AC: Heh! Today is the one-year anniversary of Tide of Destiny! Publishing-wise, anyway. Hope you've enjoyed it so far… and God, I must be sad to write something like this for a whole year. Though, admittedly, I've probably only been writing it for six months of this year. The aim is to finish the whole thing by the end of the summer, and if it takes me any more than this Christmas (so we have a while yet) I'm just killing everyone off!!!! :-)

Chapter 115: Dazzled

"By all the Gods, this light seems to be damnably blinding," Anomen muttered in a mixture of appreciation and pain as the eight adventurers stepped, for the first time in perhaps a fortnight, on fresh, green grass. It was the most beautiful day Harrian could remember for the longest time, even this far south, although he did rather suspect that his memory was a little tainted. The sun shone brightly, there was no cloud in the sky, and their environment was the outskirts of an idyllic forest, buzzing with life. Even the air felt fresher and more natural. The party was in such high spirits that even the group of elven warriors surrounding and escorting them hardly dampened their mood. Hardly.

"Are you complaining, Anomen?" Harrian asked wryly as a small clump of tents became visible ahead of them as they moved through the trees. Four elves were standing there, two in the suits of chainmail the warriors escorting them wore, the other two in long robes of mages, though from the long swords at their belts it was easy to see that these were not mere scholars of arcane matters.

The cleric sneezed briefly as something in the air irritated his mild hay fever, then grinned ruefully and shook his head. "Not in the least. I'd be happy to give up my eyes if it meant that we would never have to descend to that damnably dark place," he muttered, his smile prevailing even through slightly watery eyes as he rubbed his nose quickly.

The party was 'escorted' up the two elves who seemed in charge – or at least in positions of power or influence – and the leader of the patrol which had met the company stepped up to one of the men in chain and whispered something in his ear.

The elf, who was evidently the leader here, listened attentively, nodding sagely, before turning to the party to face them full-on. Like all elves, his face was ageless, timeless, though the dull sheen in his eyes and slightly frazzled state of his hair told of the worries that wore down upon him. He still stood upright, however, and from the way he bared himself Harrian guessed he was the 'Elhan' the patrol leader had referred to.

"Interesting," Elhan said at last, raising a delicate eyebrow and folding his arms across his chest. "Well, I thank you for coming, and for not presenting too much of a problem – so far. Your presence in itself is an issue, though you could have caused hassle yet did not. For that I am grateful."

Harrian rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. It's not as if we exactly had a choice," he pointed out, though weariness and relief had rather dragged most of the venom from his voice. "Pleasantries aside, what is it that you exactly want?" he asked, and though there was respect in his voice, there was also irritation.

Elhan's expression darkened a little as it became clear that he had very little patience at that moment. "If I were you, I would make the very most of these 'pleasantries' whilst they still last. I am not here to pamper you or coddle your delicate feelings. Serious matters are afoot, and there is little time to waste, so I shall keep my questions short."

Harrian frowned, folding his arms over his chest also and mimicking Elhan's body stance. "Very well, go ahead. I suspect that we rather share goals anyway; are in search of the same man. I chase Irenicus."

Elhan's irritation faded to curiosity and thoughtfulness, and he nodded slowly. "I was told that you might know something of him, and I hoped you might tell me exactly what. I shall ask you some questions, and you shall reply truthfully. Any falsehoods shall be detected by my… skilled war mages here," he continued, nodding to the two robes figures by his side. "They are very good at that sort of thing. Now… something simple to begin with. You emerged from the home of the drow. Were you in league with them or fleeing them?"

Harrian frowned. "I suppose you could say that we were fleeing them, though we left enough chaos in our wake that we were hardly being hounded out." Chaos in their passage… "Definitely not in league with them," he added quickly, blinking.

"Truth," the first war mage declared slowly.

"Indeed, truth," the second one concurred, sounding a little bored.

"A truth. Well, a good start. You are currently not an ally of the Drow. This tells me nothing of your motives though," Elhan mused, nodding slowly. "Let us continue. A name, then, that you may know something of. Irenicus. Do you know of him?"

A flash of anger lit up Harrian's eyes for a moment. "Irenicus! By the Hells, I know him! He is my very reason for being in the bloody Underdark! I've sworn to chase him over damned Faerûn, if needs be!" he snapped angrily, throwing his arms up in the air. The quiet, almost inaudible noise of a bowstring being drawn reached his ears, however, and he lowered his hands and smiled sheepishly at one of the elven archers to his left. "Sorry."

"Absolute truth," the first mage said, now a little amused.

"Agreed. Truth in both answers."

"Well, that is somewhat reassuring. Your bloodlust certainly illustrates your true feelings about him," Elhan returned dryly. "This has put me more at ease. Whatever manner of creature you are, we are on the same side in this instance at least."

Harrian rolled his eyes. "I'm very glad you're happy. Can we go, now? We're very busy people."

Elhan raised a hand slowly to interrupt the Bhaalspawn. "You are certainly less of a threat than I first imagined, but do not think you are welcome as of yet. This area is still at risk, and I will not take chances," he said quickly, his voice taut and hard. "For now, I will apprise you of the situation, and you will realise why travel in this area is to be restricted. You might have received a warmer welcome, but Irenicus has triggered the strongest of emotions everywhere he steps." The elf clasped his hands behind his back slowly. "He has stepped beyond all bounds of decency, and our very city is under the weight of his thumb. Suldanessellar is simply gone."

Harrian frowned. "'Gone'?" he repeated slowly.

Minsc's expression wavered in disbelief, and his great jaw dropped. "Irenicus is the most vile of villains if he dared destroy a whole city! I can't believe that, and I have believed some amazing things, let me tell you!"

Elhan gave the large ranger a curious sideways look, before frowning and focusing his attention back on the swashbuckler. "It has only been concealed, but we cannot penetrate the magics that have hidden it. We are forced to remain here, pestered by drow while supplies falter."

Harrian nodded thoughtfully. "Drow that were incited by Irenicus and the bargains he made in the Underdark," he finished quietly.

"Truth," the mage popped up with, gaining a glare from the thief.

"Indeed, he knows much of this."

Elhan continued to look contemplative as he regarded them. "It would seem your travels have given you quite a bit of insight into the plans Irenicus has made. I wonder if you might be of service to us," he mused.

Harrian grimaced slightly, glancing sideways at the war mages. "Perhaps, but only if you call off your pets. I've proven trustworthy, I haven't lied, and I might be of useful. Now I'd rather you stopped interfering with my mind."

"Not much to interfere with," Jaheira, standing next to him, mumbled under her breath, but her expression was innocent as he looked sharply at her.

The elven leader made a slight steeple with his fingers. "You obviously bear no love for Irenicus, making you the enemy of our enemy. Classically speaking, this might make you our friend," he said, his mouth twisting in what threatened to be a smile. "And even if you are not, you cannot reach Irenicus without helping us. He is untouchable, save for one possibility; within the temple was an artefact of great power: the Rhynn Lanthorn. It is an ancient lantern, etched with the oldest of runes."

The first war mage nodded sagely, slowly yet with much eagerness. "The Lanthorn is attuned to the Elven nation, and no magic can bar its return to elven lands. We could simply… walk to Suldanessellar if we had possession of it."

"Someone stole the relic when the temple fell to the Drow. Obviously it was a servant of Irenicus capitalising on the chaos of the battle," the second mage interjected.

Elhan grimaced. "We have not been able to determine where the thief went, despite the best efforts of our sages. It makes me think that the Lanthorn is no longer in elven territory," he told them grimly.

"Aye," Harrian paused, thinking for a long moment. "It must have been Bodhi. She is the only one Irenicus would have entrusted with such an artefact."

"Truth."

"By all the gods, will you shut up?"

Elhan didn't bat an eyelid at Harrian's outburst. "Bodhi… hmm, you may know more than we about this situation after all. I propose we exchange our services.

Harrian folded his arms across his chest and glared. "No, I propose you tell me what in blazes Irenicus has against you people?" he snapped, his patience worn down, and it was only a cool breeze running over the back of his neck, reminding him of what he had returned to, which calmed him down.

"I cannot say more than I have. Perhaps if I had access to the city I would have insight, but as it stands, I am in the same situation you are." Harrian rolled his eyes with disbelief, but Elhan ignored this. "The attack came without warning, born in the mind of a human we did not know. This was not in the realm of possibility, and it remains as such. He has dealt with Drow, defiled our temple, and violated our city. His name is to be spit and spoken of as rarely as possible."

The first war mage shook his head, his expression something approaching anger and bordering on determination. "He is everything that elves are not!" the wizard declared, a little too forcefully, earning another glare from Harrian.

"If you know how to find the treacherous servant of this fiend, I suggest that you do it. You seek Irenicus, we seek Irenicus; to help us is to help yourself," Elhan pointed out, a little more brightly. "Find the Lanthorn. Seek outside elven lands in whatever location you think an important servant of Irenicus would be. Only then will we reach this man."

Harrian grimaced, irritable again. "I would appreciate it if you could give us some support, as we go to do your damned bidding, after all."

Elhan shook his head. "We cannot march on human territory. As great as our problems are, they would only get worse if we appeared to be sending agents into the cities of Amn," he replied, not sounding too apologetic.

A snort came from Anomen, and the cleric leant down a little to murmur in Harrian's ear. "This is a great evil we go to fight. I, for one, do not appreciate fighting battles for those that should stand for themselves," he said, frowning quite happy to continue glaring at an imperious-looking Elhan.

"You have travelled extensively; return to the groups you have already encountered and ask their aid. I am sure you will find some among them to help you," Elhan retorted, a little defensively. "They need not know the nature of the emergency, only that a great evil must be routed. The less who know of the shame brought by Irenicus, the better."

"At the very least, can you aid us with special supplies? Stakes, holy water, and such? I would rather not spend hard-earned gold on such a thing," Harrian replied lightly, not afraid to be a little petty.

Elhan hesitated, then nodded. "I have such things," he said at last, reaching into a chest by his foot and taking out three vials, passing them to Harrian. "The water is exceptionally potent and will prove effective against those that wronged the temple. The wrath of elven gods is in each vial," he explained. "It sounds as though you know the nature of the creature you must face," he continued. "Your service is now doubly appreciated."

Harrian nodded, then gestured to the rest of the party to be ready to move on. There was a moment's pause as he hesitated, glancing at Elhan again. "Before I go, what did you say about shame? What shame has Irenicus caused you?" he asked, frowning.

"It is not your concern," Elhan replied, again too quickly, his expression snapping shut and any politeness gone. There was another silence as the elf relented a little, still looking unhappy by all means. "His deeds will be apparent when we reach him. Until then, you should begin your task," he pressed.

"Fine," was all Harrian said by way of farewell as he thrust the three vials into the pouch at his waist and nodded towards the woods, judging from the sun the vague direction of the north but not prepared to do intensive navigation. "I suggest that we find ourselves a pleasant campsite," he told the party as they drew further away from the elven war camp. "I think… we deserve a night of rest and enjoyment."