In The Cards 31 - Apology And Alliance

Forgiveness isn't really all that complicated. If you care about somebody you can forgive them a lot of things, as long as they show themselves to be genuinely sorry. Doing that takes both strength and courage though.

Excerpt from 'Ruminations Of A Master Bard'

Zaerini dreamt, and as she dreamt, she walked through the bandit camp once more. Such an imposing challenge that camp, hidden from all hostile eyes, guarded by desperate and dangerous men who were able to foil the Flaming Fist and all others who had sought to stop them. But cunning had won the day.

She walked through the camp, passed close by bandits and brigands, and they paid her no heed though she was close enough to touch them. She was invisible, a shadow, one with the darkness around her. She had to bite her lip in order not to laugh out loud and reveal herself. It felt good, so good. She was right there in their midst and they had no idea of it.

Softpaws walked next to her, a smaller shadow by her side. You have learned much, kitten, the cat spoke. Walk the shadows, they are friends to our kind. And while sharp claws are good, they are worth little without a sharp head.

Zaerini was just about to answer, but at that moment she felt a powerful gust of wind, tousling her bright red curls, lifting her high above the camp and woods both. She soared in the high morning sun, feeling as free as a bird, swooping and diving. She laughed, for a moment as carefree as the child she had been not that long ago. It was so wonderful to be free. Free of care, free of worries. Free of obligations.

And then, pain. Poisonous pain, searing her side. An arrow protruding from her side, and far below on the ground she spied the hobgoblin, his bow raised. She was falling, falling, and gasping with hideous pain as the poison raced through her body.

You must stop it, kitten. The black cat was clinging to her shoulder, her voice as calm as if she hadn't noticed the fact that they were tumbling towards the hard ground at a very great speed.

I can't!

Yes, you can. You know you can. You know yourself, mind and body. You know the way it ought to be. All you have to do is make it so. All cats know exactly what they are.

And she found that she did. She knew herself, body and soul. The exact color of her golden eyes, the shape of her nose, the way she moved, the sound of her laughter, the taste of her skin as it was kissed by sunlight, the way she would melt inside if anybody ever thought to touch her…just so. For an instant she knew it all and more, even the things she hadn't really experienced yet. And she knew all about her hopes and fears, her joys and sorrows, and more. Much, much more. It was all part of her, but the poison was not. Hardly thinking about it she got rid of it, cleansing herself of its taint.

See, kitten? I told you so. Now watch out. We're going down.

Rini's eyes opened wide and the knowledge of herself receded once more, hidden from her conscious mind again. The poison was gone, but she was still falling, and the ground was very close. She screamed as she hit it, fully expecting to die.

If you die in a dream, do you ever wake up again? Or will you be found dead in your bed the next morning? Or an empty husk, devoid of your soul?

And then she passed through the ground, not dying. Black it was, and she passed through earth and rock as easily as if they had been empty air. Eventually the rock around her illuminated and a cavern slowly took shape, a cavern that she somehow knew lay at the very core of the world. She was standing on solid ground once more, though she could see no more than a few steps ahead or behind in the dim light.

Have to go on. No other way. Zaerini stumbled forward, lightly touching the wall so as not to get lost. And then she found herself face to face with…herself.

The statue in front of her resembled her to the smallest detail. Rini stared at it, utterly fascinated. She had seen herself in mirrors, of course, but somehow this image seemed almost alive. There was the untidy hair, looking as if a wind was playing within the curls. Her eyes, open and curious, with a hint of mischief. Her face, with its unique blend of human and elven features. She reached out to touch the statue and its cheek was smooth beneath her questing fingers, smooth and warm.

Then the voice spoke, at the same time inside her head and echoing all around her.

SUCH PRIDE UNDESERVED, GREAT PREDATOR, WHEN YOUR WHOLE BEING IS BORROWED. CREDIT WHERE IT IS DUE, AND DUES WHERE PAYMENT IS DEMANDED.

A dagger of bone flew from the blackness and struck the statue, square. It cracked slightly, but the pain the bard felt was as though she were rent asunder.

YOU THINK YOU KNOW YOURSELF, DAUGHTER? Her sire's voice was mocking, laughing at her. YOU WERE MADE AS YOU ARE, AS MY TOOL. AND LIKE ALL TOOLS, YOU CAN ALSO BE BROKEN.

The darkness rushed up to surround her as she felt the pain tear at her insides, and when she woke, she did it with a scream on her lips.

"Rini? Rini, please wake up!" Imoen's voice was frantic with worry. It seemed to come from far away, from so very far away… Zaerini sat up in bed, staring wildly at her surroundings, golden eyes still wide with the fear and pain of the dream. She was drenched with sweat, she could feel it, and yet she was shivering with cold. Her hand trembling, she pushed her once again flame-red hair out of her eyes. The blonde color had worn off at last, thank the gods for small mercies. Imoen was sitting on the bed next to her, her arm around her shoulders.

"Immy?" the half-elf said, her voice small and vulnerable as she would never have let it be had she been able to better control herself. "I…I had a dream."

Imoen's face was pale beneath her shock of pink hair. "I know", she said, hugging her best friend closer. "I…I woke up and I heard you screaming. And…and then I saw you trashing about, a-and moaning like you were about to die. For a second, I thought you were going to die. You sort of gasped, and…and I think you stopped breathing for a moment. It was one of those dreams, wasn't it?"

"Yes." The bard shivered violently again, and put her arm around her friend, taking comfort from her presence. Warmth. And light, and…and openness and unconditional kindness. Oh, Immy. I wish…sometimes I wish I could be more like you. "Yes, it…it was one of those dreams. My sire - he still wants me to serve him, I think. He…he called me a tool. And…and I'm afraid. Immy, I'm so afraid that he might make a tool out of me without me even knowing it. How do I know I'm not doing exactly what he wants me to do?"

Imoen's face was unusually stern and she gripped her friend's hand tightly. "No, you're not", she protested. "Don't you think I'd know? You're my best friend, practically my sister, and I love you! You're no tool." Her small hands tightened into fists. "That…that nasty old spook ought to just lie down and rot! Nobody wants him around anyway." She glared indignantly at the ceiling. "Hear that, old spook? Nobody hurts my sister and gets away with it. If you try, I'll…I'll…I'll do something really wicked and roguish and horrible to you, probably involving live ants."

Zaerini felt her mouth quirk upwards involuntary at the mental image of the pink-haired thief coating Bhaal's ghostly form with honey and tying him up next to an anthill. "Oh, Immy", she said, laughing despite herself. "I love you too. Very, very much. Don't you ever change."

"'Course not. What could possibly make me?"

The two girls embraced again for a minute or so, and then Imoen settled into the bed next to her friend.

"Move over", she said.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm staying right here, that's what I'm doing. You need the company, so you don't have another nightmare, you know that." Imoen nestled close to her best friend, yawning loudly. "Rini? Want to tell me a story?"

"Um…I don't know if I can think of a story right now. I'm pretty tired. Tell you what though, I could sing us a song."

"Oh, good! Please do!"

Zaerini thought for a moment and cleared her throat before she started singing softly.

Wolfweres and wyverns and wicked old wizards,

They can't harm us, not at all

Lamias, leeches and man-eating lizards,

May hunt us and hound us, but we'll never fall

I'm here for you, you're here for me

Always together, always free

Two as one

And anything might be done

Beholders and basilisks, bearded old bugbears

Want to eat us, but they'll choke

Dragons and demons with really long nose-hairs

We'll send them all running and then tell a joke

I'm here for you, you're here for me

Always together, always free

Two as one

And anything might be done

Fear and frustration may frighten a stranger

But a friend will see you home

Boiling hot rage may well put you in danger

With me right beside you, you won't be alone

I'm here for you, you're here for me

Always together, always free

Two as one

And anything might be done

The half-elf's voice trailed off as she finished the final stanza. She well remembered when she had first learnt that song.

"That was really nice", Imoen said, smiling sleepily. "I liked it a lot. Did you make it up yourself?"

"No", Rini said, settling down in the bed close by her friend. "No…Gorion taught it to me." I'm so sorry, Father. You were always there for me when I needed you, and when you needed me I could do nothing to help you.

"Oh. Good night then. Wake me if you need me."

"Good night, Immy. Sleep well. Immy?"

"Mmmm?"

"I'll always be there for you, you know, same as you've always been for me. I just wanted you to know that…what with Sarevok and everything. I'm not letting anybody hurt you if I can help it. You do know that, don't you?"

Imoen yawned again, half asleep by now. "Silly…", she sighed. "Of course I do…"

And Zaerini finally drifted off into sleep, the calm presence of her friend giving her the comfort she needed. On the floor, Softpaws watched and waited for the dawn to come, thinking on many things. The familiar was concerned. Her kitten was changing, she could feel it. Some of these dreams made the change come quicker. Part of the change would be good, she thought, but not all. The cat eventually jumped onto the bed, settling down in the crook of her kitten's arm. She could do nothing more at this moment. She might as well get some sleep. Purring softly the black cat closed her eyes, determined to make sure to enter the next unpleasant dream as well. Nothing would be allowed to harm her kitten. Nothing at all.

Jaheira sat in the common room of the Jovial Juggler in Beregost, trying to outstare a bowl of porridge. So far, the porridge was winning, probably because it is so very difficult to make a bowl of porridge flinch. The druid sighed and poked the food unenthusiastically with her spoon. It wasn't that it tasted all that bad. She simply…didn't have much of an appetite this morning.

She'd been to see Officer Vai the previous evening, before retiring. Zaerini had told her, in no uncertain terms, that since she had been the one to insist on scalping people, she ought to be the one to collect the payment. The Flaming Fist officer had been pleased at the news of the bandit camp's destruction, and had thanked the druid warmly, stating that if Jaheira and her friends were to travel to Baldur's Gate she would always be happy to help them in return.

Jaheira had done her duty. The bandits were gone; her charge was safe for the moment. It was a beautiful day outside, with warm sunlight streaming in through the windows of the inn, making dust dance in the rays like pixies. The Cloakwood Forest waited. A real wilderness, much more so than the Wood of Sharp Teeth. It would be grand, she thought. And yet her heart was heavy this morning.

Gorion, she thought. My old friend. You wanted me and Khalid to watch over the children, and I have tried. Why then does it all seem to go wrong for me? I thought I had got through to your daughter, and now…I have lost the balance.

The druid sighed again. She had probably blundered; she could see that now. By her own actions she had managed to alienate Zaerini more than before. Silvanus knew whose advice the child would choose to take now. Why did I have to be so rash and provoke her like that? If she takes off with the Drow it will all be my fault.

There was a feather-light kiss at the nape of her neck, a warm hand at her shoulder. Jaheira turned to meet her husband's laughing dark eyes, managing a minute smile of her own.

"G-good morning", Khalid said.

Jaheira arched an eyebrow. "I do believe you said good morning once already. When you woke me up, in fact."

"B-but I like greeting you, J-jaheira." Khalid's smile widened. "And p-particularly in the way I d-did this morning."

The druid snorted and playfully punched her husband in the arm, whereupon he pretended to cower in fear. Her face immediately turned somber again though.

"Oh no", Khalid said. "N-now what is wrong, my d-dearest?"

"I fear I may have made a grievous error in my dealings with Zaerini. I would not be surprised if she hates me by now."

Khalid sat down next to his wife, and now his face was as serious as hers. "She d-doesn't hate you", he said, taking Jaheira's hand. "But she w-was very upset with you. I think she feels you d-don't trust her, and that you were trying to m-manipulate her."

"It…it may be that I did", Jaheira admitted, painful as it was to do so. "I meant it for the best, but I did not consider how it would come across. I do not know how I can make it right again."

Khalid shook his head. "Heart of my h-heart, you are usually m-more wise than this. Tell her what you have t-told me. Explain yourself, treat her as an a-adult. Then a-apologize."

"Apologize?"

"Yes, J-Jaheira. Apologize. You know h-how. You've done it before." He smiled again. "At least o-once or twice that I c-can recall off the top of my h-head."

The druid's face set with familiar resolve. "Yes", she said. "You are right. I must go to Zaerini and speak with her."

"Anda-apologize."

"Oh, very well. And apologize."

Jaheira took the steps two at a time, eager to get this unpleasant duty over with. She forcefully knocked on the door of the room that Zaerini shared with Imoen and then stepped inside. There was no sign of the bard, however. Imoen was sitting on her bed, writing something in her diary.

"Where is Zaerini?" Jaheira asked.

"Oh, she just went to get a bath", Imoen explained, chewing on her pen. "Say, can you help me out? Do you happen to know a good rhyme for 'black'?"

"How about 'slack'?"

Imoen frowned deeply and twirled her pink hair around her finger. "No…no that doesn't fit at all." Her smile turned dreamy. "Not at all…"

"What are you doing anyway?" Jaheira asked and came over to look over Imoen's shoulder. Once she read what the girl was writing she felt her cheeks burn as hot as furnaces. "What…what is that supposed to be?"

"It's a love poem!" Imoen beamed. "Do you like it?"

"It…is certainly very ardent."

"That's a good thing, isn't it?"

"I…I suppose so." I never would have thought it of her. I wonder just what her previous reading material has been. Something tells me Gorion would never have approved.

"Oh, good", Imoen said. "I talked with Viconia earlier and she gave me a few tips. She knows ever so much about these things."

Now why does that not surprise me? "Child", Jaheira warned, "you may not want to take everything Viconia says literally. Our customs are not those of the Underdark after all. If you try to bully men into submission, they will only resent you."

"I wouldn't do that!" Imoen hugged the diary close to her chest and her eyes turned slightly unfocused. Jaheira wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly what scene the girl was picturing. "I just want to hold him, and kiss him, and love him and make him adore me and love me forever and ever! Like in the stories!"

Child, you cannot make anybody love you like that. Jaheira didn't say it out loud though. If they were lucky this senseless infatuation would ebb away soon. Besides, she had hurt one of the girls already. She would rather not hurt the other one if she could help it.

It was at that moment that Zaerini entered the room, her bright red hair still damp from her bath, her familiar riding on her shoulder. The bard's yellow eyes were rather cool as she saw Jaheira, and the cat looked equally sceptical.

"Jaheira", Zaerini said. "Good. We need to talk."

"Yes", the druid agreed.

"Er, I'll just go somewhere else, shall I?" Imoen asked. She closed her diary and stuck it beneath her arm, then headed for the door. "I'll leave you guys alone to talk." She grinned. "Besides, I need to talk some more with Viconia before she leaves." She closed the door behind her, humming softly to herself. Jaheira recognized the tune as a rather popular and extremely soppy ballad.

"The Drow is leaving?" Jaheira asked as soon as Imoen had left.

The other half-elf nodded briefly. "Yes", she said in a pointed voice. "Viconia is leaving. She wants some safe place to stay and a chance to be left in peace. Can't say that I blame her. She did offer to come with us though."

"You declined?"

"How could I deny her a chance to get what she wants?" Zaerini's eyes flashed dangerously. "Anyway, if she stayed, you'd probably keep nagging us both about it."

Nagging?! Jaheira made an effort to stay calm. "I do not nag", she stated. She did sound a bit more defensive than she had intended though.

"Oh no?" There was a dangerous note to the bard's voice by now, low and silky. It was almost a purr. "Which word would you prefer then? Bully? Prod? Manipulate?" The golden eyes narrowed, and Jaheira had to make a deliberate effort in order to keep her face neutral. She shouldn't let a mere girl affect her like that. Except she is not a mere girl, now is she?

"I thought we were friends, Jaheria", Zaerini said, and now she sounded hurt rather than angry. "I really did. Sure, we haven't always got along perfectly, but I didn't think you'd do a thing like that. It was really, really, really shitty. "

"I…"

"What did you expect me to do? Either I collect bandit scalps, and then I'm a ruthless, violent child of Bhaal. Or else I don't, and then I'm an oath-breaker, a lying, treacherous child of Bhaal. I can't win either way with you, can I? You've been against me from the start."

"No!" Jaheira exclaimed, feeling horrified. "No…please, you must not believe that." She paused. The child looked so hurt, so angry, so lost. The druid wanted nothing more than to embrace her, but she did not dare, at the moment. The risk of rejection was still too great. "I…I worry about you", she said, making her voice as soft as she could. "I know what dangers you face, and the danger of your heritage is chief amongst them all. If you succumb to that taint, you will be as lost as Sarevok is. I…wanted you to consider your actions more carefully, to think before you act. That is why I acted as I did. To make you know your own heart better. If it felt as if I was betraying you – then I am truly sorry. I never meant that. I may have been harsher than I first intended. Working with a drow, and with that bandit…I was afraid you might come under a dark influence. I meant it for the best, but I should not have interfered the way I did."

Zaerini just stared at her, her mouth slightly open. The child looked utterly flabbergasted. "Jaheira?" she said. "Are you…are you apologizing? You aren't sick or something, are you?"

"Of course not!" the druid snapped, her contrition slipping for a second. "I do apologize from time to time you know. Just as soon as I know I have made a mistake."

A lightning-quick grin flashed across the bard's face, and her eyes sparkled with mischief. "Oh, is that so?" she asked. "Just as soon as you know you've made a mistake? And this would be how often? Once a decade or so?"

"Oh, hush child", Jaheira snorted. Then she smiled. "At least every other year. Now, do you think you can find it in your heart to forgive me so that we may go on with our journey?"

"I suppose so. Yes, I forgive you. But don't you try that on me again, you understand me? If you do, I won't forgive it again."

"Yes, I understand perfectly." Jaheira paused. The heavy weight had fallen from her heart and she was able to breathe much easier. "There…is one other thing that worries me", she said. "Imoen, and this…this ludicrous infatuation of hers."

"I don't know that I'd call it a ludicrous exactly", Zaerini said. "He is handsome, and I rather like him. But you're right in a way, I don't think he's even noticed that she's fallen for him and I don't think he ever will respond the way she hopes. I wouldn't worry too much about it if I were you. I'm sure he'll let her down gently if it ever comes to that, and we don't even know if we'll ever see him again. She may forget all about it soon."

There was a tentative knock on the door at that moment, and then Imoen poked her head inside. "Guys?" she asked. "Can I come in now?" Her smile was, if possible, even more blissful than before. "Vicky had this interesting book with lovely pictures in it, and she gave me a few useful hints as well… Does either of you happen to know of a good rhyme for 'thighs'?"

Zaerini was obviously fighting hard to look serious. "Um…how about 'lies'?" she asked. "Or 'dies'?"

"Oh yes, that would work, I think! Great! Ooooh, this will sweep him right off his feet! Rini, do you think you might be able to think up a melody for it once I'm done?"

The bard and the druid exchanged a very long look. "Want to bet on that forgetfulness?" Jaheira asked in a dry voice. Zaerini simply shook her head in response.

The Cloakwood Forest was deep and lush. The ground lay mostly in shadow beneath the tall trees, but here and there some sunlight managed to trickle through the leaves high above, creating dappled and flickering flecks of light and shadow on the ground. It was quiet and peaceful, with only the odd birdcall or noisy squirrel to break the silence.

"Is this not calming and restful?" Jaheira asked. "Surely, child, a forest like this one must appeal to you?"

"A little, I guess", Rini said. "But I'm really not a forest person, Jaheira, you know that. Elven blood or not." She paused. "Jaheira? Do you know any elves? I've always been curious about them, but I don't really know that much about them."

The druid thought for a second before she answered. "I will be happy to teach you what I know about the elven culture and language. However, you would be wise to remember that not all elves are alike, no more than all humans are."

"Oh, I know that. Still…I can't help wanting to meet some. The elven blood is part of me too, same as the human." And the divine, but let's not go into that at the moment.

Kitten? Softpaws asked. This is very important to you, isn't it? The cat looked up at the bard, her eyes glittering like emeralds.

Yes, it is. It's just…so many humans despise those of mixed blood. I've never felt that I was one of them. And when I was a child, I used to imagine that maybe elves were different. That…maybe with them I would be allowed to belong. A childish dream, I know, but I can't seem to let go of it.

Dreams are important. But you already belong. You belong to me.

Oh. Right. I'd forgotten about that part.

Silly kitten. A cat doesn't wait for others to tell her where she belongs. She decides that herself. Still, I'm sure you will learn. With a brief flick of her tail the cat slipped into the shadowy underbrush. A few moments later there was a tiny scream. Oh, very nice, Softpaws said along the mental link. Nice, juicy mouse. Would you like some?

Ah. No thanks, Softy. I'm quite full.

"It must be strange not to know your roots", Edwin remarked. The Red Wizard had rid himself of the black robe and once again proudly flaunted his signature color. "Ancestry is very important in Thay, and the Odesseirons are an old Family. I have more ancestors than I really know what to do with. You could have some of them I suppose. (I'm sure they're all moldy and decayed by now anyway, hardly very interesting company. Unless one were to reanimate them. Now there's a thought…)"

"Interesting suggestion", Rini said. "Were you offering to go back to Thay and dig up some of your ancestors for me, or to ask your parents to adopt me into the family?" She smiled to take the edge off her words. "Much as I like you, Eddie, I don't really think I want you to be my brother. Sarevok is all the brother I need. I'd rather have you as my friend."

"Ah. Yes. Certainly. What I meant to say was that while family connections are certainly important and useful, they will only get you so far. Skill is what is really important if you want to not only survive, but to gain power. That, I know for certain. (And I most definitely don't want you to be my sister either.)"

Was that a compliment he just told me? Zaerini thought. With Edwin, it's always difficult to tell for sure. "I'm sure you're right", she said. "That's not exactly what I meant though. The elf part of me is a part I don't really know that well. I just want to know myself better, that's all. And I figure talking with an elf or two would be the best way to go about that." She smiled a little wanly. "Assuming I meet up with any that want to share their ways with a half-elf, of course."

"If they don't, then they don't deserve your attention in the first place", Edwin snarled, his face furious. "If they are imbeciles who cannot see past your mixed blood then they don't even deserve to have you spit in their ugly faces. (Fireballs would be too good for such vermin. Much too swift a death. An Acid Arrow directed at their most sensitive body parts might be entertaining though.)"

"Thank you", the bard said, with genuine affection in her voice. "That really means a lot to me, you know." For some strange reason, this simple statement caused the Red Wizard to trail off into incoherent mutterings. He did look rather pleased, however.

As the companions passed deeper into the forest they suddenly came upon an open clearing. A small wooden cabin had been built there. It looked very neat and orderly, with a gravel path leading up to the door and flowers growing on both sides on it. A man was standing just outside the door, looking like he was waiting for somebody. He seemed to be middle-aged, with completely white hair and a broad face with an overly large and square chin. The leather armor he wore was beautiful and looked new, and his scarlet cloak was fastened with a large gold brooch in the shape of a lion that declared him a wealthy man, perhaps a noble.

"You!" he shouted in a voice that Zaerini immediately classified as 'foppish'. "Savages! Approach at your peril and learn some manners, brutes!" Then he took a closer look at the adventurers and his scowl melted away. "Oh, I apologize for my rudeness", he said. "I mistook you for someone else. Let me introduce myself, I am Aldeth Sashenstar. You must understand that at the moment I'm under a terrible amount of stress. You see my dear fellows, there is a group of uncouth savages that has declared their intention of killing my friends and I. I've been holed up in this cabin for several days and have lacked the wherewithal to try and make an escape. Perhaps you kind sirs would help a fellow in trouble?"

"Sirs?" Zaerini asked, her voice chilly. "What a very interesting way of putting things."

"W-we might be a-a-able to help", Khalid hastily said and placed himself between the bard and the noble. "What i-is it that you w-want?"

"Good men!" Aldeth cheerfully said, blissfully unaware of the murderous looks directed at him from Zaerini and Jaheira. "I'm glad you had the sense of decency to help a man in my situation. Let me explain my predicament. My friends and I come here every year to do some sport hunting. This year however, a group of woodland savages threatened us with bodily harm if we did not stop our hunting trip. Being civilized men, we realized that it's well within our rights to hunt where we damn well please. After a few more days of hunting the crass woodmen lost all pretense of humanity and murdered Elban, one of my oldest friends. I'm sure that they plan to attack our cottage here, so we had best be prepared."

"Actually I'm not a 'good man'", Rini said, still glaring at the foolish nobleman. "And since I'm neither 'good' nor a 'man' I really don't see why I or my friends should risk our lives assisting you, particularly for free. You could just pack up and leave, you know."

"But I cannot", Aldeth protested. "They patrol the area regularly and…" His face suddenly became gray with terror. "Oh no. There they are!"

Three men were walking into the clearing. They were all dressed in green and brown, colors that allowed them to melt into the forest easily, and their hair and beards were shaggy and unkempt. Druids, most probably. Their leader was a tall fellow whose sour face made him look as if he were permanently sucking on a lemon. "Trespassers and butchers of our wood", he called out in a gravelly voice. "I, Seniyad, have come to administer the punishment that you have brought down upon yourselves. Yet, who are the men that stand beside you? With them we have no quarrel."

Men? Rini thought. What is it with the people in this wood? "Excuse me", she said in a chillingly polite voice, though her rage was starting to simmer beneath the surface. "Some of us happen not to be 'men' in case you didn't notice. In fact, out of the five of us only two are male. You did notice that, I hope? You druids know about natural stuff, you should know these things unless you somehow grow out of acorns. Or did you just assume that our leader had to be male?"

Seniyad frowned. "I do not know who you are", he said, "but it is now to you that I speak; this man has most likely duped you into protecting his sorry hide. He has most likely not told of the druid his friends have slain in cold blood. I will allow you to rethink your earlier decision and leave this man to his most deserved fate."

"Aw, come on", Imoen said. "We can't just let you kill him like that! He's not even doing anything to defend himself, see?" Aldeth, in fact, was shivering like leaf and his teeth were chattering wildly. "Can't we all be friends instead?"

"Yes", Jaheira said. "Preserving the balance does not mean condoning slaughter, not even of fools."

Rini wouldn't have thought it possible, but Seniyad's face turned even more sour at this and when next he spoke, he was actually foaming at the mouth. "You have made your choice fools", he screamed, "now you will suffer together with your hunter friend."

The three strange druids started chanting together, but Jaheira was too quick for him, summoning powerful lightning from the sky that made Seniyad scream with pain as it struck him. A bright sphere of light appeared above Edwin's outstretched hand and hit one of the other druids in the face, stunning him into insensibility. Imoen was rapidly firing arrow after arrow to interrupt the druids' spellcasting, while Khalid engaged the third druid. Zaerini thought for a moment and then settled upon one of the poison arrows she had left. Once it had struck home Seniyad didn't look sour anymore. He looked quite peaceful actually. Then again, corpses often do. The remaining two druids didn't last long once their leader was down.

"I…I g-give you my gratitude for the aid you have given me", Aldeth stammered. "If you ever travel to Baldur's Gate, come to the Merchant's League and I will aid you in any way I can in order to show you how grateful I truly am."

"Good", Rini remarked over her shoulder as she walked out of the clearing, her friends by her side. "You can start by changing your pants. It looks like you need it."

"You all right?" Zaerini asked Jaheira once she was certain Aldeth couldn't hear her. "It must have been pretty difficult for you to fight other druids."

The other woman nodded. "I…am well", she said. "I would have preferred to avoid combat, but it was not to be." She smiled briefly. "And those other druids are not the ones I swore to Gorion that I would aid, nor do I think I would have wanted to. Serving the balance does not mean slaying people for killing a few deer."

"Their reasoning is flawed anyway", Edwin remarked. "It's not as if human beings aren't part of the natural order. I fail to see why humans shouldn't be allowed to hunt when other predators are. By applying that sort of logic druids should also kill wolves and bears."

Jaheira gave the wizard an appreciative look. "Yes", she said. "That is quite true. Now, if we were talking about randomly slaughtering huge numbers of animals, then druids should naturally intervene somehow. But a small group of hunters like this one can hardly make a dent in the animal population of a forest like the Cloakwood. It is not only unjust to attack them for it; it is also foolish and will only breed resentment against druids everywhere." She paused. "You know, wizard, for all our differences I must say you are not entirely hopeless. You certainly possess a keen mind, and you have proved loyal to our cause thus far."

"And for all our differences, druid, I must say you aren't completely stupid. At least you know better than to join forces with people who think personal hygiene means changing the dead twigs in their beards for fresh ones. (And she also knows better than to turn on our leader, or so it seems for now. I suppose I must let her live then, annoying as she is.)"

The party could hear the rush of rapidly flowing water coming from the north and headed that way. It wasn't long before they came upon a wide river, too swift and deep for them to cross. Khalid and Jaheira knew that there should be a bridge close by however, and after they had followed the river upstream for a while, they came upon it. Hardly had the adventurers set foot upon the bridge before they heard a merry voice call out to them.

"Ho travelers!" it said. "Hold a moment!" The speaker was standing on the bridge, boldly facing the group. An elf! Zaerini thought, her heart taking a small leap within her chest. That's an elf! And so it was. The man in front of them had the slender build and pointed ears of the elves, and a rather good-looking face beneath a thick shock of brown hair. He was dressed in leather armor and carried a large bow, and once he had taken his measure of the group he gave the bard a dazzling white and toothy grin.

"It's refreshing to find other people in this wood", the stranger said. "And charming ladies too, unlike those unpleasant druids I spotted earlier. Not the sort to catch a man's eye, and so it is a great pleasure to see a fair face or three. My name is Coran: thief and archer! I've been alone in the wilderness for far too long. I wouldn't mind returning to the big city, but I have yet to collect my bounty. I'd share the reward with the lot of you, if you would help hasten the hunt. You interested in hearing more?"

"Perhaps", Rini said, smiling in spite of herself. The elf was being totally ridiculous of course, with all that flattery, but he was an elf, and so he interested her. And he was rather amusing too. "I suppose there is no harm in hearing your proposal."

"Good", Coran said, winking at her. "It comes as no great surprise that you are as wise as you are lovely, sweet lady. The deal is this: I've been hired out by the mayor of Beregost to hunt down a great winged dragon that's been plaguing the caravan routes. He's offered 2 000 gold for its head. Now before you get cold feet, let me allay your fears. The only descriptions of the beast have always mentioned its deadly barbed tail. From what I know about dragons they don't have barbs on their tails - that's something unique to wyverns. So, all we have to do is find this wyvern's nest and kill it. Our only worries are if it has friends over for dinner! So, what is your decision, yea or nay?"

"We are on an errand of our own", the bard said. "But if we should come across this wyvern, I don't see why we shouldn't help you out with it. Why don't you come with us for now? We seem to be heading in the same direction, and it seems to me that we can help each other."

"Excellent!" Coran exclaimed. "I do not doubt that we shall face many grave dangers together, you have that air of passion and peril about you that speaks to my heart. But as I have always said, the storm is always preferable to the calm." Before the half-elf had the time to react, he had taken her hand in his and was bending over it, kissing it lightly. "Amin naa lle nai, lirimaer. I am yours to command, lovely one."

"Ah…", Zaerini said, hoping that her mouth wasn't gaping open. "That's…great. Really great." At…at least this elf seems able to overlook my mixed blood. More than overlook, actually. I'm not blushing, am I? She gave her friends a slightly desperate look. Khalid looked sympathetic, Jaheria disapproving, Imoen very much amused. As for Edwin, he was quietly grinding his teeth, too angry to speak, and the look in his dark eyes spoke of a deep desire to pull Coran's lips backwards over his head until they met with his own posterior, and then nail them to that spot with a rusty nail dipped in poison.