Chapter 36

Moving Into Hell

"I think we should complete this job as quickly as possible," Jarlaxle said once they were back at the inn room. He collected their fresh clothes from where the laundry woman had dropped them off and stuffed them in a backpack, not much caring where everything went. They were unpacking all over again somewhere else.

After shoving a pair of socks into the mass of clothes with unnecessary force, Jarlaxle realized he was perturbed. He stopped and sighed.

"You don't like this," Entreri said, stating the obvious. "Why?" He was almost done packing his belongings as well.

Jarlaxle could remember with clarity when he would not have divulged his feelings to the assassin. The impulse came and went. "Theros reminds me of the friend that I lost. In some ways. He is independent, self-possessed, and has an accurate idea of his own strengths and weaknesses. He is unlikely to take offense at well-meaning people - able to distinguish between friend and foe, generally shows good judgment..."

He paused and sighed. "But that is not what disturbs me. The trait they share that disturbs me is that they both seem to defy their nature by being stuck in a place that does not suit them, under the rulership of someone who is so basically blind and selfish in the soul, that destroying their loyal soldier seems a less painful option than allowing that person to follow their nature unimpeded."

Jarlaxle ran a hand through his hair, trying to ground himself, and faced Entreri. "Theros is a man who does not easily scare, even when outnumbered, even when facing charges of treason and threatened with torture and death. He is afraid of Vakadi."

Entreri had not expected this answer, so it took him a moment to pick through the details. "Theros reminds you of your lost friend, and so you don't like it that he is afraid of Vakadi? Or it concerns you that he is afraid of Vakadi?"

Jarlaxle smiled, but it was merely his automatic defense. "Both." He took a deep breath. "And I despise when I see someone's talents being wasted."

"In that case, you should be in a foul humor, indeed," Entreri said. "Theros' talents are being badly wasted." He resumed packing, folding his new silk shirt and packing it into his bag.

A combination of relief that Artemis understood and amusement at himself for being in a bad mood, Jarlaxle grinned. "I am. I am sorely tested by what I saw today when we met with Vakadi. One such as Theros rates more consideration than to be another servant on hand, and yet in place of lowly servants, Vakadi uses men who seem to be fairly important."

He wagged an index finger. "I asked myself earlier what inducements Vakadi had to convince people to stay. Now I ask myself: In what ways does Vakadi discourage people from leaving? That is my concern."

After a moment's thought, Jarlaxle added, "Theros revealed to us that he rejected the palace and all its comforts in order to be closer to his men. Yet what we witnessed in the barracks suggests no such cohesive atmosphere. It is a human thing to say in order to buy credability. Humans emphasize their bonds. Perhaps Theros has another reason for wanting no part of life within the palace?"

Entreri considered the question for a moment. "There are two human practices - among many, really, but for this point, two - that make no sense: pet birds and pet fish. Consider for a moment the utter illogic of keeping a bird in a cage or a tropical fish in a bowl. But humans don't care because they can't imagine being the bird or the fish. Yet when faced with that same possibility, the sane ones reject it."

"You feel also, then, that Vakadi has essentially asked that we be his pets," Jarlaxle said. "I had wondered what impression you received, if it was similar to my own."

"Yes," Entreri said, strapping his bag closed. "In any other situation, I would not have accepted the job. There is not enough gold or platnium in the world to buy me into such bondage."

Jarlaxle nodded. He felt calmer now that he had aired his feelings and had them validated. "As it is...perhaps by assuming the guise of pets, we will be allowed the perfect opportunity to rebel and bite the hand that feeds us."

"More like bite it off," Entreri said, but he didn't smile. "A man that miserable will be better off dead." He'd killed Dondon under a similar philosophy. Life without freedom was not life.

"And perhaps Theros will find his freedom," Jarlaxle said. He wasn't smiling either.

Entreri nodded and picked up his bag. "True. If we can salvage him, he could be useful to us." It was a very Jarlaxlian thing to say, but it was still true.

Jarlaxle grinned at that and crossed the space between them, planting a kiss on Entreri's lips. "Yes. That is what I hope for." There was no harm in admitting it now that Artemis had brought it up.

"Somehow I knew you were headed in that direction," Entreri said, his lips quirking. He reached out and squeezed Jarlaxle's hand. "Let's get on with this. The faster we finish this job, the faster we can be us again."

That was the best suggestion of the day. Jarlaxle squeezed Artemis' hand in return. "Let's."

xXx

They returned to the palace and unpacked their belongings in their new room. Jarlaxle noticed it was slightly cold in the room, and they didn't have enough lamps to illuminate it brightly. The ceiling was too high. There were no windows to the outside. None of the second floor rooms had windows. That only increased Jarlaxle's sense of being in Menzoberranzan.

After getting unpacked, they went to the kitchen, explained the kinds of foods they liked, and ate dinner in the dining room. There were only four other people there, and no one talked.

Once they were full, they retreated back to their room. Jarlaxle couldn't breathe a sigh of relief like he could when they had been at the inn, but his magical items confirmed they were not being spied on, and there was no immediate danger.

He sat down on the bed and pulled off his boots. "If we need longer than a tenday to pull this off, I vote we move into the barracks." In spite of the magical reassurances, Jarlaxle had other senses that told him they were not in a good place.

"I never have liked rooms without windows," Entreri said. "Granted, windows are a security risk, but I dislike not having access to natural light."

Jarlaxle nodded. "Now that I have become used to the light of the Surface, I feel the same." He ignored the bed further into the room and patted the space next to him, silently entreating Artemis to sit next to him.

Entreri wandered over and sat down, pulling off his boots as well. He slipped an arm around Jarlaxle's waist.

Jarlaxle sighed and wrapped an arm around Artemis' waist in return, leaning on the assassin. "There is no point in remaining uncomfortable with our surroundings if we can help it. I think a bath may prove relaxing, but I feel unusually loathe to be in any room of this place by myself."

"Then I will bathe with you," Entreri said. He stroked Jarlaxle's side, hoping to comfort him.

Jarlaxle was surprised it had been that easy. In addition, Artemis was stroking his side, which the assassin was well aware he enjoyed. He allowed the touch to relax him. "Mmm..." Jarlaxle smiled and kissed Artemis' neck gently. "Perhaps after having sex here this room will feel more like a safe place."

Entreri snorted. "In this place? It could put me off my libido for our entire stay. That said, if you're willing, I will try."

Jarlaxle laughed. "I feel the same. These surroundings do not lend themselves to romance. In fact, I feel an irrational urge to sleep fully clothed, clutching my freeze ray wand. But surely these instincts are in excess of the danger."

Entreri chuckled that time. "Oh, I don't know. Your instincts might not be misplaced. My dagger will definitely spend the night on the nightstand, within easy reach."

Jarlaxle nodded and straightened, taking off his hat. "Speaking of defenses...I'm tempted to give you your original dagger back with the hilt wrapped." Not that such a solution would work for Charon's Claw. Everything about it was over the top and noticable. In fact, Jarlaxle suspected the sword might try to eat anyone that wrapped it up in a disguise.

"Oh?" Entreri wondered why Jarlaxle would suggest such a thing. He really only used the dagger to scare compliance out of people or to heal himself.

Jarlaxle reached into his hat. "But, I remembered that I had acquired something to do the same job more directly, in the event that the dagger was lost, and this is much less identifiable." He pulled out a small silver charm on a leather cord and handed it to Artemis. The charm was like a tiny silver coin. On one side was a symbol of a bird's wing. On the other side was a rune.

He was silent for a moment. Speaking words of caring were easy in the heat of passion; less so in somber circumstances. "Please wear this. I acquired this artifact shortly before Crenshinibon made its attempt to consume my mind. It is called Yuli's Charm. The charm is of Halruuan origin, and so is high quality. Rest assured that I have my own defenses."

Entreri accepted the charm and inspected it. "What does it do? Steal lifeforces?" That was the only connection he could make, given their conversation.

Jarlaxle was startled at that suggestion. "Ah -" Then he realized he hadn't explained himself. He flushed. "No. No; I meant to provide you an alternate means of healing in a crisis. Yuli's Charm restores to you half of your lifeforce if you sustain a fatal blow, or if your lifeforce is drained to a fatal extent by any other means. You can also order it to activate before the point of death by speaking the command word 'ala'."

Entreri slipped the necklace around his neck. "Does it work repeatedly or only once?"

"Once per day," Jarlaxle said. He fished another item out of his hat: a silver ring with a small pearl set into it. "Which brings me to this: a ring of protection. Five times a day you can cast a spell that creates an invisible shield around you, on your skin. Anything other than a strong blow will be absorbed by the shield. The shield can absorb any physical attacks that are not forceful direct hits for a period of twenty minutes." He handed over the ring. "Its command word is 'escudo'. It comes from Halruaa as well."

Entreri accepted the ring as well, trying it on various fingers. It ended up on his middle finger, given his fingers were long and slender.

Jarlaxle calmed down somewhat at that. He set his hat aside on the nightstand. "Shall we bathe?"

Entreri nodded. "Thank you," he said simply. He left the items on; he was likely to both sleep and bathe with them on. Until they were done with this mission, he couldn't afford anything else.

He began stripping off his clothes, readying himself for the bath.

Jarlaxle nodded in return and undressed himself, folding his clothes on the spare bed. He wasn't going to take off any of his jewelry, either.

The bathroom was cold, and the water to wash with was cold. By contrast, the bath itself was a constantly heated pool of water six feet deep at one end and two feet deep at the other. Jarlaxle could see small openings underneath the water where new water probably came in and old water exited.

The washing area was filled with oils and soaps in all different scents. Jarlaxle picked out sweet, floral scents, mostly because such perfumes were unavailable in the Underdark.

As soon as possible, Jarlaxle slipped into the bath. There were stone seats carved into the sides of the bath at different points, artful little ledges and stone-like areas.

He settled down at a place where the water lapped at his chin.

Entreri finished washing himself off and joined Jarlaxle a minute later. He sat by him, a feat made easy by the fact they were the same height. He took Jarlaxle's hand, squeezing it. There was something about the palace that inherently irritated him or put him on edge, but he wasn't sure what it was. It made him glad that Jarlaxle and he could share touches this way.

Jarlaxle squeezed Artemis' hand and reminded himself to breathe. Having the solid warmth of Artemis' hand in his made it easier. "I have been accused of liking to live in too much comfort. That material things meant to make life comfortable hold too much weight with me. I feel if this were so, I would be able to ignore the uneasiness of our surroundings. Surely this palace is richly appointed enough for me to feel at home, if creature comforts were of so much importance to me."

"A bird will feel no differently if its cage is gold," Entreri said. "A cage is a cage, regardless of the matieral used." He paused. "It relieves me to hear you say that. Thus far, you seem to have thought yourself inescapably tied to Menzoberranzan. Your discomfort here proves that you are able to pursue freedom regardless of the cost."

Jarlaxle admitted, "I surprise myself with my discomfort. I think it is because...I was finally able to let go...the notion that I had to accept a certain amount of oppression. Staying under this man's thumb does not tempt me. It revolts me."

He leaned in close to Artemis' ear, still wary of being overheard in spite of Vakadi's assurances. "I could only like this place if I were free to leave. If it were ours, and not a prison, perhaps the atmosphere would change."

"I'm sure it would," Entreri said. "Unless it's haunted, that is." He really didn't know too much about that subject.

Jarlaxle kissed the assassin's temple. "I wonder if it is. Vakadi's family could have died here."

Then he grinned. "I'm sure we could figure out how to perform an exorcism without a priest. You are an expert at killing things, and I of magic. Together we could devise a way to kill any bothersome undead again."

Entreri snorted. "Certainly. Why not?" He released Jarlaxle's hand and slipped it around his waist. He resumed stroking Jarlaxle's side. "I should say something is wrong with this place. And it's not just my sense of wrongness. Places have vibes. This one has the wrong vibes. And the further up in the palace you get, the worse the vibes are."

Jalaxle nodded. He leaned against Artemis and soaked up the touches. "In my experience, demons and dark magic can both cause this same sense of wrongness. A similar feeling inhabits all the places in Menzoberranzan dedicated to Lloth; Lloth is herself technically a demon, and not a goddess. Did you know that? I did not until I came to the Surface and learned more about the other planes of existence."

In spite of himself, otherworldly things fascinated him. But he supposed he couldn't help it, given the circumstances of his birth.

"I am not surprised," Entreri said. "Nor would I be surprised to learn that Vakadi has summoned demons, hired a wizard that uses dark magic, called upon an evil god, or done anything else that would leave a dark aura in this place. My impression is he'd literally do anything it took to say alive."

Jarlaxle chuckled. "I agree. This conversation elucidates why I feel Sadavir Vakadi is like a drow; he appears to have no moral compulsions other than to live, and if we have heard correctly, he attempts to act on all of his desires regardless of what they may be."

His expression softened. He reached up and stroked Artemis' cheek. "Which is why, khal abbil, you are nothing like a drow."

Entreri leaned into that touch. "So now I am unlike drow." The irony was amusing. "But in this sense, I must agree with you. I have always kept my desires firmly in check. The only area I've ever shown bad judgment in is the one concerning Do'Urden. Past that, I have never followed by emotions or desires."

Jarlaxle kissed his lips gently. "Yes, and when we met, that's what you were doing. Your actions were extremely deceiving. On the whole, you are..." Jarlaxle let out a small laugh. "Filled with so many desires and feelings and rules that govern your being. From the first discovery of your internal logic, I have known that I wanted you to be my friend. I am always drawn to complicated people. People who have a reason for being and convictions about something are so much more interesting than unprincipled beasts."

"I would have to agree," Entreri said dryly.

Jarlaxle grinned. "And now, with that agreement, would you like to lie down and try to rest with me? Sleep may take a while, but we should be able to at least close our eyes."

"Sounds good." There was a certain strange comfort in simply holding Jarlaxle in his arms, Entreri had come to realize. And if he were honest, he had to admit Jarlaxle embracing him felt good as well.

Jarlaxle found the alcove with the towels, and they both dried off. They dressed in clean clothes in the bedroom. Jarlaxle wove his hair into a single long braid and then joined Artemis in bed. Though he tried to listen, their surroundings were silent to him.

Entreri pulled Jarlaxle close, stroking his back slowly. He also noticed the silence. Really, it was too much silence. He was used to sounds from streets or other rooms. Utter silence was something he only wanted from himself when sneaking up on a hit.

Jarlaxle wrapped his arms around Artemis' waist and clung, focusing on the assassin's touches as much as possible. As before, his body didn't want to accept their present circumstance of safety.

He found his mind wandering to Menzoberranzan, to his House compound. His family. "One of my half-sisters gave birth to a demonic child. A tiefling. It is not rare, such births. Priestesses do business with demons and other creatures of the Abyss often. And other things. Obviously."

"Unsurprisingly, your priestesses are insane." Entreri found the concept repulsive. Have sex with a demon? It was the height of depravity.

Jarlaxle nodded. "Yes, they are." He paused. Listening. Still nothing. "The point of my story is that everywhere that child went, it left an aura similar to this place. But not as strong."

Entreri considered this as he stroked Jarlaxle's back. "You think there might be demons in the palace."

"I think that my senses tell me so, given what I understand this feeling to mean," Jarlaxle said. He raised his head and looked at Artemis somberly. "As for certainty I cannot say."

"That makes me even less thrilled to be here," Entreri said. Stuck in a palace with a demon. Wonderful.

Jarlaxle made a sound in the back of his throat and smiled wryly. "It is ample inducement to take the first opportunity we have to complete our business here."

"And beware of demons while we do it," Entreri added. He wondered if he would have terrible sleep here, given the aura.

Jarlaxle nodded. "At the next opportunity we should go into the city so that I can contact Kimmuriel. It would be best to have his assistance."

For once, Entreri had to agree. "If we're dealing with demons, the more we know the better."

xXx

Jarlaxle was glad that Artemis could get some sleep, even if the assassin wasn't getting as much of it as usual, and the quality was poorer. He himself was stunned at how much the pervasive feeling of evil bothered him. He must have lived with this miasma his whole life and had it go unnoticed except for where the feeling was in higher concentrations, i.e. chapels and anywhere his half-sister's demon child went, but now...

Staying on the Surface so long must have finally washed his senses clean, because this feeling of residual horror and danger was unbearable.

Jarlaxle lay in bed with Artemis, relieved at watching the assassin asleep at five o'clock in the morning, and guiltily contemplated how he had exposed Artemis to this barrage of repulsive feelings by bringing him to Menzoberranzan. If I had known how this felt, I never would have taken him back with me.

Of course, supposedly, as an elf Jarlaxle had a superior sense of the flow of energy. The Weave. Without the constant exposure deadening his sensory abilities he was much the same as any elf. Perhaps that was the cause behind most of the drow's diminished abilities. It was not that they were inherently lesser. Their surroundings impacted them negatively.

A thought crossed Jarlaxle's mind. He glanced at Artemis reflexively, but the assassin was still asleep for now. Jarlaxle looked down at his left hand. He contemplated doing something he had never done before. He had always assumed that if he exposed himself to the light of the sun he would be blind. Older drow were rumored to be unable to stand the sun.

But his ring did not block all of the sun's power. Surely continued exposure had gotten his body somewhat used to handling sunlight.

Artemis waking up disturbed his thoughts.

"We are safe," Jarlaxle murmured.

Entreri took a moment to comprehend what Jarlaxle had said. "We are?"

Jarlaxle nodded. "The feelings have receded to a background hum, and I predict that the palace shall be livable by the time we have breakfast. Morning is the time of least power for a demonic being. In spite of the miasma, nothing has stirred, and none of my magical items sensed any danger."

Entreri nodded and sat up. "And somehow your assurances make me feel worse, not better, because it means we definitely have a demon."

Jarlaxle sat up with him and kissed his cheek. "I know. I've had all night to listen to it, as it were. I'm sure. I'm not sure it has always been the same demon. I mean that demons might have been summoned over time to get this place so polluted. The activity that feels the strongest is definitely on the third floor." He grimaced. "Where we now stand guard."

Being promoted was not an unequivocal blessing.

"Oh, lovely," Entreri said dryly. He really had no use for any creatures from other planes of existence, but messing around with beings such as demons was too dangerous for any benefit claimed. One mistake with the summoning circle, and you'd let loose your own destruction.

Jarlaxle sighed. "I don't want to say the 'p' word, and I'm not sure whom we could trust, but in a last resort fight against a demon...I'm just saying it might be necessary for survival."

"The 'p' word?" Entreri caught up. "Oh. Priest." He sighed. "Well, the only way you'd come up with one of those would be from your own mercenary band, and they are openly evil. That's easier to stomach."

Jarlaxle laughed.

Entreri shrugged and climbed out of bed, then he went about getting dressed. He supposed he should eat while the evil vibes were at their lowest and he still had a ready appetite.

Jarlaxle followed suit. Even without sleep and without an appetite, one had to go on.

Understanding that Jarlaxle had not slept or taken reverie, Entreri pulled him into a hug before they left. It was new and strange to be offering such comfort, but he surprised himself by instinctively knowing to do it. He thought the impulse must come from the blurry past, that time before the rain and the violence. From his mother.

Jarlaxle spent all of breakfast smiling thanks to the unexpected embrace. In spite of everything else that was going on, his relationship with Artemis was not in danger, and that was a comfort to cling to.

Being guards during the day was an entirely different experience than guarding during the night. The hallway leading to Vakadi's suite bustled with activity. Maids came and left with laundry, cooks delivered food, and the cleric they'd seen from yesterday also came and went. In the middle of the day Vakadi received visits from his business associates, all of whom had to be checked for weapons and cleared, both coming and going.

A couple of hours before the end of their shift, a messenger also came. Jarlaxle and Artemis had to stop the boy from barging in and demand identification and proof from him, which took the flustered messenger five minutes.

All in all, the hallway didn't feel that bad to Jarlaxle.

They were let off to do as they pleased at five o'clock in the evening, and Jarlaxle didn't waste any time getting out of the palace with Artemis and getting their departure to the city cleared by Theros.

Only when they were in a cafe downtown sipping coffee did Jarlaxle take a breath and relax.

"Better?" Entreri murmured, sipping his own coffee.

Jarlaxle nodded and made a noise of approval in the back of his throat. He leaned back in his chair. "Much better. I feel the fresh air on my face and I feel free." He wondered if this was how wild elves felt every time they got near a city: oppressed, overwhelmed, and uncomfortable. And the retreat to the forest was their freedom.

He shook the irrelevant thought away. "Now the only thing to do is wait until sundown and summon Kimmuriel. If we can manage to get through to him, he will appreciate the wait, and if we receive Shynte instead, then we won't kill the boy by exposing him to sunlight."

A much more appealing thought occurred to Jarlaxle. He sat straight up. "In the meantime...how would you like to go somewhere for dinner and then rent a room at an inn?" He smiled. "We must think of how to shelter poor Shynte from the human world. And we may reap some benefits as well."

Entreri chuckled. "I think I can be persuaded."

Jarlaxle grinned, lighting up. "Excellent."