Belwar started to slap him but held his hand in check.
"Svirfnebli don’t torture!" he declared, louder than he should have. "Drow elves torture!" He turned away but spun back, reiterating his promise. "A single clean blow."
Drizzt found that he believed the sincerity in the gnome’s voice, and he had to accept that promise as a measure of mercy far greater than the gnome would have received if Dinin’s patrol had captured him. Belwar turned to walk away, but Drizzt, intrigued, had to learn more of the curious creature.
"How have you learned my language?" he asked.
"Gnomes are not stupid." Belwar retorted, unsure of what Drizzt was leading to.
"Nor are drow." Drizzt replied earnestly, "but I have never heard the language of the svirfnebli spoken in my city."
"There once was a drow in Blingdenstone." Belwar explained, now nearly as curious about Drizzt as Drizzt was about him.
"Slave." Drizzt reasoned.
"Guest!" Belwar snapped. "Svirfnebli keep no slaves!"
Again Drizzt found that he could not refute the sincerity in Belwar’s voice. "What is your name?" he asked.
The gnome laughed at him. "Do you think me stupid?"
Belwar asked. "You desire my name that you might use its power in some dark magic against me!"
"No." Drizzt protested.
"I should kill you now for thinking me stupid!" Belwar growled, ominously lifting his heavy pick. Drizzt shifted uncomfortably, not knowing what the gnome would do next.
"My offer remains." Belwar said, lowering the pick. "No trouble, and I tell the king to let you go." Belwar didn’t believe that would happen any more than did Drizzt, so the svirfneblin, with a helpless shrug, offered Drizzt the next best thing. "Or else, a single clean blow."
A commotion from one of the tunnels turned Belwar away. "Belwar." called one of the other gnomes, rushing back into the small chamber. The gnome leader turned a wary eye on Drizzt to see if the drow had caught the mention of his name.
Drizzt wisely kept his head turned away, pretending not to listen. He had indeed heard the name of the gnome leader who had shown him mercy. Belwar, the other svirfneblin had said. Belwar, a name that Drizzt would never forget. Fighting from down the passageway caught everyone’s attention, then, and several svirfnebli scrambled back into the chamber. Drizzt knew from their excitement that the drow patrol was close behind.
Belwar started barking out commands, mostly organizing the retreat down the chamber’s other tunnel. Drizzt wondered where he would fit into the gnome’s thinking. Certainly Belwar couldn’t hope to outrun the drow patrol dragging along a prisoner.
Then the gnome leader suddenly stopped talking and stopped moving. Too suddenly.
The drow clerics had led the way in with their insidious, paralyzing spells. Belwar and another gnome were held fast by the dweomer, and the rest of the gnomes, realizing this, broke into a wild scramble for the rear exit.
The drow warriors, Guenhwyvar leading the way, charged into the room. Any relief Drizzt might have felt at seeing his feline friend unharmed was buried under the ensuing slaughter. Dinin and his troops cut into the disorganized gnomes with typical drow savagery.
In seconds―horrible seconds that seemed like hours to Drizzt―only Belwar and the other gnome caught in the clerical spell remained alive in the chamber. Several of the svirfnebli had managed to flee down the back corridor, but most of the drow patrol was off in pursuit.
Masoj came into the chamber last, looking thorougly wretched in his mud covered clothing. He remained at the tunnel exit and did not even look Drizzt’s way, except to note that his panther was standing protectively beside the secondboy of House Do’Urden.
"Again you have found your measure of luck, and more." Dinin said to Drizzt as he cut his brother’s bonds. Looking around at the carnage in the chamber, Drizzt wasn’t so sure.
Dinin handed him back his scimitars, then turned to the drow standing watch over the two paralyzed gnomes. "Finish them." Dinin instructed.
A wide smile spread over the other drow’s face, and he pulled a jagged knife from his belt. He held it up in front of a gnome’s face, teasing the helpless creature. "Can they see it?" he asked the high priestess.
"That is the fun of the spell." the high priestess replied. "The svirfneblin understands what is about to happen. Even now he is struggling to break out of the hold."
"Prisoners!" Drizzt blurted.
Dinin and the others turned to him, the drow with the dagger wearing a scowl both angry and disappointed.
"For House Do’Urden?" Drizzt asked Dinin hopefully. "We could benefit from…"
"Svirfnebli do not make good slaves." Dinin replied.
"No," agreed the high priestess, moving beside the dagger wielding fighter. She nodded to the warrior and his smile returned tenfold. He struck hard. Only Belwar remained.
The warrior waved his bloodstained dagger ominously and moved in front of the gnome leader.
"Not that one!" Drizzt protested, unable to bear anymore.
"Let him live!" Drizzt wanted to say that Belwar could do them no harm, and that killing the defenseless gnome would be a cowardly and vile act. Drizzt knew that appealing to his kin for mercy would be a waste of time.
Dinin’s expression was more a look of anger than curiosity this time.
"If you kill him, then no gnomes will remain to return to their city and tell of our strength," Drizzt reasoned, grasping at the one slim hope he could find. "We should send him back to his people, send him back to tell them of their folly in entering the domain of the drow!"
Dinin looked back to the high priestess for advice.
"It seems proper reasoning." she said with a nod.
Dinin was not so certain of his brother’s motives. Not taking his eyes off Drizzt, he said to the warrior, "Then cut off the gnome’s hands."
Drizzt didn’t flinch, realizing that if he did, Dinin would surely slaughter Belwar.
The warrior replaced the dagger on his belt and took out his heavy sword.
"Wait." said Dinin, still eyeing Drizzt. "Release him from the spell first, I want to hear his screams."
Several drow moved over to put the tips of their swords at Belwar’s neck as the high priestess released her magical hold. Belwar made no moves.
The appointed drow warrior grasped his sword in both hands, and Belwar, brave Belwar, held his arms straight out and motionless in front of him.
Drizzt averted his gaze, unable to watch and awaiting, fearing, the gnome’s cry.
Belwar noted Drizzt’s reaction. Was it compassion?
The drow warrior then swung his sword. Belwar never took his stare off Drizzt as the sword cut across his wrists, lighting a million fires of agony in his arms.
Neither did Belwar scream. He wouldn’t give Dinin the satisfaction. The gnome leader looked back to Drizzt one final time as two drow fighters ushered him out of the chamber, and he recognized the true anguish, and the apology, behind the young drow’s feigned impassive facade.
Even as Belwar was leaving, the dark elves who had chased off after the fleeing gnomes returned from the other tunnel. "We could not catch them in these tiny passageways." one of them complained.
"Damn!" Dinin growled. Sending a handless gnome victim back to Blingdenstone was one thing, but letting healthy members of the gnome expedition escape was quite another. "I want them caught!"
"Guenhwyvar can catch them." Masoj proclaimed, then he called the cat to his side and eyed Drizzt all the while. Drizzt’s heart raced as the wizard patted the great cat.
"Come, my pet." Masoj said. "There is hunting left to be done!" The wizard watched Drizzt squirm at the words, knowing that Drizzt did not approve of Guenhwyvar engaging in such tactics.