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精灵血脉四部曲-第126部分

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   The struggle went on for more time than any creature should have resisted。 But though Guenhwyvar had not slid any closer to the breach; neither had the panther earned back any ground toward her pleading master。

   Finally; exhausted; Guenhwyvar gave a forlorn; helpless look over her shoulder。 Her muscles trembled; then gave way。

   The panther was swept to the fiery breach。



   *****



   Matron Baenre paced the small room nervously; expecting a guard to run in at any moment with news that the pound had been overrun; that the entire city had risen against her house; blaming her for the troubles that had befallen them。

   Not so long ago; Baenre had dreamt of conquest; had aspired to the pinnacle of power。 Mithril Hall had been within her grasp; and; even more than that; the city seemed ready to fall into step behind her lead。

   Now she believed she could not hold on to even her own house; to the Baenre empire that had stood for five thousand years。

   〃Mithril Hall;〃 the wicked drow growled in a damning curse; as though that distant place had been the cause of it all。 Her slight chest heaving with forced gasps of air; Baenre reached with both hands to her neck and tore free the chain that lay there。

   〃Mithril Hall!〃 she shouted into the ring…shaped pendant; fashioned from the tooth of Gandalug Battlehammer; the patron of Bruenor's clan; the real link to that surface world。 Every drow; even those closest to Matron Baenre; thought Drizzt Do'Urden was the catalyst for the invasion; the excuse that allowed Lloth to give her blessing to the dangerous attempt at a conquest so near the surface。

   Drizzt was but a part of the puzzle; and a small part; for this little ring was the true impetus。 Sealed within it was the tormented spirit of Gandalug; who knew the ways of Mithril Hall and the ways of Clan Battlehammer。 Matron Baenre had taken the dwarf king herself centuries before; and it was only blind fate that had brought a renegade from Menzoberranzan in contact with Bruenor's clan; blind fate that had provided an excuse for the conquest Matron Baenre had desired for many; many decades。

   With a shout of outrage; Baenre hurled the tooth across the room; then fell back in shock as the item exploded。

   Baenre stared blankly into the room's corner as the smoke cleared away; at the naked dwarf kneeling there。 The matron mother pulled herself to her feet; shaking her head in disbelief; for this was no summoned spirit; but Gandalug's physical body!

   〃You dare to e forth?〃 Baenre screamed; but her anger masked her fear。 When she had previously called Gandalug's physical form forth from the extradimensional prison; he was never truly whole; never corporeal梐nd never naked。 Looking at him now; Baenre knew Gandalug's prison was gone; that Gandalug was returned exactly as he had been the moment Baenre had captured him; except for his clothes。

   The battered old dwarf looked up at his captor; his tormentor。 Baenre had spoken in the drow tongue; and of course; Gandalug hadn't understood a word。 That hardly mattered; though; for the old dwarf wasn't listening。 He was; in fact; beyond words。

   Struggling; growling; with every pained movement; Gandalug forced his back to straighten; then put one; then the other; leg under him and rose determinedly。 He understood that something was different。 After centuries of torment and mostly emptiness; a fugue state in a gray void; Gandalug Battlehammer felt somehow different; felt whole and real。 Since his capture; the old dwarf had lived a surreal existence; had lived a dream; surrounded by vivid; frightening images whenever this old wretch had called him forth; enpassed by interminable periods of nothingness; where place and time and thought were one long emptiness。

   But now。。。 now Gandalug felt different; felt even the creaks and pains of his old bones。 And how wonderful those sensations were!

   〃Go back!〃 Baenre ordered; this time in the tongue of the surface; the language she always used to municate with the old dwarf。 〃Back to your prison until I call you forth!〃

   Gandalug looked around; to the chain lying on the floor; the tooth ring nowhere in sight。

   〃I'm not fer tinkin' so;〃 the old dwarf remarked in his heavy; ancient dialect; and he advanced a step。

   Baenre's eyes narrowed dangerously。 〃You dare?〃 she whispered; drawing forth a slender wand。 She knew how dangerous this one could be; and thus she wasted no time in pointing the item and reciting an arcane phrase; meaning to call forth a stream of webbing that would engulf the dwarf and hold him fast。

   Nothing happened。

   Gandalug took another step; growling like a hungry animal with every inch。

   Baenre's steely…eyed gaze fell away; revealing her sudden fear。 She was a creature weaned on magic; who relied on magic to protect her and to vanquish her enemies。 With the items she possessed (which she carried with her at all times) and her mighty spell repertoire; she could fend off nearly any enemy; could likely crush a battalion of toughened dwarven fighters。 But without those items; and with no spells ing to her call; Matron Baenre was a pitiful; bluffing thing; withered and frail。

   It wouldn't have mattered to Gandalug had a titan been standing before him。 For some reason he could not understand; he was free of the prison; free and in his own body; a sensation he had not felt in two thousand years。

   Baenre had other tricks to try; and in truth; some of them; like the pouch that carried a horde of spiders that would rush to her call; had not yet fallen into the chaotic and magical web that was the Time of Troubles。 She couldn't chance it; though。 Not now; not when she was so very vulnerable。

   She turned and ran for the door。

   The corded muscles of Gandalug's mighty legs tightened; and the dwarf sprang; clearing the fifteen feet to get to the door before his tormentor。

   A fist slammed Baenre's chest; stealing her breath; and before she could respond; she was up in the air; twirling about over the enraged dwarf's head。

   Then she was flying; to crash and crumple against the wall across the room。

   〃I'm to be rippin' yer head off;〃 Gandalug promised as he steadily advanced。

   The door burst open; and Berg'inyon rushed into the room。 Gandalug spun to face him as Berg'inyon drew his twin blades。 Startled by the sight梙ow had a dwarf e into Menzoberranzan; into his own mother's private chambers?桞erg'inyon got the blades up just as Gandalug grabbed them; one in each hand。

   Had the enchantment still been upon the weapon master's fine blades; they would have cut cleanly through the tough dwarven flesh。 Even without the enchantment; the magic lost in the swirl of chaos; the swords dug deeply。

   Gandalug hardly cared。 He heaved Berg'inyon's arms out wide; the slender drow no match for his sheer strength。 The dwarf whipped his head forward; crashing it into Berg'inyon's supple armor; slender rings that also relied on enchantment for their strength。

   Gandalug repeated the movement over and over; and Berg'inyon's grunts fast became breathless gasps。 Soon the young Baenre was out on his feet; hardly conscious as Gandalug yanked the swords from his hands。 The dwarf's head came in one more time; and Berg'inyon; no longer connected to; and thus supported by; the dwarf; fell away。

   Still ignoring the deep cuts on his hands; Gandalug threw one of Berg'inyon's swords to the side of the room; took the other properly in hand; and turned on Matron Baenre; who was still sitting against the wall; trying to clear her thoughts。

   〃Where's yer smile?〃 the dwarf taunted; stalking in。 〃I'm wantin' a smile on yer stinkin' face when I hold yer head up in me hand fer all t'see!〃

   The next step was the dwarf king's last; as an octopus…headed monstrosity materialized before him; its grotesque tentacles waving his way。

   A stunning blast of mental energy rolled Gandalug over; and he nearly dropped the sword。 He shook his head fiercely to keep his wits about him。

   He continued to growl; to shake his hairy head; as a second blast; then a third; assaulted his sensibilities。 Had he held that wall of rage; Gandalug might have withstood even these; and even the two subsequent attacks from Methil。 But that rage melted into confusion; which was not a powerful enough feeling to defeat the mighty illithid's intrusions。

   Gandalug didn't hear the drow…made sword fall to the stone; didn't hear Matron Baenre call out for Methil and for the recovering Berg'inyon; as she instructed the pair not to kill the dwarf。

   Baenre was scared; scared by these shifts in magic that she could not understand。 But that fear did not prevent her from remembering her wicked self。 For some unexplained reason; Gandalug had bee alive again; in his own body and free of the apparently disintegrated ring。

   That mystery would not prevent Baenre from paying this one back for the attack and the insult。 Baenre was a master at torturing a spirit; but even her prowess in that fine art paled beside her abilities to torture a living creature。



   *****



   〃Guenhwyvar!〃 The figurine was wickedly hot now; but Drizzt held on stubbornly; pressed it close to his chest; his heart; though wisps of smoke were running up from the edge of his cloak and the flesh of his hands was beginning to blister。

   He knew; and he would not let go。 He knew that Guenhwyvar would be gone from him forever; and like a friend hugging close a dying rade; Drizzt would not let go; would be there to the end。

   His desperate calls began to lessen; not from resignation; but simply because his voice could not get past the lump of grief in his throat。 Now his fingers; too; were burning; but he would not let go。

   Catti…brie did it for him。 On a sudden; desperate impulse; the young woman; herself torn with the pain of grief; grabbed roughly at Drizzt's arm and slapped hard the figurine; knocking it to the ground。

   Drizzt's startled expression turned to one of outrage and denial; like the final burst of rage from a mother as she watched her child's casket lowered into the grave。 For the moment the figurine hit the ground; Catti…brie drew Khazid'hea from its sheath and leaped 
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