Insert head.
Insert wall.
Bang head against wall.
I'm really sorry about not updating people. I could go on about the trials and tribulations of school (which I'm sure several authors will agree with me on) which have delayed my updating, but I won't. In all honesty, I had a wicked bad case of writers block, and after the badly done previous chapter I just lost it. Yes, yes, I know it's been two months. No, I'm not abandoning the story. I'll try to write as often as I can, but just seeing draws me to read other stories…… and I get distracted too easily.
I would like to thank SandraSmit19 for making me feel guilty enough to realize I had to get my butt in gear. I had been waffling for a while, but thanks for putting me on track. I need a good smack to the head every once and a while….
And apd69, thanks for the compliment. I love New Jersey. I am a stout New Jerseyer. My best friend is from Virginia and she and I have "yank vs. southern belle" fights all the time. Good stuff.
Now, for all you flamers lurking in the shadows: I will admit my own mistakes. I most likely have the time of travel for this chapter completely wrong (you'll see what I mean when you get there). I am not a Faerunian (?) scholar, and for all intensive purposes, I didn't want to worry too much about the time length it took to travel from here to there. That would have just enflamed my already bad case of writer's block. So deal with it. Though if anyone has any HELPFUL criticism about this, I will gladly take it. Again, I always welcome anyone who KINDLY points out any mistakes I have made.
Disclaimer: Me no own. Me barely own plot bunnies. They spend all my money on liquor….
Sarevok and Raziel traveled for many days; first by foot, then by horse. Kelsey's diversion had given them sometime. Needed time, apparently, as it took quiet a while to get to their destination,. To Sarevok's surprise, Raziel seemed weakened by something, though she evaded his attempts to discover the cause.
Finally, on the dull, rather uninspiring dawn of their third week of travel, the two reached a looming castle which both recognized easily.
"What a surprise," grumbled Sarevok. "All my troubles seem to originate and end here."
"Well, what were you expecting?" Raziel said, rather tartly. She had not slept well during their troubles and her attitude reflected it.
"I don't know," Sarevok replied. "With your tendencies, I was almost expecting a trip to a shrine to the Spider Queen in the Underdark."
"Thanks for your trust."
"You're welcome."
Candlekeep.
Raziel had not been here since she started her mini reign of terror almost a year ago, for fear of someone following her trail back. But now she was desperate. Old attachments had been re-awoken, and she was unsure that she was ready to die anymore. In her fear and times of trouble she had always turned to one person, a person who had once depended on her so deeply.
Elysia was the only person who could show her her path, no matter how painful it may be. The others had endangered themselves for her; she owed it to them to at least try to escape her rather dismal fate.
"Raziel?"
The elf realized she had zoned out, and Sarevok's rough (though was that concern at its edges?) voice brought her back to reality. However, she ignored her irritable companion and drifted wordlessly up the path to the door.
"Don't you think you're being a little foolish, elf?" said Sarevok, striding up beside her. "You're a known criminal. The monks here won't just let you in, even if you were friends with their former waifs. They won't even let you in! I don't want to find that we've come all this way just to be imprisoned, or worse."
She ignored him still, walking like a woman possessed, stopping only when she hit the edge of the drawbridge into Candlekeep's courtyard. The bridge was already lowered, surprisingly, and in the middle stood a young, thin, blonde-haired girl. She was staring straight forward at Raziel, though from the look of her milky white eyes, she couldn't see the former ranger at all.
"What in….." Sarevok stated, as the girl stepped forward without any hesitation, and wrapped Raziel in a hug.
"Welcome back, Li-li," said the girl, her voices musically soft. It sounder like an older version of a voice he had heard before….
To Sarevok's immense surprise, Raziel did not push the girl away. Instead, she hugged her back with just as much ferocity.
"Glad to be back," said Raziel, smiling. "I've missed you, Elysia."
Elysia pulled back and placed her hands over the elf's face. She ran her thin fingers over Raziel's skin, a frown appearing on her lips as she felt the elf's rough and strained flesh.
"You've been taxing yourself, Liae." She sighed, placing her hands at her side. "To be expected, I suppose, being what you've been doing. Told you this misguided revenge would come back to haunt you."
Raziel sighed. "And, as I'm sure you've Seen, I've made a royal mess of everything."
Elysia rolled her sightless eyes, smiling again. "I'm glad you're at least admitting it and have gotten rid of that morbid attitude of yours. But we'll speak of that later, Liaedra. First, let's get you inside. I'm sure you are tired, and I'm guessing Sarevok is as well." She turned her pale eyes on the former Bhaalspawn. Sarevok, in turn, turned a questioning glance to Raziel. The elf smiled.
"I told you she was a seer, didn't I? But we better listen to her. She gets cranky when she's not obeyed. C'mon," she said, grabbing him by the arm and almost dragging him into the courtyard. Her weariness seemed to have melted away. Sarevok realized her slowness during their journey must have been a reluctance to see the reaction of her young charge. She had feared to see Elysia because she feared the young girl's disapproval.
She smirked slightly. Seems the elf hadn't becomed as heartless as she claimed.
"Are you sure the monks won't mind?" the warrior growled, placing his grimacing façade over his slight amusement. "You are a wanted criminal, and I am sure they still carry somewhat of a grudge towards me."
Elysia, who had been walking with an ease not common to one so sightless, turned directly towards him and smiled. "Don't worry," said the young girl, giggling slightly. "They don't ever need to know!"
"YOU!"
Anomen looked up as his door was violently thrown open, revealing a rather pissed off pink-haired girl. An equally upset druid came through the broken door to his office next, followed but a sheepish, but still angry mage.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Anomen! We told you we'd get Raziel in good time! You'd didn't have to send another team!" said Imoen, anger rolling off of her in waves.
The knight fought down his anger at the outburst of his former companions, scowling at what he considered a good example of bad breeding.
"I merely believed a fugitive such as Raziel would be better kept under the supervision of some of my veteran warriors," he said, as calmly as he could manage.
"You told them to get her dead or live, you prat!" shouted Imoen. "Don't you care at all about her?"
"She's a wanted criminal, girl. An arsonist. A murderer. Why should I protect her?"
"She's not a murderer," said Jaheira calmly. "Save for the enemies she slew in our journeys, she has never harmed another human being. You know this, priest."
Anomen snorted, as if dismissing the notion as preposterous. "There have been out-of-the-ordinary killings of Tarquinn's priests for the past few years. How do we know that was not her also?"
"It wasn't, Anomen," said Kelsey, laying a hand on his now murderous looking lover's shoulder. "We were shown her past by Amauna, and all she ever did was destroy temples."
"Amauna?" asked Anomen, confused and disbelieving. Jaheira explained the situation in brief to him, leaving out much of their experiences of Raziel's memories.
When she finished, Anomen simply laughed. "A likely story," he said. "Tell me, how much has Raziel promised you in order to free her?"
Jaheira's eyes narrowed dangerously. "How dare you insinuate such a thing, Anomen. You should know would never accept a bribe from the wrongdoer. We are a force of good. You should remember that from all the times we helped you with your little problems."
Anomen snared at the reference to the near past, when only Liaedra's intervention had kept him from killing the family of his rival, Saerk. He had believed the elf had loved him after that incident, having never noticed her love for the leader of the group, that twice-accursed Bhaalspawn. It took him long enough to gain the courage t tell her his feelings, and by that time he had assured herself that she would return his feelings.
She had turned him down nicely, almost… embarrassed about the while situation. Raziel had calmly explained that, while she valued Anomen as a friend, she was wholeheartedly in love with Tarquinn.
Anomen had been angry, and rightly so, in his mind. He had just been turned down in favor of a half-rate penniless Bhaalspawn. In anger he had left the group. No one but Jaheira knew the true reason.
All these feelings bubbled to the surface as he faced Jaheira, Imoen, and Kelsey. How dare they side with that…. that woman! She was a lawbreaker, and more than that, a fool and a harpy. He was in the right here; he had a job to do. And he would accomplish it in any way possible.
He stood up, glaring at them. "Be quiet, you insufferable druid. Raziel is a criminal. She burns temples, and kills innocents!"
"No she doesn't!" shouted Imoen, wild and angry.
"Be quiet!" shouted Anomen. "She is a criminal and it is my duty to deal with her!"
At the sound of shouting, the guards ever posted outside Anomen's door came in, swords drawn. They looked immediately to their leader.
"These people are trying to stop justice. Look them up," he said, waving his hand. The others looked at him incredously.
The two guards did not hesitate. They quickly grabbed onto Kelsey and Jaheira, the two closest to them. Kelsey attempted to get a spell started, but a few other knights had already reached the room by that time, and hit the mage on the back of the head to knock him out. Imoen and Jaheira had their hands tied; without them, they could cast no spells.
"Strip them of their weapons and take them away," said Anomen, sneering. He had won this time. "Make sure the lock is good so the thief can't get out, and have a mage keep a silence spell on the room at all times."
The guards led the three away, practically dragging an unconscious Kelsey. Imoen stared at her lover in worry, but Jaheira glared at Anomen.
"You will pay for this, knight. And if it is not I that met it out, Sarevok or Liaedra will come for us. You know this," she growled.
Anomen laughed. "Why would Sarevok come to help you? Besides, I'm counting on Raziel showing up."
He smiled as Jaheira was led away. Fools. As if they could get the better of him! Oh, Raziel would come to him. And he would catch the elf that had eluded him so many years ago.
(insert evil laughter here…. He he…. Too cliché)
"I fear, my lord, that we have been misled."
Sir Atherin glared at the companies' mage. They had recently come to the place where the mage had said the two objects were transported. Hoping to pick up the escapees' trail from here, they had instead found two large rocks, on top of some recently crushed bushes. Atherin and the mage had been quick to realize what has happened; that mage had tricked them. That meant the captives were probably far, far away, their trail long gone.
"What shall we do now, my lord?" asked done of the knights.
Atherin grimaced. He had failed; there was no possible way of finding the convicts now. There was only one thing he could do. As much as he dreaded having to do it.
"We shall return to Athkatla and report to Prelate Anomen," he said. The knights and mages nodded and began to pack up. There were thinly-veiled looks of apprehension on their face.
Atherin's was better hidden. He could only hope Anomen was in a forgiving mood….
Ha ha! Wasn't that bad, was it? Please? I really hate trying to get this plot to move towards the climax…. Which, I will tell you, is much better than all this stuff.
As for the next chappie…. I'll work on it, but it's concert season, so dress rehearsals are rearing their ugly head. I'll try one in the next few weeks. I'm going away for Christmas, and therefore shall have no internet access, meaning I'll get a looooooottttt of writing done. While you're waiting, why not read one of my lovely rewritten chapters? They really are a lot better, I promise….
Next chapter: Raziel gets some good advice, Jaheira muses on escape, Imoen worries about Kelsey, and Atherin and Anomen plan deviously! Yay!