In The Cards 20 - Firewine Bridge
Magic may look easy, but there are all sorts of ways for spells to go wrong. Sometimes humorously, sometimes fatally. Of course, practice makes perfect, and the right study partner can do wonders…
Excerpt from 'Ruminations Of A Master Bard'
"No, no, no, no, NO! It's pronounced Ego Reflectus. You're saying it all wrong."
"No, I'm not", Zaerini protested and gave Edwin an insulted glare.
"Yes, you are. And you're flailing your arms about like a drunken weather-mill as well. Spellcasting is supposed to be a subtle art, you know. Go ahead, try again. (She'll drive me insane. I know it. How anybody could have the inhuman patience to do this tutoring stuff for years, without choosing to jump off a cliff or run off to herd feral goats instead is quite beyond me. Goats would probably be more attentive, in fact.)"
Zaerini gritted her teeth and reached for her bags of spell components. Having Edwin help her improve her magic had seemed like a good idea at first. The Red Wizard was, after all, good at what he did. What she hadn't counted on was the fact that he wasn't really very good at transmitting his own knowledge to others. He knew when something worked, and he knew when it didn't, but he was frequently unable to explain whatexactly she did wrong, and he got impatient when she told him so. This was one of those times.
The adventurers had delivered Brage to the temple in Nashkel some days previously and had started on their trek north towards the Wood of Sharp Teeth. Rini intended to check out a couple of interesting landmarks on the way and then see what she could do about the bandits. Working on her magic skills during their rest stops had been her own suggestion, so she and the wizard had gone apart from the others to get some studying done. She'd thought it would be fun, but after failing to cast her new Mirror Image spell for the fifth time and being forced to listen to Edwin's 'humorous' commentary about it all the while, she was about ready to ram her spell-book down his throat if only it would help shut him up.
"Ego Reflectus!" Zaerini snarled and waved her hand as she tossed a small quantity of sparkling white sand into the air. She grinned as she felt the tingle of magic flowing through her arms. Then the grin faltered as she saw those arms. All six of them. The spell had failed again. Instead of creating identical mirror copies of her it had simply replicated her arms, and now she had three on each side, completely identical. Four of them were mere illusions, but they moved in perfect time with her real ones, making her feel quite dizzy.
"Well", Edwin said with an amused smirk. "I've never seen that before. My dear, useful as turning into a marilith could no doubt be, I really wouldn't recommend trying it in a more public place than this. People might stare. (Then again, they do have this interesting way of dressing, or rather not dressing…)"
Rini's yellow eyes narrowed. The wizard looked incredibly smug and satisfied with himself, and she thought it high time to wipe said smugness off that handsome face. And she knew just the way to do it too. "I wouldn't say such things if I were you", the half-elf purred and flexed her fingers, creating an unsettling impression. No, he'd have no way of telling which hands were real. Perfect. The fake ones even felt real.
"No? Why ever not?"
"Because I might just decide to do to you what I've done more than once to Immy when she was being a pest. Are you going to be nice and stop teasing me?"
"Hardly. I'm a Red Wizard, you know. I don't do 'nice'. And besides, I'm having much too much fun."
"Fine. Suit yourself. Then I think it's way past time you got closer acquainted with the Infamous Tickle Torture Of Candlekeep. Prepare to meet thy Doom!" Without further preliminaries the bard pounced on the wizard, tickling him mercilessly. The effect was made all that much greater by all the extra hands. Edwin had about ten seconds of looking alarmed before he was on his back on the ground, giggling and chortling, completely out of control.
"No!" he panted. "Stop…hee…it! I…Ha Ha Ha…can't…* snort * breathe…"
"I don't think so", Rini said. She was sitting on him by now to pin him down. "I'm having much too much fun."
"All… * chuckle * right! I'm…He He…sorry! Now quit it, I can't… Ha Ha…breathe…"
Finally deciding he had suffered enough Zaerini ceased her attacks. All of the extra arms had evaporated by now and she was feeling more than a little exhausted herself after the tussle. With a feeling of boneless weariness, she collapsed on top of the wizard's prone body, their noses almost close enough to be touching. He had really nice eyes, she couldn't help but notice, not for the first time. Deep and dark, almost black. She suddenly felt strangely dizzy, as if she were about to fall into them and not be able to climb back out. She must have exerted herself more than she'd meant to.
"So", the bard breathed and blew a lock of red hair out of her eyes. "Changed your mind about being nice to me yet?"
"Er…", Edwin said, sounding rather breathless. "I…"
The prickling sensation of eyes boring into her back made Zaerini turn her head. Slowly, ever so slowly, her eyes traveled upwards, dreading what they might see. A pair of legs in green leggings, planted wide apart with one foot tapping impatiently against the ground. Leather armor. Arms firmly crossed over the chest. Golden hair, the color of a lion's fur, just touching the strong shoulders. A firm and strong-featured half-elven face, set in a stony glare, with cool green eyes shooting daggers at the pair on the ground.
"Er…Hello Jaheira", Rini said with a weak smile. Beneath her Edwin made a strangled noise in the back of his throat as he too noticed the druid.
"Hello, children", Jaheira said in an expressionless voice. "And what, may I ask, are the two of you up to?"
"Er…", Rini said, her mind frantically racing around in circles like a decapitated hen. "We're…uh…studying. Yep, that's it. Studying."
"Studying."
"Uh huh."
"Yes", Edwin blurted out. "That's it. Of course. We…we were in the middle of some very delicate casting here; I'll have you know. In fact, you're lucky you didn't interrupt us a little earlier or…or the energies unleashed might well have torn you to pieces. (Good one. That should do it.)
"Is that so?" Jaheira said, the hint of an amused smile playing around the corners of her full mouth. "Well, if that was a typical Thayvian study session I think it was a good thing I did not interrupt you a little later, or somebody would certainly have been torn to pieces." She patted the hilt of her scimitar. "I came to tell our fearless leader that I think we should be moving on. It is starting to get late, but if we start now, we can still reach Firewine Bridge before nightfall." She turned to walk off, and as she did Zaerini could almost swear she heard the druid laugh quietly to herself and mutter something that sounded suspiciously like 'studying'.
Three interesting old ruins lay on the way between Nashkel and Beregost, ruins with names that Rini had been fascinated by since early childhood. Since she was in the area anyway, she planned to visit at least two of them, the two she thought herself capable of handling. Firewine Bridge. The School of Ulcaster. Dulrag's Tower. The Dark Tower of Durlag would have to wait, she wasn't foolhardy enough to enter that dreaded place just yet. But by all accounts, the old Firewine Bridge ruins had been empty and abandoned for years and should pose no great threat. And there might still be some valuables left behind.
The party reached the Firewine Bridge just as the sun was setting. The Firewine River had long been dry, only the cracked and dry riverbed remained, a deep wound through a rocky and infertile landscape where only cacti and weeds seemed to thrive. The Bridge itself was a huge structure. It stood out in stark relief against the burning sky like a large black beast, crouching and ready to leap. As the adventurers drew nearer, they found that this beast was old and weak, snarling with gaps between its pointed teeth. The dark stone of the bridge was chipped and cracked, in places large parts of the railings were missing entirely. From the massive arches, taller than the tallest building Rini had yet seen, large blocks of stone had fallen, smashed to fine dust against the bridge.
"Are you s-sure this is s-s-safe?" Khalid asked nervously.
"Well, no", Rini admitted. "But then again, what is? And it is the only way to the ruins on the other side, unless we want to climb down to the riverbed."
An unearthly wail drifted up from the riverbed as if in answer to this statement, a scream from many inhuman throats. It was a sound to make the blood run cold as ice-water through the veins. The adventurers looked across the railing to see a large group of undead milling about below. Skeletons mostly, with some ghouls and ghasts mixed in. The sun had just sunk beneath the horizon and more undead were digging their way out of the ground by the minute.
"O-on s-s-second thought", Khalid said, "the b-bridge doesn't look a-all that b-b-bad an option."
"Right", Edwin said. "I say it's a good bridge. A nice bridge. So, it's falling to pieces a bit. Everybody has bad days, don't they?"
The bridge seemed to appreciate this flattery and refrained from falling to pieces any more as the adventurers started crossing it. Still, what was already done couldn't be undone. Halfway across they came to a wide crack where the bridge had broken in two. Fortunately, some helpful person had laid a plank across the gap. It wasn't a particularly wide plank, though. In fact, it was downright narrow. The undead had been following the party's progress across the bridge closely, running along beneath it in an effort to keep up. Now they gathered beneath the hole, their dead eyes filled with hungry eagerness.
"Let's go", Zaerini said. "Before any of them figure out that they can get on to the bridge by doubling back and climbing out of the riverbed. It looked rather shallow at the other end." At her words a few of the skeletons turned their heads upwards eagerly, and then started back towards the edge of the river.
"Oh, well done", Edwin said. "You just had to go and say that, didn't you? Why don't you tip them off about cooperating in climbing while you're at it?" The skeletons took this advice eagerly and started climbing onto each other's backs, rapidly forming a swaying skeletal tower that was starting to reach for the hole in the bridge.
"Will the two of you", Jaheira bellowed, "please stop giving them hints and move instead?"
The bard and the wizard gave each other a look. "Think we should?" Rini asked and flipped her red hair across her shoulder.
"Oh, eventually", Edwin replied with a sly grin. "Once we've finished our discussion. And counted all the stars in the sky. And once the druid learns to take a joke. (That should keep us busy for a few millennia.)"
Rini grinned. "And amused as well", she said. Then she winked at the now quietly fuming druid. "Go on, Jaheira", she said. "We're coming, we were only ruffling your fur a little."
The druid sniffed and walked across the plank, never looking down or paying any outward attention to the climbing skeletons beneath. Khalid followed her, trembling and weak-kneed. He was in great danger of losing his balance more than once, and likely would have done so if the more agile Imoen hadn't been right behind to help keep him steady. Edwin was next, and Zaerini was surprised to see how easily he moved. He really was a lot more dexterous than she'd thought.
I wonder how he'd do without those robes hindering him, she thought.
Probably not too badly, Softpaws commented as she ran across the plank like a smoothly flowing black ghost. The male has some inborn grace, I think. But don't you think he'd get a little cold without anything on?
Softy! That is not what I meant, and you know it!
Do I? Now get on with it, kitten. Everybody's waiting for you and those nasty bones are almost up to the hole. And hunting prey with no meat on is such a complete waste of time.
Right. Coming.
Zaerini stepped onto the plank and started walking across it. She'd never been afraid of heights, and she was very good at keeping her balance. Under normal circumstances this shouldn't have been a problem. However, the skeletons had by now almost reached the plank. Bony fingers were reaching for her, grasping for her ankles. They were icy to the touch.
Please let it work this time, the bard thought as she reached for her spell components. "Ego Reflectus!" she screamed, and this time she got the spell right. Six identical copies of herself were suddenly present, moving as one with her, making her hurried scramble across the plank seem like some sort of coordinated dance number. The skeletons were confused and started flailing wildly about, unsure of which redheaded half-elf to go for. The tower of bones started swaying, then toppling…and then it fell. A cloud of bone-dust rose into the air as the skeletons hit the stony ground beneath and were smashed to pieces. "Yes!" Rini cried out. "What's the matter you undead creeps? Forget that the leg-bones supposed to be attached to the hip-bone?" She kicked the plank down after her to the block the way. The small group of skeletons charging across the bridge behind her made a panicky effort to stop, but it was too late. They tumbled across the edge after their companions, and more bones were scattered across the rocks. Then all was quiet, and not a single skeleton remained animated.
"Wow", Imoen said reverently as she looked across the bridge railing. "That sure is a lot of bones…"
"Quite", Edwin agreed. He gave Zaerini an approving look, divided between her and her mirror images. "And I see you finally managed to get the spell to work. I thought you would, eventually, given the proper…motivation. (I could get used to this teaching thing; I think. Very satisfying.)"
"Glad you think so", Rini said with a cheerful smile, or rather seven cheerful smiles. "What's next on the schedule?"
"Well, we'll keep on going over the basics. And then once you get good enough, maybe some mutual research? (I always wanted to learn those tricky demon summoning spells…)"
"Sounds great to me."
"I am sure it does", Jaheira said in a suspiciously innocent voice. "You seem to be very enthusiastic about…studying…these days."
"A hale and hearty hello mine friends! A fine day, is it not?" Zaerini gave the young man standing on the Firewine Bridge a long look. A gloomy evening on a crumbling bridge with swarms of undead crawling beneath her wasn't exactly what she'd call a 'fine day'. The young man who had expressed this strange sentiment was standing by the railing of the Firewine Bridge, beaming earnestly at the five travelers. He seemed to be examining some sort of scroll.
"Yes", Rini said in a cautious voice. "A really fine day. The skeletons are glowing such a lovely white in the dark like you wouldn't believe. Who are you anyway?"
"My name is Poe", the young man said, oblivious to the sarcasm, "and it was not always so serene in these parts though, as you can no doubt discern from the ruins about us all. Tragic loss to the area it was, some 300 years past. I've tales though; tales of heroes and villains that have come and gone amidst these stones since that prosperous time. Could I entreat your ears to hear one? It is an epic I have been working on for some time, based on the rumors I hear and the strange things I see in my dreams at night. Would you care for a story this eve?"
"Oh certainly", Edwin said. "After a brush with death the first thing we long for is always a little poetry reading. (Do us all a favor and swallow some flaming knives, why don't you? If you can make yourself disappear as well, I'd be truly ecstatic.)"
"Aw, come on", Imoen pleaded. "I like stories. Let's hear it! Right, Rini?"
"Well", Zaerini said. She was tired, but she was always interested in listening to the works of a fellow bard. "All right. As long as it doesn't take too long."
"Wonderful! Stand relaxed and I shall relate it to you! It is a poetic treatise I should like to call "The Knights of Days Hence." Ehh...I know the title needs work, but the soul of the piece is right and true!" He then proceeded to recite an incredibly long and rather melodramatic poem about a group of knights that had entered the Firewine ruins to fight against evil. Apparently one of them had betrayed his friends, slaying them all as they slept, but had been killed himself before he could make his escape.
"When one for all turns all for one
the injured souls take solace none in death's release so stand they will,
til honor's need someone dost fill.
Together enter, together fall.
Tis as the vow agreed by all and all must stand and wait in time
for one that ran to face the crime.
I have not been, but have been told
of Knights of days gone past so bold to warrant heartfelt prayers from thee,
that rogue's return might set them free."
Poe bowed after reciting the final three verses and eagerly awaited the comments of his audience.
"Interesting", Zaerini said and handed him some coins. "Is there any truth to it?"
"Ahh, but there is some truth in everything, is there not? I cannot attest to the validity of the tale itself, as I have only culled from hearsay. I only know for certain that it makes for good patronage when I pass my hat. Strikes a chord with many, it does." He waved and walked off.
"That was so sad", Imoen sad. "I wonder if he regretted it?"
"If who regretted what?" Edwin asked.
"The knight. The one who betrayed his friends. They must have been really close and all, or they wouldn't have promised to die for each other. And then he killed them all. I just wondered…no matter how good reasons he thought he had; don't you think he felt just a little bit sorry afterward?"
"Who knows?" the Red Wizard said. "I believe the part about how they 'wait with unbelieving rage' though. (And if they should ever catch hold of him, I don't doubt they'd make him feel sorry. Very sorry indeed.)"
"But that's not what I meant. I just think that even if he hadn't been killed, he'd have found it really hard to live with having done a thing like that."
"Perhaps. Yes, perhaps." The wizard looked grim. "Breaking an oath…betraying a trust. Such things always bring misery. One way or another." He shook his head. "Are we going to stand about here much longer, or are we going to get going before I start growing moss?"
"Right", Rini said. "Let's go."
Hardly had the adventurers got off the bridge before the next stranger came upon them. A woman this time, a mage in red robes. They were torn and dirty, and her face was haggard. Her eyes stared ahead of her as if she was looking into another world entirely. In her arms she clutched a large black jar as tenderly as if it were her own firstborn child. "He's driving me...mad!" she sobbed. "Oh, please make it stop, make him stop his screaming. AAAHhhhhhh...Shut it up!"
"Is she a Red Wizard?" Zaerini whispered to Edwin.
"Hardly. The woman is obviously deranged. And besides, her robes are the wrong color, almost orange. Still, she'd better not wear anything even resembling Homeland colors should she ever travel to Thay, or she'll find herself meeting with some unfortunate accident before long."
"What…what are you whispering about over there?" the strange woman asked suspiciously. "He…he's driving me mad; you know."
"What's wrong?" Rini asked. "What is driving you to madness? Lady, if you want help, you're going to have to calm down."
"He..it's in my head. It won't be quiet, just keeps on whispering, and whispering. You see this jar. Do you SEE it?!"
"Lovely", Edwin muttered. "Another lunatic. What is it about the Sword Coast that draws them here like flies to honey, I wonder? Certainly, it can't be the climate. Next, she'll probably tell us she's got the head of Elminster inside that thing and that she'll show it to us for a highly reasonable sum. (Come to think of it, I would pay to see that.)"
Zaerini shot him an annoyed glance. "Don't prod the poor woman", she said. "She's obviously unstable." Then she addressed the stranger again. "We see the jar lady, now just calm down and tell us what's happening."
The woman smiled; a brittle smile fraught with pain. "My companions and I...we explored the Firewine ruins...and we found...we found, this jar. It...it drove them all mad. They hacked and they cut, and...the blood, so much blood. They're all dead now, and only I'm left. The voice...it tells me to say the name. If I say the name, it promises great rewards. But...I won't...I won't."
Right, Zaerini thought and made herself give the woman her calmest, most reassuring smile. She's completely out of her head. Let's just hope she's not dangerous as well. "What do you want us to do lady?" she asked. "How can we help you?"
The woman patted the jar, then gave a brief scream and clawed at her own eyes, drawing blood. "Poor Carsa cannot be helped. You can't help Carsa! You must run and run fast. Soon Carsa will not be able to resist...soon Carsa will say its name. Then it will come...and there will be blood...my blood, your blood."
"Ah, yes", Edwin said, "Blood. How charming. This sounds like an excellent time for us to walk away quietly."
"We can't", Rini hissed. "If she's telling the truth I don't dare leave her behind with that thing. Who knows what she might do with it? We could have a demon or something on our trail if she decides to use it." The bard slowly approached the madwoman, reaching out her hand towards her. "Just give us the jar Carsa. We'll know what to do with it. Don't worry."
"NO!" Carsa screamed and clutched the jar tighter to her chest. "Carsa will not give the jar. The jar is Carsa's and hers alone. Get away...get away or Carsa will say the name...and we will all die."
"Come on, Carsa. Give us the jar. You know you want to."
"You not take the jar from Carsa. It's mine. MINE! Stay away, or I say the name. Stay away."
"Oh, give it a rest", Edwin said, sounding rather annoyed. "All she needs is a little firmness." He cleared his throat and gave Carsa a threatening glare. "Listen to me. I don't really care whether that jar contains the ashes of your dead Grandmother, the brain you're obviously not using or simply a hangover cure for the drunken binge you seem to have been on for the last couple of decades. I just want you to shut up. We're taking the jar from you, whether you like it or not."
Carsa's crazed eyes nearly bulged from her face. Then she screamed. "NOOOoooo. KAHRK! OH MIGHTY KAHRK!" She pulled the jar open as she spoke and as she uttered the final syllable she fell to the ground, quite dead.
"Great going, Eddie", Rini snapped. "You have such a wonderful flair for diplomacy. If I didn't know it started centuries ago, I'd guess you created the entire Rashemani/Thay situation all by yourself." She paused in her scolding as she saw what was happening to the jar. Some sort of gas was leaking out of it, forming a rapidly expanding red cloud. This cloud was starting to assume a certain shape as well, a shape that was becoming more and more humanoid by the second. It was large too, towering above her. And now it resembled a dark-skinned man with a small beard and glowing red eyes. He was dressed in an exotic manner, with a large red turban, a satin vest that left his broad chest bare, baggy trousers and what seemed to be pointed slippers. "Uh-Oh…", the half-elf said.
"MUAHAHAHAHA!" the apparition laughed. "I am free...at last!" He picked the jar up and dashed it to pieces against his head, without so much as blinking.
"Uh…hi!" Imoen said. "Who are you?"
"Who am I? WHO AM I? Impudence! Mortals, before you die, know that you have pleased KAHRK, mightiest of the Dao Djinn. Your deaths shall feed my power, for now I am weak. MUAHAHAHAHA!"
Oh good, Zaerini thought. He may be a homicidal maniac, but at least he's a happy, cheerful one. That makes me feel so much better.
"That's not very grateful", Edwin protested. "Aren't you supposed to fulfill three of our wishes for letting you out of that thing? (And if I can get him to turn me into the mightiest wizard in the world, I won't really need him anymore, will I?)"
"Three wishes?" the Dao laughed. "That's for feeble, pathetic weaklings like the Djinni. But I am a Dao, and I crave vengeance. And I will have it! MUAHAHAHAHA!"
"Ah, come on", Rini said, willing her voice not to shake. "The mightiest of the Dao Djinn? Don't make me laugh. You're nothing but a big, dumb, fraudulent puff of hot air. You probably couldn't even make a fabulous feast appear out of thin air."
"Child?" Jaheira hissed out of the corner of her mouth. "What are you doing?"
Zaerini ignored her and gave the Dao an impudent stare. "Like I said. One big fraud."
"How dare you!" Kahrk roared. "Watch my works and tremble at my might!" He waved a hand and in a puff of red smoke a fabulous meal appeared. The table was set with a snowy white linen cloth, the chairs had soft cushions of red velvet. Silver candelabra flickered brightly, and on the table was the food. Truly a meal to tempt a king, it had every sort of delicacy imaginable. Wonderful smells wafted through the air, making the mouths of the adventurers water. "HA!" Kahrk exclaimed. "What say you to THAT? Truly I am the mightiest! MUAHAHAHAHA!"
Zaerini inspected the table. "Not bad", she said. "Not bad at all." She pulled the cork out of a wine bottle and poured the wine into the silver goblets standing on the table. Then she sniffed at the cork and made a face. "Oh no!" she said. "This won't do at all. This wine has a distinct smell of armor-polish, rotten eggs and sweat."
"WHAT? IMPOSSIBLE?"
"Would I lie to you? Come here and taste it for yourself." The bard held out the half-empty wine bottle towards the Dao and felt a small surge of triumph as the creature puffed into smoke once more. The huge red cloud started trickling into the bottle. "Gotcha!" Rini cried and slammed the cork back in, making sure it stuck. Then she shook the bottle and heard the wine slosh about through the red mist in a very satisfying manner.
"What?" Kahrk cried out, now in a much smaller voice. "No! I…I… * hic * don't want to… * hic * Oooohhh…. Fat old Bob was a jolly old sod, a jolly old sod was he… * hic * He called for his ale, he called for his grog, he called for fat ladies three…" The song subsided into drunken ravings.
"That should keep him quiet", Zaerini said with a satisfied smirk. She placed the bottle on the table where it immediately started singing bawdy pirate sea chanteys. "Well, relatively quiet." She smiled at the somewhat shocked faces of her friends. "Anybody else feeling hungry? Looks like dinner has been served, and we sure could use it after a jarring experience like that. Though I should pass on the pickled djinn if I were you."
Dinner turned out to be a highly pleasant affair, despite being taken out in the middle of nowhere and with bats fluttering overhead. Once done, Rini stuffed the Genie bottle inside her pack, being careful to wrap it up so it wouldn't accidentally break. She didn't want to leave it lying around, and it might even come in handy somehow. The adventurers were just about to leave when they heard the voice. A loud, bragging, obnoxious voice.
The voice in turn belonged to a loud, bragging, obnoxious man. A warrior with a permanent look of distaste on his face as if he had just smelled something bad. The slicked-back look of his light hair hinted that he'd poured about a barrel of oil into it. "Greeting little ones", he said. "You have the look of experienced travelers, and a few of you look to be fine warriors. My name is Meilum, I'm the Sword Coast's most skilled swordsman. You may have heard of my name, I'm quite famous after all."
"Wow", Zaerini said, trying to keep a straight face. "The best swordsman on the Sword Coast. It's an honor to meet such a distinguished man."
Meilum straightened up and looked immensely pleased with himself. "Yes, I know, I know. I'm quite unbeatable. Never lost a fight once. Sometimes it can be a pain being such a renowned swordsman. You know, people making challenges, women throwing their underpants. But what can a man do. If you're born with a skill, you might as well show it off."
Throwing their underpants? That is so gross. I wouldn't want my nice underpants to be soiled by contact with the likes of him.
"You know, you're perfectly right", Rini said. "If you've got a skill you might as well show it off. But since I highly doubt you've got one you worth seeing you might as well take a hike right now. There's no rain of underpants coming your way from these girls. Not unless your 'skill' is doing laundry, and probably not even then. You'd probably toss my red ones in with Jaheira's white, and the end result would be a dreadful pink that only Immy would want to wear."
The half-elf thought she saw Khalid go slightly bug-eyed at this, and Edwin looked as if he were about to choke on his own tongue. Jaheira was grinning slightly though and Imoen was giggling openly. Really, Rini thought. Sometimes men can be so innocent. It's kind of sweet though. Her golden eyes narrowed into mere slits as she gave Meilum a curious glance. "How about it?" she asked. "Feel up to the challenge? Or is laundry too advanced for you as well? I just figured you'd be used to it, with all that disgusting grease in your hair you must go through your shirts like there's no tomorrow."
"You…you dirty little half-breed tramp!" Meilum screamed and drew his sword. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never…" And then he screamed as an Acid Arrow struck him square in the groin, making a rather horrible hissing sound. It was rapidly followed by another one, and the screams turned to harsh whimpers. Then the noises abruptly ceased as Rini drove her sword home.
"Thanks, Eddie", the half-elf said with a small smile as she started cleaning her sword. "Very stylish way of making a point."
"It was my pleasure", the Red Wizard said and kicked the dead body contemptuously. "That fellow was beginning to seriously annoy me, what with his manifest stupidity. What difference does it make if you happen to be of mixed blood? Much better than to be a full-blooded idiot, that's what I think."
"I know. And I…like…the way you think. It really means a lot. More than you could possibly know."
"Well", Edwin said, his face almost entirely hidden by the cowl of his robe. "I…can guess. It would be much easier if we were all able to choose our parents wouldn't it? (And much less embarrassing.)"
"Much as I hate to disturb", Jaheira said coming up from behind, "I think it is high time we entered the ruins if we still intend to. There may be no undead around at the moment, but who knows what other beasts or assorted madmen may lurk nearby?"
"Right", Zaerini said in a more business-like voice. "I agree. Let's see what the Firewine Bridge Ruins have to offer."
The party's first impression of the Ruins was darkness. A narrow, dark and twisting corridor, that immediately branched into several other even narrower, darker and more twisting corridors.
"Oh d-d-dear", Khalid said. "I r-r-really don't l-like this."
"Who cares about liking?" Edwin asked. "We're here for the possible treasure, not to buy the place. (For one thing, I much prefer the spacious look above the rat-warren style.)"
"We should be careful though", Imoen said. "Lots of corners here for things to hide behind. I'll scout ahead, how's that?" The thief was already tucking her pink hair into her hood to make herself more inconspicuous.
"Good idea", Zaerini agreed. "Just be careful. Do you have any healing potions?"
"I'll check…yeah, here's something. No, wait. Those are the potions I bought at the Fair. I'd almost forgotten about them. One is supposed to bring strength and the other intelligence, but the merchant forgot to tell me which was which. They were really cheap though."
"Potions?" Edwin asked in an interested voice. "I know quite a great deal about potions actually. Perhaps I could take a look at them?"
"Oh, sure. You can have them if you like. Well, I'll see you guys later. Just stay right here and I'll come back to tell you when it's all safe."
Slowly, mindnumbingly slowly, the adventurers made their way through the Firewine Bridge ruins. It wasn't long before Rini decided that she hated the whole loathsome place enough to want to blow it all up. Not only were the tunnels so narrow that they were forced to walk in single file, something that made her feel as if the walls were pressing in to crush her. Not only were there plenty of nasty traps around so that they were forced to move at a snail's pace. Not only had she lost all of sense of direction and was forced to let Jaheira pick their way through the dark labyrinth. No, as if all of that wasn't bad enough there were still the kobolds. Aggressive, vicious little creatures, and all of them armed with fire arrows. One of them would have been laughably easy to handle. Dozens of them were another thing entirely.
The pesky critters seemed to spawn out of the very walls. If you'd cleared one room and then went back five minutes later, you could safely assume that it would be swarming with kobolds once again. And she was tired, so tired. The tension and the inability to relax was really starting to get to her. Rini swore quietly to herself and stopped to catch her breath.
"Something wrong?" asked Edwin who made up the rear of the group.
"No, no. Just a little tired, that's all. I'll be fine in a moment."
"Are you quite sure? Perhaps we should rest for a bit."
"I don't dare stop for long. There are kobolds everywhere. There's far too many of them too, I can't help but wonder what they're all doing here." The bard sighed. "Well, I suppose we should catch up with the others…" Then she paused. "Er…can you hear the others?"
Edwin listened attentively, and then he shook his head, his face pale and tense in the flickering magelight. "I hear nothing", he said.
"Well hurry up! They can't be that far ahead of us, we only stopped for a minute!" The bard hurried down the narrow corridor as quickly as she dared, Edwin close behind her. In a few moments she stopped, and her heart filled with icy dread. The passage split in five ahead of her, none of them giving any sort of hint as to where her friends might have gone. She didn't dare call out for them either, there was no way of telling what might answer.
Softpaws? she asked. Can you smell them?
There was no answer.
Damn! She must be far enough ahead that she can't even hear me! Now what? It was at that moment that Zaerini did something of which she was later greatly ashamed. She panicked. As plain and simple as that. A combination of weariness, darkness, the oppressive sense of the tunnels, the constant attempts at her life and being separated from her familiar all conspired to make her lose her head. She rushed into the first tunnel she came upon, heedless of where she was going. She just ran, with no thought at all of how she was going to get back. She didn't stop so much as she was stopped, when she tripped over an outcropping rock and fell flat on her face.
Darkness. Wet rock beneath her, the cold of it seeping into her clothes, into her soul. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to sob. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she reacted instinctively, twisting around to try to reach for her sword, hissing like a wounded beast. It was Edwin's extreme good fortune that the half-elf's ability to see better than a human in the dark caused her to recognize him in time. As it was, she was just barely able to hold herself back.
"Well", the wizard said. "I suppose that's that. We're well and truly lost now." He didn't sound so much annoyed as resigned.
For once Zaerini was at an utter loss as to what to say. This is my fault, she thought. All my fault. We'll never be able to find our way back now. If the kobolds don't get us we'll starve or thirst to death. And she was tired. So tired, and too afraid to rest. "I…I'm sorry", she said in a small voice. "So sorry." She felt the tears welling into her eyes now, and she couldn't hold them back, no matter how much she tried to. She curled in on herself, head against her knees, back shaking with silent sobs. It seemed to go on forever, but probably it was only a minute or so.
And then she felt an arm around her shoulders, steadying her, human warmth against her cold skin. A soft voice murmuring into her ear, words she didn't recognize, but it was the tone of voice that mattered, nothing else. Faint smell of cinnamon and lemongrass, and something else she couldn't recognize. A hand gently touching her hair. She subsided into the comforting sensations, let the storm of her weeping pass. This…was peace. She had almost forgotten what it felt like. "I…I apologize", Zaerini managed once she was finally able to speak again. "You must think me very foolish."
She felt rather than saw the wizard shake his head. "Not really", he said. "No, I…don't think that at all."
She was still leaning against him, Rini realized, but she really didn't feel any urgent need to move. And he didn't seem to mind either. "Hang on", she said as she suddenly thought of something. "When I ran off…you could have stayed behind. The others would probably have made their way back soon and found you."
"Why yes", Edwin said, sounding rather surprised. "I suppose I could have. That would have been the logical thing to do, wouldn't it?"
"So why didn't you?"
The wizard chuckled quietly. "Would you know", he said, "I never even thought of it. Isn't that strange? (Perhaps there are some weird fumes down here that affect the senses. It certainly feels much hotter than it ought to.)"
Rini grinned slightly and wiped at her eyes. She was feeling much better already. "You know, I usually don't do this sort of thing."
"Me neither."
"I may have to kill you if you tell anybody."
"Likewise." Very deadpan voice. Just the faintest hint of a crooked smile to say differently as well as an amused sparkle in those dark eyes.
"And now", Zaerini said and got to her feet, "perhaps we should see about getting out of here. We'll make it. Somehow."
That proved to be a little easier said than done, as a matter of fact. Still, they were no longer walking aimlessly, instead marking each new passage to know where they had been before. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be as many kobolds in this part of the dungeon. There was something else though.
A loud moan suddenly echoed through the dark tunnel, filled with despair, loss and suffering. It didn't sound as if it came from very far off either. The bard and the wizard gave each other a worried look. "I really, really, really don't like the sound of that", Rini said in a fervent voice as she drew her sword.
"Maybe it's nothing to worry about", Edwin tried. "It could be…I don't know…a kobold with a really bad case of indigestion? Or some innocent traveler who just discovered that he forgot to pack the Potion of Kobold Repelling. (Come to think of it, I did that myself.)"
At that moment, a skeleton came shambling around the corner. It was dressed in an old and rusty armor, it waved an ancient sword about in a threatening manner, and its eyes glowed with a cold blue fire, merciless but yet somehow plaintive. "Strike me down..." it moaned. "Take the armor back..."
There really wasn't much time to talk things over. Rini hadn't got any spells left, and a sword wasn't the best weapon for attacking a creature made up entirely of bones, but she at least managed to keep it at a distance while Edwin peppered it with Magic Missiles. Eventually the undead knight slumped to his bony knees. "I thank thee", he whispered. "Please…find…my comrades." The light went out of his empty eyesockets and he was nothing but a heap of bones.
"I take it that was the knight who betrayed his friends", Zaerini said as she sheathed her sword again.
"Yes", Edwin agreed. "I assume that means the ones he killed are still down here as well."
"Poor thing", the half-elf sighed and started stripping the old armor off the skeleton. "He may have been a traitor, but he seemed so…sad. I'll just bring this old thing in case we happen to find his friends."
They walked in silence for a while, thankfully managing to avoid all but a few kobolds. "So", Edwin eventually said. "Have you given any thought to the suggestion I made earlier?" Though the words were neutral his voice sounded just a little tense.
"What, about traveling to Thay?" Zaerini asked. "I don't know. It might be interesting, assuming I survive this whole Sarevok thing of course. But…I just don't know about dealing with the Red Wizards. I…don't know if I want to be tied up with,any organization."
"But why? Can't you see how beneficial it could be to you?"
"Maybe." The half-elf shook her head. "But I don't really trust in large organizations. I mean, I know you, and I trust you, but how do I know I can trust them?"
Edwin was silent for a moment. "I sincerely urge you", he said, "to reconsider this. Surely you must realize that I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't believe in it myself? (Though there is much more I would say…but cannot. She has no idea of the forces at work here.) I cannot enough stress the importance of your decision."
"We'll see. I haven't ruled it out entirely I guess…but I really don't think I'll be able to do what you ask. I'll let you know as soon as I decide, you deserve that."
"Deserve?", the Red Wizard said in a morose voice. "Yes. Yes, I suppose I do. (Yes, I think I'll get exactly what I deserve, one way or another.)"
Zaerini would have queried him further about his strange mood, but at that moment she heard voices nearby. Strange voices, and there was a cold draft in the air. Cautiously she peered around a corner to see a chilling and eerie sight. There stood the dead knights betrayed so many years ago, bony hands still clasping swords, still wearing armor and helmet though the flesh they had protected was long since rotted away. As they noticed the two mortals they turned as one, watching them.
"Together enter...Together fall...", one of the knights murmured in a low but commanding voice. "Such was the vow agreed...None shall leave until all are one...Such the vow remains...We must be as one..."
"I…hear you", Zaerini said and held out the broken armor. "And I have met your…friend…already."
The knight eagerly accepted the ancient armor, and a ghostly mist swirled up around it, coalescing into the shape of the traitor knight. Silently he bowed before the others. "I…have returned", he said. "Years of torment…now at end. No escape from guilt or grief…except in retribution. Take it then…my brothers."
The other knights watched him in silence for a minute. Then the leader spoke again, his voice still stern but with a streak of mercy running through it. "Torment suffered…is penance enough", he said. "The vow…was remembered, though you had forgotten it. So it was...So it is...Together enter...Together fall...Brother traitor completes the one...Together free...Come with us then…my brother." For an instant there was a look of surprise and immense relief in the traitor knight's ghostly eyes, as if he hardly dared believe in the forgiveness he had been granted. He bowed again, then clasped the hand of his leader. Then the apparitions all dissolved into a fine mist and were gone, no trace of them remaining.
"That…was beautiful", Rini breathed.
Edwin shivered. "And rare", he said. "How many would forgive a betrayal like that? I…don't understand it."
"Well, they were really good friends, weren't they? Sometimes people are able to forgive more than you think."
Edwin snorted. "Ha! Some people don't deserve to be…" And then he swallowed the last of what he was going to say as a ghostly shape, black as she deep shadows surrounding them, leapt onto his shoulder and gave him an amused look.
"Softpaws!" Rini cried out and held her arms out to her familiar. The cat gracefully leapt into them, allowing herself to be petted. "Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!"
"Ecstatic", Edwin said in a shaky voice. "Though I would prefer it if she would refrain from sneaking up from behind like that. That sort of thing tends to make me nervous for some reason."
The cat purred softly and flicked her tail. But it's so very entertaining, she told Zaerini. Tell the male that if you're able to walk like a cat you'd be a fool not to take advantage of it. And there are so many nice shadows here. Where have you two been by the way? The druid is frantic.
Oh dear. Is she very angry?
Mostly worried, though I'm sure she'll give you both a tongue-lashing when you return. She did say something about putting you on a leash as I recall.
Where are they?
I'll show you. Tail up kitten. Just follow me and everything be all right.
What would I do without you?
The cat purred even louder. Keep getting lost, she said. Kittens do that. But annoying as it is, you're always happy when you manage to find them again.