In The Cards 22 – Reading and Reptiles

The talented Reader may gain much information from the Cards, sometimes even being able to coax information out of his or her enemies. This will not always work though, and sometimes it may be highly dangerous to try.

Excerpt from 'The Chaltar Deck Of Cards - An Introduction'

There was singing everywhere. Zaerini had liked Gullykin from the start, with its round and cozy houses, the friendly halfling faces meeting her everywhere and the constant smell of food cooking in one place or another. She liked the halflings as well, she realized. They were friendly, open and accepting, living their own quiet lives without bothering anybody else. And they loved singing. In trying to celebrate their very own Heroes they'd really made an effort to entertain. The songs were mostly about their own, everyday lives, concerning food and drink, the changing of the seasons, friends and family. Zaerini loved them. To be able to forget about grand, heroic deeds and dark destinies, even for a moment, was a true blessing. And there was something about the cheerful faces and happy voices around her that almost made her forget about the darkness in her past and future, that almost made her able to pretend that she was a carefree child once more.

The half-elf leaned back against the wall of the house and closed her eyes. She was sitting on a low bench, trying to take in all of the songs at once. Softpaws was sleeping on her lap, a pleasant warmth against her legs. One song in particular was attracting her attention now, the words standing out in her mind as if written in fire.

All that anybody needs

Is a friend or two, and a friend like you

Not glory or great deeds

Just a friend or two, just a friend like you

When it's dark outside and you're feeling cold

No need to be, with a friend like me

If your body's young, but your soul is old

You can still be free, with a friend like me

We might seem a strange pair

But we don't see it thus

Let them wonder, what do we care?

For the bond is strong between friends like us

The bard smiled to herself. That song felt true on more than one level. Her own friends certainly were a mismatched group, and as for these halflings she could well imagine them making friends with just about anybody. They were also highly insistent on every one of their guests joining in the singing and partying. Imoen had eagerly done so of course, and Khalid hadn't been hard to convince. Jaheira had literally been dragged onto the large table that served as a stage, but she had turned out to have a nice voice and now it didn't seem as if she was ever going to come down. As for Edwin, he had proved surprisingly cooperative. Last Rini had seen him he'd been doing some simple magic to entertain a group of awestruck and round-eyed halfling children, enjoying himself tremendously by the looks of it.

Rini sighed quietly. She'd been doing plenty of entertaining herself, and right now it felt good to simply relax.

"What are you doing?"

Well, so much for that. Zaerini opened her eyes and gave Edwin a tired smile that quickly gave way to a yawn. "Sorry", she said. "I'm a little tired. How did you ever manage to escape from your doting admirers?"

The wizard laughed quietly. "I told them that if they were to go ask the druid to tell them a story, I'd show them some fireworks later."

Rini blinked. Jaheira and storytelling didn't seem to match very well. Then she latched onto the second part of the statement. "Fireworks?" she asked. "You can make fireworks? I love fireworks! Back in Candlekeep, there was this old wizard who came by once, and he showed me and Immy some. I've always wished I could see some more."

"Then so you shall", Edwin immediately said, and then he suddenly seemed to get very interested in his own feet. "That is, how could I not take this opportunity to display the triumph of my powerful intellect over mere matter? The art of making fireworks is very tricky, you know, but I've studied it carefully. You can't afford to make mistakes or you risk blowing yourself up. (I'm sure I could have been even more skilled had I been allowed to practice from an earlier age. Some people just don't understand an inquisitive nature. And it's not as if we needed that wall anyway.)"

Zaerini found herself staring at the wizard's hands. At least he seemed to still have all his fingers. Nice hands, by the way. Strong but nimble, long fingers.

I'm not surprised you know, Softpaws remarked. The black cat raised her head from where she had been sleeping on her mistress' lap and watched the half-elf with bright green eyes.

About what?

That the male likes fireworks. Bright flashes of light and loud noises. What's wrong with some peace and quiet?

Don't be grumpy. It's a two-legs thing.

"What did she say?" Edwin asked, sounding curious.

"Oh", Rini said and twirled a lock of her flame-red hair around her finger as she tried to think of a good answer. "She says that…that she thinks you're probably great with fireworks."

That's what you seem to think, kitten. You already asked him to show you some, remember? No getting out of it now.

Oh, just stop it.

"She does?" Edwin said. He looked very pleased as he sat down on the bench next to the half-elf. "What a very clever cat." He reached out to pet the cat and Zaerini was highly surprised to see her familiar arch her back under his touch, purring loudly. Then Softpaws actually settled herself on the wizard's lap to grant him easier access.

Oh my, the cat purred. Your wizard really knows how to use his hands. Very pleasant, this.

It is? Er, I mean…who cares? And he's not my wizard.

Whatever you say, kitten. Ooooh! This is divine, you know. You should ask him to do the same to you. I'm sure you'd love it as much as I do.

Rini felt heat rising in her cheeks. Her familiar was currently lying on her back in Edwin's lap, all four feet in the air, purring loudly as the wizard stroked her belly. Somehow I think he'd be a little more shocked if I made that sort of request. As if I ever would.

Your loss, kitten. You have no idea what you're missing here. My entire body is tingling.

"So", Zaerini said, her voice a little bit too loud as she tried to shut out the words of her familiar, "got any plans for the rest of the evening? Er…that is…I mean that I think I should do another foretelling. It's been a while, and it could be useful to find out which way we should go from here. I'd like you to help me. That is, if you don't mind."

"As you wish", Edwin said, looking a little surprised. "Did you mean right now?" He kept petting the cat as he spoke.

Sure you won't change your mind, kitten? Softpaws asked, purring even more loudly than before. This feels sooo good. Have my whiskers gone curly yet?

"No! I mean yes! I mean…yes, I think I want to do it right now. The reading. Yes. I…I've been sitting for so long; I think I've got a crick in my back."

So why don't you ask him to pet you a little? That should do the trick.

Softy, I'm warning you!

"Very well", Edwin said and gave the bard a very curious look. "If you say so. Though you seem rather nervous. Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine", Zaerini said as she rose from the bench. "Softpaws is being silly. Nothing to worry about."

In the end they settled upon Jenkal's Burrow, since he was unlikely to come back and disturb them. The traitorous halfling had been clapped in irons and taken away long since. But the house was still warm, and once Rini lit a few candles she had all the light she could wish for. She sat down at the table, and then quickly realized that sitting on a chair made for halflings had been a bad mistake. The chair splintered and broke, unceremoniously dumping her onto the floor.

"Allow me to recommend the floor", Edwin said with a crooked smile. He hadn't even bothered with trying the chairs. "Flat, hard and above all solid. The seating-place of choice when visiting a halfling household. Never goes out of style. (And you're also spared bumping your head on the ceiling.)"

"I see your point", Zaerini said and pushed the sad remains of the chair out of the way. "Well, at least Jenkal won't be coming back to complain about my breaking his furniture." She took out her Chaltar deck and started shuffling the cards as she spoke. "Here's what we'll do. I want you to keep an eye on me while I'm doing the reading. If I seem to go too deep, wake me up. I don't care how you do it. And if I speak out loud, try to remember what I say, in case I'm not able to do so myself. Got it?"

The wizard nodded.

"Fine. Let's do it then."

Zaerini spread the cards out on the table, watching them intently. Show me what I need to know of the immediate future, she thought. The Serpent first, flanked by Death. Then the Hermit. Further off lay the Beast, the Knight of Swords and the Rogue.

The cards were swirling, spinning like falling stars. Once again Zaerini found herself in a world of smoke and shadows, and the cards took on living presence as the rose to greet her. The Serpent. Massive coils encircled her, green and scaly, holding her down. She couldn't see the serpent's head, but she knew, somehow, she knew, that to look at it would mean death.

Yessssss, a hissing voice spoke out of the darkness. Death. But there issss essscape from the death of my eyessss, if you know the way. The body of the giant snake suddenly evaporated, turned into green smoke that drifted away. Releasssse isss posssible…

The Hermit came next, a tall and emaciated figure cloaked in gray. Silent, unmoving, he held a heavy book close to his chest. Then he turned his head and Zaerini could see his face. As gray as his robes and cloak it was, a skull with the skin stretched taut across it. Only the dull red glimmer of the sunken eyes hinted at the life that had long since fled. "Help…me", the shade moaned. "Lost…all lost now. Help me find it…and I…shall help you…in return."

"What is lost?" the half-elf asked, wondering that she was able to keep her voice steady. "How can I help you? And how can you help me?"

"Knowledge…knowledge lost. Help me…and knowledge…shall be your reward." The wraith sighed deeply and seemed to fold into itself, then disappeared entirely.

The bard turned, fearing what would come next. The Beast reared up in front of her, a massive and deadly shape, horned and tusked. As before it carried with it the heavy smell of blood and the screams of the dying. To her surprise it did not attack her as she had expected. "Friends may pass, where foes must fall", it growled. "Friends…may pass." It raised its massive arm in greeting and stood motionless. Rini passed by it with more than a little trepidation, expecting for the blow to fall at any moment. But it never came.

The Knight of Swords paced back and forth, a restless mountain of metal and deadly intent. Glowing golden eyes pierced the half-elf's heart as she approached. "Not yet, little sister", the armored shape spoke. "Not yet. The time is not now. You will not find me there, though that is the road you must take. But we will meet again. Oh yes. We will meet."

"When? Where? Tell me that Sarevok! WHEN?!"

A low and deadly chuckle came from beneath the dark helmet, those golden eyes flared up with sudden fire. "When the time is come, little sister. Now run along…and play."

The bard gritted her teeth, furious at the phantom's taunting words. She was about to rush after the large warrior who was now striding away from her, heedless of the danger. But then she stopped. There was something…the feeling of eyes upon her back, close behind her. Or were they in front of her? Somebody was there. Somebody dangerous. She could feel it in the pounding of her heart, the dryness of her mouth.

Zaerini turned around. Only shadows everywhere around her, deep shadows. Nothing to be seen. But she knew that somebody else was here. "Where are you?" she called out. "Why are you watching me?"

For a moment only the silence answered her. And then there was a voice, a low and threatening voice. "You?" it said. "I wasn't watching you, not at the moment. Sorry to disappoint you, but you're not even my primary concern." It was impossible to tell which direction the voice was coming from, or even if it was near or far. And who was it that it reminded her of? She couldn't tell.

"Who are you then?" she asked.

Again a moment's silence. "Nice try", the voice said, sounding rather sarcastic. "You didn't really think I would tell you all my secrets, just like that? For shame, I truly expected more from you." Zaerini still couldn't see the speaker, but she thought she could feel him smile to himself. Very annoying, she decided. "A word of warning", the voice continued. "I am not your enemy, at least not yet. I suggest you try your best to keep things that way."

"How can I?" the bard asked, feeling more irritated by the moment. "I don't even know who you are!" But there was no answer, and the feeling of being watched was gone. Whoever had been there had clearly departed further into the shadows. And the shadows were falling away, leaving her behind. There was a voice speaking to her again, and it was a familiar one.

"Are you all right?"

Zaerini blinked and saw Edwin watching her across the table, looking rather worried. He was also holding her hands, she realized, holding them tightly enough that she'd almost lost all sensation in her fingers. When she moved them a little he hurriedly let go.

"I'm…I'm fine", the half-elf said. "Really, I am."

"You were gone a long time", Edwin said. "I thought I'd better try to bring you back. (Even if I'm not sure what the best method would have been if shouting failed. Somehow I don't think cold water in the face would have been appreciated.)"

"Yes, well, you were right to do so. But I did learn some interesting things." Rini paused. "Now I just have to figure out what they all mean, and something tells me that's going to be the difficult part."

"Hey, guys! Wait till you hear this!"

"Yes, Immy?" Zaerini said. Her friend had burst into Jenkal's house like a pink typhoon and was currently bouncing up and down on her feet, obviously ready to burst with excitement. "What's up?"

"I've found us a quest! A really good one too. But I'll let her tell you herself." The thief opened the door and spoke to someone outside. "It's all right, you can come in now."

A middle-aged halfling woman stepped inside the room and watched the adventurers with some distrust. She was a sturdy woman whose reddish-brown hair was beginning to gray slightly, and she had a very firm look on her face. "I'm Rosie", she said. "Rosie Boddin. So, you're heroes, are you? Well, I don't know about heroes and adventurers, they remind me too much of my no-good little sister. But you're good folk, or so the Mayor says, and you may be able to help me."

"Er…perhaps", Rini said, feeling a little stunned by this flow of words. "What exactly is it that you want us to do?"

"I want you to find my daughter", Rosie said and tapped her foot irritably against the floor. "Silly girl has been listening to her aunt's 'adventure' stories far too much, and now she's run off to become one too. I want you to find her and bring her back."

"Find her and bring her back?" Edwin asked, looking incredulous. "What if she doesn't want to? Are we supposed to tie her up?"

"Of course not!" Rosie sighed. "Maybe I can't make her stay, but at least I want her to come back and show herself to be alive. She was supposed to travel north to Baldur's Gate, and it's dangerous country around here. I told her to take the road, but it wouldn't surprise me if she went cross-country instead. There's plenty of basilisks north of here, and when my baby didn't send me any letters like she'd promised I knew something was wrong!" Tears started trickling down her cheeks.

"Yes", Edwin tried, "well…"

"I just want my baby back!" More tears.

"Sure, we'll help you if we can", Zaerini said and patted the weeping woman on the back. "I can't promise anything though. What's your daughter's name, and what does she look like?"

Rosie hauled out an enormous handkerchief embroidered with daisies and loudly blew her nose. "Her name is Alora, and she's the prettiest lass you ever saw. Merry and bright as the sun, always happy and smiling. It's a shame she dyed in those purple streaks in her pretty brown hair, but they'll wash out eventually."

Zaerini gave Imoen's pink locks a meaningful glance. "Hope springs eternal", she said. "Then she turned to Edwin. "What do you say? I say we do this, and it was Immy's idea in the first place, but basilisks are pretty dangerous. If you want to back out, I won't blame you."

The wizard sighed. "Very well", he said. "If you feel you must. (There's just something about halflings that gets to me. Probably some sort of inborn weakness in me.)"

Having made up their minds, the adventurers went to search for their two missing companions. Khalid needed to be forcibly rescued from a group of young halfling girls. They all had flowers in their hair and were wearing their prettiest dresses, and they kept swooning over him and telling him how 'incredibly brave' he was. The unfortunate man was very grateful when Imoen walked up and told them that he was needed elsewhere.

It took some time to find Jaheira, but eventually Rini heard her voice from some distance away. "And so Mr Spruce eventually decayed, with the help of Mr Worm and all his little friends and became good clean earth from which new trees would grow in time. The End."

Immediately a chorus of piping voices spoke up. "What kind of story is that?" "No fun!" "Iwant a story with monsters and mages and magic swords!" "And I want a story with dragons and princesses! How come there were no dragons?"

"But", Jaheira tried, "it is a very educational story…"

"Ick!" "Borrrring!" "Let's go play in the attic of my pa's house instead, that'll be much more fun." Zaerini, Imoen, Edwin and Khalid were almost run down as a horde of small halfling children streamed past them, chattering happily to each other. Once the onslaught was over, they found Jaheira sitting on her own at a table, a puzzled look on her face.

"I still cannot see why they did not like it", the druid complained and scratched at her golden-brown hair. "I even inserted a lightning strike to make it more exciting."

Jaheira and Khalid both approved of helping Rosie, though Jaheira pointed out that they should take the time to prepare properly. "Basilisks are highly dangerous", she pointed out. "I wish to see if the local temple offers any kind of protection against their gaze." As it turned out, it didn't. But there were some magic scrolls that would restore a person turned to stone from a basilisk's gaze, and these the party bought. The following morning, they headed north, in search of Rosie's daughter.

The bones were the first thing out of the ordinary that Zaerini noticed. Huge bones, larger than those of any horse, littering the dry sands and sharp rocks of the desert where the party now found themselves. Bleached white by sand and wind they were, with broken ribs pointing accusingly at the open sky and skull staring at her from the ground with their empty sockets. "What are those things?" she wondered. "Dragons?"

"No", Jaheira said. "They are not large enough. Some ancient beast, I would guess, something that no longer walks the land."

"And you won't hear any complaints from me about that", Edwin said as he picked up a sharp tooth as large as his hand. "No indeed. (Though these bones would most likely make a very powerful ally if reanimated. Pity I don't know that spell yet.)"

"Can you not feel the least bit sorry that the Balance was disrupted enough to allow this species to die out?"

"Whatever for? Seems to me if they died out it's because they were too weak to survive, and so your precious Balance regulates itself without your interference. (I really wouldn't want to meet whatever killed them however.)"

"Speaking of beasts", Imoen said in a quiet voice. "Look over there."

Three large animals were sunning themselves some distance away, beside one of the skeletons. Brown and scaly reptiles they were, with pale yellow bellies and eight stumpy legs each, though one of them was larger than the other two. They had ridged backs and tails, and as one of them opened its mouth to yawn it displayed an impressive number of very sharp teeth.

"Oh d-d-dear", Khalid whispered. "Let's all be v-very quiet a-and perhaps they won't n-n-notice us." Unfortunately, he happened to trip over a large jawbone at that point and fell to the ground in a clutter of metal. The basilisks all snorted eagerly and raised their heads. Then they started shuffling across the sand towards the adventurers.

"Too late", Jaheira said in a grim voice and raised one of her arms to cover her eyes while drawing her scimitar with the other. "Remember, whatever you do, do not look them in the eyes."

The battle was a nightmare. Zaerini had never really thought about just how important it was to be able to focus on your enemy, it being so self-evident. But now she was forced to fight more or less blindly, only daring a careful squint at her opponents to make sure her sword was pointed at them and not her friends. She swung it wildly, with none of the precision she had managed to acquire. She couldn't cast any spells either, she didn't dare look at the basilisks long enough. Edwin had an advantage the bard lacked, however. A howling horde of hobgoblins burst forth out of thin air, summoned into being by the Conjurer's wand. They immediately charged the closest basilisk, and while a couple of them were instantly petrified the others managed to make a few dents in the hard skin.

A loud screeching noise and a gasp of pain to her right caused Rini to turn around. What she saw made her blood turn cold. Imoen was grappling with the largest basilisk, trying to hold off its powerful jaws with her sword. But she was tiring, and now the sharp teeth had grazed her arm, drawing blood. Imoen's face was pale and pained, she still had her sword raised, but for how long? Poison, Zaerini thought. A basilisk's bite is poison. She attacked, forgetting all prudence as well as her own safety. "Leave her alone!" she yelled. "Don't you dare hurt her!" The sword scratched against the horny hide of the basilisk, making the beast turn to snap at the half-elf. And then she met its eyes.

Large eyes, a pale green color that was actually quite beautiful in its animal simplicity. Unblinking, hard and cold as stone, and yet as deep as wells. She was swimming in them. Deeper. Deeper. Clear green water all around her, growing steadily darker as she went deeper, pressing in on her. All noises seemed so far away, distorted and strange. And the water…went…black…

"Zaerini? Zaerini, wake up, child."

"Wh-what?" Rini managed as she tried to open her eyes. Her eyelids felt as heavy as stone. "Gorion?"

"Not Gorion, child. It is I, Jaheira."

"Jaheira?" The bard coughed violently and felt sweet air rush into her lungs. Had she been holding her breath? She couldn't remember. Finally, she managed to open her eyes, and met another pair, green as the leaves of the forest. Not the reptilian eyes of the basilisk these, they were filled with worry and relief.

"At last!" The druid's smile was open and warm, and she gave a deep sigh. Then she immediately collected herself and gave Zaerini a stern look. "Have you any idea how worried we all were? Do not ever do a thing like that again! I promised Gorion to look after you, not your statue."

The druid is right, Softpaws remarked. That was most unpleasant, kitten. Please take better care of yourself in the future.

"My…statue? I was turned to stone?" Rini shook her head and looked about her. She still felt pretty dizzy, and she couldn't remember exactly what had happened. The basilisks all lay dead on the ground. At least that was a good thing.

"You m-m-most certainly were", Khalid said and gave her a comforting hug. "A very p-pretty statue, but we all p-prefer you as you are. L-lucky we b-b-bought those scrolls."

Zaerini suddenly remembered something. "Imoen! The poison! I saw…"

"Hey, I'm just fine", Imoen said, coming up from behind Jaheira. She was smiling, but her cheeks were moist, as if she had been crying. "Jaheira fixed me up, good as new. You've gotta stop scaring me like that, you know. You're all the family I've got, remember?"

The half-elf smiled weakly in return. "Right. I'll try. Anybody else want to tell me how stupid I was? Edwin, how about you?" Then she looked around. Not a sign of the wizard. "Where is he?" she asked, suddenly feeling a dreadful worry. "He's not…not…"

"No, no", Imoen hurriedly assured her. "He just went away a little bit, behind those rocks over there. Said something about not wanting to watch as we used the scroll."

"But why?"

"No idea. He was really weird about the whole thing. Wouldn't talk to any of us."

"I'd better go make sure he's all right", Rini said with a frown, her golden eyes concerned. "Be right back." Then she thought of something. "Who killed the basilisks, by the way? Just curious."

"Jaheira and Khalid got one each", Imoen explained. She beamed proudly. "And I killed the big one. Stabbed him right beneath the jaw. Like this, see?" She stabbed her sword into the air. "Right into the soft spot and down he went. Neat, huh?"

"Er…right. Where did you learn that sort of thing?"

Imoen shrugged innocently. "Oh, I don't know", she said. "I pick these things up here and there. Run off and fetch Edwin, why don't you? Jaheira says there are trees and shade up ahead and I'm really hot."

Zaerini nodded to her friend and then went off in search of the Red Wizard. She didn't have to go very far, fortunately. She found him behind a cluster of large rocks, standing as motionless as one of them. He was leaning his back against the cold stone, his eyes closed and his hands across his ears. He was also whispering something to himself, over and over. Rini couldn't quite make it out, but it sounded a bit like 'hastowork, hastowork, hastowork'.

"Hey, look who's here!" the bard said. Edwin didn't hear her, being too wrapped up in his own thoughts. Looks like I'll have to resort to more drastic methods, Zaerini thought and tapped the wizard on the shoulder. The reaction was dramatic, to say the least.

Edwin's eyes flew open, wide and dark like openings into the night before the world's first dawn. For a moment he stared at her as if he didn't really see her. Then he seized her by the shoulders, so tightly that it almost hurt. "Don't you ever, ever, ever do a thing like that again!" he snarled. "Are you completely witless? Haven't you got any idea of what kind of danger you were in? Do you even care?"

"That's pretty rich coming from you", Rini said, feeling irritated. "You've made a few mistakes from time to time, haven't you?"

"That's different!"

"Oh, really? How?"

"It…it just is. And…and besides, you're a Child of Bhaal, correct?"

"So?"

"So, there was a very real risk of your divine blood interfering with the process of decursing you. The others may not have the intellects to grasp the fact, but I knew there was a very real possibility of you being trapped as a statue forever! (Not that it wasn't a lovely statue, but that's hardly any consolation.)"

So that's why he was hiding over here, Zaerini thought. He was worried I wasn't going to make it…Not as heartless as you'd like to pretend, are you, my friend? "I see your point", she said, her voice now calm once more. "I promise I'll try to be more careful in the future, but I can't very well live my life wrapped in cotton like a fragile ornament that might break. Oh, and Edwin?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks for caring. That's really nice of you, you know." Zaerini flashed the wizard her brightest smile. "I promise I won't tell the others about it if you don't want me to. It can be our own little secret."

"What was it like being turned to stone? Come on Rini, you can tell me. Pleeeease?"

Zaerini gave her best friend an exasperated look. "Immy, I've told you already. I can't really remember anything that happened while I was a statue, all right?"

"No? Not even Eddie going down on his knees and swearing to dedicate his life to looking after you if we weren't able to turn you back?" Imoen smiled innocently, her face totally sincere.

"WHAT?!" The half-strangled screams that came from the bard and the Red Wizard caused Imoen to break out in helpless giggles.

Edwin was livid. "I most certainly never said or did any such thing!" he protested, his face a perfect mask of outrage. "That…that sounds like something a sappy knight out of a romance novel would do! (All I said was that I would make sure she didn't accidentally wind up in an art collection or get stolen by robbers or something.)"

"Sure you did", Imoen said, wiping the tears of mirth from her face. "Hey, don't put yourself down. You might make a very good Romantic Hero, you know. Practice making flowery speeches and writing poetry and you'll do fine."

"I don't want to be a Romantic Hero! Are you quite insane? (Somebody has been giving her sugar. When I find out who it was, I'll curse them into another dimension, where they can scream with infinite pain for all eternity.)"

"We probably should do something about your accent though", Imoen said, thoughtfully rubbing her nose. "It's not the traditional one for Romantic Heroes, you know."

"Cut it out, Immy", Rini interrupted. "I don't know about you, but I happen to like his accent just fine." For some reason this made Imoen giggle even harder. "What? I was just making an objective observation, that's all." The bard turned to see Edwin look like somebody had just hit him over the head with a club. "And what's wrong with you? It was a compliment, not an offer of marriage, so you don't have to look that terrified." She suddenly remembered something. "It was nice of you to want to take care of my statue by the way. Out of curiosity, what would you have done with it? I hope you weren't planning to use it as a coat-hanger or forget about it and let it collect dust in some attic or something."

"No", Edwin said. "No, I wasn't. (Forgetting, it seems, is not an option here.)" And he would say nothing more on the subject.

The adventurers moved on, now passing into a forested area. It was certainly a welcome relief to get away from that unpleasant desert, Zaerini thought. Maybe she wasn't a forest person, but at least she could appreciate the shade. Unfortunately, it seemed that others had had the same idea. In a small clearing four people were sitting down to rest, other adventurers by the looks of it. The one who seemed to be their leader was a dark-haired woman dressed all in white. Rather an unpractical color for traveling, Zaerini thought. Her own black garments were much better that way. The woman had a sword resting across her knees, but she wasn't wearing any armor at all. A magic user, perhaps? Her companions were all men. An archer, a swordsman, and one very large and brutish fellow who was busy bashing nuts open with a very pretty morningstar.

As Zaerini and her friends approached the woman looked up. "Hey Lindin", she said. "look over here, we've run across some travelers." She then gifted Zaerini with a condescending smile. "Hey there, my name's Kirian. Me and my buds are an adventuring band. You look to be the same, except a little worse for wear." She snickered loudly and her three friends joined in with some hearty guffaws. "Still learning the ropes of the business, eh? I'm sure I could show you some nice moves. My name is feared and dreaded in my own circles."

"I'm sure it is", Rini said, her golden eyes sparkling. "All the other cockroaches probably fear you'll give them a bad name with your boasting."

Kirian snarled and got to her feet, her companions following her example. "Why you dirty little half-breed!" she spat. "I'll split your skull in two and scoop out your brains!"

"Oh, is it brains you want?" Edwin said. The wizard had folded his hands in the sleeves of his robes and was giving Kirian a very cold sneer. "We'd lend you some, but you probably wouldn't know what to do with them anyway."

"Exactly", Jaheira agreed. "And as for half-breeds…I suggest you take that back right now. You are starting to make me angry, and I have a good mind to provide these trees with some much-needed fertilizer."

"That does it", Kirian screeched. "Hey Baerin, Peter, Lindin! I think these little pipsqueaks think they can take us. Let's teach them the folly of messing with real Waterhavians! GET THE…." Her last sentence was abruptly cut off as a large ball of roaring fire landed on her head, making her scream with pain as it seared her flesh. Zaerini jerked her head around to see Edwin blow some smoke off his finger. The Red Wizard winked at her and smiled slightly.

The battle was brief and furious. The Waterhavians had been wounded by the fireball, but they were still dangerous. Edwin summoned a small group of goblins to distract the archer, and that gave Jaheira time to cast a spell of her own. Lightning struck from a clear blue sky, killing the swordsman instantly. Khalid tackled the fellow with the morningstar, a cleric as it turned out. Though he did his best to call on his divine patron the priest soon fell, he was no match for the skilled blows of the half-elf and the incessant rain of arrows fired at him by Imoen.

Zaerini found herself face to face with Kirian herself. Magic sang in her veins as she cast a spell, bringing forth her Mirror Images. Let's see you match that, she thought. Then she wished she hadn't as the other woman cast the same spell, greeting the half-elf with four identical versions of the same cocky smile. A Magic Missile managed to take most of them down, but by then Kirian was casting a spell of her own. Lightning streaked from her hands, and Rini threw herself to the ground, rolling to get away. Poor Khalid was not so lucky and was struck in the back. He fell to the ground, dead or unconscious, Jaheira at once rushing to his side.

Rini was swearing quietly to herself as she got to her feet. Her acrobatic move had landed her behind Kirian, the perfect place to be. As another Magic Missile fired by Edwin destroyed the last illusion Zaerini moved, lunging at the other woman with her sword. It gave Kirian a powerful swat across the rump, one that sent her sprawling onto her stomach.

"YOW!" Kirian screamed. "I'll get you for that, half-br…" Then she fell silent as the sword was driven into her body, nailing her to the ground.

"Nobody calls me half-breed", Zaerini growled as she yanked her blade out of the corpse. "Do you hear me? Do you?" The bloodrage was coursing through her, and this time she couldn't resist it. The kill in front of her wasn't enough. She wanted more death, a sea of blood to wash away all the injustices ever heaped upon her because of her mixed heritage. Memories swam through her mind, fanning the flames of her rage even higher. Children back in Candlekeep, laughing at her, pointing their fingers. Their parents forbidding them to play with her. Grownups watching her with disgust, their eyes hurting the child who was too young to understand how they could hate her so. The ones that stared at her like she was a strange animal were even worse. And that hated word, the one they always repeated…

"Rini! Rini, it's over!" The bard slowly came back to herself. All her muscles were aching, her body was covered with sweat. There was the taste of blood in her mouth, and she realized that she'd bitten herself. "It's over", Imoen's voice said. "She's dead."

Rini stared at the corpse in front of her. Yes, Kirian certainly was dead. More than dead. She was a bloody, chunky mess, barely recognizable as having once been human. "I…I'm sorry Immy", the half-elf breathed, not wanting to look her friend in the face. "I lost it. I'm so sorry." Some distance away she could hear Jaheira telling Khalid to be careful not to rise too quickly. Edwin was muttering something about 'lack of worthy opponents'. So, they were all alive then. That was a relief. At least she hadn't killed them in her madness, like poor Brage had his own family.

And then she felt Imoen's arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. "Hey", the human girl said, her voice filled with nothing but love. "I remember what things were like in Candlekeep, you know. The things that happened. I understand."

"Oh Immy. I couldn't survive without you; you do know that?"

The pink-haired thief smiled. "Don't you worry. I'm not going anywhere. What kind of a best friend would I be then, anyway? A pretty poopy one, I'd say."

"Poopy?" Rini asked, not being able to hold back a grin.

"Well…you know what I mean."

"I do. And I thank you for it. Nobody could wish for a better best friend." Imoen's face turned as bright a pink as her hair.

While they had survived the battle, it hadn't been done without some cost. Jaheira was out of healing spells, and Rini had used what she could of her own healing ability as well. It seemed unsafe to go much further into unknown territory without resting first, so the adventurers decided to move a little distance away from the scene of the battle and then set up camp. They didn't get very far into the forest before they heard yet another strange voice addressing them, a harsh and gritty one. "Wait", it said, "me no want fight, me Korax, me friend!"

Zaerini stared with surprise at the speaker. Vaguely humanoid in form, its flesh was gray and rotting, its fangs long and sharp and there were things beneath its hideous yellow nails that she was really glad she couldn't identify. "You want to be our friend?" she asked. "Well, that's very nice of you. Er…isn't it a little unusual for a ghoul though? I mean, don't you usually want to eat live people?"

The ghoul's pale eyes glittered with unshed tears. "Khorax so very lonely", he sobbed. "Me not want kill nice peoplessss, but nassssty mean ones not want be Khorax' friends, even when he asksss nicely. Then Khorax killsss them and eatssss them and sssucksss the tasssty juicccesss from their marrowssss, oh yes."

"Oh", Rini said. "That's…uh…reasonable."

"Well, I think it's sad", Imoen said. "Poor Khorax. We'll be your friends. Right, guys?"

"But…", Jaheira started to say. Edwin cut her off. "Of course", he said. "We are very friendly. (Fighting it would serve no real purpose, and an extra pawn can do no harm.)"

"Right", Khalid agreed. "F-f-friends. That's u-us."

"Oh goody!" Khorax squealed. "Me will be good boy, me promisssse. Me will help you with anything you need." He jumped up and down with glee, giggling and chortling to himself. Then, before Zaerini had the time to react, he hugged her tightly and planted a slobbery kiss onto her mouth. The stench was bad enough that she almost threw up. The taste wasn't any better. "Nice Mistressss!" Khorax said. "Ssssweet Mistressss! Khorax helpsss nice Mistresss and friendsss. Happy Khorax not lonely no more!" He gave Rini an adoring look. "You maybe wantsss be more than friendsss with handssssome Khorax? Me gotsss thisss nice engagement ring somewhere, Khorax found it one day after he had a really bad belly ache. Khorax alwaysss eatsss too quickly, doesn't always notice thessse thingsss… What you say?"

"Ah…", Rini managed, hoping her reaction didn't show on her face. "Er…Khorax, you're a nice guy. A very nice guy. And…and this has nothing to do with you. It's me. I…I just don't think I'm ready for that sort of thing yet. Let's just be friends."

The ghoul's face fell a little, and he absentmindedly stuck his nose back on. "Oh", he said. "That's sssad. What say you other nice ladiesss?"

"I'm a married woman", Jaheira said, quickly enough that she almost stumbled over her own words.

"I've got a boyfriend", Imoen said. "Sorry. He's really jealous." The ghoul sighed mournfully, but he didn't press the issue.

"Boyfriend?" Zaerini mouthed to her friend as they moved on. "What's this then?"

Imoen smiled mysteriously. "Sorry", she said. "It's a secret."

"Why?"

"Well", Imoen explained, "he's a little shy, I think. It's really sweet too, the way he tries to pretend he isn't madly in love with me. And he's sooo cute!" Her grin widened and her eyes went a little unfocused. "Now I just need to find out what his name is and where he lives, and then it'll be eternal bliss."

"Right", Rini said. "Good Luck then. Er…just be careful, would you?" Something tells me he isn't quite as interested as Immy thinks, she thought. I just hope the poor man doesn't have a jealous wife. I'd really hate to have to fish my best friend out of a river for poaching on somebody else's territory.