Chapter 6
Through the scrying pool, the vampire Gilles Ranghoul watched as the Wolves were defeated by the citizens of Jalanthar. Never in his undead life, had the Wolves been defeated in such a fashion.
Gilles appeared as a handsome middle aged pale skinned human with long greasy black hair and light green eyes. He wore an expensive well tailored robe decorated with jewels.
"Darling, how are the Wolves fairing?" asked a quiet voice. Standing at the doorway was Gilles' bride Lillandra. She had long white hair, and ebony skin. In her previous life she was a princess to a noble house in the city of Ches Nasad. One night Gilles had come to her, seduced her, and made her his bride. The night Gilles had come to her, Lillandra considered to be the greatest night in her existence.
"They have been defeated, badly," Gilles reported in a calm voice. Lillandra sighed and placed her arm in his. "Do not worry darling, the children we took from the Menzoberranzen will suffice us."
"There is more Lilli," he said as he gently took her hand," I fear that the one who helped defeat the Wolves will come here.
Lillandra's eyes widened in excitement and she smiled. "Well then, we must prepare for our guest."
Shadimir, Deidra, and Ophila rode out of Jalanthar shortly before the battle was over. The undead hunter was certain that the Wolves were finished. He wouldn't mind giving Dove Falconhand a kiss if she won the bet and he would be glad if the children were safe. What we didn't like was leaving Elros behind, but both he and the snow tiger knew that the best way to heal from a wound is rest.
"You just don't like the hero treatment," Deidra had commented as they rode into the Nether Mountains.
"Not really," Shadimir answered as he stopped and dismounted from his horse. The silver haired hunter quickly moved forward, scouting the area. Deidra stepped from her mount, which was actually Ophila in her animal form. The druidess shifted back to her elven form and drew her maul.
They continued to move forward until they saw a large stone fortress. Shadimir took a deep breath and stepped forward. On his way to the mountains, he came up with the idea that the person who sent the Wolves was a vampire.
Shadimir reached into his pocket, drawing a small bag of holding which contained tools of fighting vampires and other undead.
Ophila and Deidra looked at each other, then followed the undead hunter.
Shadimir and his companions entered the fortress without making a sound. They walked through the hallways without finding any sign of life.
Maybe I should have brought Aliyah, Shadimir said in his head, her eye could have detected any secret doors, or anyone lurking in the shadows about to ambush us.
They walked into a large room filled with books, maps, and paintings all over the walls. On the floor was a large red carpet and propped up against one of the walls was a mirror.
"This room looks empty," Shadimir remarked with a sigh.
"On the contrary," a voice answered by the mirror. He appeared to be a pale skinned man wearing well tailored robes.
Shadimir drew his weapons. "Are you the one who sent the Wolves into Jalanthar to take their children?"
The man in robes smiled at Shadimir and walked by the mirror. The undead hunter and his companions noticed the man cast no reflection. "I am Gilles Ranghoul and yes I sent the Wolves into Jalanthar to take their children. It is something that I've been doing for many years."
Gilles walked closely to Shadimir, looking him over. "For hundreds of years, I've sent my Wolves into small towns, both on the surface and in the Underdark taking children. My bride and I use some of them as means for food. We mostly sell them to over vampires in the world."
Shadimir's eyes widened in anger. "You mean that you kidnap innocent small town children from their homes and sell them like cattle?"
"Not just small towns," Gilles responded with glee in his voice. "Just last week, I sent the Wolves into Menzoberranzen and took forty children. There are only seven children left. Would you like to buy one?"
"You're existence offends me," Shadimir remarked coldly.
Your very existence offends me, the drow's voice screamed in his mind, Look into my face hunter, for I will be the one who takes your soul to the goddess.
Shadimir shook his head, remembering the nightmare.
Deidra drew both of her daggers while Ophila drew her maul, but after pushing the images from his dreams aside, Shadimir held up his hand. "I'm afraid I'm not interested Gilles," the hunter said in a cool voice," I'm taking the children back to their homes." The halfling noticed the small grey pellet in Shadimir's hand. She learned over to Ophila and whispered for her to cover her eyes.
Gilles sneered and circled Shadimir. "And how exactly do you plan to do that?"
"Simple," Shadimir answered, then closed his eyes as he threw the grey pellet on the ground, and a bright blue light filled the room, blinding Gilles.
The vampire screamed as the light burned his eyes. Shadimir stepped forward stabbing Gilles deeply in his side. Gilles slashed his claws around, but they missed the hunter.
Shadimir stabbed Gilles again, the holy energy of Gabriel burning through the vampire's body.
Blood slowly seeped from the vampire's lips as he stepped away from Shadimir. The wounds he had gotten from the undead hunter's sword burned the surface of his flesh.
Deidra reached into her glove of storing that lay on her belt. She pulled out two silver stakes and handed one to Shadimir. Shadimir whispered a prayer to Kelemvor to deliver this man's soul.
Gilles screamed as both Shadimir and Deidra stabbed their stakes, Deidra's hitting the heart while Shadimir's hit the throat. Then the body of Gilles Ranghoul fell lifeless to the floor.
Deidra sighed then looked at Ophila, who watched as Shadimir sheath Gabriel and whisper a prayer of forgiveness.
Ophila walked over to Shadimir, and placed a hand on his shoulder.
The halfling looked forward, seeing a large crack behind the mirror. "I think I found something."
Together, all three of them moved the mirror, revealing a stone door. Shadimir pressed in the middle and it slid open.
Behind the door, seven drow children, one male and six female.
"Shadimir, remember the drow that attacked us three days," Deidra said softly. "Maybe they were looking for their children."
The seven children looked up at Shadimir. Some of them muttered words in their language. His undercommon was a little off, but the hunter guessed that they were insulting him, Deidra, and especially Ophila. One of dark elf girls though did say that his hair was pretty.
All the drow children except for the boy walked out of the room. He seemed to be just sitting there and staring forward. He had a black piece of cloth over his eyes.
"Is someone there?" he asked. Shadimir, Deidra, and Ophila looked at each other.
"Yes, we're here to take you home," replied Shadimir.
The little dark elf boy sighed as he stood up. He walked slowly, following the direction of the voice. Shadimir walked inside taking the boy's hand. He noticed that the cloth over his eyes was dirty and full of holes.
"You'll have to forgive me, I'm blind," the drow boy said in a soft voice.
Shadimir reached into his pocket, bringing out some goggles Jepetto had given him. He removed the cloth and placed the goggles over the boy's eyes. "There's nothing to forgive. Being blind is not your fault. The gods make us who we are."
The drow boy smiled and held onto Shadimir's hand as they left the castle, not realizing that Gilles' bride was still out there in the world.
Far from the stone fortress, Lillandra cried as she felt Gilles' soul leave this world.
She remembered their last moments together. "We must prepare for our guests," she had said.
"My love you can not stay," Gilles had told her. "I'm afraid that I will not make it past this night. You must go on."
Gilles had given his bride a cloak and a dagger, then watched in sadness as she walked away. Lillandra had heard him apologize to her, for making her leave, and for making her a vampire.
Lillandra held on to the dagger Gilles had given her. She would find whoever killed her husband and make them suffer.