Disclaimer: see previous chapters.
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Nala woke, and it wasn't as if she had been asleep for a night, it was as if she had slept for weeks, perhaps months. In the dark of the room, near the glow of the banked fire, she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the dream she had lived. Pain, terror, shame. Her mind danced away from the beginning, refusing to visit such a place. And then Brionne, taking care of her, promising her safety, happiness. A dark man who was not a man; fighting like a legend come to life.
She remembered dreaming of Brionne being injured, killed, yet somehow he had lived through the slashing of his throat, and she had healed him of the broken arm. She sat up and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. The ache behind her eyes tried to tell her it hadn't been a dream, and she tried to ignore it.
Candlelight flickered and she looked over, to see Anja, the woman from her dreams, stepping down the steep stair from the sleeping loft above into the kitchen. Nala shivered and drew her blanket around her shoulders. It wasn't a dream, then, she thought.
"Good morning to y', Nala," the farmwife said. Her voice was soft, as if trying not to wake the husband and children sleeping upstairs. "I'm going to start making some bread, for your trip. Would y' like to help?"
Nala hesitated, and then nodded. In the quiet of the farmhouse, with the scent of flour and yeast in the air, she felt herself beginning to heal.
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"Again," Alustriel instructed, and the wearied spellcaster began again, reciting every detail he could remember of what had happened to Drizzt. He went through the actions of his day before the heroes had found the group of highwaymen he had been working with. He went through the flow of battle, what he could remember of it. He explained the spell he had cast, which should have sent Drizzt away, but not so far that he couldn't have just walked back in an hour or so.
"There is something else. You must be missing something," Alustriel told the wizard. "Start over, earlier."
The wizard sighed and ran his fingers through his lanky hair. By this point he seemed as desperate to get Drizzt back as the Ranger's friends did. "We had just returned from a um hunting trip, back to the caves where we were hiding..."
"Tell me of the caves," Alustriel interrupted.
The wizard blinked his watery blue eyes. "They're um, natural, but we found brick-word deeper in. Supports and um, arches."
Alustriel narrowed her eyes. She had an idea, but would need to see these caves for herself. "We leave within the hour." She told the wizard, then left his "guest room" to find Bruenor and Catti-brie, knowing they would want to accompany her.
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Drizzt shook his head, watching Brionne and Nala arrange their new possessions. He couldn't help his wry smile, and was almost glad of the hood hiding his face. Brionne had spoken to Dalt and Anja, and arranged to buy almost as much food as they could carry, an un-torn shirt for Brionne, a shawl for Nala, the blankets Drizzt and Brionne had slept on the previous night, and, most surprising of all, the family's horse.
It had taken over half the coins in Brionne's purse, Drizzt knew. Still, he somehow doubted Dalt had bargained as hard as he could or perhaps should have. To make up for it, he had left a few of his own Waterdeep-minted coins in the bottom of the water bucket that Anja drew water from the stream with. He trusted Dalt's good sense to not let the uncommon money get his family or Drizzt's group into trouble. He hoped the man would get fair exchange for them. They were gold after all, and some of the coins in Brionne's purse were also, so the metal had to be of some value here.
He glanced at his traveling companion just in time to see Brionne slip a few of his precious coins into Zan, Dalt's son's, hand and whisper some quiet words. He almost spoiled it by laughing. Brionne seemed to have had the same idea he did.
Stifling a laugh with his hand, Drizzt had to look away. He pretended to contemplate their mount for a moment. As far as horses he had known went, their animal wasn't spectacular. In any other circumstance, it would be less than acceptable, but here and now, it was better than nothing. He guessed the grey to be an old warhorse long since retired, put to pulling a wagon instead of carrying an armored knight. Old scars, marked by rough spots in his coat and patches of white hair, marked it's dusty hide. It looked strong though, and sturdy. He had no doubt that it could carry all three of them if need be. It would let Nala and Brionne, unused to such physical trials travel for more of the day, and that was worth the coin alone.
In control of himself once more, he watched as Brionne and Nala said their goodbyes to the small woodcutter's family. Anja hugged them both with Meek, the baby girl, clinging to her shoulder. Dalt clapped Brionne on the shoulder. Dalt asked Brionne a question, and both glanced back at Drizzt. Self-conscious, Drizzt reached out to touch the horse, resettling the blanket that they had instead of a saddle on the animal's back. He could tell they spoke of him, though had no idea of the words they exchanged.
Brionne smiled at him, gesturing him over. He asked a question, and motioned for Drizzt to remove his hood, but Drizzt knew from the tone that it was a request and not an order. Dalt watched him, puzzled but relaxed. Brionne would not ask this of me if he thought it would go poorly, he thought to himself. He lowered the hood, keeping wary eyes on Dalt.
Of all the reactions he had ever received, this was the last one he would have expected. Dalt's eyes, and that of his wife, went wide with awe. Dalt folded his hands together, and he made a strange and overformal bow to Drizzt.
Brionne laughed, but it was not unkind. His silver eyes twinkled with amusement, as he said something that began with Dalt's name and ended with Drizzt's. Dalt looked embarrassed and stood up straight again.
"I don't understand," Drizzt said, hoping the explanation was possible. Dalt didn't understand those, but Brionne did, and smiled back at him. In that moment he felt like all the suffering of his life, all the pain and prejudice, was worth it to receive that smile.
"Drizzt is Fey." Brionne said, making a motion at his own ear as if pinching the tip into a point. He pointed to the star shape above Dalt's front door; the mark Drizzt had assumed was some sort of holy symbol. "Fey." He said, as if that explained it all.
Drizzt could only shake his head, amazed at a place where elves were so rare that they inspired religious reverence.
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The hunter left the Kingsway Inn feeling more in need of a bath than when she arrived. The innkeeper there was an unsavory man, afflicted with a deep love of drink and a tendency to grope anything that didn't threaten to stab him, but he always seemed to know of the latest local gossip. In her head she carried a list of outlying farms and homesteads that the innkeeper thought might shelter her fugitives.
Before she left the town, she found a courier to take a message to Lord Relder, detailing the hunt to this point. And then she was off, with much to do and the trail growing cold.
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Nala woke, and it wasn't as if she had been asleep for a night, it was as if she had slept for weeks, perhaps months. In the dark of the room, near the glow of the banked fire, she shook her head, trying to rid herself of the dream she had lived. Pain, terror, shame. Her mind danced away from the beginning, refusing to visit such a place. And then Brionne, taking care of her, promising her safety, happiness. A dark man who was not a man; fighting like a legend come to life.
She remembered dreaming of Brionne being injured, killed, yet somehow he had lived through the slashing of his throat, and she had healed him of the broken arm. She sat up and pressed her fingertips to her forehead. The ache behind her eyes tried to tell her it hadn't been a dream, and she tried to ignore it.
Candlelight flickered and she looked over, to see Anja, the woman from her dreams, stepping down the steep stair from the sleeping loft above into the kitchen. Nala shivered and drew her blanket around her shoulders. It wasn't a dream, then, she thought.
"Good morning to y', Nala," the farmwife said. Her voice was soft, as if trying not to wake the husband and children sleeping upstairs. "I'm going to start making some bread, for your trip. Would y' like to help?"
Nala hesitated, and then nodded. In the quiet of the farmhouse, with the scent of flour and yeast in the air, she felt herself beginning to heal.
****************************
"Again," Alustriel instructed, and the wearied spellcaster began again, reciting every detail he could remember of what had happened to Drizzt. He went through the actions of his day before the heroes had found the group of highwaymen he had been working with. He went through the flow of battle, what he could remember of it. He explained the spell he had cast, which should have sent Drizzt away, but not so far that he couldn't have just walked back in an hour or so.
"There is something else. You must be missing something," Alustriel told the wizard. "Start over, earlier."
The wizard sighed and ran his fingers through his lanky hair. By this point he seemed as desperate to get Drizzt back as the Ranger's friends did. "We had just returned from a um hunting trip, back to the caves where we were hiding..."
"Tell me of the caves," Alustriel interrupted.
The wizard blinked his watery blue eyes. "They're um, natural, but we found brick-word deeper in. Supports and um, arches."
Alustriel narrowed her eyes. She had an idea, but would need to see these caves for herself. "We leave within the hour." She told the wizard, then left his "guest room" to find Bruenor and Catti-brie, knowing they would want to accompany her.
******************************
Drizzt shook his head, watching Brionne and Nala arrange their new possessions. He couldn't help his wry smile, and was almost glad of the hood hiding his face. Brionne had spoken to Dalt and Anja, and arranged to buy almost as much food as they could carry, an un-torn shirt for Brionne, a shawl for Nala, the blankets Drizzt and Brionne had slept on the previous night, and, most surprising of all, the family's horse.
It had taken over half the coins in Brionne's purse, Drizzt knew. Still, he somehow doubted Dalt had bargained as hard as he could or perhaps should have. To make up for it, he had left a few of his own Waterdeep-minted coins in the bottom of the water bucket that Anja drew water from the stream with. He trusted Dalt's good sense to not let the uncommon money get his family or Drizzt's group into trouble. He hoped the man would get fair exchange for them. They were gold after all, and some of the coins in Brionne's purse were also, so the metal had to be of some value here.
He glanced at his traveling companion just in time to see Brionne slip a few of his precious coins into Zan, Dalt's son's, hand and whisper some quiet words. He almost spoiled it by laughing. Brionne seemed to have had the same idea he did.
Stifling a laugh with his hand, Drizzt had to look away. He pretended to contemplate their mount for a moment. As far as horses he had known went, their animal wasn't spectacular. In any other circumstance, it would be less than acceptable, but here and now, it was better than nothing. He guessed the grey to be an old warhorse long since retired, put to pulling a wagon instead of carrying an armored knight. Old scars, marked by rough spots in his coat and patches of white hair, marked it's dusty hide. It looked strong though, and sturdy. He had no doubt that it could carry all three of them if need be. It would let Nala and Brionne, unused to such physical trials travel for more of the day, and that was worth the coin alone.
In control of himself once more, he watched as Brionne and Nala said their goodbyes to the small woodcutter's family. Anja hugged them both with Meek, the baby girl, clinging to her shoulder. Dalt clapped Brionne on the shoulder. Dalt asked Brionne a question, and both glanced back at Drizzt. Self-conscious, Drizzt reached out to touch the horse, resettling the blanket that they had instead of a saddle on the animal's back. He could tell they spoke of him, though had no idea of the words they exchanged.
Brionne smiled at him, gesturing him over. He asked a question, and motioned for Drizzt to remove his hood, but Drizzt knew from the tone that it was a request and not an order. Dalt watched him, puzzled but relaxed. Brionne would not ask this of me if he thought it would go poorly, he thought to himself. He lowered the hood, keeping wary eyes on Dalt.
Of all the reactions he had ever received, this was the last one he would have expected. Dalt's eyes, and that of his wife, went wide with awe. Dalt folded his hands together, and he made a strange and overformal bow to Drizzt.
Brionne laughed, but it was not unkind. His silver eyes twinkled with amusement, as he said something that began with Dalt's name and ended with Drizzt's. Dalt looked embarrassed and stood up straight again.
"I don't understand," Drizzt said, hoping the explanation was possible. Dalt didn't understand those, but Brionne did, and smiled back at him. In that moment he felt like all the suffering of his life, all the pain and prejudice, was worth it to receive that smile.
"Drizzt is Fey." Brionne said, making a motion at his own ear as if pinching the tip into a point. He pointed to the star shape above Dalt's front door; the mark Drizzt had assumed was some sort of holy symbol. "Fey." He said, as if that explained it all.
Drizzt could only shake his head, amazed at a place where elves were so rare that they inspired religious reverence.
********************************
The hunter left the Kingsway Inn feeling more in need of a bath than when she arrived. The innkeeper there was an unsavory man, afflicted with a deep love of drink and a tendency to grope anything that didn't threaten to stab him, but he always seemed to know of the latest local gossip. In her head she carried a list of outlying farms and homesteads that the innkeeper thought might shelter her fugitives.
Before she left the town, she found a courier to take a message to Lord Relder, detailing the hunt to this point. And then she was off, with much to do and the trail growing cold.
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