"How did I end up here?" she wondered aloud. She hadn't remembered falling asleep, but she was back in the dark room, the room of nightmares. Unless… "Unless it's happening when I'm awake, now, too." She shivered and moved to what she thought was the center of the room, but with almost no lighting there was no way of knowing.
"Your annihilation approaches," boomed a voice, shaking her bones. It came from all directions and had a volume which couldn't possibly be human. She had been expecting her father to show up sometime. "You shame me to bear so much of my essence and yet behave so weakly. You are captured as easily as a fly in a spider's web. Do you know where you are? You're on your way to Irenicus. He will drain you of all life, to ensure his own; he now knows that he does not possess all of your spirit, and sees you as a threat until you breathe no more. You must not flee this, you cannot. Although I know how good you are at that."
"Do you think I'd believe anything you say, even if you are real? Nothing is true anymore, I can't trust anything, not even myself. I would expect the God of Murder to do anything it takes to return to life, though, so I'm not surprised. I'm just surprised it took this long to hear from you."
Bhaal laughed, another booming to set her body shaking. "I have been with you all along. I have watched over you, guided your every move. When you felt rage, I was there, cheering you on. When the smell of blood and pain was strong, I urged you on, to revel in death. True, you prefer flight to fight, but when it comes down to it you've still left a path of destruction where you walk. You can't eliminate me from your essence; I am you."
Aenwyn's unconscious body was dumped to the ground in front of a living cage. Queen Ellesime watched in horror as Yoshimo delivered his final prey to his master, the one hope she had held for Suldanesselar's salvation. Irenicus spared the girl a glance before returning to his ritual with the Tree of Life.
"I have gone through much to recover her," Yoshimo stated quietly. "We were ambushed on the return-"
"And you will be duly compensated. Do not distract me, I am at a critical juncture. When I am finished I will dispose of the wretch as I should have in Spellhold. No doubt Bhodi won't survive long to witness her failure in the simple task I set her. Not that any of that will matter when I'm a god."
"Viconia is lost," Yoshimo continued, looking at the ground.
"Don't bore me with details. The drow was a liability; our friends from Ust Natha were growing suspicious of a rogue drow amongst my allies. She would have died one way or another at any rate." Irenicus didn't even turn to face Yoshimo as he spoke.
The thief gripped his unsheathed katana and muttered a prayer. "The elves have regrouped and are summoning Rillifane's avatar," he said, knowing Irenicus would have no interest.
Indeed, the mage only laughed. "They are too late. Even if Rillifane destroys my allies, I am protected by my link with the Tree. And by the time he arrives, I will be beyond his abilities to stop me."
"There is only one problem," Yoshimo said, now looking hard at his master's back.
"What is it, Yoshimo?" The mage's voice was bored, but a hint of annoyance had entered it.
"Someone has killed the parasites to the Tree. You are vulnerable."
"What?" Irenicus spun, seeing the thief's katana plunge into him before sending a spell which ended Yoshimo's life before the geas could take effect. The damage was done, however, and he sank to the floor beside Aenwyn. "So you are to have your petty revenge and not even witness it," he murmured, pushing at her form with weakened rage. "And you, you have the pleasure of watching me die as you should have allowed me so many years ago. I hope the city burns, and you with it." His cold blue eyes locked with Ellesime's before dimming and falling shut. His form lay in a twisted mirror of Aenwyn's own, his masked face facing her dreaming one.
"This is a surprise," Bhaal said, as Irenicus entered the darkness next to Aenwyn. "Now I can kill you personally for the affronts you have performed on my children."
Irenicus waved this away and faced Aenwyn. "So we meet for the final time. I had not thought it to be here, in this way, but I will take what options are available."
"What are you doing here?" she demanded. "Are you another trick?"
"I would not use such a pathetic form to fool you," Bhaal said in disgust. "The mage is dead, or as good as dead, and he is manipulating the shared soul you have to attempt resurrection. If he bests you, he can take your place in your own body. Purge him from this place, and you will be whole again."
"Not whole. Not while you're still here," Aenwyn reminded her father. "I can never be whole."
"But you are protected with me; without me you are nothing, would have amounted to nothing. I made you what you are."
"Tell me," Aenwyn mused, "do you give all of your children this special attention, or am I the lucky one?"
"You are meant to be the final piece in my resurrection. You will be sacrificed last, that's why you must survive Irenicus. Your life was planned from the beginning by my high priestess, and this mage was not calculated into the plot. Kill him while he has no form but your own! You are the master in your own mind!"
"Do not think I will be so easily defeated, even in death," Irenicus warned, light emanating from his hands. "I have nothing to lose and everything to gain."
Aenwyn nodded calmly, almost happily. "You sound like Father. And I like you just about as much as I like him. But you're both right, in a way. You're both here, in my mind, and you have everything to gain from me. But what if I don't agree? What if I have everything to lose and nothing to gain? If I kill Irenicus, I will still have to deal with my blood, and those who fear and hate me. If I face my father, I am sure to lose and remain alive only as his puppet, to die at his whim. But what if I face myself? I've been running since the beginning, but now I think I can stop and face myself. I ran from the truth, from the power I could wield, from living a normal life. And I know how to make a stand, now."
"What are you talking about, godchild?" Irenicus asked, a note of panic clear in his normally dead voice.
"You cannot mean this!" Bhaal roared. "You will not interfere with my plans! You were bred to survive. You are a fighter, I will not let you do this!"
"You can do nothing but lie," Aenwyn said. "I am in control here, remember? My head. And yes, I am a fighter. I am fighting the destiny you forged for me; I am making my own path. Goodbye, Father, goodbye, Irenicus. I'll see you both in Hell." She shut her eyes an instant before the darkness became even blacker and her companions screamed in agony.
"This is not the end!" Bhaal shouted.
"Yes. It is," Aenwyn replied.
Ellesime thanked her rescuers for opening her cage then looked down sadly at the three bodies before her. The two men made no move, but the sleeping girl struggled and grimaced for a moment, before adopting a calm smile and quieting. Aenwyn mouthed the words, "Yes, it is," before becoming absolutely still. In another moment, bright light surrounded her body even as it dissolved into dust, to be swept away in the breeze. Irenicus' body seemed to crumple at this, as if something had left his corpse with Aenwyn. And then everything was still.
Branwen stared at the marble monument marking Aenwyn's memory with dry eyes. Shock and confusion roiled within her, and her thoughts from the battle in the graveyard had not yet settled to allow her to dwell on this new outcome.
Aerie sobbed and buried her face in Anomen's shoulder while he prayed under his breath with tightly closed eyes. Jaheira and Khalid were crestfallen, clinging to each other as they witness their failure.
Edwin, or as she was called by her new companions, Edwina, stood alone, of course. She was smart enough not to say anything, though she looked bored and filed her nails surreptitiously.
Valygar and Haer'Dalis stood side by side, gathering strength from each other's presence. "It's over, then," Valygar said. "We did our best, but she's gone."
"Not gone, my hawk," Haer'Dalis returned, "only changed. Death is merely the next step. And we needn't mourn her, for she is no doubt soaring on new wings to another adventure. The planes are endless."
"B-but she's in Bhaal's realm," Aerie choked.
"A part of her, mayhaps, but I knew Aenwyn well enough to know that she would never allow herself to be fettered by another's shackles, not even a god's. No, she is free somewhere, I can feel it. Freer in her next life than we are in ours. For we still have roles to play, do we not, my fine friends?" But Haer'Dalis smiled at everyone gathered. "We are bounded by this mortal coil, but that does not mean we cannot have our own joy. I believe 'tis high time we begin anew. What say you, squire Valygar?"
"I…" The ranger thought for a moment, uncertain what to do. Then, he realized that he had an endless array of choices available to him. "I always dreamed of traveling, but never dared think I would be able to, with Lavok's curse above me."
"And now your time for journeying has come. Our time," the tiefling rejoined. He took the other man's hand, ready to take a step forward, to wherever it might land them.
Valygar took a deep look into Haer'Dalis' eyes, squeezed his hand, and stepped forward.
Thanks to everyone who read and/or commented. I had fun writing this but time had gotten away from me and it's time to end the tale. Of course, like Haer'Dalis said, there's still more adventure waiting for all of them, Aenwyn included, but that is a story left for another time, and another place. ;)