "Errtu," the drow forced out the name under his breath.Although he had said the obvious answer, he shook his head.While Harkle's reasoning appears to be correct, it doesn't quite convince Drizzt that it doesn't fit the context of the canto. "Ertle," Katie told him, "he does hate you very much, and Rose probably knows him, or at least knows him." Drizzt shook his head. "That's impossible. I never met that tanar'ri in Menzoberranzan, which is not what the blind witch said."

Kitty thought for a moment. "She never said Menzoberranzan, not once." "In your original homeland." Drizzt began to recite the original poem, but he suddenly felt speechless.He realized that his assumptions might not be correct. Katie also understands the problem. "You never called it your home. You often told me your first home was..." "Icewind Dale," Drizzt said. "And that's where you met Errtu, and he became your enemy there." Only then did Katie feel Harkle's wisdom. Drizzt shuddered, the power and evil of that Baelor demon was still fresh in his memory.Thinking of Zaknafein in Ertu's hands, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken. ※※※※ Harkle Hubbell looked up from his large desk and yawned profusely. "Oh, yes," he looked at the pile of files on the table, "I'm compiling my spell." Harkle sorted them out and began to study them more carefully. "My new spell!" he exclaimed happily. "Oh, it's finally done, Fog of Fate! Oh, what a day to celebrate!" The magician sprang from his chair and began to hop and run around the room, his baggy robes flying in the air.After so many months of exhausting research, his new spell was finally complete.Various possibilities kept churning in Harkle's mind.Perhaps the Fog of Fate could send him to Calishan for an adventure with the Commander.He might go to the Great Buffalo Desert, maybe even the wastelands of Vaasa.Yes, Harkle would love to go to Vaasa and see the rugged galena mountains there. "I have to learn more about the Fangben Mountains, and then decide when to cast this spell. Well, that's good." The magician snapped his fingers and rushed to his desk.He carefully sorted and organized all the papers related to this long and complicated spell, and put them into a drawer.Then he rushed out of the room, into the library of the Ivy Hall, and began gathering information on Vaasa and Damara, the famous Blood Jade Isle near it.He could barely keep his balance in excitement, and the first casting of the new spell would more than make up for all the hard work he had put in all these months. Harkle could not recall his actual first casting of the spell at all.The events of the previous few weeks had been completely erased from his mind, like the spellbook that was now completely blank again.According to his memory, Drizzt and Kitty were still sailing in the sea around Waterdeep, hunting down a pirate ship whose name he didn't know. ※※※※ Drizzt stood beside Cadderly, and they were in an ornate, square room, although there was not a single piece of furniture here.The walls of the house were all of polished black rock, bare of anything but twisted iron torch holders.In the very center of each wall, there is one such torch holder.The torches on the stand were not burning, or not burning in the usual sense.They are not wooden, but cast from black metal.Each torch has a crystal ball at the top.The crystal ball emitted a soft light, and it seemed that Cadderly could change the light of the crystal ball at will.One of the balls is glowing red, while the other three are one glowing yellow and two glowing green.There is an eerie texture and layering of color throughout the room, with some hues even seeming to creep into the polished walls. Drizzt took a moment to admire the spectacle, but it was the floor that struck the dark elf most.In the course of his seventy years of life, the drow ranger has seen countless horrible things.The perimeter of the floor here is also black, with the moist feeling of glass like the walls.The main part of the floor is surrounded by a double wire loop.Between the two loops, the one-foot-wide loop is filled with mysterious and incomprehensible runes.In the middle of the ring is a star pattern, the tip of the star is connected to the inner ring.All these patterns are etched into the floor, filled with gem chips.The runes are emeralds, the star patterns are rubies, and the double-wire rings are diamonds. Drizzt had seen similar rooms in Menzoberranzan, but there was nothing quite this magical there.He knows the function of this room.In some ways, it doesn't harmonize with this kind building.This double line ring and this pattern are used to summon outsiders.And these runes in the ring play the role of blessing and protection, so the ones who are called will obviously not be kind creatures. "Hardly anyone is allowed into this room," Cadderly said, his voice extremely dignified. "Only myself, Danica, and the Chantikri Brothers of the Library have access here. Any guest requesting this service must go through the strictest scrutiny." Drizzt understood that this was the highest compliment to him.But that didn't dispel his doubts. "There is a reason for such a summoning," Cadderly said as if he had read the drow's mind. "Sometimes a good cause must deal with the minions of evil." "Summoning a tanar'ri, or even summoning an imp, isn't something evil in itself?" Drizzt asked bluntly. "No," Cadderly replied, "not here, this room has been blessed by Dene himself. The devil has been summoned here, only in a trap. He is no more a threat than he was in the Abyss Sex. As in all matters of good and evil, the value of such a call should be determined by the intention of the caller. At this point, we have learned that a soul has fallen into the hands of demons, and he does not deserve such torture The only way we can save this soul is by dealing with the devil. What better way than that?" Drizzt could accept that thought, especially now that the issues he was facing were so serious and so relevant to him. "His name is Errtu," Drow said confidently, "and he is a Baelor." Cadderly nodded.Drizzt had summoned an imp, after speaking to him about Harkle Hubbell's suspicions, and ordered him to find relevant evidence.Now, he just wants to recall this devil and seek answers. "Brother Chantikri will be in touch with an emissary from Dinai today," Cadderly said to Drizzt. "For the answer to that question?" the Ranger asked.Drizzt was a little surprised at Chantikri's methods. "Dene's emissary would not give such an answer," Cadderly immediately pointed out the error in drow's speculation. "Chantikeri just wanted news of his vanished wizard friend. Don't worry, Harkle Harbel appears to be back at the Ivy House in Longsaddle. We have a way of reaching him. If you We could even take him over if we wanted." "No!" Drizzt blurted out, and then he felt a little embarrassed by his faux pas, and turned his gaze away. "No," he repeated, in a softer tone. "Harko Harbell has done a great deal for me. I don't want him to be involved in this business that has nothing to do with him, and put him in danger." Cadderly nodded with a smile, understanding why the drow hesitated. "Should I summon Toze now, for our answers?" he asked Drizzt.But he didn't wait for an answer.Cadderly spoke a word, and the light in the room turned a soft purple.The second spell made the patterns on the floor glow eerily. Drizzt held his breath, never used to such rituals.As Cadderly began a soft, rhythmic spiritual, Drizzt focused on the gleaming runes, wondering what might happen. A few minutes later, there was a sharp hissing sound from the magic circle.Then the dazzling magic circle turned pitch black in an instant, indicating that the boundary between layers had been torn apart, and the screams were immediately drowned out by a piercing crackling sound.In the end, everything returned to its original state, except that there was an extra dog-headed devil with bat wings in the magic circle.He was sitting on the floor, swearing and spitting in all directions. "Hello, dear Dosawa." Cadderly greeted him cheerfully.Immediately more vicious curses came from the reluctant ghost servant.Dosawa folded his wings and jumped up.His little horn was barely as high as Drizzt's knee. "I want you to meet my friend," Cadderly said lightly, "I haven't decided whether to let him cut you to pieces with a sharp machete." `Finish` tidy up. Dosawa's black eyeballs fixed fiercely on Drizzt's purple eyes. "Drizzt Do'Urden," said the imp bitterly, "traitor to the Spider Queen." "Oh, not bad." Cadderly's tone told the kid that he had actually given them some information by admitting to know this drow himself. "You know him, you must have passed the news with some devil who knows the truth." "You want a detailed and unique answer," Tuzawa's voice became hoarse with anger, "and you have promised me that you will never call me again within a year!" "So have you found the answer?" "I feel sorry for you, stupid drow," Tuze stared at Drizzt again, "you are so pitiful, and you are so ridiculous, stupid drow. The Spider Queen doesn't care about you anymore, she will The right to punish you is given to a demon king who helped her in the troubled years." Drizzt turned to look at Cadderly, and the old priest stood beside him calmly, the expression on his face unchanged. "Anything that annoys the Baelor demons is worthy of pity." Tozawa let out an evil laugh. Cadderly didn't want the devil to put any more pressure on Drizzt, so he interjected, "That Baylor's name!" "Ertu!" Tuze howled loudly. "Remember it well, Drizzt Do'Urden!" Fire rose in Drizzt's purple eyes, and Tozawa avoided the drow's glare. The kid turned to Cadderly, "You promised not to summon me for a year!" "There are different scales for measuring ages." Cadderly did not show weakness. "Trick..." As soon as Doze opened his mouth, Cadderly folded his palms and uttered a spell.Two black lines appeared on both sides of the kid's body, which were cracks in the layer boundary.When Cadderly closed his palms tightly, the two black lines merged on the imp.In a deafening roar and a cloud of smoke, Toze disappeared. Cadder immediately made the crystal ball bright and dazzling.Then, he looked at Drizzt without saying a word.Drizzt lowered his head, thinking carefully about the information the devil provided. "You should have killed him," Drow said finally. Cadderly smiled, "It's not easy, Doze is not just a life, he is an evil embodiment. I can tear his physical body, but doing so will only send him back to the Abyss. Only in his smoky homeland can I truly destroy Toze. And I don't want to go to the Abyss!" Cadderly shrugged, saying it didn't matter. "Tozawa can do no harm. I know him and where to find him. And I know how to make his miserable life even more miserable if necessary." "Then we can now confirm that the mastermind behind all this is indeed Errtu." Drizzt said. "A Baelor," Cadderly responded, "a powerful enemy." "An enemy in the abyss," Drizzt said, "and I never want to go there." "We need more answers," Cadderly reminded him, "some answers that Dozawa cannot provide." "Then who are we looking for?" "You know," Cadderly replied calmly. Drizzt did know, but he was extremely reluctant to summon the devil Errtu. "Not even the Baelor can escape the ring," Cadderly assured him. "You don't have to show up when I summon Errtu." Before Cadderly could finish speaking, Drizzt was already waving his hand in disapproval.He will stay here to face the enemy who hates him the most, not to mention that devil is still imprisoning his friend. Drizzt sighed deeply, "I believe the friend that the witch mentioned is Zaknafein, my father." He found that he had already completely trusted Cadderly. "I'm still not sure how I feel." "Thinking of your father at the hands of that evil spirit must have tortured your mind," Cadderly replied, "and the thought of reuniting with Zaknafein must have thrilled you." Drizzt nodded, "Not only that." "Do you feel very conflicted?" Cadderly asked.This question directly hit Drizzt's heart, and he couldn't help but jerk his head up, staring at the elderly priest. "Drizzt Do'Urden, have you approached that part of your life again? Are you now afraid that it will be reopened?" Drizzt shook his head without hesitation, but he himself didn't know the meaning of the gesture.He was silent for a long time, then sighed. "I'm disappointed, disappointed in myself. I'm selfish, I want to see Zac Nafein again. Stand by his side, learn his wisdom, listen to his teachings." Drizzt looked at Cadderly, he His expression returned to calm. "But I remember the last time I saw him." So, he told Cadderly the last time they had seen each other. Zaknafein's body was driven into slavery by Mistress Maris, and the soul of the dead drow was re-infused into his body, becoming the slave of the evil Maris.Mariss drives him to assassinate Drizzt.Zach Nafein then entered the Underdark, looking for his assassination target.At the last critical moment, the real Zach Nafein broke the mind control of the evil mistress, appeared in front of his beloved son, and made a final farewell to him.In that triumphant moment, Zac Nafein's soul gained his peace.He destroyed the wraith made from his own corpse, freed Drizzt, and freed himself from the evil Maris Do'Urden. "When I heard the words of the blind witch and thought about them, I felt a deep sadness. I believe that Zak Nafein is free, he has returned from Rose and all that evil, and returned to him. where your soul really should be." Cadderly put a hand on Drizzt's shoulder. "Thinking of him being caught by them again..." "But maybe that's not the case," Cadderly said. "If that's true, then there is hope. Your father needs your help." Drizzt gritted his teeth and nodded. "And Katie's help. She'll be with us when we call Errtu."