Chapter 4 - Mistrust
"I think that is supposed to be a bridge, but I'm not going to cross it to find out," Nathyrra said to others. "There's almost nothing to it."
"Wait, what's that?" Valen asked, pointing to what appeared to be a control device of some type.
Donnia walked up to it and studied it. The display showed eight possible commands in a language she did not recognize written on separate buttons, plus there was one button that glowed. The display showed four markers. "Let's see what happens."
"Donnia, do you think that's wise?" Valen asked as she reached to press one of the strange buttons. "Do you understand what it says?"
"No, but it appears as though it is what controls the bridge, and we have to cross the bridge to get to the beholders." Taking a deep breath, Donnia pressed the top button.
Nothing horrible happened. In fact, the only thing that did happen was the display picture changed. One of the markers moved.
Experimenting, Donnia pressed the second button. Again, one of the markers moved. "Do you have anything to write with?" Donnia asked Valen and Nathyrra.
Nathyrra produced a small bit of ink and some parchment. Donnia went through the rest of the buttons, excluding the one that was glowing, and wrote down the changes produced on the display. She looked it over several times before figuring out what the words meant.
"I've got it!" Donnia exclaimed. "I know what the words mean!"
The others rushed over to her as she began explaining it. "Galoon is row one, Snirk is row two, Puckin is row three, and Zapp is row four."
Valen asked, "But what of the other two words? What do they mean?"
"They are directional. Vikkik moves to the left and Oring moves to the right."
Valen thought this over. "But what do we do with it now that we know what they mean?"
"If it is indeed the bridge control, we need to draw the bridge on the display."
"Line them up so they make a straight line like a bridge," Valen said to Donnia. He handed her back the bit of paper and watched her as she moved the markers around to 'build' the bridge. She was unlike anyone he had ever known before. For starters, when she first met him, she showed no signs of fear or revulsion toward him for his appearance. Most had different reactions, but there were always two common themes, hate and fear. Yet she approached him only with the question of whether he would join her on her quest through the Underdark.
He came out of his thoughts when he heard Donnia call to him, from the other side of the bridge. He ran over to her, "Donnia, do you have a minute?" he asked, falling into step beside her.
"Yes, Valen, what is it?"
"After this, when everything is over, what are you planning on doing?"
"Honestly? I don't know. I'll probably go back up to the surface and see if Durnan needs any help, or anyone else in Waterdeep for that matter," Donnia replied. "I'll just go where I'm needed."
"And what of the reward?" He needed to know if she was here to help, or just to gain more fame and fortune. He knew that the only thing that was physically holding her there to help was the geas that Halaster had placed upon her.
Donnia would not let his questions hurt her. He had every right to question her. In fact, if he did not doubt her as he was, she would be questioning him and his word to protect the Seer, and her as well, but it did not make it hurt any less. "I will not ask for one. I'm not here to add to my purse, nor to add to my list of accomplishments. The Valsharess targeted me and tried to have me killed the night I arrived in Waterdeep. Yes, I was forced down here under Halaster's geas, but I was coming anyway. She attacked me and those who had shown me kindness at the Yawning Portal. I am not about to let her get away with it. I will not betray the Seer. You have to believe me." She added softer, "She means the world to me too."
Valen wanted to ask what she meant but figured this was not the time not the place to do so. "I have to be sure. I feel as though that nothing I do could ever make up for what the Seer did for me. I vowed to protect her with my life. I do not know what I would do if I failed her."
"Valen, you will not fail her by helping me. I don't want to see anything happen to her, nor anyone else in Lith My'athar that does not deserve it. I vowed to stop the Valsharess before she could rule the Underdark. I do not know what I would do if I failed in that."
Valen studied her face as she spoke those words. He was beginning to believe her. He glanced over at Nathyrra, and she pretended not to be paying attention. She backed up a few steps and began examining the rock behind her. "There is one other thing I wanted to ask you about before we got back under way," Valen asked, turning back to Donnia.
"What is it?" Donnia asked. She was glad to have moved to another subject. They were not going to be very successful if they didn't trust one another.
"When you first arrived in the Underdark and met the Seer, Nathyrra, and Iâ€you didn't seemâ€affected by my appearance."
"Should I have been?" Donnia asked.
"It seems as though everyone usually acts differently when they are confronted with someone like me. Most everyone is afraid on sight."
"If you're referring to your horns, I think they're intriguing."
Valen absently reached a hand up to one, "Intriguing? How so?"
"I've never met anyone like you before. I was hoping you would agree to come with me for this," Donnia replied. She was especially glad he was there with her for what had happened the night before. "Part of it was wanting to know what kind of person you were that so many had put their faith in you. Another part was that you know this area so well and we are running out of time. That knowledge is invaluable right now. And lastly, I wanted to show you that I could be trusted."
Valen opened his mouth to say something but before he could say a word a drider came down from the rocks above and attacked them.
Without a word the three of them joined together in the attack. Nathyrra quickly cast a spell to stop the drider from trapping them all in a web. Donnia pulled out her sword as Valen gripped his flail.
In a short amount of time the drider was defeated. It was an easy battle, for there was just the one drider. They were lucky that there were not more of them.
"Are you both alright?" Donnia asked as she regained her breath.
"I'm fine, were you injured?" Valen replied.
"No, but let's take that as a sign we've lingered here too long. The beholders' cave is not far ahead. Let's press on."
Valen almost stopped her, to make her finish what she had started to say, but before he had the chance to say anything she was already several steps ahead and moving farther away quickly. It seemed he would just have to wait until later.
After their run in with the drider they moved quieter. Unfortunately that also meant that they moved slower. With time running out, they knew that getting the beholders to stop in their support of the Valsharess would be invaluable.
Valen still played over in his mind what Donnia had last said to him, showing that she could be trusted. What did she want from him? How was he supposed to act? She showed up out of nowhere and suddenly everyone was supposed to put their lives in her hands? He had to know more before he could trust her with everything that was important to him. He understood that the Seer had been given a vision from her goddess, but being from the Planes he did not think of the goddess's power as something to go unchallenged; it was part of his own personal beliefs.
Valen could feel the scowl on his face and tried to relax it before Donnia or Nathyrra asked him about it. Looking up to see if he had been caught in his thoughts, his eyes strayed to Donnia. She had said that she had never known anyone like him before. He understood that feeling. She was unlike any other person he had ever encountered. He too had been surprised when he had noticed the color of her hair; he thought he was the only one with that remarkable blood-color. He ran his eyes down the length of her hair, trailing almost to her waist, as it moved with her graceful steps.
He could almost chuckle. How someone could be graceful in full-body armor was beyond him, but she managed to be that and so much more. Looking harder at her armor he could tell that it had been fitted especially for her; hugging tight to the natural curves of her body, covering her arms fully and even being long enough to cover her legs. He watched as those legs covered the ground in large steps but still managing to be quiet. He had never before seen a woman, specifically a human woman to be so tall with such long legs.
His eyes stayed there wondering if her parents were tall when he realized what he was doing. Before he could prevent it a hot blush crept from his neck to cover his face at realizing that he had been staring at her legs for an extended period of time.
Without his knowledge, Nathyrra had seen him staring at Donnia's legs. She had also seen the bright red his skin had turned in his self-embarrassment. She turned away so that her grin would also go unnoticed.
Trying to get his mind off of Donnia's physical features he thought of what kind of person she was from what he had seen of her during their time together. She was almost always so calm despite knowing that the Valsharess was trying at every chance she got to have her killed and that she even had the support of most of the Underdark behind her. There was this glow around her even in the darkest depths of the dungeons and caves that they had already explored. He wondered what it was about her that caused it.
The few times that they had spoken in length she always answered him directly, never moving around in circles to dodge the issue, even if it was something she did not wish to discuss. She had given her word that she would not betray the Seer or the other rebels, but he still felt as though he did not know her well enough to trust her or even know what her word would be worth. If he only knew that he was one of only a handful of people that knew her well at all. There was no one left to know her.
She had made him smile.
She had never led them into danger that could have been avoided. She took extra care when exploring new territories so that the chance of harm coming to them would be reduced.
She had made him smile.
She often would forsake her own comfort for the comfort of Nathyrra and himself. She would always be certain that they would be healed and well before she would tend to her own wounds.
She had made him smile.
Even now remembering the way she had asked about the "favor" he had performed to get out of the Planes still managed to pull a grin from his scowl. It was as if she had been flirting with him, but Valen quickly discarded the thought, but the smile remained.
Nathyrra almost wished she could show Donnia what she was missing being in the lead, but knew that it would be more fun to watch them figure it out on their own. She knew they would, for the Seer had said as much. As far as she knew, the Seer had yet to be wrong.
Valen was not the only one lost in his thoughts. Nathyrra too took this quiet chance to mull over some thoughts running rampant through her mind. She had wanted to apologize to Donnia the night before after holding the knife to her throat, but it did not seem as though she would have accepted one. Donnia had asked no questions and expected no answers. She had merely looked at Nathyrra waiting for her to tell her in her own time.
Before Nathyrra had never been one to speak of her emotions or tell someone her secrets. There was something different about Donnia, something that spoke to her without any words. She felt as though she could tell her everything and not worry about being judged.
Nathyrra was unsure how Valen felt, but Nathyrra was more than glad to be traveling with Donnia, even if it meant they walked into uncertain danger at every step.