This is a Neverwinter Nights fanfiction and as such all I own is Elhana. Thank you for reading.
Elhana ran. Darkness surrounded her on all sides, her thighs and shins burned from the propulsion of her legs pushing her through the endless blackness. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.
Someone, no, something was following her and sure to catch her if she faltered.
Unnatural rage fueled her every step; rage at herself for allowing this situation, rage at her pursuer for their insistence, rage at the unfairness of the world. All if it was so unlike her.
Without warning the ground itself seemed to roll out from beneath her feet and Elhana tumbled forward onto the cold hard stone. Panting, she listened almost endlessly to the echo of her metal armor reverberating in the thick darkness.
Armor? Since when did she wear armor?
This wasn't right. Wasn't real. Wasn't her.
Elhana felt herself raise up onto her hands and knees, breathing heavily with her head ducked toward the ground.
It wasn't just anger she felt. Hatred, pure gut-wrenching malice tore at her insides. The urge to lash out, to kill was all encompassing. And so much pain; like a tumultuous ocean swirling within a hurricane of emotions. For their own good, Elhana hoped whoever was following her didn't get any closer. There would be bloodshed.
Elhana growled as the footsteps slowed to a stop somewhere in front of her and it didn't sound like her voice. It was deeper, more masculine and a thousand times more aggressive.
Go away. Why wont you leave me? I deserve the darkness.
Aware of the presence in front of her, Elhana lifted her eyes out of habit more than anything and, as she expected, saw nothing but blackness. Suddenly there was a soft almost feathery pressure against her cheek and the blackness began to drain away.
Elhana looked up. Up into the face of her pursuer and saw nothing other than her own stormy gray eyes.
Elhana came violently awake. Madam, her Pitt bull, was at her side in an instant ready to defend her mistress from any perceived threat.
She reached out to smooth the ridge of fur along the dog's spine. " I'm fine, lovely. Just another dream."
Madam visibly relaxed and curled around her mistress's stomach. Elhana pet the dog's ears mechanical.
She was no stranger to nightmares. Being primarily a healer, Elhana had seen worse things in her mere 21 years than other girls did their entire lives. Children dying from disease, their parents crying over her as she attempted to draw the sickness from their bodies. Not all of them lived. Elhana was but a healer; a conduit for a higher power and that higher power was the only one who could decide life or death.
That knowledge did not make her sleeping hours any easier, however.
Elhana sighed, turning in her bed. So much for a good night's rest, she thought.
Finding the inn had been a wonderful accident after many freezing nights of sleeping under the stars, curling up with Madam for warmth. And she had hoped to finally, truly rest but, regardless, the bath she'd had last night before bed had worked wonders for aching muscles and matted hair.
Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and Elhana hoisted her legs over the side of the bed to dress. She changed into a leaf-green dress that wasn't the prettiest but left only her forearms exposed and that was why she bought it.
Elhana didn't wear armor; it was cumbersome, loud, itchy and distracting. And the last thing she needed when trying to summon the energy required to cast was yet another distraction.
" Besides," she said aloud to Madam who was resting her chin on her front paws, not entirely happy that her mistress seemed to think it was time to get up. " I have my fierce guardian to protect me."
A tail wag was her only recognition and Elhana smiled, winding her ebony hair into a loose braid that she let trail down her back ending in a place-holding knot.
" Come on, lovely." She patted her thigh. " We'll ask if the innkeeper has a good ham bone laying around."
That perked the dog's ears right up and she deigned to follow her mistress out of the room and down the stairs to a sparsely occupied common area. Here there were men taking breakfast, women bustling about and those few poor souls who found their lives so dejecting that they saw no other option than to drink their existence away.
Elhana gave a quick prayer for them all and took her own seat at the bar. When the innkeeper's elder wife laid eyes on her she smiled kindly. " Eggs and bread, please."
There was a gentle nudge on her shin. " Oh, and would you by chance have any bones lying around?" she added meekly at Madam's request.
The wife smiled. " I'll see what I can do, dear."
With that the woman left and Elhana's hand fell to rake her finger's through Madam's stiff fur. She was highly intelligent for a dog and they'd been together since Elhana had found the half-starved, flea-ridden pup on the temple's steps. But Madam did not particularly like other people so she often found it necessary to calm the dog whenever crowds were involved lest an innocent man find himself on the receiving end of those powerful jaws.
It didn't help the way others looked at her dog. Madam wasn't a regal vision of beauty; her fur was a butterscotch tan but scarred from the fights she'd been in with humans and other dogs alike, the tip of her left been lost even before she came to sleep on Elhana's temple steps. But she was loyal and loving and could be playful if the nerve struck. Now Madam was silently watching her no doubt waiting for her promised treat.
The wife returned minutes later with her plate and a smaller dish with what appeared to be turkey leg bone. There was still some meat hanging off.
" Excuse me, how far to Waterdeep from here?"
The wife frowned. " About a day's walk north but a sweet girl like you don't want to be going there right now."
Elhana gave her a faint smile. " Oh?'
The old woman nodded. " They've been having all kinds of problems with drow comin' out of the shadows." then she scoffed. " Hear some old innkeeper there 'as called for a hero. Heros don't exist anymore."
" What of the hero of Neverwinter?" Elhana supplied helpfully. " She saved an entire city…more if the stories are true."
The wife shrugged. " I heard the girl had to be pushed and prodded the whole of the time. That ain't a hero in my book."
" Perhaps," she conceded. " But I have faith there are still good people who only wish to do the right thing."
The old woman's brow rose and Elhana felt she was being studied. Reevaluated.
" You one of those temple priestesses?"
Elhana giggled. " To some."
" Not one of the heathen, wanton goddesses I hope?"
Heathen? And must her deity be like-gendered?
Regardless she attempted to calm the woman with a warm tilt of her lips. " I worship Talos." She said. " I am his healer."
The spark returned to the old woman's eyes. " A healer?"
Elhana nodded, noticing the hope in that voice. She watched the wife worry her bottom lip with her teeth for a moment in silence, knowing what was to come. But when the wife did not continue she took pity on the old woman and reached out, covering a wrinkled hand with her vibrant peach one.
" I will help in any way I can."
" It's my grandson," the woman said almost bitterly. " He's got a fever that won't break. Been bedridden for days, we don't have much but…"
She shook her head. " This freely given meal will be payment enough."
And it would be. Some healers believed in offering their services for free simply to do good in the world; Elhana, however, knew some to not take such charity lightly and that equal exchanges of energy heightened her healing ability.
Money was welcome but not required. Sometimes it was as simple as a free meal or a kindness; everyone, no matter how poor could afford to be gracious. The wife gave her thanks and left Elhana to enjoy her breakfast in peace.
Hours later she was exiting the old woman's house with Madam. Elhana had broken the child's fever and given instructions for him to drink a lot of water but that it should be boiled first and not to exert himself unduly. Both mother and father had lorded over her the entire session with worried expressions; the husband embracing his wife lovingly in his arms as tears fell from her face. It was obvious he cared for her deeply and so, for the family's sake alone, Elhana hoped he never found out the child wasn't truly his.
She had brought enough babies into the world to know that if the mother's eyes are blue and the supposed father's eyes are also blue than the child's eyes couldn't be brown.
Elhana, of course, had said nothing; it was not her place, though it had disheartened her somewhat that the young wife could have done that to a man that obviously cared for her dearly.
A long time ago someone very close to her heart had told her that her power was fueled not just by her faith but also by her love. Bittersweet days like this made love a hard concept to believe in.
The parents had obviously loved their child but shouldn't there be more than that?
" Sometimes I wish…" she trailed off, erasing the thought from her mind. Her heart was big enough for the pained, the hurting and all their families. Yet she had only had three true friends her whole life and one of them now laid lifeless and forgotten by all but a few in the depths of an ancient ruin and the other currently waked dutifully by her side…slobbering.
No. Elhana shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts and pat Madam between her ears.
" Onward to Waterdeep."
Sheets of water enveloped in strong winds kept falling from above, churning, swirling, building up power. Broad steaks of purple lightning illuminated the vast blackness of the Underdark in mere blinks of the eye but the effect was dizzying.
The white haired woman stood her ground under the harsh winds and rain with dignity, her staff planted firmly on the ground so that she may lean into it and against the typhoon. Fear did not cross her mind as she forced herself to move forward battling the winds that would blow her away.
Power crackled all around her. Raw. Primal. Elemental.
In the center of the massive storm, the white haired woman could make out a shape only visible under flashes of lightning and hovering above the ground, arms outstretched as if calling for a lover's embrace and back sharply arched. Rain and wind stung her face but the white haired woman persevered knowing she had to reach the figure in the eye of the storm or all was truly lost.
Yet it seemed the closer she came the more the winds worked to sweep her off her feet; lightning struck so close and in such quick succession that the static made her skin tingle.
No, she would not stop. More than one life depended on it.
The figure started to take shape. In the moments of dull indigo light long flowing hair could be seen thrashing about a delicate feminine body that was washed in a taupe light. The sight was beautiful beyond words and the white haired woman began to feel hope bloom in her chest.
Inside the eye of the storm there was peace. Unlike the destructive and unrefined power of the storm beyond, here there was calm. There was healing.
For the first time in her long, long life the white haired woman felt nothing but warmth and safety. Two very different powers: destruction and healing come together in one powerful force. Whether that force be for good or ill.
Either side could be exploited but neither could function without the other. Balance.
The white haired woman locked eyes with the glowing female who was not moving, simply allowing herself to be moved and smiled.
The Seer awoke from her dream gently and with the same tender smile. Donning her robe, she opened the door from her personal quarters and addressed the guard she knew would be stationed there.
" Nadal, please summon Nathyrra. Tell her I apologize for the time but I must speak with her." the drow guard bowed before hurrying off in the direction of Nathyrra's room while the Seer smiled knowingly to herself.
Their savior had finally come.
" Excuse me." Elhana tapped a tall, broad shouldered man as far up on his back as she could reach. When he turned it was with an air of irritation and an expression to match.
" Damn it all, we've got no rooms left." He growled.
She recoiled a little at his tone but forced a smile. The man was probably in his late fifties or had lived a hard life, possibly both but the gods had blessed Elhana with a pretty if not attractive face with kindly eyes and a warm smile. Within seconds the man's frown lessened and she found her voice.
" Are you Durnan?"
He gave her an incredulous look. " Aye."
" The one who called for 'heros'?" she pressed.
The look deepened and she saw his pass over the whole of her body obviously taking in her lack of armor and thin figure. It could have been worse, she thought as she stood still and let him come to his conclusions. He could have been a lecherous husk of a man undressing her with his eyes and she had met many of those. No, this man's look was very clinical. Very meticulous. And yet she was increasingly glad she'd instructed Madam to wait outside the door; she'd have had to pull her off this one.
" You're a healer." He stated finally and she wouldn't argue that she was shocked but she gathered herself and nodded.
" Yes. I am."
Durnan's fingered the thick shadow of stubble on his chin then shook his head. " Sorry lass, I've got a healer. A damn good one and we cant afford another. There's a small group that's brave enough or insane enough to head into Undermountain but they've got a cleric."
Elhana's face fell and she was about to reply that she wasn't technically a cleric when a voice she never thought she would hear again sang a raspy song in her ear.
" Boss? It is!" Suddenly she was struggling to stand upright under the full-bodied force of a kobold hug.
" You remembers Deekin, right Boss? Boss?"
Elhana laughed. " How could I forget the sweetest, funniest kobold bard in the whole world?"
If kobolds could blush, Deekin would be red as a beet. " Boss embarrass Deekin…"
" Sorry." Finally Deekin released her and she swayed.
" You reads Deekin's book?" he asked, voice dripping with hope.
Elhana winced briefly noticing the way Durnan was now regarding her. From Deekin's description of her in the novel one would think she were an indestructible goddess who was about two inches taller with obsidian tresses of the gods. But the basics were there, enough for identification anyhow.
" Yes." She said carefully. " Yes, I did."
The kobold's eyes glowed. " You likes?"
" It was well written." Elhana would have to speak with him about the perceived size of her hips later. In private.
Deekin beamed. " Deekin is glad Boss likes."
" Boss?" Durnan repeated slowly, his eyebrow arched. " That book the kobold wont shut up about, that was you?"
Elhana nodded sheepishly. " Mostly."
Deekin shrugged. " Artistic lic…lic…um, Deekin make some stuff up to make story better."
" Oh? Like," Elhana paused to remember the line. " Boss's pout of full, luscious lips of bright red make Boss be more angle than human?"
At least the kobold had the decency to appear ashamed, idly pushing his foot around the floor. " Deekin thinks Boss not mind…" then he looked up at her with a sly smile. " Boss is angel to Deekin."
Aww. Sweet kobold.
" In that case," Durnan began gruffly offering her is upturned palm. " Welcome aboard. Food tastes more or less like soggy bread, you'll be bunking in the main room and there's only one bath but if you're willing…"
Elhana shook his hand and smiled. " The group venturing into Undermountain? I think I might like to accompany them."
He only shrugged. " Think they're all gathered up in the room right through there." he pointed to another door just a few feet away. " Maybe you can convince them you're as nutty as they are."
With that he left and wandered into what looked to be the kitchen.
" Uh, Boss?"
" Hmm?"
The kobold peered around her cautiously. " Where evil creature that bite poor Deekin's leg?"
Evil creature? Bite…leg…
" Oh!" she said cheerfully as it dawned on her. " Madam is outside and she's not evil. In her defense, you did kick me."
The kobold frowned and whined. " Deekin said he was sorry. Deekin not knows at time that Boss was good Boss not bad Boss like old Boss."
Elhana followed that in her head until it made sense then absently pat the kobold on his scaly flat head.
" Lets go talk to these adventurers, shall we?"