Chapter 33 Chapter Twenty Seven

It creaked and moaned and protested, and the violent vibration and flying flames annihilated its foundation fixed on the cave roof.It fell.Like a huge spear, it screamed and fell a thousand feet straight. The dark elves floating nearby watched it fly down from the side, helpless and terrified. In the dome hall, the ceremony is still going on. A female warrior, a non-noble elite soldier of the Baen Rui family, rushed to the central altar.Shouted wildly.At first Matron Baenre and the others thought she was mad, which is a very common occurrence at out-of-control drow rituals.Gradually they understood that what she was shouting was a warning.

The seven matrons stared suspiciously at Matron Baenre, and even her own daughter didn't know what she was up to. Then the stone pillar broke through the air and entered. ※※※※ Drizzt caught Catti-brie in mid-air, and even he was in the air.He rolled over on top of Catti-brie as the two plummeted to the ground, shielding her under him. They were both screaming, but nothing could be heard but the thunder of exploding fireballs.Drizzt's back was hot, and his cloak was ablaze in several places from brushing against the explosive flames. It all ended as suddenly as it happened.Drizzt let go of Catti-brie, hurriedly shook off the flaming cloak, and ran back to his companion who was still lying on the ground, fearing that she would be knocked unconscious by the explosion or fall into a worse situation. Condition.

Catti-brie opened her blue eyes and gave a mischievous smile with a little pain. "I bet our back is cleared." She laughed, and Drizzt almost laughed out loud.He reached out and pulled her up and hugged her tightly. At that moment, it seemed as if they had really regained their freedom.He thought of the day he would return to Mithril Hall, of the years he would spend with Bruenor, Regis, Guenhwyvar, and, of course, Catti-brie. Drizzt couldn't believe he'd almost left it all behind. He let go of Catti-brie for a moment, and ran back around the bend to make sure all the drow pursuers were gone.

"Hello." Katie-brie whispered, looking down at a gorgeous long sword beside the fallen martial arts master.Catti-brie picked it up carefully, wondering why an evil drow nobleman would wear a sword with a hilt carved into the shape of a unicorn, the symbol of the good goddess Merikit. "What did you find?" Drizzt turned around in relief after checking the passage. "I think this suits you." Catti-brie held up her sword, showing him the unusual hilt. Drizzt stared at the sword curiously.He hadn't noticed the hilt during the fight with Dendra, but he certainly remembered that it was the blade that sliced ​​through the stone wall with ease. "You take it." He shrugged. "I like a scimitar. If it's really a sword that belongs to Melikai. The Goddess will be happy to have it on Catti-brie's waist."

Catti-brie gave Drizzt a salute, smiled, and put her sword on her belt.She turned to hear Entreri running towards him as Drizzt leaned over to remove the pair of bracers from Dendra's arms. "We can't be late!" cried the flustered assassin. "All Menzoberranzan knows we're gone. A thousand feet from this damned city is not far enough for me." Perhaps for the first time, Drizzt fully agreed with the assassin. It was actually worn on a human woman's body, which was not expected by Demon Sword Kajid at all.The magic sword had already heard all kinds of rumors about Drizzt Do'Urden. Once Dendro was defeated, it changed the shape of the magic sword hilt, hoping to be held by the legendary warrior.

Drizzt didn't take the bait this time, but the veritable magic sword, The Cutter, wouldn't have to wait long. ※※※※ The journey was uneventful, and there was no sign of any pursuers throughout the day and night.The last group had no choice but to stop and take a nap now and then. It had been three days since their escape, and they had traveled a great distance.Drizzt led the party away from Blingdenstone for fear of involving the gnomes in this impossibly dangerous affair.He couldn't understand why there wasn't a patrol of lizard troopers coming after them, and it was hard to believe that there weren't any dark elves waiting in the outer corridors to ambush them from behind. .

Therefore, Drizzt was not at all surprised to see a familiar and special dark elf standing in the middle of the corridor, wide-brimmed hat in hand, waiting for himself and his escaped companions. Catti-brie was furious, and immediately raised her Tamari bow excitedly. "You won't get away this time," she whispered, gnashing her teeth, remembering how Jarlaxle cunningly put them together in the battle at Mithril Hall. Entreri caught the arrow before Catti-brie could draw it, and the young woman, seeing that Drizzt hadn't drawn her sword, stopped insisting on Jarlaxle. "Please, dear beauty," the mercenary chief said to her, "I just came out to say good-bye."

This angered Catti-brie, but at the same time she did not deny that Jarlaxle had treated her with courtesy and hadn't been abused by the mercenary chief when she was his prisoner. "That seems strange enough to me," Drizzt commented, trying to maintain a calm tone.He touched the agate statue in the bag, but it didn't relieve his anxiety. He knew very well that if the time came to summon Guenhuffar, the three of them would be close to death.Both Drizzt and Entreri knew the principles of the Dayette mercenaries, and both knew the elusive leader of the mercenaries, and understood that they were now surrounded by a considerable number of mercenaries.

"As you've guessed, perhaps I have no objection to letting you escape, Drizzt Do'Urden," Jarlaxle replied, and everyone knew in their hearts that the words were addressed to Artemis Entre speak up. Entreri wasn't surprised by the statement.Everything is clear to the assassin Liyan - Catti-brie's headgear, the magic locket where Drizzt can be found, the spider mask, the key to enter Baenry's house during the High Family Ritual, and even Including the panther statue sitting on Jarlaxle's table waiting for him to pick it up.He really didn't understand Jarlaxle's purpose in arranging this, but he certainly knew what the mercenary chief had expected.

"You have betrayed your people," said the assassin. "My brethren?" Jarlaxle laughed. "Think about the definition of that word, brethren." Jarlaxle paused for a moment, then laughed again when they didn't answer. "I don't approve of a matron's plan," he said. "First Matron," Entreri interjected. "That's all she is now." The mercenary leader added with a thoughtful smile. "Not all the drow in Menzoberranzan are happy to see Baenre's united allies—not even Matron Baenre's own family." "Triel." Entreri's words sounded more like an explanation to Drizzt than a response to Jarlaxle.

"She was one of them," Jarlaxle said. "What are these two talking about?" Catti-brie asked Drizzt in a low voice, but Drizzt just shrugged, not quite understanding the whole story. "We were discussing the fate of Mithril Hall," Jarlaxle explained to her. "I admire your arrows, lovely pretty girl." He bowed gracefully to her, which somehow made Katie Brie felt very uncomfortable. Jarlaxle looked to Drizzt. "I watched the faces of the matrons when the pillar that your lovely companion made poked from the roof into the Baenre Shrine." Drizzt and Entreri glared at Catti-brie, and she just shrugged and smiled innocently. "You didn't kill many drows." Jarlaxle quickly added, "Only a few people died in the shrine. And you killed less than twenty drows in the whole process of escaping." Many. The Baenrys will heal quickly, though it will take a while to pluck your masterpiece from that imperfect shrine. But the Baenrys will be." "But not the Alliance." Drizzt began to understand why no other drow had pursued the tunnel except the Dayet mercenaries. "Yes, the Alliance cannot reply," Jarlaxle replied without further explanation. "In fact, the alliance that attacked Mithril Hall fell apart the moment Drizzt Do'Urden was captured." "But there are still problems to deal with!" Jarlaxle continued. "There are too many things to deal with. Of course, that's why I followed out." The three looked at each other, not understanding what the mercenary leader was referring to. "You still have what I have to return." Jarlaxle looked directly at Entreri, his hands open, and he waited. "give it to me." "What if we don't pay it back?" Catti-brie demanded fiercely. Jarlaxle just laughed. The assassin immediately took out the spider mask.Jarlaxle would of course have to put this back in the warlock school, lest he be implicated in the escape. Jarlaxle's eyes lit up when he saw the mask, the final piece of his perfect puzzle.He reckoned that when Entreri and Catti-brie sneaked into the warlock school to steal something like this, Triel had seen their every move.Jarlaxle ordered the Assassins to steal the mask, sparking Drizzt Do'Urden's escape, only to fulfill the wishes of the Baenre family and daughter.He believed she would not denounce him to her mother. If he can get the mask back to the warlock school in time - which isn't too difficult - he can put it back before Golf Baenry finds out it was stolen... Entreri looked to Drizzt, who made no objection.So he threw the mask back at Jarlaxle.At the same time, the mercenary leader took off the ruby ​​magic pendant from his neck with a regretful expression. "This isn't very effective against drow nobles," he explained dryly, throwing it back to Drizzt. Drizzt reached out so quickly that Regis' pendant fell onto his forearm. "Dendra's bracers." Jarlaxle laughed when he noticed the new decoration on the ranger's wrists. "I've wanted those too. Don't worry, you'll get used to them, Drizzt Douro Deng, what a formidable opponent you will become later on!" Drizzt said nothing, but did not doubt the words of the mercenary chief. Entreri still hadn't let go of his hostility towards Drizzt, and he was staring dangerously at Drizzt, not at all happy. "In this way, you will destroy Matron Baenre's plan." Jarlaxle continued his grand speech, and bowed again. "And you, Assassin, you have won your freedom. But remember to look behind your back, my friends, the dark elves have a good memory and a clever trick." Then there was a bang, and a cloud of orange smoke burst out.When the gray smoke dissipated, Jarlaxle was gone. "Glad to get rid of you," Catti-brie muttered. "I'd be happy to tell you that when you and I parted ways on the surface," Entreri said dryly. "Catie-brie just promised to show you the way." Drizzt retorted, his tone equally icy.He and Entreri stared at each other with nothing but hatred in their eyes, and Catti-brie stood between them, restless. The moment the menace from Menzoberranzan behind him dissipated, the two old adversaries seemed to be old enemies again.