Jarlaxle stood quickly as they approached, no small measure of relief upon his face. Drizzt moved to help, easing the girl down off Artemis' back. She stirred, having dozed off slightly, and the transfer went almost unnoticed as she rubbed at her eyes. But even as her feet touched the ground, her knees gave, and had the drow not had his arm hooked under her shoulders, she would have completely fallen. She started, seeming to lean out of the drow's helping arm, offsetting his balance as she became more fully awake. Nearly knocking both of them over.
"I've got you." He reassured her softly.
But something about the way her body quivered beside him made those words seem hollow.
"Come, bring her here." Jarlaxle instructed, pointing to a bed roll beside the fire. He clapped Artemis on the shoulder in passing.
Artemis followed the drow somberly as they brought the girl over and gently helped her sit. She leaned against a log heavily, grunting in pain and exhaustion. Jarlaxle crouched beside her, gently pushing her hair back as he assessed her injuries. She flinched at his touch, turning her head away.
The wound on her hairline had stopped bleeding, leaving a trail of caked blood from her temple to her chin, skirting her eye. The opposite cheek was purple and blue, swollen, and hot, with deep cut near the base of that eye. Her neck was turning an even darker shade of purple, with the edges rimmed in angry red. The corners of her eyes were bloodshot, and there was blood in her hair on the back of her head.
Jarlaxle tsked softly as he looked her over, already reaching into his side bag. He offered her the pouch of water as he pulled out a container of salve. She drank slowly with shaking hands.
"Her rib is broken too." Artemis told him softly.
The drow looked to her side where the man pointed. "May I?" He asked her as he reached for her shirt.
She nodded stiffly. "I'm sorry…" She murmured again, her voice raspy and hoarse.
"Don't be." Drizzt reassured her. "We should not have let you go off on your own, it was arrogant of us to think the Netherese were further behind us... We are the ones who should be sorry..."
She shook her head before he had even finished speaking and looked at Artemis guiltily. "You told me to stay. That it wasn't safe…. I didn't listen."
"Hush. You are safe now, and we are glad for it." Jarlaxle reassured her.
Alice couldn't keep herself from trembling, even more so as the mercenary gently rolled up her shirt. Fear pulsed in her veins, making her heart throb painfully. She looked away, blinking back tears, trying to think of something else. Anything else. Her eyes met Artemis' again, and she felt shame squeeze her throat shut as she quickly tore her gaze away almost as soon as it found his. The drow gently applied the cool salve to her skin on her ribs, then laid a cloth over top of it before carefully rolling her shirt down.
Drizzt moved to dab a wet cloth at her bloody wounds, but she flinched so viciously he stopped in surprise.
"I-I'll do it…" She told him, taking the cloth from him gingerly.
"I am afraid I used most of my salves and potions on Artemis." Jarlaxle explained as she carefully wiped at the wound on her hairline. "I used the last of it on your ribs, as that was the most pressing of injuries. But the rest will feel much better in the morning regardless."
He moved to clasp her shoulder, but again she flinched away, avoiding his touch. Shame filled her again, and she shook her head.
"Thank you…." Another shake of her head. "Maybe it'll remind me to listen better next time…"
"I only wish I could do more." He smiled charmingly, "I hate to see a pretty face in pain."
She offered a hollow smile, looking down at the blood stained cloth. Hiding the fear that rippled through her at his words. Biting back tears and trying to still her quivering hands.
"Your other cheek-" Drizzt began to say, reaching for the wet cloth.
"I got it!" Alice snapped, louder than she had intended, snatching her hands back from him before he had even gotten close. She swallowed hard, closing her eyes. "I… got it…"
"We will let you get some rest then." Jarlaxle offered after an awkward silence stretched between them. He gestured to his companion to rise. "In the morning, we will have to salvage what we can. It will not be long until Asmodeus finds this place too."
The others missed the heavy flinch she made when the mercenary said Asmodeus' name. Artemis, however, did not, and he felt his blood boil. She nodded, slowly easing herself to the ground and covering herself with the blanket. The drow stepped away, conversing quietly out of earshot and exchanging concerned looks.
Artemis drifted over slowly, looking at the fire. He sat on the log next to her, one hand on the hilt of his borrowed sword. She looked at him out of the corner of her eyes.
"Sleep." He told her quietly, "...I will keep watch."
Alice didn't answer, burying her face deeper into her blanket. Seeing him there, out of the corner of her eye…. It helped a bit. Her head felt numb and her whole body throbbed. But her eyes still felt so heavy...
"I am not sure how much we can uncover before Asmodeus reaches us." Jarlaxle told the assassin quietly, speaking in his native tongue. "If she could help us-"
"It is too much to ask of her now." Drizzt interrupted, shaking his head.
Artemis nodded his agreement, looking down at the sleeping woman. She stirred restlessly, her eyes darting behind her closed lids. "I do not think there is anything to be uncovered."
The two others regarded him with surprise. When they didn't comment, he finally looked up from her sleeping form. The assassin took in their faces, then shrugged.
"I overheard the mage speaking with Asmodeus before the distraction." He told them. "He believes Alice is the artifact."
"How is that possible?" Jarlaxle posed, shaking his head. "She is just a girl."
Artemis sighed, shifting. "He seems to think she did not find all this… .but came with it."
That quieted the pair, each taking in what it meant. They all stared at her, wondering if it was possible that such a normal looking human could be from some other dimension.
"The bodies…" Drizzt started, but couldn't find the words to finish.
"We leave in the morning." Jarlaxle announced finally, standing and making his way over to his own bedroll. "If they are hunting for her now, the more distance we put between us and them, the better…. Perhaps we should destroy the rest as best we can."
Drizzt, nodding his agreement, also stood. Artemis lingered, still sitting next to the sleeping woman, who stirred and shifted in her sleep again. The drow considered him, waiting until he lifted his gaze to meet his eyes.
"Are you not sleeping?" He asked him in the common tongue.
Artemis gritted his teeth. "I am keeping watch."
The ranger raised an eyebrow. "You are watching one very specific thing."
Artemis shot him a dangerous look, so the drow dropped the matter with a shrug. He made his way over to his bedroll and laid down. The assassin continued to stare at her sleeping face, very aware of the eyes on his.
He cast Drizzt a brief, scowling look, and the ranger shrugged again, finally rolling to his other side.
Alice awoke in pain as the first rays of light graced the sky. She sat up slowly, drawing in her breath in a agonized hiss. Her side burned, her throat felt raw. Even her head pounded.
Dazed, she looked about, trying to fight through a sleepy haze. She jumped when Jarlaxle's sleeping form shifted beside the magical fire, and clutched her ribs in pain at the motion. Her side felt like it was on fire, she could hardly move for the pain. She noticed that both drow lay quietly nearby. Their backs were to her, so she couldn't tell for sure if they were asleep, but they seemed to be. Her breath spiraled from her mouth in lazy clouds, and she rubbed her arm with her opposite hand.
Glancing down, she noticed the dirt and blood stained into her knuckles. Each breath was a reminder of her encounter, each stain a stain on her very being. She clenched her hand into a fist, then tried to rub off the dirt. She scrubbed till it hurt, but it felt like she only made it worse. Spreading the stains around the rest of her skin….
Quietly, she stood, easing herself slowly to her feet with a wince. She looked around the quiet campsite again, but no one stirred. Briefly, she wondered where Artemis had gone, but so grateful was she for the solitude, she didn't ponder it long. Instead, she slipped into the woods, away from the crash site, clutching her tender side, legs quivering with the effort of holding her up.
She remembered the path from the last time she had been in the area, though it had changed in the few weeks since she had walked it. But soon the sound of trickling filled her ears, and she followed it.
The deep pools of water swirled at the base of the tiny waterfall. The product of at least five different streams converging into one. Three almost separate pools, a few feet across and three or so feet deep each, drained slowly into each other before slendering into one deeper stream that snaked its way through the forest.
Alice crouched beside the deepest pool, slowly easing her hands beneath its surface. She stared at her fingers under the water, the surface rippling over them. The waters were cool, but still warmer than the air around her. She rubbed the backs of her hands slowly, watching the stains lift away. She began working the water up her arms, scrubbing harder, almost frenzied. Then she splashed the water in her face, ignoring the stinging pain. She splashed again, and again, almost digging her nails into her skin as she desperately tried to wash away the memories. Asmodeus' face flashed before her eyes, and she pressed her palms against them as if to bore the image out.
Dripping, exhausted, she fell back to sit on her bottom, her eyes still covered. She quivered, even as the water snaked down to her elbows and dripped onto her knees. Still shaking, she slowly lowered her hands from her face, staring at her murky reflection in the water. Her cheek was still an angry red, and the gash at the edge of her hair seemed equally irritated. At some point during her frantic splashing, her hair tie had snapped, so her golden blonde hair fell about her like a wild mane.
She drew in another pained breath, then looked down to her side. Slowly, she rolled up her shirt, to find the cloth blood stained and throbbing. A frown settled on her face, and carefully she peeled off the makeshift bandage. It came away slowly, painfully, having started to stick to her flesh with plasma. What before had been nothing more than a black and blue bruise now looked like bubbled flesh and angry puckering, hot to the touch and bloody raw in places. It stung and burned, covering almost her whole left side, and she nearly cried from the pain as she pulled off the last of the bandage.
"The hell?" She murmured, gritting her teeth in anguish.
She dipped her hand in the water, slowly bringing it to her side. Clenching in anticipation, she held her hand over the wound to drip on it. She spasmed in pain as the water rolled over the open sores. It hurt so much she doubled over, wincing and gasping.
"I thought you would have learned your lesson," came an angry voice, "About wandering off on your own."
Alice jumped in surprise, then doubled over again in pain. Artemis walked into her field of view, traditional scowl on his face. She shook her head, trying to roll her shirt down over the wound.
"I was just-"
The assassin caught her wrist, crouching on one bent knee. He looked at the blood soaked bandage, seeming confused, then pushed her hand away. He reached over and took up the edge of her shirt, slowly peeling it up. She cringed and gasped in pain again.
"The hell?" He muttered.
She gave a weak smile. "That's what I said." She said hoarsely.
He reached into his side bag, pulling out a cloth and dropping it in the water. "What did you do?" He growled, "Try to burn off the bruise?"
"I didn't do anything!" She snapped wearily, taking the cloth from him. "I just woke up like this." She hesitated, her hand hovering with the wet cloth just above the burn. "Maybe Jarlaxle mixed up his salve."
Artemis snorted, doubtful. Carefully, she tried to dab at the wound, but flinched away in pain.
She shook her head, tears stinging her eyes. "It hurts too much," She gasped, shaking, "I can't..."
"Lay down, and roll up your shirt more." He instructed, snatching the cloth back from her.
She shook her head. "No, it's ok, I-"
"Lay. Down." He ordered firmly. Then he removed his cloak and laid it on the forest floor.
She was still shaking her head. "Artem-"
"Not a request." He interrupted again.
Tears sprung to her eyes. "Pleas-"
The assassin grabbed her wrist, glaring at her. "Do it. Now."
Her hand shook in his grasp, and she winced at his voice. She turned away, squeezing her eyes shut and clenching her teeth. He felt a small stab of guilt, peppered with frustration. Artemis sighed, releasing his hold on her. She pulled her hand back, rubbing her wrist.
"Look," he leveled with her, "If it is the salve, we need to clean the last of it off. Even if it's not, the burn needs to be cleaned." He met her gaze as she looked up at him through her lashes. "It is going to hurt. No way around it."
She shook her head, as if to deny his words. Then she looked down at her trembling fingers. "It's….it's not that…" She dropped off.
Again he sighed. "You are dealing with… things….right now," He noted, "I know that, but this needs to get done. So put aside your fear for five minutes, and Lay. Down."
Swallowing hard, shaking from head to toe, she slowly eased herself onto his cloak.
"Onto your side." He instructed her quietly, positioning himself and soaking the cloth again.
She rolled obediently, facing him with her injured side up. Gingerly, she rolled up her shirt as far as she could manage without exposing herself. She held it there and tucked her elbow out of the way.
Artemis squeezed the cloth, and the dripping sent a shiver down her spine. He glanced at her, staring at him out of the corners of her eyes. "...I will try to be quick."
Searing pain filled her as the cloth touched the burning, raw skin on her side. She couldn't help but cry out. Instinctively, she curled, and her free hand grabbed at his leg. Her knuckles on both hands turned bone white as she clenched every muscle in her body. For his part, Artemis moved as quickly and gently as he could. Even through the cloth, he could feel heat rising from the wound, which looked in places as if someone had simply peeled off her skin. The edges seemed to curl, and here and there the skin was still blistering.
"What in the gods' names are you-?" Came a shout, cut off abruptly as Drizzt came into full view of the pair. "What… What…?"
Artemis dropped the cloth back into the water, straightening. "Done for now." He told the girl, whose face was buried in the bend of his knee.
Her knuckles were still white even as she slowly drew herself back. Her breath was ragged and her vision blurred.
"What happened?" Called Jarlaxle, jogging over.
"When did she get burned?" Drizzt exclaimed, shocked. He looked at the assassin, seeing as the woman was still curled in pain.
"Burned?" Echoed the other drow, slowing to a stop. He gaped in surprise at the wound on her side.
"Your salve," Artemis growled, "Did you mix up the jars?"
Jarlaxle looked at the assassin, then Drizzt, wide eyed, then down at the girl. "N-no! I am certain! I put the last of the salve I had used on your injuries." He shook his head, "I have nothing even like a fire salve."
Drizzt crouched by her head, gently reaching for her hand. She looked at him, giving a weak smile. She hesitated momentarily before taking his offered hand fumblingly. He gave her a reassuring squeeze.
"Perhaps I'm allergic." She mumbled hoarsely, closing her eyes.
"To magical healing salve?" Jarlaxle postulated, exasperated. He shook his head. "I've never heard of such a thing."
"Not in this dimension, at least," Artemis returned softly.
That silenced everyone, and Alice looked at each of their faces, reading the realization there. She sighed heavily, wincing as her side flexed. "So, cat's out of the bag."
"What cat?" Jarlaxle asked in confusion.
Slowly, with Drizzt's aid, she sat up. "I mean, you know about me.. Or at least…"
"I heard Ianric say as much." Artemis confirmed.
She didn't answer, but flinched at the name. Leaning back heavily on one hand, She brushed her hair out of her face with her other.
"So it is true?" Asked Jarlaxle, breaking the silence.
Alice looked up at him weakly, then sighed with a tiny shrug. "I've been thinking it may be."
"It may be?" Drizzt echoed, "You do not know?"
She looked at each of their faces. "I… I didn't exactly come here of my own free will…" She offered a small chuckle, "And there are certainly no elves or demons or any of ….. This… where I come from…" She feebly gestured with one hand.
The trio exchanged looks. At a loss for words.
Jarlaxle shook his head, straightening. "This is a conversation for another time. Right now, we need to get Alice out of here." Drizzt helped her to her feet, and Artemis stood, pulling his cloak off the ground. "I was able to reach Kimmuriel, and he can open us a portal to our base in Luskan."
"Is there anything here of value?" Drizzt asked, "Anything Asmodeus should not have?"
She shook her head, suppressing a flinch at the name, pulling away from his supporting arm with a wave of her hand. "It's all useless here… Mostly clothes and bags and things like that. Everything possibly useful was burned up in the crash."
"Good, then let's get out of this godforsaken forest." Grumbled the assassin, catching the girl as she swayed on her feet.