Throne Of Cards 43 – Heartfelt

There are a multitude of songs about hearts. Broken hearts, stolen hearts, burning hearts and so on. Unfortunately, when you're an adventurer you may get exposed to other and more practical aspects as well.

Excerpt from 'Ruminations Of A Master Bard'

"Rini? Can you make the water different colours, do you think?"

Zaerini looked at her sister and best friend, an amused smile creasing her lips. She could just guess which colour Imoen would prefer, too. "I can try," She said. "Just give me a moment." She was getting better and better at shaping the pocketplane, so it shouldn't be impossible. After the hasty but more or less triumphant return from Yaga-Shura's fortress, the number one priority on everybody's mind had been getting themselves cleansed from the nasty sediment of dust and zombie gunk covering their bodies, and so she'd been faced with the task of conjuring up appropriate bathing facilities. She hadn't done too badly, if she said so herself. Two separate pools, one for the men and one for the women, with both hotter and colder sections, and some nice deep parts where you could actually swim. She'd added in benches for relaxing, soothing waterfalls, and yes, a multitude of bubbles. Edwin had tried to protest that he and she should get a pool of their own, for private use, but she'd been pretty tired by then, too tired to make a third one. Vadrak had pointed out that nobody else was particularly interested in watching the two of them play 'Find That Bodypart' in one of the two pools present and that was that. Still, she'd promised Edwin that the two of them would get their fair share of playtime…later. And even if she was too tired to make another pool, she thought she could manage her sister's wish. She focused, and she willed it to be so. The water of the pool turned a bright, glowing pink, and the bubbles drifting above the water gained even more of a sparkle even as the steam shaped itself into a galloping unicorn.

"Perfect!" Imoen giggled, clapping her hands. "Bet the boys' pool isn't as pretty."

"At least not as pink," Viconia dryly stated. "Do not tire yourself overmuch, abbil. It has been a long day, after all."

"I'm fine," Rini said, suppressing a yawn. "I don't think I could make a big thing right now, but this is just little stuff. Let's see…" She focused again, and now there was music, soft and tinkling music floating in the air.

"How does it work, anyway?" Imoen asked, her eyes wide. "Do you just wish for it?"

"Sort of. I need to have a clear idea in my head, and then I need to concentrate to make it real. It's…a bit like writing a song or a story, except the things I imagine become tangible. Some things are harder than others, of course."

"Very interesting," Viconia said. "You are close to being a goddess already and getting closer."

"Um, only in here. Out there in the real world my wishes don't count for more than anybody else's." I could stay in here. Stay and wait until the ones trying to kill me are dead and gone. But no, that would never work. They'll come after me, eventually. Or they'd come after my friends to lure me out. And even if I can make this place what I want it to be, it'd turn into a prison. I couldn't live like that. I couldn't ask my friends to do that either. She excused herself shortly after that, to retire to the wagon she shared with her lover. It was larger than the others, for obvious reasons, and so was the bed. She smiled to herself when she entered and found herself alone. Of course. I bet he's still primping.

She wished her hair dry – that was another advantage in here, out in the real world it would turn into a tangled mess after washing, no matter what she did, and then she felt ready to settle down. She eased herself onto the bed, and then stretched luxuriously from fingers to toes, yawning as she did so. Viconia was right, it had been a long day and even with healing and relaxing in the bath she could still feel some aches and pains.

But we did it. We got Yaga-Shura's heart, and Nyalee's too. Now we just need to take them back to her, and then…well then, we'll still have to fight through an army of fire giants, but at least he won't be immortal anymore. That's something.

Also, that was a matter for tomorrow. She closed her eyes, smiling to herself. She'd just rest her eyes…just for a minute…

"Hellkitten? Are you asleep? (Curses…but she needs her rest, and it must not be denied her.)"

"I was," She said, feeling her smile broaden as she opened her eyes to see her lover leaning over her. He had, indeed, been primping, and now looked entirely his normal clean and well-groomed self. There was a slightly frustrated look in his dark eyes that turned into anticipation as she spoke. "But since you're here, I'd rather be awake for a bit. Or for longer, depending on what you've got in mind."

"Oh, many things, many things," Edwin said, and his warm fingers trailed along her cheek and down her neck. Wherever they roamed, her skin felt pleasantly tingly, and as he slipped further down yet, she couldn't hold back a sigh of delight. "A suitable celebration of your triumph today would seem to be in order, and I intend that the next volcanic eruption you participate in be an entirely enjoyable one. (My own supremely successful feats go without saying, of course.)"

"Of course," She said, grinning up at him. She reached up to pull him closer, skin to skin. Yes, warm and lovely, perfect hardness against her own softness. He inhaled sharply at that, his eyes going a little bit unfocused, and she couldn't contain a small purr of pleasure. Yes, this was exactly what she needed, to celebrate being alive, and him being alive. Their lips met, eagerly, hungrily, and she could feel her fingers tangling in his hair, then digging into his back as he hit just the right spot. Neither of them wanted to tease or play too much, not this time around, they were equal in heated and desperate need. As they joined, she could tell that he still tried to maintain some measure of control, to not let himself go too fast, and loved him all the more for it. She had her own ideas though, and the idea of making him lose that control was equally appealing as her own pleasure. Mine. Just mine. Always. She met him eagerly, matching his rhythm, then speeding it up. And now…just a little…squeeze. Maybe more than one. Edwin let out a sound that was halfway between a gasp and a sob, his entire body tensing against hers.

"Love you," She murmured as she tightened her grip, not sure if he could hear it or not, but hoping he could at least feel it. "So much."

It was only a few minutes later that he was capable of responding in any coherent manner, but when he did, it was with a touch that nearly drove her wild. "And I love you." Another kiss, this one gentle and tender. "Shall we see how best I can show that to you? (And I intend to take my time.) I know you need more."

"You do that always," She smiled, feeling her eyes moisten when she met his gaze and saw the expression on his face. "But if you want, I'm sure I could think of a few ideas…"

The following day, Rini was still feeling just a little bit dazed, and also just a little bit tender, but she had absolutely no regrets about that, oh no. This sort of reminder was well worth a small amount of discomfort, as far as she was concerned.

It's nothing, Softpaws told her. Do you even know what tomcats are like?

Yes, because you've told me. More than once. Let's just say, I'm happy I'm the shape I am for this sort of thing.

The shape of a cat is vastly superior in all other ways. I suppose it's only fair you get that tiny edge.

To keep you from taking over the world?

Oh, we already did that. To keep you from becoming too unhappy about it, or you might forget to pet us and feed us properly.

Of course. Ok, here we go now. Let's hope Nyalee will be happy to see us.

She had managed to open the pocket plane properly into the Forest of Miir, and this time there fortunately were no unpleasant wraiths to contend with. The short journey to the abandoned temple proceeded without incidents, and though the place was just as gloomy, grim and spider infested as she remembered it, at least there were no undead at all. Eventually, they found Nyalee. The old Drow woman was sitting on a slab of rock, absently staring into the distance and now and then pulling the comb Imoen had given her on their past visit through her tangled and filthy hair. "You…" She said as she looked up and noticed the approaching adventurers. "Nyalee remembers you, Bright One. Came before, you did."

"That's right," Rini said in what she hoped was a mild and soothing voice. "We talked about Yaga-Shura, remember? And his heart?"

"Nyalee knows! Nyalee…Nyalee feels. The pounding so strong, the blood so swift…do you have them? Do you have Nyalee's heart?"

"We sure do," Imoen piped up. "So, we just give it to you and then you help us break the spell on Yaga-Shura, right?"

"Yes! Yes! Give it to Nyalee, now! And then the boy's heart, the treacherous boy's heart."

"Yeah, about that. Do we just squish it, or…"

"Nyalee's heart! Now, now!"

"Ok. Fine, fine." Somewhat gingerly, she reached into the Bag of Holding she'd cleared of anything she didn't want to risk getting stained, and she took out the dark and slightly spongy heart of Nyalee. The old woman reached for it eagerly with claw-like fingers and snatched it out of the half-elf's grip. She pressed it tenderly to her breast, crooning unintelligible words over it, and then it slowly sank into her chest, gradually disappearing from sight. When it was done, Nyalee sank to her knees with a sigh, her head bowed. Then she raised it again, and for the first time her eyes were calm, and at least partially sane.

"It hurts no longer," She whispered. "Nyalee can feel…so many things. But no hurt, no."

"Tremendous," Edwin said. "That will undoubtedly delight us all for many days to come, just as soon as we can no longer smell you. (Perhaps holding her directly under the giant's nose will be enough to suffocate him.) Now, do try to make yourself at least vaguely useful and perform the ritual as agreed so that we may proceed with some proper giant extermination."

For a moment, Nyalee simply stared at him as if she didn't entirely comprehend what he was saying. This wasn't an entirely uncommon reaction to Edwin, and Zaerini inwardly sighed and mentally prepared herself for the outraged retort sure to follow. Even so, she was taken by surprise.

"The ritual…" Nyalee repeated, blinking rapidly a few times. "Yes. The ritual. To…to kill Yaga-Shura. To…kill…my boy. My Yaga-Shura."

"Are you senile as well as demented?" Edwin impatiently snapped. "Of course, Yaga-Shura! Do I need to construct a toddler's chewable book with stick figures of dead giants in order to make the idea fully penetrate your catatonic cortex?"

"No…no, no, NOOOO! Nyalee feels! Nyalee feels once again! Nyalee loves her boy, her Yaga-Shura! YOU MUST NOT HARM HIM!"

So much for a peaceful, uneventful encounter for once, Rini just had time to think, and then there were things rising out of the swampy muck around the temple, and rapidly shambling towards her and her friends. Some of them were undead, skeletons of various shapes and sizes, and then there were the two large and muddy creatures with tiny heads but very, very large fists and shapeless bodies. There were rotting weeds and vines clinging to them, and in some cases growing out of them as if they were made from the mud itself. Shambling Mounds, those things were nasty, and as for the skeletons they didn't seem to be the common variety either. Some were quite large, wearing filthy armour and swords, and others were already starting to cast spells. So was Nyalee. Can't have that.

She definitely didn't want to tangle with the Shambling Mounds in close combat, those things could squish a person with one blow, but Nyalee was a different matter. It would take precious seconds to draw her sword or cast a spell, so Zaerini rammed her elbow into the other woman's throat, hitting it just so with the pointy end. Nyalee gave a choked gurgle of pain and sank to her knees, clutching herself and gasping for air. So far so good. Edwin had evened the playing field by summoning aid of his own, a towering vortex of swirling air right in the middle of a group of skeletons. Bones were currently being scattered in all directions. Air elemental. Clever, that will be hard for the mounds to hit as well. The wizard had now devoted his attention to the Shambling Mounds and was attacking them directly, but here his options were more limited as they were made up of moist plant matter and highly resistant to both heat and cold. Still, one of them was starting to look shriveled around the edges and was moving more slowly than before. Imoen was firing enchanted arrows at it so swiftly her fingers almost seemed to blur, and while each one didn't do a whole lot of damage they were beginning to add up. That was all well and good, but the skeletons wouldn't exactly suffer from either arrows or bladed weapons. Viconia was holding the symbol of Shar aloft, chanting in a steady voice, and waves of darkness coiled around her feet. The skeletons who got too close to her cowered and fled as whatever energy animated their empty skulls was consumed with terror. Many of them even turned upon their fellows, contributing to the general mayhem of the battle. There were many more still left though, and the ones too far away from Viconia wouldn't be affected by her powers.

"SLAY THE LIVING!" Nyalee screeched, laboriously staggering to her feet. "FOR THE GLORY OF MY LORD BHAAL AND MY BELOVED YAGA-SHURA!" She started casting another spell, and now the skeletons were even faster on their bony feet, clattering across the ground with a sound that reminded Rini uncomfortably of the sound of rolling dice. Let's hope we roll better than they do. She rapidly fired off a spell of her own, speeding herself and her own companions up to match the monsters, and then proceeded to neatly stick her sword straight into Nyalee's chest. It went in with a perfect angle, just under the lower end of the sternum, aimed upward. Not through the ribs, she remembered Dekaras saying as he'd been giving her a few pointers. You're not a berserker slashing away with a large two-hander, hoping to chop something off. Nor are you trying to fight an 'honorable duel'. Remember, if they raise their arms to go high, they're leaving themselves open for you to go low. You want to hit them first, and where it hurts. It had worked out nicely too. Nyalee sagged to the ground, bubbles of blood gurgling out between her open lips and her eyes were already empty.

"Now stay down!" Rini snarled, searching around for her friends. Minsc had gone to aid Imoen against the first Shambling Mound and was dutifully hacking away for it. Now, here the 'chopping things off' tactic was far more suitable, as the big plant monster had no inner organs or vulnerable parts at all, and it was gradually being worn down. Sarevok was facing the other one, and was holding his own, but he had to dodge frequently out of the way as the creature was trying to grapple and pound him with its large fists, and this didn't leave him much opportunity for attacks of his own. Then she spotted Dekaras, moving swiftly across the battlefield, an entire swarm of skeletons chasing after him with single-minded determination. The assassin was heading for Sarevok, and took a flying leap, just avoiding the Shambling Mound's next momentous blow by sliding and rolling under it. The skeletons weren't as fast however, and when those large green fists next came down there was a sound as of a hammer hitting a pile of toothpicks. Through a cloud of bone dust, Rini could just make out what seemed to be a very surprised look on the Shambling Mound's otherwise blank face, before Sarevok's sword struck home, separating its legs from its torso in one clean blow. By now the tide of the battle had well and truly turned, and it was simply a matter of mopping the remnants up. A few minutes later, the adventurers were all catching their breaths and swigging the odd healing potion.

"Good battle!" Minsc cheerfully said. "Boo needs his exercise, to keep his steely muscles from turning into flab."

"Well and good," Viconia agreed. She poked Nyalee's twisted corpse with her foot. "Unfortunately, we have now lost the person capable of performing that ritual on Yaga-Shura's heart in order to destroy it. I could reanimate her, but then I fear she would no longer remember what to do, and even if it was possible to resurrect her, which I frankly doubt, she would be unlikely to cooperate no matter what."

"Yeah, that is a problem," Rini said, feeling a little rueful. "She didn't give me much choice though. We'll just have to figure it out on our own somehow. She was planning to do it on her own, and right here, so at least we know it won't take a full temple of Bhaal cultists or any fancy equipment we don't have. So, ideas? Big Brother, you studied our sire, does this ring any bells?"

Sarevok shook his head. "If I knew, I would have told you already to save us this trip to the mad witch. Also, if I knew, I would have used such a rite upon myself back in Baldur's Gate and things would have ended very differently."

"Good point. Well, I didn't read about anything like this in Candlekeep either, sadly. And Immy was more into books were 'holding somebody's heart' was a figure of speech."

"Hey, I was educating myself!" Her sister said with a broad grin. "You all could learn from me, you know. I know, I'll read some chapters out loud to you tonight at the campfire! Won't that be fun? We can act out the best bits!"

"Regrettably, I will be too busy doing something more enjoyable," Dekaras said. "Ritualistically lobotomizing myself with a blunted stick sounds positively riveting by comparison."

"Aw, don't be a spoilsport!"

Edwin held up a hand. "My own suggestion is of course vastly superior. In order to divine how best to perform this task, I will merely summon up a powerful and knowledgeable demon lord…"

"NO!" A chorus of voices interrupted him, and he subsided into silence with a small pout.

"No appreciation…philistines, all of you. (And I have been practicing so diligently too, for the appropriate moment.)"

"Minsc knows! Since the Mad Witch is all gone, we will follow the ancient traditions of Sacred Rasheman! The Drauva Karina, it is bound to work."

"The what now?" Rini said, feeling rather suspicious. "And do I even want to know?"

"Well, well," Dekaras thoughtfully said, rubbing a finger along the side of his nose. "The Drauva Karina. That's something I hadn't thought of. It is a fairly insane idea, but it just might work."

"Yes, but what is it?"

"Oh, a ritual performed by the hunters of Rasheman on occasion after defeating a particularly powerful and impressive beast. A large dire bear perhaps, or a dragon. It means literally 'Consumed Essence'. You know that Rasheman has rather more natural spirits and strange beasts than other countries? The idea is that by consuming the essence of the monster, you prevent its spirit from haunting you, and instead steal its power for yourself. As a powerful Bhaalspawn yourself, and Yaga-Shura's main foe, you would be the one of us best suited for this task. I'm sure you can make the correct deductions for yourself from now on without me getting into the details."

Zaerini swallowed hard. "Oh hells no! I'm not doing…that. And there's no way you can make me!"

It was two hours later, and Zaerini was sitting by the campfire in the pocket plane, gingerly balancing a large and hot plate on her lap. On that plate lay a large, sizzling…hunk of meat. Somebody with a twisted sense of humor and lacking in compassion had decorated it with a sprig of parsley on top. Meat. Just think of it as that. Meat.

"I can't believe you're making me do this!" She complained. "You're just being mean. You could at least help me out, here."

"I told you already," Dekaras told her in an infinitely patient voice. "It has to be the hunter, the one to slay the beast. Granted, the giant isn't dead yet, but you do mean to make him so, and your own divine essence will help you consume his. This is how it goes. Is that not so, Minsc?"

"This is true!" Minsc said, nodding vigorously. "My good friend knows the sacred rituals well. Shall we do the Valpurmasso as well?"

"I think not, Minsc. That would leave us all with a rather severe headache at the very least. This will do." The assassin gave her an expectant look that made her already extreme sense of apprehension get even worse. She had never seen him this enthusiastic about cooking before, and usually the best that could be said about the results when it was his turn to do so were that they were 'edible' rather than burnt. The fact that Minsc had helped didn't make her feel any better.

"Right," She said, poking the lump of meat with her fork. She'd insisted on a fork and knife, rather than Minsc's suggestion of using just her teeth. The rest of the group eyed her with facial expressions ranging from mild horror to disgust. The exception was Viconia, who was sitting neatly on a log filing her nails and looking a little bored.

"Do get on with it," The priestess said. "It isn't poison, you know."

"You're all horrible, horrible people and I hate you all." The meat smelled nice, and she could feel her mouth watering. Her stomach growled. "Does this count as cannibalism?"

"Of course not," Dekaras said. "You're not a giant, after all. Entirely different species. Giants eat humans, or indeed half-elves, with relish all the time, do they not? Possibly with mustard."

"I think you've spent entirely too much time thinking about this!" She glared at him. "Don't tell me that you…that you normally…just don't tell me, that's all!"

The assassin sighed and rolled his eyes. "No, I do not cannibalize my targets in order to hide the evidence. Don't be ridiculous. Now go on and eat up, that's a good girl."

Well, no putting it off, I suppose. Here goes.

She took a deep breath, carefully cutting a small piece of meat. At least it was nice and tender, the knife slid through it as easily as through butter. She impaled it on the fork, slowly raised it towards her mouth…and paused, mouth open.

Waaaaaaiiit a minute…

She put the fork down on the plate again and stared at the steaming heart. The steaming, medium rare, and apparently not at all indestructible heart that she had just easily sliced open with a regular knife. She picked it up, ignoring the heat. When she dug her fingers into the flesh, she felt her fingernails itching, wanting to extend into claws.

"You," She said, pointing an accusing finger at Dekaras with her free hand. "You BASTARD!"

"Well, I was desperate to find us a better choice of evening entertainment than Imoen's Heartthrob Literature Club – you have to admit it worked. Everybody looks reasonably entertained to me!"

And that was when she threw the sizzling heart of Yaga-Shura directly at his entirely too smug face. Even though her aim was good, he was simply too good at dodging and it landed in the campfire. The smoke flared up, and very soon the heart had been reduced to a small lump of coal.

Was that really necessary? Softpaws complained. You could have let me have it if you didn't want it.

"I'm so getting you back for this one!" She yelled at the assassin. He was actually laughing by now, and he wasn't the only one. Even Edwin couldn't hold back a small smile. "I'm going Slayer on your ass, see if I don't! I'll…I'll dye all your clothes pink! You nearly made me eat giant!"

"Oh, I was reasonably certain you'd work it out," He chuckled. "And you did, didn't you? I would have interfered otherwise. Probably."

"PROBABLY?!"

And then there was the soothing touch of her lover's hand on her arm, and his soft voice murmuring into her ear, his beard tickling her cheek. "Sssh, my Hellkitten. The giant's magical protections have been removed after all and you may now consider yourself ritually initiated into the Odesseiron Household. He only does that sort of thing to people he really likes. (And as for appropriate vengeance, I will be delighted to help mete it out at some later date, I have a few scores of my own to settle as well.)"

She could feel herself smiling, her mood lightening. "It's a date."