Idal - As with most of the story, I kept what I liked about Spellhold and jettisoned the stuff that bored me. Hence, you won't be seeing the game show/maze beneath the prison, because I absolutely loathe having to deal with most puzzles in an RPG (not to mention that they wouldn't translate well into print anyway). Thanks for reviewing!

OOO

Okay, fearless leader, what now? Jess rested her forehead against the glass in the hall window, staring down at the street outside of Galvena's Parlor House. The group of pirates that milled restlessly around, staring up at the brothel and talking among themselves, had grown noticeably since sunrise. It would continue to grow as more recovered from the previous night's carousing; eventually, Jess knew, their number would grow large enough for belligerence to overcome caution.

If it had only been herself and her companions, she would have had Aerie throw a few lightning bolts from the windows to keep their minds fully focused on their own mortality, then sneaked them all out the back. The addition of nearly thirty young women, some incapable of moving on their own, all terrified, made this option nearly as implausible as sprouting wings and flying them all to safety.

Sooner or later – probably sooner – they were going to be faced with several hundred armed men out for blood. With a bit of preparation, they could hold them off for a while, but inevitably they would be overwhelmed.

Unless you use the taint.

Jess shook her head, dismissing the possibility, despite the dreadful eagerness that surged through her at the idea. A slaughter of that magnitude would inflame the taint to the point that she might never regain control; her friends would ultimately be in as much – or more – danger from her. There has to be another way – but what?

"Their number grows."

Jess started at the voice, one hand dropping to the hilt of a scimitar before she realized that it was Anomen who stood beside her, gazing out the window on the street below. When Jess had left Galvena's chambers, the knight had been deep in conversation with one of the girls, a buxom blonde whose wide blue eyes watched him worshipfully. Jess had pushed away a surge of jealousy at the sight. You're too busy for this nonsense; you don't have time for love right now, anyway. What he needs is some damsel he can rescue, not a bloodthirsty Bhaalspawn that could chop him into fishbait if she loses control.

He offered her an apologetic smile. "I am sorry, my lady. I did not mean to startle you."

Jess shook her head. "No apology needed, Anomen; if I'm careless enough to let someone walk up behind me unnoticed, I deserve to be startled."

"You should be able to relax among friends," Anomen observed.

"If we were just among friends, I would," Jess replied, nodding toward the growing crowd in the street, "but there's always the chance that one of them might sneak in. Or that one of our charges might change her mind about being rescued," she added after a pause.

"There is little chance of that," Anomen assured her, his face bleak. "These women have been abused grievously."

"Different people react in different ways to such things, Anomen." Jess said quietly. "Hurt someone bad enough, long enough, and they break, but not everyone breaks the same way."

"You sound as though you speak from experience, my lady," Anomen probed gently.

Jess stared out the window for a long time before responding. "I don't remember much about being in Irenicus' dungeon in Athkatla," she said finally. "The only things I can remember clearly are the pain and the rage. I don't know how long I was there, but for a while I didn't know who I was, didn't remember Imoen, Jaheira or any of the others. All I knew was the pain, and I would have killed anyone to make the pain stop.

"I don't know what he did to Imoen, but it had a different effect on her. It was like he had opened the door to a dark place inside her, a place that she never knew existed. Mostly it scared her, repelled her, but part of her was fascinated by it."

Death is...pretty. Why would I think that? Jess, I've got to get out of this place!

Jess gripped the windowsill tightly, barely aware of the splinters digging into her fingers. "I wanted to talk to her about it, but we'd no sooner escaped than those bastard wizards grabbed her, and I haven't seen her since. She's been alone with them for weeks, going through the gods only know what."

"And you are worried about what effect that has had on her?"

She glanced at him, but the sympathy in his brown eyes was more than she could stand, and she looked away quickly. "Not worried, Anomen," she corrected him, forcing the words past the tightness in her throat. "Terrified. I've always been there to take care of her. Always. Not knowing what's happening to her is making me crazy, and it seems like the closer we get, the more gets piled in front of us. Now this." A wide sweep of her hand indicated the present situation, and she sagged, resting her forehead against the window again. "I just don't know what to do."

Anomen's hand touched her shoulder, exerting a gentle pressure, and she turned instinctively into his embrace, laying her head on his shoulder. No romantic impulse was involved, simply a desire for the comfort of a friend's closeness. She clung to him, eyes closed as she tried to block out the fear that filled her mind, fear of arriving too late, finding Imoen damaged beyond recovery, fear of what would happen if she used the taint – and fear of what would happen if she didn't.

Anomen held her wordlessly, one hand gently stroking her hair, and gradually the fear subsided. As it did, Jess became aware of his touch, the slow rhythm of his breath, the soft tickle of his beard against her cheek.

She drew back. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have fallen apart like that."

He shook his head. "No apology needed," he said, smiling slightly as he repeated her earlier words. "To feel such fears is perfectly understandable, given the situation; it is human nature to worry over what is unknown."

Jess smiled at the irony of the statement. "But I'm not human, Anomen, not entirely," she said softly. "A human couldn't have done what I did last night."

The knight cocked his head, considering. "Perhaps not," he conceded finally, "but the one who sired you wouldn't have done what you did. He would not have saved Aerie or Claire; he would have slaughtered them, along with any others that he could reach. Is that not so?"

"Yes," Jess nodded, her eyes dubious, "but-"

"But nothing," Anomen cut her off, placing his hands on her shoulders, forcing her to look at him. "You are not Bhaal; you are Jessime," he said earnestly. "We do not follow you because of your divine blood; we follow you because you are good and courageous and honorable and-" He broke off suddenly, flushing and looking down abruptly, but his hands never left her shoulders, and when he raised his head again, the look in his eyes made her pulse quicken. Gently, almost hesitantly, he pulled her toward him again, and she let herself be drawn.

"Jess!" Yoshimo's shout preceded his footsteps up the stairs, and the pair broke apart.

"What is it?" Jess asked, more sharply than she had intended.

The bounty hunter looked curiously from one flushed face to the other. "There's a man downstairs wanting to see Claire."

"Tell him she's retired," Jess snapped irritably.

"He claims to be a friend," Yoshi replied. "To her and to Sanik, and he knows that Sanik is dead."

Jess paused, digesting this bit of information. Given their current situation, any potential ally should not be discounted. "All right, let him come up, but watch him. If he tries anything, run him through."

"Sound advice, great leader," Yoshi said dryly. "What other obvious instructions would you like to give?"

Jess gave him a flat stare. "Just get him, dammit," she growled. Turning to Anomen, she asked, "Would you please bring Claire out here?" The knight nodded and was gone without a word, leaving Jess to try to collect her thoughts.

Now where were you? Oh, yes: you were thinking what a good idea it would be for him to take up with one of these damsels in distress. Funny: the idea didn't seem nearly as good as it had five minutes ago. A pair of brown eyes looks into yours, and you're ready to melt. What part of "you don't have time for this" are you not comprehending? She gave herself a mental shake. Later; deal with that nonsense later. Right now, you need to focus on the problems at hand. If this man really was a friend of Sanik, he might know something that could help us.

She moved to the top of the stairs, one hand on the hilt of a scimitar in case the newcomer proved to be other than a friend.

Brown eyes.

You idiot.

OOO

You idiot!

Anomen's mind spun as he moved through the crowded chambers, eyes searching for Claire. He could still feel Jess in his arms, the softness of her hair beneath his hand, the look on her face as she had moved toward him, just before Yoshimo had burst in on them. He did not know whether to be angry or relieved at the interruption now, though at the time, he had felt a stab of something close to hatred for the bounty hunter with whom he had forged a cautious friendship.

Did he call himself an idiot for trying to kiss her, or for not kissing her sooner? Probably the former, he admitted ruefully to himself. She was vulnerable, needing the comfort of a friend, and you tried to take advantage of that, you oaf! You're lucky she didn't slap you back to Athkatla!

There. He spotted Claire, moved quickly to her side. "My lady, there is a man downstairs who claims to be a friend of yours – and of Sanik's," he told her in a low voice. Her face clouded in confusion for a moment, then lit up with relief.

"Golin? He's come early!" Turning, she raced from the room, drawing stares from many of the other women and a curious glance from Jaheira. Pausing to deliver a few words of explanation to the druid, he arrived back in the hallway to see Claire, in tears, being embraced by a burly, sandy-haired man in his early thirties.

Jess watched sympathetically as Claire, between sobs, stammered out the story of her ordeal to the new arrival. She turned her head as Anomen arrived, her eyes meeting his; flushing, she looked away quickly. A lead weight seemed to settle in the pit of his stomach. You've botched it, you fool! he berated himself.

Yoshimo sidled up to him. "Was I interrupting something earlier?" he asked from the side of his mouth.

Anomen bit back an angry retort. Do not blame him for your own failures. He shook his head. "No. Nothing of consequence, anyway."

The bounty hunter looked at him, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "Are you certain? Jess seemed to feel differently, if the look she gave me was any indication."

"You imagine things, my friend," Anomen replied softly. "She needs a friend, not a suitor. I overstepped my bounds; I only hope I have not damaged her trust in me."

Yoshimo considered a response, but decided that the knight was in no mood to receive any advice that he might offer. He will come to see it on his own, given time, he thought, then felt a wave of melancholy overtake him. If he is granted the time, that is.

"I am in your debt," Golin rumbled, extending a hand to Jessime while keeping the other about Claire in a brotherly embrace. "Sanik was my business partner – and my friend. He sent word for me to come to Brynnlaw with all speed, no doubt anticipating trouble with Galvena. I came as quickly as I could, but my ship was delayed by inclement weather." He lowered his head to Claire, whispering apologies.

"Ship?" Jess' face showed the same hope that had surged through Anomen at the word. "You have a ship?"

Golin nodded. "Aye. Tymora's Daughter is her name, though her luck has failed us this time. I transported the goods that Sanik sold here. He was on the verge of leaving this place; he'd made enough money to buy out the owner of a shop I knew of in Athkatla." He shook his head at the dark irony. "If we'd only been one damned day earlier…"

"Would you be willing to take some passengers on your return trip?" Jess asked.

"You and your friends? Absolutely. For killing that coldhearted bitch, I'll sail you around the world, if you like."

Jess shook her head. "Not us. Them."

Golin followed her gaze, his eyes widening in surprise. Then he grinned. "Saved the lot of them, did you? Aye, I'll get them out of this hellhole, and be happy to do it, though I don't know where I'll take them."

Jess' smile of relief lit her face. "I've got an idea for that." Striding into Galvena's chambers, she rummaged through her pack, pulling out parchment, ink and quill, quickly scribbling two notes, which she carefully folded and sealed. "Take this first one to Athkatla, to the temple of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart, and give it to Sir Ryan Trawl. Tell him that I need him to deliver the second letter to person it's addressed to." Anomen knew without looking that the second letter bore the name of Nalia D'Arnise, the earnest young noblewoman who had traveled with them for a time and whose family home, D'Arnise Keep, was – at least nominally – under Jess' guardianship. "Between the two of them, they'll find safe places for all of them, eh, Anomen?"

She grinned at him, green eyes dancing, and he returned the smile, partly at the thought of Sir Ryan's face upon finding himself charged with guarding the welfare of a boatload of "fallen women", but mostly because it felt so good to see her smile at him, to know that his impetuousness had not damaged their friendship. I can have that, at least.

"You get the lot of them ready for travel," Golin instructed, "and I'll go move the Daughter into a closer berth."

"Will the pirates give you and your crew any trouble?" Jess asked him.

Golin's answering grin was vicious. "Only if they're much drunker than I'd expect them to be at this hour of the day. They tried pushing us around when we first started selling here, and quickly discovered that my crew knows how to take care of themselves. They haven't bothered us since then."

"Can your crew be trusted?" Jess wanted to know. When Golin gave her a puzzled look, she elaborated. "I've promised these women that they'll be safe; I will become very cross with anyone who causes that promise to be broken. Make sure they understand that."

The sea captain snorted. "Having been through the ground floor of this place, I can guess what you can do when you're cross, but have no fear, lady. If any of my men were to offer harm to any passenger on my ship, you'd have to settle for what I left of them, and they know that."

Jess nodded. "Good enough."

"You're sure that I can't take you back to Athkatla?" Golin asked. "It's a long and wet walk, and I don't know how many ships out there will be willing to offer you passage after this."

"I'm sure that we can come up with an offer they won't be able to refuse," Jess replied dryly. "We've got to get into Spellhold, and I don't know how long it'll be before we come back out. I don't think that you want to sit in the harbor and wait for us with all these women on board." She paused, then added with a studied casualness, "You wouldn't know of a way into Spellhold, would you?"

Golin looked surprised at the question. "You're the first I've heard of that actually wants to get in." Anomen felt his heart sink, but the sailor continued after a thoughtful pause. "There'd be a couple of ways that I can think of off hand. The Pirate Lord – that's his mansion two levels above this one – he pretty much runs Brynnlaw, and he's got a deal with the wizards to keep those that displease him under lock and key. Enough gold could probably persuade him to have the lot of you 'arrested' and delivered to Spellhold."

Jess looked dubious. "They'd probably take our weapons and armor if we were arrested. What's the other possibility?"

"Well, there's Perth," Golin continued. "He's one of the Cowled Wizards, lives alone in a house on the east side of town. He keeps the Wardstone that allows them to get past the wards surrounding Spellhold when they're bringing a prisoner up from here."

"That sounds more promising," Jess said. "We ought to be able to handle a single wizard without any problem."

Yoshimo cleared his throat. "Actually, Jess, I'd like to try a more subtle approach, if you would permit it."

Jess looked at him questioningly. "What do you have in mind?"

Yoshi smiled. "All this open combat goes against my training. I haven't had the chance to skulk properly in weeks. Let me go in, see if I can 'liberate' the Wardstone, with this Perth none the wiser."

"Alone?" Jess frowned. "Are you sure that's a good idea? It seems a bit risky if you're out of practice."

"Out of practice?" Yoshimo echoed, with a theatrical expression of disbelief. "Out of practice? Me?"

"Forget I mentioned it," Jess murmured. "All right, give it a try, but if you're not back in two hours, we're coming in after you."

"In two hours I could have the wealth of the whole island in my pack," the bounty hunter replied jauntily. "Now, good captain, if you would be so kind as to give me the exact location of my intended target…"

Jess watched the thief and the sailor descend the stairs, then turned back to Claire. "All right, get the others ready to move out as soon as Golin has the ship docked." She nodded, eyes bright with anticipation, and walked quickly back into Galvena's chambers, where Anomen could hear excited chatter beginning as soon as she entered.

"Was it advisable to let him go alone?" he asked Jess quietly.

"He'll be fine," she replied, watching out the window as the crowd of pirates gave way before Captain Golin. He had obviously done something to earn, if not their respect, at least their caution. "He may not be as famous as he says he is, but he's the best thief I've ever worked with. We're lucky to have him along."