It was dark, as it almost always seemed to be on the rare occasions she dreamed. She was in a dank prison cell and she was sure her final intact dress was getting ruined by the grime—or would be, if she was not so sure this wasn't real. What's more, she was not alone.

"I told you," came the voice, familiar only because she'd heard it so soon before sleeping.

She turned and saw her—Neira, the priestess who had sought the bounty on her head. The dream version of Neira was dead, the dark bruises on her neck indicating strangulation, yet she apparently had no trouble speaking.

"You did this," Neira said, her voice as light and cheerful as when she had been charmed. "You forced me to betray them. Told you they would come for me, didn't I? But this is your calling after all. Murder. It's what you were born to do."

"I didn't kill you," Silandra said. "I can't deny I would have liked to I guess, if only to protect myself. But I didn't."

"You could have. Charm the guards; they'd let you in. I was chained, couldn't fight you… but even though you weren't the physical force you did cause my death."

"No!" Silandra cried. Her vision swam for a moment, and she thought she heard another voice though Neira was the only other person in the cell.

Murder. It is what you were born to do.

She realized it was coming from within. It wasn't real—none of this was. She would kill to defend herself, yes, but she was no murderer.

Neira melted away into the darkness, and she was replaced with another figure, one Silandra knew well.

"Gorion," she murmured. "You're dead."

"Of course," he said. "You killed me."

"No I didn't. That one assassin in Candlekeep, that's the only person I ever killed myself and he deserved it." Even as she said that though, she wondered how accurate it really was. She had contributed to the deaths of others, even if she had not been the one to land the killing blow.

"But it was your presence that killed me. Or was it your abandonment? You could have stayed, given the man what he wanted. I would still be alive."

"No," Silandra said firmly. "He would have killed you anyway. I'm not listening to this. You're not Gorion."

She turned to walk away, forgetting for the moment her cell. She rattled the bars.

"Hey, let me out of here!" she cried.

There was nothing in the blackness before her; it was as though the cell hung in a vast nothingness.

You will learn.

She woke with a start, sweating heavily. Disgusting. There was no window in this room so she did not know the time, but from the complete silence around her she could only assume it was still dark outside. She made her way over to the washbasin to splash water on her face. The only light came from the crack beneath the door, barely enough even for her to see by, but maybe that was for the best. She was sure she must look terrible.

She began to comb her hair, for lack of anything better to do. She always found the motion soothing, and that was something she needed right now. She knew she could not go back to sleep if she tried.

She was nearly done when she heard a ruckus in the room next to hers. It sounded like fighting, and someone was yelling about a witch. Another assassin? She glanced at Imoen, still asleep. That girl could sleep through anything. She decided against waking her for the moment. Instead, she grabbed her dagger and ran to the door. She opened it just an inch and saw two soldiers trying to hold back a huge bald man.

"My witch!" he roared, his eyes wild.

Strangely enough, Sil actually thought he looked more upset than truly angry. In fact, there were tears in his eyes. She opened the door further and slipped outside, not letting go of her dagger.

"Hey, what's the problem?" she asked in her most soothing voice.

The man stopped his struggles for a moment, to the obvious relief of those holding him, and turned to look at her.

"My witch is in danger!" he cried.

Then he actually broke down in tears, all signs of aggression gone, and collapsed to the floor. Silandra looked down at him, perplexed. She had never seen such a big man before. He had to be almost seven feet tall and the thin tunic he was wearing did nothing to hide his impressive musculature. He had a large purple tattoo on his head, which extended down over one of his eyes. Overall, the effect might have ordinarily been quite fearsome. But right now, he looked like a lost child. She ignored the soldiers, who were now staring at her, and knelt beside the man.

"I'm Silandra," she said softly. "Maybe I can help you. You should settle down though and give these men a break, alright?"

The man sniffed and nodded, then unexpectedly threw his arms around her and cried into her chest. She was only then aware of her state of undress. Almost right on cue, she heard Jaheira behind her.

"Silandra, what have I said about clothing yourself?" she admonished.

Silandra herself was a little uncomfortable with this position, but the man crying on her wasn't making any obscene motions. He really did seem like a giant child. She glanced back to see that all her companions except Imoen were now there. If they had been sleeping unclothed they had at least remedied that before grabbing weapons and running out to the hall. She personally preferred to think of safety before decency. Garrick was staring, as if unable to help himself, his face beet red. Ajantis and Khalid were predictably looking away, and she rolled her eyes.

"It really doesn't matter. We need to help this man," she said, and turned to look back at him. "What's your name?"

"We are Minsc and Boo," the man said, leaning back and wiping his nose.

"Boo?" Silandra repeated, confused.

As if he'd been listening to their conversation, a tiny furry creature popped up out of the front of Minsc's tunic and crawled into Silandra's lap. It was a hamster, orange and white and really very cute. Silandra smiled down at it.

"Boo is the realm's only miniature giant space hamster and my partner in butt kicking," Minsc said solemnly. "But even Minsc and Boo together could not save our witch!"

He looked about to start crying all over again, and Silandra thought quickly.

"Don't worry Minsc… and Boo," she said. "We will help you save your witch, whatever it takes. You don't need to be sad anymore, alright?"

Minsc nodded miserably, hiccupping.

"My friends and are I are going to get ready and then we will meet you downstairs for some breakfast. You can tell us all about your witch and we will work something out." Silandra said. "How does that sound?"

"Okay," said Minsc. "You are a very kind lady."

Silandra just smiled and stood to face her companions and the two bewildered looking guards.

"The mines will have to wait," she said. "We are helping Minsc and Boo save their witch."

She headed back into her room without another word, where Imoen was just now rubbing her eyes.

"Somethin' goin' on out there?" she murmured sleepily.

"I can't believe you slept through that," said Silandra, removing her nightdress, the front of which was soaked from the giant man's tears. "We're going to help a man and his space hamster save their witch."

"Space hamster?" Imoen repeated, sighing and beginning to get ready.

"Oh yes," said Silandra. She washed herself as well as she could and began to dress for the day.

"Sounds crazy. But maybe I'm just not awake enough yet."

They headed downstairs to find their companions already seated. Minsc was there too, but this time he was clothed in heavy chain armor and a spiked helmet with a huge sword on his back. Silandra may have found him intimidating if he had not just been crying all over her.

"Are you feeling a little better Minsc?" she asked, taking a seat beside him. Her companions had given him a wide berth and Imoen took the seat on his other side.

"I think so," Minsc said. He did not even look like he had been crying.

"Do you want to tell us what happened from the beginning?" Silandra asked. "It may be easier to help you that way."

"We come from Rashemen," Minsc said. "I am on my dajemma and that means I must protect the witch Dynaheir. But… but I have failed."

"But you don't know that, right?" Imoen asked, obviously as intrigued as Silandra was by this strange man.

"Even Boo doesn't know," Minsc said, beginning to look miserable once more. "We were traveling near the gnoll stronghold to the west. But we were set upon in the night and they took her! Minsc and Boo would have followed but I hit my head. I woke up here, and the woman sitting beside me was talking about all the strange people coming through. She said there was a Red Wizard! And that means even more danger to my witch!"

"One of our patrols found him wandering the wilderness west of here, out of his mind," said the innkeeper, bringing over their breakfast. "He was hurt bad, but he's barely been conscious until this morning. Gave poor Rosie a shock, though she'll be alright."

"Sorry I scared the girl," said Minsc, and he did look contrite. "Sometimes I cannot contain myself. At the thought of a Red Wizard so very near, with my charge in the company of gnolls… it fills me with rage!"

"What about Boo?" Silandra asked, seeing that he was on the verge of an outburst. "How does he feel?"

Minsc stared down at the hamster, who was sitting on his plate nibbling on some bread.

"Boo says you are smart and we are lucky to have found such nice friends," he said, calming visibly.

"We have a place to be already," Jaheira said sternly.

"I understand, but Dynaheir could be in real danger," said Silandra. "And besides… look at him!"

She noticed that Ajantis was looking at Minsc, with one of the most distinctly unfriendly expressions she had ever seen on the paladin's face.

"Ajantis, what's wrong?" she asked. "I thought you'd be eager to rescue a damsel in distress."

Ajantis smoothed his expression. "I'm sorry, my lady. I was just thinking," he said. "I would like to proceed to the mines with all haste, but you are right. We cannot ignore this woman in her time of need."

"Khalid, what do you think of this?" Silandra asked, wishing he would speak up more often.

"I th-think the m-m-mines are important," said Khalid. "But we c-cannot abandon a woman to gn-gnolls."

"Um, don't gnolls… you know… eat—" Garrick began.

"I'm sure she's fine," said Silandra loudly, not wanting Minsc upset any further. She could see how that could quickly turn dangerous. "We will rescue Dynaheir from the gnolls and then we will liberate the Nashkel mine from whatever demons may possess it!"

She felt very brave as she said that, though when she stopped to think about it she realized she really did not want to fight demons. She didn't even know if her group would be capable of such, and could only hope the accounts were exaggerated.

Just as they were getting ready to leave, Captain Bardolan entered the inn. He looked deathly pale, and Silandra knew immediately that something was wrong. She guessed what it may be, but she waited for him to speak first.

"Silandra," he said, his breathing labored as though he had been running. "I don't know how it happened but… someone got into the assassin's cell overnight and killed her."

"Was anyone else hurt?" Silandra asked.

"No—even the guards posted outside the cells were unharmed, thankfully, and they insisted they did not fall asleep but they must have. Either that or… I don't like to think that my men could be responsible, but I have to consider everything," Bardolan said, his expression darkening.

"But what if… I mean, they might not have done anything wrong," said Silandra quietly. "I… well, it's silly. Never mind."

"Silandra, what is it?" Jaheira demanded.

Silandra didn't want to talk about her dream, not in front of all these people and not right now. She thought quickly. "Maybe it was magic… the dark bounty hunting network she was a part of. She did say they would kill her. The guards may not be at fault. Maybe they were… coerced or…incapacitated."

"Be that as it may, this is a serious breach of the safety of our garrison, not to mention our town," Bardolan said.

"This may seem strange but… how was she killed?" Silandra asked. She just had to know.

The captain looked surprised, but only for a moment. "Strangled."

"I'm not sure how that matters," said Jaheira, glancing at Silandra. "I'm sorry captain. We're leaving today and I'm sure you'll have no further troubles."

"I don't blame you of course," the captain said quickly. "This is just…startling. You are heading directly to the mines I expect?"

"Well, we have to take a short detour… a woman is in danger to the west and we must save her first," said Silandra.

"I see," the captain said, though he didn't appear upset by this. "I wish you luck out there. I look forward to your return."

They took off from Nashkel at a brisk pace. Minsc took the lead, too anxious to hang back, and Imoen walked a few paces behind him with Garrick. She was still keeping an eye out for threats, though of course she wasn't going to be able to surprise anything with the noise Minsc was making up ahead. Every so often, Garrick began whistling. He was good at it, and Silandra could not blame him for wanting to join the birds on such a nice day, but Jaheira quickly put a stop to it each time. She herself would have liked to talk to Imoen—if she could discuss her strange dream with anyone it was her—but just as she was thinking about pulling her aside, Ajantis came to walk beside her.

"How are you this morning, my lady?" he asked.

"Well enough. What was wrong with you earlier?" she asked. "You did not seem very happy with Minsc. He's only upset because his friend is missing."

"He does not show proper respect to a… a lady of your station," Ajantis said stiffly.

"I'm not really a lady, you know," Silandra said. "I mean, it's nice that you think so. But my mother probably lived in the forest and for all I know, my dad was a beggar or a… a sewer cleaner or something. And Gorion was a mage of some renown, but he was not a noble."

"Forgive me, my—Silandra. I just mean… your… bearing, is that of a lady. Nevertheless, a man should show respect to any woman regardless of her social standing."

"I don't think he was showing a lack of respect. He was just upset. I think he's a little touched in the head. Maybe he got brain damage from his head wound. It sounds like it was pretty bad."

"You are correct, of course. I am sorry."

"Why don't you tell me something about Waterdeep? I've always wanted to go there. I mean, I want to go almost everywhere, but the City of Splendors sounds like such an interesting place."

Ajantis perked up at that just as she had expected he would, and he told her of his city, which quickly led to talk of his family. As she had come to expect, they were a noble house, merchants by trade. He was the youngest child, which was probably a good thing as his duties as a paladin would likely have interfered with his running the family business if he were to inherit one day. She got the impression he had lived an easy life, his parents being able to provide whatever he required. He didn't need to be journeying around the Sword Coast like this.

"What made you decide to become a paladin?" she asked. "I mean, you probably could have been anything you wanted."

"It is true that I was blessed to have a supportive family who could afford to give me a good education," Ajantis said. "My brother and I were trained with the sword from a young age, though it was intended for defense. My parents did not expect me to choose the path I did. I used to enjoy walking around the city when I did not have duties that required my presence. On one such occasion, there was a fight in the marketplace, a man accusing one of the vendors of cheating him. A group of paladins from the Order were there and I liked the way they handled it."

"So that's it?" Silandra asked, a little disappointed. "You just saw them and thought that was what you wanted to be?"

"Well, there's more to it than that of course. I had heard of the Order previously and had some interest, and I was already a follower of Helm. As it happened, that very evening some of the knights were present at a dinner held by a friend of my family's. Sir Keldorn Firecam saw something in me, and offered to train me. My parents wanted some time to think about it and I think they would have refused the offer, but later that same night Helm gave me his blessing and no one could ignore that. I left home for Athkatla with the knights and began my training."

"Just like that? How old were you?"

"Fifteen. Old enough to make such a choice. I have never had cause to doubt t."

"Being a paladin does seem to suit you. But your parents don't like it?"

"It just took some getting used to, especially for my mother. I think she expected me to always live close by, and now I spend most of my time in Athkatla at the Order headquarters."

"Do you at least visit often?"

"When I can. My training has left very little time for such things."

"Don't you miss them?"

"Of course. But we write often."

Silandra wondered what it must feel like to have a family and to be apart from them for so long. It was hard to imagine. Gorion looked after her, but he had never really felt like family. The closest was Imoen, and somehow Silandra felt it would be difficult to get away from her even if she wanted to. She smiled at the thought.

There seemed to be a commotion up ahead—not an attack thankfully, but Imoen and Garrick were standing over something on the ground, while Minsc stood a short distance away looking anxious.

"Jaheira, we need you!" Imoen called.

Jaheira ran ahead quickly, Khalid trailing her. Silandra frowned and ran to catch up. She and Ajantis had fallen behind a little during their conversation.

"He's dead, but she's still breathing," Imoen said. "Think you can save her?"

Now Silandra saw it—a dead man, his armor scorched all the way through from magic and his throat cut for good measure. Beside him lay a woman, a scrap of cloth staunching a nasty looking wound in her side. She was still conscious, though barely. Jaheira began to cast, and soon the woman's breathing returned to normal and she began to cough, a few specks of blood coming out.

"I thank you," she said, her voice hoarse. She pushed herself into a sitting position and looked down at the dead man. "It's as I thought. He's gone. Maybe it's for the best."

"What happened?" Imoen asked. "Who're you? Who…who was he?"

"I am Laryssa," the woman said quietly. "This man is… was… my cousin, Brage. Once a good man, until he lost his mind. I'd hoped he could be saved but… never mind. Some men came upon us, Brage challenged them and he lost. I tried pleading with them but they only turned on me when I went to his aid."

"Who were these men?" Jaheira asked, frowning. "Perhaps we can catch up with them."

"I doubt it," Laryssa said. "I'd been lying there for hours. Stomach wounds, you know? Guess I'm lucky you came along. I thank you for my life, though only wish…" She sighed, either unable or unwilling to go on.

"We heard about Commander Brage in Nashkel," Silandra said. "They told us he went mad."

"He did," said Laryssa. "No man loved his family more than he, it was unthinkable for him to do what he did. He was going places; everyone loved him. Got gifted a new sword only the day before, a nice one too, but those bastards that killed him stole it."

"I'm sorry we couldn't do anything for him," said Silandra.

"Would you mind describing the men who killed him?" Jaheira asked.

"Two wizards, one of them might've been from Thay. A dwarf and a halfling. They were a nasty bunch."

"So we're on the right path," Silandra said, feeling somewhat relieved despite the circumstances. She glanced at Minsc and decided he probably wasn't close enough to overhear the conversation. He looked like he was eager to get moving again. She was not sure whether she should disclose this information to him for the moment as she was unsure how he would react.

They left soon after. Laryssa insisted she would be fine. She was the only family Brage had left and she wanted to bury him alone. Silandra didn't think she should have to do that, but she knew Jaheira was already unhappy with this detour and would not be amenable to a further delay. Besides, maybe it was best to just respect the woman's wishes.

The mood of the party was somber after the incident, and they marched in relative silence until they reached a rocky area at the base of a mountain pass. Jaheira declared it would make a good camp site, and so they set up against the sheer rockface.

"I feel sad for Laryssa," said Imoen, adding the roots Jaheira had foraged to a rather watery soup. "Wish we coulda done more for her."

"I would have played a funeral song if she requested it," Garrick said. "But maybe I can play something else for you now, to cheer you up?"

"Might not work," Imoen said. It was odd for her to be this down, even after what they had just witnessed.

"You feeling okay Imoen?" Silandra asked.

"Yeah," Imoen said, forcing a smile. "Just… didn't think adventuring would have such sadness. Go on Garrick, give us your song."

Silandra expected Jaheira to speak against it, but she apparently decided it was safe enough for music tonight. While the music did not take away the sadness resulting from the encounter with Laryssa, Silandra did appreciate it, and she even saw Imoen smiling, almost as if nothing had happened. Garrick was not the most talented bard they had heard—Candlekeep was often visited by scholarly types with musical talents—but he was spirited and his voice was nice. Minsc particularly seemed to enjoy the music, though he was evidently still on edge without his witch.

Silandra could only hope they found this Dynaheir alive and well, for she did not like to think what he may do if they failed.