There were two well-armed guards at the keep's entrance. One stepped forward as the small group approached.

"I trust you mean no trouble," he said. "Keep your weapons sheathed while you are within the keep's walls. Understand?"

"Of course," said Silandra. "You'll have no trouble from us."

At least, she was pretty sure that was the truth. She didn't know Montaron and Xzar well enough to speak for them with true confidence, but hoped they at least had enough sense to follow the rules. She was glad for the guards' presence. She wondered if she might be able to stay here a while. Surely nothing could penetrate these walls. But she realized quickly how silly that thought was – she'd believed the same of Candlekeep.

Imoen was rattling off the list of things she wanted to buy for their continued adventures. It was clear she wasn't thinking of stopping for longer than it took to rest and meet Gorion's friends.

"We really should have a tent," she said. "Me an' you can share. And maybe I could get some armor. Ya think they sell it in pink?"

"I don't know, but if they do I bet it would cost a lot," said Silandra, just realizing now that she had very little gold on her.

"We'll be rich in no time," said Imoen confidently. "We'll go round helping people and they'll pay us for it. And uh… I didn't tell you earlier but Gorion had some gold on him. Not a lot, but it's something. Here ya go."

Silandra accepted the coin purse, not missing the way Montaron's eyes lingered on it. She'd have to be careful around him. She stuffed it down the front of her dress. Let him just try to get it from there.

They passed more guards as they approached the great stone stairs leading up to the inn's entrance. For some reason, Silandra felt the faintest inkling of unease, though she couldn't determine why. All these guards could only mean safety.

She was glad to step inside the well-lit inn, where she was greeted by the sound of music and conversation. This place was much livelier than Winthrop's inn back in Candlekeep, the atmosphere cheerful, and she tried to relax.

Montaron and Xzar headed to the bar without another word, but she stayed near the entrance with Imoen and scanned the room, looking for Gorion's friends. Most of the occupants were unarmed and simply dressed – residents or perhaps traveling merchants.

"Silandra?"

The girls followed the voice to a table off to the side where a man and woman were sitting. They had the look of real adventures, clad in worn armor, their skin tanned from their time spent outdoors. From the points of their ears, Silandra suspected they had some amount of elven blood, though given her own circumstances she didn't like to be too quick to judge race.

The woman stood and approached, looking concerned.

"That is your name, yes?" she asked.

Silandra nodded. "This is Imoen. You're Jaheira?"

"Yes, I am Jaheira, and this is my husband, Khalid. I'd recognize you anywhere from Gorion's description. Where is he?"

"We were attacked shortly after leaving Candlekeep. He didn't make it."

Jaheira frowned. "He worried this may happen. You must be tired. Let's sit and you can explain."

Silandra practically collapsed into the chair. It wasn't particularly comfortable, being made completely of wood and having no cushion, but right now it felt like heaven. She saw Jaheira make some signal in the direction of the bar, and she hoped that meant food would be on the way soon. She was starving.

Imoen was eager to do most of the talking concerning the events of the previous night, and Silandra was happy enough to let her. She'd rather not speak of it yet herself if she didn't have to. Even just listening to how Gorion had been cut down was hard, but she suspected she'd have to get used to it. She showed Khalid and Jaheira the letter that Gorion had been carrying, which only seemed to increase their concern.

"Do you have any idea who this 'E' person is?" Silandra asked.

"I cannot be certain," said Jaheira, frowning. "We will find out soon enough, I expect. And we will find Gorion's murderer."

"He was after me," Silandra said quietly. "He said so."

"I cannot imagine why, but we will get to the bottom of it."

"Gorion didn't speak of this to you? Did he even tell you why we had to leave?"

"He told us that Candlekeep was no longer safe for you, and that he had something important to discuss," said Jaheira. "That is all. We have not seen each other much these past few years."

"He d-did ask us to look after you if anything should h-happen," said Khalid. Silandra had been wondering why he was so quiet, and now she supposed she understood why.

"Yes, of course, you may travel with us, at least while you adjust to life outside Candlekeep," Jaheira said. "You should know, however, that we are on our way to Nashkel. We are to meet with the mayor concerning the problems with the mine."

"That's where Monty and Xzar want us to go!" Imoen exclaimed.

"Those men you entered with?" Jaheira asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yep, we met 'em on the road," said Imoen.

"They d-don't look friendly," Khalid said, eyeing the pair uncomfortably.

Silandra glanced over to the bar. Montaron had a mug of ale in front of him, but he seemed more focused on glaring at the people around him. Xzar, on the other hand, was very intently picking drops of red wine from his glass with his fingers and flicking them over a napkin.

"I can't say I'm thrilled by their presence. I was thinking about leaving them after meeting you, but if their quest is the same as yours then perhaps it makes more sense to stick together."

"It just means they'll be in our way regardless," said Jaheira. "I still don't like it."

"C'mon, Monty's a little rough but he reminds me of this thief I used to know, and he was actually a big softy once ya got to know him," said Imoen. "I'm pretty sure Xzar's nuts, but that just makes him fun! Besides, it's dangerous out there. Safety in numbers and all that."

Jaheira's eyes narrowed. "You will find Khalid and I are well-equipped to handle whatever we may encounter on the road."

Their conversation was momentarily interrupted by a serving girl setting a few steaming plates before them, along with mugs of ale. Silandra wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but the food was similar to what was commonly served in Winthrop's inn – fresh bread and butter, roast meat and vegetables. Imoen practically inhaled her first few bites, but years of being told to 'act like a lady' made Silandra restrain herself.

She picked up her mug of ale skeptically. She'd seen the painful mornings the stuff had given Hull and Fuller and did not wish to experience that herself.

"Would you prefer something else?" Jaheira asked. "We usually drink ale because it's cheap refreshment after a day on the road."

"Oh no it's fine, thank you," Silandra said, not wanting to be difficult.

"She's just worried it'll make her sick," said Imoen, taking a big sip of her own. "Some of the guards back home used to overdo it. It's okay Sil, s'long as you don't have too much you don't have to worry."

Silandra took a cautious sip, and almost spat it back out. She tried to cover her distaste, but she obviously didn't do a very good job because Imoen laughed at her.

"You'll get used to it," she said.

"The food's good, at least," Silandra said.

"It might not be for much longer, if we don't get to the bottom of this iron crisis soon," said Jaheira. "Caravans are being accosted more often than not, even when they don't carry iron. That means it's also getting difficult to move food."

"I have to admit, I don't really know much about this iron problem," Silandra admitted. "I only found out about it yesterday."

"N-not much is known at all," Khalid said. "That's why we are g-g-going to investigate. If we can f-find who is responsible, we c-can stop it."

"The iron coming from the Nashkel mine is brittle and has been for months now," said Jaheira. "Any iron from elsewhere rarely makes it to where it's needed because bandits attack the caravans. Hopefully we'll learn more in Nashkel."

"How far is Nashkel?" Silandra asked. "It's south, right?"

"Yes. If we make good time, we will arrive well within a tenday. We will leave first thing in the morning. I suppose you should tell your companions the plan, if you intend to bring them with us."

"I'll go tell them now, since I need to get us a room anyway," said Silandra, the thought having just occurred to her. She hoped there were still some available at this time.

"There's no need. We were expecting you and Gorion and your room is already booked. It's just as well; Bentley's started turning people away."

"That's the innkeeper?"

Jaheira nodded. "We're old friends."

"Is it usually this busy?" Imoen asked.

"Not this busy, no," said Jaheira. "I suspect some of these people are travelers who are too afraid of the bandits to leave."

As Silandra began making her way over to the bar, she again felt the faintest sense of unease, and looked around. The tables were all taken by now, and there were still more patrons standing around. Then her gaze landed on a large armored figure sitting at a table in the darkest corner of the room. His skin was gray, and there was something feral about his features. He set down his mug, and she saw his tusks. A half-orc. She'd never met one before, but she knew they were usually evil. He must be giving off some kind of horrible, dark aura, and that was why she felt so uneasy.

She continued on her way to Montaron and Xzar, though did not let herself forget the half-orc's presence.

"Montaron, Xzar?" she said, when they didn't immediately acknowledge her.

"What is it?" Xzar asked, pleasantly enough. He'd apparently already forgiven her for charming him, which was surprising considering how long it had taken some of the residents of Candlekeep.

"We are going to leave for Nashkel first thing in the morning," said Silandra. "Khalid and Jaheira over there are also on their way to meet the mayor, so they'll be coming with us."

Xzar barely spared the half-elves a glance before returning to his napkin art, but Montaron eyed them for a while. Silandra couldn't see his face, but was sure his thoughts were anything but pleasant. If Gorion's friends thought these two were trouble, then perhaps they were right – she wasn't sure about them herself – but for the moment she was of the opinion that there was safety in numbers.

An hour later, Silandra was settling into the room that had been intended for her and Gorion. Imoen had elected to stay up a bit longer with Khalid and Jaheira, pestering them to tell her tales of their adventures. Ordinarily, Silandra would be glad to join in, but as it was she was beyond exhaustion and wanted nothing more than to sleep.

She cleaned herself off as well as she could using the basin and water provided, though she would have preferred a real bath. At least there was a mirror. She almost died upon first looking into it when she saw how dirty she was. Imoen had done a good job on her hair, but there were a few stray leaves in it, and her dress was filthy from lying in that thicket overnight. It was ruined anyway, what with the hole in the sleeve where she'd been burned, and she considered throwing it away.

However, she only had two more with her, and who knew what else she'd go through on her way to Nashkel? She resigned herself to keeping the ruined dress, at least for now, She left it on the floor and climbed into one of the two beds. It was about as comfortable as her bed back at Candlekeep, and she relaxed with a sigh of contentment. She would have drifted off immediately, if not for the faintest sound outside her door. She sat up, double-checking she'd locked it.

Even as she watched, the latch began to lift. It was slow though – not the quick click caused by someone using a key. Not knowing what else to do, Silandra crawled under her bed. She waited silently in the darkness, trying to keep her breathing steady.

The door opened slowly, barely making a sound, and the room was momentarily brightened by the glow of the lanterns in the hall. When the door closed once again, Silandra could tell that she was no longer alone. Whoever had entered her room was obviously trying to be quiet, but she could hear their light footsteps as they headed towards her bed. Her first thought was that Gorion's murderer had come back for her, but then she saw the hem of the intruder's robes. She didn't exactly breathe a sigh of relief – either way, this person clearly didn't have good intentions or they would have knocked.

She knew she had to do something. If this person was looking for her, checking under the bed seemed an obvious step. She wished she at least had her dagger, but she'd left it on her nightstand in her panic. If she could just make it out of the room, she could summon her friends. She waited until the intruder was right next to her bed before making her move.

She rolled out quickly and shot sparks in the direction of the person's face, not even stopping to see the effect before running to the door. She heard a man's voice cursing before he began to mutter a spell, which only served to singe the door as it fell closed behind her.

She ran towards the stairs, glancing behind her when she heard the door open once again. She didn't get far before she was stopped abruptly by someone grabbing her arms. Fearing the worst, she tried to twist away even as she gazed up at her captor. She was surprised to see that it was only a young man, scarcely older than herself from the looks of him. He was as startled as she was, but there was no time for that. He wore armor and carried a sword and shield, so she looked into his eyes and willed him to help her.

He immediately pulled her behind him and raised his shield just in time to absorb three magic missiles, fired in quick succession.

Now that she had someone to fight for her, Silandra felt it was safe to take a moment to look at her attacker. He was a rather plain-looking man, though probably a competent enough mage. She gazed worriedly at the young man she'd charmed into fighting for her, unsure of his chances. He drew his sword and began to advance on the mage, who cast a mirror image spell, causing replicas of himself to appear beside him.

The armored man took a swing, but his sword hit nothing but air and one of the illusions fizzled away. The mage was beginning another spell, but he looked concerned now. Obviously this had not been part of his plan.

Just as Silandra was thinking she should go and get help, she heard heavy footsteps hurrying up the stairs, and the next moment a pair of guards appeared, followed by Imoen, Khalid and Jaheira. Their presence was not needed, however – the armored man's next strike had struck the mage squarely across the chest, interrupting whatever spell he'd begun and spraying the hall with blood.

Silandra released the young man from her charm, and only then realized that her hold on him had been weak, probably because she was so low on energy. She'd influenced him just enough to spur him into action but hadn't made him do anything he wouldn't have otherwise. She immediately felt bad, and it was even worse when he turned, looking a little bewildered, and she saw the holy symbol around his neck. She'd just charmed a paladin of Helm.

"What's going on here?" said the first guard, a gruff older man. "No fighting is allowed within these walls!"

The paladin's eyes were now on Silandra, though thankfully he looked more confused than angry. She spoke quickly, not wanting him to get into trouble on her account.

"He was only defending me," she said. "That other man – the wizard – he broke into my room and tried to kill me."

The guard looked at her, but didn't say anything. He seemed uncomfortable. His companion, a much younger man, was blushing, and now the paladin was too. He tore his gaze away from Silandra, instead turning to look at the man he'd killed.

"For heaven's sake, Silandra, cover yourself!" Jaheira commanded.

Beside her, Khalid appeared to be very interested in the walls.

Silandra looked down at herself, confused. While she would prefer to sleep in nothing, she'd given into Gorion's insistence that she wear a nightgown. It was short and thin, but it covered the 'important parts', as Imoen would say. Besides, her hair was unbound and it alone could conceal her well enough as far as she was concerned.

"I am covered!" she cried. She'd never understood why people apparently had such shame in their bodies, and she didn't think her state of dress was an appropriate thing to worry about at a time like this.

Imoen, who seemed to find this hilarious despite the dead man lying just a few feet away, wrapped her cloak around Silandra.

"Everyone relax; Sil's decent again," she said with a snigger.

The guards seemed to realize they'd been staring. The younger one began searching the mage's pockets, while the other turned to the paladin.

"Your name?" he asked.

"Ajantis Ilvastarr. I deeply regret having killed a man in the keep, but he was pursuing this lady, and he was obviously evil."

"You're a paladin?"

"Yes. I am on a quest to earn my right to become a full-fledged member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. I understand this is a troubled region of late, and I intend to help."

Silandra wasn't sure what one paladin would be able to do, especially one so young, but it was a noble enough quest she supposed. She caught Jaheira rolling her eyes at his words.

"Here you go," said the younger guard, finishing his search of the dead man. "A bounty notice. He was an assassin alright. You're lucky Ajantis here came along when he did."

"Let me see that," Jaheira said.

The guard looked about to protest, but Jaheira snatched the parchment from his hand.

"You'll all have to give statements in the morning," the older guard said.

"We have to leave in the morning," said Jaheira brusquely, still reading.

"Jaheira, I understand you're friends with Bentley, but –"

Jaheira shoved the bounty notice into his hands. "But nothing. We are expected in Nashkel. Bentley will understand. Just show him this."

"Let me see!" said Silandra.

"This is evidence," the guard said.

"If someone has put a bounty on my head then I deserve to see it!" Silandra cried.

The guard relented, and Silandra read the notice, shocked to see that she was apparently worth two hundred gold pieces. The description of her was too accurate – it even identified her as half-nymph.

"Oh," she said, returning the 'evidence'. "But… who? And why?"

"We will find out," said Jaheira. "For now, you need to sleep. We should be away from this place early tomorrow; there may be others searching for you here."

"We'll set guards here tonight as a precaution," said the older guard. "You will need to at least speak with Bentley before you leave. You too, Ajantis."

"Fine," Jaheira snapped. "I'll speak with him now, for I know him well enough not to expect him to rise before we set out."

The paladin, who'd been all but forgotten until that moment, took a hesitant step forward.

"Of course, I'll help however I can," he said. "If you don't mind me asking, what is your purpose in Nashkel? That is where the tainted iron comes from, is it not?"

Jaheira eyed him sternly for a moment before answering. "Yes. We are investigating the iron crisis."

"It seems our goals align," said Ajantis. "Perhaps I could go with you?"

Jaheira actually looked she might be about to refuse, so Silandra spoke quickly. "Of course," she said. "We could use your help. Besides, we couldn't possibly turn you away after you saved my life. I am in your debt."

"Oh, that was… it was nothing," Ajantis said, his face reddening once again. "It is my duty to protect innocents from evil. I am glad you are safe, my lady."

He didn't even seem to notice he'd been charmed. Silandra was relieved, but she still felt a little bad about it all the same. Still, she wasn't sure if he'd have reacted fast enough without it.

Jaheira rubbed her temples and sighed. "Fine. We leave at first light. Now off to bed. You too, Imoen, it's late enough."

Imoen looked disappointed, but Silandra was glad not to have to return to her room alone. She couldn't help but glance at the dead assassin as they passed. The paladin's blow had killed him instantly and cut deep, almost deep enough to slice him in two, and the sight was unpleasant. Regardless, she found it hard to pull her gaze away from the bloody mess. The man had deserved to die, though she would have liked to find out where he'd got the bounty notice from and that may be difficult now.

Imoen wanted to talk about what had just happened, and Silandra did too, but she was far too tired for that at the moment. There'd be plenty of time on their way to Nashkel. She didn't relish the thought of being on the road again, though surely after a while her body would get used to it. At least, she hoped so. She'd never expected traveling to be so difficult.