Chapter 13

The good bargain

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Elene hefted the blade. Lighter than her current unenchanted sword. Slimmer make; locally made based on the copper hue of the guard and hilt. She brought the hilt close, studying the simple grip even as she savoured the tingle of magic humming within. A practice swing confirmed it – despite the weight of steel, it cut through the air in an elegant arc with minimal effort on her part. Not as powerful as the enchantment on the sword she'd lost in the captor's dungeon, but good enough in a pinch.

She had a feeling she was going to need it soon. The work from Viconia had been inching up in risk, making her wonder if it was by design. Favour from a drow seemed a double-edged sword, just as Kivan had warned her.

Viconia cocked her head in interest, a small smile playing on her luscious lips. Though the job was handled precisely to her specification, a whiff of danger endured in that almost feline expression of hers. Like a cat that caught the canary.

"Not bad."

Elene's hand twitched in her lap, the soft furnishing she sat on a cold comfort. "Is that all?"

"You'll be paid, of course," she drawled. "I'll leave Jariel to deal with such trifles." She levelled her with another measuring gaze, more piercing than any arrow she'd been struck with. The temperature in her loft seemed to drop the longer she remained silent. "More than that, though, I think you have the spine and the guile for another task I have in mind."

"What is it?" Yoshimo asked.

"Silence until spoken to, male, I was addressing your leader," Viconia snapped. Yoshimo closed his mouth with a click. "You're aware of our little spat with a rival guild of late. You'd be a fool not to be, the way the bodies have been piling up."

Elene watched her for a moment. "It hasn't escaped my notice, no."

"I would like you to find out more about the enemy. For too long they've stalked our numbers from the shadows without repercussion." Viconia tapped the armrest of the overstuffed chair she so favoured. "Your best bet is to loiter with the other lowlifes from Mae'var's stable or attach yourself to Mook at the warehouse. They will strike again soon, I feel. And they will strike hard."

"Am I…do you expect me to stop them?"

"Ideally." Viconia smirked. "Though you have about as much a chance as a rothé beast against a drider, so I'm not counting much on that. Rather…I want you to stay alive. To keep your eyes and ears open. Find out what they're after." Her ruby eyes gleamed as she leaned forward. "And confirm if they're truly the soulless abominations rumours claim them to be."

She and Yoshimo did not speak much after they left Viconia's abode. Just when she began to think that Mae'var's jobs were manageable, they were being hurled into the thick of a guild war with nothing but her wits and senses to help them navigate the maelstrom intact. That, and the continuing threat from slavers was enough to push her to reconsider how thrifty she'd been when it comes to equipment.

"See anything you like?"

Turning, Elene cracked a smile as Ribald approached. A former adventurer turned straight-talking merchant. Unlike many of the peddlers in the Promenade out to make a quick sale, he priced according to the value of what he was selling, knowing it would make the difference between life and death for adventurers like herself.

He glanced at the weapon in her hand. "Ah, that? Good blade. If you throw in five hundred more, I can augment the enchantment, make the blade keener. Might take a day or two, though."

"I think the blade is fine as it is."

"I'll add it to the bill then." As he took it off her hands and passed it to an assistant, he gave her an appraising look. "You're awfully light on armour for someone who swings a sword."

"Makes me quicker on my feet," she replied without missing a beat.

"Just asking, since you remind me a bit of myself when I was younger. Fighting on the front lines is just better with some magic to cover you where armour can't."

Elene watched him with a wary eye. "Magic is outlawed here."

"A lot of things are, but doesn't stop most people." He grinned. "Come on over, let me show you something."

He led her further into the store, away from Anomen eyeing a rack of shields and a wooden board with colourful posters advertising the circus in the Promenade. They passed by rows of shelves with various bottles and reagents along the way, bringing to mind Jan Jansen and his haphazard workshop. Should she buy something for him while she was here? Oghma knew he needed better quality material than the bits and bobs he cobbled together on a shoestring and the odd trip to the sewers. Before she could peruse the reagents, though, Ribald crouched to reach for a box at the bottom of a shelf, in what must be the most hidden corner of the sprawling store. A cloth bundle lay within. Even before he pulled it out from the box, she already knew it was a book from the shape of it.

"An old customer of mine traded this in for coin a few years ago. She needed to get out of the city fast and this was a liability for her to carry on the way out."

Ribald unwrapped the dusty cloth covering to reveal a tan, leather-bound book. Small glyphs lined the borders of the cover, painstakingly carved by careful hands. She recognised the wards, at once identifying what he held in his hands.

"That's a spellbook," Elene murmured.

Smiling, he muttered a few syllables to disable the wards before handing the book to her. Still eyeing him cautiously, she took it without comment, flipping through the crisp vellum with great care and respect. A mage's spellbook was a deeply personal thing. Her own was not only lined with words of spells, but also notes and annotations of random ideas that struck her while she was out on the road. Too bad it was long gone like the rest of her gear. This particular mage was meticulous in contrast and used their spellbook precisely how good students were taught to.

"What happened to her?" she couldn't help but ask.

"Should be safely away from Amn, I hope."

Interesting collection of spells. A good batch of illusion and abjuration type spells, then a hodgepodge of enchantment, transmutation and divination magic, along with the odd minor conjuration here and there. The mage must have been a scholar of some sort, not the blasting type. Or worse, a necromancer.

"Good set of spells to start with. I can introduce you to Deirdre if you're looking to add to it," he drawled.

She frowned at him over the pages. "Do you sell a license to go with that?"

His uneasy chuckle was answer enough. "Ah, you'll get it eventually. Consider this trinket a 'just-in-case' investment. You can always cast the spells outside city bounds, the Cowled Ones don't care about what happens beyond the walls."

Swallowing, she worked up the nerve to ask. "How much?"

"Yours for eight hundred gold."

She handed the book back. As much as she would like to be able to wield magic again, it was much too rich for her. Especially given that she can't actually cast any magic for the time being without being clapped in chains. His offer gave her a good idea, though, to salvage spellbooks from other mages if she had the opportunity to do so. As Ribald moved to re-wrap the book in its covering, she thought of other lost magical items.

"Mister Barterman, have anyone tried to sell you a…a necklace in recent weeks? A moonstone pendant set on a gold chain. The stone itself is enchanted to ward against mind-affecting enchantments." She cleared her throat. "It was taken from me in captivity and I'd very much like to get it back."

He shot her an apologetic look. "Haven't seen anything of the like, I'm afraid. But I'll let you know if I ever come across it."

"I appreciate it."

"Shall I tell you the total, then?"

She nodded, following him back to the front of the store. Part of her was afraid to see what the bill would come to, but she reminded herself that this was necessary. Kivan was right, as always. She was of no use to Imoen dead.

Her friends loitered near the counter, each occupied with their own trifles. Anomen tilted a sturdy helmet this way and that, admiring his selection while Yoshimo counted the arrows in a decorated quiver. Magical, no doubt. To one side, Kivan and Jaheira squabbled over an armour set, though their debate lacked any real heat. They'd never hit it off well, ever since their very first meeting at the Friendly Arm Inn. Since their reunion, though, sometimes it seemed like the two of them were at odds with each other for the sake of getting back into a familiar rhythm. Elene let it happen as it distracted Jaheira from her worrying melancholy.

"Alright, let's see what we have here," Ribald clapped his hands together.

Kivan's hostile gaze followed him as he moved around to be on the other side of the counter. From what Elene was told, Ribald had withheld critical information when Kivan had come looking for them. Of course Ribald apologised for the deception, explaining that he wasn't going to trust a mysterious stranger with information that could lead to Jaheira's doom. Understandable. Being who he was, though, Kivan was never going to forgive and forget. Elene hoped he would overcome the sentiment eventually. Ribald's actions proved that despite the prickly back-and-forth they exhibited, he and Jaheira had an unexplained bond of trust that can be relied on.

"Are you getting that?" Elene asked Anomen, gesturing to the helmet.

"Not the same quality as those of the Order, but adequate for our purposes." He scoffed, setting his prize on the counter. "I'll feel safer treading the alleys at the Bridge with my head fully protected."

Elene's brows furrowed. "Maybe you shouldn't be investigating those skinner murders on your own. The Bridge is dangerous enough without a murdering maniac on the loose. Even those from the Guild avoid it these days."

"Worry not, my lady, I'm not without help," he assured her. "I accompany Lieutenant Aesgisfield on his rounds. The two of us are more than enough company to take down a lone killer."

"Still. You could ask Kivan next time? Ranged backup never hurts."

"Hm. Your friend…he doesn't say much, does he?" Anomen asked as he glanced at the ranger.

Elene was conscious of how nervous she sounded as she chuckled. "He's uh…used to the wilderness. It's a ranger thing."

Anomen's dubious expression made her shuffle closer to Jaheira instead. She didn't know what else to say on the matter – Kivan would either choose to warm up to their new companions or he wouldn't. All she knew was that he would take his own time.

"Just the sword?" Jaheira asked as she neared.

She shrugged. "Everything else seemed…well, like a luxury."

"We're getting the armour you tried earlier."

"Jaheira," Elene gaped at her. "It's more than a thousand gold!"

"Ribald will give us a discount. And I'll brook no argument on this, I can't protect you if you go into fights wearing that." Jaheira flicked a derisive glance at her basic leathers, already re-stitched in several places after the battles they'd fought. Then her features smoothened, becoming unreadable. "Once we're done here, I need to talk to you about a meeting I'm arranging."

Elene frowned at her sudden shift in tone. "What meeting—"

Screams erupted from beyond the open entrance. Elene's hand moved on instinct to her sword hilt, her eyes meeting Jaheira's in a knowing exchange before they hurried outside. From the threshold of the Adventurer's Mart, harried figures ran past, and away toward the eastern exit. Smoke plumes rose from the nearby circus tents. An enormous snake slithered away from one of the fallen tents, inciting further panic. Something in the air buzzed with energy, but Elene's quick glance around yielded no immediate threat.

"Magic?" Kivan asked at her shoulder.

Hesitantly, Elene shook her head. "I'm not sure."

Ribald walked up to her other side, sighing as he took stock of the chaos. "There goes the neighbourhood."

"Seems to be a regular occurrence in these parts," Yoshimo said in perfect deadpan.

"It's coming from the circus, whatever it is," Jaheira concluded.

Indeed, the colourfully dressed workers oft lingering near the circus tents were nowhere to be found. The merry band had set up shop mere days after the explosive incident that heralded their group's arrival in the city. Elene wracked her brain for a moment. One of the fliers floating about the Promenade had been advertising a special attraction around noon. Something must have gone terribly wrong.

"I'll tell you what, miss." Ribald leaned close to Elene, his mouth at her ear. "You take care of this little 'unrest' for me, and that spellbook is yours."

Elene couldn't keep suspicion out of her voice. "Really? Why?"

"Look, if this doesn't get cleared up quickly, I'm looking at days of downtime while the Cowled Wizards 'investigate'. Trust me, you'll be doing me a favour," he replied wryly, straightening himself.

He had a point. Glancing at the rapidly emptying promenade, it struck her as a decent offer. Maybe an animal got loose and needed to be herded back in. Jaheira could do that in her sleep. "Double the discount on the armour and we have a deal."

"Fine, fine. Waukeen's breath, she bargains like one of us," Ribald muttered under his breath.

"Come then, we're taking our equipment now," Jaheira told him.

"Right away, maam."

The epicentre of the commotion was already deserted by the time they headed to the largest tent in the promenade. A nearby tent lay in ruin, one of the casualties of the day as people panicked to scramble away. Elene rolled her shoulder to assess the stretch of the new armour as her gaze swept over the debris and random items thrown to the ground in the chaos. The only animals she could see were the ones still in their cages scattered about the circus enclosures. They paced aimlessly back and forth in evident agitation but were otherwise not up to mischief.

Then her ears caught the soft sobs of a child. Hand on her weapon, she traced a quick beeline to an overturned table where passers-by were invited to try their hand at darts. The sobbing was soon joined by the gentle murmuring of a man. To her surprise, she found an Amnian guard crouched before a weeping human boy of no older than eight or nine summers. The boy's face was tear-streaked with distraught, though there wasn't a scratch on him.

"Are you alright?" she called out.

The guard jerked to his feet in surprise, his features youthful and unguarded beneath the feathered metal helmet. Upon noticing how armed the newcomers were, he began to reach for the mace at his belt. "Who are you lot?"

The truth worked fine in this situation. "We're adventurers, Ribald Barterman told us to have a look. What happened here?"

"What-" the guard let out a harsh laugh. "Hells if I know. Something exploded in a gust of smoke at that big tent there. Then people came screaming out. The Captain went in with a group but when I pulled open the flap, there's…" He swallowed. "Nothing. Just a black void, darker than night. I called and called after them and…I got nothing back."

"And the boy?" Anomen gestured to the child.

"Tried to run in there, his mother's still inside." The guard wiped at his sweat slicked face; worry etched into the premature lines on his forehead. "If anyone goes in, there's no guarantee they're coming back out. We have to wait for the Cowlies to have a look at this one before we send anyone else in."

Elene swallowed. That was the last thing she wanted. "We can go in now and find out for you."

"Yea?" He peered at them with no small amount of scepticism. "Well, I'm not gonna stop you. But on your own head be it."

His ominous words lingered in Elene's mind as she turned to the tent flap before them. The bright yellow tarp was so huge you could cover a row of slum houses with it, almost like a pavilion compared to the other structures surrounding it. Taking a deep breath, she lifted the flap to confirm what the guard had said earlier. Only blackness lay within, a darkness so absolute that if she fell in, she wondered if she would be falling for an eternity. She stared into the abyss for a good few seconds. Unlike the guard, though, she recognised the sight before her for what it was.

"Illusion," she concluded.

"What if it's a portal to another Realm?" Yoshimo asked.

She squinted into the darkness. "It doesn't feel like a portal."

"Then what are we waiting for? Those within could be in danger," Anomen urged.

"We could be in danger," Elene heard Yoshimo mutter.

Ignoring the banter behind her, she took another slow breath to calm herself. She stopped focusing on the inky blackness before her, instead imagining solid ground with copper earth shifting as she put one foot forward. This was a circus tent in the middle of Athkatla. Not a portal into oblivion. Sure enough, within several steps, the darkness receded as though she was reaching the end of a tunnel. And then she had to blink as the light grew and the image before her shifted into something utterly unexpected.

Instead of cloth walls and an earthen performance ring, she found herself gawking at the interior of an incredible domed structure made of purest white marble, with tasteful hints of gold accents, like something straight out the books about ancient Calimshan. The place was enormous, multiple times larger than anything that could have fit into the tent. Great towering pillars rose from the ground to ceiling, artfully decorated by creeping plants with delicate blue flowers. Though they were meant to be indoors, the unmistakeable sound of running water and even birds chirping confounded her ability to convince herself of that fact.

Her boots clicked on the dark stone flooring as she turned in place to take it all in. Her companions were likewise gobsmacked by their surroundings.

"You're…sure that wasn't a portal?" Yoshimo stammered.

Jaheira glared at the dome above. "Even the plants seem real. Almost like the work of fey."

As she was beginning to doubt herself, Elene pricked her thumb with the tip of a knife, just enough to draw blood. The pain, slight as it was, felt real, and it helped anchor her. Drawing her energy inwards, she reached out with senses other than her eyes and ears. Then belatedly, she realised how musty and crowded the place smelled, as though it was once filled with all manner of people, instead of pristine and lined with greenery. And she only noticed it because she was seeking signs of something out of place to begin with. Such display of magic was incredible – a bad illusion was obvious from the way the image shifts when viewed from different angles. That was how sometimes you can distinguish a mirror image of a mage against the person. This illusion, though, was the most realistic she'd ever encountered.

"Whoever's doing this, they're powerful to be able to trick a few senses at once," she said.

"I thought the Cowled Wizards are in power precisely to prevent this type of thing," Jaheira remarked dryly.

"Could be one of them, for all you know," Kivan added in an undertone.

Elene huffed a derisive laugh despite herself. Facing up against an illusionist without the ability to dispel magic? This was going to be tricky. "Best stay close. They can split us up with false walls or mirrors if they so choose."

Her group tightened their formation after that, with Anomen and Jaheira at the head, while she followed several steps behind with Yoshimo and Kivan at her back. They stepped past a grand arch opening into a beautiful fountain with water so clear, Elene's throat felt parched just looking at it. A lone cat sat on the edge of the fountain, eyeing them with interest. A perfectly ordinary-looking cat, grey with black stripes, though much cleaner and better fed than the strays scavenging in the slums. As they drew closer, the cat leaped off its perch, then without warning, bolted towards Anomen at full tilt.

Except when it reared on its hind legs for a pounce, its form blurred for a second, and Elene shouted a warning when she saw a full-grown tiger underneath the guise. Too late, the creature ploughed into Anomen in a mess of claws and steel, and Jaheira had to scramble to whip her staff at its head to dislodge it from their fallen companion. The illusion could no longer hold up against her glancing blow, and with a flash, the true form of the tiger became clear for all of them to see. This must be the ferocious prize beast they'd once kept on display outside the tents.

Elene rushed to pull Anomen back to his feet while Jaheira planted herself between them and the tiger. The beast recovered from her first salvo, circling once more with its teeth bared. Behind them, Kivan called out a few familiar words in elvish to try and calm the creature.

It made the tiger angrier.

This time it went for Jaheira. The druid was ready, swinging her staff out to force it to backpedal. Anticipating her move, Kivan fired an arrow into its side, netting a mighty roar of pain. Yoshimo's arrow followed soon after. Both men aimed for muscle to incapacitate the creature. After that, a few blows from Jaheira and a decisive incision from Elene put paid to it.

"I didn't see that coming," Anomen shook his head as he stared at the tiger's carcass.

"Be on your guard. Nothing is what it seems here," said Jaheira.

Moving on, Elene's hand twitched at the thought of not knowing their true adversary until it was right in front of them. A tiger they could manage. What if it was something worse?

"Let me scout ahead," she ventured.

Kivan flicked a doubtful look her way but said nothing. True that he was much better at stealth, being the one who taught her most of her tricks. Illusions, though, were very much her forte. Jaheira waved her onward, already moving to guide the others into a more defensible position. Elene's heart was in her throat as she stealthily inched past the grand arch. Her fingers grazed the lip of the fountain as she passed it. Solid. She frowned at it for a moment. Solid, but when she concentrated, it felt more like a wooden surface than a stone fountain.

Beyond the fountain, an earthen path led her inevitably onward into a spotless white hall. She decided to ignore the delicate sculptures and lavish furnishings along the way. None of it was real anyway. The hall led into a chamber with mosaic flooring and gleaming gold pillars. So distracted she was by the change in scenery that she'd almost walked into the room when she finally noticed she had company.

Swarthy, almost seven feet tall, with a greasy patch of dark hair on its bulbous head. A spiked mace lay on the ground not too far from its reach. Elene paused, thumb rubbing against the hilt of her sword. Alright. Nothing too challenging, she'd fought an ogre before. One arrow from Kivan could finish this one off before it even realised of the danger. Except…something about the manner of this ogre made her hesitate. The way it sat hunched against a pillar with its hands in its lap. Almost forlorn. Not to mention the almost feminine manner it folded its legs. Most certainly not ogre-like.

If a cat turned out to be a tiger…could an ogre be something harmless instead?

Either way, she was cautious enough to avoid testing her theory on her own. She quickly retreated to bring the others to the chamber. They didn't bother with stealth by then. Any creature with ears could hear Anomen's clanking armour on approach. Indeed, the ogre jerked its head up the moment they stepped into the chamber's threshold.

"W-who are you? What are you doing here?" it called out.

Elene blinked. Instead of a growling menace, the ogre sounded like a young girl. One not much older than she was, in fact. Glancing to her left, Anomen looked similarly bewildered. So, it wasn't just her hearing things. Although the ogre looked agitated at their presence, it remained where it was, resting on its laurels.

"Ohhh," the ogre wrung its hands, continuing before any of them could answer, "Whoever you are, you must flee this place at once! Kalah's subdued just about everyone and…I don't want him to hurt you too."

"How is it that an ogre could be in possession of such a sweet voice?" Yoshimo asked.

"I'm no ogre. I'm an avariel!" the creature protested.

Elene's inner academic immediately perked up. A winged elf, here? They're supposed to be one of the rarest elves to ever be found in Faerun! Sightings have only been recorded far in the north, or near secluded mountain peaks, so how did…? Then a knowing look from Jaheira stalled her budding excitement. Right. The creature could be lying for all they knew.

"Are you from the circus?" Anomen inquired.

"Y-yes, I'm…I'm one of the performers. My name is Aerie. Kalah was supposed to do his usual illusion routine today, but he was acting strangely all morning. Wouldn't stop talking about magic to change reality…a gift. Then when it was time for him to take centre stage, he…" the ogre waved its hand, "Made everything change. Furniture, animals, people. We couldn't get out in time before he sealed the exit."

"What is he trying to do?" Jaheira prodded further.

The ogre who called herself Aerie shook her head. "I don't…well, he said he wanted to show all of us what he could do. And to teach a lesson to those who laughed at him. I don't understand, he was never this powerful before. He was just a simple illusionist. I don't know how this could have happened."

Elene stepped closer. "Why are you left alone here?"

"Uncle Quayle and I, we gathered a group of people to fight back. To get Kalah to stop. But his magic was too strong for us, and now I'm chained here." Aerie raised her hands and Elene could barely hear the slightest jangle of metal in the motion. "Please, if you can get me free, I need to find Uncle Quayle. Kalah was so mad at him. I…I worry to think what could have happened to him."

"How do we break your bonds?" Elene asked.

Kivan tugged her back. "Elene, this could be a trap."

Elene's lips pulled into a taut line. "I don't think it is."

"Kalah has the key but…if you can see through this illusion, maybe you can pick the lock. It's here between my wrists," Aerie replied, lifting her hands before her.

Breathing deeply, Elene knelt in front of her. Up close, a slight distortion in the ogre's visage became evident. A much smaller form sat within the form of the beast. She reached for where the creature's unseen bonds would be, not breaking eye contact even for a second, and sure enough, her fingers brushed against cold metal. A wide band clasped tightly against delicate wrists. She touched one of Aerie's wrists, compelling her mind to focus on the physical contact and not what her eyes were telling her. Not an ogre for sure. Relying on feel alone, Elene fumbled around with a lockpick for a bit until she found the locking mechanism on the shackles and got to work. It was slow, painstaking work picking a lock she could only imagine was there. Yet her effort was rewarded by a satisfying click in the end.

As the shackles fell away, so did the illusion that concealed Aerie. In the place of an ogre sat an angelically pretty elf, slim as a reed with hair like spun gold. The blue in her eyes was so vivid that it put the summer skies over Candlekeep to shame. Her features skewed young, she couldn't be any older than Imoen.

No wings, though. Elene resisted the urge to peer over the girl's shoulder to check. Now wasn't the time to indulge in latent curiosity.

"It worked," Aerie breathed as she clambered to her wobbly feet. "Oh, thank Baervar, I don't know for how long I'd have been trapped otherwise. Thank you!"

Elene nodded, reaching out to steady her. "I'm Elene, by the way."

A curt round of introductions followed, Aerie nodding at each of them with wide eyes as she rubbed at her wrists. "N-nice to meet all of you."

"Where is Kalah?" Jaheira demanded.

Aerie pointed to a set of stairs framed by plush velvet curtains. "Up there. It's a throne room with a…performance stage of some kind. He had my friends put on shows for him. Uncle Quayle will be there too." When Jaheira advanced towards the stairs, though, Aerie rushed to her side. "Wait, I want to come with you. I know I don't look like much, but I'm a priestess of Baervar. And…because of the circus, I have permission to cast magic within the tents. I want to help!"

Jaheira's appraising eyes raked her from top to bottom. "Can you cast healing spells?"

An enthusiastic nod was her reply.

Somehow, Elene kept her expression neutral when Jaheira's sharp gaze moved to her next. Once again, the decision was to be hers. On one hand, it would be useful to have another healer. On the other, Aerie was practically a child. But then again…wasn't she the same when she was forced to run from Candlekeep in the dead of the night?

"You can stay behind Yoshimo." Elene paused, then pointed to the spot she was standing on. "But if it gets too dangerous, just run back here, alright?"

Aerie's eyes lit up like stars. "Alright!"

"Yoshimo will keep you safe, young one," the bounty hunter beamed.

"Can you dispel illusions?" Elene asked.

"Only minor ones, but I promise I'll try my best."

That would have to be good enough. As Elene unsheathed her new sword, she tried not to think too much of that night many months ago. Hurried steps, Gorion's wrinkled brow, the weight of the new travel pack on her shoulders. She hoped that Aerie's uncle would not meet the same fate of her father as they ventured forth into the unknown.

From her safe vantage point in the rear, Aerie guided them onward. More enemies came at them as they approached the stairwell to the throne room, wicked shadows peeling away from the walls, armed with claws of deep night. Try as she might, Elene struggled to discern illusion from reality. The red stripe across her upper arm felt plenty real as one of the shadows lunged at her. Academically, she knew how these illusions functioned – magic influenced the mind to inflict damage on the target even though the aggressor was only a figment of light and sound. The only way to defeat such an adversary was with a strong dispel or by convincing one's mind that it was an illusion in the first place.

In the end, a dispel was not necessary for them to advance. Elene spotted weaknesses in the image which enabled her to ignore her own aggressors and focus on helping the others instead. The fights blurred into one another after that, until they manoeuvred into a tight passageway that led into a grand chamber with silken drapery and marble-tiled flooring.

Glancing behind her, Elene felt that the group looked comically out of place with their weapons brandished while surrounded by lounging animals dressed in colourful clothing, soft magelights and haunting harp music that came from nowhere and everywhere at once. Surreal, like another plane of existence. Then a large shadow moved in her peripheral vision, and she whipped her head to lock her eyes onto an enormous ogre as it rose from an ivory throne. Giant tusks protruded from its grinning mouth, its gleaming white teeth clashing against blue skin. The creature was dressed in lush velvet robes, its fingers and throat bedecked in gold and shimmering gems. Everything about it screamed of power.

Elene began to wonder if a second-hand spellbook was worth all this trouble.

"Kalah, I presume," Jaheira called out beside her.

A sigh escaped the beast, its stance oozing melodrama. "And here I thought my pets would have sufficed. You lot are made of sterner stuff than the city guard, it seems."

"What are you done with the people in this tent, creature?" growled Anomen.

"Frankly, I think I gave them an upgrade." Kalah gestured at the circus animals with a wicked grin. "Rather than continue with their lives as horrid, poisonous bullies, they're so much better this way, don't you think? At least they're mildly entertaining now." Then he leaned forward as he noticed Aerie. "Ahh, and you've released my caged bird. Thank you for leading them here, my dear. I was just starting to get bored."

Elene's brow wrinkled at his declaration even as monstrous illusions flickered into being around her. She ignored them for a moment as she dissected Kalah's imposing image with her eyes. So, they were up against an ogre mage. Kalah seemed powerful, but her instincts told her that the magic source did not originate from him. He emanated the same energy as the walls and monsters of the place, meaning he was as much of a prop here as the other illusions. Perhaps he was merely…a conduit of some form. Which begged the inevitable question: what was he a conduit for?

"I didn't bring them here for a show. Where's Uncle Quayle?" Aerie demanded, suddenly shedding her meek exterior in the face of his mockery.

Kalah drew himself up to full height. "That blubbering blowhard is no longer a concern of mine. And in a few minutes, neither will you. Just another piece of coin for the blood price." That sense of something other in the vicinity intensified as he flexed his fingers to prepare for a fight. "And I will have what was promised to me!"

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Author's Note:

I'm going to take another writing break for a few weeks while I wrestle the middle third of this outline to a more acceptable length. There are soooo many things I want to cover but for the sake of the craft (and my sanity, to some extent), I've decided to focus on story beats fundamental for key character development. Even then, I'm still looking at 50+ chapters in total!

Also, real life is going to be a bit intense as work devours my waking hours, so I can only promise the next chapter sometime in mid to late June. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere, otherwise these guys will keep living rent-free in my head. ;)