He looked down to the northeast, to a group of dwarves holding a tight formation behind a low wall, ready to spring up and counter any orc charge. Studying the group, Shoudra thought she could make out the familiar figure of Master Hammerstriker, whose actions in Mirabar carried effects for them all that seemed to go on and on.
"Well as can be," Shingles added. "He's not much happy about losing the tunnels."
"Too many orcs," Catti— brie said. "And too many giants, and some with dark magic. The Mirabarran dwarves did well to hold as long as you did."
"Yeah, yeah," came Shingles's dismissive answer.
"Perhaps you'll get the chance to take it back," Nanfoodle offered, rejoining the group.
"Might that we will, but I'm not for seeing any reason," Shingles replied. "Won't do us much good in getting rid o' them giants, and them giants're the big trouble now. Can't see how we're to stop "em."
Nanfoodle looked at Shoudra, who gave a great sigh and walked off a couple of steps to the northwest, cupping her hand over her eyes and looking off at the high ridge.
"Solutions are often complicated," Nanfoodle said, and the gnome was grinning widely. "Unless you follow them logically, one little step at a time."
"What're you thinking?" Catti-brie asked.
"I am thinking that I have been presented a problem. One in need of a solution in short order." Still smiling, the gnome turned back to Shoudra—to her back, actually, for she continued her scan of the ridge. "And what are you thinking, Shoudra?" he asked.
"I am thinking that I know what you can do to metal, my friend," the sceptrana answered. "Would you have a similar solution for wood?"
Nanfoodle looked back to the puzzled expressions of Catti-brie, Wulfgar, and Shingles.
He offered them another wide smile.
* * *
The feeling of flying was strange indeed to Wulfgar—almost as much so as the spell Shoudra had cast upon him so that he could see in the night as well as any elf. He was the only one enchanted with the power of flight—the others were simply levitating—so he was the guiding force, pulling them all across the broken terrain of the mountain ridge.
He kept glancing back at them, though since they were invisible, he couldn't see them or the tow ropes. He knew they were there, for he could feel the resistance on the separate ropes from all four: Catti-brie, Torgar, Shoudra, and Nanfoodle.
Remembering Shoudra's warning that magical flight was unpredictable, Wulfgar set down as soon as it seemed to him that the remaining run to the giants and their war engines was smooth enough to easily traverse. He set himself firmly and ducked low, understanding that the levitating foursome would continue to fly past him. One by one, he caught them and broke their momentum as their different lengths of rope played out to the end, and though all of them did their best to remain quiet against the tug, there came a slight grunt from Nanfoodle that had them all holding their breath.
The giants didn't seem to notice.
It took the five a short while to untangle and untie themselves and get together, for only Shoudra and Nanfoodle, enchanted with spells of magical vision, could see the others. Finally, they were all settled behind a small jut.
"We were wise in coming out," Shoudra whispered. "The giants' catapults are nearing completion."
"I will need five minutes," Nanfoodle whispered in reply.
"Not so long a time," said Shoudra.
"Longer than you think, with a score of giants about," Catti-brie whispered.
Nanfoodle set off then, and Shoudra guided her three invisible companions around to the east of the giants, to a defensible position.
"Just say when to go," Catti-brie offered.
"As soon as you attack, the invisibility spell will dissipate," Shoudra reminded her.
In response, Catti-brie lifted Taulmaril over the lip of the jut, settling the bow into the general direction of the closest group of giants. Only then did she realize that she couldn't rightly aim the invisible weapon, for she had no reference points with which to sight it in.
"You two here, then," Shoudra agreed. "You will hear the first sounds soon enough." The sceptrana took Torgar's hand and led him away, circling even more to the east and north of the giant encampment.
"I'd be feeling a bit more comforted if I could see you ready beside me," Catti-brie whispered to Wulfgar.
"Right here," he assured her.
He went silent and so did she, for a giantess moved very near to their position.
Many minutes slipped past in tense silence, broken only by the hum of the wind whistling through the many broken stones. Even the wind was not loud that night, as if all the world was hushed in anticipation.
And it began. Catti-brie and Wulfgar jumped back in surprise at the abrupt commotion off to the north, a great din that sounded as if an entire dwarf army had gone on the attack. The giants reacted at once, leaping up and turning that way.
Catti-brie let the nearest of the behemoths get a few long strides farther away, then let fly a sizzling blue bolt, slamming the giantess right in the center of her back. She howled and had just started to turn when Aegis-fang smacked her across the shoulder, sending her sprawling to the stone.
"To the glory of Moradin!" came a great roar, a magically enhanced blast of Torgar's voice, Catti-brie realized.
Then came a lightning bolt, splitting the darkness and sending a handful of giants tumbling aside.
Catti-brie let fly another arrow into the giantess, and as soon as his magical warhammer reappeared in his waiting hand, Wulfgar launched it at the next nearest giant, who was turning to see to his fallen companion.
More cries to the dwarf god echoed from the north, another lightning bolt lit up the night, then came a sudden storm, a downpour of sleet pelting the stones near to Wulfgar and Catti-brie.
The woman hardly slowed her shooting, letting fly arrow after arrow, and many giants turned and charged at her position.
And many giants slipped on the slick stones. One nearly navigated his way all the way to the jut, but Aegis-fang smashed him in the chest. Though the giant seemed to handle the heavy blow well, he staggered backward under its weight, his feet sliding out from under him.
Catti-brie hit him in the face with an arrow as he sat there on the wet and shiny stones.
A great hand appeared right in front of her, the scrambling giantess finally crawling to the other side of the jut. She pulled herself up v/ith a roar, and Catti-brie was suddenly falling away.
It wasn't from anything the giantess had done, though, the woman soon realized. Wulfgar had tossed her aside, taking her place, and as the giantess's head came up over the jut, the barbarian gave a roar to his god of war and brought Aegis-fang sweeping down from on high.
Catti-brie winced at the sharp retort, a sound like stone clacking against stone, and the giantess disappeared from view.
But more were coming, as fast as they could manage across the slippery surface. Others took a different tack, finding stones and sending them sailing at the pair. It was Catti-brie's turn to pull Wulfgar aside, as she dived behind the cover of the jut, catching him by his thick shock of blond hair and forcing him down beside her. And not a moment too soon, for barely had the barbarian hit the ground when a boulder smashed the tip of the jut and went rebounding past.
The two quickly untangled, trying to regroup, and both cried out in surprise as a blue line appeared in the darkness, running straight up to a height of about six feet. That line widened and stretched, forming a doorway of light, and through it stepped Shoudra and Torgar.
"Just run!" Shoudra cried, pulling at Catti-brie as she began her sprint to the south.
"Nanfoodle?" Catti-brie cried.
"Just run!" Shoudra insisted.
And there seemed no other choice, for the giants were closing and were soon to be out of the icy area, and more rocks began to skip all around them.