A/N: I am pleased to announce that I have had a very productive month of writing in April, and as such, the next chapter of Angels should be here sooner than in four weeks. :)
Chapter 45
The remainder of the day following dealing with the murderous tanner of the Bridge District was spent on various more or less irritating and time-consuming errands. Leah firstly led her party to the Council building in the Government District in order to meet Inspector Brega and deliver the results of their investigation. The Inspector appeared particularly busy, with over a dozen citizens lining up to speak with the bedraggled commander of the guard, and after almost two hours of infuriating waiting, Leah and her friends were finally admitted to the Inspector's office to deliver news that would further sour Brega's already miserable day.
The Inspector then spent a great deal of time lamenting the death of one of his most promising officers, particularly regretting to have lost the one lieutenant who possessed the nearly unique trait of a guardsman in Athkatla; incorruptibility. Keldorn then proceeded to summarize their discoveries about the tanner's shady dealings, and as the aged paladin had already predicted, his old acquaintance Brega was more than happy to allow Keldorn take over the investigation moving forward, stating that the whole case reeked of vile magic to him, thus making it perfectly suited for someone with Keldorn's Inquisitor talents.
It was already quite late in the afternoon when Leah and her friends arrived at the Temple District and quickly sought their way to the opulent and gaudy place of Lathander's worship. Fortunately, the Lathanderites did not make them wait for too long, and following a rather exuberant speech celebrating the heroics of Leah and her group, they received their much anticipated reward of five thousand gold, split evenly in three heavy leather pouches. Leah, Viconia and Jaheira all grabbed a pouch each, taking care of the gold until it could be deposited into the strongbox back at the Copper Coronet where Lehtinan had once stored his incriminating slaver documents.
The High Priest also told Leah and her friends a little more about the artist whom they were supposed to persuade into creating one of his Faerun-famous statues to glorify the power of Lathander. This Sir Sarles was staying with one of the most influential Athkatlan families, the Jysstevs, and appeared to be a bit of an arrogant twat, though Leah had come to expect that from most artists that had somehow appropriated the mantle of fame. Sarles had already turned down representatives from the Church of Lathander four times, but much to the High Priest's relief, the picky sculptor had similarly dismissed all the other courting churches as well. Leah was not quite sure what she was supposed to do in order to persuade the arrogant sculptor, save for threatening the man with bodily harm, but since the Lathanderites promised to be generous with their reward, she felt that it was worth at least making the attempt. The High Priest promised to secure an audience at the Jysstev Estate on the next morning, and once they had concluded their business at the temple of Lathander, the evening was already fast approaching, leaving them with no other option than to return to the Copper Coronet for a night's rest.
Jaheira's presence in their shared room more or less eliminated any opportunities for a 'cuddle with the drow' session, but Leah did not feel particularly disappointed by that. She spent several hours of the evening trying to solve the brain-twisting riddle in the tanner's letter, and she got as far as identifying the mysterious contact's assumed first name he had used in Athkatla as either 'Darcyn' or 'Darcin', but before Leah could begin making progress on the last name, sleep overpowered her and she barely managed to drag herself back to the bed, collapsing in the soft sheets and immediately falling into blissfully uninterrupted sleep.
On the next morning, the group gathered at the Copper Coronet in full force. Even if Leah had stated that she did not need their assistance during the audience at the Jysstev residence, it seemed as if these eight people had nothing better to do than to follow her around the city. Minsc had returned from the circus, not looking particularly saddened about Aerie's departure, though he did remark that Boo was missing the friends he had made at the circus, the juggling trio of Sally the Squirrel, Trevor the Hedgehog and Fat-Lips the Groundhog. Jan was staying over at his family household nearby, or as he referred to it, the 'Illuminated Seat of the Most Holy Gail', but he was also up and about, discussing the finer details of mobile turnip peddling business with a pained looking Yoshimo. Keldorn had arrived as well, bringing Reyna and Anomen with him, the two younger knights looking to be in a surprisingly good mood as the group finally set out for the Government District where the Jysstev Estate was located.
During the fairly long walk from the slums all the way across the city to the district of the more privileged people, the party ended splitting up into several smaller groups. Keldorn pulled Anomen aside for a little chat at the head of the group, the young squire for once appearing to be in high enough spirits not to constantly frown and wince at the older paladin's sagely advice. Jan was pestering both Yoshimo and Minsc as they walked, trying to persuade the Rashemi into letting him discover how much Boo weighed in turnips. The friendly giant did not appear amused at the gnome's antics, saying that Boo had warned him about gnomes like Jan, and after a few more fruitless attempts of coaxing Boo away from Minsc, the gnome finally gave up and moved to the front of the group to entertain Anomen and Keldorn.
Leah walked at the back of the procession together with Viconia, Jaheira and Reyna, the ladies of the group all walking together. Having studied the content smile on Reyna's lips, a stark contrast with the grief-stricken expression following Onvo's recent death, Leah decided to make a few careful inquiries regarding the knight's sudden change of mood. "I'm glad to see that you appear to be in better spirits today, Reyna," she said, smiling at the other woman.
"Yes, I am feeling much better, following a lovely evening," Reyna replied. "Anomen took me out to dancing at the Mithrest Inn. Or rather, I convinced Anomen that he wants to take me out for an evening of dancing," she added, having noticed the looks of disbelief directed at her.
"That sounds much more likely," Viconia laughed.
"This might come as a surprise to all of you, but after the third glass of wine he actually loses that exaggerated knightly accent and becomes more of a human being with his own wants and needs that he is not ashamed of having," Reyna chuckled, giving Anomen a fond look, the young Helmite walking at the head of the group and currently giving Jan a dirty glare. "Yes, I might be able to train him yet."
"I'm glad to hear it," Leah said, smiling with happiness and relief. "I just plain lack the experience to handle something like that." And I've realized that I'm simply not interested in men... not like that, anyway, she added to herself.
"So, was only dancing involved?" Viconia prodded with a lascivious grin on her lips. "Or did the less repressed knight corrupt the highly-strung one?"
Reyna merely laughed at that before replying. "I could have persuaded him to accompany me to my chambers, he certainly seemed eager enough to do so, but it was not the right time for that sort of thing," she answered. "I think it would have only scared the poor man away the following morning. But we did kiss, and I felt his enthusiasm... and a lamentable lack of skill. Anomen is a horrible kisser, and I think some of those books of knightly romance are to blame."
Leah was almost about to relate her own brief experience of having once kissed Anomen, but just as she realized that perhaps it was not something that needed to be shared, Viconia spoke up. "The poor boy is an obvious virgin," the dark elf chuckled. "I've never encountered the type in the Underdark, and on the surface I've experienced the pleasure only once. And that time truly was an unexpected delight. The Helmite is more self-absorbed and arrogant than the one I had the pleasure to teach... he might require a great deal of patience and training, so I wish you the best of luck."
The young Sorlyn's cheeks were burning with heat at Viconia's words, and she shot a brief glance over at Jaheira to see whether the druidess had guessed that the drow had been talking about her. If Jaheira hadn't guessed it by then, she certainly realized it once she saw the look of utter embarrassment on Leah's face, her face contorting in an angry grimace as she glared at Viconia. "Perhaps that person would not appreciate you speaking about her as candidly as you do, drow," she growled at the slightly surprised Viconia.
"What have I done to earn your ire now, mongrel?" the dark elf sighed, not looking particularly bothered. "Perhaps you would do well to share your own experiences? That male of yours seemed like someone who was terrified of a woman's... or anyone's company on a good day. I always thought that he was so utterly besotted and loyal to you because you were his one and only, am I right?"
"I will not discuss Khalid with you, not now nor ever," Jaheira barked in reply. "Even... even if you might not be wrong," the druidess added quietly as she turned away and stepped a little aside from their conversation, Viconia's words having undoubtedly torn open a recently healed emotional scar, even if Leah was certain that this time the drow had not actually intended to upset Jaheira.
"I knew it," Viconia chuckled to herself. "Maybe there is something to this whole dating a virgin rumor. What do you think, Leah?" she asked innocently.
"Me? I... uh, I think that we have arrived at our destination," the young Sorlyn replied distractedly, pointing at a particularly luxurious villa ahead of them, past the Council building, standing out amongst the surrounding estates like a palace next to straw huts. "That's the Jysstev Estate, isn't it, Keldorn?" she called out to the aged paladin at the front.
"That it is, Leah," Anomen replied instead of Keldorn. "I remember sneaking into the estate grounds as a young child in order to steal apples for Moira," he added with a sigh of sadness. "Their butler did give me a hard time, though. He will probably recognize me if I come inside with you, the man seemed the type to remember the slightest of grudges for the rest of his life. So if you don't mind it, Leah, I will just stay outside and wish you the best of luck with those nobles."
"I don't think I can really help with the Jysstevs in any way so I'll stay outside as well," Reyna added, walking over to Anomen, the Helmite immediately looking that much happier.
"I would be very interested in meeting these nobles, Your Worship," Jan chirped up happily. "I would like to tell them all about the Church of Holy Gail and the incredible miracles performed by my Auntie Gail. Perhaps it might inspire the Jysstevs to convert to the Church of Gail, or at least donate a sizeable amount of money to help in spreading the good word. What do you think, Your Worship?"
"I think that you should definitely remain outside, Jan," Leah chuckled. "Keldorn, Jaheira and Viconia will come with me, the rest of you just wait here. This shouldn't take too long."
"Do you think it wise?" Jaheira asked, giving a subtle nod towards Viconia.
"I'm not sure, but well... Sir Sarles is a man, and Viconia is... well, Viconia," Leah replied, blushing a little. "She might find some special way in which to persuade Sir Sarles into agreeing with our terms..."
"I would relish the challenge, abbil," Viconia flashed a broad and confident grin, even if Leah already silently hated the idea of possibly having Viconia flirt with this arrogant sculptor. The more she thought about it, the more Leah began to prefer methods of dealing with Sir Sarles that actually did involve bodily harm.
"Right, well, here we go then," Leah said, approaching the unlocked metal gate that opened to lead them through a part of the estate gardens, eventually arriving at the doors of the veritable palace itself. Without much hesitation, the young Sorlyn banged on the door, but she had to repeat the knocking twice over the next minute or so before a sour-faced butler opened the doors and gave them all a disdainful, cold stare as if they were completely beneath the notice for someone of his stature.
"Yes, yes, of what pathetic church are you then?" he asked in a high-pitched nasal voice.
"We come on behalf of the Church of Lathander, my good Jeeves. Praise to the Morninglord, and all that," Leah replied with a bright smile, brushing past the butler despite the man's palpable disdain at having them enter and track mud along the spotless floor. "Mind you, I don't really think Lathander is all that great, myself. If you're looking for someone more fun to worship, Jeeves, I heartily recommend looking into Milil's faith."
"Never heard of it," the butler scowled, but despite his obvious loathing for their incursion, led them down the hallway further into the Jysstev estate. "Sir Sarles is busy meditating in one of the parlors. Disturb him and earn his ire at your leisure. And do not wander about the estate and pester Lord Qar or Lady Jysstev."
"Don't worry, Jeeves, we're not here to annoy your betters," Leah smiled at the infuriated butler, then leading her friends into a splendorous and gaudily decorated parlor where a smallish man with slightly rodent-like features and an impeccably groomed moustache sat on one of the sofas, his eyes closed as he quietly muttered to himself, or perhaps busy in conversation with his muse.
"What is it?" Sarles finally took notice of someone else in the room and began to complain. "Why have you come to disturb my medications? My creative muse must be gently awakened, and your stomping about is not conductive to this."
"But Sir Sarles, surely we are more inspiring than any muse of yours," Leah spoke sweetly, Viconia standing next to her and giving Sarles a suggestive wink, Jaheira and Keldorn standing a little behind and staying out of the games of persuasion.
"I can scarcely believe that-..." Sarles began to speak, but when he actually for the first time looked up at the ones interfering with his meditations, the fickle artist appeared very much surprised by what he saw. "Hmm... you two seem familiar... as does the woman by the doors," he briefly glanced at Jaheira. "But not the pipe chugging lout," Sarles glared at Keldorn, the elderly paladin quickly hiding his pipe, looking both remorseful and admonished.
"I am quite sure that this is our first meeting, Sir Sarles," Leah said, feeling reasonably certain that if she had ever met someone this annoying she would surely remember it.
"Ah, now I recall... you have visited Trademeet before, have you not?" Sarles chuckled, actually looking amused. "Something about heroes of the town, or some such nonsense. Probably an achievement attained through pure coincidence and in spite of your sheer incompetence."
"A degree of luck was involved, I won't deny that," Leah laughed. "Were you in Trademeet at the time, Sir Sarles? I do not remember meeting you at Lord Coprith's party."
"Oh, we were not introduced personally, gods forbid such scandal," Sarles rolled his eyes, his moustache trembling from the indignation. "As for how I know of you... I suggest that you visit Trademeet on your travels and make sure to stop at the main square of the town. A surprise awaits you there. Now," the artist clapped his hands, removing any opportunity for Leah to inquire more about this surprise waiting for them in Trademeet. "Let's get down to the business. Which of the tiresome churches has sent you? You must be from a church because everyone else seems to understand the meaning of the word 'no'."
"We're here on behalf of the Lathanderites," Leah explained. "Feel free to be disrespectful towards them, by the way... none of us here actually follow the Morninglord. But his clergy are willing to open their coffers to ensure your services, Sir Sarles."
"I am courted by every mincing noble in this city, and they are prepared to pay more for my services than any church could," Sarles appeared unimpressed. "But they are all missing the point, for riches do not interest me. What I really want is to work with the medium of my choice. Pure illithium."
"Come now, Sir Sarles, illithium is too difficult to obtain," Keldorn spoke up from the back of the room. "And too useful to squander on trivialities such as a statue," he added under his breath, too quietly for Sarles to overhear.
"I care little about your petty concerns," Sarles shrugged. "No illithium means that my holidays continue, which is just as I prefer it right now. Anything less than pure illithium is an insult to my skills... those are my terms."
"Where would we even look for illithium?" Leah wondered, not at all familiar with the precious metal. "I've never even heard about it, much less seen anyone selling it."
"There's an ore merchant operating from a shop at Waukeen's Promenade... Jerlia, I think," Keldorn mused. "She supplies most of the ore for the needs of the Order. It might be worth talking to her. I know that she sometimes has exotic materials amongst her stock."
"Whatever, where you get the materials is none of my concern," Sarles frowned, looking as if he was becoming tired of their continued presence. "Two hundred pounds of pure illithium, or I go back to enjoying my holiday!"
Since two hundreds of such precious metal was an obviously unreasonable request, the group then spent even more time in tiresome negotiations with Sir Sarles. Viconia finally received the chance to use her talents of persuasion, and as a result Sir Sarles agreed to be content with one hundred fifty pounds of illithium as long as he was also given high quality alloy to make up for the rest, together with the opportunity to craft a sculpture of Viconia in the nude. Since one hundred and fifty pounds of illithium was still an insane request, Leah let out a deep sigh and made a sacrifice of her own, offering Sarles the same deal as Viconia, to which the artist agreed with disturbingly eagerness, knocking the amount of pure illithium down to one hundred pounds. As they were already leaving, Leah made the joking comment that perhaps if Jaheira also agreed to join them in posing naked, the amount of pure illithium could be reduced even further to fifty pounds, and Sarles seemed very excited about such prospect, his muse looking to be already inspiring him with several intriguing possibilities provided by such an opportunity. Jaheira, however, seemed highly resistant to that suggestion and kept threatening Leah with bodily harm all the way to the exit from the Jysstev estate where their friends already waited for them.
"So, onto Waukeen's Promenade and Jerlia the ore merchant?" Leah asked, facing her companions, some of whom looked as if they had heard one Jan Jansen story too many.
"Actually, Leah, if you would permit me to make a suggestion," Keldorn spoke up, Leah quickly nodding and asking him to continue. "The Firecam Estate is not far from here. I would like to invite you all for dinner and a chance to meet my family. What do you say, friends?"
"I think that I speak for us all when I say that we will happily accept this offer, Keldorn," Leah smiled at the elderly paladin, feeling honored by the invitation. "Lead the way!"
"My pleasure, Leah," Keldorn nodded, looking pleased as he took charge of the group and led the procession away from the Jysstev Estate, across most of the Government District until they arrived at a comely two storied villa at the edge of the district, not too far from the Athkatla prison, but the lovely garden surrounding the estate did a good job in hiding that detrimental feature. As they approached the main doors leading into the estate, Keldorn turned around and gave both Yoshimo and Jan a pointed stare. "As a fair warning to you two, all the items at my estate are carefully catalogued. If anything happens to find its way into your pockets, I will know."
"You wound me, Keldy," Jan chuckled, trying to look offended and failing miserably. "I would never abuse an invitation by a dear friend in such a manner. That is something the infamous Helmite rogue Zach Knight would be more likely to do. Like that one time when he sneaked into Auntie Gail's boudoir and stole the control device of the Church of Gail."
"I don't even... for the fifteenth time, gnome, there are no rogues in the ranks of the Helmite order!" Anomen protested.
"Shows what little you know, Ano," Jan winked at the affronted looking squire.
"You do not need be concerned, good Keldorn," Yoshimo added, bowing to the paladin. "Stealing from an ally would leave a permanent stain upon my honor."
"Yes, I was more concerned about the gnome," Keldorn smirked, Jan's attempts at appearing insulted once again completely unconvincing. "Come right in, friends," the paladin said then, opening the doors and welcoming them all inside. "I can already feel the scent of Peony's award-winning honey cakes."
"Mhm..." Leah muttered, having to swallow, the appealing and tantalizing smells making her mouth water. Before they were led into the dining hall and seated, however, Keldorn's family came to meet them in the foyer for a round of introductions. The paladin's wife, Lady Maria, was a woman in her late forties, a few grey strands in her hair and a weary expression on her face. She had once been undeniably beautiful, and still was to some extent, but the harsh life of a paladin's wife, often coming second to his duty and his faith, looked to have taken its toll. The youngest daughter, Vesper, was a chubby little thing of nine summers, all shy smiles and blushing rosy cheeks, hiding behind her mother's skirts. The oldest daughter, Leona, was a complete contrast to her sister, at the age of seventeen she was tall and willowy, pale skin, long dark hair and large expressive eyes, a bookish and scholarly, curious countenance.
They were not allowed much time for conversation before Peony, the head of the estate staff, announced that dinner would be served shortly, and they were all escorted into the dinner hall to be seated. Leah could not remember when she had last enjoyed a proper three course dinner, it had probably been sometime back at Baldur's Gate, but it was an experience that she and her companions relished thoroughly. While they had not been properly dressed for the occasion, Leah was relieved to see that most of her friends at least possessed fairly acceptable table manners. Of course, Minsc was mostly using his fingers instead of the knife and fork, but fortunately Boo was always on hand to clean up everything that spilled over the edge of the plate. At the sight of the fuzzy hamster, Vesper had immediately decided who was her favorite house guest, begging Minsc to let her pet Boo, a request that was kindly granted by the gentle giant.
As for the food on offer, a traditional Amnish onion and pearl barley soup was followed up with the serving of twelve roast ducks in white wine sauce, together with fresh eggplant salad and tiny but delicious quail pasties. The entire meal was rounded off with Peony's famous honey cakes, a rousing success that even Viconia described as acceptable by her refined drow tastes. Jan had been the only one who had complained before retrieving fresh turnips from somewhere upon his persona, using the knife to quickly slice them up and improve the eggplant salad, earning Peony's eternal ire by doing so and by also asking the cook to roast his remaining supply of root vegetables.
Following the dinner, most of the guests retreated to the large estate library, save for Minsc who remained at the dinner table, busy playing with Boo together with Vesper. At some point, Leah noticed Reyna coercing Anomen into following her out of the library, the Sorlyn smiling to herself at the Helmite's awkwardness. Yoshimo was busy telling one of his tall tales to Jaheira, and even though Leah felt curious, she made sure to stay away from the druidess for the time being, Jaheira still looking rather angry at her for what had happened at the Jysstev Estate. Meanwhile, Jan was busy perusing the bookshelves at the Firecam Estate library, shaking his head at what he perceived an unforgivable deficiency.
"Not a bad collection, Keldy, if I do say so myself," the gnome remarked, clicking his tongue. "But it seems to be missing a book that should be considered the pinnacle of every collection." Everyone turned to look at the gnome for an explanation, which came quickly enough. "I'm speaking about 'The Paladin And The Flesh Golem', of course," the gnome grinned broadly.
"Ah yes, we keep that one in our bedroom where Vesper can't find it by accident, Jan," Keldorn replied, not looking offended in the slightest. "I'm sure that Leona has already found and read it, though. Nothing slips by that girl, I tell you."
"Wait... you actually have my incredibly raunchy book?" Jan appeared surprised.
"Of course we do," Lady Maria smiled, giving her husband a fond and loving stare. "Three years ago, our marriage suffered a very serious crisis... I made a shameful indiscretion that became the talk amongst the city's elite."
"It was not your fault, Maria," Keldorn spoke up quickly and decisively. "My neglect of you and our daughters was the only crime there."
"You are too kind, husband," Maria smiled. "But the point of the story is that a certain book helped us by reigniting the flame of romance in our marriage. So, my good Sir Gnome..." she spoke, bending lower and planting a kiss on Jan's forehead. "We have you to thank for saving our marriage."
"Err..." was all that Jan could manage to say, a rare moment for the stunned gnome. "You have actually read the book, yes? It's about a paladin... and a flesh golem!"
"A most inspiring and open-minded story about love that knows no boundaries," Keldorn nodded, looking to be thoroughly enjoying himself. "It has also provided great help to some of the knights of the Order who have sworn to remain celibate. The plot of the remarkable tale inspired the Order to commission several flesh golems for the celibate knights who had expressed an interest in forging a relationship as described in your inspiring story, Master Jansen."
"I cannot believe that the knights of the Order would do something so perverted!" Jan protested, looking to have gone a little green in the face.
"Why not?" Keldorn appeared puzzled. "We even made sure that these crafted flesh golems did not resemble your Auntie Gail as they did in your story. I admit, that would have been a little strange."
"We have also heard that you are writing a sequel, Master Jansen," Maria remarked, smiling at the bristling gnome. "Please say that it will be ready soon... pretty please?"
"I can't believe what I am forced to listen to here, in the home of a respected paladin! I could not be more disturbed and outraged!" Jan fumed, turning around to leave the library. "Farewell, reprobates, I'm going home!"
"Whoa... I didn't think I would ever get to see that," Leah blinked at Keldorn. "You actually got to him. You defeated The Gnome."
"Merely getting a measure of revenge for all the countless knights and initiates that have been irreversibly traumatized by his vile book," Keldorn shrugged, appearing pleased as he turned towards his wife. "Thank you for playing along, love. You did your part ever so well."
"It was my pleasure, love," Maria replied, the husband and wife then kissing with genuine affection.
"Well, enjoy your victory, Keldorn. It's probably the first and also the last one any of us will celebrate," Leah grinned as she walked away, intent on perusing the shelves of the library and possibly taking her host up on the offer to borrow some books for her reading pleasure.
The majority of books in the Firecam library were various treatises on different faiths, discourses on religion and morality, as well as countless tomes on all things knightly, the chivalry codes of different paladin orders, recounting of the glorious deeds of various famous knights and the like. Leah was not particularly interested in such books, however, much preferring writings of unbiased scholars whether it was something on geography, astronomy, alchemy, or any natural sciences. So immersed in her searching, Leah's attention was purely on the tomes when she circled around a bookcase and bumped into someone standing in the next library isle.
"Oh... umm, I... I'm sorry, Lady Leah..." Leona, Keldorn's eldest, apologized as she blushed furiously.
"There's nothing to apologize for, Leona," Leah smiled at the girl. "And forget the 'Lady', please. I know it might seem a little odd, but I'm actually not that much older than you are."
"I realize that... which makes your accomplishments all the more... impressive," the girl looked up to her with admiration in her eyes. "It appears that you are the youngest in your group of adventurers... and yet everyone is looking up and listening to you."
"I really had to work very hard to earn that sort of respect, Leona," Leah replied earnestly. "It was not just handed down to me. I value my companions and their trust in me a great deal."
"It's... well, I just wanted to say that I think it's... really impressive. You're really impressive, Leah," Leona explained, the fierce blush on her cheeks contrasting prettily with her pale alabaster skin. "I've read every adventuring book in the library that has a female heroine. To see and meet one who is real... it's very inspiring."
"Well... I'm glad to be an inspiration," Leah chuckled, feeling deeply flattered. "Is that something you have been thinking about? Adventuring, I mean?"
"Who, me?" Leona blinked. "Goodness, no! And I don't think father would approve. Anyway, I'm much more interested in doing things that are... less dangerous. Such as studying history. It is a passion of mine."
"I do love to read about ancient history, so we have that in common," Leah smiled. "Given the chance, I too would have chosen something safer than adventuring, but circumstances forced me into it a long time ago... and I do not foresee my path changing in the near future. So, until things settle down, I will do what it takes to surround myself with capable people that I can trust and depend on."
"That makes sense," Leona nodded. "My dad speaks highly of you, and he wants to do all he can to help you." She hesitated a little before continuing to speak. "There's... just one thing I'm a little envious about towards adventuring heroines, I suppose. All the books I've read speak of romance..."
Leah could not stop herself from laughing at that. "Trust me, adventuring is far less romantic than the books make it seem," the young Sorlyn chuckled.
"Surely there must be dozens of attractive young men throwing themselves at your feet?" Leona guessed.
"There have been some," Leah nodded, thinking about Anomen in particular, as well as Garrick and some others in the more distant past. "But I would hardly say there were dozens. And really," she added, regarding Leona with an appraising stare, taking in the girl's regal high cheekbones, the soft glow of her dark blue eyes. "You're a very pretty young lady, Leona. I'm sure you have plenty admirers of your own."
"I don't, actually..." Leona admitted ruefully. "I guess a shy history student just isn't very exciting... there have been a few, but when they learned who my father is, they just stopped talking to me as if they were afraid or something."
"If something like that discourages them, then they are not the sort of suitors you want pursuing you," Leah shrugged.
"Yes, I suppose you are right," Leona nodded slowly. "Still... I wanted to ask you... I'm sure you have plenty of experience... perhaps you can give me some advice, or anything..."
"Advice?" Leah blinked. "I'm... not really an expert in attracting men, Leona... and I'm being completely honest here." The girl was giving her a slightly disbelieving look, but then her eyes widened as Viconia suddenly came up to them, sliding her arm around Leah's waist and planting a soft, sensual kiss on the blushing Sorlyn's cheek.
"She's telling the truth, little dove," Viconia chuckled at Leah's embarrassment. "Leah has never had any success in attracting men. However, when it comes to women... that's a different story. Maybe you should give girls a try if you're having such trouble with boys."
"Viconia!" Leah exclaimed as she watched Leona grow an interesting shade of pink. "Keldorn is going to kill us if he hears us giving such advice to his daughter."
"The drow is your... lover," Leona stated, looking slightly stunned. "I... uh... don't know what to say. Dad used to teach us that the drow are an evil race, but... he hasn't said so about you, Lady Viconia. In fact... he hasn't said anything bad about the drow lately. This is... I did not expect this..."
"I also never expected this to happen," Leah admitted, feeling very warm from Viconia's arm around her waist and the drow's general proximity. "When I realized that I... like women, at first I felt like there was something deeply wrong with me. But now I feel as if... maybe there isn't. It's complicated, but... maybe I'm making it more complicated than it should be."
"You are, abbil," Viconia grinned, kissing Leah again. "You are."
"I, uh... I should probably go now," Leona spoke up, looking a little overwhelmed, still red in the face. "Thank you... thank you for the conversation... it has given me lots to think about," the girl said, quickly moving away and then leaving the library altogether.
"Keldorn will surely murder us when he learns about this conversation with his daughter," Leah groaned, turning her head to accept a kiss on the lips from Viconia.
"It was still totally worth it," the drow chuckled as they parted and turned to rejoin the other guests, Leah having forgotten all about the books she had intended to borrow.
Leah and her friends departed Firecam Estate late in the afternoon, hoping to reach Waukeen's Promenade before Jerlia closed her business for the night. Keldorn had elected to spend the evening with his family, Reyna and Anomen had returned to the Order headquarters, and Jan had stormed off in a huff, but Leah was still left with the company of Viconia, Jaheira, Yoshimo, and also Minsc once the Rashemi had managed to pry Boo away from little Vesper.
The group of five were walking at a brisk pace, crossing the bridge on their way to the market district, but the sun was unrelenting in its descent, making it clear that they would fail to reach Waukeen's Promenade before darkness set in. "We're not going to get there in time unless we take a shortcut," Yoshimo spoke up as they walked. "Fortunately, I know just the right path to get us there," he added, pointing at a dark alley that branched off from the main avenue leading away from the bridge.
"Hmm... might as well," Leah nodded, and following a brief hesitation led her friends towards the narrow passage. Yoshimo took over once they had entered the alleyway, leading them through the winding shortcut, dodging heaps of discarded litter, sometimes shaped into makeshift shacks occupied by the numerous beggars. They often had to step over drunkards or Black Lotus users who had passed out in the alley, Leah certain that some of them were no longer even alive, but there was nothing they could do about this ugly side of the capital.
After they had traversed through the dingy alley for some time it suddenly opened up into a wider street running along a row of warehouses, which as Leah quickly realized were situated just outside the main ring of Waukeen's Promenade. "Nearly there," Yoshimo said, looking pleased as the last rays of the setting sun still prevailed. "Let's just hope that our ore merchant has not decided to take the afternoon off."
"And let's hope that those are not a group of angry Talosans, also looking to purchase illithium from Jerlia," Viconia remarked, pointing at a group of heavily armed men, approaching the warehouses and coming straight towards Leah and her group.
"Or anyone else with hostile intentions," Leah muttered, looking around worriedly in hopes that these men were not here for a confrontation since they numbered close to dozen and outmanned them two to one.
"These are the ones, Dirth?" one of the approaching men asked, staring at their supposed leader, wearing what appeared to be the armor of Amnish army. The leader merely nodded as he and his men all drew their weapons and crushed Leah's naive hopes that for once in her adventuring career, randomly encountered people were not out to kill her.
"Uh, I'm quite certain we are not the ones you're looking for," Leah spoke up hastily, warning her friends not to draw their weapons just yet. "We don't even know you people!"
"But you knew Isaea Roenall, and you knew Captain Haegan," the one called Dirth snarled at them. "They are both dead, and our slave trade network has suffered substantial losses because of your interference. Losses that we are going to take out of your hide, girl!"
"Right, we're guilty as charged about that piece of filth Isaea, but who by the Abyss is or was Captain Haegan?" Leah pondered aloud.
"The other piece of scum who was supplying Lehtinan from the dry-docked ship at the slums," Jaheira explained calmly.
"You idiots obviously don't know how big slave trade is in this city," Dirth hissed at them. "You will regret waking this sleeping giant," he growled, together with his men starting to move in on Leah's group, their numerical superiority spelling trouble for the Sorlyn and her friends.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, a dark shape landed just behind Dirth and his men, looking to have jumped from the roof of the nearby warehouse. Some of Dirth's men stopped to regard the mysterious figure, the thick hood hiding the face of an unnaturally pale faced woman. "What is the mean-..." one of the soldiers exclaimed as the woman rushed towards him with supernatural speed, moving to bash her aside with his shield, but she sidestepped the move easily, dodged the incoming swing of the blade, seized the soldier's sword arm and with extraordinary strength simply ripped it out of its socket, the screaming man staring at his ripped off arm in disbelief before crumpling to the ground.
"Get her!" Dirth yelled, three of his men approaching the strange and sickly looking woman, but despite her appearance she moved and struck her enemies with the speed of lightning. Within moments, one of the men found himself lying on the ground with his neck snapped and the other two were bleeding out, having been skewered by their own swords.
"Who is that crazy woman?" another soldier yelled before taking a futile run at the woman, swinging at her wildly, but then freezing as if paralyzed, turning around with an empty look in his eyes.
"Charm spell!" Dirth shouted. "She's a vampire!"
"Of course," Jaheira muttered, the five of them still waiting before engaging the battle. "But why is a vampire helping us?"
"We don't know that," Viconia shrugged. "But she is killing our enemies. I say we help her in this endeavor."
"I agree with Viconia," Leah finally made her decision. "Cut them down!" With the party of five joining the battle, the corrupt Amnish soldiers soon all lay dead, with the exception of Dirth, the leader wildly glancing from Leah's group back to the vampire, trying to guess where the next attack would come from.
Yoshimo notched an arrow into his bow, looking ready to take a shot that would end Dirth's life, but the vampire stopped him, speaking up in a soft, purring voice. "Don't," she warned. "This one's all mine." The pale woman suddenly appeared next to Dirth, easily disarming him and wrenching the soldier's arms behind his back, holding him in an iron grip. Her mouth parted, displaying a pair of sharp fangs, before she sank them into the struggling man's shoulder, starting to drain him of blood, the vampire feeding as Dirth's head slowly lolled forward and fell on his chest. The pale woman finished her meal a while later, removing her fangs with a sharp tear that left a nasty gash in the man's neck and nearly severed his head, even if he was already dead.
Leah lowered her scimitar as she looked on at the vampire, daintily cleaning her blood-stained lips with a white handkerchief that quickly turned red. "Put away your weapons," she told her friends, looking at the young priestess with incredulity. "She's not here to harm us."
"I do so value your civility, my dear," the vampire gave Leah a grin that was devoid of warmth or emotion of any sort. "You are correct, I am not here to harm you," the pale woman explained. "My name is Valen... and I bring a message from my mistress."
