Part 9 Trial by Combat
Dawn came but the sun didn't show itself. I knelt at the feet of Tyr's statue but I made my prayers to Lathander in the hopes that something good would come from this day. I admit that I also selfishly prayed that the clouds wouldn't bring rain. It would be easier to deliver Tyr's justice with a dry bowstring.
"It is time," Sir Nevalle said. My knight, Sir Grayson, clasped me warmly by the hand. He said a few inspiring words but to be honest, I was barely attending. All my thoughts were focusing down on the task ahead. If I were to be Tyr's hammer today, then I wanted to face it as a hammer—a tool—and not as a thinking, feeling person.
Then the flames went up behind me and I faced Lorne in the arena. His lips twisted when he saw the bow I carried in an easy grip. I had surprised him and I could see him considering the possibilities. He knew how I fought with a falchion but my skill with a bow was largely unknown to him. He would need to close with me quickly and not let me pepper him with arrows.
"Your father would be proud," he sneered. I gave him calm eyes. Was this what it felt like to be Daeghun? This calm emptiness, with sorrow underneath?
"Do you think you can kill me as easily as your father killed mine? Well? Do you?" It looked like he was trying to work up his anger. Rage was his shield, like calmness was my father's. But rage was a poor shield, I thought, and it would not serve him today.
"How proud will your mother be?" I asked and his eyes blazed.
"I'm going to hack you apart," he growled and he rushed me. My first arrow missed completely but my second caught him high in the thigh. I had to dive under his flashing falchion—he had a terrible great reach and I misjudged it. I rolled and I ran, then I shot him again, a little higher in the same thigh. I wasn't lucky enough to pierce the big artery there, which would have killed him in minutes, but I slowed him down. It was enough to ensure my victory.
The rest of the duel played out like a sickening, bloody dream. I ran and then I sank an arrow deep into Lorne's flesh. I shot him again and again and the blood stained his armor and dripped onto the dirt. In the end, he stood there and let me hit him. Thunk. Thunk. He fell to his knees. He labored for the breath to speak.
"Finish it," he said.
"Lorne." I dropped my bow to the ground.
"Better to die by your hand than his," he said and I knew he meant his Luskan master.
"Yes," I said. I pulled Bishop's knife from my boot and he let me cut his throat.
I'm not sure how I made it back to the Flagon. People kept talking to me but I doubt I answered coherently. Someone, probably Casavir, had retrieved my bow from the arena because later I found it in my room.
Duncan gave me a big hug. It felt good to be held and I let myself relax in his arms.
"Sal," I said.
"Yo."
"Do you have any Harvest Mead?" He grimaced.
"Maybe. We do get Harbormen in here asking for it from time to time." He rummaged around behind the bar and finally pulled out a bottle, muttering something about foul brews and crazy Harbormen. He pulled down a clean mug but I shook my head.
"Just give me the bottle." He and Duncan made faces at each other, then Sal handed it over. I closed my eyes and took a long pull from the bottle. It was sweet and thick and burned a hot line from my throat to my belly. I opened my eyes. Everyone was looking at me.
"You should try this, Khelgar."
"No thanks, lass. It's a little early in the day to be poisoning my body." That's right, it was still morning.
"Since when?" Neeshka muttered. Khelgar laughed.
"Anyway, lass, it's good to see you safe and sound. Didn't think you'd be able to best that big brute but you made it look easy. Not a mark on you."
The door opened and a couple of Greycloaks dropped a box by the doorway.
"From Lord Nasher," one said. "Sign here."
"What is it?" Neeshka asked.
"I don't know," I said. "Probably something awful."
I sighed and opened the lid. First thing I saw was Lorne's falchion.
"Nine stinking hells," I said. "It's Lorne's gear." I couldn't bear to touch the sword. I started to drop the lid on the whole mess but then I saw the blood-stained envelope. My heart sank even lower. When I picked it up, the blood was still wet. Sweet Morninglord, he must have been carrying it in his clothes. I felt all the blood drain from my face.
"Well, I'm glad you killed that Luskan dog," Shandra said fiercely. "He deserved everything you did to him and more."
"He wasn't Luskan," I said softly. I opened the envelope. "He was a Harborman, just like me."
Lorne's words were brief. 'I love you Rose. I've always loved you. I'm sorry. Tell Mom I'm sorry.' Despite what he said last night, he must have known or feared that I would kill him.
"He was her husband," Bishop said mockingly. The room went very, very quiet. I put the letter in my pocket. I walked slowly over to Bishop and stared him straight in the eye.
"The world would be a better place if I killed you right now," I said.
"You're right about that."
I bent down and pulled his knife out of my boot. He saw it in my hand. His smile turned even more sardonic. I slammed the knife down on the table before him.
"You put it to good use today," he said. I turned and picked up my bottle of mead. "Smart move, by the way, crippling him right off."
"I know."
I drank my mead alone in my room and at last I slept, or at least achieved unconsciousness. Waking was dreadful. One thing about a hangover, it's a really big distraction from your other problems.
Casavir came into my room as I was packing my gear.
"Rose?" he said with a searching glance. "Are you well?"
"Sure, except for the self-inflicted brain damage." I got a small worried smile for this.
"Where are you going?"
"West Harbor. I need to tell Lorne's mom…what happened. He disappeared during the war and all this time she wondered…we all wondered…where he went."
"So you did know him. What Bishop said was true."
"I practically grew up with his family and his mom was like the mother I never knew." I let out a shuddering sigh, too close to embarrassing tears. "I really don't want to talk about this now."
"Could I come with you?" he asked softly. I blinked. It was a practical suggestion. In fact, going alone was rather stupid.
"I'd like that."
"It won't take me long to get ready." It never did. One thing I appreciated about traveling with Casavir was that he was always ready to hit the road when I was, unlike certain other members of our merry band who had to be kicked out of their bedroll.
He went off to his room, and then I thought—me and Casavir traveling alone—might get a bit awkward. So I asked Elanee along.
"I'm sorry," she said. "If you truly need me, I will come, but I am uncomfortable at the thought of traveling the Mere just now. Kaleil warned against it."
"Oh, right, never mind then." Khelgar gave me an earthier refusal and I didn't bother asking Neeshka or the spellcasters. I felt Bishop eyeing me across the room and ignored him.
I went back up to my room, slipped into my leather and slid my pack over my shoulder. Bishop came in without an invitation.
"You look pretty rough this morning, 'squire'."
"Thanks, that means a lot to me, coming from you." I tried to shoulder past him but he blocked the doorway.
"So where are we going?"
"I'm going to West Harbor. You're probably headed for one of the lower hells. Thanks a lot, by the way, for telling the whole bar my private business."
"It needed to be said."
"Not by you. Get out of my way."
"You're not going alone."
"No. Take yourself off, ranger, I don't need any more of your help."
"You're taking…who?" A pause. "Not Casavir." I gave him a bland look. Bishop sneered. "How's he going to keep all that shiny armor polished in the swamp?"
"As you like to say, 'not your problem'."
It felt good to leave Neverwinter behind for a time. I smiled across at Casavir and he smiled back. He also looked happy to leave the city. Returning to West Harbor would be painful, but the pain must be faced. The silver shards in my pack still held a mystery that was tied to the shadow that was growing across the land. Tyr had work for me yet, I could feel it, but I had companions to help me.
Sometimes that is all you need.
