A/N: Chapters 15 and 16 of the original now combined. In this chapter the Nira/Shanali story is told and therefore gotten out of my way as well as the whole weird feeling Artemis has been having.

Disclaimer: Please see previous chapters.

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Chapter Ten: Nira's Tale

"Then tell me," the former assassin stated.

Nira motioned for them to sit down as he did so himself. "This will take a while," he said.

"We have time," Entreri replied.

Nira nodded. "I will get to how I got here shortly, but first I think that it is important to tell you of everything before." Again Entreri nodded. Nira began his tale.

"I had known Shanali for years before we had gotten together. At first we were almost considered enemies, though truly, that was never the case at all. People merely assumed so because of how much I annoyed her. We sparred often."

"Shanali was a demoness from a noble clan. Others looked down on our friendship because I was not, but it never bothered her. To Shanali, one person was just as good as another regardless of blood. She believed strongly in fairness and she hated all acts of discrimination. I believed in what she did, though admittedly, I was a bit more brash and hot-headed. Sparring with her made me calm down quite a bit.

"Both of us were in the mercenary band led by the elfmaid Silver. My name became known throughout the ranks of demon and human nobility alike. Eventually we ended up as partners, we traveled all across Japan slaying problematic demons. Our work soon spread across the sea. We tracked down criminals, hunted monsters the like. After four years of working together, our partnership became something more.

"Then, one night in Silverymoon we shared a room and a bed. That was the first time...We never slept apart after. I knew then that I didn't want anyone else. I asked her to be my life mate. It turned out that she didn't want anyone else either. We marked each three months later, we were landed with a case in Memnon. The priests of the Temple of Selûne were committing crimes of the worst kind. They were selling false hope for high prices to the people. They took in young girls for pleasure, promising them food in return. The girls always left deflowered and with food that was stale or half rotted. We both hated what they were doing, we made for Memnon immediately. We were assigned to destroy the temple."

Nira paused here and let his last sentence sink in before he continued. "On the way to Memnon Shanali discovered she was pregnant. We were overjoyed. She was only about a month along, six weeks perhaps. She would be fine to fight, and I was not about to tell her she could not," He smiled. "Trying to stop Shanali was like trying to stop the sun."

"We came to Memnon on schedule. We entered the temple the same night. Now I wish we had never taken the case."

"We sensed a strong demonic aura before we had ever entered. The priests were working for the demon. By the time we had gotten to the Blessed House Proper, it was too late. They had somehow been expecting us. They poisoned me with a dose of demon's bane on a crossbow bolt. I was not immune to it yet and it took me down instantly. I could do nothing but watch Shanali battle the priests on her own.

"She did well at first. The Charon's Claw cut through them like parchment. But the demon had anticipated for this exact situation. He'd had a wizard fashion him a magical gauntlet that would allow him to wield the sword without it devouring him. He grabbed her by her throat and took the sword from her hand. She had tried to stab him with her dagger but he poisoned her as well. He dropped her to the floor and told the priests to take care of her. He and a few of his demon followers dragged me away.

"I learned afterwards that Shanali had been turned human, but she had sealed her power inside our child. She had begun a sealing spell on our child's blood as well. At the moment of your birth the spell was sealed. You were born human, but your true blood lay hidden inside you. The demon sealed me in here for reasons I have yet to learn, he set his spell so only mine and Shanali's child could free me. He never thought you would survive. He doesn't know yet that you have.

"I have been waiting for you to come here for the last four decades. During that time I scryed you often. I've watched you most of your life up until now," He finished his story with that.

For a while no one spoke. They just stared at each other in silence.

"What do you mean my blood was hidden inside me?" Entreri finally asked.

"It's an old magic only mother demoness' have. In order to protect you from her fate, Shanali turned you human using the spell the priests used on her, however, she only put your blood to sleep. She knew that it would awaken when the time was right," Nira explained. "And when she sealed her powers inside you, it made it so you would also have all of her power when your blood finally awakened. My captor knows nothing of any of this."

"And how do you know?"

"When demons mate for life they become a part of each other. I knew she meant to protect you with her life. I felt it when she gave you her power. I also knew that she meant to prevent them from turning you human."

Entreri raised an eyebrow. "But I am human," he stated.

Nira shook his head. "No you're not. You've just always believed you were so you've aged like one. If you wanted, you could change your body back to a younger form right now. You're not completely a demon right now but if you want, I can change that."

"How?"

"I can give you a small amount of my blood and it will wake yours. But in order to do that you would have to set me free."

Entreri glared at him suspiciously. "And why would I do that?"

Nira gave him a small knowing smile. "You don't have to. I am completely at your mercy right now, I have nothing to gain by lying to you."

All of this was true and everyone knew it. Everything he had said was true. Entreri swallowed hard. "How do I get you out?'

"Put your hand on the door frame."

"How do I know that I wont get trapped?" Entreri asked.

"I don't think that my captor thought you would ever show up. It should be safe."

Artemis did as Nira had instructed, as soon as his hand touched the door frame it glowed briefly. Nira reached out tentatively, his hand went through the door. Then he stepped out for the first time in a very long time.

He looked around the room and then back to Artemis. "Thank you."

"I don't want to call you my father," Entreri stated.

Nira nodded, he had been expecting this.

"What do you want me to call you?" Entreri continued.

The older male smiled widely, "Just call me Nira. That is my name after all. Can I call you Artemis?"

The latter nodded. Nira motioned for the five to follow him out of the cave and they did so silently.

Nira stared up at the mid-day sky and listened to the sound of the wind in the trees. It felt so good to be outside! The wind swept gently through his hair and tattered clothes, he closed his eyes and let himself enjoy the feeling. "Thank you," he whispered again to Artemis.

Entreri only stared at him. It had been dark in the cave, but now in the full light he could see Nira more clearly. His hair was black like his, though longer and tangled to oblivion. They had the same pale skin, or it would have been the same is Entreri's hadn't turned grey from the shade. Nira was slightly taller and had deep brown eyes to his grey ones. They had exactly the same physical structure, lean bodies deceptively small but stronger than they looked. In short, they could have been mistaken for brothers.

Nira quietly endured the inspection, he couldn't blame Artemis for being curious. He didn't move when his son's hand reached out hesitantly to touch the single dark green stripe on his left cheek. He knew Artemis was wondering what he would have the same markings if he turned into a full demon. He watched as his son let his hand drop back to his own side. He was now staring at his attire.

"We need to get you some new clothes," he stated. Nira nodded.

"There are some back in there," he looking back to the cave. "In the room next to the one we were just in." He watched as one of the others headed back inside. At least he didn't have to go back in there.

Nira didn't think that he would ever go in there again. And if he had to, he would stay out of the room he had been imprisoned in. "May I travel with you?" he asked Entreri, who agreed.

"You're not going to be all 'fatherly' are you? he asked.

Nira shook his head. "No, it's too late for that. We don't really know each other so I have no right. I would like to get to know you though, if you don't mind. Also, I can be of assistance to you."

Entreri had no idea what to say. Nira wanted to get to know him...

He was saved from having to give an answer, Jarlaxle came out of the cave and handed Nira the new clothes he had found. And a comb. Typical Jarlaxle, at least he didn't say anything about Nira's hair.

Nira tilted his head up and sniffed the air. "There's a hot spring not to far from here." He motioned for the others to follow him as he started off. He knew they would camp by the hot spring.

The others allowed Nira the privacy of the first bath. They set their camp a little ways from the spring but far enough away that it could not be seen. Nira was pleased with this. 'Finally, a real bath!' he thought. He shredded off his tattered clothes with his claws and dove into the water. When he came up for air his skin shivered with delight. 'And it's a hot one!' He started scrubbing himself with the cloth the girl had given him. It automatically spread a soapy lather across his skin. 'Trust a girl to have something like that...' At least it didn't smell girly.

He finished scrubbing himself and set about combing his hair. Though it was a big mess, combing out the knots did not take as long as he thought it would. One of the good things about being a demon was that hair never got to the point where it couldn't be untangled, if it ever got tangled at all. Thus, he had made short work of the knotted mess. He tied his hair back with a piece of leather cord he found in the pocket of the tunic the drow called Jarlaxle had gotten him. Ordinarily he favored short hair, but he decided to leave it long so Artemis would feel more comfortable. They looked enough alike already.

He dressed quickly and rejoined the others. They had a meal waiting for him upon his return, nice and hot.

Traveling with this group would be a good thing. Perhaps Artemis would grow to accept him. Nira hoped he would, even if it wasn't as a father.

That night after the fire was put out and the others slept Nira stared up at the night sky. He heard Artemis walk up behind him and stop.

"What did she look like before?" Entreri asked.

"Before she was turned human?" Nira asked. Artemis nodded. "She was like the most beautiful lily in a field. I have no other way to describe her. I can show you if you like." Artemis nodded again, this time much more eagerly. Nira smiled and cast a minor spell. There before him stood his mate as she was in her prime. Her hair was a deep chestnut and her skin was the color of light cinnamon. Everything about her gave off a feeling of warmth, right down to the grey eyes she had passed on to her son.

'She looks exactly like she did in my dream' Entreri thought. He liked this image of his mother much more than the sickly form he had grown up with.

When the image faded Entreri looked over to Nira, the demon wore a sad look on his face. 'He really did love her...'

He cleared his throat softly to get Nira's attention. Nira looked over at him. "Sorry, that was the first time I've looked at her in a long time. Do you have more questions?"

"Yes I do," Entreri replied.

"Then ask all you want, I'll do my best to answer."

"What exactly would happen to me if I drank your blood?" the former assassin asked.

"You would become a full blooded demon like me," Nira explained. "I don't know exactly what would happen. I just know that once you have my blood in your system it will act as a catalyst and spark yours. Your blood will thicken and you will not age unless you want to. You will also gain the abilities that go with our race."

"What if I don't drink your blood? Then what?" Artemis pressed.

"Then you will remain as you are. You still won't age if you don't want to. You're still immortal. You just won't come fully into your abilities."

"I'm immortal?"

"Yes, all demons are, though like any other living being we can be killed."

"And what did you mean by I won't age unless I want to, I'm old by human standards. I look older than you."

"By human standards," Nira repeated. "You've lived you life believing you're human so you have aged like one. If you want to look and feel younger, just imagine that you are and you will be."

Entreri closed his eyes and pictured himself as he was about fifteen years ago, around the time he had first battled against Drizzt.

When he opened his eyes, he looked exactly like he had pictured, except that his skin was still grey. Entreri did not care about that though, now he would be able to wake up in the morning without his back hurting. The only real way he could test his abilities out was to go spar with Drizzt, he figured. He was sure the drow ranger would not mind that. "Will I have markings like you?" he asked.

Nira shrugged. "You might. I really have no idea."

"What about claws?"

"Most likely, and fangs too."

"Fangs?"

Nira opened his mouth in response. Entreri saw clearly what he was talking about, the dangerously long and pointed canine teeth. Apparently the look on his face was amusing because Nira started laughing. "You'll get used to them after a while, that is if you choose to change," he said.

Entreri nodded and continued, "Can I see your claws?" Nira held out his hand and Artemis took it. The hand itself looked normal, the nails were thicker and much longer than his own. Nira flexed his hand and they got longer, they also ended in a sharp point now. Entreri poked a fingertip at the end of one to test it. The claw felt almost like a dagger point. "Can they cut through anything?"

"Almost everything," Nira replied as he retracted his claws. "Very useful when you don't have a sword."

"You're really my father?" Artemis blurted out suddenly. He bit down on his lip when he realized what he had said, he hadn't meant to.

Nira looked him straight in the eye. "Yes."

Artemis let out the breath he had been holding, "I don't think I'm ready to think of you like that."

Nira nodded. "I know. I never expected you to. Not after being gone for your entire life. I've met you in person, that's more than I had ever thought I'd get and that's enough for me. If you said right now that you wanted me to leave I would."

"No, don't leave," Entreri struggled to find the right words. He had never been in a situation like this. "I'm still curious about you. I want to watch you and see what it's like being a demon before I choose to become one. And- and I want to get to know you too..."

The situation had become awkward for both of them. They chose to end the conversation right there. Entreri took over watching while Nira went off somewhere. They both needed time to think of what had just transpired.

"How come you haven't told me where you're taking me?" Vierna demanded again as soon as Shiara set her down.

"Because if I told you, you might use the location against me. You might call out to your kin for rescue and I really have no intentions of being a prisoner again," he answered.

"Why did you even take me in the first place?" the drow woman spat.

"Because you could have valuable information I can use against them," the elf male said in a mocking tone.

Vierna scowled. This wasn't going anywhere. She knew he had taken her for more than information. If he had wanted only information he would have bound her. Instead he let her roam about freely and even protected her. She wanted to know the truth, but did not question him further. He wouldn't answer if she did anyway so what was the point? But there was one thing she did want to know...

"Can I use those fans as my own weapons?" she asked.

Shiara turned to regard her, "Why?"

"Because I would like to be able to defend myself. What would I do if I was attacked and you were not around?" True enough, he thought.

"Alright, you can use them. But know now that if you attempt to use them against me they will turn on you."

Vierna nodded, she didn't want to use them against him anyway. She just felt she would feel a bit better with weapons of her own. He took them out of his pack and handed them to her along with a thin belt to hook them onto. She put the belt on and placed the fans inside. "Thank you," she said, he just nodded and started off again. She followed him once more and was silent for the rest of the day. Vierna felt that she at least owed him that much.