Chapter Six
Sacrifices of a Hero
How cruel a trickster is Fate. Entreri is right. We have reversed roles. He is on the moral high ground this time, fighting with honor, patience, and moral confidence. He has changed so much. We both have.
Of course, he is not yet completely good. Elements of the old Entreri remain, and likely always will, but he holds his course toward morality. I now hold great hope in him. The cold, soulless heart of Artemis Entreri is not as cold as he thought. It has cracked under the truth and the cracks widen every day, letting in the warmth of companionship and hope to a man who thought himself uncrackable.
I was lost, this I admit. I knew not my purpose in life. After Catti-brie was attacked, I was unsure of everything. I questioned my being, my fiber, my very faith.
"Who then is living the lie," Entreri said. Who indeed. It was I, I know now. I was lying to myself by questioning all I know to be right in the bottom of my heart. By denying those simple truths I became a walking lie and had no place with my friends, or on the surface world.
I helped Entreri see that his life was a lie, and now he has returned the favor. My hope in the eventual victory of good over evil, of light over dark, is restored again.
Good can come from hardship and those thought lost can be returned to us greater than before.
I know my place now, my purpose.
I can say with confidence, that the events of my life are indeed my fault. I say this now without despair or anger or guilt. Ellifain was NOT right. My life is and was NOT a lie. I can see this now. In every situation, when I confronted the Balor Errtu, when I saved the elf child Ellifain, when I fought with Entreri that first time, I made a choice—the right choice I now see. At that point I reacted according to my moral code and fought to defend my companions, fought to defend myself, fought to defend my morality. That is always the right course. If something is right, then that path is the one to be followed, be death waiting at the end. The course of right must be pursued, no matter the cost.
When I looked back upon my life in my despair, I did not look past the bad. Yes, Errtu may have tortured Wulfgar in the Abyss, but he is still with us and has found himself again. Yes Entreri threatened my friends and my own life on many occasions, but he never claimed the life of any of us, and through that conflict, I see that he has learned a measure of my morality, seen the truth of my statements.
Zaknafein may have died, but he died for what he knew was right. Catti-brie fell, but fell out in the wild where she was at peace.
Yes, the drow may have come because of me. Yes, these things may have happened because of what I did in my past. I know this. But the past is the past and cannot be changed. The reason Wulfgar had such problems after his return from the Abyss was because he was constantly dwelling on the past, on the negative.
Zaknafein followed his moral code without compromise, and because of that, he gave his life for mine.
Can I do any less?
Darkness may fall over the earth, over people and countries, yet the dawn will come again as well, and the brighter it will shine if those few who know the truth will shine like stars, like candles in the darkness, spreading it as we may. That is what we are to be, stars. Not the sun itself.
I have found my place and I am content.
--Drizzt Do'Urden
***
At the last second, just as Entreri's blades were about to slice through Drizzt's chest, the drow nimbly ducked aside. He turned and faced Entreri, looking hard at the man.
"Take up your weapon, Drizzt Do'Urden!" growled Entreri, flicking Icingdeath towards Drizzt with the toe of his boot. Drizzt caught the handle, but continued to look hard at Entreri.
"I will not fight you, Entreri."
And Drizzt tossed Icingdeath aside.
***
Pwent punched the orc in the face, the spiky armor covering his fist splattering the orc's face. It staggered backward. Pwent pursued, short legs pumping, and he lowered his head, impaling the squealing orc with the extremely long point on the top, then stood straight, the orc sliding a little further onto the impaling blade. Then Pwent began hopping up and down, forcing, driving the orc farther onto it, the orc now gurgling weakly.
His warriors had pretty much taken care of the orc problem, but several had broken through the ranks of dwarves and were charging up the path towards the top of the mountain in desperation.
"After 'em, boys!" Pwent yelled, charging after them, little legs pumping furiously, propelling the insane dwarf over the ground at an incredible pace.
***
Grignag ran full out, clutching his black orc bow tightly, leading the desperate charge up the path. Those blasted dwarves had come out of the sky, out of nowhere and massacred his men! But Grignag's stupid mind was obsessing about one thing.
He would eliminate that human if it was the last thing he did!
***
Entreri lunged forward, blades arcing down towards the unarmed drow's neck. Drizzt closed his eyes and accepted that which came to him.
Entreri halted his blade at the last second, the edge caressing Drizzt's neck. He stared long at the drow, his face twisted in conflict. He shook his head and stepped back.
"I cannot," he whispered, his voice shaking with anger and pain. "You are unarmed."
"That never stopped you before," commented Drizzt pointedly.
But Entreri was shaking his head again. He dropped the sword to the ground and put his head in his hands.
"How could I?" he whispered. "I will never know who is best...."
"I think you know the answer to that already," Drizzt said quietly. He could feel the healing ruby working already.
Entreri slowly looked up, eyes sad, almost deadlike.
"You," he said. "You are the better."
Drizzt smiled faintly. "No," he said, "Not exactly."
Entreri eyed Drizzt curiously.
"We are equally skilled," explained Drizzt.
"You defeated me inside the tower of Crenshinibon," Entreri pointed out, and there was not a hint of anger or revenge or hate for Drizzt at all in his voice or eyes. Merely...respect, and Entreri realized with surprise, companionship.
"You are only as strong as your morality," replied Drizzt. "We are equally skilled, as I said. I defeated you because you were a minion of evil will no real morality to speak of. I, on the other hand, had a very strong morality. Good is always stronger than evil, Artemis Entreri."
Entreri smiled then.
The orc crested the rise behind them, fumbling with a black bow, nocking a foul arrow. Behind him were the cries of angry dwarves. The orc drew back the bow and took aim.
Entreri's back was to the orc, but Drizzt saw over the human's shoulder and locked onto the scene unfolding behind them.
"Look out!" cried Drizzt as the orc loosed the foul arrow. He stepped forward and shoved Entreri out of the arrow's path. The black foul shaft punched through Drizzt's chest, blasting, tearing through and the tip exploded out of his back.
Drizzt lurched from the impact, eyes wide, stunned. He felt the pain flow from his nerves and he let out a shuddering gasp. He felt suddenly cold.
The orc cursed and fumbled for another arrow. It snatched one from its quiver and prepared to nock it as well. The tip of a metal spike exploded through its chest.
***
Pwent lifted the orc, impaled on his helmet spike, off of the ground and tossed it over the side of the mountain.
"Yah!" the dwarf cried, shaking a fist in triumph as he watched the orc tumble out of sight.
Then he turned and his eyes fell upon Drizzt.
***
Drizzt staggered backward a step. He was at the edge of the cliff. A several thousand foot drop was below him. Entreri simply stood and stared, too dumbfounded to move.
"Come," whispered the voice of his father faintly from far away. "Come home..."
"I..." started Drizzt, and he tipped backward over the cliff and vanished from sight.
***
"No!" Entreri shouted, running to the edge of the mountain and peering down. Drizzt had already fallen out of sight.
The drow had saved his life, Entreri slowly realized. His final act was to save his long-time enemy. Entreri was stunned.
Pwent slowly came up beside the human, also staring down at the sheer drop in something bordering on horror and sorrow.
The only sound was that of the rain pattering on the stone of the mountain.
***
Catti-brie felt the tears come again.
She stood on Bruenor's Climb watching the sun gently set in the west. It was now a week since Drizzt's death and her wounds were healing quickly—at least the physical ones. She was sure her heart would never mend. They were all in shock. They never thought that Drizzt would be taken from them this way—she never thought that he would depart.
They had never found his body.
Just thinking about him, seeing his smiling face in her mind, broke her heart again. She sank to her knees as a sob wracked her body. Then another and another. She buried her face in her hands and gasped in air as the hot tears came.
Her heart knew nothing but pain. It was like a dead weight tied to her, an empty ache that actually hurt deep inside her chest. Her mind was a blur of memories and remembrances.
"Why..." she whispered. "Why'd ye have to leave me....?"
The unconscious sobs came again to her and shook her again and again. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt the hot tears flow down her cheeks. She raised her head and let out a heartrending cry of anguish as she lowered her hands, shaking with emotion and curled them into fists.
She cried her heart to the setting sun, she wept her sorrows to the sky, she screamed her rage to the unhearing stars.
After some time, she calmed, breathing deep, shaking breaths and sat, her feet dangling from the edge of Bruenor's Climb. At first, glancing down, she thought she was tempted to jump, to fall to her doom, but there was something holding her back.
Then, slowly, as the words came to her, she opened her mouth and began to softly sing a lament.
"Softly a voice calls to me,
A pull from far off,
Perhaps past the distant sea,
The distant cry aloft.
-
It breaks my empty heart,
My soul shall never mend,
The pain comes to part,
The sorrow to rend.
-
Those eyes,
Noble and true,
They come to me,
That ranger I once knew.
-
That ebony face,
And beautiful grin,
Raised by a dark race,
His spirit they could not break.
-
You have passed like an echo on the water,
Like a whisper in the meadows,
You have fallen at last,
And left me here behind.
-
You have passed where I cannot follow,
You have gone where I cannot see,
Now nothing more than shadow and memory,
Nothing but a fading scent upon the winds.
-
Lost is my love,
Vanished is he who has my heart,
As incorporeal as the mists of time,
As a shadow in the night.
-
Once my heart was warm,
Once was I content,
Once I knew certainty,
Once, I loved a noble Drow."
She cried herself to sleep.
Gently, the sun set, the light fading. Soon the stars came, twinkling into the night.....
Sacrifices of a Hero
How cruel a trickster is Fate. Entreri is right. We have reversed roles. He is on the moral high ground this time, fighting with honor, patience, and moral confidence. He has changed so much. We both have.
Of course, he is not yet completely good. Elements of the old Entreri remain, and likely always will, but he holds his course toward morality. I now hold great hope in him. The cold, soulless heart of Artemis Entreri is not as cold as he thought. It has cracked under the truth and the cracks widen every day, letting in the warmth of companionship and hope to a man who thought himself uncrackable.
I was lost, this I admit. I knew not my purpose in life. After Catti-brie was attacked, I was unsure of everything. I questioned my being, my fiber, my very faith.
"Who then is living the lie," Entreri said. Who indeed. It was I, I know now. I was lying to myself by questioning all I know to be right in the bottom of my heart. By denying those simple truths I became a walking lie and had no place with my friends, or on the surface world.
I helped Entreri see that his life was a lie, and now he has returned the favor. My hope in the eventual victory of good over evil, of light over dark, is restored again.
Good can come from hardship and those thought lost can be returned to us greater than before.
I know my place now, my purpose.
I can say with confidence, that the events of my life are indeed my fault. I say this now without despair or anger or guilt. Ellifain was NOT right. My life is and was NOT a lie. I can see this now. In every situation, when I confronted the Balor Errtu, when I saved the elf child Ellifain, when I fought with Entreri that first time, I made a choice—the right choice I now see. At that point I reacted according to my moral code and fought to defend my companions, fought to defend myself, fought to defend my morality. That is always the right course. If something is right, then that path is the one to be followed, be death waiting at the end. The course of right must be pursued, no matter the cost.
When I looked back upon my life in my despair, I did not look past the bad. Yes, Errtu may have tortured Wulfgar in the Abyss, but he is still with us and has found himself again. Yes Entreri threatened my friends and my own life on many occasions, but he never claimed the life of any of us, and through that conflict, I see that he has learned a measure of my morality, seen the truth of my statements.
Zaknafein may have died, but he died for what he knew was right. Catti-brie fell, but fell out in the wild where she was at peace.
Yes, the drow may have come because of me. Yes, these things may have happened because of what I did in my past. I know this. But the past is the past and cannot be changed. The reason Wulfgar had such problems after his return from the Abyss was because he was constantly dwelling on the past, on the negative.
Zaknafein followed his moral code without compromise, and because of that, he gave his life for mine.
Can I do any less?
Darkness may fall over the earth, over people and countries, yet the dawn will come again as well, and the brighter it will shine if those few who know the truth will shine like stars, like candles in the darkness, spreading it as we may. That is what we are to be, stars. Not the sun itself.
I have found my place and I am content.
--Drizzt Do'Urden
***
At the last second, just as Entreri's blades were about to slice through Drizzt's chest, the drow nimbly ducked aside. He turned and faced Entreri, looking hard at the man.
"Take up your weapon, Drizzt Do'Urden!" growled Entreri, flicking Icingdeath towards Drizzt with the toe of his boot. Drizzt caught the handle, but continued to look hard at Entreri.
"I will not fight you, Entreri."
And Drizzt tossed Icingdeath aside.
***
Pwent punched the orc in the face, the spiky armor covering his fist splattering the orc's face. It staggered backward. Pwent pursued, short legs pumping, and he lowered his head, impaling the squealing orc with the extremely long point on the top, then stood straight, the orc sliding a little further onto the impaling blade. Then Pwent began hopping up and down, forcing, driving the orc farther onto it, the orc now gurgling weakly.
His warriors had pretty much taken care of the orc problem, but several had broken through the ranks of dwarves and were charging up the path towards the top of the mountain in desperation.
"After 'em, boys!" Pwent yelled, charging after them, little legs pumping furiously, propelling the insane dwarf over the ground at an incredible pace.
***
Grignag ran full out, clutching his black orc bow tightly, leading the desperate charge up the path. Those blasted dwarves had come out of the sky, out of nowhere and massacred his men! But Grignag's stupid mind was obsessing about one thing.
He would eliminate that human if it was the last thing he did!
***
Entreri lunged forward, blades arcing down towards the unarmed drow's neck. Drizzt closed his eyes and accepted that which came to him.
Entreri halted his blade at the last second, the edge caressing Drizzt's neck. He stared long at the drow, his face twisted in conflict. He shook his head and stepped back.
"I cannot," he whispered, his voice shaking with anger and pain. "You are unarmed."
"That never stopped you before," commented Drizzt pointedly.
But Entreri was shaking his head again. He dropped the sword to the ground and put his head in his hands.
"How could I?" he whispered. "I will never know who is best...."
"I think you know the answer to that already," Drizzt said quietly. He could feel the healing ruby working already.
Entreri slowly looked up, eyes sad, almost deadlike.
"You," he said. "You are the better."
Drizzt smiled faintly. "No," he said, "Not exactly."
Entreri eyed Drizzt curiously.
"We are equally skilled," explained Drizzt.
"You defeated me inside the tower of Crenshinibon," Entreri pointed out, and there was not a hint of anger or revenge or hate for Drizzt at all in his voice or eyes. Merely...respect, and Entreri realized with surprise, companionship.
"You are only as strong as your morality," replied Drizzt. "We are equally skilled, as I said. I defeated you because you were a minion of evil will no real morality to speak of. I, on the other hand, had a very strong morality. Good is always stronger than evil, Artemis Entreri."
Entreri smiled then.
The orc crested the rise behind them, fumbling with a black bow, nocking a foul arrow. Behind him were the cries of angry dwarves. The orc drew back the bow and took aim.
Entreri's back was to the orc, but Drizzt saw over the human's shoulder and locked onto the scene unfolding behind them.
"Look out!" cried Drizzt as the orc loosed the foul arrow. He stepped forward and shoved Entreri out of the arrow's path. The black foul shaft punched through Drizzt's chest, blasting, tearing through and the tip exploded out of his back.
Drizzt lurched from the impact, eyes wide, stunned. He felt the pain flow from his nerves and he let out a shuddering gasp. He felt suddenly cold.
The orc cursed and fumbled for another arrow. It snatched one from its quiver and prepared to nock it as well. The tip of a metal spike exploded through its chest.
***
Pwent lifted the orc, impaled on his helmet spike, off of the ground and tossed it over the side of the mountain.
"Yah!" the dwarf cried, shaking a fist in triumph as he watched the orc tumble out of sight.
Then he turned and his eyes fell upon Drizzt.
***
Drizzt staggered backward a step. He was at the edge of the cliff. A several thousand foot drop was below him. Entreri simply stood and stared, too dumbfounded to move.
"Come," whispered the voice of his father faintly from far away. "Come home..."
"I..." started Drizzt, and he tipped backward over the cliff and vanished from sight.
***
"No!" Entreri shouted, running to the edge of the mountain and peering down. Drizzt had already fallen out of sight.
The drow had saved his life, Entreri slowly realized. His final act was to save his long-time enemy. Entreri was stunned.
Pwent slowly came up beside the human, also staring down at the sheer drop in something bordering on horror and sorrow.
The only sound was that of the rain pattering on the stone of the mountain.
***
Catti-brie felt the tears come again.
She stood on Bruenor's Climb watching the sun gently set in the west. It was now a week since Drizzt's death and her wounds were healing quickly—at least the physical ones. She was sure her heart would never mend. They were all in shock. They never thought that Drizzt would be taken from them this way—she never thought that he would depart.
They had never found his body.
Just thinking about him, seeing his smiling face in her mind, broke her heart again. She sank to her knees as a sob wracked her body. Then another and another. She buried her face in her hands and gasped in air as the hot tears came.
Her heart knew nothing but pain. It was like a dead weight tied to her, an empty ache that actually hurt deep inside her chest. Her mind was a blur of memories and remembrances.
"Why..." she whispered. "Why'd ye have to leave me....?"
The unconscious sobs came again to her and shook her again and again. She squeezed her eyes shut and felt the hot tears flow down her cheeks. She raised her head and let out a heartrending cry of anguish as she lowered her hands, shaking with emotion and curled them into fists.
She cried her heart to the setting sun, she wept her sorrows to the sky, she screamed her rage to the unhearing stars.
After some time, she calmed, breathing deep, shaking breaths and sat, her feet dangling from the edge of Bruenor's Climb. At first, glancing down, she thought she was tempted to jump, to fall to her doom, but there was something holding her back.
Then, slowly, as the words came to her, she opened her mouth and began to softly sing a lament.
"Softly a voice calls to me,
A pull from far off,
Perhaps past the distant sea,
The distant cry aloft.
-
It breaks my empty heart,
My soul shall never mend,
The pain comes to part,
The sorrow to rend.
-
Those eyes,
Noble and true,
They come to me,
That ranger I once knew.
-
That ebony face,
And beautiful grin,
Raised by a dark race,
His spirit they could not break.
-
You have passed like an echo on the water,
Like a whisper in the meadows,
You have fallen at last,
And left me here behind.
-
You have passed where I cannot follow,
You have gone where I cannot see,
Now nothing more than shadow and memory,
Nothing but a fading scent upon the winds.
-
Lost is my love,
Vanished is he who has my heart,
As incorporeal as the mists of time,
As a shadow in the night.
-
Once my heart was warm,
Once was I content,
Once I knew certainty,
Once, I loved a noble Drow."
She cried herself to sleep.
Gently, the sun set, the light fading. Soon the stars came, twinkling into the night.....