Chapter 4
"My Lady Ashenni, we have learned that there are our guests are at the Hall of Angels," Lieutenant Bolovar said with a smirk.
Ashenni smiled and grabbed her dagger. Her attempt to scry on the men who had killed her men had failed, but Bolovar had successfully tracked their footprints. "Grab the men. We attack immediately." Bolovar bowed his head and walked away from Ashenni. The Zhentarim wizard would avenge the deaths of her men.
Jarlaxle had found Entreri standing at the staircase, holding his Jeweled Dagger, The drow mercenary held the golden mirror in his left hand, and three miniature statues of elven singers in the right hand. The painting Ileznara asked for was in his portal hole. "I take it you've disposed of our little friend."
Entreri shot a glare in the drow's direction. "He is in the auditorium trying to come up with a song for his woman."
"That sounds very romantic," Jarlaxle said quietly. "While you were listening to the halfling's singing, I grabbed the items we came here to get. They were pretty easy to find. It seems that we can leave now, though I did want to explore this concert hall some more." Jarlaxle walked to the door and opened it.
From the stairs, the assassin watched as the drow peeked outside, then quickly shut the door. A second later, several thumping noises came from the other side of the wooden door. "Looks like we have company. About fifthteen Zhentarim soldiers and a beautiful elven woman are right outside the door. The bard must have something to do with this."
Entreri's thoughts immediately went to Bowie. Could he have known the Zhentarim were coming. The halfling did say that he had ties to a strong organization.
"Did you say that the Zhentarim were coming this way?" Bowie asked as he appeared at the top of the stairs.
Entreri's dagger was in hand as he turned to the halfling. "They are. Would you happen to know anything about that?"
The halfling shrugged his shoulders. "Its possible they could have followed our tracks. Are you suggesting that I gave the Zhents our location?"
"You did say that you were tied in with a powerful organization," Entreri said in a low voice.
Bowie sighed. "I'm a Harper."
Even worse, thought Entreri as he stood in front of Bowie. The assassin knew of the semi-secret organization that fought evil across the land of Fauern. He had come across many Harpers; both alive and dead in his days in Calimport. Then he remembered the incident years ago when a group of Harpers defeated the Night Parade.
"A Harper," Jarlaxle mused.
"Yes a Harper," Bowie repeated. "Now, you said that there were fifthteen Zhents, and a beautiful elven woman. Did she have flaxen colored hair and wear black silk robes?"
Jarlaxle nodded. "She did. Why, is she a friend of yours?" the drow asked with a smile.
Bowie crossed his arms. He knew of one elf woman in the Zhentarim Organization. "Ashenni. She is the consort of Semmemon, a wizard and ruler of the Zhent fortress called Darkhold. She is a wizard of mediocre power."
Entreri looked from Bowie to Jarlaxle. "Still it would not be an easy fight. Sixteen against the three of us."
Jarlaxle was about to say something until Bowie made a coughing noise. Both drow and assassin looked at the halfling, who reached into his shirt and pulled out a bronze amulet. Embedded in the center of the amulet was a small black stone. The bard looked at the Entreri and Jarlaxle and asked," Have either of you two heard of Sylune Silver hand?"
"Isn't she suppose to be dead?" Jarlaxle asked, raising an eyebrow.
Bowie smiled. "Well...
Outside of the Hall of Angels, Ashenni and her band of Zhentarim soldiers stood guard, ready to attack. Having already sent a warning shot comprised of arrows and darts when the drow poked his head outside of the door, Ashenni knew it would only be a matter of time, before the drow and his other two companions came out and faced her men.
Just as Ashenni finished her thought, the wooden door opened slowly. Ashenni and her men expected the three to emerge from inside. Instead a specter of a beautiful woman in tattered robes and long hair appeared outside of the door. She slowly floated past the columns and the statues.
It took only a moment for Ashenni to recognize the ghost as Sylune Silver hand, one of the Seven Sisters. Before she could call to her men to stand back, Ashenni watched as silver fire shot from Sylune's fingertips, scorching the flesh of five of her Zhent soldiers.
Bowie, Jarlaxle, and Entreri ran from the open doorway. The bard and the assassin quickly stepped to where Sylune had blasted the five Zhentarim soldiers. Jarlaxle drew two daggers from his bracer and sent them flying through the air. Both daggers quickly found their way into a Zhent soldier's neck.
Two Zhentarim quickly charged the drow, singing their long swords at his body. Jarlaxle felt one of the blade rip through his left pant leg, barely breaking through his skin. Jarlaxle drew a rapier from his bracer (something that caught the two Zhents off guard) then stabbed one of the Zhents in the neck. The drow mercenary quickly dodged the other Zhentarim's attack. He made a hard stab in the Zhentarim soldier's heart.
Sylune continued her spell casting, throwing a barrage of magic missiles at two frightened Zhentarim. After Sylune had killed the two frightened Zhent soldiers, Ashenni stepped up to the ghost and threw a magic missile of her own. Sylune battled the elf's missile with her transparent arm, then grinned.
Entreri stepped up to two Zhentarim, one bald and the other blond haired. He made a quick slash with Charon's Claw across the face of the blond Zhent solider, then stabbed his Jeweled Dagger into the wounded Zhent's throat. The bald Zhen made a quick stab with his long sword. The assassin parried the Zhent's blade with his red glowing sword, then drove the tip of his dagger into the bald Zhentarim's gullet. Entreri felt the dagger absorb the soldier's life force.
Another Zhentarim charged the assassin. In one quick movement, Entreri withdrew his dagger from the lifeless Zhent, then sidestepped the other Zhent's charge. He slashed the Zhentarim soldier across the back with Charon's Claw.
Bowie moved towards a pair of dark haired Zhentarim soldiers. He began singing a Harper ballad, channeling his music and bardic ability to inspire courage to Jarlaxle, Entreri, and Sylune. One of the Zhents made a swing with his long sword at the halfling's shoulder. Bowie swiped Vithril across the dark haired soldier's neck.
The other dark haired Zhent bashed his morningstar across Bowie's shoulder. The bard felt the pain in his shoulder from the Zhent's attack. He growled and slashed a vertical cut down the dark haired Zhentarim's face. The Zhent began to move and shuffle uncontrollably. Bowie made one more cut and ended the dark haired Zhent's life.
Lieutenant Bolovar stepped up to the halfling, making a fierce swing with his black hilted long sword. Bowie ducked Bolovar's swing, then made a low cut across the Zhentarim lieutenant's kneecap, then another cut across his forearm.
Bolovar's knee and arm bled slowly. Ignoring the pain in his arm and knee, he stepped back and made a thrust with his weapon at the halfling's face. Bowie deflected the Zhent's blade and stepped right. He slashed Vithril hard across Bolovar's right hip. The lieutenant was ready to turn and slice off the halfling's head, but then his feet began to dance.
Darkness filled the area as Bolovar's feet began to stomp and move in a fast motion. Not being able to see, Bowie stabbed his short sword forward a couple of times. He heard the lieutenant gasp for air as Vithril penetrated his throat.
Bowie stepped back as he heard Lieutenant Bolovar's body dead body fall to the ground. The halfling expected to see Entreri standing behind him. He had remembered the assassin's long sword produce a cloud of black ash that blinded the harpies. When the halfling left the darkness, he saw Jarlaxle standing there. "Thank you, but where is Artemis?" he asked.
Jarlaxle pointed over to where Ashenni and Sylune were throwing their spells at one another. It took Bowie a minute to notice Entreri creeping up behind Ashenni.
Ashenni shot a ray of energy at Sylune. Sylune Silverhand laughed as the energy hit her, then she vanished in front of the elf's eyes.
The elf wizard scanned the area. She saw that all of her men were now dead. Then she saw the halfling and the drow, but the human who had come out there with them was nowhere to be found. She then felt a pinch in the small of her back. Ashenni began to feel the life fore being extracted from her body.
She turned to see the human standing behind her. Entreri's eyes stared into hers as a trail of black ash poured from Charon's Claw. The assassin swung his blade, covering the air in black ash.
Ashenni was blinded. She tried to step back, but then she felt the human's long sword rip through her robes. Blood seeped out from the midsection of her body, and she fell to her knee and began chanting a spell.
Entreri was ready to go for the kill, but he stepped back as a white light surrounded the elf. Ashenni vanished from the Lina Marde, leaving Entreri standing there with his weapons ready. The assassin placed his sword and his dagger back in their sheaths. He was content of letting the elf get away, so long as Charon's Claw had done its damage.
Jarlaxle smiled. "Looks like you've made another enemy."
Bowie shook his head. "Assuming Semmemon or Ashenni decide to actually take revenge. The Zhentarim maybe ruthless in battle, but they're always fighting amongst themselves to actually carry out any threats of plots of revenge."
Entreri didn't look back. He glanced at the halfling and the drow, then began walking back towards the entrance to the ruins. He was ready to leave the Lina Marde.