Chapter 14
The pain in her chest was almost too much to bear. It felt as though someone had stabbed her with a large sword and twisted the blade. Her body ached with each breath.
She did not know where she was, she did not want to open her eyes. The last thing she remembered was Mephistopheles staring down at her with his devil's eyes. It was then she knew she was dead.
Donnia slowly opened her eyes and found herself in familiar surroundings. The Realm of the Reaper never changed. The pain in her chest lessened as she stood, but an old wound still throbbed. She doubted that one would ever heal.
Her sword that Mephistopheles had killed her with hung at her side, where it should have been. Her mind swam with foggy details of her last few moments alive.
She walked to the Reaper, standing as he always did. "Am I dead?"
He seemed to regard her with sympathy, though it was hard to tell since she could not see his face. "You are dead to a point. Your place has been switched. You now exist in this realm as Mephistopheles now exists in yours and I cannot send you back from where you came."
Donnia found some joy at knowing she was not truly dead. "Why can't you send me back? You have always sent me back."
"I have been ordered by great Mephistopheles to not allow you back on Toril."
"Well, I order you to return me to Toril."
"It's not that easy, Sojourner. He learned my True Name and only he commands my actions. If you wish to return to your world, you too must learn my True Name."
"How would I go about finding it?"
"Seek the Knower of Places. She can direct you to her sister, the Knower of Names."
Donnia's heart was once again gripped in fear, "What of my companions, Valen and Nathyrra?"
The Reaper seemed to be thinking, "They too are dead like you."
"Where are they? Can you return them to me?"
"That I can do, Sojourner. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"
"No, just return my friends to me. I will return when I know your True Name."
Donnia turned around and nearly wept when she saw Valen and Nathyrra. "As much as I want you here, I wish you weren't." She walked over to them, wishing they were still alive.
Valen took her hand and pressed it to his lips, as he had in the beholder cave. "I promised you that I would follow you even into the hells. You did not think I would go back on my word?"
Donnia managed a small smile. "What happened?"
Nathyrra answered, "It was that archdevil you told us of, Mephistopheles. We did not even get the chance to attack before he killed us."
The tears would not stop falling from Donnia's eyes, "I'm so terribly sorry. This is all my fault. If I had never found that damn relic none of this would have happened. You would both be alive, not stuck here."
Valen forced her to look at him, "I'm actually quite glad that this happened. If it hadn't, true, we would be alive, but I would not be with you as I am now. If we must stay here then I am glad I am here with you."
Donnia kissed him lightly. She was glad that she would not have to face this alone. Being stuck in one of the hells was bad, and she was glad that she had her friends with her. She did not want to think about what it would be like without them.
She took a deep breath, calming herself. "There is a way to go home, at least to the surface. We must find the Knower of Places so she can direct us to the Knower of Names. In order to stop Mephistopheles we have to know the Reaper's True Name and order him to send us back."
Nathyrra warned, "You must be careful, Donnia. True Names hold incredible power. In knowing someone's True Name you assume a great responsibility."
"Thank you for your warning, Nathyrra. I shall remember it well."
They stepped through the door that had once been barred from Donnia in life, but was now open to her in death. She prayed that someone would be able to stop Mephistopheles before he destroyed her world.
The pain in her chest was almost too much to bear. It felt as though someone had stabbed her with a large sword and twisted the blade. Her body ached with each breath.
She did not know where she was, she did not want to open her eyes. The last thing she remembered was Mephistopheles staring down at her with his devil's eyes. It was then she knew she was dead.
Donnia slowly opened her eyes and found herself in familiar surroundings. The Realm of the Reaper never changed. The pain in her chest lessened as she stood, but an old wound still throbbed. She doubted that one would ever heal.
Her sword that Mephistopheles had killed her with hung at her side, where it should have been. Her mind swam with foggy details of her last few moments alive.
She walked to the Reaper, standing as he always did. "Am I dead?"
He seemed to regard her with sympathy, though it was hard to tell since she could not see his face. "You are dead to a point. Your place has been switched. You now exist in this realm as Mephistopheles now exists in yours and I cannot send you back from where you came."
Donnia found some joy at knowing she was not truly dead. "Why can't you send me back? You have always sent me back."
"I have been ordered by great Mephistopheles to not allow you back on Toril."
"Well, I order you to return me to Toril."
"It's not that easy, Sojourner. He learned my True Name and only he commands my actions. If you wish to return to your world, you too must learn my True Name."
"How would I go about finding it?"
"Seek the Knower of Places. She can direct you to her sister, the Knower of Names."
Donnia's heart was once again gripped in fear, "What of my companions, Valen and Nathyrra?"
The Reaper seemed to be thinking, "They too are dead like you."
"Where are they? Can you return them to me?"
"That I can do, Sojourner. Is there anything else that I can do for you?"
"No, just return my friends to me. I will return when I know your True Name."
Donnia turned around and nearly wept when she saw Valen and Nathyrra. "As much as I want you here, I wish you weren't." She walked over to them, wishing they were still alive.
Valen took her hand and pressed it to his lips, as he had in the beholder cave. "I promised you that I would follow you even into the hells. You did not think I would go back on my word?"
Donnia managed a small smile. "What happened?"
Nathyrra answered, "It was that archdevil you told us of, Mephistopheles. We did not even get the chance to attack before he killed us."
The tears would not stop falling from Donnia's eyes, "I'm so terribly sorry. This is all my fault. If I had never found that damn relic none of this would have happened. You would both be alive, not stuck here."
Valen forced her to look at him, "I'm actually quite glad that this happened. If it hadn't, true, we would be alive, but I would not be with you as I am now. If we must stay here then I am glad I am here with you."
Donnia kissed him lightly. She was glad that she would not have to face this alone. Being stuck in one of the hells was bad, and she was glad that she had her friends with her. She did not want to think about what it would be like without them.
She took a deep breath, calming herself. "There is a way to go home, at least to the surface. We must find the Knower of Places so she can direct us to the Knower of Names. In order to stop Mephistopheles we have to know the Reaper's True Name and order him to send us back."
Nathyrra warned, "You must be careful, Donnia. True Names hold incredible power. In knowing someone's True Name you assume a great responsibility."
"Thank you for your warning, Nathyrra. I shall remember it well."
They stepped through the door that had once been barred from Donnia in life, but was now open to her in death. She prayed that someone would be able to stop Mephistopheles before he destroyed her world.