The night seemed to last forever. Silandra thought she slept for an hour or two at most, despite how tired she was. She hated this place and it was beginning to take its toll on her emotions. She did not cry, but she felt like it.

After she had been tossing and turning for hours, she heard some of the others begin to rouse. She knew that even if she did fall asleep now the others would soon be ready to move so she made a show of rubbing her eyes and getting up. She tried not to think about how terrible she probably looked. She still didn't have a mirror as that was not considered a necessity, nor was it particularly cheap. She redid her hair, confirming with Imoen that it looked alright. That was the best she could do down here.

The group moved more slowly now, past the spiders and further into the dark caverns. A horrible thought came to mind—what if they got lost down here? So far, their way had mostly been straight with only dead ends off to the sides, but that may change. They may have to turn, and then again, and then—they may not find their way back. Silandra paused a moment, reaching out her hand to steady herself on the cave wall before withdrawing it just before making contact. There were probably bugs on the walls.

"Silandra, are you alright?" Ajantis asked.

"Fine," she replied. "I didn't sleep well. But I'm fine."

"Here, take my arm," he said.

She acquiesced, if only because she was definitely feeling unsteady on her feet all of a sudden. She was now convinced there wasn't enough air down here. Each breath seemed harder to take, though she continued as well as she could. Surely there had to be an end to this soon. She realized the caves seemed to be getting warmer and she wondered how that could be. Maybe she was beginning to go mad.

"Wait up," Imoen said quietly. "Think there's a trap of some kind."

The tunnel ahead was narrowing and there was another bridge. It was much shorter and narrower than the one on which they had been ambushed on their first day in the mine, but this one crossed a river of lava. Well, that would explain the warmth. Silandra tightened her grip on Ajantis' arm and her magelight shimmered in the air in front of them, almost going out completely.

"Maybe you should rest a moment," Ajantis said. "You look tired, and—"

"No!" Silandra said quickly. "I just need to get out of here. No more resting."

The threat of another delay frightened her enough to make her focus on just standing upright and keeping her magelight going.

Imoen had been fiddling with something on the ground by the bridge and now stood, peering into the darkness ahead.

"Trap's disarmed but… I think there's something ahead," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

Jaheira looked into the tunnel past the bridge for a few moments and shook her head. "I can't see anything but I agree, this feels like another ambush."

"Step back," Dynaheir said, taking a few steps forward herself.

Jaheira hesitated a moment, likely as curious as everyone else, but Dynaheir had proven dependable so far and that was likely the only reason the druid did not demand an explanation before obeying.

Dynaheir murmured a quick spell, causing a flaming arrow to streak through the tunnel. As it did, there were a few surprised yips from the kobolds who were briefly illuminated. They seemed to realize they had been discovered and began their attack.

Dynaheir dashed towards the back of the group just in time to avoid their arrows while Minsc, Khalid and Ajantis crossed the bridge and dove into battle.

The kobolds had likely been relying on taking the group by surprise and they did not have the numbers to cause any real harm. Had Dynaheir not uncovered them, however, Silandra did not like to think what would have happened. She focused on not looking into the lava as she crossed the bridge. One of her companions or even she herself could have ended up falling in if the kobolds had attacked as planned.

They were now in a larger cave with a narrow tunnel leading away. Imoen approached slowly and signaled for the others to stop as she disarmed more traps.

"Are you feeling better?" Ajantis asked, coming to stand near Silandra as they waited.

"Fine, I think," Silandra replied. "Maybe whoever or whatever's in charge down here is through this tunnel. We never encountered so many traps before."

"It's possible. I sense evil, though it's still definitely not a demon. We will vanquish it and then we can return to the surface."

She could tell he was trying to make her feel better, but she did not know how much of what he said was what he believed versus what he thought she wanted to hear. She only smiled in response and they moved on, Imoen having declared the area free of traps.

The tunnel opened into a vast cavern with another lake. A bridge led to some kind of stone structure, possibly man-made. Silandra was not well-versed enough in cave systems to know if it could be natural. It looked kind of like a cave within a cave, something she may have found amusing at another time.

There were more kobolds to dispatch and these ones shot flaming arrows. One grazed Jaheira's side, which would not have been much of an issue if not for the fact that it set the sleeve of her tunic on fire. She was distracted for a moment trying to put it out and Khalid had to block another arrow from hitting her with his shield.

Ultimately, even with fire arrows the kobolds shooting them died as easily as the others. Now Silandra stared at the structure before them. She knew they had to go inside but she would rather run away.

"I will cast a blessing before we enter," said Jaheira, who had recovered quickly from being set alight and only had a singed tunic to show for it.

She began casting and a white light settled over the group. Silandra could not tell whether or not she felt any different, but maybe it would show once they began fighting. She felt a fear she never had before, not even when facing the spiders. It was this place, suffocating her and making her feel like she would be trapped here forever. She followed the others into the domed structure, only now realizing that she would not be able to do much casting. She had not slept enough and she could feel her energy was low. That wasn't ideal but there wasn't anything to be done about it now.

They fought more kobolds as they made their way through a cramped tunnel. There was an opening off to the side, and Imoen only peered around the corner for a moment before stepping back.

"There's a guy in there," she whispered. "I'm pretty sure he knows we're here, what with all the noise from the fighting. He's casting spells of some kind."

"A 'guy'?" Jaheira repeated. "A mage?"

"Don't think so. A cleric maybe. He's green and he has tusks."

"So probably not the alchemist." Jaheira seemed relieved. "We will attack but Khalid and I will protect the rear. There are further rooms and there could be more kobolds."

No one argued and they moved into the room quickly, weapons drawn and in battle formation.

Silandra was stunned at how well the room was decorated. It almost looked homey, though she still did not think it made up for the lack of sunlight. The stone floor was strewn with colorful rugs and there were ornate furnishings including a table, chairs and large bed. There was also a sturdy-looking chest, but standing in front of it was a half-orc. He was undeniably ugly, for his nose was large and porcine and his tusks long and pronounced. His skin had a sickly green tone to it, and Silandra wondered if that were his normal shade or a product of too much time spent below ground. She rejected that thought quickly though—orcs probably liked dark caves like this. He wore chain mail and was armed with a morning star and shield. He had not yet taken a fighting stance though he was gleaming with protective magic.

"Tazok must have sent you," he said. His voice was deep but he somehow managed to sound whiny. "I suppose you killed my poor pets on your way in! By Cyric, not a measure of ore leaves these mines unspoiled and Tazok sends you to kill me? I will not die for this!"

Silandra grimaced. That was one god she knew she would never follow. Cyric was known as the Mad God and his followers tended to live up to that title. If she had been feeling more herself she may have considered playing along with the half-orc in case she learned something, but as it was Ajantis was at the head of the group and he probably didn't have what it took to be deceptive.

"You will tell us who you are and what you are doing here if you want a chance at living," Ajantis said. He and Minsc stood side by side, ready to attack.

"More intruders then?" the half-orc replied, and it seemed as though some of the tension left his body. "A bigger group than the last, but your fate will be the same regardless. Minions, come forth and kill them!"

He began to chant a spell just as a swarm of kobolds and skeletons appeared at the entrance. Silandra had never seen animated skeletons before and had never been interested in learning how to make them either. She hated the thought that they had once been people, their bodies now being used by dark magic to kill without a thought, and wondered if they were the bodies of dead miners. Enchantments would not work on undead creatures, perhaps because they did not have minds of their own, so she instead cast a magic missile. It was enough to shatter her target into shards of broken bone but there was another behind it. Ajantis stepped in, delivering a crushing blow with his sword.

Silandra glanced at the half-orc just in time to see his spell land on Minsc, freezing the berserker mid-swing. She felt her blood run cold and did the only thing she could think of, sending a magic missile at the half-orc. It was completely absorbed by his magical protections and he grinned at her before rounding on Minsc.

Thankfully Ajantis noticed what was happening in time to intervene, but as well as being a skilled priest the half-orc proved to be a strong fighter, his physical abilities likely enhanced by magic. No one else was available to help; Khalid and Jaheira could not be seen through the mass of kobolds and skeletons and Imoen and Garrick were fending off the creatures as well as they could, though melee was not either of their strong points. Dynaheir could not make use of her more devasting spells in such close quarters but she did seem to hold her own well enough, setting kobolds on fire and shattering skeletons with a few well-aimed blows from her staff.

Silandra did not feel she could cast anymore today and besides, anything she did would likely be absorbed just like the magic missiles. Instead, she reached for the darts she'd purchased back in Candlekeep. She had seldom needed to use them and was not at all confident in her ability to actually hit anything, but she could not let Minsc and Ajantis die without at least trying.

Her first dart flew far from her target, instead embedding itself in the wooden bedframe. The half-orc did not seem at all concerned about her efforts, parrying and absorbing Ajantis' blows as though they were nothing and getting in a few of his own. Minsc still stood motionless, and although the kobolds and skeletons had nearly all been killed Jaheira and Garrick were on the ground. Silandra would not let herself think what that could mean.

She threw another dart, though this time her aim was so bad she nearly hit Minsc. She cringed. Maybe this was not such a good idea, and with the way Ajantis' blows were being absorbed, she wasn't convinced her darts would be effective even if she could hit her mark. She did have one more option. Her dagger was enchanted; perhaps it could pierce through the half-orc's protections. But how could she get close enough?

She had an idea but did not know whether she had the energy. She saw Ajantis take a crushing blow to the ribs. He was slowing down and Minsc showed no sign of moving. She made up her mind and moved closer, and this time when the half-orc saw her and smirked she held his gaze. His will was strong, but she only needed him for a moment. As soon as he was hers she darted forward and plunged her dagger into his unprotected neck. She was not strong enough to drive it in too deep but that wasn't necessary. She had hit a major artery and his blood flowed quickly. She continued to hold him with her mind, knowing there was a chance he could heal himself if she did not, and only relaxed when he was breathing his last.

There was blood everywhere—all over him, all over the floor and all over her. She felt sick and for a moment thought she may pass out. But her will to get out of this cave kept her awake. She needed to escape, and then she could rest all she wanted.

She tore her gaze away from the dead half-orc, wiping away the tears that were running down her face. Why was she crying? She had killed a man, yes, but had he not deserved it? She focused on her friends.

Minsc's fingers were beginning to twitch; he would be alright soon. Ajantis was on the ground, holding his side where his armor had been crushed, but at least he was still conscious. Garrick was propped up against the cave wall while Imoen put pressure on a wound in leg. What worried her most was Jaheira. Khalid was bent over her, blocking her body from view, while Dynaheir was sitting beside them rummaging through Jaheira's pack. Silandra took another glimpse at Ajantis before hurrying over to see how the druid was doing.

Jaheira was unconscious but still breathing. Khalid seemed at a loss—he was putting pressure on a wound in her chest that had torn right through her chain armor, but other than that he looked pale and not quite there.

"I thought we had a healing potion," Dynaheir said. She sounded a little frustrated but otherwise seemed calm considering the circumstances. "Who hath it?"

Khalid was unresponsive and Dynaheir set aside the pack with a sigh, murmuring something that may have been a curse in another language.

"I think we used it after the spiders," Imoen said quietly. Her face was ashen and her hands covered in Garrick's blood. She herself had a few scratches but was mostly unharmed.

"Silandra."

It was Ajantis, his voice low but steady. Silandra turned to look at him and saw with shock that he was trying to pull himself towards her, though it was obviously exacerbating his wounds.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Help me over to her. I can probably heal her enough to save her," he said.

"Should you be moving?"

"Probably not, but she can help me after. It is my duty to help others above myself."

Silandra knew she would not be able to convince him otherwise, and Jaheira was running out of time. So she did as he asked and helped him move the few feet to where the others were sitting.

"I will heal her," Ajantis said, falling to his knees beside Khalid.

Khalid did not seem to hear him at first, and it took some coaxing for him to remove his hands from Jaheira's wound. Ajantis moved her torn armor aside gingerly and lay his hands on her chest. A blue light shone from his hands, enveloping Jaheira completely and she was soon breathing much easier. She opened her eyes and sighed.

"Ja-Jaheira!" Khalid cried, as if she weren't right in front of him. "Are you alright?"

"I've been better." She winced and sat slowly, evidently not completely healed, but at least she was awake. "Who else needs healing?"

"Ajantis," said Silandra.

"Garrick," Ajantis said at the same time.

They glanced at each other, and Silandra looked at Garrick, who was quite pale now, likely losing a lot of blood despite Imoen's efforts.

"Ajantis, you will have to remove your armor first," Jaheira said as she moved towards Garrick, supported by her husband.

"I'll help," Silandra said, since she was pretty sure Ajantis wouldn't be able to do it himself.

He settled down and let her undo the straps keeping his armor in place, and she cringed as she gently pulled it away from his skin. Parts of the armor had been pushed into the flesh and it had to hurt as she lifted it away, but he grit his teeth and bore it well.

"Sorry," she murmured, feeling bad about hurting him anyway.

"Don't be," he said. "It had to be done. Thank you."

He closed his eyes and winced. Silandra was alarmed at how ragged his breathing was. It was getting worse. She didn't need to be a healer to see that his ribs were broken, and she knew that meant they could be puncturing his lungs.

She looked over at Jaheira, who was still occupied with Garrick. Well, maybe she could do something. She lay her hands gently over Ajantis' wound and tried to heal him. She had done it to herself before, had she not? But nothing seemed to be happening. She realized then that she was trying to draw upon her magic as she usually did, but that was arcane and healing magic was divine. And she had not even really been thinking anything much when she healed herself except that her arm hurt.

"What are you doing?" Ajantis murmured.

"Trying to heal you," Silandra said.

This time she just focused on the fact that someone she cared about was in pain and she wanted to heal them. To her relief, she felt that same warmth spreading from her fingertips. The wound did not disappear, but something seemed to have happened because Ajantis did not appear to be having quite so much trouble breathing.

"This… healing," he said. "We need to get to the bottom of it. But thank you."

Silandra smiled a little in response, relieved, but then Jaheira was there and she had to move.

Imoen was already examining the chest in the room, likely checking for traps before opening it. That was probably a good idea considering all the traps they had encountered on the way in. Dynaheir was with Minsc who had now recovered and was distraught over having being rendered helpless when his friends needed him. She consoled him as well as she could but he was on the brink of tears. Silandra smiled. He really was soft-hearted despite his fearsome appearance.

Now that it was mostly quiet, she thought she heard a sound coming from nearby. It was very soft, but then she heard it again. She wasn't imagining things. She lightly stepped towards the entrance of the room and peered around the corner. She knew this wasn't a big structure, having seen it from the outside, and she was fairly certain all of the half-orc's minions would have been alerted by his earlier call, but she wanted to be careful anyway.

Her magelight had long since disappeared as she no longer had the energy to keep it up, but Dynaheir's was still going and although one of the lanterns had gone out during the fight the other was still lit. She went back to pick it up before continuing.

"Where are you going?" Ajantis asked, sounding a little panicked. Jaheira was still working on him and he was obviously in no state to get up but he tried anyway, causing the druid to push him back down firmly.

"I think it's safe enough," Silandra said. "I heard something. I think there's someone else here, someone who needs help."

"Khalid, go with her," Jaheira said.

Khalid had been hovering around his wife anxiously even now that she was up and moving. He nodded and moved towards Silandra, looking back at Jaheira every now and then as if to make sure she was still there.

"Don't worry, Jaheira will be fine now," Silandra said, smiling a little. Jaheira was lucky to have someone who cared about her so much. She felt the slightest twinge of jealousy at the thought.

They headed into the next cave, bare compared to the previous room. The light from the lantern was enough for Khalid and Silandra to make out the details of the cave, which was evidently a dungeon. There was only one prisoner shackled to the wall, a slight figure in a long dirty robe. Silandra rushed over. As she grew closer she could make out long pointed ears through the matted dark hair. An elf! She had always been entranced by elves, though many of those who came through Candlekeep tended to be boring. This one wasn't looking their best right now and she couldn't even tell if it was a man or a woman, but whoever they were they needed help.

"Khalid, bring Imoen over here!" she said urgently, before turning back to the elf.

"It will be okay now," she said softly. "That half-orc, whoever he was, he's dead and we'll get you out of here."

The elf lifted their head wearily, eyes widening upon seeing her. A man, she thought, which was confirmed when he began to speak. He was murmuring something fervently in Elvish, though Silandra had only learned the basics in Candlekeep and she did not understand. She hoped he spoke Common. Khalid returned, Imoen in tow.

"Do you know what he's saying?" she asked.

"He th-thinks he's dead and that you're an e-elven g-g-goddess," Khalid said, looking a little embarrassed.

Imoen didn't need to be told what to do; she was already working on the shackles.

"I uh… I'm flattered," Silandra said. "I'm not a goddess though, and you're not dead. My name is Silandra. Do you speak Common?"

The elf blinked a few times and seemed to realize where he was.

"It would have been too good to be true I suppose," he said blearily. "But Mulahey, he is really dead?"

His voice had an oddly hollow ring to it, and Silandra wondered if that were normal or due to his imprisonment. She knew she would likely go mad if she had to spend much longer here, and it must be worse for an elf.

"That's the half-orc's name? Yes. I… I killed him." Silandra did not like to think about the exact manner in which she had done so. His blood on her dress had not yet dried and she grimaced at the thought of walking back through the caves without being able to wash it off properly.

"Okay, I got it," Imoen said.

There was a click and the shackles opened. The elf began to fall to the floor but Silandra caught him. She may not be very strong but he didn't weigh much and she was just able to keep him propped up.

"Are you injured?" Silandra asked. "We have a healer."

"I'm not sure Jaheira can do much more before resting," Khalid said, stepping in to help support the elf.

"No," the elf said, sighing. "Just… dirty, and sore. I thank you for my freedom. I am Xan."

They settled him down with the rest of the group. Silandra gave him her waterskin, which he drank from eagerly. She hoped she would be able to refill it soon. She was glad to see that everyone was more or less healed now, though they were going to need to rest. She almost cried in despair at the thought, but at least they had likely killed the one responsible for everything.

"This half-orc, his name was Mulahey," said Dynaheir, who was holding a stack of papers retrieved from the chest. "He had the responsibility of poisoning the ore and it doth seem the bandit attacks were related. Two organizations art mentioned—the Chill and the Blacktalon. This Tazok seems important, and although we cannot know whither he may be, we hath a lead. His contact, a man named Tranzig, is staying at Feldepost's Inn in Beregost."

"Then I guess we'd better head there next," said Silandra. She turned to the elf. "Are you able to add anything to this?"

"I think Mulahey was at least half mad, but you have the gist of it," the elf said. "He was holding me captive for questioning but thankfully he seemed to forget I existed half the time. He wanted to keep me alive to bring to his superiors when his job here was done. Tazok is a half-ogre, so you're aware."

"A half ogre intelligent enough to write?" Jaheira asked, raising an eyebrow.

Xan shrugged. "I only know what I have heard."

"How did you come to be Mulahey's prisoner?" Jaheira asked.

Xan sighed. "I am a Greycloak of Evereska. My partner and I were sent to investigate the iron crisis. We were to determine who was behind it and whether it posed some greater threat to the region. We were nearly at this place when we were ambushed and… my partner was overcome and fell into the lava." Xan did not sound particularly upset about that, instead it was rather as though it had been an inevitable event that he accepted. "He was the stronger fighter and once my spells were gone I was unable to defend myself sufficiently with only my… did you find my Moonblade?"

His eyes widened and he tried scrambling to his feet in a panic.

"Hey, don't try and get up," Silandra said, satisfied when she was able to keep him down on her own.

"We did find a sword," Garrick said. "I could sense the magic but neither Dynaheir nor I could decipher the enchantments. You're saying it's a real Moonblade?"

Xan seemed to relax a little. "Please, give it to me. It is bound to me and as its wielder I cannot go on much longer without it."

As it was, the sword was only a few feet away, sitting on top of Garrick's pack. The bard handed it over reverently. Silandra looked at it in awe. It was a truly beautiful blade, made out of some kind of silvery metal and set with moonstones that glimmered in the dim light. When Xan took hold of it, he sighed in relief. He murmured a word in Elvish and the sword was suddenly engulfed in blue flame. Garrick flinched, but Silandra didn't think Xan meant them any harm. Rather, he gazed into the flames for a few moments with an odd smile on his face before extinguishing them.

"You are truly a Moonblade wielder?" Garrick asked, recovering quickly and gazing at the sword in awe.

"Yes, unfortunately," Xan replied, sighing again. It seemed that was something he did often. "I will indulge any questions you have but first, I would like to reach the surface."

"That will take days," Jaheira said. "We're going to have to rest here."

"There is a back door nearby," Xan said. "Mulahey used to take it all the time. He talked to himself a lot so I was able to glean information in that way."

There were mixed opinions on what they should do. Most of the group were still injured as Jaheira was unable to heal them all completely, so they were hesitant to go on. But Silandra practically begged to head to the surface, and Ajantis backed her up, probably because he had seen how badly the caves were affecting her. Imoen said she would be in the lead anyway and could alert the others if there was danger, and Dynaheir said she did have one fireball still memorized. Minsc, of course, was itching for a fight, since he had missed out on fighting Mulahey. So they proceeded.

It was a good thing they did. They did encounter a couple of sentient oozes but Minsc killed them easily and moments later, they found the exit. Silandra smiled in relief. Sunlight, finally.