Chapter Three – Stones of the Fortress
The pen felt good in Kanara's hand as she dragged it along the pages of her journal. Her writing was smooth and looped across the page in majestic cursive that twined her words together like long vines of darkest hue. She had been keeping a journal for almost as long as she could remember; though with each passing page that she bejeweled with ink, her passion and excitement for writing never lessened. For Kanara never thought of writing as writing. She thought of it as a great project, a towering mountain that she had to conquer, and every page was another step. Her journal was a chronicle of her own life so that she may never forget any aspect of herself. How could anyone lose a part of themselves if every piece was anchored permanently to a page?
It was strange; of all of the items she possessed, her journal was the most valuable to her, even over her armor and weapons. She had been so relieved when she had found her journal sitting upon a table back in Irenicus' dungeon in a strange peaceful room past the Dryads' grove. It had been lying open upon the desk; someone had quite obviously been reading it extensively, but she had been so pleased to see it that she hadn't cared in the least about anyone else shuffling through the pages. Only now did she finally wonder who had been scouring its contents.
She was sitting on the floor, her back against the wall of the Copper Coronet room that they had rented, and dipped her pen in the inkwell on the wooden boards next to her.
"Athkatla is indeed like no other city," she wrote. "Violence and crime seem to stalk at every turn, and even as I walk down a peaceful street I feel as though the very buildings I pass have eyes that track my frame. There is unrest here, an epic energy that overflows the coffers of vigor, and I feel almost as though there is not a single being within the walls that is unaware of my presence. It is quite unnerving, but there is little I can do to stop it. I have no choice to continue my path, wherever it may lead me… until I find Irenicus."
The elf stopped and rested her pen on her lap. She looked up at Aerie and Jaheira who were both stationed on the opposite side of the room, each on different beds. Jaheira was lounging on her mattress as much as her rigid posture would allow her, a scroll or some such in her hands. She looked to be trying to memorize what was written upon it, and was clearly enjoying the quiet of the evening. Aerie was simply sitting on her bed in silence, gazing at the far wall. Her eyes were dreamy and her face aloof in deep thought.
Minsc, Yoshimo, and Anomen were either in the next room over or still back in the bar on the ground floor of the tavern; Kanara wasn't positive which. She had fallen asleep for several hours earlier that afternoon shortly after she had admitted Anomen to her party, and had only recently awoken and begun another page of her diary. What the rest of her group had done with the time, she wasn't sure.
Something was disconcerting about their stay at this inn. It was too… quiet. Not in the auditory sense of the word, but rather the corporeal. Kanara could still hear the drunken laughs and yells of the tavern patrons downstairs, but an empty silence still seemed to envelope the entire tavern. It took her a moment to realize why.
Imoen was gone.
Kanara had been traveling with Imoen since she left Candlekeep, and a stay in an inn without her seemed strange and uncomfortable. If the girl had been there, she would have been talking the night away to the adoptive 'sister' that she had established in Kanara. There was a young charm in that girl, so juvenile, so ignorant and carefree… Kanara missed it horribly.
Much to her dismay, Kanara felt her eyes begin to burn with hot tears. She immediately blinked them away.
"Kanara?" Aerie called her attention from the other side of the room. Kanara looked up, hoping that her emotional display was no longer visible. "Is… is that a flute I see resting upon your pack?" Aerie asked, looking towards where Kanara had placed her back at the foot of her bed. Indeed, a narrow box coated with black leather leaned on the brown pack; its edges frayed and leather worn smooth.
Kanara nodded. "It is."
Aerie's eyes brightened. "D-do you play, Kanara?"
Kanara nodded again, a smile stretching across her mouth. "I do play, adroitly."
"Really?" Aerie asked, swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. "Would… would you mind playing me a song, Kanara?"
Kanara sat paralyzed for a moment. Imoen always used to ask her to play song after song on her flute for her back in Candlekeep and even when they traveled across the Sword Coast together, and Aerie's request numbly stabbed her heart. Aerie reminded her so much of Imoen… in so many ways. They both had that undeniable youthful charm and soft wistful look in their eyes…
The elf shook away her thoughts and painted the smile back onto her face. "Of course, Aerie," she said happily, leaning over and pulling the black leather case onto her lap.
Aerie grinned and watched in fascination as Kanara quickly produced her white-silver pearlescent flute from the narrow box, its crystalline surface shimmering in the candlelight. Kanara placed her fingers along the holes, lifted it to her mouth, and held it to her side in preparation to play. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, as if envisioning the notes as she readied herself to play them. And slowly, carefully, gingerly, delicately, she began to blow.
The first note glided from the instrument and soared through the air like a feather blowing in the breeze, so light and smooth and pure; it sounded like the voice of an angel calling in a melodic tone. Aerie visibly shifted at the moving sound, and her smile got even bigger as Kanara's song continued. She felt as though the notes themselves were not only being heard by her ears buy also touching her soul, caressing it and settling into her heart. The song was slow and legato, flowing like a harmonious river, and the combination of notes sent pleasant chills down Aerie's spine. Even Jaheira, who had not moved in hours, lifted her head and discreetly quavered at the noise, though she attempted to pretend that she had been unaffected by the song.
Kanara's music continued for another minute, and it seemed to completely drown out the uncouth sounds and bellows that could have previously been heard from the tavern. Aerie could now only hear one thing: the serene melodious song and was suddenly swathed in tranquility. She closed her eyes and listened to the unwavering tones, tapping her fingers on her leg to the graceful beat. When the song finally came to an end, both elves opened their eyes once again, and Kanara lowered her flute from her mouth with a generous grin on her face.
"Oh, Kanara, that was beautiful!" Aerie exclaimed, clapping her hands together.
"Thank you," Kanara said, bowing her head. She subconsciously glanced at Jaheira as if part of expected some sort of praise, but of course, the half-elf was once again intently studying her scroll, wordless, as she always would be.
"Where did you learn to play so marvelously?" Aerie asked.
"Some of it from books, some from the bards that passed through Candlekeep, and a little from the road," Kanara answered, resting her head against the wall. "Like puzzle pieces, all of these sources now fit together snugly and compose my skill."
The elf girl nodded thoughtfully. "I wish I could play an instrument like that… you play so wonderfully," she muttered languorously, her eyes fixed on the flute in Kanara's lap.
"Ah, but you have other talents, do you not? I could never heal a wound with a simple touch and some magic words as you do, no matter how hard I tried. That skill in itself is beautiful."
"It's k-kind of you to say so, but that's all I can do. And I can't even do it well, at that. My magic is imprecise and often difficult to control, whereas you can control your powers and talents effortlessly, as I have seen."
"Skill takes time and practice, Aerie," Kanara said. "I did not learn magic or music overnight. It took years of performing, and even now I can still refine my expertise. You have as much potential and opportunity as I do, did, and ever will."
Aerie gaped at her for a moment, her mouth slightly open. Her blue eyes glistened in the candlelight and she blinked several times, almost flabbergasted. "N-n…" she stammered, and then got a hold of her tongue, "No one has ever told me that before, Kanara."
Kanara tilted her head. "But 'tis true, young Aerie," she said, grinning once again. "And don't you ever believe otherwise."
Aerie looked as though she might have thought she was in a dream, and Kanara noticed that her eyes began to subtly sparkle with moisture. She thought for a long moment, and finally beamed. "Thank you, Kanara," she said slowly. "…Thank you."
The next morning was far quicker than the previous one, for Minsc was now better rested and several fierce pokes and prods from both Yoshimo and the eager Anomen helped arouse him from his slumber. The ranger managed to roll out of bed at a reasonably early hour, but of course, he was still the last one awake. He lumbered down the Copper Coronet's stairs only to find that the rest of the party was already awake and eating their breakfasts, but, as always, he gave no complaints about needing to hastily finish his meal.
Anomen eyed the ranger queerly as he fed his hamster scraps from his plate, though he wisely decided not to comment. It was not his place to criticize or gripe about the companions that Kanara surrounded herself with, for at the moment, he was at the bottom ranks in this group, being the newest member. However, from the way Kanara hardly regarded Minsc as he entered, he could tell that they were clearly not the best of friends and Anomen wondered if the demented man was perhaps only tolerated because of his obvious physical capabilities. If that was the case, the unaware Minsc undoubtedly had no inkling of it.
"So, where are we off to today, my Lady?" Anomen asked Kanara as Minsc devoured the last morsels of his breakfast.
"Eager to get onto the road, are you Anomen?" Kanara asked with an amused grin.
"Ah, my Lady, I have been dreaming about this day for years! Yes, I have traveled some in the past, but never the unscripted adventures that I'm sure I'll experience with you and your company. Of course I am eager to begin."
"Very well then, Anomen, if you wish the surprise to be spoiled, I've decided to head off to Bridge District today," Kanara said. "I've heard there is a renown playhouse there, and perhaps we will be able to find some work."
Anomen rubbed his hands together enthusiastically. "Lead on then, my Lady!"
She smiled. His fervor was encouraging.
Anomen watched the elf intently as she turned away and walked to opposite side of bar, her waves of golden hair shimmering in the early sunlight. He had only recently actually realized the beauty she held; he had been blind to it the previous day because he had been so nervous about being accepted to her group, or perhaps he simply did not wish to see. He would never be able to become a paladin of the Order if he was associated with a female in such a way, so he had tried his best to simply ignore the lure of women, though Kanara's attraction was difficult to brush under the rug.
His eyes traced her slim figure keenly and he silently admired her delicately chiseled features as she talked to Jaheira and Yoshimo, feeling his heart skip a beat. He wondered if she had felt any of the same feelings when she looked at him.
Minsc pushed his empty plate forward several inches and patted his belly in satisfaction. "Minsc and Boo's stomachs are full now, and we anticipate the butt-kicking of evil today! Come, we must waste no more time in this gutter of foulness. Evil awaits our boot-print!"
"Yes, yes," Kanara muttered, trying to get the ranger to settle down. "It is time to leave this place. And fret not, Minsc, I'm sure you will get your fair share of evil-smiting of that is what you desire so," she continued, though she did have considerable doubts about how much evil might be plaguing the Bridge District's playhouse. However, in this city, anything was possible. Minsc's wishes may come true.
The group said their goodbyes to the bartender, Bernard, and filed out the tavern's doors one by one into the suffocation of the Slums. Aerie was smiling as she walked; she was obviously quite happy to get out of that bar and back into the sunshine, however smothering the environment of the Slums was. Minsc seemed happy as well, and as they walked down the empty street, his eyes vigilantly darted from one alleyway to the next as though he expected to find his highly anticipated evil crouching in the shadows awaiting his arrival. Of course, no such evil was so easily uncovered.
The city still seemed to be asleep at such an hour of the morning. The streets were mostly deserted and only a select few of the shopkeepers were manning their posts at their stores. Everything was much quieter than normal, and as Kanara's group quickly made their way to the Bridge District, even the seagulls that patrolled the skies overhead seemed muted.
The air around them changed from smoggy to crisp with salty ocean spray while they traveled into the Bridge District that overlooked the sea. With no interruptions, the group had been able to arrive at their destination in fifteen minutes' time. Kanara looked over the edge of the gargantuan bridge that connected the two halves of Athkatla into the blue-green depths of the ocean and was reminded of the seaside Candlekeep of her childhood. She would often climb onto the roofs of Candlekeep's houses and watch the glistening sea for hours on end as she practiced her flute or wrote in her diary; the enormity of the body of water was so mesmerizing and it helped her focus.
She gazed longingly at the ocean for one more moment before their group entered the building called the Five Flagons Inn. This inn immediately seemed far more tasteful and elegant than the Copper Coronet had, for its floors were mopped and carpets clean. Paintings and decorative rugs and other exotic furnishing were hung on the walls, and vases and pots of all sort of foreign origin festooned the tables and counters. The inn was not as deserted as Kanara would have expected so early in the morning. Dozens of people of merchant nature, sailors, and commoners alike were scattered through the entry room sipping on some sort of drink and having sophisticated conversations with each other – unlike the patrons of the Copper Coronet. The people here were intelligent.
Kanara liked this inn. It was this kind of tavern that she favored most of all, for she needn't look far to find someone willing to share a story of adventure to a willing ear without falling asleep from the liquor halfway through the tale. She felt very much at ease here.
She spied a cheerful halfling man dressed in bright clothing behind the serving counter and approached him with a smile of her own. He regarded them gladly.
"Hello, me good smiling friends! My name be Samuel Thunderburp," the halfling greeted proudly, his round face lifting in a toothy grin. "More customers, I see! A busy morn we been having this day. But you and your fellows do not look like the average street prattle, says I! What brings you and your adventuring kin to the Five Flagons Inn? I don't suppose you're here for the play, hmm?"
"Actually, I've been told that I might find some work here," Kanara answered.
Samuel creased his brow in deep thought as he filled another glass to the brim with some sort of deep purple liquid, scouring his memory. After a moment his face brightened again as if he had made a mental connection. "Aha! That task. Nasty business, that. Yes, I suppose a group like you who prance on in here to this inn dressed like you're ready to fight your own shadows wouldn't be here for the entertainments."
Kanara looked at him inquisitively, for she still wasn't quite sure what "that task" actually was. However, if she seemed suitable for "that task," she wasn't going to pass it up if it would pay well.
"You should go speak to Raelis Shai," the halfling continued. "She be downstairs backstage. There's a play going on down there at the moment, but you're welcome to stay and watch it if you likes."
"Thanks, I'll do that," Kanara said, motioning for her group to head towards the descending staircase on the far left of the building. Samuel bowed his head and returned the task of minding that bar and cleaning the dirty mugs in front of him.
The stairs creaked as the party trod down the wooden steps into the theater floor, where they were promptly reprimanded for their loud entrance with a harsh "Shh!" from the ticket receptionist. Kanara looked to the well-lit stage beyond and saw that there certainly was a play in the middle of enactment, and from what she could tell, they were entering during one of the climax scenes of the performance. Kanara gave an apologetic look towards the receptionist and quietly placed several gold coins upon the coordinator's desk to pay for her party's seats. She then walked into the audience chamber and took a seat on one of the benches on the back row so not to disturb any other viewers, and the rest of her group followed her example.
The stage before them was rather cluttered with props and furnishings, and the items scattered around its edges could easily make the stage be used for nearly any kind of scene imaginable. The audience was full and seemed immersed in the scene and didn't take much notice to Kanara's entrance. There were two actors currently standing on the platform, a large harp separating them, and as they spoke, their words were full of emotion.
"…It seems your dear love has abandoned thee, sweet Lunisia," said a short and rather stout actor upon the stage. Kanara squinted to focus her eyes on these actors; they were of no race she immediately recognized. One of them had hair of vibrant red and the other a striking blue, and their faces were carved finely and precisely. The stout actor's voice was soft and hopeful as he spoke, "You have only one option left… turnest thou to me, and let us be wed at last!"
"No Kirinaldo, I cannot," said the second actor, a young willowy lass whose eyes sparkled with tears in the torchlight. "Oh, Rodrigo, Rodrigo! My fair love! Where hast thou gone?"
Then a third actor came upon the stage, though Kanara noted that his entrance was hesitant and shaky. This actor was a human dressed in blue, and his face was creased with nervousness and fear of the limelight. As he called out his lines, his voice was unsteady. "Here I am!" he said hesitantly. "Eh, here I am, my, eh… sweetums?"
The sinuous girl gazed at him for a moment, her discomfort with the human actor obvious. "…Yes! Rodrigo, it is thee at long last! But where have –"
"I've been… uh… across the sea, my fair, um… my fair one. Yes, across the sea and uh…" the human interrupted, his lines escaping his memory.
There was a hushed disturbance that traveled through the crowd at this man's entrance, and by the sound of their voices, Kanara could tell that they were not happy. She looked around, trying to focus on one of the many whispers through the audience. "Say… that's not the actor they had last time!" she heard one nobleman say in the row on front of them. There were several other broken exchanges, though Kanara had a hard time hearing them. She slowly looked back to the actors on the stage. They had momentarily paused.
The girl playing the character Lunisia cleared her throat. "…And perhaps on the new lands, my lord?"
The human's face brightened. "Yes, that's it! On the new lands. Yes, um…"
Kanara spared a glance at the faces of her party members. Aerie looked slightly puzzled, though Minsc appeared as though he could not detect any problems with the play in the slightest for he was smiling and making sure that Boo the hamster had a good view of the stage.
"Where's the actor that they had last time?" several other audience members mumbled, clearly annoyed. "This is terrible! Awful!"
Kirinaldo coughed loudly to get the audience's attention and began speaking in an exaggerated tone, far more thunderous than was necessary. "But… is it Rodrigo? No! No! How can this be?"
There was a long moment of silence from the stage. None of the performers moved as though each thought that the other had a line to say, and finally, the inexperienced human actor noticed that the rest of the cast was looking straight at him and realized that he had a line. He gave a small jump of surprise before speaking. "Oh! Well you should be so um… confused?" He gave a doubtful look towards Lunisia, muttered something, and nodded as she murmured her reply. "Baffled!" he cried suddenly. "Yes, well you should look so baffled my lord Kirinaldo! 'Twas you who… who…"
Kanara subconsciously averted her eyes to the ground in front of her, shameful for the human's disgraceful recital. She had no idea why the rest of the actors, who seemed far more seasoned in the art of the thespian than he, would tolerate such a weak link in their chain. His skill was clearly not up to par with theirs. Why they were dirtying their own image by muttering his lines to him as he failed to remember them by himself, she had no idea.
She glanced at Anomen. He had his arms crossed sourly and a frown on his face. "And we paid to see this shoddy performance?" she heard him mutter.
The human actor was still mumbling his broken lines on the stage, and his face now red as a ripe tomato. Lunisia muttered something else to him, but he didn't seem to hear her words and was left stranded.
Kirinaldo stepped in with a sigh. "Yes, you are correct Rodrigo," he said sadly. "'Twas I who arranged for thy trip across the great ocean! 'Twas, eh… truly fiendish of me! But tell me… how did you ever come to return so quickly?"
Kanara was now completely lost in the story line, if there even was one. She frowned, now getting irritated as well at the slapdash presentation. The human stood paralyzed once again, another line dropped from his memory. "Um… I forget…" he muttered. "I'm just the understudy…"
The audience began to boo and jeer. Kanara felt pity for the man, although a part of her wished to heckle the troupe right along with them; the play had been so terrible. She leaned back and covered her eyes with her hand as the chorus of chants became louder and louder.
The actors knew when their audience was lost. They quickly retreated off the stage through the back stage doors before the crowd could become too displeased, their faces ripe with disappointment and shame.
"Kanara," Yoshimo said over the taunts. "Are you quite sure you want be working for such a haphazard troupe? I'm sure we could gain much more… respect… finding work for a more… structured organization elsewhere in the city."
The bard opened her mouth to reply but was interrupted as a woman emerged from the backstage. She was a beautiful woman to be sure, but again, Kanara could not identify the exact race that she belonged to. She had some elven features and some human, though her hair was red to match the fiery dress she wore and her eyes were an icy blue. Her skin was pale as snow, so pale that it looked rather unnatural. Judging by her clothes, she seemed to be the head of the Sigil performers.
In a pure voice, she began to speak. "I am sorry, good folk of the audience," she said apologetically. "As you can see, things are not right with our troupe due to circumstances beyond our control. I beg of you, good people, come back another day when we have restored matters… we shall prove to you then that the Sigil Troupe is worthy of your attention and coin, and we shall do so for free, of course."
"Perhaps this is the task that our generous halfling innkeeper so eloquently referred to?" Anomen inquired. Kanara gave a light shrug.
The woman sighed. "Until then, I, Raelis Shai, apologize once again and I bid you a fair evening."
Raelis Shai. That was the name that Kanara had been told to seek out for work. Kanara tracked the woman with her eyes as she disappeared off the stage. Her damnable bardic curiosity was kicking in… she felt a strong inclination to go find out what was wrong with their troupe, and discover whether or not it was a problem she'd be willing to fix.
The rest of the audience was exiting the theater, grumbling discontentedly, but Kanara stayed rooted to her seat, staring straight ahead. The rest of the party stood and made several motions to follow the crowd, but remained waiting for Kanara to give her orders. She waited until the theater was empty until finally rising.
"Come, my friends," she said. "The thespians call for our aid." The group followed without question.
She stepped out into the aisle and approached the stage, climbed its steps, and tread across its surface. The party's boots made hollow thumps as their heavy armored figures traveled across the wooden planks, their chainmail rattling as they walked. The props fascinated Aerie on the stage, particularly the harp in the center of the platform. She reached out a delicate hand to touch the strings, plucked one, and smiled as a low hum resonated from the cord.
Kanara motioned for her to follow. "Come, Aerie," she said. "This not our place."
The elf lowered her head and abandoned the instrument.
Kanara walked through the backstage door and entered the private off room that was hidden from public view. This room was bigger than the stage itself. Coat racks full of costumes and clothing lined almost every wall, and the only other walls were covered with mirrors and shelves full of makeup and wigs. This backstage seemed just as cluttered as the rest of the theater, and Kanara had to wonder how they ever found what they needed in such a mess. Several actors were sitting on chairs in front of the mirrors, scraping off the layers of makeup and blush that saturated their faces with sour frowns. The human actor who had bungled his lines sat in the far corner alone, his face forlorn in shame.
Raelis Shai, who was standing in the middle of the room surveying her troupe like a hawk, turned at the party's entrance. She looked surprised and fearful at first, for no doubt she was unaccustomed to highly armed warriors approaching her without invitation. "Hello?" she asked tentatively. "I'm afraid if you are looking for a refund for tonight's performance, I can only tell you to come back when our troupe is not in such disarray."
Kanara smiled amiably. "Actually, we are here to mend the broken bones of your ensemble," she said.
Raelis examined the large group of fighters before her, and relaxed slightly at Kanara's words. "Is it true, child? Have our prayers finally been answered? Fate smiles on us, then, for I can tell by your words and conduct that you yourself have thespian repute, correct?"
"You have an observant eye indeed," Kanara replied. "But I can only wonder what it is that you would have me do. I'm afraid I cannot fill the vacant role in your play satisfactorily, being the female that I am."
Raelis laughed. "No, no, child, I would not ask such a thing. I would request a more hazardous task of you and your sturdy comrades… one that none of us have the constitution to complete by ourselves. By the looks of you, you would fit well into those shoes, so to speak."
Kanara tilted her head. "What is this problem, exactly?"
"It requires a bit of telling to fully explain. One of our actors, Haer'Dalis, has been kidnapped by a wizard native to this city… he has made no effort to negotiate with us. The wizard's greed may have called to him at the sight of Haer'Dalis' beloved gem… something our sparrow would not gladly surrender." She turned away and sighed remorsefully. "So this wizard has stolen both away and there is nothing we can do. I would ask that you return our sparrow and his gem to us both, by whatever means necessary."
"Ah, so you need this heroine to rescue your damsel in distress?" Kanara asked with a playful smirk.
"Those are not the words I would have chosen, for Haer'Dalis is certainly no damsel, but yes, we need our brother back as soon as possible," Raelis replied, slightly annoyed. "Our plays are wrecked without him."
"A wizard who steals bards away from their theaters and shiny gems away from their rightful owners? This is an evil that must be stopped!" Minsc cried.
"Are you certain we have time for this, Kanara? We need to raise gold for the rescue of your friend, and I'm sure coin could be more easily achieved elsewhere," Yoshimo said.
"If it is gold that drives your sword, auburn one, coin is e'er on the tongue," Raelis continued. "I can offer you three hundred gold for our sparrow's return, and should you also retrieve the gem, I can more than double that. Is that sufficient?"
Kanara thought for a moment, and then nodded. "I know very little of the ways of the theater, Raelis Shai, but this is a role that I shall be more than happy to play."
Raelis gave a rare smile. "This is most joyous news! I'm sure you shall succeed in your task. Here, let me tell you all I know of this wizard. His name is Mekrath, I believe… I know that is lair can be accessed through the city's sewers, though where exactly it lies is a mystery."
"Then we shall soil our boots in the filth of the sewers," Anomen said dryly. "For your greater good, of course, madam."
Raelis ignored Anomen's comment. "Fly, then… fetch our brother away from his captor however you might, and return to us soon. My prayers go with you, my good woman."
Kanara bowed graciously and beamed. With several quick good-natured nods towards the rest of the troupe (who, she noticed, had been ever-so-discreetly eavesdropping on their conversation), Kanara turned on her heel and led her party back up the stairs, out of the Five Flagons Inn, and back into the open airs of Athkatla.
"Ah, the Temple District, my home of choice," Anomen muttered dreamily to himself as Kanara's party entered the clean, riverside roads of the posh Temple District. The streets of this district were lined with fountains and salty streams of ocean water that filtered through into the ocean and gleamed in the sunlight, and on nearly every corner of the roads sat a religious temple devoted to each of the most popular deities. They were currently on the southern side, so that gigantic Temple of the Most Radiant Heart was currently the dominant building in view.
"Do you spend much time here, Anomen?" Aerie asked.
"I spent nearly my whole childhood in that building," he replied, pointing to the Radiant Heart temple. "It is where I would go to train and to… get away from my father when he was in a sour mood or drunk. It served as a practical second-home for me, and now that I am a grown man, it still holds a special place in my heart as I train to become a paladin of the Order."
"It s-sounds as though you've had a rough childhood," Aerie commented. "As have I."
"Aye, it has been rough. But I got through it. And so did you, judging by the way you're here with us now. All I aspire to now is becoming what I was meant to be, and Kanara is helping me immensely by letting me come along on her adventures."
Kanara snorted softly from ahead. "Well, I wouldn't be so sure of that, Anomen. If you end up with an arrow through your chest, or worse, I doubt your company with me would help you become a paladin."
"You speak the truth, I suppose," Anomen admitted wearily. "But, until that day, know that I am grateful for your companionship."
The group passed the front doors to the Order of the Most Radiant Heart building, and Kanara noticed that Anomen straightened his back and held his head high as they came in view of the guards standing in front of the entrance, as if boasting his new standing in their group to the people of the Heart. Kanara smiled to herself and shook her head slightly. Anomen was perhaps rather supercilious, but he had a noble charm about him nonetheless… and Kanara like it.
"So Anomen, you've lead us this far," Kanara said. "Where are these sewers that Raelis mentioned? You said there were entrances in this district?"
"We are standing atop them now, my Lady," Anomen replied. "The road-side rivers you see around us all drain through the sewers before running into the sea, though it's gotten rather… messy down there over the years. No one's explored the sewers to check for leaks or malfunctions in a very, very long time – there's no telling what we might find if we go down there."
"Evil lurks in every dark stink-hole like sewers, says Boo!" Minsc said as he stroked his hamster gently. "We must venture into the depths and smite the creatures of evil that dance in the shadows, and rescue the stolen bard from the evil bard-napper!"
"That we should, Minsc," said Yoshimo. "That is, if we are careful not to allow this wizard to steal away our own bard first."
"We're all going to be fine," Jaheira put in sternly. "If we do this carefully, our task may not require any bloodshed at all, and we'll have this actor returned to his playhouse by evening, if we hurry. Anomen, lead on to the closest sewer entrance."
"Of course, my Lady. There's one just up the street here, follow me…"
The party followed Anomen up the street past several priests and commoners paying their respects to their deities, and Kanara couldn't help but feel rather out-of-place in the Temple District. Gorion, her foster father, had never strictly enforced faith in one god, but rather taught her about each one and told her that it was up to her to choose a god, if any at all. In her childhood, she had never enjoyed religious lessons and had naturally chosen atheism, but temples still made her rather nervous. In her past, she always tried to avoid asking aid from temples, for a part of her feared that they would attempt to take their revenge on her for abandoning her faith. Of course now, she realized that this was ridiculous, but she still steered clear of temples anyway.
She lowered her head as they passed the temple of Talos, and subtly tried to hide behind Anomen's large, armored frame as the cleric guards in front watched their group. Luckily, neither Anomen nor the guards seemed to notice.
"There," she heard Anomen say, and he pointed to a metal rusted grate in the middle of their path. The party approached warily almost as if expecting a wild sewer creature to suddenly burst through the opening. When nothing of the sort happened, Anomen bent over and heaved the tarnished grate open with a loud creak.
A foul-smelling wind of old air exploded through the grate and hit the party like a tidal wave the moment the sewer entrance was opened, and the warriors were forced to take several steps backwards.
"A den of stinking evil!" Minsc cried. "Cover your nose, Boo! We will leave no crevice untouched!" The ranger began to march towards the grate, but Anomen held up a hand to stop him.
"Hold, eager Minsc, I shall descend first," Anomen said gallantly. "I'll make sure the way is clear."
Minsc did not protest and gave a small shrug as Anomen looked down into the shadows of the sewers. He took a hushed deep breath as though preparing to plunge into icy water, and began to climb down the rusted metal bars that lead into the cesspool. The ladder creaked as he steadily slid down the ladder, and as he finally reached the bottom, the group heard a loud squish as he landed on the mushy sewer floor.
"Everything alright, Anomen?" Jaheira called.
"Oh, yes, perfect," came his mordant reply. "The way looks safe enough, my Lady."
Kanara was the next to descend. She carefully climbed into the opening and held onto the tarnished bars, though they gave far less ominous creaking noises than they had from Anomen's climb. Kanara's light leather armor and meager frame was much more agreeable with the ladder than Anomen's heavy metal armor and muscular body. She tried her best not to breathe, for every time she inhaled it was like trying to breathe underwater; the air was so thick.
At the bottom of the ladder, she released her handholds and hopped off into the dim beyond, only to be rewarded with landing in a pool of muck that went up to her waist. She gave a stifled cry of surprise as a chill ran through her body.
"Are you alright, my Lady?" Anomen asked hastily, wading through the viscous sludge that only came up to his thighs.
"Yes, I think so," she said quickly, suppressing a wince. She tried to get out of the way of the ladder to make room for the rest of the group, but found that the slime was so thick and deep that she couldn't walk. It was like trying to walk through a waist-high pool of very glutinous syrup.
"Here, let me help," Anomen said, offering her his hand. "The slush is thinner up ahead."
Kanara gladly took his hand and he pulled her through the muck several paces down the dim tunnel, and finally the fluid level receded until it was only halfway up her shins. Once free of the sludge, she turned around to watch over the entrances of the rest of her party.
Minsc came down next, then Yoshimo, Aerie, and Jaheira, but the druid refused any sort of aid in getting through the muck. She would always be independent, even if something were extremely difficult for her. With great effort, Jaheira managed to get herself through to the shallow section of the tunnel and stood next to Kanara and the rest of the group as they contemplated their course.
"Just how big are these sewers, Anomen?" Aerie asked, cautiously looking left and right.
"I'm not quite sure, actually. They could be bigger than the Temple District itself, for all I know. How we will find an entrance to the wizard's secret lair through all of these passages, I have no idea."
"A watchful eye and stealthy feet, that's how," Kanara answered. "There most certainly are… things down here. I can hear them, sloshing through the mud and sludge in the passages ahead. Let's just hope they can't hear us."
The elf snapped her fingers and a small yellow flame ignited in her hand, illuminating the once overpowering cloak of darkness. Light danced along the walls revealing layers upon layers of green mold and bat guano packed onto the bulkheads, and only then could they see that the mire that had just waded through was a viscous pool of green algae and grime. Aerie whimpered softly, and Kanara put a comforting hand on her shoulder.
"It's alright, Aerie," she whispered reassuringly, squeezing the elf's arm. "It's just a little dirt. Don't look at it. Here, I'll walk right next to you, would you like that?"
Aerie nodded. She took another step closer to the bard, keeping a tight grip on her wooden staff with sweaty hands. Kanara smiled, thinking of Imoen once again. Whenever she and Imoen happened to go dungeon crawling, they were near inseparable. In fact, they used to be near inseparable all of the time. Aerie reminded Kanara so much the girl, although Imoen was not quite as skittish as Aerie was. Despite Aerie's meager experience, she warmed Kanara's heart with fond memories.
With that, the group picked a passage to their left and began to slink through the squishy muck, carefully stepping over the pipes that jutted from the floor. Aerie stayed close to Kanara the whole time, and her blue eyes were constantly jumping from one shadow to the next, incantations for spells that she could cast on a whim circling through her head. Minsc and Anomen had their weapons drawn and Yoshimo had his bowstring loaded in preparation for anything.
They traveled through the sewers for another ten minutes or so, guided by Kanara's flame of light. After a few minutes, Kanara began tapping on the walls softly as they passed, checking for any signs of a fake wall that might lead to the wizard's secret hideout while Anomen, determined to make himself useful, covered the opposite wall by doing the same. They wove their way through the tangle of passages without meeting anyone, neither friendly nor hostile. Kanara could always hear the light pitter-patter of feet puttering off in the distance, but the sound never seemed to get closer or farther away; it was a constant drone.
Suddenly, a long, cat-like shriek shattered the muffled silence, causing the whole group to jump and Aerie quickly grabbed a hold onto Kanara's arm. It sounded as though it was quite near, but even Kanara's elven eyes could not reveal the source in the passages ahead or behind. The party froze, straining their ears and not daring to move a muscle, until the noise fizzled and faded away into the normal eerie quiet.
"What was that?" Aerie whispered fearfully.
"I'm not sure; it sounded like a wild tiger," Anomen answered.
"Oh, please Kanara, can we get out of here?" Aerie pleaded. "It's bad enough down here in this filth without wild tigers attacking us –"
Jaheira hushed her quickly. "It wasn't a tiger, Anomen," she corrected. "That was a Rakshasa, a half-human-half-tiger. I've had the misfortune of crossing paths with one in the past, and I know they're dangerous. Best we get away from here as fast as we can, for it can probably smell our presence."
"Can't we just go back to the surface?" Aerie asked again, her lips quivering. "There must be some safer way to find this wizard hideout."
"Come now, Aerie," Kanara said calmly. "You can do this. You're safe with us, remember? Just sing a song or hum a tune as you walk, and soon you'll forget your fears."
Aerie shook her head. "But I can't –"
"Sure you can," Kanara said. "Anyone can sing. Here now, I'll start you off." Kanara picked out a song in her head. "I'm sure you know the words to this one," she added with a smile.
The bard cleared her throat and began to sing softly, her notes wonderfully in-tune and voice clear.
"'Twas the night of Ages, of grandeur, of splendor,
When the rivers stood still and the forests paid heed,
When every peasant, king and vendor
Held still and listened to the Creed…"
Aerie grinned at the words of the age-old elven folksong, one that she had heard since her childhood and still remembered fondly. The party began to walk down the passages again, their fears lifted with the sound of Kanara's soothing voice. Much to even her own surprise, Aerie began to sing along.
"Ser'fey Ge' vyrlus, Kasïd iglïth 'sez,
So whispered the wind, so murmured the trees,
So chattered the creatures, so said the Elves
O'er the mountains, many ears to please…
For Suldanesselar arises…"
The two elves kept their voices down so not to draw any unwanted attention to themselves from the other residents of the tunnels, but they sang loud enough for their companions to hear and bring a smile to each of their faces. Anomen watched Kanara out of the corner of his eye as they walked, humbled once again by her delicate beauty and the clarity of her voice. He had never heard this particular song before, but he enjoyed listening to her sing it and watching her mouth form the words. She had incredibly straight teeth and full lips, a clearly defined chin and a smooth jaw line that begged to be traced with two gentle fingers. Her eyes were large and boasted a crystalline glacial blue, framed by long eyelashes at the batted innocently when she blinked. She didn't look very dangerous, he realized – but he also knew looks could be deceiving. He had seen her fight and knew not to cross her.
The cleric averted his attention to the wall on his left once again, and he listened to the echo that came from his tapping. They just sounded like solid bangs. He walked a few more paces and tapped again. Still just solid bangs.
He sighed, frustrated. They might spend the whole afternoon in these foul sewers at this rate, and still not find this wizard's lair. Who knows – it may not even exist. Which would mean they were searching for nothing. Anomen didn't join this group to do nothing; he joined to fight undead and other evil creatures that plague Amn, and bask in the glory resulting from it.
His father always told him he'd never amount to anything. Maybe he was right. Here he was: tromping through ankle-deep muck in a large set of dank sewers, looking for a secret wizard stronghold that may not even exist, rescuing a bard who probably is nothing more than a trouble-making stage rogue, in the companionship of a party who hardly appreciates his presence, and finally, at arms-length away from a beautiful elven girl without the guts to initiate any sort of courtship practices. By Helm, what am I doing down here?
Anomen wondered how much respect he would earn by telling the Watchers of Helm that he spent his entire afternoon hiking through the sewers underneath the temple searching for an invisible wizard hideout. They'd simply laugh, probably. Perhaps this wild goose hunt is a mistake. Perhaps exploring these sewers is a mistake. Perhaps joining Kanara's party was a mistake…
Thump.
Anomen stopped. He tapped again. The wall sounded… hollow.
"My Lady!" he cried, his dismal thoughts dissipating. "I've found something!"
Kanara stopped singing her song and quickly jogged over to Anomen's position. She examined the wall carefully, and listened to Anomen tap on it once again. "Yes, it does sound rather… unfilled," she said, running her fingers along the pipes and grooves in the cold metal. "But I see no way to open it."
"If you'll allow me," Yoshimo said as he approached the wall. He stared at the wall for a moment, his keen eyes narrowed, and finally reached a hand up to a rusty pipe that had been bent out of shape and twisted it a half-turn clockwise. There was a low rumble as some gears shifted inside the wall, and slowly, the entire panel slid to the side to grant them passage into the hallways beyond.
"Minsc and Boo knew evil could not hide forever!" Minsc said, beaming with the outcome. "Come, I will lead us into the battle for this bard's freedom, and for the destruction of this evil wizard!" Minsc charged into the passage first, and the rest of the group was forced to jog to catch up with him.
This new tunnel was infinitely cleaner than the previous one, and was better lit, as well. Kanara extinguished her now unneeded hand-fire and unsheathed her swords in the flame's stead, for she could hear the incoherent chatter of mephits not too much further down the passage. She wasn't surprised. Mephits were a common choice of guards for wizards because they were easy to summon in large groups. Luckily, they were also easy to kill… in reasonable numbers.
They ascended a steep spiraling staircase made of beautifully engraved stone, and emerged in a well-kept living room. A fireplace sat in the far corner, embers glowing like shining gold, and a sofa was placed in good view of the would-be fire. Kanara spotted a book lying upon the sofa's cushion seat, open on its spine exposing its inked paper treasures to the ceiling. There were three doorways leading away from this room, and Kanara knew not which doorway to take that might lead them to their wizard, but she knew they were at least getting closer… for this room smelled strongly of human.
The chatter of the mephits grew louder as the creatures hidden in the hallways beyond became aware of the intrusion. Within moments, the impish creatures had appeared through all three of the doors, and were screeching in anger at the sight of Kanara's party. The group drew their weapons in anticipation of a fight.
Minsc was the first to make contact. The boldest of the mephits charged into the group's front line (which was composed of the gigantic ranger alone) and tried to claw the fighter's chest. The creature was too slow. Minsc swung his massive greatsword and it collided with the mephit in a small explosion of red blood and gray skin, a sickening squelching noise emanating from the impact.
The rest of the mephits hesitated at the gruesome sight. Kanara quickly took this time to count them, and found that there were three mephits not including the shattered remains of one on the floor. She adjusted her grip on her two swords and charged ahead at Minsc's side, engaging the next imp on the right while Minsc handled the left. Though she had seen many mephits before, every time she got close to one she was shocked by their repulsive appearance. The creatures had leathery wings with a wingspan approximately equal to the length of her swords, and these wings were often tattered and scabbed from fights and misuse. Their bodies were small and reptilian, and the current mephit in front of her was covered in large, infected, oozing cuts and welts. Their four appendages were clawed and dirty and many of these claws had been blanched a deep red from the blood of the creature's previous foes. But none of this even compared to the head. The mephit's head was wrinkled and cragged, their mouths were full of sharp, uneven teeth and had spittle dripping from its jaws, and many of the scales covering its head had been broken and were now secreting nasty yellow-green discharge. It was impossible to feel any remorse when striking down these nauseating creatures.
Kanara gave her first swing with all of her might, catching the still shocked mephit off guard. One of her swords hit the creature's shoulder, shattered the protective scales, and severed its arm with a loud crunch. The mephit screamed in pain and fell to the floor, unable to keep beating its gristly wings. It sat on the floor for a moment, stunned, and then finally got a hold of itself again and began to claw at Kanara's legs with its one remaining arm. She stepped out of the way and swiftly stabbed the monster with a hard, downward thrust. The sword impaled its torso and it stopped moving.
Kanara yanked her sword out of the creature's corpse and looked up to see an arrow pierce the body of another imp. The arrow was not enough to kill the beast, but it was more than enough to cripple it and cause a waterfall of blood stream from the wound. She turned around to see Yoshimo loading another arrow into his bowstring. Anomen ran forward the finish the crippled mephit off, his gleaming mace raised above his head and shimmering armor spotless as ever. It was about time that he dirtied that thing.
By this time, Minsc had landed his second kill and had announced it with a deafening roar of triumph. He pounded his chest with his fists like an exultant gorilla, a huge smile upon his face. "And so evil finally gets taste of our swift justice!" he cried happily. "Boo is quivering in satisfaction!"
Anomen laughed. "I agree with you, my large friend!" he said as he shook the ragged remains of his last kill off the blades of his mace. "'Tis good to know that we have not traveled through those sewers for nothing!" he added.
"Keep your voices down," Jaheira hissed. "We've already caused quite enough of a disturbance for this wizard, and if we hope to negotiate this bard's release, we should cause no more."
Kanara silently wandered off through one of the room's doors, ignoring her group's argumentative exchanges. She soon found herself in a small library that only had three bookshelves and a desk in the middle of the room, and was instantly intrigued. Perhaps it was her barding nature or perhaps it was because of her childhood in Candlekeep, but she had always loved libraries. In her childhood, she would often sneak into the library at night when all the monks had gone to sleep and spend hours thumbing through the books and tomes looking for exciting tales of adventure. The next day, she would regale Imoen with tales from the books and they would pretend to be the heroes in those stories, marching about the grounds in search of monsters to fight, and found what they wanted by seeing a manticore in the barn cat or a gnoll in the shepherd dog. The animals never liked Kanara or Imoen much after that.
The elf ran her fingers over the spines of the dusty books as she read their titles. "Wise Contingency, Eyes of the Clairvoyant…" she murmured the names out loud to herself. Nothing caught her eye. All of these books told how to more finely tune one's spellcasting abilities.
She looked on the shelf behind her, scanning the monotonous titles until she found a book that looked interesting. "Concord of the Drow" she read the title, looking over the large, leather-bound book. She blew a layer of black dust off of it's top, and then slipped it into her pack.
She was about to continue her search of the bookshelves when she heard her party calling her name.
"Kanara?" she heard Anomen say. Footsteps came close to the library door. "Kanara, where did you –" he stopped after poking his head through the doorframe and spotting Kanara in the midst of the piles of books and papers. His face lifted in a smile. "There you are," he said. "Thought we'd lost you already."
She half-smiled, shrugging slightly. "Well, here I am."
He looked left and right from one wall to the opposite of small room. "What are you doing in here?" he asked as he took several more steps closer to the bard.
"Wondering what kind of books a powerful wizard keeps at his fingertips," she replied, gesturing towards the shelf behind her. "Spellcasting, mostly. Not very interesting."
"Oh? But you can sling some of your own spells yourself, can't you, my Lady? Perhaps some of these books would be valuable to you," Anomen said.
Kanara shook her head. "I doubt it. I use a different sort of magery, one that doesn't come from books and hours of studying. I was born with my powers, I suppose… I can shape energy as I wish without any sort of previous preparation."
Anomen tilted his head. "That sounds far more practical than a wizard's tedious magics."
Kanara shrugged. "Perhaps, but said magics can only get me so far… .I'm sure my powers will never surpass those of a well-trained wizard. They simply have more discipline."
"Come now, I'm sure you can accomplish anything those bookworms can if you set your mind to it. You're a very determined woman, and it doesn't seem to me that you would ever let anything stand in the way of getting what you want… and deserve," he said, quieting his voice with the last two words. "You are not a woman to be trifled with. I greatly respect that."
Kanara smiled. "I thank you for your kind words, Anomen."
A small chill bristled on Anomen's spine when she said his name.
"But even the bravest of us need protection from time to time," Kanara continued, now gazing dreamily at the wall. "Please, do not think of me as indomitable… my heart may be strong, but I am nothing without my comrades. I have discovered long ago that words serve poorly as a shield, and I have the scars to show it."
"Scars?" Anomen asked, concerned.
"It's a long story… let's just say that I truly realized the importance of companions when I secluded myself from them, and I paid for my mistake with blood. I am not as sturdy as I often think I am, and I need companions to be my walls."
Anomen thought for a long moment, and then finally nodded his head in understanding. "Then I shall build a fortress around you, my Lady," he said with a gracious smile.
She smiled in return.
They gazed at each other for another minute. Anomen felt strangely fulfilled. He now realized that his thoughts of leaving this party for greener pastures was a foolish notion, for the grass that he stood upon now was greener than he had ever seen before. He had simply been blind to it. He was a protector now, a guardian for this beautiful woman, serving as a solid stone wall to keep danger at bay. And that would provide more than enough glory for him.
They were interrupted by the sound of Jaheira's voice from the main entry room, calling both Kanara and Anomen's names. Kanara smiled at the man in front of her one last time.
"Come, Anomen… the rest of the fortress awaits."
Man, I've been writing a lot lately…
So what did you think? Please write me a review!
Forbidden Amber
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