The Road to Neverwinter


A warm fire crackled merrily in the hearth, casting a cosy glow around the room. The damage caused by the recent turmoil at the school had been repaired, leaving the room with a homely and lived-in feel. A map of the realms covered a large table, standing at the centre of the room. Marin A'Shaller stood to one side of it, her brow knitted as she measured off distances and made calculations.

The door opened and Safiya entered, followed closely by Kaji. The homunculus was chattering away as usual, but fell silent when the red wizard held up her hand, noting the pensive expression on Marin's face.

The tiefling looked up, forcing a smile for her friend. "Busy day?"

"Like you wouldn't believe," replied Safiya. She crossed to the sideboard, taking out a crystal decanter and two wine goblets. "I have no idea how my mother ran the Academy and carried out her own research, and still sought an end to Akachi's Curse. Wine?"

Marin declined politely, one hand falling protectively to the growing swell of her belly. "Have you had any luck with finding out anything about what I asked?"

Safiya crossed to the fire before responding, sinking gratefully into one of the comfortable armchairs there and putting her feet up against the grating. She took a sip of wine before looking up to her friend, concern etched in her features as clearly as the mystical tattoo engraved on her forehead. "You won't be swayed from this path?"

Marin hitched her shoulders up and let them fall, dejected. "I want to go home. I need… I need to know…"

"You still believe he survived?"

"You ask me that after your lover was freed from a thousand-year-old curse?" Kaji leapt onto the armrest of Marin's chair, and she absently petted the homunculus. "Would that the gods grant me similar grace."

Safiya inclined her head, acknowledging the point. "I made some enquiries, and one has potential fruit to bear. I told you I suspected Red Wizards would not be welcome at Neverwinter's Academy, or at the Tower of Many-Starred Cloaks, and it appears I was correct. However, there have in the past been several alliances made with the Arcane Brotherhood in Luskan. It would be a simple matter to…"

Marin interrupted her, sitting up straight, her eyes wide. "Hang on, the Arcane Brotherhood? You want to send me to Luskan? Are you crazy?"

The intensity of Marin's reaction startled Safiya, but she raised a hand, placating. The tiefling was prone to more violent mood swings the further her pregnancy progressed. "I appreciate it's not Neverwinter, but it's only a matter of a hundred or so miles north versus several hundred leagues across the continent."

Marin got up, pacing before the fire. "I'm sorry, but you can't send me to Luskan. You just can't. They'd kill me on sight. Especially the Arcane Brotherhood."

"What exactly is the problem here?" asked Safiya, still surprised. "I can appreciate the Arcane Brotherhood is not well-liked in Neverwinter, but they are far better than the majority of Thayan Academies, as much as it pains me to say that."

"No, you don't understand…" Marin sighed, drawing her hand down wearily over her face. "I may not have mentioned it before, but the Arcane Brotherhood doesn't exactly number amongst my greatest fans. During the campaign against the King of Shadows I was fairly instrumental in foiling several of their plots to gain a foothold in the city. I've sent Luskan assassins to Kelemvor's arms on at least two occasions…"

"You make friends wherever you go, don't you?" replied Safiya dryly. "We could… No Kaji! Come here!"

Marin turned and saw the homunculus poised to pounce on her agitated tail, his eyes fixated on its jerky motions as it mirrored her mood. An insatiable rogue by nature, the homunculus just couldn't resist the tiefling's prehensile tail. A previous altercation between the two had cost him half his left wing. Although Safiya had re-crafted it with her magic he still flew with a slight cant. With the attention now on him, he flittered into the air, grumbling and muttering to himself.

"Kaji, go and tell the kitchens they can bring up our evening meal," instructed Safiya. He grumbled at her, but flew towards the door to carry out her request. Her familiar out of harm's way, Safiya returned to the matter at hand. "From the stories I've heard, I wouldn't trust any of the Arcane Brotherhood unless I'd transmuted them all into golems, but it's the best option we've got."

Marin threw herself down into the other armchair before the fire. "It doesn't really sound like much of an option to me."

"By conventional means, you're talking about close on three months overland travel, not to mention two sea crossings," said Safiya. Her gaze dropped to Marin's expanding waistline. "You can't undertake that journey alone… not now…"

"It's not something I'd welcome undertaking alone, but it may be the only option," replied Marin. "And I'm not postponing it. Arriving in Neverwinter with a baby in my arms and chartering an escort inland may be preferable to arriving in Luskan pregnant and meeting my end at the hands of the Brotherhood. I should be fine if I travel with caravans for the most part, particularly towards the end."

"You know Gann would travel with you, if you asked him to."

Marin shook her head once. "Don't go there, Safiya. It wouldn't be fair to him."

"He loves you."

"And I care for him, but not in the way that he wishes. I never will." Marin stared into the fire, playing with a bauble from the mantelpiece, absently tossing it into the air and catching it again. At last she turned, levelling the bauble at Safiya as if it were a sword. "I don't carry his child beneath my heart. You may have the Founder's memories of love, but you've never been in love yourself. Wait until then and we can speak again on this."

Safiya raised her hands in acquiescence, wisely choosing not to argue any further with the tiefling. "I still hold that establishing a portal to the Arcane Brotherhood in Luskan would be the fastest and safest way to get you to the Sword Coast. Master Djafi could enchant a rune for you, to bring you back here instantly should things go awry. Beyond that… using magic to conceal your appearance from the Arcane Brotherhood would be out of the question, but there are other methods by which we could do so."

A slow smile spread across Marin's face as she thought of something. Safiya raised an eyebrow, inviting her to explain the source of her mirth. Marin grinned, unable to repress herself at the thought. "They certainly wouldn't be expecting me to be with child."