"They are still lost in the lower tunnels. I successfully lead them around." He
reported.
"Good, good. Let Entreri know also, for he too must know of their coming, but be
certain that none of us are to be taking part it the action unless I give the okay. Is that
understood?" Jarlaxle asked. The other drow nodded his head and with a snap of his
fingers he was gone.
# # # # # # # # # #
Drizzt reached out to the door and pulled it quickly open and he slipped inside
silently. Once inside he looked around and quickly saw her hanging on the wall looking
worse than he had first thought.
He quickly ran over to her, his feet seeming to barely touch the floor. He was over
to her in an instant. He ripped the cowl off of his face so she would recognize him. He
gently lifted her head so he was looking right at her face. She wasn't awake so he gently
shook her to try to wake her up. She moaned softly but didn't wake up. He quickly undid
the shackles and he caught her just before she slid to the ground. Holding her tightly in
his arms he shook her again to try and wake her up, only this time it worked.
Her eyelids slowly fluttered open and she looked at Drizzt through unfocused
eyes. She seemed confused for a moment and then she shook her head as to clear the
confusion. She looked at Drizzt again, this time with tears in her eyes.
"Drizzt? Is that ye? How could... I thought ye be dead..." She stammered to a
stop. He looked down at her in his arms and he smiled. He nodded to her.
"Yes, it is me Drizzt, Catti-brie. Everything is going to be just fine. I am right
here." He said softly and soothingly to her. She smiled through her tears and she brought
her sore arms up and put them around Drizzt's neck. She grimaced in pain as she tried to
close her broken fingers around a lock of his hair. He looked at her with concern but she
shrugged her shoulders. So he didn't press the matter.
"Don't you ever leave me again!" He said softly as he looked lovingly down at
her in his arms. She smiled and pulled herself up close to Drizzt's face. She gently leaned
closer to his face and she kissed him tenderly on the lips.
"Anything you say, hero o' mine." She said as she pulled back from the kiss. He
laughed softly.
"We will have to continue this later." He said with a grin. He switched to a more
serious tone by adding, "We have to get you out of here, are you well enough to walk?"
She nodded her head. With that he gently sat her on the ground. As soon as she was on
her feet he grabbed her hand to lead her out. She took a sharp intake of breath and bit her
lip so hard that it bleed. Noticing the intake of breath, Drizzt turned around to regard her.
She shrugged again and she looked down at her swollen hands and then back up at him.
"I'm sorry I didn't..." Catti-brie's lips brushing up against his stopped him
suddenly. He almost pulled back in surprise, but he suddenly being held in place by her
sweet embrace.
"It's not yer fault. Ye didn't know 'bout me hand." She said soothingly to Drizzt
as she gently stroked his cheek. He smiled at her and he pulled her close to him in a tight
hug. She pulled back almost immediately.
"What's wrong?" Drizzt asked as his face twisted up in concern. She shook her
head as she doubled over grasping at her chest. He moved closer and gently moved her
swollen, broken hands away.
"Just let me see Catti, let me see." He whispered soothingly to her. She nodded
her face still twisted in a mask of agony. He gently ran his hands along her stomach and
sides to try to determine if there were any breaks. When he ran along his hand along a
certain spot she gasped in agony and she doubled over again into his strong arms.
Drizzt pulled a vial of healing potion from his belt and he gave it to her, "Here,
drink this Catti." The pain was so intense that she didn't come back upright right away.
He rubbed her back and whispered sweet nothings to her as she slowly stood back up.
She swooned from the pain and Drizzt had to pull her back into his arms. He gently lifted
the vial to her lips and made her swallow it.
"It looks like three of your ribs are crushed. This should help, so just breathe
slowly. That's it, just relax." Drizzt whispered directly into Catti-brie's ear as he held her
close to him. She leaned back on him drawing on his support.
"It feels a bit better Drizzt." Catti-brie said as she slowly began to breathe easier.
She gently put her hand on his chest and pushed her self-upright away from him.
"Here let me see how bad it is." Drizzt said. He tenderly put his hand on the area
of the break. This time Catti-brie didn't pull away in pain.
"As long as the area isn't tender to the touch, I think were going to have to
continue on. Are you okay?" Drizzt asked, as he looked her over to see if he could see
anything else.
"There is one thing. Right here." Catti-brie said as she pointed to her lips. He
smiled and kissed her tenderly and gently on the lips. She pulled away and looked at him
earnestly in the eyes.
"Oh how I missed ye Drizzt. When he told me that ye were dead it felt like
somethin' inside o' me died. I couldn't even think 'bout livin' a life with out ye and I got
to thinkin' 'bout us and..." She stopped not sure how to continue. Drizzt gently placed a
finger on her lips.
"We have all the time in the world to talk about this but not now. We have to get
you out of here, but I must tell you, that as soon as Entreri took you away from me I too
felt as if something had died within my very own heart. I couldn't live with that hole,
Catti-brie." He told her. Her eyes quickly filled with tears.
"I love you." He whispered softly to her as he gently rubbed her shoulders. She
responded back immediately.
"I love ye too, Drizzt." He smiled with an inner warmth that he had only dreamed
of in the underdark.
"We have to get moving Catti, Entreri mustn't know of your escape until it's too
late." Drizzt said with a wink. He walked on ahead of her and he motioned for her to
follow. He opened the door and peeked out waiting for the right moment for them to
make the escape.
# # # # # # # # #
"Why do all these damn corridors look all the same?!" Bruenor exclaimed with
anger. Regis nodded sadly at Bruenor's sad but true statement.
"We have been going around in circles for the longest time." Regis added.
Wulfgar nodded but he continued to press on hoping there was something ahead that he
had missed before. He walked up to a wall to see if he could find any secret
compartments but to his surprise his hand slid right through the wall.
"Bruenor, Regis come quickly! I have found a secret tunnel." Wulfgar called out
to his two friends.
Wow, it has been a while since an update! Sorry about that! Hoped you liked this chapter.