Everafter: Tales of the Icewind Dale Trilogy

[250]

At the beginning, the vision was blurred for the constantly spinning and swirling gray, a reddish gray, mist that blocked out everything. Then, as fast as it began, the mist parted gradually. Sight came back. Up and down, the single color of redness occupied the world. A few islands drifted lifelessly in the motionless world up ahead, spinning and rotating slowly. Darker shapes loomed just beyond sight, and none could make out the true forms. The gray mist swirled once more, as if the angry storm reaching out to torn apart its victim, the vision vanished.

**********

Catti-Brie shifted uncomfortably, and issued a soft moan as she opened her exhausted eyelids. The soft morning sunlight beamed and reflected in her deep blue orbs. She lifted her arm listlessly shielding away the stinging of the light. The gentle rocking of the Sea Sprite did little to help her up, but adding more longiness to the slumbering and comfort realm, instead.

No!

she pointedly reminded herself. Not comfort, not at all. She had the dream again. And like a ghost, the dream haunted her sleep. This time, like every other time, she woke up and was left with the feelings of emptiness and a quiet desperate. How she longed for Wulfgar then! The young barbarian, adopted by their same dwarven father, had been her kindred spirit since childhood under the dwarven mines of the harsh tundra in the north. Wulfgar, never cared to admit his fondness of Catti-Brie, was as stern as his adoptive father Bruenor Battlehammer and as tough as the mountain stone. Yet, the mischievious little girl, for Catti-Brie was only a little girl then, always seemed to find a way inside the proud youth's normally impenertrable heart. Together, they grew up with the blessing of friendship from two other friends: Drizzt Du'erden, the reknown drow ranger, and Regies the halfling. The five friends had conquered impossible obstacle and bested outrageous odds in countless battles.

Now, there is only four. The thought of Wulfgar brought a light scent of giref over Cattie-Brie. The brave man she had come to admire and love now rested under the dark tunnel within the Mithril Hall where he was taken by the evil yochlol. In that fight, Wulfgar had sacrficied himself so that his friends and beloved Catti-Bri could live. It has been three years. A long three years made longer by the torment of the haunting dreams.

And now, she and Drizzt, her life long friend and true companion, were serving under the leadership of Captain Dudermount of the Sea Sprite, hiring from the lords of Waterdeep to battle the endless, it seems, pirates. A long day was waiting.

She blew a deep sigh and tried futilly to brush away her weariness. Cattie-Brie pulled herself out of the bed and walked dizzly to retrive her bow, Taulmaril the Heartseeker, her trusted companion. She inhaled and focued to gather her strength, and tested the string. The bow string rung a hollowed rythm then died away swiftly. Was it her pull or the bow that seemed to lose the finess? She had no idea.

*************

The Sea Sprite made a fine progress after taking an east turn around the Pirate Isle, a name well earned due to the increasing pirating business. Many times before the Sea Sprite had sailed this course flying high the flag of Calimport for the measure of protection. The pirates never bothered merchant ships of such mighty kingdom, thus the saying "a Calimshan fish lives longer than a Waterdeep sharkwale in the southern water". This changed considerably when Captain Dudermount and his deadly crew, particularly remarkable the drow ranger and an awesome and beautiful woman archer, brought up the Waterdeep flag three years ago and practically sunk every, big or small, pirate ship they encountered in the open water. The reputation of the deadilest pirate-hunting ship had indeed taken away huge chunk of truth in the old Calimshan saying.

So Dudermount grinned confidently at Drizzt Du'erden when an alarm sounded from the watch tower "Two sails! due north!" The stoic ranger replied the grin with a quick smile of his own, fire burnt suddenly in his lavender purple orbs.

"Keep the course and remain speed" Dudermount ordered, "let them catch us." Drizzt pulled his cloak low and surveyed the deck sprung into life. All about them, men shouted and ordered, most taking into postions, archers lined up along the rear deck, and scooners began to ready the catapult. Yet, Drizzt noticed with admiration, there was no panic. Every order was executed with such expert accuration, and every man knew his place. Amist the chaos, Drizzt spotted a slender figure. A bit of fire left his eyes, replaced by a passionate light that shun whenever he set his gaze upon her.

Cattie-Bri dragged herself out of her quater and, geared up, came beside Drizzt and Dudermount. "Two?" she asked, with a managed smile to Drizzt, her dearest friend.

"One short scooner and one (writer note: sorry, I will find the proper names later)" Dudermount confirmed. Drizzt added "a deadly mistake"

Cattie-Bri nodded in agreement and turned to leave, her weakened and shaken steps drawing Drizzt's concerned stares...

(to be continued)

[ 07-26-2002, 11:57 PM: Message edited by: 250 ]

[250]

The captain's strategy proved efficient once more. For the small pirate vessal soon outrun its slower and bigger ally, a fatal mistake.

"Sail west" Deudermont ordered calmly. The Sea Sprite turned swiftly west and cut water at a sharp angle. The pirate vessals reacted with the same manuever, turning west and taking up the tail of the Sea Sprite. The smaller vessal, more agile and moble than its ally, again created another gap between itself and the bigger ship.

[250]

Robilliard, the invoker of the Sea Sprite, issued a bolt of lighting as soon as the schooner came into range. To his dismay, the lesser foe carried a wizard of its own. An invisible shield waved, as if a rock thrown into water, when the lighting struck and went flying away, wildly missing the Sea Sprite's mass sails.

Looking up at the crow's nest, the wizard saw Cattie-bri taking up her place and gave a wicked grin. He had no intention of battling the enemy mage, not that he feared such contest, but it is simply more fun blasting ships into splinters when someone as deadily as Cattie-brie ripping off their enemy wizard.

Drizzt had understood the situation too for he had began searching the pirate deck even before the battle come to magical blows. Concentrating on the single man, who was bending and waving his hands as if casting a spell, Drizzt lighted up the man with his magical faerie fires, to the wizard's horror. However, the light purple flame burnt harmlessly on the mage, doing nothing more than marking the man out from the others.

But that was more than enough for Cattie Brie.

A silver streak pierced through the air before either side could blink an eye and the missle assualt went on and one. The first arrow struck the wizard and boucned off, for the Stoneskin enchantment had protected the wizard well from such attacks. But Cattie-brie's arrows seemed endless, and each finding its mark perfectly well.

Many times had Drizzt used such strategy, dated back to when he and Wulfgar had first fought on Captain Duedermont's ship, in a quest of rescuing their halfling friend Regis, it was a simple but incrediblly effective strategy.

Hardly laughing, but truely amused, Robillard took out his wand and throw out an yellow seed. Seed of fireball, seed of death. Flames, this time burnt and devoured everything they touch, quickly spread along the pirate decks. Shouts of death and agony had already erupted among the enemy deck before the battle ever came to blows.

"We will have little use for your unmatched skill this day, my elf friend" Duedermont, very pleased with the battle, turned to Drizzt.

Drizzt nodded with an approval but turned to the crow's nest and gave a concerned look to Cattie-brie, his dearest companion.

"You worry for her?" Duedermont asked

"She seemed," Drizzt said thoughtfully "more and more exhausted and tired with each passing day."

Duedermont had heard the news of Wulfgar's death, and his relationship with Cattie-brie, so he understood the woman's source of depression.

With a grim face, Duedermont sighed "I hope she finds the strength to overcome her grief, as I am sure she will. For sorrow would fine me if the light never replenish in her ever youthful eyes."

Drizzt could only agree.

**********

"Damned the bow" the pirate wizard cursed as he scrambled out of the next arrow, futilily. Reaching up his hand and closing his eyes as he marked out the general direction of the archer, he fired.

**********

A pitiful spell. Cattie-Brie could very well have avoided it. She pulled her bow, Taulmaril the heart seeker and was planning to fire the last arrow and then seek refuge from the incoming magical blast.

On she pulled, forcefully. The shouts went loud all around her, but that moment was quiet to her, and her alone. She pulled, with all the training of the years her adoptive father had given her. the bow that is her pride as she her father. The bow that had been magically enchanted by the powerful goddess.

The string broke. And the arrow fell lifelessly into the open water between the ships.

[ 07-29-2002, 04:13 PM: Message edited by: 250 ]