Journey to the North
Chapter I
Kaelis slowly turned the folded paper over in her fingers, a faraway look clouding her eyes. The parchment was worn and dog-eared, soft with many readings, and although the script was still clear and dark, she did not need to look at the letter to know what was written within. She knew it by heart, and heard his low, smooth voice speaking the words to her even in her sleep.
My dearest Kaelis,
How my heart leaps within me even at the sight of your sweet name! It is ever in my mind and on my lips, though I must admit that my lips crave more than the sound of my own voice, whatever your sister may say. I carry your letter against my heart, which aches at our parting, but sings in the hope that this campaign will soon be at an end, and I can return to your side and to your arms. The battle goes well, though the days are long, and the campfires not nearly enough to drive the bitter cold from one's bones. But the men remain cheerful, and….
Kaelis looked up as Imoen slid gracefully into the seat across from her own, saying nothing in greeting. The movement of Kaelis' fingers slowed, then stopped. Imoen remained motionless in her chair. Motionless and silent. That, in itself, spoke of trouble.
Imoen's eyes flicked briefly to Kaelis' face, then focused intently on her fingers, which began to twitch, then drum quietly on the large wooden table. It was a nervous habit that Kaelis had seen before, and her heart sank. She said nothing, however, and waited quietly for what seemed an eternity before Imoen looked back up, an unspoken apology shining from her soft brown eyes.
"Aran hasn't heard anything."
Kaelis simply nodded and looked down at the letter, turning it over again in her fingers. She could feel burning tears pricking at her eyes, and she forced herself to take a deep breath before she spoke. Though she tried to hide it, she knew that her voice betrayed the lack of sleep that was mirrored in the dark circles under her eyes.
"And Renal?" She didn't look up.
Imoen shook her head.
Kaelis let the letter slip from her fingers, watched as it fell to rest on the table without a sound. The crimson seal stood out starkly on the faded yellow parchment. It was broken in half, and only the head of the Delryn eagle could be seen, the imprint of Anomen's signet ring. She sighed wearily and leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table and covering her face with her hands.
It had been weeks. And still she knew nothing.
---
Imoen bit her lip and looked down at her hands, wishing she had been able to say something, anything that would have brought a smile to her sister's face. It had been so long since she had seen Kaelis smile. A real smile. Not since Anomen had left for the north, and that had been months ago.
But there was nothing to say. The Shadow Thieves had heard nothing. But Duruth'Usk was far to the north, they said, and out of their immediate sphere of influence. Certainly, they would let Imoen know as soon as they heard anything, but the Order of the Radiant Heart was well-known for championing lost causes, and….
Kaelis let out a long shuddering breath, but did not lower her hands. Imoen blinked quickly against the tears that pricked at her eyes and threatened to fall.
"Has Jaheira come back yet?" she asked gently, hesitant to break the heavy silence.
Kaelis nodded faintly, passing her fingertips over her eyes before letting her hands fall to the table. "A few hours ago."
Imoen said nothing, waiting for her sister to continue. Kaelis finally looked up at her and smiled thinly. "It would appear that our… incident with the Harpers has had an unfortunate cooling effect on any relationship we might wish to have with their organization."
Imoen arched a questioning eyebrow and tilted her head to one side. Kaelis looked back down at her hands, sighing softly.
"They wouldn't tell her anything."
Imoen lifted her head and groaned. "I never did like them much, anyway. They're arrogant, pretentious, totally unreasonable, they have a complete lack of any kind of sense of humor, and…."
"Gorion was a Harper."
Imoen smiled wickedly. "I know."
Kaelis shook her head and chuckled softly. For an instant, the flickering light from the lamp seemed just a little bit brighter, the experiences of the past few years almost forgotten in a moment of pleasant memory.
It was not to last long, however. After a moment, Kaelis' tired laughter faded into a weary sigh, and the two of them returned into an uncomfortable silence.
Imoen finally took a deep breath and looked at her sister, not wanting to ask the question that had to be asked. "Kae, have you ever considered that maybe Anomen is…."
"No."
Imoen nodded slowly, looking down. She knew it was going to hurt, but….
She bit her lip and looked up again, hesitantly. "Kaelis, no one has heard anything for weeks. There haven't been any messengers, any letters. You know that." She looked involuntarily at the faded letter on the table, then back at Kaelis, her voice softening. "Look, I want to believe that Anomen is alive as much as you do. But Kaelis, even Anomen isn't invincible, no matter what he…."
"He's alive, Imoen." Kaelis looked up, and Imoen could see a faint shimmer in Kaelis' eyes that spoke of unshed tears. But the exhaustion in Kaelis' voice was carefully hidden, and her slender fingers twisted around each other to cover the fact that they were trembling. Imoen nodded and took an unsteady breath, fighting back her own tears. If Kaelis wasn't going to cry, then she wasn't either. And the gods knew that of anyone, Kaelis deserved to cry.
In her life, Imoen had only ever seen her sister's beautiful face marred with tears on three occasions. The first was as Kaelis pulled Imoen away from Gorion's lifeless body in the forest east of Candlekeep, the day that their journey to Baldur's Gate had begun. The second was in Spellhold, when they held each other in their arms and cried together for sisters lost and found.
The third was in the catacombs under Athkatla.
At last Imoen smiled and nodded slightly. "Okay, Kae. Okay." She let out a deep sigh and ran both hands through her hair, recently returned to its original soft brown.
"So what do we do now? No one knows where Anomen and his men are, exactly. Not Keldorn, and it's killing him. Not even Sir Ryan, and he should know, if no one else does. But you talked to him, remember?"
Kaelis nodded, narrowing her eyes thoughtfully. When she spoke again, her voice was still tired, but her eyes were clear, and shone with grim determination. "Sir Ryan may not know where Anomen is..." She smiled and raised her eyebrows.
"But he knows where he was."
Imoen grinned widely. She recognized the tone in Kaelis' voice, and she knew instinctively what it meant. Kaelis only picked fights when she had to, but when she did….
Look out, world, Imoen thought with a laugh. We're back.
