Well, it's been a little time since the last chapter, but life has been busy. I modified a bit the last chapter too, which took some time (as always, thank you Finduilas for your review and your very useful suggestions.)

Bookwyrme: well, hello! Thank you for your review :) As for the reason of Amousca's disguise (and Sar & co's meeting with Ano & co), it will be explained a little later. The Rapture of the Father and the Watcher's Keep are not really linked together. It's just that sort of side adventure that happens once in a while when you've been a Bhaalspawn and sowed chaos across the lands… But the matter of the Rapture of the Father will be dealt with soon, I promised, now that the matter of Watcher's Keep is out of the way…

Chapter VII. Rest night

"We found the manufacturer of the scrolls you brought us, Mat," Coreen announced. "They bear the trademarks of vampire craft and we could identify the scripting used because it's a correspondent to a baelnorn that… well, it's complicated. The manufacturer's name is Gobas. He is an ancient vampire, and… Bohdi's sire."

Matteo sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, looking at his sister and her two colleagues. Nogam was awaiting behind him, expressionless.

"I thank you for the information," he said carefully.

"What are you going to do now, Mat?", Coreen asked.

"Do you know anything about this Gobas? Considering he sired Bohdi and manufactures powerful spell scrolls, he has to have a great mastery of magic," Firiman added. Morul nodded wordlessly.

"I will discuss matters with Kelsey," Matteo said.

He was uneasy when they left the building of the Cowled Wizards and crossed the park to where Kelsey waited. Matteo told the sorcerer what his sister and colleagues had learned, and concluded:

"It would be best to go right away, since the longer we take, the more scrolls Gobas makes. I hesitate, though. Sir Anomen is right to say that we need more than just one spellcaster."

Matteo was thinking to himself that, besides the lives he would put in danger if he ordered a foolish attack without magical power to back him up, his father would have him routed from the Order and his mother would never forgive him if he disobeyed and went after Gobas with only Kelsey's services.

But then, the sorcerer grinned.

"I'm not married to an archmage just to arrive grandly at parties, you know."

ooooo

When they reached the Delryn estate, a young Order squire was there on Anomen's horse, holding Amousca's horse by the bridle. He dismounted hastily when he saw the knight.

"Sir!", the squire stood to attention.

"Yes, squire, what is it?", he asked.

"I am here at sir Matteo's command. When sir Proteor came and announced your arrival, I came here as sir Matteo instructed me to inform you of his decision."

"What decision?", Anomen asked, a little annoyed at all the precautions the squire took.

"Sir Matteo wanted me to inform you first that Coreen Delryn, Morul Mills and Firiman Corthala found the manufacturer of the scrolls."

"Who is it?", Anomen asked low.

"He said it was Bohdi's sire… an ancient vampire by the name of Gobas," the squire answered.

Everyone stood there thunderstruck. The Order had known about this particular nest of vampires for quite some time, but they had never been aware that Gobas was Bohdi's sire. They had never dared to attack because of the lack of information; maybe Coreen and her friends had been able to learn a thing or two.

Seeing Anomen did not appear to want to say anything, the squire went on: "Sir Matteo set out a few hours ago, planning to attack at noon."

Now Anomen thought wryly that he understood why the squire was speaking so carefully. He was angry that Matteo had not waited for him and Proteor to come back, but the squire had no need to be so fearful. Anomen did not have the habit of killing messengers.

"Who is with sir Matteo?", Anomen asked.

"Sir Nogam, of course, and twenty undead hunters with him, all experienced paladins. There is also three other warrior-priests, and Kelsey Coltrane."

"No other spellcasters?", Anomen pressed, worried now. Ancient vampires could be quite skilled with magic.

"No," the squire answered, obviously unhappy to be asked this question. "If you refer to Coreen and her other Cowled associates, they were not allowed to participate in an Order's mission because of their affiliation with the Cowled Wizards."

"I see," Anomen answered quite coldly. "I thank you for your message, squire. You can go now, Reeds will take care of the horses." The stable boy stepped forward and seized both horses' bridles. How he had been awake to notice the return of his masters' horses would remain a mystery.

The squire bowed and left. Imoen opened the door for Anomen, and he stepped through with his wife in his arms. Anomen told the others to wait for him in the library, and he went up the stairs to go lay Amousca on her bed. Sarevok followed, and carefully laid down Waatsuskun on the large armchair in a corner of the room, then left silently.

Anomen removed his cape, and her ragged dress with great care. He could see that she was just sleeping now, and he did not dare to slip a night gown on her, afraid to wake her. So he tucked her in, hoping she would not wake before he came back, and went downstairs.

Sarevok, Minsc and Mazzy had unbuckled their breastplates and laid down their weapons. Imoen was slumped into one of the chairs, her spellbook open, but her head kept falling forward. They all looked exhausted.

"So, Delryn, I guess you are going to set out after them in the morning?", Sarevok asked.

"We cannot hope to catch up with them," Anomen observed.

"Unless I teleport us there. It's alright, I got it. Working on it. Gonna be fine," Imoen whispered.

"Thank you, Immy," Sarevok grinned. "We could not do it without you, you know."

"Don't get me going," she answered with a crooked smile.

Imoen studied her spells for the next morning, and Sarevok and Minsc went to the bathing chambers. They emerged soon after, dressed in guests' clothes, their own clothes being carried away by a very sleepy servant to be washed. Imoen being done with her studies, she went with Mazzy to enjoy the bath too.

Anomen went up the stairs, and silently pushed the door to the masters' room. When he opened the door, she was sitting on the bed, shakily holding Waat against her chest. She had washed in the private bathing room adjacent to their room – the water must have been icy – and donned a night robe.

"My lady," Anomen whispered as he went in. He regretted that he still had his armour on.

He removed his helmet and the Red dragon scale, but kept the leather armour he had underneath. Amousca did not answer, and looked at him as he came to the side of the bed. He knelt on the floor in front of her. He lightly put one of his hands on her knee. She squirmed, but did not move away from his grasp. She just started shaking again.

"Would you hug us, please?", she asked after a while, her voice small as a child's.

Anomen took a deep breath, sat besides her on the bed, and drew her and her familiar against his chest. He enfolded both in his arms, and gently held her head against his shoulder, reassuringly patting Waat on his back. It was always very intense when he touched her familiar. It was like a channel of his feelings into her, and right now they were reassuring and gentle. The horror and the fear of the devils' tortures slowly lost their grip over her heart. She let herself be immersed in his love and care and reassurance. She relaxed against him, then she started to cry. It was a release. Fear was letting go. He sighed and smoothed her hair back slowly, hushing her.

"S-s-sorry," she stammered. "I-I-I can't help it for now."

"Hush, my love," he whispered in her hair. "It's alright. You can cry… You have to cry."

"I-I was so scared. They kept hitting me with Fear. Over and over again, and Waat too. I… I could not fight it… not when they were hitting Waat."

"No one can. It is in what they are," Anomen answered.

"I know… But philosophical considerations didn't help much."

Anomen winced. "I guess not."

There was a silence. Anomen gradually relaxed, and resumed his hair-smoothing and back-patting.

"I-I… I was so relieved when Waat saw you arrive. I found it in me to fight then, but there was nothing I could do, bound as I was. I dislike being helpless," she concluded. After a second, she added: "I dislike needing rescuing, but I still have to admit I needed to be rescued today."

"We won't tell anyone," Anomen smiled. "I'm sure Proteor will have already spread the word of how much of a fight you were putting them through when we arrived."

She laughed then. His heart felt relieved all of a sudden. She sighed, and cuddled into him a little more.

"Thank you for running after me like you did," she added.

"It is my duty," he answered, and she smiled to be faced once more with his chivalrous manners. Even now, after all these years together, Anomen often hid too intense feelings under his chivalry, but she was not fooled. He went on: "You have to thank Imoen too, because without her, we were much further from the Watcher's Keep."

"She would have felt me being Gated," Amousca reflected. "Did she come alone, or did Sar and everyone follow?", she asked.

"They are here, probably sleeping by now."

She nodded against his chest. She was trying to make it look like she was fine, but the sniffing of her familiar gave it away, and she was still clinging to him. The thing she feared above all was to be accused of weakness. He pretended not to notice, and smiled on top of her hair.

"What… what about the Rapture of the Father?", she asked after a while.

"My lady, you should try and get some sleep now," he said.

She punched him in the stomach, hard enough. "Don't insult me, Anomen. I can handle what you have to say."

She sat up to look at him. He sighed, and he told her. He saw her face freeze when he spoke Bohdi's name. He had not forgotten that he had attacked her at the vampire's command, and she had been without a soul as guidance at that moment.

"Her sire. I hope we're running after Matteo and his battalion, because Kelsey can't possibly breach an ancient vampire's defences by himself."

"We?", Anomen exclaimed, his tone one of outraged disbelief.

"Come on, I know you well enough to know that you already asked Im a way to teleport us there and discussed strategies with Sar and Mazzy. Don't hope to keep me out of it."

"My lady," Anomen began carefully, "you need rest to recover from your current… indisposition…"

"I am healed, am I not?"

Anomen felt her iron will setting to the task of convincing him. It was no use trying to resist to her. But it was his duty to try. "You are, my lady, but…"

"Then it's set. My spells will be restored after a night of sleep. Are you ever going to remove this armour and go to bed?"

Anomen sighed, and went to remove his armour and wash in the very cold water of the private bathing room. When he came back in the room, she was still sitting on the bed, hugging Waat. The familiar flew to his usual chair as she moved aside to make some room for him.

He lay next to her, and she rolled into him.

"Anomen, I will not pretend this experience left nothing behind," she admitted. "They came to me in my nightmares, and I am afraid of the dreams, as I am afraid for Waat to be caught and tortured and nearly killed again. But if you just hold me close tonight… it will be better in the morning. I cannot let the fear stop me. I cannot let Kelsey, and Matteo, and Nogam, and all the others, risk their necks in my place because I am afraid."

"I understand, my lady," he said as he hugged her. She sighed and let him hold her. After a while she fell asleep.