I was looking in his black eyes for the first time in those many years. The same expressionless face, the same soul-cutting look… with just one difference: for one second I saw a line of care and diffidence cross his face. What would that mean? I was taken aback with that so unfamiliar look… There was loon silence between us. Both were trying to understand the other's thoughts.
I was scared! I was afraid that he came to battle, to re-discuss what we had already discussed so many times and with the same result every time! The result that didn't brought any happiness nor satisfaction to either of us. I knew I wouldn't be able to battle him. He was now old and I was still young… No I won't battle him! I thought then as I thought every time before we crossed our blades in the crazy dance of death.
But this look, this expression! Then I knew I was wrong: he didn't come to fight but in need of…help.
"Entreri!" The white-haired head whispered. Drizzt's legs failed him and he almost sat to the ground near the former assassin but the sense of danger was stronger. A double clank of metal sounded as the scimitars found their way off their leather scabbards.
"Don't." Entreri roared - the pain wasn't getting any better. By this time Drizzt had already pulled out the blades then he stopped for a second, in one short trust the drow sent the weapons back, instead he drew a long thin dagger out of his left boot and kneeled in front of the man. "Listen, I didn't come here with war." Entreri's voice wasn't trembling nor could the drow hear- even if he listened- any notes of scare in it. "And believe me I wouldn't ever bother you if…Arghh!"
With absolutely no expression in his ebony face Drizzt cut Entreri's leather long black boot from the knee to the foot and took it off taking care of hurting the leg the least he could. When the boot was almost completely off the last even though smooth trust made Artemis see colorful dots of pain all around him. Carefully taking the ankle in his delicate hands Drizzt examined it then glanced up the dwarves, who during all this time were standing still with their eyes so opened that it seemed, they will climb up their foreheads, and not making a single sound.
"Gret, please, run to the cleric's hall and ask Cordio to prepare his healing spells. This man has broken his ankle and has to be attended by a cleric immediately! When you come back don't forget to take the stretcher with you: walking might only injure the foot even more." Drizzt didn't even look at Entreri while talking. "Prepare a room for our guest and put two guards in front of the door in case… anybody would bother him."
With this words the drow got up and started to walk away, he stopped and turned around. "For yours sake, Entreri, prey that your bald friend didn't do anything you both will regret, before I find him." For some reason Drizzt didn't doubt that Jarlaxle was somewhere around.
"So you can already start building a gallows" Entreri mumbled silently but Drizzt's keen ear caught that phrase. A shadow of a smile crossed the drow's face but it was so brief that Entreri wondered if that was just the pain playing tricks on his sight.
I was looking in his dark eyes. I've never seen such endless pools of…nothingness. His expression or better to say the lack of any expression on his face irritated me. Even when he was smiling, or telling me something I could see that that was just another mask. Just a mask… How many of them did he have?
I helped him. And at first when he was still dizzy and unsure of his strength I could see scare in his eyes! When he saw his dagger in my belt the horror in his face almost scared ME! But then… he just like lost interest, he was still polite, but never said more than it was needed. He answered all my questions, and laughed my jokes, but the calm never left his face.
Oh, there was no other thing in this world that I wanted more than ripping this calm right off his face! When I looked at him I could see just my own reflection in his mirror-like orbs… But I wanted to see interest, and feelings! Any of them! Lust or enmity love or hate - it didn't matter. Anything, but myself…
Arnienne and Kelathar were making their way though the night forest. The lass' step was light and silent, when the men's was heavier and clumsy. Kelathar could not see the ground he was walking- there were still many hours before dawn and the moon was lost between the thick web of branches and leaves. Stumbling almost at every step Kel never complained. He was enjoying the company of this cheeky young woman, though he would never show that. His father always told him that the lack of emotions increases your advantage.
"So tell me, what're you doin' here?" Arnienne was asking her companion yet another question. By now he only answered with monosyllables and what surprised her the most he never asked her back. "What business brings you so far from your home? You said you're from Calimshan, 'tis is far to the south from here…"
"I am to meet my father in Silverymoon where we have an important business to attend" To tell the truth Kelathar didn't know why his father told him to meet him precisely there. This town as Arnienne pointed out was far away from where they lived… The young man shook his head: he wouldn't doubt his father's words; he had come to trust him in everything.
Arnienne saw that all following questions would lead to nowhere, so she pouted her lips, a friction that made the young man smile mentally. Suddenly she stopped. At first Kel didn't notice it but a second later he turned to see what happened but Arnienne wasn't there.
"We're goin' too slowly!" he heard a voice from above.
"Jumping from branch to branch won't increase our pace" Kelathar said calmly "And its dark for us see anything we could fall down…"
"Ye could - I can't!" Kel saw a shadow near him, a shadow with two red dots in the eyes.
"How, could that be? You're a moon elf and they don't have infravision." The lad said, one could hear notes of surprise and interest in his voice.
"I'm far from being a moon elf" Arnienne cunningly pointed out. At last this feeling-less creature reacted at something as a normal person! The lass saw that her answer didn't satisfy the man's interest- something that brought her even more delight from her little victory- but instead explaining anything the elf just waved her hand and said: "Ye'll get it yerself when we'll arrive to the camp."
So now he had something to think off. He would feel uncomfortable not knowing the truth. With those happy thoughts Arnienne jumped down to the ground- she decided to make concession to Kelathar, even though that she new that going over the ground was so much more interesting… Although that sacrifice was completely paid off when she looked at the lad's face and saw a shadow of concern in his eyes.
'She can see in the dark!' meanwhile the man was thinking to himself 'How stupid am I, if I didn't see that before? And those strange sparkles of dwarven accent… No, the lack of emotions is a useful thing, but knowing your enemy- or companion- it shouldn't be something overlooked.' That last thought reminded Kel of his father's best and unique friend. That eccentric drow lived by totally different rules, and he survived just as well as his father did… Kelathar was glad that he had a chance to compare.
"So… ejem… where do you live? I've told you enough of myself, and…" Arnienne raised an eyebrow, but the young man didn't pay attention to it and kept speaking "and I'm willing to hear about you."
"Not now," Was the response. "We're approaching. Can't you hear the clutch of metal?" Her voice was cold and sharp as the metal itself. For a second Kelathar wondered if his elf-maid companion was referring to herself, but then he understood that she was just paying him back. For some reason that ached some tread inside him.
"Your ears are keener that mine" Kelathar said with a disarming smile "And if you're expecting me to fight, you must know that I'm a better fighter when I at least have a sword, and not just bare hands, although I can bite hard if it's needed" By this time 'Uncle Jarlaxle' completely overtook the lad's understanding.
Arnienne just smirked and pulled out a sword from her back-pack, handed it to Kel then extracted a dagger from her left foot and threw it in the air. To the man's surprise and astonishment the hilt of the dagger landed exactly in his hand. He examined the weapons. The sword was his – Arnienne should've collected it along with the jeweled dagger, but the dagger she gave to him was…
"Dwarven made" Kelathar muttered to himself.
"Of course!" The elf answered as if it was something absolutely obvious. Dwarven work was highly appreciated in all Faerun. This blade was one of the best he had ever seen in his life. It was really strange that this lass kept it as a subsidiary one. That could mean either she is surprisingly reach, surprisingly stupid- something she didn't look at all- or… "My grandpa makes them. He's one of the best blacksmiths I've known!" The girl finished.
"But you said it was dwarven made!"
"I did." Arnienne calmly answered. "And now listen. I and my sister will be in the middle, Layanor will cover us from the north, so you should do the same but from the south. Now, see you!" And she disappeared between the branches.
Right now in Kel's mind neither his father nor the drow were present, if something it was just the realization of absolute humiliation. 'At least I will fight well' he thought to himself 'much better that Layanor whoever he is!' And he disappeared right behind Arnienne.