The sun was not as bright as Silandra would have liked, since it was in the process of setting. What's more, there were quite a few dark clouds in the sky. But she could not complain; it was still a welcome sight after spending the last few days underground. The air was fresh and the sound of birds chirping in the nearby trees added to her elation. Xan sighed, though this time it seemed to be from relief rather than despondence.
The immediate area seemed safe enough but they did not want to camp too close to the mine exit, so instead they moved on a short distance. It was not easy at first to tell where they were in relation to Nashkel, but after some discussion Khalid and Jaheira came to the conclusion that they were about a day's march away.
"Boo says water is this way!" Minsc said, sounding as excited as most of them probably were to clean off the grime from the mines. "We should camp by the stream."
"How far?" Jaheira asked, looking doubtfully in the direction he pointed.
Silandra could not fault her uncertainty, for the area they were in was rocky and lifeless, not the kind of place which was likely to be near water. Still, aside from being dirty, they were all low on water by this point. No one had wanted to dip their waterskin into the underground lakes; even if the water was safe there was no telling what creatures may lurk beneath the surface.
"Close enough!" Minsc said, already beginning to walk. "Come friends!"
Jaheira rubbed her temples and sighed before following, Khalid close behind her. "If we find suitable shelter before the river then that is where we will stay for the night," she said. "We must rest and it looks like it will rain. If our water runs out I can always summon some."
Khalid made a face at that, though luckily for him Jaheira was facing the other way. Silandra took that to mean there was something unpleasant about the water Jaheira summoned and she hoped they could find another opportunity for filling their waterskins.
She glanced at the sky, where the clouds seemed to be gathering rather than dissipating. She hoped the rain could hold off until later that night. She wanted to talk about what they had discovered in the mines and she was interested in learning more about Xan. She knew he was a spellcaster, yet she had never known a mage to wield a sword as he did. Though maybe he would rather just rest. He did look tired, and she knew her companions were too. She herself felt rejuvenated from being outside, but she knew she needed sleep and would likely pass out the moment she lay down.
They had been traveling for only a short time when Khalid and Jaheira stopped by a rocky outcrop and Jaheira announced they would stop for the night.
Silandra sighed in disappointment. She would really have liked to reach this water source Minsc insisted was nearby, but who knew how far it really was? His interpretation of 'close enough' could be vastly difference from everyone else's. She could not deny that this appeared to be a good spot, with the large rocks acting as shelter from the wind.
The rain, however, could not be avoided. Even as they were setting up their tents, a difficult task considering how hard and rocky the ground was in this area, the first drops began to fall. Silandra smiled in thanks when Ajantis came to help her and Imoen with their tent.
She took a few steps away from the camp, raising her face to the rain and rubbing away the blood. It was not as good as a bath and she needed to change her clothes, but that would have to wait.
She noticed someone come up beside her. Expecting Ajantis or maybe Jaheira, come to scold her for standing away from the group, she turned to defend herself. But it was only Xan, who seemed to like her idea and was similarly using the rain to wash himself. As the grime from the dungeons was washed away, she saw that he was one of those rare men she would call beautiful. His hair was dark and long, the leading reason for her being unsure of his gender initially, and his skin was very pale without being sallow. He seemed to sense her looking at him and glanced at her.
"It is no substitute for a warm bath but it will do, for now," he said.
"You must appreciate it even more than I, having been locked up there for over a week," Silandra said.
"You cannot imagine how horrible it was, locked in that filthy cave away from the sun. I was sure I would die there."
"I'm glad we found you." Silandra was curious about the partner he had been sent with. Xan did not seem terribly upset about his death, but she was hesitant to ask about him all the same. Perhaps later, when Xan had recovered from his ordeal.
There was no chance of lighting a campfire. They did not need it to cook, since they were down to dry rations and no one was going to try hunting in this weather. But it would have been nice for warmth as the rain made it chilly.
"I know we need to discuss a few things," Jaheira said, having to raise her voice over the increasing wind and rain, "but I think we should just try to get dry and warm and make an early start in the morning, hopefully in better weather."
Silandra was disappointed, but she knew there was not much point in everyone sitting outside in the rain yelling at each other to make conversation. She headed into her tent with Imoen, pleased to see that it was not leaking as badly as she had expected. She would have liked to sleep under the stars on her first night outside the cave, but this was still much better than that oppressive darkness and she hardly even felt the weariness that had been dragging her down before they left.
She stripped off her wet clothes and put on her cleanest dress, which was only mostly dry as her pack was not completely waterproof. Her spellbook was spared as she had taken to wrapping it in her clothes, and she pulled it out now, thinking she may get a little studying done before sleeping.
"You're really gonna study?" Imoen asked, yawning.
"If I don't fall asleep," said Silandra. "I think I can stay up a little though."
"I'm wiped out." Imoen sprawled on her bedroll with a sigh. "Wonder what it'll be like, walking back into Nashkel as the Heroes of the Mine."
Silandra raised an eyebrow. "The Heroes of the Mine? I'm not sure that has much of a ring to it. The Heroes of Nashkel, maybe?"
"Guess we did kinda save Nashkel. Alright, Heroes of Nashkel. Think we'll get a lot of gold?"
"I know I should say that it's enough to do a good deed, but we are getting a little low."
"Mulahey had some good stuff that we can sell, and a bit of gold," Imoen said. "There was a magic ring but Garrick said it was for divine casters so he gave it to Jaheira."
Silandra had not taken much interest in their haul from the mine. It just made her remember how she had killed Mulahey. She still felt like there was blood on her hands, though they were clean. Imoen was already falling asleep so their conversation was at an end for now. She herself tried focusing on her spells, but that just made her feel her fatigue and she did not make it very far before passing out herself.
She was back in the mines, though she was sure it could not be real. The tunnels were illuminated by an eerie glow, despite there being no actual light source to be found. The worst part was that she was alone, which made the experience worse. Her feet carried her deeper against her will. She did not see a soul as she passed through the spider cave and crossed over the lava river, which had somehow hardened into black rock. She registered it with only mild interest. It was not her focus.
She entered Mulahey's room. He was apparently the only other living thing in the mine, standing in his room without any sign of his minions. He was unarmed and unarmored and he seemed to be calling to her, begging her to stop. In the waking world she would have balked at slaying anyone in such a state. But her dream self moved of its own accord. She drew her dagger, only the blade she held was not the one Fuller had given her back in Candlekeep, but rather one made of bone. She wanted to examine it more closely, but this was a dream and her will was not her own.
She killed Mulahey just as she had in reality, yet this time he screamed as he died. There was much more blood than before and it quickly began to fill the caves, threatening to drown her. She opened her mouth to scream, but was instead cut off by blood running down her throat.
Yes. You WILL learn.
Her coughing and spluttering woke her, and although she had clearly been dreaming and there was not anything actually choking her, it took a few moments to calm herself. Imoen was still fast asleep. The rain had stopped, and the low mumble of voices could be heard outside the tent though it was still dark. Regardless of what time it was, she knew she was done sleeping for the night. Her dream had rattled her and she still felt like she could taste blood. She threw her cloak over her shoulders and peered outside.
Ajantis and Minsc were on watch. Ajantis was apparently doing his best to focus on their surroundings, but Minsc was having a rather animated conversation with Boo, gesturing to Ajantis every now and then as if requesting his input. The two had begun getting along quite well recently, but right now Ajantis looked annoyed. Silandra watched them for a moment, managing a small smile.
There was now a sad-looking fire, perhaps made by Khalid who had taken the first watch with Jaheira. If anyone could get a fire going in wet conditions it was him.
She approached slowly, not wanting to startle the two watchmen, but her efforts were in vain. Ajantis noticed the movement and sprung to his feet, sword ready, causing Boo to squeak in fright and scamper into a crack in Minsc's armor. The berserker glared up at Ajantis accusingly, but the look was quickly replaced by a smile when he saw Silandra.
"Silandra!" Ajantis said. "Forgive me, you… surprised me. There is an hour at least before dawn. Could you not sleep?"
"Bad dreams," Silandra said, not wanting to elaborate. "What were you two talking about?"
"Boo would not sleep, so I was trying to tell him a story," said Minsc. "Unlike Garrick, my stories are not very good, so I wanted Ajantis to help but it turns out he isn't any good at stories either. But surely beautiful Silandra has a story for Boo!"
Ordinarily, Silandra would have been able to come up with something to entertain a hamster, despite storytelling not being one of her strengths. But after her nightmare she was too shaken for that.
"Perhaps another time," she said.
"Are you alright?" Ajantis asked, peering at her closely. "You're trembling."
"Fine," Silandra replied. "Like I said. Bad dreams."
"Here, take a seat," Ajantis said, unclipping his cloak and laying it on the ground. "So you won't get wet."
"Thank you," Silandra said. The gesture was nice, though she would not have thought twice about sitting on the wet dirt in her current state of mind.
"Maybe Boo will make you feel better!" Minsc said, offering the small rodent.
Silandra smiled slightly as she sat and let Boo crawl into her hand. The hamster curled into a ball as if to sleep, apparently not needing a story after all, and she stroked his fur gently.
Ajantis settled down beside her, resuming his watchfulness. Now that Boo was sleeping there was little conversation. Minsc seemed to not want to risk waking his friend, and Ajantis seemed more inclined to focus on their surroundings than speak. It suited Silandra well enough. Just being here, seated between two friends, made her feel slightly better, and by the time morning came the worst memories of the dream had faded to the back of her mind.
They were just finishing packing up the camp when Silandra thought she heard something. It sounded like a woman, pleading for help. Something about the voice made her move quickly without explanation. She was vaguely aware of a few of her companions following her, and she knew they were asking what she was doing. But that was not important. Someone needed her, and that was what mattered right now.
The voice must have been enchanted somehow, for the source was much further than Silandra expected. The ground began to turn grassy and there were a few trees here and there, the beginning of a forest. One in particular drew her eye for it was obviously older than the others, and there was an aura of magic surrounding it. Standing before it was a dryad, and Silandra understood. This tree felt magical because it was. The dryad was attached to it; it was her home and also her source of life. Without it, she would die. And the two men standing before her looked like they did not care. They both held axes, the kind made for chopping down trees rather than for battle.
The dryad was lovely, even by Silandra's standards. Her skin was very nearly the same color as the bark of her tree, though it appeared much smoother. Her hair was a mossy green, tangled with flowers and twigs, and her clothing was almost non-existent—a few strategically placed leaves and vines.
Silandra turned her attention to the men. They were clad in thin leather jerkins and looked more like simple woodsmen than warriors, though they both had short swords hanging from their belts.
The dryad seemed to sense Silandra and her friends approaching and spared them a quick glance before returning her attention to the men.
"I am glad you heard me," she said. "Please help if you can. These two would defile my tree. They have avoided my charms and must be stopped."
Silandra felt oddly defensive of this dryad. It was true that dryads were closely related to nymphs, so that could be part of it. She knew they were usually harmless unless provoked, and that, like her, they had the ability to charm others, though they could also control nature to some extent. She probed the minds of the men standing before the dryad. Curiously, she saw that the dryad was right—they could not be charmed, for their minds were too disordered. They were probably mentally impaired in some way. Ordinarily, Silandra might be understanding and go easy on such men, but right now she was prepared to kill them if they made one move towards harming this dryad.
"We will protect you and your tree," Silandra said, glancing at her companions.
Ajantis, Imoen and Garrick had followed her, and she could see the others approaching from a distance. Ajantis was focused on the men, but Imoen and Garrick wore similar expressions of stunned awe as they gazed upon the dryad. Hopefully they would come to their senses and fight if it proved necessary.
"You two," Silandra said, addressing the men. "You will return whence you came. This tree is protected."
"We think dis here's a magic tree, 'cuz it's so big and pretty," said the axe-wielder slowly. "Probably full of treasure! We're gonna bust it down and see. Wanna help?"
It was as if he had not listened to a word she said. She tried again. "There is no treasure in this tree. Leave. Now."
"Youse just want the treasure fer yerselves!" the man said, raising his voice.
"I'm saying there is no treasure, and no one will be cutting down this tree today," Silandra said firmly. Almost unbidden, she felt a magic missile building inside her, but she held it for the moment.
"We will take treasure! Krumm, get 'em!"
The other man just stared at the first dumbly for a moment, before raising his axe and charging. Silandra was ready and released her magic missiles. She had never been able to release two at once before, and she wondered if it were due to the sudden rage she felt within her or simply from all her practice. The man fell, and she rounded on his companion, launching another pair of missiles at him. Ajantis was by her side, ready to defend her, but it was not necessary. The men were both on the ground, either dead or too badly injured to rise.
Jaheira and the others caught up with them at that point, but there was nothing else to be done. Jaheira seemed to realize what had happened and offered a nod of approval. Minsc looked disappointed, probably at having missed another fight.
"Thank you for your aid, sister," the dryad said, smiling as she approached Silandra, though eyeing Ajantis with caution. "You are welcome within my forest. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"Do you happen to know anything about bandits passing through the area?" Silandra asked.
"The birds have been telling me about them, but they passed further north, thankfully," the dryad said, wrinkling her nose in disgust. "If that is all you request, then let me give you something more powerful in addition."
Unexpectedly, Silandra felt the dryad embrace her, letting her know that her skin was indeed much smoother than tree bark. She could feel that this was not an ordinary hug; magic coursed through her, the same natural kind that she used when charming. She was not sure what it could mean but it felt good and she closed her eyes and smiled.
The dryad looked a little surprised as she pulled away.
"I wish you luck on your journey, sister," she said, suddenly serious. "But be wary… there is a shadow over you."
"What do you mean?" Silandra asked.
But the dryad was already retreating, her form fading to foliage until it could no longer be seen. She had likely retreated into her tree and if she did not want to emerge then there was no way to make her.
Silandra felt a little uneasy now about how quickly she had attacked the men and wondered if they were dead. What they had been trying to do was evil, but were they even capable of understanding that? She approached, intending to see if they still lived, but their bodies were wrapped in vines and pulled into the ground before she could get close.
"What was that?" Ajantis asked. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," Silandra said. "I feel… good. But those men…"
"Defilers of nature. They will only get what they deserve," Jaheira said. "It would seem she blessed you. That is uncommon, but perhaps not so surprising considering your heritage."
"What could she mean though?" Silandra asked, frowning. "What shadow?"
"I do not know, but it is not something we can stop to think about," Jaheira said. "We are already off course but at least we have found the water. Let us clean up quickly and move on."
Silandra had not noticed initially, but now she realized she could hear the soft trickle of a nearby stream. Through the gradually thickening bushes and trees she and her companions walked until they found it. It ran too quickly to safely bathe in, at least for someone like Silandra who could not swim, and besides, Jaheira was impatient to move. Still, it felt good to wash her face with the clear water, and she filled her water skin too.
They headed back the way they had come, soon reaching the place where they had left the mine. Silandra did not like to look at that dark tunnel, as it brought back memories of her time underground. She never wanted to experience that again and she never would if she had anything to say about it.
It was apparently too much to ask that they be allowed to proceed to Nashkel safely. They did not get very far before they were accosted by a group of warrior women.
"You there, is your name Silandra?"
Silandra sighed. By the tone of the woman's voice, she could tell they were likely in for a fight. At least her group was well-rested and healed by now. Well, most of them. She herself was a little tired.
"What do you want?" she asked wearily.
"It is you," the woman said, peering at Silandra more closely. "My companions and I have tracked you for many days and I am to give you a message. Your interference ends now. You and your little friends are to die."
"Interference?" Silandra repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Why don't you tell me what exactly we're interfering in?"
She knew the woman was not likely to answer of her own free will, so she tried charming her. However, there was something that pressed back, some kind of magical barrier.
"Hah!" the woman cried. "We did our research. Made sure you would not be able to sway us with your charms. We will tell you nothing, and you will die knowing that your efforts were futile."
There was no more warning, but the conversation had gone on long enough that Silandra's companions were ready. Jaheira caused vines to sprout from the ground, rooting most of the women in place. One was nimble enough to avoid the tendrils but Minsc was upon her quickly, yelling for Boo to go for the eyes. Silandra had never seen the rodent actually do so, but as a war cry she supposed it was effective enough.
She herself had been readying an armor spell, one of the newer ones she had been trying to learn. Some of the women in the back were armed with throwing daggers and bows so their attacks were not hindered by the vines, and Silandra wanted to make herself a difficult target for them. Ajantis could not catch every projectile with his shield, after all, no matter how hard he tried.
Xan finished casting a spell, and a shower of what appeared to be sparkling dust floated over the women. Silandra was initially confused, until she saw that it had apparently blinded the archers; the women ceased their attacks and rubbed at their eyes though that did nothing to dislodge the magical dust. Effective, but not lethal. Silandra was beginning to feel like that was the kind of magic she would rather focus on.
The fight went easily after that; one of the women was a priestess but she was unable to get off a spell under Imoen and Garrick's onslaught of missiles.
"More bounty hunters?" Silandra asked when it was over.
"They have some nice gear," Imoen said as she unceremoniously went through the women's belongings. "But I don't see a notice."
"'More' bounty hunters?" Xan echoed.
"Someone wants me dead, and I don't know why," Silandra said. "I know you have not agreed to travel with us past Nashkel, and although we would welcome your company, it is only fair you know this. It is probably dangerous to travel with me."
"If you are tracking down the root of this iron crisis then my mission dictates that I join you," Xan said. "Surely my odds of dying are slightly lower in your company than on my own, regardless of bounties."
"The woman was speaking of 'interference'," Jaheira said, frowning. "This may have been something different. Is it possible that Mulahey's superior already knows about his death?"
"I believe so," Dynaheir said. "Mayhap a magical connection exists. It is difficult to maintain such over long distances, and I wouldst think the alchemist may be responsible, if he is in Beregost."
"Do you think he's going to know we killed his assassins?" Silandra asked.
"I cannot say for certain," Dynaheir said. "This is… a higher form of magic than I am familiar with."
"Such magical links are difficult to maintain," said Xan. "I do not think it likely that a mage would form one with all of his assassins."
"I just hope he doesn't take off before we can reach him," said Silandra. "He's the only real lead we have, unless we can find someone who knows where this Tazok can be found."
"We will make haste," said Jaheira. "We can be in Beregost within a few days if we move quickly."
Their way out of the mine had left them far enough from Nashkel that they could not reach the town that day. They made camp a half-day's march from Nashkel. Although Silandra was eager to track down the perpetrators of the iron crisis, she was enjoying the time spent outside. There was no sign of rain today and she breathed in the night air happily.
She noticed Xan settling down to study his spellbook for the night. To his great relief, it had been stowed amongst the other items in Mulahey's chest. Losing it would likely have been nearly as devastating as losing his Moonblade. She approached him rather shyly. She was not used to elves, especially when they were so beautiful.
"If you don't mind, Xan, I was wondering if you might be able to teach me that spell you cast earlier," she said. "The one with the… the sparkles."
Thankfully, Xan did not seem annoyed by the interruption. He began flipping through the pages of his spellbook. Silandra tried not to look too hard, since a mage's spellbook was often considered private, but she thought she caught a few glimpses of powerful enchantments and her interest was piqued even more.
"It is a simple spell," Xan said, "and rather appropriately named: Glitterdust. I will write it down for you."
Silandra bit her lip, knowing that she would now have to disclose her nature. Some mages looked down on sorcerers, though Dynaheir had been very understanding about it, so why was she so nervous about telling Xan?
"I am a sorceress," she said. "I cannot learn spells like you. Even if you write it down I need a little more help, most of the time."
"I see," said Xan, already laying out a blank sheet of parchment to scribe the spell. "I would guess that your heritage is fey?"
That was surprising, at least to Silandra. Most people thought upon meeting her that she was a half-elf. "My mother was a nymph," she said. "How did you know?"
"My specialty is enchantment magic. I noticed you trying to charm those women before, without saying a word. And, as I am sure you know, you are too beautiful not to have fey blood."
Silandra felt herself blush lightly, though that was silly. She was used to hearing of her beauty, and Xan himself was completely composed.
"I would really like to learn more enchantments," she managed to say. "I may not need a spell to charm people but maybe learning how mages usually cast it will improve my ability."
"I believe it will," said Xan. "I will be happy to teach you. Though perhaps for now you should speak with Jaheira. I think she wants to discuss something with you."
Silandra glanced at the druid, who was sitting a few paces away from the others, and sighed when she saw the look on her face. What had she done now?
"Later, then," she said. "Thank you."
She moved to sit by Jaheira, noticing that Ajantis was looking at her oddly too. She would not put it past him to be upset at what she had done to those two men, though surely that was not what Jaheira was concerned about. She had seemed to approve.
"What is it?" she asked Jaheira.
"Back in Mulahey's cave, I noticed something odd when I healed Ajantis," Jaheira said. "Is there something you wish to tell me?"
Maybe Silandra should have known better than to expect a skilled healer not to notice the small way she had lessened the severity of Ajantis' wound. Although she did not always get along with Jaheira, she trusted her because Gorion had. Surely her secret would be safe with her.
"I have this… healing ability," she said. "I did not always have it, or at least I don't think I did. I healed myself in the mine on the first day when an arrow grazed me, and Ajantis saw but I swore him to secrecy. After that fight with Mulahey I was so scared he would die. His wound was bad and you could not attend to him right away, so I just… tried to help."
"I see. Something about the wound did not add up, and Ajantis is terrible at hiding things."
"He told you?" Silandra felt a little hurt at the thought.
"No, but it obviously involved you. Now, how does it feel when you perform this healing?"
"I don't know. Different. Warm."
"It is not similar to your charming ability?"
"No. It's not like that, or like my regular magic."
"I would almost like to put this down to your nymph heritage, as some are able to heal. But perhaps it is something else."
"Ajantis thinks I was blessed by a god for some reason."
"He would, and perhaps he is right. This can be kept secret for now, but I want you to tell me if you notice any new developments in this area."
Silandra had to assure her she would before she was free to join the others by the fire. She remained quiet, going over her spells and making only minimal contributions to the conversation. Being able to heal was not a bad thing, she told herself. It just troubled her that she did not know why.