Chapter 4: The Paladin makes a lifelong friend

Armed with the staff he had taken from the temple, and with Guinis at his side, Joetaro approached Thursa's room, listening to Heras' voice from the outside of the door. Rubik had warned them the man had walked up to the room and said he would be willing to help if Heras needed to be "put down."

Joetaro opened the door as Heras sat on Thursa's bed, stroking her journal and petted the spine, a euphoric expression on his face. The man snapped out of his trance and sneered as the half-elf stepped into the room and withdrew an amulet from his cloak, stroking the jackal-shaped stone at the end. "It seems you are harder to kill," he said to Joetaro and Guinis.

"I have your fiancé to thank for that," Joetaro answered as he pointed his staff toward Heras. "She is looking for you."

"She and I are supposed to meet for dinner," Heras said as he rose from the bed. "I suppose I will have to dispatch of you and the mutt first."

"Before you try, why did you do it?" Joetaro asked as Gunis moved in front of him. "Why did you kill Thursa?"

"I could not let her leave," Heras answered calmly. "She had to stay with me. I could not let her leave. I had to make sure nothing came between us."

Joetaro followed Heras' eyes to his canine companion. "You tried to eliminate everything Thursa moved, and you murdered Guinis, didn't you?"

"I couldn't let anything stand in my way with Thursa," Heras answered. "She was an angel, ever since she entered my life one year ago. I made all attempts to win her, but to no avail. When she rebuffed my offers, I began courting Azona. She is a suitable woman, but I thought if I could court her, Thursa would become envious and take me. When that did not work, I had to eliminate everything that could come between us, including that dog."

Heras moved closer to Joetaro and continued," When Thursa threatened to move to Waterdeep, I was crushed. I could not let her leave. Poisoning her has kept her in Daggerford. I can have her all to myself. I tried to retrieve her body, but the dog kept appearing at her grave, every time I tried to remove her."

Guinis barked and growled as he inched toward Heras, ready to stroke. "Miserable mutt," Heras spat before the turned back to the half-elf. "With Thursa gone, that makes things less complicated. I can marry Azona and use her wealth to own all of Thursa and her possessions."

Joetaro gripped his staff tighter. "I am sure Thursa's sister would not like the idea of her killer owning the last place she was alive."

Heras turned to him with a bewildered expression. "She … Thursa never told me she had a sister," he muttered, his voice rising in anger. "She has a sister. How did I not know this?"

"She never told you of her sister," Joetaro said, ready to play on the man's answer. "Perhaps I knew Thursa better than you. If I had come to Daggerford sooner, I could have traveled with her to Waterdeep."

Heras screamed and pounced on Joetaro, his fists flailing on the half-elf's chest in a frenzy before wrapping his hands around his neck. Joetaro felt his throat clench as he stared into Heras' rage-filled eyes.

"I will choke the life out of-" Heras stopped as Gunis launched at him, digging his claws into his face while attempting to retrieve the amulet. Heras rose and tossed the dog to the floor and whispered into the amulet. Joetaro breathed hard and watched as two warriors rose from the floor in front of their master.

After rising to his feet, Joetaro turned in a semicircle and slammed his staff through one zombie's sternum. He was about to go for a second attack when a sharp pain broke through the small of his back and shot up his body.

"You will not take her from me," whispered Heras as Joetaro drove his below into his stomach. The half-elf suppressed the pain to drive a right hook into Heras' throat and wrestled him to the floor. Guinis leapt back onto Heras, this time retrieving the amulet and carrying it to the door. Heras yelled as he clawed at Joetaro, raking his eyes before pushing him off.

As Heras regained his footing, three more jackals appeared and leaped at him, tearing through his clothes and flesh. Joetaro inched his way to Guinis and watched the dog sniff and lick the amulet.

Another shot of pain caused Joetaro to grunt as he took both Guinis and the amulet out of the room and spotted Azona and Rubik reaching the top of the stairs.

"I heard screaming from downstairs," the dwarf said as kneeled next to Joetaro, who closed his eyes, praying to Selune as silver light seeped from his fingertips and closed his wound. He watched Azona push the door and gasp at the warriors tearing Heras' body.

"Heras confessed to killing Thursa," Joetaro cried as he watched a cold expression cross Azona's face while Heras' screamed echoed from the door. The priestess waited before entering the room and shining her holy symbol with Rubik following her.

Joetaro sighed as he scratched Guinis. He stared into the dog's eyes as two silver tears ran down the canine's cheek. Guinis licked Joetaro's face affectionately before vanishing from his lap.

Joetaro stared at the empty space in his lap, then rose to his feet, scanning the hallway for his friend before entering the room. He ignored both the dwarf and Azona as he continued to search the room. "Where is he? Where is Guinis?"

Rubik and Azona exchanged glances. "Maybe he is back with Thursa," Azona finally answered. "You avenged her murder. His time in this world has passed and he can join her."

Azona's response caused Joetaro to stop searching. He sat quietly on the bed as tears began to slide down his face.

In the two days that had passed since his ordeal, Joetaro had spent some time with Azona and helped her bury the bodies of the priest. On the morning before his departure for Waterdeep, he joined her at the Dragonback Inn for morning tea.

Although he was thankful for Azona's generosity, he found little joy in tea or company. He missed his friend too much.

"Drink your tea," Azona said as she sat next to him. He nodded and sipped it softly.

"It's good tea," he said as Azona placed a set of clothes in front of him and a bag of gold. "I cannot accept these," he said, pushing them toward her.

"I insist, Joetaro," she said, pushing them back to him. "I only ask that you remember to pay back your kindness." Her demeanor sorted as she leaned toward him. "I know you miss him, Joetaro, but Guinis is in a better place. You fulfilled your mission and you can go to Waterdeep."

Joetaro smiled at Azona's words until another wave of loneliness hit him. He missed Gunis, so much so that he began to hear faint barking in the distance.

The half-elf jolted from his chair as the barking grew louder. Even Azona heard the noise as she reached for her holy symbol and began praying to Lathander.

After he heard another bark, Joetaro turned to see Guinis sitting behind him. The dog was no longer a skeleton, rather he appeared as a small, dog with sharp ears and a noise and fur that appeared like a star-filled night sky.

Before Joetaro could speak, Guinis flew into his body, causing a rush of warmth flow through him with the sound of playful barking breezing in his mind.

Guinis jumped from his body and appeared on the table his tail wagging furiously. Joetaro hugged and scratched his Guinis' fur as he felt his friend's affectionate kisses.

"I have never seen anything like this -" Azona said as he Guinis leaped into Joetaro's body, then jumped out to demonstrate his trick for the cleric. "It appears Guinis is bonded to you, Joetaro. It looks like you will have a friend traveling with you on your journey to Waterdeep"

Joetaro smiled as Guinis materialized on his lap. "Yes, and I am looking forward to -" he stopped his proclamation as Guinis began to slurp his tea, causing Azona to erupt with laughter.