"Where is he?" The little boy demanded in irritation. He was eager to be off. Ever since he had first met Ka in the Gladiator's Arena, he and Zoe had been going out every night trying to hunt down Rose. When Zojikoe would walk out of the Central Brain's room, Mezzen would run up and give him the pendant, freeing him from the illithid control and allowing them to search easier, without Mezzen having to keep feeding him a line about a shortcut to the sleeping chambers. So far they hadn't had much luck, but they had at least managed to narrow down the areas. The only place they hadn't checked yet was the rooms where the slaves were put to work making salves and potions for their masters. Mezzen hopped from one foot to the next again. He couldn't wait to meet Rose.
His face fell, however, when an illithid slammed shut the doors to the central brain's room. Zojikoe had still not come out yet.
"Uh-oh," he said, trying to fight down the panic he felt rising in him. How was he supposed to get Zojikoe, if he was still in the central brain's room? How was he supposed to find Rose, if he didn't have Zojikoe? What would Zoe's sister do to him if he didn't find Zoe, or Rose?!
If you're looking for your friend, said a watery voice beside him, you won't find him here. Mezzen squeaked in fright and whirled around, staring in surprise at his master. The little boy put a hand to his heart.
"I know you're still mad at me for running off the other day," he said heavily, "not that I ran off, of course, but could you please not sneak up on me like that? Please? It's not very nice." The illithid looked amused.
You didn't run off? It asked. Then what would you call it?
"I got lost!" Mezzen protested. "It's not my fault! I'm just a little kid!" The illithid shook its head.
Your friend is up in his room already, it told him. I sent him up there because he looked too worn out to do a good job. It gave Mezzen a stern look. You wouldn't have anything to do with that, would you? Mezzen painted an innocent expression on his face.
"Of course not! I don't keep him up that late! I just talk to him for a bit, and then he goes to bed!" It wasn't a lie, depending on how you defined 'late', and 'a bit'. He hesitated for a moment. "So . . . are you done with me now?"
For the time being, his master answered. Go and play for a bit. I'll call you when I need you. Nodding gratefully Mezzen ran off towards the sleeping chambers, Ka's pendant still clutched tightly in his hand. The illithid shook his head.
The others are right, it decided. I'm spoiling him.
***
Rose watched miserably as her last glimpse of light was taken away with the slam of the door.
"Wait!" She cried. "Wait! Please! I'll be good!"
No you won't, her master snapped irritably. Now shut up and go to sleep.
"I'm a priestess of Lloth, dammit!" She cried, pounding on the door of the small closet she had been locked in. "You can't do this to me!" The illithid's watery laughter echoed in her head.
I just did, it sneered. You're more trouble than you're worth, Rose. Tomorrow I'm going to look for a buyer for you. You'd better hope I find one or the only thing you're going to be good for is a meal. Rose blanched and fell back against the wall of the closet, sliding slowly to the small floor.
Enjoy these last few moments of mental freedom, Rose, it snapped. I'll be back in an hour to put you out for the night. The illithid's presence faded from Rose's mind and the drowess dropped her head onto her knees, biting her lip against the urge to cry. In an attempt to distract herself from thoughts of her uncertain fate, she began to sing softly, letting the melody drown out her thoughts and fears. Most of her fears, anyway . . .
***
"It's hopeless," Zojikoe sighed as he and Mezzen walked down the hallway. Ka's pendant was cool against his chest. "We've been to all the rooms here and she's not in any of them!" Mezzen frowned, blowing a thick bang out of his eyes.
"It's not hopeless," he said. "We've still got half this hallway to go! She's got to be in one of these rooms! Unless, of course, her master's eaten her . . . not that he would," the little boy amended hastily upon seeing the look on Zojikoe's face. "They don't usually eat their slaves."
"Let's keep looking," Zoe said. They split up again, each taking a side of the hallway and opening the doors on either side. They saw lots of different creatures making potions and salves, but none of them were Rose. Zojikoe reached the last door and opened it slowly, peeking in side. At first glance that room seemed just like all the others, but then he spotted the large cage at the front of the room. His eyes widened as he recognized the feline form lying in the cage.
"Slayer!" He gasped. "But where's Rose?" He didn't see her in the room anywhere. He did, however, catch the eye of an illithid, glaring at him. "I . . .uh . . . sorry," he managed. "I was . . . looking for someone, but . . . they're . . . um . . . not here, so . . . I'll just go now." He ducked out and shut the door before the illithid could reply.
"Did you find her?" Mezzen asked, appearing suddenly behind the mage. Zojikoe cried out in surprise and jumped around. Mezzen giggled.
"No, I did not find her," Zojikoe said irritably. He paused. "I found her cat though. She can't be far . . ."
"The panther?!" Mezzen said excitedly. "Can I see?"
"No," Zojikoe said. "Not right now, there's a cranky illithid in there at the moment. You'll be able to see him after. Right now we have to find Rose." Mezzen sighed in disappointment and eyed the door longingly as Zoe walked away down the hall. He cast a quick glance over his shoulder at Zojikoe.
"Just one little peek can't hurt . . ." He told himself, reaching for the door. "Zoe will never know!"
Zojikoe sighed as he shut the door to the last room. Rose wasn't in there either.
"Well, that's it then," he said. "We've looked everywhere and there's no sign of her." He leaned his head back against the wall and sighed. He thought back to before they had been captured by the illithids. He could remember Rose singing something once. He frowned and tried to remember the words. He could almost hear her singing them . . .
"Hey wait a minute," he frowned. "I CAN hear her singing them!" He whirled around, eyes wide. "Rose?" He called quietly. "Rose? Where are you?" The singing stopped abruptly.
"Zoe?" A small voice asked. "Zoe? Is that you?"
"Rose!" Zoe gasped. "It's me! Where are you?"
"In here!" She cried. A door just to his left shook. "It locked me in here! Zoe, please! Get me out of here!" Zoe bolted for the door, turning the knob and finding it locked.
"Hmmmm," he said. He placed both his hands on the knob and whispered an incantation. The lock opened with an audible, snick, and he ripped open the door. Rose toppled out into his arms with a sob.
"Zojikoe!" She cried, clutching him tightly. "Oh Zoe! I never thought I'd see you again!" He wrapped his arms around her tightly, surprised at how relieved he was to see her alive and well. It was like he'd been holding his breath since the last time he'd seen her and he only now remembered to breathe.
"Shhh," he said, "it's okay, Rose. I'm here now. It's okay." She trembled against him and though it was strange to see her in such a state, it felt oddly good to hold her tightly like that.
"Zojikoe," she whispered. "Zoe, please, please get me out of here! I'm going to go insane! I can't stand it anymore! Please!"
"Oh Rose," he said. "I'm so sorry for getting you into this! I should have just told you the truth about the map in the first place! If I had we wouldn't be stuck here, and you wouldn't be locked in a closet!" He paused. "Why are you locked in a closet?"
"It doesn't matter," she said "I don't care about the map anymore! I don't care if you got me into this! Just get me out!"
"I will," he said, holding her tightly. He put his chin on the top of her head and hoped that Ka had a really good plan. "I promise." The mage looked up as Mezzen hesitantly approached them. He looked at the upset priestess.
"Is . . . is she broken?" He asked, his face full of concern. Zojikoe smiled at him.
"I think I can fix her," he answered. He pulled Rose out of his embrace and held her at an arms length, looking her in the eye. "But I can't do it right now. Rose, I'm sorry, but I can't get you out just yet." She cast a miserable glance back at the closet. "I'm sorry Rose," Zoe said again. "I'll be back for you, with help, I promise! Ka's got something up her sleeve to get us all out of here." He reached under his shirt and pulled the pendant out, pulling it off over his head. He slipped it over Rose's and kissed her lightly on the forehead on impulse.
"It's a mind shield," he explained. "It will protect you from illithid control. As long as you're wearing it." She clutched the pendent tightly and nodded.
"You'll come back?" She asked. Zojikoe nodded.
"I promise," he said. "Just be patient. We'll be getting out of here soon all right. But until then you've got to put up with your master for a little bit more." Rose sighed and nodded in understanding. She stepped away from him and back into the closet. It nearly broke Zoe's heart having to shut and lock the door on her again. Mezzen studied him worriedly.
"Are you broken?" He asked. "You don't look so great." Zoe smiled down at him.
"I'll be fine," he said. "Just a little shaken up is all. Come on," he started back down the hall. "Let's get back to our rooms. It's all up to Ka now."
***
" . . . and that's the whole story," Ka said, watching her master dubiously. Rain gave her a blank look.
So, he said, in other words your own mother couldn't stand you and sent you on a wild-goose chase through the Underdark in an attempt to lose you to its horrors, and you somehow managed to pick up your own rag-tag band of freaks to follow you on your hopeless quest for an item you're starting to doubt even the existence of. Ka narrowed her eyes at him.
"You're a real champ, you know that?" She demanded.
"Ha," Dil said weakly, "champ!"
"Shut up, Dil," Ka snapped out loud at the same time as Rain snapped it mentally. Dil'andau frowned at them both but took their advice (more because of the wave of pain sweeping from his ruined shoulder than from any tendency towards obedience). Rain turned from them both and stared contemplatively at the wall. Ka stood uncertainly for a moment, still gripping Dil's hand tightly, and watched him.
"So . . ." She said hesitantly, trying to gather her courage. "What are you going to do?"
Do? Rain asked neutrally, his tone giving away nothing of his intentions. What would you have me do? Ka frowned at the question.
"I . . ." She said.
"You could heal me," Dil said from between his gritted teeth. "Don't tell me you can't. I've seen what your freaky mind powers can – AGH!" Ka drove her knuckles into his wound, causing Dil'andau to hiss nasty names at her but stop his tirade. Despite his impotent rage, however, he still refused to let go of her hand. Rain gave her a flat look.
Why, oh why, do you –
"For the last time, I don't," she snapped. "Could we stay on subject please?" Rain cast a pointed look at her hand, clutching Dil's as though she was afraid she might lose him again, and then rolled his eyes towards the ceiling. He looked back at her after a moment.
Why should I help you? He demanded pointedly. Ka blinked, his question taking her off-guard. She hadn't asked for help . . . but if this was some kind of offering . . .
"Well," she said slowly, trying desperately to think of some kind of answer, "because . . . " She mentally shuffled through the possible answers she could give him, uncomfortably aware of the fact that Rain was fully aware of every possible answer she came up with. There was nothing she thought, that he didn't know about.
Can you think of nothing? He asked with the tone of a teacher trying to lead his student to the answer without giving it away. He returned his gaze to the wall. Ka, I'm disappointed in you. Ka frowned, that thought bothering her more than she'd thought it would.
"I . . . " Her voice died off when she caught herself following Rain's gaze to the bookshelf crammed against the wall, jam-packed to bursting with papers and books and other things. She blinked in surprise.
Knowledge, she thought to herself. There really is nothing I know that he doesn't. Maybe if I offered . . .
Now, Rain said, wiggling his fingers, pleased at what he'd heard through his mental eavesdropping, you're using your brain the way it should be used. He offered her a wry smile. And soon so will I. This is the deal, Ka. I will buy your other two friends. I will heal this one. I will set the four of you free in the Underdark to seek this Kyrashar Rose or whatever else you feel like seeking. The catch, is that no matter where you go, you take me with you. He reached out a long finger and touched it to the center of her forehead, pressing her circlet into her head. In here. You will share every piece of knowledge you gain with me. Everything you know, I will know. Am I clear? Are you agreed?
Ka hesitated. She wasn't entirely sure she liked the idea of having an extra tenant in her head – the last thing she wanted was Zoe making more jokes about her being crazy – but on the other hand if she refused then she would live out the rest of her life as a slave. And so would the rest of them. Zoe and Rose would go on with whatever they were doing, provided they weren't eaten by their masters, Dil would be sent back to the arena, most likely to his death, and she would never, ever, get to see the look on her matron's face when she returned from her hopeless, impossible quest successfully and finally made her understand the value of having a psion in the house . . .
She squeezed Dil's hand for added encouragement and looked up at Rain.
"Done," she said, unable to keep from wincing as she sold her mental privacy for her physical freedom.
***
Rose gasped as the door to her closet was suddenly ripped open and she toppled out, smacking her forehead on the hard floor. She swore loudly and gripped her forehead as someone tangled their hands in her robe and lifted her to her feet. She opened her eyes and jumped when she met her master's irritated gaze.
Wake up, he snapped. Look lively. I've found someone who's interested in buying you. Do not screw this up, Rose, do you understand me? You're choice is between this new master or my stomach. Rose nodded mutely, nonplussed by the threat. She was pretty sure a new master would be no different than her current one, and, truth be told, death was starting to look good. Follow me.
She fell into step behind him and followed mutely in his footsteps, clinging tightly to the pendant around her neck, forcing herself to focus on the dull pain inflicted by the sharp edges digging into her hand. Zoe will save me, she thought to herself. Zoe will save me. I just have to wait. He's got a plan. He must have a plan. He won't let me down. Not again . . .
She frowned just slightly at her own thoughts. What had happened to her? She used to be strong. A credit to her race and her gender. What kind of drowess depended on a lowly male? Especially one who couldn't even keep a map. She sneered and raised her head as though to chew someone out but as she did so the fact that she was still in the Illithid Caverns, and surrounded by the ugly, tentacled, closet-abusing mind flayers, registered painfully once more in her brain and it was all she could do to keep from crumpling.
Please . . . Zoe . . . please . . .
She came to a sudden stop when her master's hand shot out in front of her.
Wait here, it snapped, then moved off to where another Illithid waited impatiently, it's own two drow slaves behind it. She blinked when the male of the pair waved stupidly at her. Her heart skipped a beat.
I'd know that idiot grin anywhere, she thought, her eyes going wide. "Dil'andau!" She gasped quietly. The drowess at his side grabbed the hand he was waving in irritation and jerked it down violently, causing the drow to stumble just slightly and glare at her. "Ka . . ."
"Told you I'd get you out of that closet," said a soft voice from behind her. She gasped and whirled around.
"Zoe . . ." She breathed. "You . . ." She took a step towards him, unsure of what she intended to do once she got to him, only knowing she wanted to get there, but paused at a movement out of the corner of her eye. She blinked at looked down at the little boy peering shyly at her from behind Zoe, half hiding in his robes, his eyes wide with nervous excitement and uncertainty. Zoe reached back and pulled him out from behind him, nudged him forward towards Rose.
"Say it," he whispered to the boy. "Like I told you."
"V-Vendui, malla jabbress Rose," Mezzen said quietly, giving a quick, jerky bow.
"Give the thing to her," Zoe counseled under his breath. Mezzen blinked.
"Oh!" He gasped, reaching into his pouch and pulling out Rose's spider tiara, holding it out to her. He offered her a bright smile despite his nervousness. Rose stared at him curiously, blinking in surprise at his words and the tiara he offered her.
"Vendui, little one," she said, accepting the tiara. "And thank you." Mezzen's grin brightened even more. Rose looked back up at Zoe. "He's so polite!" She gasped. "Where did you find him?" Zoe shrugged.
"He found me," he said, ruffling Mezzen's hair affectionately. "If it weren't for Mezzen here none of us would be getting out of here. He's the one who found Ka in the first place and brought me the pendant." Rose's eyes widened at his words.
"Getting out?" She whispered, unable to let herself believe she'd heard him correctly. "We're getting out?"
Rose, snapped her master. She whirled around, feeling herself go pale. The illithid approached her quickly. The deal is done, he snapped at her. You are no longer my concern. This is now your master. He glared at her furiously. You had best serve him better than you served me. If any complaints are made because of you . . . He left the threat hanging, then turned to the other illithid, addressing him once more before taking his leave. The new illithid stared critically at Rose, looking her up and down.
You, he said, were the cheapest one. He even threw in a panther to seal the deal. He gurgled in amusement. I have rarely seen him so frustrated. Rag-tag band of freaks, indeed.
"I wish you'd quit using that term," Ka grumbled, coming up to them, Dil'andau in tow. "We're not freaks." Rain shifted his weight dubiously and looked behind her.
"What?" Ka demanded. "It's Dil, isn't it? He's doing something, isn't he?"
"Am not," Dil'andau said, hastily removing his finger from his teeth.
Rose could have cried with relief.
***
Ka took a deep breath of air as they stepped out of the illithid city and back into the Underdark.
"Freedom," she breathed.
Relatively, Rain chimed in mentally. Do not forget our deal, Ka. Your knowledge is mine. Seek to undermine our agreement in any way and I will kill you from here, understand me?
"Yeah, yeah," she said, waving her hand impatiently. "No cheating, I got it. Now leave me be." Rain gurgled a goodbye and his immediate presence left her mind. She looked up and realized that the rest of her party was staring at her. Zoe raised an eyebrow at her.
"Hearing voices, Ka?" He asked neutrally. Ka gritted her teeth.
It starts . . . She grumbled.
"You know," said Dil'andau, an odd sour note in his voice. "I understand why we had to take Rose with us, and I understand why we had to take Ka with us, and I even understand why we had to take the dinky little pansy and the big ass cat with us, though I still say we could do without–" Zoe and Slayer both glared at the fighter "–but could someone please explain to me why we went to all that effort to steal the kid?" He directed a nasty look at Mezzen who was perched on Zojikoe's shoulders. Mezzen returned the look just as nastily and added his tongue into the expression.
"Because he's smarter than you," Zoe returned evilly.
"And I'm cuter too," Mezzen added. He looked Dil'andau up and down and pursed his lips and arched an eyebrow in an expression identical to one of Zoe's more frequent ones. "Besides, you're dirty and you smell and I'm not and I don't, so I think the real question here should be why are we taking you."
"Kid's got you there, champ," Zoe said with a bright grin. Dil growled low in his throat and started forward, but Ka put out her hand and stopped him, shoving him in the other direction.
"Let it go, Dil," she snapped. "He's just a stupid kid, and Rose wouldn't let us leave him with the Illithids. Just let it go."
"He called me dirty!" Dil fumed.
"You are," Ka snapped. "Now shut up."
Behind them Mezzen reached up to his neck and pulled off Ka's mind shield pendant, holding it out to Rose.
"I should be safe now," he said. "I don't think my master will notice me missing for a while anyway. You can have this. I know you don't like illithids, and this will protect you . . ." He hesitated. "If you want it, I mean." Rose stared at the pendant for a moment then took it from him and slipped it over her head, feeling immensely better for the protection it offered. She reached up and pulled Mezzen off of Zoe's shoulders and into her arms instead, planting a kiss firmly on his forehead.
"You," she said, "are my new favorite male."