Chapter 11 – Hope Begins to Fade

Donnia quickly grabbed the Stone of Recall, the Bloodsailors were vicious, and she had not much strength left in her. She had teleported back to Aribeth several times; after being healed she would quickly return to where she had just left to fall back into the battle she had just left.

With one last thrust, the Bloodsailor stabbed her quickly in her side. Donnia appeared in the Hall of Justice, falling to her knees.

Aribeth had been tending to one of the patients when she heard Donnia's armor clank on the stone floor. She hurried over to her side, kneeling next to Tomi who was also bent over her. "Donnia, my lady, are you okay?"

Donnia gingerly laid her hand over the fresh wound and slowly nodded her head.

Without delay, Aribeth healed her. A soft glow encompassed both Donnia and Tomi, healing their wounds, easing their pain. Donnia slowly moved to her feet, moving toward the return portal when Aribeth lightly took hold of her arm. "Donnia, you must rest. I can heal time and time again, but if you do not rest, my healing you will not stop the pain."

"But Lady Aribeth, I have to get back. I can't let the people of Neverwinter suffer anymore than they already have. I don't have time to rest." She moved toward the return portal again but Aribeth stood in her way.

"Please, do not make me order you to bed. Just take a few hours to sleep and catch your breath."

Indecision played across Donnia's face. She knew that people were dying. She had already recovered three of the reagents. The cockatrice was somewhere in the Docks, she just knew it. She also knew that she was getting close. It was just those damned Bloodsailors. They were not only strong, but they were also extremely well trained.

Donnia looked down at Tomi, seeing for the first time his haggard appearance. Usually full of spunk and vitality, his shoulders drooped a little, his eyes were downcast.

She looked around the room at all of the patients lain out on cots. Nurses moved from one to another, trying to make their passing as painless as possible.

Slowly, Donnia turned her attention back to Aribeth, worry evident on her friend's face. She nodded, agreeing to a few hours rest.

Aribeth smiled warmly. "Come with me, I'll set you both up in rooms to rest." She turned and led the two weary adventurers deeper into the Hall of Justice.

They remained silent on their walk to their rooms. Each was lost in their thoughts, worries, and weariness.

Aribeth led Tomi to his room first. He bowed to her before turning into his room, pulling the door shut behind him. Aribeth continued further down the hall to take Donnia to her room. She stood next to the doorway, opening it wide for the drained Donnia.

Donnia walked past her into the room when Aribeth once again stopped her, "I know I wanted you to rest for a few hours, but I was hoping we could talk for a few minutes before you rested. Would it be alright with you if I spoke with you?"

Donnia slowly nodded her head in agreement, "Just let me take off my armor and wash up."

Aribeth nodded and pulled the door shut behind her as she went to wait in the hallway.

Dressed in her fresh clothes Donnia opened the door for Aribeth. "What was it that you wished to discuss?"

Aribeth came in and sat on a high-backed chair next to the bed, gesturing for Donnia to sit as well. "What happened after you left the Academy? When you came back those few days later, something had happened to you. I could tell. Would you like to talk to me about it?"

Donnia closed her eyes, remembering her last visit in her home. "My father died of the plague while I was gone to the Academy."

Aribeth reached out, taking Donnia's hand in hers, "Donnia, I am so sorry."

"No, it's okay. Really, it is. I'm fine. Was there anything else you wished to discuss?"

"Actually there was. In these weeks you've been searching for the reagents we've grown to know each other. I have come to think of you as a dear friend."

"It's always nice coming back to you, coming back here, coming back to someone who isn't trying to kill me," Donnia smiled grimly.

Aribeth smiled in return, "Every time you come back I say a word of thanks to Tyr. Every time you leave I say a prayer. So far my prayers have been answered. You've come back to me in one piece every time. Though you are hurt, tired, and worn down, I can still see that spark burning deep within you. It's that spark that keeps me going."

"It's what keeps me going as well, Lady Aribeth."

"There is just something about you. I don't know what it is. I feel as though there is something between us, something larger than the both of us."

"I feel it as well. I haven't told Tomi half of what I've spoken to you about. He's wonderful as a partner, but you are different." Donnia paused, trying to focus her thoughts. "Every time I go back it's as though a wave of raw emotion, something wild and uncontrollable overtakes me. The despair I feel walking around this once beautiful city is almost enough to bring me down with it. There's so much suffering. I know that I am doing all that I can to help this, to make it better, to make it go away. It never seems enough. No matter what I do, it never seems enough. I'm letting them down. I've been working on finding the reagents for weeks, and I still haven't found all of them. It's my fault that so many more have died. It's my fault my father died. It's my fault my mother died." A silent tear moved down her cheek as she remembered her mother.

Donnia quickly wiped over her cheek, destroying the tear.

Aribeth leaned forward to take Donnia's hand again, but she pulled it away.

"No, I don't want you sympathy. I just need your help."

"Lady Donnia, you have my help. You have the help of all that I control and anything more I can find. But there is something that I ask of you in return."

"I will do anything you ask."

Aribeth smiled warmly, "Would you stand beside me on my wedding day?" Aribeth hurried on, "I know we have only known each other for a short time, but it would mean everything to me if you were to be there beside me when Fenthick and I are married."

Donnia pushed away all thoughts of herself, and thought only of her friend. "I would be honored to be there beside you on your wedding day."

Aribeth smiled still, pushing away all thoughts of despair, and took Donnia in her arms, hugging her.

For once the tears shed were not tears of sadness, but tears of joy, of hope that things would return to normal.

Donnia looked down at the gold coin in her hand. The last picture was fading. Upon seeing the coin blank, she at last breathed a sigh of relief. For the first time since leaving the Academy she smiled. "Tomi, we did it. The Wailing Death will be beaten."

Tomi grinned up at her, "Aye, we did, love. Best of all, we're alive to tell the tale too."

"Thanks to Aribeth and that stone she gave us. But we must hurry back and give these feathers to Aribeth. I don't know how much longer the city can survive."

Donnia pulled out the Stone of Recall and was quickly returned to the Hall of Justice where Aribeth met them with a smile.

"How are you coming along with that last creature? Have you found it yet?" Aribeth knew that they could not be far from their goal. With the three other necessary parts from the other creatures being kept safe, the fourth would allow them to form the cure.

"Aribeth, I give you the last of the Waterdavian Creatures, feathers from the bird found in the Docks."

Aribeth nearly wept for joy upon hearing those words. "Donnia, you have done so much for this city in such short time. We will forever be in your debt. I do not know how to thank you for all that you have done for us. I fear that without you all hope would have been lost."

"Thank you, Lady Aribeth. Will you be able to make the cure now?"

"Yes, we will get started on it right away. Of course, you and Tomi are more than welcome to attend. Lord Nasher would want to speak with you." Turning, Aribeth led them into a room Donnia had never before seen in the Hall of Justice.

There were several priests gathered around a central holding fountain. It contained, among a few other things, the parts of the three other creatures. Aribeth placed the final ingredients in and pointed Donnia to Lord Nasher.

Donnia walked before him and bowed. Lord Nasher laughed, "Stand up straight, girl. It is I who should be bowing to you. You have saved us all. I fear that even I have fallen victim to this plague. Now, with your capturing the Waterdavian Creatures, no more people will die from this horrid plague. We can start rebuilding this city to its former glory."

Donnia stood in shock before Lord Nasher. This was the first time she had seen him in person, but the descriptions she had previously heard were not far off. Despite his age, he still looked as ever the young, strong adventurer from all of the stories. Not only that, she could hardly believe that someone such as he could ever fall victim to this plague. She had hoped that it had kept out of the city center, but finding out that even Lord Nasher had it frightened her to think that perhaps she had caught it in her travels throughout the city.

Lord Nasher saw her thoughts projected by the worried look on her face. "Do not worry, Donnia Thensbane, if you had caught the plague, you would know it. Thankfully you were able to remain healthy throughout this past month."

"Has it really been only a month? It has felt like years."

Lord Nasher smiled, "Yes, only a month has passed since you left the Academy. I know it must have seemed like lifetimes."

"It did, Lord Nasher. It seemed as though the nearer I came to finding one of the creatures, the longer it took to get to them. Now knowing this, I wish I would have hurried more. I can't believe that I have made these people wait for a full month."

"Don't worry so, Donnia. We're too pleased that you succeeded at all. When the Waterdavian Creatures first escaped we feared that all was lost. You gave us hope each time you returned to the Hall of Justice, whether or not you had one of the creatures in your possession. Just seeing you alive and knowing that you grew closer to your quarry each day was enough to hold us over. Now, enough talk of the past. Let's get this cure made and my people healed."

Donnia and Tomi made sure they were positioned out of the way. Desther stood among some of his Helmites as they began casting. Quickly, all could tell that it was working. The fountain seemed to glow with power and hope for the future.

Fenthick stood by Aribeth, their hands joined together in prayer that this would be enough to heal all those that had been infected with the Wailing Death.

As the priests' casting quieted, Fenthick proudly proclaimed, "We have it! The cure for the Wailing Death has been made."

Desther walked to the fountain, "You're half right, Fenthick. I have it."

"You can't be serious! After all of this time, you can say that?" Fenthick exclaimed in fear of what was about to happen.

"I can say it, and I can go even better. I'm taking this plague and your people can rot in the hells where they belong." Desther grabbed the cure out of the fountain and quickly opened a portal.

Donnia stood in shock at what had just happened. All of the hope that she had been able to afford herself vanished leaving her hollow and cold inside. She was not able to linger on this feeling for long, for all of the priests who had helped in forming the cure turned and began attacking everyone in the room, even Lord Nasher himself.

Fenthick knew what he had to do. It was him who had put so much faith in Desther and his priests to help with the cure. He had believed in him all of this time. He had even defended him when others said that bringing in and outsider was dangerous. Before anyone could stop him, Fenthick jumped into the portal and followed Desther.

Aribeth called out to Donnia, "You must hurry! Follow them! I can only hold this portal open a little longer before everything is lost. Do no worry for us. Please, go quickly!"

Donnia looked quickly at Tomi before she nodded and both of them jumped into the portal, not knowing where they were headed.