A/N: Uhm, well…I felt as if the story kept running its head against the wall, and I think this chapter has been through 15 or 20 rewrites so far. The story didn't want to be any longer… Hope you enjoyed, and don't forget to drop a review stating your thoughts on this story (and don't bite my head off for not making it longer or more detailed – it started going truly downhill for me at the ninth chapter…)
Chapter fifteen:
He sat, as he had so often, at the very top of the cliff, his eyes looking towards the horizon. He had continued his near life-long tradition, seeking the temporary break the sunrise gave him as the rays of light slowly crept over the edge of the mountains, the heat blinding his finely tuned heat-vision, and burning away the images he saw. Yet, even that respite was only momentary, as his eyes would return to normal vision on their own due to the strong heat, and thusly letting him see the vision of blood and carnage stretching over the floor of Icewind Dale.
Tears blurred his vision as his mind futilely screamed against what he could not only see, but now also feel and scent, and though he knew in his heart it was but an illusion, his battered soul was unwilling to accept the fact. Drawing a shuddering breath into his lungs, the sunrise bringing no solace, he longed for something that could banish the visions from his sight again. Earlier, he had found that relief in the arms of Catti-brie, yet now, not even the feel of the vibrant young woman could dispel the illusions. Instead of the warm skin, he found blood and gore meeting his hands, her usual scent replaced with the stench of death, and her once beautiful face had been twisted into that of an undead.
Drawing his leg up, he wrapped both arms around his knees and hid his face in them, blocking out the visions. Had it only been his eyes that had been fooled, he would willingly have blinded himself, and had indeed tried, although Wulfgar had managed to stop him before he succeeded. But, instead of merely his sight, all of his senses found these illusions, and though he knew, deep down, it was not true, the constant horror was slowly, but steadily, tearing his very spirit apart.
Alustriel has, along with several other mages and clerics, examined the cave in which Drizzt's hallucinations first had started, and though they had found the faint remains of a spell meant to invoke terror by displaying the affected's worst nightmares, it seemed to have misfired against the drow elf, instead causing all his fears to surface and cross with reality to the point where he could no longer distinguish one from the other.
Turning his face upwards again to the sun, the blinding light burning away the visions he saw, and caused his eyes to sting enough for his ears to block out sounds as well. Squinting instinctively, though holding his eyelids apart with sheer willpower, he ignored the tears that began streaming down his face as his body tried futilely to protect his vision from the intense light. As always, figures danced before his eyes along with black spots, but this time, to his surprise, they appeared to melt together and formed a figure that he knew well within his heart.
"Mielikki..," he whispered in surprise and awe, watching as the goddess' shape stood out clearly against the sunlight.
Her lips moved, and he heard his name being called as she reached out with a hand. A look of deep compassion was on her face, yet, it also promised salvation. He rose on his feet, his legs trembling slightly as his balance was affected by his continued squinty against the sun, and took an unsteady step forward. Again, Mielikki called his name, stretching her hand further towards him as she offered him a way out of the illusions. He took another step, reaching out with his own hand towards the warmth of the sun and the vision of the goddess. Another step. And another.
His foot suddenly met only empty air, and he found the ground far below him suddenly rising fast. He turned his face to the sun again, the one he had used for his own salvation, however temporary that relief had been, and found Mielikki still there, looking down at him with an unspoken apology in her eyes.
Then, pain shot through his back and he felt the air knocked from his lungs, even as his head went oddly numb. Immediately, the pain lessened, and he felt the strangest sensation running through him as Mielikki bend down and closed her hand against his, and pulled lightly.
Turning his head, he saw the grass near him, and found it to be clear of blood and corpses. There was no signs of the carnage he had seen before, the terrors that had clouded his vision suddenly gone. A smile graced the face of the drow elf, before he followed the goddess' tug and knew no more within the mortal realm…
