wall. And soon the gnomes were
climbing over the parapets!
The first gnome to stand on the prison wall was Barsh himself. A tall dragonarmy guard
swung a heavy broadsword at Barsh's head. The gnome ducked under the blade and dove at the
feet of the soldier. As the guard prepared to swing his sword down on Barsh's back, the
gnome pulled the soldier's legs together while another gnome whacked the enemy in the
belly with a stick. The soldier lost his balance, falling off the battlement and landing
with a heavy thud on the prison grounds below.
Barsh couldn't believe that he was still alive. And not only was Barsh alive, but his
fellow gnomes
were swarming onto the parapet, overwhelming the small number of dragonarmy soldiers who
had been on watch. “To the gate!” cried Barsh, leading his people along the
battlement to the front of the prison. Even as they worked their way toward the gate,
prison
guards were racing out of their barracks to fight the intruders. If the gnomes couldn't
get the gates opened quickly, they'd be destroyed by the powerful dragonarmy soldiers. It
was only with the help of the kender as reinforcements that they had a chance of holding
out against the fierce soldiers of the Dragon Highlord.
The kender, with Quinby Cull urging them on, had already begun their charge. The Paw's
Mark Inn was just a short distance from the prison, and now the kender were racing like an
angry wind toward the gate.
Quinby could see the battle unfolding up on the parapet. The gnomes were fighting
furiously to reach the gate's pulley system. Quinby knew that if they failed, he and his
kender army would be racing toward death.
He saw gnomes dying. A dragonarmy soldier pierced one of them in the chest with his sword.
Another gnome was thrown over the wall. And still another had his head split open with an
ax. But the gnomes fought on, gallantly pushing the prison guards away from the gate.
Until . . .
“It's opening!” cried Quinby just as he and his army of kender were about to give up hope.
Without having to break their stride, they surged under the rising metal gate and plowed
right into a phalanx of dragon-army soldiers!
“Are we supposed to fight KENDER?!” demanded one of the enemy with contempt in his voice.
Quinby heard the soldier and, filled with fury, he shouted in return, “On this day you
will not only fight kender, you will die at our hands!” The soldier thrust his sword's
point toward Quinby's throat. But the kender nimbly parried, then lunged forward and
stabbed the enemy clean through the heart.
Scores of kender and gnomes witnessed Quinby's bold declaration and even bolder swordplay.
A great cheer went up when the dragonarmy soldier fell. For, in that moment, Quinby Cull
had done more than simply kill one enemy. He had shown that the kender were a force to be
reckoned with. He had given dignity back to his race. And he had shown that a kender could
be a hero!
On the heels of Quinby's dramatic battle, the kender drove the better-armed and
better-trained dragon-army force away from the gate as they fought for control of the
prison grounds.
But the Highlord's soldiers quickly formed a new battle line. Their bowman sent one
withering volley after another into the kender ranks. In their fearless-ness, the kender
didn't let the arrows stop them. Even with bloody shafts sticking in their stomachs,
shoulders, and legs - many of them dying on their feet - the kender troops charged
headlong into the dragonarmy lines. They swung crude swords and knives at the soldiers
until their enemy was finally routed.
It was then that a shockingly small number of dwarves led by Vigre Arch came streaming
through the open gate.
“Where are the rest of your people?” demanded Barsh.
“You promised you would have an army of dwarves,” echoed Quinby. “There are barely a
hundred of you here. What's going
climbing over the parapets!
The first gnome to stand on the prison wall was Barsh himself. A tall dragonarmy guard
swung a heavy broadsword at Barsh's head. The gnome ducked under the blade and dove at the
feet of the soldier. As the guard prepared to swing his sword down on Barsh's back, the
gnome pulled the soldier's legs together while another gnome whacked the enemy in the
belly with a stick. The soldier lost his balance, falling off the battlement and landing
with a heavy thud on the prison grounds below.
Barsh couldn't believe that he was still alive. And not only was Barsh alive, but his
fellow gnomes
were swarming onto the parapet, overwhelming the small number of dragonarmy soldiers who
had been on watch. “To the gate!” cried Barsh, leading his people along the
battlement to the front of the prison. Even as they worked their way toward the gate,
prison
guards were racing out of their barracks to fight the intruders. If the gnomes couldn't
get the gates opened quickly, they'd be destroyed by the powerful dragonarmy soldiers. It
was only with the help of the kender as reinforcements that they had a chance of holding
out against the fierce soldiers of the Dragon Highlord.
The kender, with Quinby Cull urging them on, had already begun their charge. The Paw's
Mark Inn was just a short distance from the prison, and now the kender were racing like an
angry wind toward the gate.
Quinby could see the battle unfolding up on the parapet. The gnomes were fighting
furiously to reach the gate's pulley system. Quinby knew that if they failed, he and his
kender army would be racing toward death.
He saw gnomes dying. A dragonarmy soldier pierced one of them in the chest with his sword.
Another gnome was thrown over the wall. And still another had his head split open with an
ax. But the gnomes fought on, gallantly pushing the prison guards away from the gate.
Until . . .
“It's opening!” cried Quinby just as he and his army of kender were about to give up hope.
Without having to break their stride, they surged under the rising metal gate and plowed
right into a phalanx of dragon-army soldiers!
“Are we supposed to fight KENDER?!” demanded one of the enemy with contempt in his voice.
Quinby heard the soldier and, filled with fury, he shouted in return, “On this day you
will not only fight kender, you will die at our hands!” The soldier thrust his sword's
point toward Quinby's throat. But the kender nimbly parried, then lunged forward and
stabbed the enemy clean through the heart.
Scores of kender and gnomes witnessed Quinby's bold declaration and even bolder swordplay.
A great cheer went up when the dragonarmy soldier fell. For, in that moment, Quinby Cull
had done more than simply kill one enemy. He had shown that the kender were a force to be
reckoned with. He had given dignity back to his race. And he had shown that a kender could
be a hero!
On the heels of Quinby's dramatic battle, the kender drove the better-armed and
better-trained dragon-army force away from the gate as they fought for control of the
prison grounds.
But the Highlord's soldiers quickly formed a new battle line. Their bowman sent one
withering volley after another into the kender ranks. In their fearless-ness, the kender
didn't let the arrows stop them. Even with bloody shafts sticking in their stomachs,
shoulders, and legs - many of them dying on their feet - the kender troops charged
headlong into the dragonarmy lines. They swung crude swords and knives at the soldiers
until their enemy was finally routed.
It was then that a shockingly small number of dwarves led by Vigre Arch came streaming
through the open gate.
“Where are the rest of your people?” demanded Barsh.
“You promised you would have an army of dwarves,” echoed Quinby. “There are barely a
hundred of you here. What's going
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