Chapter 103: Behind a Mask
Shadows were chased away by the gem Harrian held out as the small stone emitted a strange, apparently weak light which yet somehow penetrated the darkness. The party, by unspoken consent, stuck close together, Minsc taking up the rear, as they entered the blackness of the cave.
Harrian could feel Aerie still clinging to his left arm, was aware of Jaheira standing distinctly closer to his right side than she normally would, was sure he could feel Imoen's breath on the back of his neck, and from Edwin's mumbling, it didn't seem as if the Red Wizard was too far away. He was certain that Anomen and Haer'Dalis would also be close in the pack as the group huddled.
This was ridiculous. Harrian stepped ahead and turned to face the rest of the party, Aerie detaching herself from him. The thief raised the stone so he could see the others better, then gave them what he hoped was an encouraging smile. "You know… how about the rest of you wait outside whilst Imoen and I scout ahead, then check back with you?" he suggested lightly.
The reply he received consisted of random mumbling, which he took as an agreement as Imoen nodded slowly and stepped up next to him. "Good idea, Harry," she replied perkily, adjusting her suit of elven chainmail – a prize she seemed particularly pleased with, as it granted her freedom of movement, protection, and didn't hinder her spell-casting.
Harrian merely shrugged as he turned and started forwards in the cave, the gemstone held high to chase away the shadows of this strange darkness… a darkness not even the infravision of Jaheira could penetrate, but this strange rock could. Who knew what the Svirfneblin had enchanted in their millennia underground?
Imoen stepped up beside him, no longer seeming as panicked now they proceeded calm and cautiously. Stealth seemed to keep her distinctly braver, and she threw him a lopsided grin as they proceeded. "So, what do you think of this new member of our party?"
Harrian gave her a sideways glance which told as much as it needed to in its dubious nature. "She's hardly a new member, Im… she's here because she has nowhere else to go, we can't get her to the surface, and we can't abandon her here. She has skills which should be of value, and can make herself useful in this quest."
Imoen chuckled dryly. "Yes, because in a party where we have a cleric, a druid, and two mages, we need someone with both arcane and divine magic," the pink-haired mage declared brightly, her grin broadening.
He paused, and turned to face her. "Are you suggesting that we just leave her here?" he inquired challengingly. "Abandon her, in the middle of the Underdark, alone, unprotected, with no way of getting out?"
She shook her head, her smirk disappearing, but there was a trace of humour in her eyes, the reason for which Harrian couldn't fathom. "No, of course not. That would just be really unfair and unkind."
"It would," Harrian agreed, carrying onwards as they descended the slope of the cave. "She's been through a lot; she told me her whole story. Captured by slavers, where she was kept in conditions so horrific her wings had to be amputated… and the wounds sealed up with a flaming torch." He shuddered. "I can't imagine that."
"Probably because you don't have wings," Imoen replied quietly, then glanced over at him. "And you're saying you haven't suffered some fairly horrific physical torture over the past few months?" she continued, her voice still low.
Harrian grimaced, then glanced up and met her eye –
A knife, cutting, biting through the flesh in his abdomen, sending piercing pain throughout his entire body, his screams of agony, screams for mercy falling on deaf ears as the masked figure made the precision cuts, ignoring his torture, evaluating his body as the blood rose…
– and looked away again as he saw the same memories reflected in her eyes. He shuddered again, shrugging. "Well, yes," he said, his throat suddenly very dry. "The slavers was attacked by drow raiders, and she ended up here. Quite a horrific story." Suddenly, he was a little less enthusiastic about his sympathy for Aerie – not that she didn't deserve it – than he had been a few moments ago.
"At least we both have all of our body parts," Imoen agreed, nodding slowly, not bringing up the subject of what they'd lost instead. "I would think that –"
She stopped talking as he came to a sudden halt, grabbing her by the arm. A turn in the cave had led them to a giant underground cavern, huge and imposing, reaching up high above their heads. The walls shone and sparkled in the light emitted by the gemstone, reflecting off until the entire cavern was illuminated.
That wasn't what was so impressive, however. What really left them lost for words was the presence of a great, majestic silver dragon standing sedately in the centre of the cavern, and looking at them with what they thought could have been a querying expression. Harrian gulped.
"Greetings, Bhaalspawn," it said, in a voice which was silky-smooth yet terrifying at the same time. "I have been waiting for you for several days now, and I am glad you have finally made your way here. Supervisor Blackenrock assured me you would arrive much sooner." A note of irritation crept in. "Stop quivering; bring the rest of your number to me, if you would hear what I have to say."
Harrian gaped for a moment, glad the rest of the party wasn't there to see his complete amazement at the presence of a silver dragon. "I… I shall indeed… I trust… you know of why we are here?"
The dragon tilted its head in what could be considered a nod. "I do know. I believe that I can help you." There was a pause, a beat of silence, then it passed very quickly as their eyes met. "If you can help me. Now, go and fetch your comrades, and quickly, for Adalon does not tolerate laziness when there is no time to be wasted."
Harrian blinked, then nodded in what was almost a bow, grabbing a stunned and still-gaping Imoen and hurrying back the way they had come.
* *
Minsc edged his way towards where Aerie stood, pacing a little and anxiously glancing over at the entrance to the cave where Harrian and Imoen had disappeared to. She looked over as he reached her, her expression reading fear for a moment, then it was replaced by a speedy mask of calm. "Oh! Minsc! Sorry, I d-didn't hear you arriving then."
The large ranger smiled toothily at her. "That is alright, little Aerie. When Minsc wants to, he can move so silently that none see or hear him." He paused a moment, looking a little bashful. "You look very lost there, little Aerie. I was wondering if you would like to meet Boo – maybe he could help you."
Aerie looked a little put out to have a hamster suddenly thrust in her face, but decided that Minsc, although a little disconcerting, did not seem actively dangerous, and thus she could probably tolerate a rodent being thrown around in exchange for comparative safety. She smiled a little despite herself at both the ranger's hopeful face and the small hamster, and nodded slowly. "H-hello, Boo." A quick glance at Minsc. "He is a… a miniature giant space hamster?"
A few metres away, Edwin rolled his eyes as Anomen knelt beside him, fiddling around with the contents of his pack. Just by their left, Jaheira was pacing restlessly, her eye constantly on the entrance – mirroring Aerie's actions of a few moments ago, but the druid would probably sock anyone in the mouth if they dared point this out.
"Ah, so the asinine ranger decides to present his mangy rodent to the incognisant cripple. What a lovely image (perhaps it would look better in red, or with a border of fire? Yes, fire…)," Edwin mused, stroking his beard thoughtfully as he watched them.
There was a sigh, and Anomen straightened up. "Tell me, mage," he started slowly, in the tone of one who has suffered much. "Why is it that I tolerate your presence? Not your presence in the party, for that is Harrian's prerogative, but why indeed I decide to come anywhere near you if you must travel in our company?"
"Because you are but a simple lackey, and must jump to the whip of the ringmaster?" Edwin suggested, raising an eyebrow at the Helmite. Anomen gave him a blank but moderately warning glance. "You… find my intellect stimulating in the hope that you could emulate me and one day achieve greatness of my level? (unlikely, though seeing this baboon frolic around in the robes he would be bound to trip up would be amusing… though he is probably used to lengthy garments such as robes and dresses from whatever it is he gets up to during weekends…)" Again, Anomen looked quite unconvinced, and his expression was open in that easy, threatening way. Edwin rolled his eyes once more. "Because you need an ally against that insufferable tiefling, the one your leader's sister is so very fond of," he answered blandly at last.
"Ah. That would be it. Because I must confess, I was wondering a little. It couldn't be for the conversation," Anomen sighed, shaking his head. His exasperated expression shifted for one of curious suspicion as he watched Haer'Dalis move over to where Minsc and Aerie were talking, the bard looking as if he was ready to act flamboyantly, as always.
"My dearest Aerie!" the tiefling started in a tone loud enough to wake the dead, and certainly catch the attention of everyone there – even the distracted Jaheira. "You seem so sad, my… dove. My mourning dove, yes." There was a moment's beat as Haer'Dalis waved a hand vaguely, as if to aid his mind as it worked quickly. "It is quite understandable. Your trials must have been lengthy, and quite horrific to have endured. Horrific indeed… tell me, how did you ever manage? Have no fear, however, you are in the company of some of the most accomplished adventurers ever to walk Faerûn – or under it, indeed! – and no harm shall come to you now. I, Haer'Dalis, promise and assure you of that."
Edwin, in an unoriginal move, rolled his eyes yet again. "Bard! Do not encourage the wench. Did you not hear her incessant whining as we marched?" His voice took up a slightly mocking tone. "Her precious wings, so cruelly amputated as she was torn from her home in the clouds! Bah! She is nothing more than a bird who has had its wings clipped, and should have been left to be eaten by that troll, all trussed up like a chicken… very apt."
Minsc looked outraged. "The evil wizard will not talk about little Aerie in that way! Aerie is very kind, and Edwin very evil, and he shall not make her sad, shall not make her –" It was only a warning and probably very scary glance from where Jaheira stood, watching them, that made the Rashemani ranger stop in his tracks and pause for a moment.
Anomen took advantage of the moment to shift the focus away from Minsc, raising an eyebrow at Edwin. "Again, we see the intense unkindness your type seem to emanate, Thayvian," he sighed, with a modicum but not an excessive amount of venom and irritation. He turned to Aerie, who was looking hurt but a little unsure. "Pay him no heed, Aerie; he is nothing more than a bitter, bitter man, and you are undeserving of his venom."
"Exactly as I was about to put it, my hound!" Haer'Dalis replied, a little too quickly as he turned back to the Avariel. "Our red-cloaked sparrow-hawk is nothing but a bit-player in this drama of heroes and romances, and is hardly someone whose thoughts should affect you all that much."
Aerie smiled a little coyly as she looked at him, laughing very softly and nodding slowly. "I like how pretend people are birds," she told him quietly.
Haer'Dalis looked a little taken aback by this, but, as was always his way, there was a certain air of how it was all judged and planned as the actor in him shone through. "Pretend? My dear and mourning dove, 'tis not pretending! We are all frail as birds and mad as hounds, each one of us…" He paused for a long moment, his voice trailing off a little, and for the first time there was none of his usual aplomb or drama in his voice or even his eyes as he stared at her. Anomen wondered for a heartbeat if this serious and somehow intense Haer'Dalis was the Haer'Dalis Imoen saw. "Aye, each one of us but you, somehow…" the bard continued solemnly, contemplatively.
"You fly above us all, no anger, no rage to tie you down," he continued slowly, thoughtfully. "Aye… you're right Aerie. You are no hound, nor shall I ever name you one; you have my pledge," the bard told her soberly.
"You promise?" Aerie breathed, everyone else suddenly suffering from the impression that they weren't present at this quiet and somehow disconcerting little scene.
Haer'Dalis had gripped her hand intently, and had the same look in his eyes now that Anomen remembered from the campfire on the road back from Trademeet, so many weeks ago. "Aye, I promise, dove," he whispered sincerely, nodding.
There was a second's pause as everyone stared – Minsc confused, Anomen evaluating, Edwin a little disgusted, Jaheira thoughtful – then a light cough and a shuffling of footsteps jerked them all out of their reveries, and they turned to see Harrian and Imoen, both wearing equally odd expressions, standing at the entrance to the cave.
The swashbuckler took a step forwards. "You had better follow me now. You're not going to believe this…"