Volume 3: Met and Parted

The limner's art may trace the absent feature,

And give the eye of distant weeping faith

To view the form of its idolatry;

But oh! the scenes 'mid which they met and parted;

The thoughts--the recollections sweet and bitter,--

Th' Elysian dreams of lovers, when they loved,--

Who shall restore them?

Charles Robert Maturin

Volume 3, Chapter 1 – Torio: Elysian Dreams

No!

There was rushing light and sound, an impossible feeling of being stretched and squashed, flying and falling...her fingers grasped at images that flashed by her eyes and were just as quickly gone...

Sand...no...

She landed with an undignified Whump!, her breath rushing back into her lungs in a painful gasp. She coughed, choked, blood gurgling up in her throat; the sky above her was blindingly blue and brilliant, the grass soft underneath her back...for the short moment before it became saturated with her blood as it spilled out of her in a rush, the impeding sword suddenly gone from her body...

"Well! What have we here?"

The cervidal crouched down at the obviously injured human woman before him, the muscles of his powerful equine hind legs bunching and contracting, visible beneath the simple tan pants he was wearing. "Oh lovey! You're hurt. And badly too. All right, lovey, Benignus here will help you." He very gently and very carefully turned her on her stomach, lifting her shirt to examine the wound. "I have no heal potions but I have bandages, all right? I'm going to fix you right up."

Benignus reached into his pack and removed a long roll of linen wrapping and began slowly wrapping it around her torso. The fabric was nearly instantly soaked through with blood but he pressed down with a steady pressure until the bleeding eased. "Try not to move, lovey. Now...your hand." He held up her hand and cringed when he realized he could see the emerald green grass on the other side of her palm. "We'll patch this up as best we can then find a healer all right? What's your name? Where are you from? That was quite the blazing entrance you made a while ago!" His dark eyes were shining kindly at her even as his horned head shook in amazement. His rich chestnut hair and beard fell to his bare chest. "I am Benignus, guardian of the East Demesne of Amoria, upper layer of Elysium."

Was she dead?

Torio gazed around blearily, her head swimming as the...creature...bandaged up the wound on her back. Not dead. Not yet. If she were dead she would definitely be in a much different place than the one she was in.

"Torio," she gasped out, "Claven. I was..on..Abeir-Toril." Damn that wizard, that elf, he had done it after saying that he wouldn't...did he have any idea what danger he was putting himself in? When she found him again, she would...

She would...

Goodbye Torio...

Tears stung her eyes, and she gasped as the creature lifted her hand up. "Where is this place?" She asked hoarsely; her body thrummed painfully as she sat up feeling her tunic stick wetly to her back. She was beginning to get dizzy, although the pressure from the wrapped bandages had stemmed most of the flow for the moment.

Benignus bowed down at her. "Well, Torio Claven from Abeir-Toril of the Prime Material Plane - Elysium is...a place of pure good, I suppose, would be the simplest way to put it. Amoria is the topmost layer of this plane. We do not tolerate evil or evil acts here." He gave her a long, piercing stare with his black eyes before breaking out into a soft, understanding smile. He used his calloused fingers to touch her cheek, looking into clear eyes that held tears threatening to spill.

He picked her up easily, cradling her like a child and began walking down the gently sloping hill. "The main feature of Amoria is the River Oceanus. Most of the towns and villages will be along the river." Supporting her fully with one arm, he pointed in the distance, where a sparkling wide river could be seen, glinting like a blue jewel among the lush green hills and trees.

The cervidal's footing was sure as he made his way down, being careful not to jostle the woman too much. "We are near the Beastlands and Bytopia. You can travel there if you find the portals and doorways. I don't know how to explain where it is in relation to your world, lovey. You won't be able to get back to Abeir-Toril by walking, that much is for certain. That is, if you wish to return. Most don't and become permanent petitioners here. This plane is inhabited by guardinals, people like myself, who have sworn to protect goodness. Prince Talisid, the great leonal, is our leader "

They had reached the bottom of the hill and Benignus began trotting forward, his movements fluid and smooth, his hooves barely depressing the grass below him. The air was filled with small exotic looking birds, singing brilliantly in the afternoon skies. "I'm bringing you to a small temple dedicated to Pelor, the god of sun and healing. You will have to tell us everything of how you came here."

Torio remained silent as the cervidal spoke; he moved fluidly, shaking her only slightly, but she could feel the wound in her back open again and ooze against the bandage; by the gods, but she was tired. She could just close her eyes...just rest them for a minute...

"I have to get back," she mumbled drowsily. "I can't stay here...he needs me, you know, he doesn't think he does but it's true...he'll die if I don't get back..." She blinked blearily as they trotted over a wide field, the birdsong clear and sweet and sending a heartaching shiver through her. "Amoria? He sent me to Elysium..." She clutched at the beard that spilled down Benignus' chest. "I will tell you how I came here...just get me back..."

Through the grey haze that was rapidly descending over her vision, she caught sight of a tall, yellow-stoned building riding high above the trees, a nondescript carving of a face within the circle of curving rays, supposedly representing the sun. Three, circling shadows could be seen flying around the temple's spire; she heard intermittent keening, and said, nonsensically as her eyes closed, "Eagles..."

Benignus had no idea who this 'he' was but said soothingly as Torio slipped in and out of consciousness, "Yes, lovey, we'll get you back to him and he'll be all right and waiting for you." He clutched her a little tighter to his chest as her breathing became shallow, feeling the blood on his arm as he carried her.

As he approached the temple of Pelor, a young priest with blonde hair and bronzed skin, dressed in a golden robe, tending the grounds waved to him, "Greetings, Beni...Oh sweet sun lord! Who do you have there?"

The cervidal replied, "Ghero, I am glad to see you. A woman from the Prime Material Plane - Torio. I don't know much; she was sent here by somebody, injured. Please, can you help us?"

Ghero quickly put down the small rake and began running besides Benignus. He stuck his fingers against her neck, where a faint, erratic heartbeat could be felt. "Yes, we will help her. Quickly, inside."

Light flickered behind her eyelids.

She was walking; Sand, Nevalle, the Knight Captain, everyone that had been pulled into this war against Shadow all stood at the end of a long hall. There was a flickering light that ran in a jagged line down the Knight Captain's chest before disappearing into the collar of her shirt. The Knight Captain's silver eyes bore into her, cold and emotionless. Sand stood at the forefront, his eyes staring into hers; she noticed as she walked closer to them that his wrists were bound.

"You have quite a bit of power over their situation, girl."

Garius walked next to her, his hands folded behind his back, just as they had often walked; her on his right side. She used to feel strangely proud of his acknowledgement of her, when they appeared together thusly. Now she merely felt an emptiness; her eyes were fixed on Sand, at the end of the hallway, looking urgently at her as if he were trying to say something...

"Pay attention, girl...!"

But the hallway was stretching longer and longer, and even when she finally broke into a run, leaving Garius' furious face behind her, the group of heroes, Neverwinter's last bastion of hope against the darkness, seemed to move farther and farther away...

"...girl...can you hear me, girl?..."

Torio opened her eyes.

Ghero stared urgently into the young woman's face as she opened her eyes again, her expression confused. She had fallen unconscious and then her whole body had begun seizing; the other priests had rushed to her side, holding her wracking body to the thin mattress before she hurt herself further.

"Girl...you gave us quite the scare...stay with us..." He pressed a cool damp cloth to her forehead. "We're just going to roll you on your side so the high priestess can heal you...stay with us..." Ghero gripped her lightly by the shoulders and turned her body. Benignus helped support her head, stroking her hair gently. "Ah, lovey, you must fight this, stay alive and return to him..."

The high priestess rushed in, her yellow robes trimmed with shining gold. Without any further word, she lifted Torio's torn tunic, eyeing the cervidal's quick patch job, touching the wound with her slender fingers. "You did well Benignus; she would have bled out quickly if you hadn't found her. They cut through some major blood vessels." Closing her eyes, she pressed her hands to Torio's back and muttered a quiet, singsong prayer to Pelor. Her hands became washed in a soothing, yellow light before radiating to the wound, healing it.

Ghero and Benignus lowered Torio back to the mattress and the high priestess unwrapped her hand, wincing in sympathy, clucking her tongue. "Oh my poor bird." She pressed her palm to Torio's palm and used another cure spell on her hand. Dropping Torio's hand back to the mattress, she pulled a woolen blanket up to her chin and stood. The high priestess turned to Ghero and Benignus, "She needs rest. Somebody should stay with her. Planar travel can be a shock."

Ghero stepped forward and answered, "I will. Beningus, you have your patrol duties and you have done enough today already for this stranger. I will take over. I am certain though, she would appreciate the visitor tomorrow."

The cervidal patted Torio lightly and stood as well. "Then I shall see you on the morrow. May Pelor bless you."

Torio felt absolutely exhausted; a latent weariness seemed to settle into her very bones, and she sighed in absolute relief as she moved and felt only the slightest complaints in her back...the muscles were tightened, slightly sore, but otherwise unscathed, and she flexed her stiff left hand as she watched the cervidal leave. She tried to call "Thank you!" but her voice was hoarse and muted, as if she had been wandering the desert for days with a parched throat.

Her head was a bit clearer now that she was healed. She examined Ghero covertly, surprisingly uncaring as to what these...creatures, or people...planars? had in store for her. It was supposed to be a plane infused with good aligned creatures. She should be relatively safe...

Not that she deserved any of it.

"Elysium, is it?" She asked Ghero quietly. "I suppose I owe you and your priestess my life." She shifted slightly, propping herself up on an elbow. "Do you know of how I could get back to Abeir-Toril from here? Or who I might talk to?"

Ghero pulled up a small stool and sat besides her, holding prayer beads between his fingers. His tanned face was young; and yet at the same time, held a sort of wrinkled wisdom of the ages whenever he smiled. "You do not 'owe' anybody here anything. Those who serve Pelor are called to aid all those in need, regardless. I would hope that you would have done the same, had the situations been reversed." He picked up a waterskin hanging by the headboard of the bed and handed it to her.

"You must regain your strength first before you can think of leaving here. Much of your life's blood was lost; planar travel so soon again will be a shock to your system and you may not survive. It was a miracle you survived the first trip. But you will need to speak to either Prince Talisid or one of his Five Companions - his lieutenants."

Ghero reached out and touched her forehead. "I can sense great evil in your past, great sins for which you are struggling to atone. Normally the avorals do not tolerate visitors such as you - and yet they have left you alone. Out of pity or sympathy or because they see something in you, I do not know."

He toyed with his beads a moment, the dull gold glittering in the sunlight. "One does not simply demand an audience with the Prince or his Companions. It must be earned but once earned, you will have no greater ally. Tell me, Torio, how did one like you come to be here? And why is it you are so hard pressed to leave? Most of those who come become permanent petitioners here. Tell me your tale."

Torio's face was hard as she looked at the man sitting at her bedside. Struggling to atone... She had merely been struggling to survive, much less atone for anything.

She said evenly, "I was on a ship, south of the human city of Luskan, on Faerun. Toril. We were attacked." Her fingers toyed with the edge of her blanket, her legs shifting slightly under the blanket; she couldn't pace...she wanted to pace. Hells, she wanted to run, and keep running, until her feet were back on familiar soil again. "I was...obviously wounded, as you saw when I was brought here. My...A wizard..." she swallowed hard. "My lover wished me away...here, I suppose, since this is where I ended up. He had spoken of doing it before, if I ended up being in danger." Her fingers were tightly knotting the blanket in her fingers as she spoke. "He's in danger; possibly dead, already. I need to get back to help him." Her voice sounded completely unfamiliar to her; it was raw, almost pleading, and she took a deep, ragged breath, leaning back against the pillows.

After a moment, she spoke again. "I suppose I have my share of 'sins', as you call them." She shifted uncomfortably. "I'm...not exactly proud of the things I've done. I always felt they were necessay." Her eyes flitted to Ghero's face. "Now I'm not so positive; look where they've landed me." She sighed. "The...elf that sent me here, he's...one singular person out of thousands that looked at me differently. Despite my...past." She shut her eyes. "You understand my desire to return."

Ghero reached out and took her newly healed hand. "Oh, child." The priest fell silent a moment before continuing. "Your lover sounds like a good man. The gods do reward men and elves such as him. If he has died, I am certain his soul has moved on and has found peace. But if he is alive then you will have to trust that he can survive on his own. There are no guarantees as to how soon you will find your way back to your plane, if ever. But yes, I do understand your desire to return home - you feel as though you can affect a change to help him. To do good. To act in the name of goodness on his behalf."

He gave her hand a very gentle squeeze. "There is redemption to be had for all, Torio Claven, if they would but only realize it and seek it. Do you realize it yet? Do you seek it yet?" He reached up and brushed some of her brown locks out of her eyes. "That is what you must ask yourself. Then the difficult journey begins."

Ghero kissed her forehead. "I bless you in Pelor's name. Sleep now and wake with the new dawn. May it be a new day for you. I will stand vigil over you."

Torio's heart wrenched in her chest as Ghero moved back into the shadows. Her fingers clutched the blanket up to her chin. She wanted to harden herself, drive steel through her spine and deny that she even needed atonement...are you Luskan bred and born or aren't you? She could survive...she could find a way back to Sand, without anyone's help...

And maybe be too late? From the way Ghero spoke, it was going to take quite a bit to leave Elysium. If you want to leave...

For a craven, selfish moment, she thought of what her life might be like if she stayed here; surrounded by eternal beauty, astounding creatures, an almost idyllic life compared to the chaos she had ploughed through back on Faerun...Sand had done this for her. It angered her because it was one more thing that she had no control over; someone else was moving the current of her life, even if that someone else was doing it for her own benefit.

She reached out with her mind, desperately, insensibly. Sand...Sand, Sand, Sand, Sand... The spell wouldn't work through twenty five yards of stone, much less across the planes, but the act crumbled her resolve, and curiously strengthened it. She'd go back. She knew she had no other path before her.

Torio fell asleep, her fingers pulling the blanket against her body, her arms empty.