Yasha tried hard to keep her shoulders squared and her gait relaxed and confident as she led Deekin and Valen down the winding hall that led to Aghaaz, the leader of those golems loyal to the Maker. Periodically they passed by alcoves where great, metallic guards flanked them, which seemed to be a much more ominous in her current mood. She tried hard not to peer at them too much as they walked by. It wouldn't help her case to seem like she was looking for trouble, after all.
Many of Aghaaz's golems were neither the metallic creations they had encountered above nor those that made up the majority of the followers of Ferron, his counterpart on the rebels' side. Aghaaz himself was a motley combination of body parts whose source Yasha preferred not to dwell on. The only thing she was fairly certain of was that no humans gave their life for Aghaaz's birth since he was so huge, which was a small consolation really.
Still, that did not stop her stomach from clenching and her blood running cold when the thing grinned at her approach.
"Back again?" the great golem said, turning from some conference with his lieutenants. "What do you want now, human female?"
If she could read anything into the alien face of the golem, it was that he suspected she returned with the head of his rival and gloried in that suspicion. It was certainly true he had no idea what news she actually brought. Yasha cleared her throat and took a deep breath.
"I have come with news of The Maker."
His grin disappeared fairly quickly, and all around her the room shushed as the golems turned their full attention on her.
"What? What news could you possibly bring little human?" Aghaaz replied, his eyes narrowing.
"The Maker is dead." The silence in the room became heavy and charged. Yasha glanced around briefly, trying to make eye contact with the other golems, both to express her sympathy at dashing their hopes and to judge their reactions. Aghaaz quickly regained her attention, however.
"That is not possible," he replied firmly, shaking his head. "The Maker is eternal, his might everlasting. To say such a thing is blasphemy."
Yasha nodded slightly to herself. That was an understandable reaction to such news.
"I'm afraid to say it's true. He willingly abandoned you all, and embraced undeath. When I attempted to negotiate, he attacked us, and we were forced to destroy him. He never intended to return for you, and does not deserve your continued loyalty. "
Aghaaz's lips curled into a feral snarl. He stepped forward, bending his towering frame so his face was close to hers. Yasha forced herself to remain calm and steadfast as he began to speak in a harsh whisper.
"I am the High Priest of The Maker. If he dies, my claim to power dies with him."
Yasha blinked at him, confused. That was not what she expected to hear. She saw Valen move from the corner of her eye as he leaned forward.
"A word of advice, Yasha: those in power don't enjoy seeing their positions threatened!" he whispered in her ear.
Yasha turned her puzzled gaze on him, her lips parted in exasperation. She looked between Valen and Aghaaz as full comprehension began to dawn. The golem's next whispered words confirmed her suspicions.
"I have been appointed to rule until The Maker returns. The Maker cannot die, but if he chooses never to return, then my rule shall go on forever. Now do you understand?"
Yasha gritted her teeth, and felt her nostrils flare as she sucked in a steadying breath. Outraged anger flared as her confusion died. Aghaaz didn't care if The Maker died. He didn't care about knowing the truth at all. For all she knew, he knew of The Maker's decisions and undead fate long before. He was quite willing to continue giving his followers false hope and purpose, as long as he remained in power.
Yasha didn't bother whispering her reply.
"I will NOT help spread a lie," she announced grimly and at the top of her voice. "The Maker IS dead."
Beside her, she saw Valen tense and reach for his weapon, while on the other side Deekin stepped close and also prepared. She felt Enserric tremble in her hand as she laid her hand to his hilt. Aghaaz rose up to his full height, the expression on his face terrible. His voice bellowed across the chamber.
"Destroy these heretics. Destroy them in the name of the Immortal Maker!"
To Yasha's disappointment and frustration, not one of Aghaaz's followers thought to question his command. To the last one, they fought ferociously to the death. Yasha expected no quarter, nor did she have the chance to offer any. At least, she thought bitterly when it was over, their leader died with them.
She retrieved the Power Source from Aghaaz's ruined body, the one item that would allow Ferron and his followers the freedom to leave this accursed place, and brought it to the rebel leader. He took the Power Source slowly, almost reverently, from her hands when she offered it.
"I cannot thank you enough for this. You have given us the key to our freedom."
Yasha tried to focus on the golem's words of thanks. She tried to think of something nobly humble and heroic to say, but all she could manage was a small smile at his gratitude. From beside her, however, Valen spoke up.
"We may have given you the key," he said solemnly, "but you must open the door and pass through it yourself. Freedom never comes without struggle and effort."
Yasha sighed. That was exactly the kind of thing she had wanted to say, if she would have thought of it.
Ferron focused on the tiefling, his metallic face unreadable. He nodded slightly, however, before he continued, "We will begin making our preparations to leave this place at once, though it will be a long time before we are ready to go. Among other things, we will have to decide on a destination for our journey."
Yasha shook herself then, and forced her mind to her duty and main reason for coming. "Don't forget: I need your help against the Valsharess."
"I will not abandon you. You are a true friend of the golems. We will be at your side when you go to face your enemy. It is the least we can do for you. Now, is there anything else you need?"
Yasha found she could no longer meet his glowing, lidless gaze when he named her a friend of the golems. She bowed with her eyes on the ground, and tried to put all of her gratitude for their upcoming help in her voice when she responded. "Thank you, no. We should be going."
Later, she crossed her arms and stared out over the dark and deadly river as they awaited the return of the Boatman. The river would carry their request to return, or so the strange ferryman had said, so they had little to do but wait. Valen sat, quietly and with apparent patience, on a pile of stones several steps behind her. Only the occasional scrape as he shifted for comfort reminded her he was there. Deekin was crouched over another pile of stones farther from the water, his precious parchments scattered over several rocks in some pattern only he understood.
Yasha nibbled on her lip as she stared into the darkness, reviewing the confrontation with The Maker and Aghaaz over and over, wondering what words or actions could have possibly changed the outcomes. All she could think of were wishes that things had turned out differently. She wished The Maker's nature had been different. She wished Aghaaz had put less importance on his own power. She wished she had found a way to lay claim to the Power Source without the slaughter of Aghaaz and his followers.
Yasha grimaced. They were pointless wishes, and she had no genie in a bottle. Starting guiltily, she shook her head and grinned ruefully as she looked down at her backpack. Well, she had none that would grant her any wishes anyway.
"And so the hero," Deekin intoned from behind her, "silent and moody, stared out over the river."
Yasha turned to the kobold. "What? I'm not being moody."
Deekin gave her a dubious look. "You prefer angsty, maybe?"
"I am certainly not being angsty," she replied, planting her hands on her hips. "Pensive, maybe."
"Pensive, boss? What's the difference?"
"You suggest I'm pouting, or feeling sorry for myself. I'm not." She paused, her conscience twitching. "Well, not that much."
Both Deekin and Valen regarded her silently for a long moment. She raised her hands at them, "I'm just...just thinking. Considering actions taken. Learning from events." She crossed her arms defiantly one more as neither replied. "That's not the same as being moody."
"Are you certain? You do seem somewhat...defensive about it," Valen suggested, a smirk on his face.
Yasha made a face at him. "Defensive? I'm hurt that you would suggest such a thing. I'm just making sure Deekin has his facts straight before he records it for posterity." She licked her teeth and looked back out over the river. "Defensive. I mean really."
"So, boss, you is not being moody or angsty?" Deekin asked from behind her.
"Right."
"You is being pensive instead?"
Yasha looked back at him guardedly, but his return look was innocent and curious. "Exactly," she replied after a moment.
"Whatever you say Boss," he confirmed cheerfully. She scowled at him as he turned back to his parchment, and then stuck her tongue out at Valen when he dared chuckle. "Either way Deekin," she said in a determinedly un-moody tone of voice, "you should start gathering up your papers." She pointed out over the waters at the boat that was just starting to come into her view. "Cavallas is here."
As before, the news of their arrival preceded them when they arrived at the Seer's encampment, and the Seer was prepared to see them as soon as they entered the temple. Everyone seemed quite surprised but happy to hear about their new golem allies, and Yasha was in turn surprised that the Seer had ordered a bath be drawn up for the paladin before she could even request it. So, in a shorter time than Yasha would have thought possible, she found herself done with her report, suitably praised, and sent to soak in the bathtub.
All in all, she wasn't going to complain.
After the conversation on the beach, she had resolved once more to try to dwell on more positive thoughts. As the Seer had pointed out, they now had a new and unlooked for allies. And those golems that survived now had a freedom and empowerment that they had only dreamed of for centuries. There were too many obstacles to face to spend time brooding about what had already happened.
She had too be honest with herself. She had been brooding. Or at least her behavior bordered on it. A little. Instead of continuing to do that, she decided to finish her planning for eliminating the allies of the Valsharess, for that was what remained for her to do. First the undead menace, she was sure. That she felt most prepared to face. The beholders or the mind flayers would come later.
Of course, there was still the problem with Valen to deal with. He seemed less hostile, to be sure, but she would be a fool to say that there wasn't still tension between them. Additionally, just a few minutes ago, he was clearly unhappy when Yasha had requested that both he and Nathyrra come with her against the allies of the Valsharess. The Seer had made clear that Nathyrra had scouted the caves around that area, so her expertise would be valuable. It just hadn't occurred to Yasha that Valen would protest going as well.
Yasha wanted him to come. She thought he was very good in a fight, and offered insightful advice. And she just enjoyed his company, by and large, and liked the idea of him coming along. There wasn't anything wrong with that, she assured herself as she gazed down at her water-wrinkled fingers. Surely he didn't hold their angry exchanges against her so much that he would refuse to fight alongside her any longer.
The Seer had over-ridden whatever doubts he'd had and insisted he go, since Yasha had requested. Technically, the decision was made. However, Yasha didn't want him to come against his will. That would cause all kinds of problems, and she needed willing allies if they were to succeed. She thought she should go to him and apologize for losing her temper, to see if that might help smooth things over.
A part of her rankled at that thought, and she felt a petulant resistance to admitting her failure first. "But he started it," she whispered, in a mocking, childish voice. Her self-mockery didn't ease the defiance in her heart against the thought, however. After all, it wasn't fair or just that she should have to go first after what he said, was it? Maybe it wasn't really petulant of her not to humble herself like that. She stood up for others. Couldn't she stand up for herself as well without feeling guilty?
Or was that just her pride talking? Frowning at the ceiling, she leaned back into the hot water.
"Torm, I'd really appreciate it if you gave me some sign about what I should do."
She nearly jumped out of the tub when her half-hearted prayer was immediately followed by a knock at her door. "Yes?"
"It is Valen. Might we speak?"
Well, Yasha, there's your sign.
"Of course," she called before she could change her mind. "Just give me a moment."
She pulled herself out of the tub quickly, splashing a significant amount of water out in her haste to towel off and pull on her robe. No doubt Valen heard all of the splashing and commotion, for his voice was tinged with awkward embarrassment when he added through the door, "I...did not realize you were still bathing. I can come back later."
"No!" Yasha called firmly. She winced at herself and shook her head as she finished tying the sash of the robe and padded barefoot over to the door. "No, now is fine."
She yanked open the door before he could decide to wander away regardless of her words. He looked at her in surprise, his eyes traveling from her bare feet to her dripping hair, and his cheeks flushed with the embarrassment she had heard in his voice.
"Perhaps it is best if I give you time to dress," he said uncomfortably after a moment.
"No. Don't be silly. I'm fine. Please, come in," she said quickly, tripping over her words in her haste to get them out. She was determined to take this as a sign to apologize, but she also knew if she waited, she would likely lose the conviction to do so. There was no time like the present, after all. When he still hesitated at the doorway, she stepped backwards, opened the door wider and waved him in.
Reluctantly, he followed her gesture and stepped inside. Yasha continued talking, though she tried to calm herself enough to not sound like a babbling idiot.
"I've been lounging around in the bath for too long anyway. Besides, I was just about to go seek you out, and this saves me the trouble."
He paused, looking at her curiously. "You were going to seek me out? Why?"
Yasha ran her fingers through her tangled hair and shrugged. The present was a rather flexible thing. "You came here to say something. You go first."
Leaning against the cold stone wall, she watched him pace in her small room thoughtfully, his tail twitching. Sighing, he finally stopped and looked askance at her with a bit of reluctance. "I have been wrong about something. I owe you an apology."
Yasha, absorbed in her own intent, was taken off-guard by his words. "An apology? For what?"
He pondered for a moment, obviously going over what he wanted to say in his head. "Ever since the Seer foretold your coming, I have resented you. A little. I think... I think it was more because I wanted to be the one who kept the Seer safe."
Yasha crossed her arms and looked down, frowning. Valen continued, apparently without noticing her reaction.
"I had been working so long to save the rebels I did not want someone bursting in and taking all the credit. So I convinced myself you could not be trusted, that perhaps the Seer's vision was wrong. And yet you have proven yourself time and again. I... am very sorry."
Flabbergasted, Yasha blinked up at him, the words she had been preparing to say forgotten. Then the relief hit her like a giddy wave, and mischief bubbled to the surface. "And? That's it?"
He seemed slightly taken aback. "What do you mean?"
Yasha tried to smother her grin, and looked archly back at him. "Is that how you apologize to a woman?"
A hint of a smirk played along his mouth until finally he bowed to her. "Of course you are correct, my lady. I humbly beg for the chance to rescind my words. Could you ever see your way to forgiving me?"
Embarrassed at his dramatic gesture, she smiled and shook her head at herself. "Thank you. Yes."
"I am glad," he smiled.
"So I'm not so bad for a paladin?"
Valen considered, his eyes blue flashing with amusement. "Well, you can be somewhat aggravating at times," he admitted wryly.
Yasha laughed. "I get told that often, I'm afraid. I'll try very hard not to aggravate you too much." Yasha considered, pursing her lips. Then she pushed herself off of the wall. "Which leads me to the reason I was seeking you out."
"Oh?" he asked, his smile fading. "What did you wish to discuss?"
"Don't look so concerned. I was actually planning on apologizing to you for losing my temper. I would add a curtsy," she added, waving at her robe and making a wry face, "but I'm not dressed for it."
His smile returned. "That would not be necessary in any case."
"But you'll accept my apology?"
"Of course."
"Good. And you are still willing to accompany me on this quest?" At his puzzled look, she added, "I saw your hesitation when I brought it up during our meeting with the Seer."
He raised an eyebrow. "Ah. That was not based on any hesitation about traveling with you. I was...just concerned for the Seer's safety, and at putting so much of our resources in one pursuit."
Yasha grunted, frowning down at her feet again. "I suppose that does make sense."
"I will, of course, join you if you wish. It has been good to fight at your side so far on this journey. I begin to believe that perhaps we really will win against the Valsharess."
Valen's voice was full of sincerity, which did an amazing job of soothing the ruffled feelings Yasha had. She even felt her face begin to flush at the praise before he continued, his tone becoming more concerned.
"I feel I must warn you, however... she may not even be our true opponent. If she holds an archdevil captive, as her servants have claimed, he may indeed be far more powerful than she."
Yasha chewed on this idea for a moment. "What do you know about him?"
"Little. My old master, however, was a dread Balor known as Grimash't, one of the most powerful of all tanar'ri. Yet an archdevil such as the one the Valsharess holds would laugh at his abilities. I say this because he may be the primary reason that the Valsharess possesses the power she does. If we could find out how she controls him, and perhaps break that control... then we might have a chance."
They were both silent for a time, and Yasha rubbed her chin as she absorbed the impact of his words. "Or we might let a worse evil loose," she added thoughtfully.
"But perhaps it is pointless to speak of this now until we learn more," he finally said. "We should both get our rest, so we might get an early start tomorrow."
"Yes," she agreed, squaring her shoulders. She laid her hand on his forearm as he turned to leave. "Thank you, Valen, and good night."
Startled, he froze and looked down at her hand. Then blinked up at her again with a cautious smile. "Good night, my lady."
She sagged with relief as she closed the door. She felt a tad guilty. His apology had spared her the choice between her pride and what she knew was right. But over-all, she was glad to get the simmering anger out of her system. It was with great relief that she settled in to sleep, and prepare herself for the challenges ahead. She, also, suddenly felt hope that they would prevail.