The Do'Urden Brothers

Chapter 11

Drizzt busied himself with setting up camp. He secured the horses for the night while Catti-brie unloaded their packs, pulling out the dried meat and nuts that they had brought with them from Silverymoon.

"Ye know Dinin is just trying to upset ye," the young woman spoke gently as she worked the leather straps on her horse. "Will ye let him?"

Drizzt turned to face her, trying to sort through his emotions, which felt like a turbulent sea in his heart. "It was a mistake to bring him," he commented. "If he cannot bring himself to cooperate, he will be a hindrance. I cannot fathom what I could have been thinking when I agreed to this arrangement."

"Ye were thinking that ye would rather not go against Regis," Catti-brie replied with a sly smirk. "Or myself."

Drizzt chuckled, conceding that point. It was true enough. He didn't know what Regis saw in his brother, but the little Halfling could be persuasive when he wanted to be. "Perhaps he had used that pendant on me," he said jokingly, facing Catti-brie, watching contently as the setting sun cast hues of orange against her hair, her blue eyes regarding him with the kind of wisdom he relied on her for.

"Ye know he didn't," she replied. "Maybe somewhere deep inside yerself, you want to believe in yer brother too."

Drizzt considered that possibility. Traveling with Dinin had been trying, but if it had been so challenging, why had he put up with it thus far? He could have easily left the older drow off at the mercy of the trolls if it had been his wish, Regis be damned. But he didn't. Because maybe, just maybe-

Drizzt's thoughts were ultimately shattered by the most heart wrenching cry of agony from the forest. Nearby, Legolas and Ky'lor dropped the rocks they were gathering to create a fire pit, so startling was the sound.

Drizzt met Catti-brie's startled expression. "Dinin," he said, for he recognized his brother's voice, and before anyone could respond, he ran full speed for the forest, scimitars drawn.

Drizzt gave no regard for the dangers of the forest as he burst through the treeline, scanning the dimmed and darkened surroundings, letting his eyes slip into infrared vision. Confident that the others were right behind him, he frantically searched, keeping his weapons at the ready as he called for Dinin.

He didn't have to go far before he came upon the horrifying scene. The creature, the most hideous thing Drizzt had ever seen, a haggard, emaciated looking humanoid with mottled decaying skin hanging tightly to its bones as it busily stripped off a piece of Dinin's flesh as it sat comfortably on the prone drow's fallen form.

Dinin could only moan in agony as the ghoul dug into the gash it had carved in his side. Blood oozed out of his body, gathering underneath him as his body refused to move.

Before Drizzt could step forward, a brilliant flash of light streaked past him as Catti-brie let fly an arrow from her magnificent bow, her Taulmaril. The arrow burst into the creature's skull, shattering it before it could even react. The headless form toppled off of Dinin and fell to the floor.

Drizzt rushed to Dinin's side, kneeling by his brother's form. "It's enacted a paralysis spell on him," Ky'lor said, pulling out a wand while Catti-brie moved to tear off a piece of fabric from her cloak, leaning over to stem the flow of blood.

Drizzt moved to press his finger to Dinin's neck, trying to discern his condition. His brother was fully conscious, his eyes wide with pain as he uttered guttural moans, struggling to even get the sound out.

"He struggles to breathe," he commented, "he will suffocate if the spell is not lifted." But as he considered his options, he paused when Legolas knelt by Dinin's head and pressed a small dagger to his throat. Drizzt met the elf's eyes and saw anger and hatred.