Idal – Glad to have created a bit of ambiguity where Phaere is concerned; I think she deserves it! She wound up playing a much larger role than I initially intended, and I really enjoyed the complexity of the relationship that developed between she and Jess.

Theodur – Yeah, Solaufein does have a touch of bastard in him here, but after so many years being on the receiving end of Phaere's hate, it would be hard not to begin to reciprocate at some point. The drow NPC's would definitely be good candidates for same-sex romance mods – actually, I seem to remember reading somewhere that in the BG2 novelization, Phaere took Imoen to her bed (not even going to mention that possibility to Jess).

Thanks for reviewing!

OOO

Imoen hurled herself into Jess' arms as soon as the warrior entered their quarters. "Where have you been?" she demanded fiercely. "I thought something had happened to you!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Jess replied, hugging the younger girl reassuringly, startled at the tremors that shook the mage's slender frame. "I just got delayed a bit…but I know where the eggs are now, and I've got a way that we can get them."

The others had gathered in the common room; Jess' eyes went to Jaheira, the faint furrow in her brow sending a silent query to the druid. What's going on? Jaheira responded with a slight shake of her head and a glance toward the room that she shared with Aerie. We need to talk…alone.

Jess nodded her understanding. "Hold these," she said, passing the bag with the two sets of eggs to Yoshimo as she tried to disentangle herself from her sister's embrace. "Im, it's all right. I'm fine," she repeated, stroking the girl's hair and peering anxiously into her face, feeling an icy wash of fear at the pallor of her skin, the dark circles beneath her eyes. Gods, she had only been gone for a few hours; what in the Nine Hells had happened?

"I was scared, Jess," Imoen whispered miserably. "You were gone so long, and when Yoshimo went out and heard that the city had been sealed, I thought that they had caught you."

Jess raised her head to glare at the Kara-Turan. "I thought I told everyone to stay in here?"

"We knew from the noise outside that something had happened," Yoshimo replied calmly. "It seemed prudent to discover the nature of the disturbance, to decide whether or not we needed to escape to the tunnels, and I am the best suited to moving about unobtrusively. I obtained sufficient information to know that we were in no immediate danger and returned here."

Jess considered this for a moment, then nodded. "It was a good idea," she agreed. "In fact, we're probably going to be leaving here in a hurry very shortly, so everyone needs to get their gear ready to move." As quickly as possible, she outlined the events of the day, and the things that would – hopefully – happen within the next few hours.

"Betrayal upon betrayal," Jaheira observed, shaking her head in disgust. "It is a marvel that this abomination of a race has not wiped itself out long before now."

"They do what they have to in order to survive," Jess replied quietly. The druid gave her a curious glance, but said nothing.

"So, we must sneak into the most heavily guarded room in the most heavily guarded building in the city," Yoshimo said, peering into the bag at the fake eggs. "Might I assume that my skills will be of use, then?"

Jess grinned at him. "You might assume that…yours and Aerie's. I think that Invisibility and Speed spells might be needed in addition to sneakiness. The rest of you get our things ready to go, and if you hear all Nine Hells breaking loose in the direction of the Temple, get out of here and hide on the outskirts of the city, near the main exit tunnel."

"And then what?" Imoen demanded angrily. "Wait to hear whether you're dead or alive? Let me come with you, Jess," she pleaded. "I can sneak just as well as Yoshi can."

Not a chance, little sister. Not in the condition you're in now. Aloud, Jess only replied, "Im, I don't want to risk bringing two children of Bhaal into Lolth's temple. I don't know how great her power is here, but it's not worth the chance. Besides, if Jaheira and the others have to leave here quickly, they're going to need someone sneaky to scout out a safe route."

Imoen gave her a hurt look. "You mean that I'd be of no use to you in the shape I'm in now," she said as she drew away, an uncharacteristically bitter tone in her voice, "and you'd be right. I'll go get my things together and be ready to go; if I can't help, I can at least not hinder."

Turning, she went into the room she shared with Jess, closing the door behind her.

Jess stared after her in dismay, the feeling of standing on a crumbling ledge returning even more strongly than it had been as she listened to Phaere. Imoen had been getting better; the smile she had given Jess as she was leaving earlier had been all but indistinguishable from the impudent grins of the young rogue of Candlekeep. What had happened in the few hours she had been gone?

THE TAINT OF OUR SIRE TAKES HER, AS I WARNED YOU IT WOULD, the Slayer informed her with cold satisfaction, AND THIS IS BUT THE BEGINNING. SHE IS TOO WEAK TO FIGHT AGAINST IT FOR LONG.

Shut up! Shut up, damn you!

"She's just been worried about you, Jess," Aerie told her, following her worried gaze. "Wandering around the Underdark with that horrid creature…we already know that she's capable of cold-blooded murder to get what she wants."

"When your return was delayed, she became increasingly agitated," Anomen added, his expression sympathetic, "and even when Yoshimo's reconnaissance indicated that it was unlikely that your capture was the reason for Ust Natha being sealed, she was unable to dismiss the notion. She loves you dearly, and fears to lose you – as do we all."

Jess nodded silently, not trusting herself to speak. She knew in her heart that what the Slayer said was true. Time, which had seemed to be slipping all too quickly away from her before, now felt as though it was sprinting ahead, beyond all hope of capture or control. "We leave in ten minutes," she said at last, her voice dry and businesslike. "Once we're gone, the rest of you be ready to move quickly. If things go wrong at the Temple, I'll delay them as long as I can to give you time to get away." None of them needed to ask how she would delay the drow.

"My lady," Anomen started to object, "we will not leave you to fight the host of Ust Natha alone –"

"Yes, you will!" Jess snapped at him, turning on him with blazing eyes. "You will leave me, you will get Imoen out of this light-forsaken place, and you will find Bodhi and kill her! And once I have finished turning this viper pit into a lifeless ruin, I will join you!" Anomen took a step back from her with a sharp intake of breath, and Jess did not need a mirror to know that her eyes had gone golden. Closing her eyes, she drew several deep breaths, forcing the fear away. Gone were the days when panic brought the feeling of butterflies in her stomach, or birds aflutter in her chest. Panic now brought rage quickly in its wake, and rage brought fangs, claws and remorseless death. To panic was to lose control, and that was the one thing that she could never allow herself to do again.

She opened her eyes to find him watching her with concern, but no fear…no censure, and a wave of shame washed over her that she had spoken so to him. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, "but please take care of Imoen and the others, see them safely out of here. If I have to use the taint, I'll be better able to control it if I'm not worried about protecting the rest of you."

He nodded slowly, his eyes holding hers. "It shall be as you desire," he replied gently. "I wish greatly that I could accompany you on your current mission, but as stealth is not one of my strengths, I shall remain here and petition the Watcher to guard your steps." He hesitated, then continued. "And if worse should come to worst, I will see your sister is delivered safely from this place and that her soul is wrested from Bodhi's grasp, if I must enlist the aid of the entire Order to see it done."

"Thank you." Glancing around, she saw Jaheira standing at the open door of her quarters, her piercing gaze as clear a summons as any words. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I have a butt-chewing coming," she added, forcing a wry grin.

Stepping past the druid, she sat on the edge of one of the beds. "All right, lecture away," she murmured as Jaheira closed the door. "I've earned it."

Instead, the half-elf knelt in front of her, smoothing the hair away from her cheek and forehead with a hand that felt blessedly cool and gentle. "I would lecture an errant child, or a foolish novice who thoughtlessly put her companions in danger," she replied quietly. "You are a trusted companion and a dear friend, one who labors under a great burden. I offer counsel, not a lecture, if you will hear it."

"You know I will," Jess answered, closing her eyes and letting the soothing touch draw her mind into memories of the long ago journey through the forests to Candlekeep, Khalid's strong arms holding her safe by day and Jaheira's songs lulling her to sleep at night.

"You have reached a truce of sorts with the essence of Bhaal within you," Jaheira said, "but do not think that it will honor the truce if it can find a way to win the battle. It cannot overwhelm you by force, and it knows this, so it will seek to dominate you through subterfuge, by exploiting the areas where you are most vulnerable. Nowhere is that vulnerability so great as your desire to protect Imoen. Do not let your fear for her drive you into acting rashly. You may believe that you can control the power within you, but ultimately, it will be you who comes under its control."

"But she's running out of time, Jaheira!" Jess protested, feeling her frustration sharpening to a razor's edge. "It's not just fear doing this to her; it's the damn taint, as well"

"That is likely," the druid admitted gravely. "She has been weakened, both by the physical and mental tortures that Irenicus inflicted upon her and by the loss of her soul. The taint has awakened within her, not gradually, as happened to you, but suddenly. She has had no time to learn how to fight it, and just as your love for her is your greatest point of vulnerability, so her love for you is hers. It is the combination of all of these that has taken such a harsh toll upon her."

"So, are we to just wait for it to take her," Jess whispered bitterly, burying her head in her hands, "or kill her before it has the chance?" Her voice broke on the last word, and Jaheira embraced her.

"We give her the time that she needs," she replied firmly. "By getting her away from this place of evil, which no doubt delights and strengthens the taint, by helping her to heal and regain strength, and by reclaiming her soul."

Jess drew back to regard her friend solemnly for a long moment, then nodded. "Yes, that is all that we can do, isn't it? If Ardulace hadn't sealed the city, I'd send the rest of you out now, let Solaufein show you the way to the surface while we get the eggs for Adalon." She frowned, calculating the odds, but Jaheira shook her head.

"Even if the city were not sealed, if we were detained trying to leave, it could expose you before the eggs have been retrieved. Our pursuit of Irenicus and Bodhi is important, but it is perhaps more important that the drow not be permitted to enlist the aid of a demon in their war on the surface world, and that Adalon be freed to guard the path. We will remain here, at least until you have obtained the eggs. After that –"

"After that, I have to be present at the ritual, or arouse suspicion," Jess finished, "but the rest of you could enter the outer tunnels of the city, be ready to run when the seal is broken. I can join you as soon as soon as I see Ardulace dead, and with a demon loose in the Temple, they're not likely to even think of us until we're long gone."

"And Phaere?" Jaheira asked, watching Jess closely. "The deception that you plan will mean her death, as well." When Jess remained silent, she continued. "I saw your face when Aerie called her a horrid creature. Do not let Solaufein's tale of love lost cloud your judgement, Jess. If you try to save her, it will be at the risk of your own life, and the lives of your companions."

"I know," Jess sighed. "But it's more than what Solaufein said. I've talked to her, Jaheira…listened to her, and I don't think that the woman who loved him is gone. Not completely. Maybe with time…" she stood suddenly, letting her breath out in a hiss of frustration. "But I don't have time…and so I've gained the trust of someone with the sole intent of betraying them." She offered Jaheira a thin smile. "Gorion would be proud of me, don't you think?"

"More than you realize," the druid replied calmly. "You have done what was necessary, not out of malice, but to protect the lives of your companions and yourself, and to honor your word to Adalon."

"And Phaere became what she is to save her own life, and to escape the torture of the Handmaidens. I remember enough of what Irenicus did to me to know that there was a point at which I was ready to do anything to make the pain stop." Jess glanced at Jaheira, her face troubled "I try not to think about what might have happened if he had ordered me to kill one of you at that point."

"And despite that, when you were freed, your first thought was not to escape on your own," Jaheira persisted. "You chose to focus on others besides yourself. None of us here has been untouched by evil, and yet none of us have allowed ourselves to fall under its sway."

"But we have all been given a choice, shown another way," Jess replied. "Was she?" Then she shrugged. "It doesn't matter, though. I won't risk our safety for her, but I can't help wondering…"

"What if?" Jaheira finished for her, then smiled sadly at her nod. "It is a question that would plague anyone possessed of a conscience, Jess, but you can only save those who are willing to be saved. The ultimate choice in such matters never rests with you."

Imoen had returned to the common room when they rejoined the others, and she gave Jess an apologetic smile. "Sorry for being such a wimp, Jess. Guess this place is getting to me; I'm ready to see the sky again."

"I think that makes all of us, little sister," Jess agreed, hugging her again, "and no apologies needed, because you're not a wimp."

"Am, too."

"Are not." Jess grinned at Imoen, and was pleased to see that the smile she got in return was stronger, though the mage's face was still pale and her eyes shadowed. She glanced toward Aerie and Yoshimo. "Ready?"

"As ready as I'm likely to ever be," Aerie replied with a grimace. "No, Minsc, you can't come. Jess will protect me, and we'll be back soon."

The big ranger turned a pleading eye to Jessime, who shook her head firmly. "Not this time, big guy; you stick out too much. Besides, I need you to look after Imoen for me; can you do that?"

Minsc's eyes lit up and he nodded vigorously, striding over to stand protectively over Imoen, who smiled encouragingly up at him, then sent Jess and Aerie a surreptitious wink.

"Yoshimo?"

"For a theft that will be the stuff of bards' tales and legends, I am more than ready," the Kara-Turan exclaimed. "It will be the pinnacle of my career…to this point, of course."

"Of course," Jess agreed dryly as the trio slipped out the door.

After the drama that had taken place in the previous hours, the theft of the eggs was almost anticlimactic by comparison. After they had concealed themselves in a narrow alley within sight of the Temple, Aerie cast her spells upon Yoshimo, and the thief vanished, not even a footfall giving away his position as he stole silently away from them. Jess stared at the entrance to the Temple, every nerve on edge as she listened for the alarms that would mean that Yoshimo had failed.

"If this doesn't work," she told Aerie without turning around, "I'll go in after Yoshimo and the eggs. You cast Invisibility on yourself, leave here and get back to the others. Don't try to follow me in, got it?"

"Yes, oh omnipresent authority figure," Aerie droned, in so precise an imitation of Jaheira's voice that Jess looked back sharply, half certain that the druid had joined them without her knowledge.

The avariel giggled. "Sorry, but Imoen was telling me about that, and we both figured that you might miss hearing it."

"Not really," Jess replied, though she couldn't help a smile, "but I'd pay good money to hear you do it when Jaheira's around!"

"It would have to be really good money," Aerie said, and then they both nearly leaped out of their skins when Yoshimo materialized between them, laden sack in hand.

"Better to save your gold and use it to pay a bard to compose an ode to my skill," he announced smugly, presenting the bag to Jess with a flourish.

Jess accepted it, peering inside at the four eggs that were, so far as she could see, indistinguishable from the other two sets. "No trouble at all?"

"Not from the guards," Yoshimo said disdainfully. "They might as well have been asleep. There were two golems guarding the eggs, spelled to attack if the eggs were removed from the chest in which they lay." He smiled, looking immensely pleased with himself. "I switched them so quickly, however, that the golems never stirred." He glanced at Aerie with a twinkle in his eye. "If you're ever interested in wealth beyond your wildest dreams, I have a very lucrative business proposition for you."

"I'll think about it," Aerie agreed, with the vacuous expression that Jess knew meant mischief. "What do you think a fair split would be…seventy-thirty?"

"All right, you two," Jess interrupted with a smile before Yoshimo could utter more than a strangled croak. Their bantering mirrored her own sudden sense of buoyancy. The theft of the eggs from the Temple had been by far the riskiest of the tasks they faced, and it had gone without a hitch. There was still the ritual, but Jess was determined to have her companions concealed and ready to escape by the time it began. "Take these back to our rooms." Handing the eggs back to Yoshimo, she retrieved Solaufein's false eggs from Aerie. "I'll deliver these to Phaere and join you shortly."

The drow was waiting impatiently for Jess, and all but snatched the bag from her hands as she held it out. Drawing one of the eggs out, she ran her hands over it appraisingly.

"The gnomes do impressive work for such a craven race," she remarked. Jess' heart stopped momentarily until she continued, "If not for the absence of the mark, I would have been unable to tell the real eggs from the ones that I had made." She raised her gaze to Jess, eyes gleaming with triumph. "The prize is almost within our grasp, Veldrin. Ardulace has sent word: the ritual will begin three hours from now. In three hours, she will be dead, I will be Matron Mother of Despana, and you, my lieutenant, will hold such power as others in your house can only dream of. Go now, my friend, and rest. Ardulace has commanded your presence at the ritual, and it would not do to ignore one of her last orders."

Jess bowed silently and left, wincing inwardly at the appellation. Friend. Abbil. It was not a word used lightly…or often…by the drow. Three hours, then, until the web of deceit and betrayals was fully spun and its victims ensnared. Three hours until Phaere learned that the one she called friend had spun her own web of lies.

Enough, she told herself firmly, remembering Jaheira's words. You can do no more for her without endangering the others, so think about something else. Three hours until they could leave this hateful place for good. Three hours until they were able to present the silver dragon with her eggs and then, shortly after that, they would be out of these caves and back under the open sky. She would have her own face back…as would Anomen. Most importantly, they would be back on the trail of Irenicus and Bodhi.

Her spirits lifted again at these thoughts, but it lasted only long enough for her to step through the door of their quarters. As she glanced from one grey-hued and grim face to the next, a chill of foreboding ran down her spine. Looking around again, she realized that one face was absent, and felt her heart plummet.

"Where is Imoen?"