Chapter Nineteen - Revenge

She curled away from the sleeping form of the lead mercenary, trying not to awaken him from the deep slumber that he had slipped into after he had finished with her. She wrapped her arms around herself, glad that they had been untied, but not about to go anywhere - Kelnozz had informed her about the many guards and locked doors.

At least now I can understand what he went through, she thought, tears running down her face as she thought about her husband, thinned shoulders shaking with sobs. It was unbelievable. A month or so ago, she had thought that something like this would ever happen to her, that the drow that had originally captured Drizzt were dead, and would never again come back.

Everything around her was quiet, which made the echoing sounds in her head all the louder to her mind. She shivered from more than cold, and wished that she could undo the past, but she knew that she couldn't. It was impossible, and she would never be able to forget the events that happened this night . . .

. . . Or the rest of the time that she had been under the captivity of the drow.

A sob escaped her throat as she buried her face in her bare arms, letting the tears fall from her eyes.

If she could, she would scrub herself thoroughly; try to rid herself of the memories of his unwanted, disgusting touch of his flesh on hers.

Her breathing hitched. She knew that in her heart, she would never be able to forget that feeling. It was too unlike the feeling of her first time with her husband. Whereas Drizzt had been gentle and loving, Kelnozz had done what he had done only to hurt and scar her.

He had done it only to hurt and scar his adversary.

Silent sobs shook her thinned and ragged frame, the whip marks burning like fire across her back and bruises from the beating standing out starkly against the white of her skin. Her hair had long ago loosened from the braid she had originally had it in, and fell about her shoulders, shot through with dried blood and dirt. Her body shook and trembled, still in shock from the violation that had occurred no more than an hour ago.

She let the tears pour down her face as she wished that the world would end.

The drow male made its way down the hall, not saying a word and keeping the cowl of his hood low, making his way slowly towards the dungeon that was separated from the others.

The chambers that had once contained the wife of his son.

He knew where she was, but he knew that his son wouldn't know that she had been taken to another set of private hidden chambers. He kept his amber eyes moving beneath the hood of his cloak, keeping an eye on the hallway and looking at the several guards closely, especially their eyes, searching for the familiar flash of lavender.

He needed to find his son before he was caught by the other drow.

He walked steadily into the torture chamber, shutting his eyes against the memories and concentrating on what he was here to do – on who he was here to save.

Drizzt Do'Urden took a deep breath as he continued into the room wherein he had spent a month of tortured captivity. Memories of blood, sweat, and tears, raged through his mind as he continued forward, clearing the stilettos from the wrist sheaths that he wore hidden beneath the sleeves of his shirt and tunic. He closed his eyes as he changed his sight from that of the world of light to that of the infrared spectrum. The heat patterns on the walls where familiar, and yet unfamiliar, as he continued across the room, swallowing thickly.

The last thing that he wanted was for the painful memories to come up and swallow him.

The drow ranger had nearly crossed the room, was nearly to the door, when he stepped in a thick, congealing liquid. He looked down, though he knew that he wouldn't be able to see it in the infrared, as the heat had already left the entire puddle. The thought of what it could possibly be made his breath catch in his throat.

Blood.

And more than likely, that was what it was. He swallowed thickly and clenched his fist, closing his eyes and pushing those thoughts away - they wouldn't help him at that moment. He had to keep a sharp mind.

He couldn't fail to do this.

He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he did.

Determined, Drizzt stood, hands resting casually on the hilts of his scimitars. He took a deep breath as he ran his fingers over the familiar patterns and carvings. He once again headed towards the door, using the uncanny ability of the drow to get close to the door without making a sound, and carefully picking the lock on the other side. Quickly, silently, he crept out of the door, careful not to catch the attention of any of the guard patrols. Quietly drawing one of the stilettos hidden up his sleeves, he snuck up behind the one and slit his throat, pulling him aside and hiding him in a deep crevice. He removed his own cloak, replacing it with the guard's piwifwi, using the enchanted clothe to blend in the cold of the stone.

That taken care of, he once again headed down the long hallway, allowing his senses to direct him towards wherever the drow were keeping her. He hoped that it would be awhile before anyone found the murdered black elf so that he could get out of here safely, and without having to worry about anything hindering their escape to the surface.

He pulled the hood of his cloak down low, not wanting any of the other drow to be able to recognize him for who he was, until he got to wherever it was that Catti-brie was being kept. He lowered his eyes whenever he passed one of the patrols, not wanting anyone to recognize him and set off the alarms.

He wound his way through the passages, using his instincts to guide him, more or less guessing his path and hoping that it would lead him to the right room. He knew that she would be placed in a separate cell from the rest of them.

Kelnozz wouldn't want the task of finding her to be too easy for him.

Drizzt didn't notice when the figure behind him stopped, (the person) knowing who he was. The person wrapped his arm around the neck of his cloak, surprising the ranger as he yanked him into a hidden room in the stone of the hallway. He struggled against the strong hold, not wanting to be trapped, but at the same time, curious as to what kind of a drow would approach one like this and take them hostage, without taking a weapon to his throat? He stiffened in surprise at the drow words that were whispered into his ear.

"Uss'tan elggen l'faern quarth uns'aa.(1)" The voice was familiar, and Drizzt allowed himself to relax slightly. "Uss'tan tlun aluin ulu xxizz dos inbau ilta rath.(2)"

He turned when the arm around his neck loosened, and he looked briefly at the hallway before speaking. "Shlu'ta uss'tan khaless nindel nindol zhah Zaknafein telanthaad?(3)"

The white eyebrow furrowed, before smoothing in understanding. He knew that Drizzt had been through a rough time the year before. He had heard Kelnozz's recounting to Catti-brie. "De'heen. (4) Uss'tan orn jous dos l'khel de' l'faern.(5)"

Drizzt looked into those amber eyes for a long time, reading what was in them. He saw hope for trust, and truth. They was Zak had talked had been enough for the part of his heart that had been longing to speak with him again, but the look in his eyes was enough to convince him. "Uss'tan z'reninth dos.(6) Ventas l'idol ulu ilta.(7)"

Translations:

(1) I killed the wizard controlling me.
(2) I am going to help you get her back.
(3) Can I trust that this is Zaknafein speaking?
(4) Of course.
(5) I will show you the corpse of the wizard.
(6) I believe you.
(7) Lead the way to her.

A/N
Hello there people! I'm updating again! aren't you excited! Dodges thrown food. TT-TT Bows. I'm really sorry! sob Hockey started this week so I had like NO time on the computer! And it doesn't end until Febuary!cries So updates are going to be fewer and far between, I'm sorry! But they'll be long, angsty ones I promise you! Please review, I have to get off before my parents wake up, its 3 in the morning and I have school at 7:30. Bye bye! and review!