Silandra blinked a few times as she returned from her meditative state. Imoen was snoring nearby, but otherwise it was very quiet. A quick peek outside confirmed that it was still dark, and Dorn and Ajantis were on watch. Surprisingly, they managed to sit in silence rather than try to kill each other. She wondered whose idea that pairing had been. Coran was sleeping by the fire. She had thought he would have shared a tent with someone, but maybe it had been decided that he should be out in the open where he could be kept an eye on.

She slipped into her bedroll rather than go outside, even though she felt it must be close to dawn. Meditation was not as restful as sleep and if no one was going to call her to take a turn watching the camp for the night, she should try to get a few hours if possible.

Those were the key words. If possible. The sirene queen had given her a name, one she recognized. Titania, the high queen of the fey pantheon. Silandra was not about to presume it meant Titania would take her as a follower but perhaps she could offer guidance. Yet her meditations had been fruitless.

It had been a while since she had seriously tried meditating. It was once a way of controlling her magic, which often used to get out of hand. Maybe she was just out of practice, or perhaps her mind was just too full.

She tossed and turned for a while, but she knew that, despite how tired she was, sleep was not going to come. She was just trying to decide whether she wanted to go outside and risk inadvertently stirring up trouble between Dorn and Ajantis when her decision was made for her. A woman's shrieks filled the air and she knew she had to investigate.

"Let me up this instant, you brute of a woman! What have you done with my bag? Is there anyone civilized around here?"

Silandra headed outside in time to see Ajantis rushing into Branwen's tent, hand on the hilt of his sword. Dorn stayed put, thankfully. Someone needed to watch the camp. Silandra hurried after Ajantis.

Inside Branwen's tent, Safana was awake and struggling against invisible bonds. Silandra had not quite thought through how she would be watched overnight while inside the tent. Branwen had evidently decided to restrain her with magic while she slept.

Safana looked pleased to see Ajantis, and although she definitely noticed Silandra enter behind him, it appeared she had chosen to ignore her.

"You look to be an honorable man," Safana said. Her voice had been shrill while screaming, but now it was smooth and sultry. "Surely you see that I am no threat and can be released, hmm?"

Ajantis blinked a few times, but otherwise kept his composure. "You are a thief and are being treated as such," he said. "You're lucky we aren't planning on handing you over to the authorities in Beregost."

Safana pouted. "Is this really any way to treat a lady?" she asked, batting her eyelashes at him. This may have been more effective if she did not still look half dead.

"You are no lady," Ajantis said firmly.

Safana sighed heavily and finally looked at Silandra. Her face showed a hint of displeasure before she covered it with a very fake-looking smile. "Surely a fellow woman such as yourself won't leave me in such a state?" she asked.

"Branwen, I think it's safe to release her," Silandra said. "She does not have her weapons and we have what we need from her."

"What do you mean, you have what you need?" Safana asked, eyes narrowing. "Where's my bag?"

"You can have it back, minus the items you stole from Melicamp," said Silandra. "Perhaps you should be a little nicer to Branwen here. She saved your life."

Safana rolled her eyes. "I was fine. I was just resting in that cave until I was well enough to move."

"You would have died," Branwen said, glaring down at the other woman.

"Safana?"

Coran entered the tent, his eyes sleepy and hair ruffled.

Silandra did not miss the way Safana sighed briefly before smiling up at the elf. "Coran, darling," she said. "I'm so glad you are safe."

"I don't quite believe you, after what you did to me," Coran said drily. "It's been coming back to me."

"You must have hit your head," said Safana. "Or those sirenes messed with your mind."

"I don't think so," said Coran. "I'm starting to believe you might have though. But don't you worry. I don't hold grudges, and there are fairer ladies in this world than you."

"I have far more to offer than my looks, as you know very well," Safana said, attempting to continue her sultry tone.

"You promised me gold and adventure," said Coran. "Instead you threw me to the sirenes."

"But you're fine," Safana said. "You probably enjoyed it."

"I don't remember," Coran said.

"How could anyone enjoy being held captive by those creatures?" Ajantis asked.

Silandra raised an eyebrow at that, but she knew she had to speak quickly to avoid an explanation. "You're free to go if you want, Safana, but you can travel with us to Beregost if you prefer. It might be safer."

"I suppose you're right," Safana said. "I would like my possessions back, however."

"I don't think we're quite willing to trust you with a weapon, but you can have your bag," said Silandra. "Branwen?"

It turned out Safana's bag was inside the tent near Branwen's gear. It was considerably less full after relieving her of Thalantyr's possessions, and the thief seemed to notice when Branwen handed it over.

"What have you done with my things?" she asked, frowning as she began to rummage through the contents.

"We relieved you of the stolen items," said Silandra, a bit annoyed. After all, she thought she had already stated that Safana would not be keeping what clearly did not belong to her.

Safana pulled out a mirror and gasped when she saw her reflection. "Nevermind. Out, all of you! A woman needs her beauty time."

Silandra could at least understand that and she left, followed by Ajantis and Coran, the latter choosing to lie down and attempt to get more sleep. Branwen remained, but it was her tent after all. Silandra was sure she could handle the thief on her own.

The faintest light could be seen in the sky, and she was glad they would soon be on the move once more. She was exhausted, of course, but when she couldn't sleep she would rather be doing something more productive, like moving.

"My lady, are you alright?" Ajantis asked. "Come and sit by the fire."

There wasn't much of a fire left, just a few small flames and burning coals, but Silandra though sitting was a good idea anyway. Ajantis sat beside her, peering at her in concern.

"I'm fine," she said. "Just tired, that's all."

"Did you sleep at all last night?"

"No. I was trying to meditate."

"Trying?"

Silandra sighed and shifted closer to Ajantis so she could lean on him. It was not as comfortable as it might have been because of his armor, but she was too tired to care very much.

"I was worried about what the sirene queen said yesterday," she said quietly. "About there being darkness inside me. I thought I should do as Firebead suggested and try meditating, but I didn't get anywhere."

"I don't think you should let it bother you," Ajantis said. "Perhaps she was just trying to unsettle you."

Silandra remembered the first sirene's attempt to manipulate her mind, but she thought she would have noticed if the queen had been trying something similar. No, she felt she had meant those words. Now she just had to work out what they meant and what she could do about it. Her mention of Titania's name seemed to have been offered as an answer of sorts, though maybe it was better not to tell Ajantis just yet. Perhaps once her meditations got her somewhere.

"My mother was a nymph, and Gorion knew her, though I'm not sure how well," she said. "But he never said anything about my father. I can at least assume he is human. But what if he was evil?"

"That would not transfer to you. I don't believe people are born evil. It is a choice they make. Besides, If you were evil, I would have sensed it."

"But what if it's hidden?"

"You are making too much of this. I think it's a good idea to begin trying to meditate, but you should not be discouraged after one failure. Maybe you were too tired. You should try and rest now. An hour or two is better than nothing."

"Your armor is too hard."

"Oh. You mean—you want to sleep here?"

"Maybe it'll work better than in my tent."

"One moment."

Ajantis unclasped his cloak and set it gently beneath Silandra's head. She sighed and leaned again him heavily. After a moment, he put an arm around her, a bit uncertainly. She tried to relax. This felt nice, and she was safe, among friends. But her mind continued to wander to all the possible things that could be wrong with her. What about her healing power? She still did not know where that had come from. What if the god who had bestowed it upon her was evil? She could not discuss it with Ajantis now, for she knew Dorn's hearing was keen. Jaheira had told her to keep it a secret, but maybe she could at least tell Imoen about it. Another perspective might help. She tried to concentrate on watching the horizon, thinking it might be nice to watch the sun rise.

She had closed her eyes for what seemed only a few moments before she was being shaken gently.

"Silandra, it's time to get up."

She blinked a few times and sat up. The tents had been dismantled, for the most part. She turned to see that Coran was helping Imoen and they were nearly done.

"Thank you," she said, stumbling to her feet. "You could've woken me sooner."

"I'm always happy to help beautiful ladies," Coran said, catching her eye for a moment before winking down at Imoen, who blushed.

"You needed sleep," said Ajantis. He stood and stretched.

She couldn't really argue with that. She knew she needed more sleep, but she did feel slightly refreshed after her nap.

Garrick was regaling Safana of their venture to stop the bandits, perhaps hoping she might want to join them. Coran stood nearby, listening with interest, while Safana was only pretending. Silandra could tell that such a woman had no desire to do anything for the good of others.

Before the group could set out for the day, a cloaked figure approached, seemingly from nowhere.

"I am not here to harm you," the man said, taking in the array of drawn weapons he was suddenly facing.

His dark cloak shadowed his face, which made him look sinister. But his hands were empty; he had not drawn the bow at his back.

"What do you want then?" Ajantis demanded. "Are you the one who has been following us?"

"I apologize if I made you uneasy," the man replied. As if it were an afterthought, he pulled down his hood, revealing an intricately tattooed face and the long ears of an elf. "My name is Kivan. I felt it necessary to observe you before approaching. I heard your discussion about the bandits this morning. I am seeking them too, and would join your cause if you accept."

"Why not just talk to us?" Silandra asked.

"I had to be sure you were not aligned with the bandits," Kivan replied.

"Do we look like bandits?" Silandra asked.

"I thought you could be some of the higher ups."

"I suppose that's better than being mistaken for common thugs. Have you actually seen the people in charge?"

"Some of them."

"Well, perhaps we can help each other. Why are you after the bandits?"

"I would rather not discuss it," Kivan replied. He had shown little emotion until this point, but for the briefest moment pain flashed across his features. "Is it not enough that we both seek the same thing?"

"I'm sorry," Silandra said automatically. She thought she saw it now; he had lost someone to these bandits. "Of course you can join us."

She was sure her companions would have spoken up by now if they had a problem with Kivan joining. Ajantis was the most likely to object, and while he was probably not ready to trust the elf right away, he seemed to be ready to give him a chance. Having more allies would help when they attacked the bandits, and someone with the skill to sneak so easily through the forest would be particularly useful. Introductions were made and they were finally off.

"I have heard the bandits speak your name," Kivan said quietly. "They want you dead."

"There's a bounty," Silandra replied. "I don't know why. I never did anything to them."

"Well, we did ruin their ore poisoning in Nashkel," Imoen pointed out.

"You know what I mean," said Silandra. "Even before that, they were after me."

Kivan didn't seem to have a response for that. In fact, as they walked, he remained silent. Maybe he just needed some time to get to know everyone. Even Dorn would often converse with Branwen as they traveled.

They were getting close to Thalantyr's place when, quite suddenly, a boy darted onto the path in front of them. He was probably thirteen or so, old enough to think he was a man but young enough to be quite defenseless.

"What are you doing out here?" Silandra asked. "Where are your parents?"

The boy gave a little shrug, seemingly unfazed at coming across a group of armed men and women, some of who had drawn their weapons on reflex. "Back home I 'spose. I came out lookin' for berries 'cos food's been so expensive."

"If thou art looking for berries, then where art thy basket?" Dynaheir asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy.

"Lost it," the boy said, giving her a funny look. "Was bein' chased by some spooks. I lost 'em though, 'cos I'm quick."

"Spooks?" Silandra repeated.

"Oh yeah," the boy said. "I was watchin' 'em. They're real funny. This priest was talkin' to 'em. Think he was kinda crazy."

"You really should go home," Silandra said, forehead creasing slightly in worry. "Is it far from here?"

"Only takes me a few hours if I run," the boy replied. "Probably should be gettin' back I 'spose. You look like adventurers, maybe you should do something 'bout those spooks."

"Where are they?" Silandra asked.

"There-ish," the boy said, waving his hand south. "Pretty close."

"Are you sure you can make it home safely?"

"Of course!" the boy replied. "I come out this way all the time. You take care of those spooks and there'll be no problem."

The boy ran off, and Silandra stared after him for a moment wondering whether to follow and ensure he really did make it home alright. But he had not been lying; he was fast. She sighed and hoped he would be alright.

"We should look for whatever scared the boy," Ajantis said. "If he comes out here often, then others probably do too. If there is danger nearby we should look into it."

"You're right," said Silandra. "I just hope it's not far."

The group changed course, moving quickly. It did not take long before they ran into a few animated skeletons. They were cut down easily, but it was not normal to see undead wandering in the daylight, and Silandra was sure her companions shared her concern.

At one point Kivan held up a hand, long ears twitching slightly. "Not far now," he murmured softly. "I can hear a man talking to someone. He does not sound… sane."

Xan nodded. "I hear it too. He is likely responsible for the undead."

Branwen and Ajantis clutched their holy symbols, willing any undead in the area to stay away.

More skeletons and a few zombies came into view, but they were keeping their distance and did not seem interested in attacking the group. Silandra was not sure if their behavior was due to the holy power being directed their way or something else, but she was glad all the same. They were creepy.

A man's voice could soon be heard, laughing and murmuring something to someone he called 'Brother Thurm'. Moments later, the group entered a clearing where someone had erected a few large stones. Silandra thought it looked the way druid rings had been described in her books, though the man standing there did not look like a druid at all. He was wearing chain armor, though it had seen better days, and he had a large golden warhammer which he was swiping casually through the air as he spoke. It turned out his conversation partner was a zombie, which did not appear to be listening. Instead, it gazed off into the distance, groaning.

Silandra was wary of this man. There were many skeletons and zombies in the area, and although Branwen and Ajantis' influence was beginning to force them back, that may not last. If this man controlled them, he could prove to be dangerous.

"Thurm, where are you going? Aunt Edith?" The man looked around wildly as the zombies nearest him began to edge away, until his crazed eyes landed on Silandra and her friends. "Why would you frighten my family like that?"

"We're sorry," Silandra said. "Are you…alright?"

The man wrinkled his brow as he looked at her, tilting his head one way then the other. "Wait a moment… Mother, is that you?"

"Do I look old enough to be your mother?" Silandra asked irritably, the offense coming before she could remember that this man was probably insane.

The man's brow creased and he took a few steps closer. "I suppose not. Then who are you?"

Coran sidled up to Silandra, ignoring the look Ajantis gave him. "I think I know who this is," he murmured. "In Beregost, I heard that a madman is out here murdering people and raising them as undead. His name is Bassilus and there is a substantial monetary reward for disposing of him."

"He doesn't seem… right," Silandra whispered back.

"Yes, it would be a kindness to put him out of his misery," Coran said.

"Cease your whispering!" Bassilus cried, waving his warhammer. "You will do as my mother for now!"

He threw his warhammer to the ground and began casting a spell. The surrounding undead appeared to grow agitated, trying to press back against the holy power keeping them at bay, and some were succeeding.

"Silence him!" Branwen cried, perhaps recognizing his spell.

A few arrows quickly made their way towards the mad priest. They were aimed well, yet each one was intercepted by the zombie nearest Bassilus, who happened to stumble in front of him at that moment. The zombie groaned once more before falling to the ground, just as a golden ball of light shot towards the group.

"Look what you've done!" Bassilus screeched. "You've killed my brother!"

Silandra felt the golden glow engulf her but thankfully it did not appear to do anything. She was hesitant to take her eyes off Bassilus, but the lack of movement from her side worried her enough to risk it anyway. Ajantis, Minsc and Dorn were all frozen in place. That was not ideal.

More arrows headed Bassilus' way but he was surprisingly quick to block them with his shield. Silandra sent a volley of magic missiles, but he blocked those too. At least they singed his shield. He began casting another spell.

Thankfully, Dyaneheir was casting too, and a large ball of fire shot towards the priest and his undead minions. The area was engulfed in moments, and the flames were near enough that Silandra could feel their heat. When they cleared, Bassilus was on the ground, charred and unmoving. Without his influence to animate them, the undead who had not been burnt to a crisp fell into piles of bones and rotting flesh.

"Nice one, Dynaheir," Imoen said, sounding a little queasy.

Coran stepped forward, grimacing only slightly at the charred corpse on the ground. He poked gingerly at the man with his bow.

"What are you doing?" Silandra asked.

"He must have something we can show as proof that we've got rid of him," said Coran. "Ah, here. Cyric's symbol. Makes sense."

He picked up something shiny and wiped it on his pants. He began moving it to his pocket, then hesitated a moment. He glanced up at Ajantis, still frozen though able to see and hear everything.

"I suppose I'll hand this over to your beautiful leader, as a sign of good faith," Coran said. "I trust her to share the reward."

Silandra took the black sun symbol gingerly and put it into a pocket of her bag, not wanting to touch it longer than necessary. She thanked Coran and turned her attention to her frozen party members. Xan was murmuring a spell over them, one by one, and she was relieved to see it taking effect.

"I can't believe you brought me into danger without arming me!" Safana cried. She had remained at the back of the group as they approached the area, perhaps ready to run for it if necessary. "I could have died!"

"You weren't even close to dying," said Imoen, rolling her eyes.

"We're not far from Thalantyr's now," Silandra said. "I doubt we'll run into more trouble before then."

"At least you're not a chicken!" Melicamp squawked, ruffling his feathers.

"I would still much rather be armed," Safana said, eyeing Melicamp with distaste.

"Maybe you shoulda thought of that before you went around robbing people," Imoen said. "Let's get moving."

Of course, Imoen had done her fair share of stealing, but Silandra wasn't going to mention that. Besides, stealing a few coins from rich people was different to stealing a bunch of magical items from a powerful mage, especially in such an underhanded way.

They headed towards Thalantyr's place. Silandra thought they could reach Beregost that night if there were no further hold ups, and she was already dreaming of sleeping in a real bed and having a hot meal once more.

As they walked, they encountered the remains of a few more of Bassilus' undead minions. It was a good thing they had killed Bassilus when they did, for it seemed his army had been expanding rapidly and may have reached Beregost before long.

Melicamp began to tremble in Imoen's arms when Thalantyr's abode came into view. Imoen stroked his feathers gently, though she may also have been trying to soothe herself. Garrick and Safana were walking together a few paces ahead and seemed to be getting on well.

It was quickly decided that Safana and Coran should not enter the building. Kivan said he would prefer to remain outside too, and Dorn and Branwen did not need magical weapons so they stayed to keep an eye on the thieves.

"Well, did you find him?" Thalantyr asked by way of greeting.

"Right here!" Imoen replied in an attempt at her usual cheerfulness.

Thalantyr glanced at the Melicamp chicken and sighed. "Melicamp. How did this come about?"

"I'm so sorry master!" Melicamp clucked. "I should never have stolen from you! I tried using the bracers to defend myself, but—"

"The bracers? Idiot boy. Let me take a look."

Imoen handed the chicken over to Thalantyr, who was not particularly gentle as he poked and prodded, muttering incantations here and there.

"I believe there is a chance I can return Melicamp to his true form," Thalantyr said. "The spell itself does not take long but it is risky, and I shall need a dead element. A human skull should do."

"A skull?" Melicamp asked, sounding panicked.

This did not mean all that much to Silandra, but she could see from Xan and Dynaheir's faces that this was a serious matter.

"It is a resurrection of sorts," said Thalantyr. "Like I said, risky. But it's either that or you live the rest of your days as a chicken."

"I think we can get a skull easily enough," said Silandra. "We'll return shortly."

It was a simple enough matter for the party to find one of the skulls from Bassilus' creations. When they returned Thalantyr began his spell. He acted confident, but Silandra watched nervously.

A few moments later, the skull disintegrated and Melicamp changed, first growing larger, before his feathers merged into skin. Melicamp was so pleased to no longer be a chicken that he did not seem to mind his lack of clothes at first. Thalantyr sighed and conjured a blanket for him.

"As I thought, the bracers are now long gone," he said. "No doubt they have been spirited away elsewhere to cause mischief. What of the rest of my belongings?"

They handed over the items they had taken from Safana, and although at first Thalantyr seemed more interested in making sure nothing was damaged, he did keep his word.

He held out a beautiful set of robes in dark blue trimmed with gold. Silandra could not deny that they were much nicer than either Dynaheir's or Xan's, definitely more than she was expecting. She knew she would have to try and find some new dresses that would do the robes justice. Perhaps they could do a little shopping in Beregost. She put them on, finding they fit perfectly. She was itching to take out her mirror, but she made herself wait.

"If anyone needs protection, it is you," said Thalantyr, evidently in a better mood than when they had first met him. "I know about the bounty on your head, and I can only imagine what powerful forces may want you dead."

"Thank you," Silandra said. She wondered how much these robes would ordinarily cost, since she was certain they were not the cheapest he had to offer. She could feel the protective magic seething through the fabric as she touched it.

Now that Thalantyr was also giving the group a discount, they were able to afford magic swords for Minsc and Ajantis, albeit of the cheaper variety. They also got some fire arrows, because Imoen insisted they would be useful and Silandra couldn't see a good reason to refuse.

Melicamp, who had gone to dress properly in the meantime, returned to thank the group for saving him. Hopefully he would not tell Thalantyr about Safana's role until they were well away. Personally Silandra wouldn't mind giving up the thief to protect the rest of the group, but maybe it would not be necessary.

They made it back to Beregost later that evening without incident. However, when they began heading towards the Burning Wizard, Safana spoke up.

"I believe this is where we part ways," she said. "I will be staying at Feldepost's. Garrick, darling, care to join me?"

Garrick's eyes darted over his group members, lingering on Imoen only slightly longer than the others. "It's been fun, but I think I need to start a new adventure," he said. "I'm going with Safana."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Silandra asked. She was sure it wasn't, but who was she to tell Garrick what to do?

"I have to follow my muse," Garrick said. "And that is now Safana."

"But who will tell Minsc and Boo bedtime stories?" Minsc cried.

"Didn't Dynaheir tell them before me? I'm sure she is a fantastic storyteller," said Garrick.

Minsc was beginning to sniff, and Silandra watched him in alarm. Even Imoen was keeping her composure. "She doesn't know as many!"

"Well, I'm sure she can pick up some new ones on your travels," Garrick said.

Minsc was apparently too overwhelmed to speak, and instead gathered Garrick in what must have been a rather painful hug from the look on the young bard's face. Somehow, Silandra couldn't bring herself to care too much.

Finally the pair had gone, and the rest of the group continued on their way to the Burning Wizard. Silandra fell back beside Imoen, indicating to Ajantis that he should continue without her.

"Are you alright?" she asked quietly.

"Fine," said Imoen, shrugging. "I guess… like I said. He didn't like me like that. Maybe it's for the best."

The inn was busy; they were only able to get two rooms and there did not appear to be any tables available. Still, there was food to be had, and a few seats at the bar. There also happened to be a bard playing, and a few of the commoners were dancing.

Imoen picked at her food, which was so very unlike her that Silandra also found it hard to eat much out of worry.

"Lady Imoen, would you care to dance?"

Imoen and Silandra both looked up to see Coran standing there, grinning at Imoen. It wasn't what Silandra expected, but she was pleased, especially when she saw the corners of Imoen's mouth turn up slightly.

Imoen hesitated only a moment before jumping up and taking Coran's hand. Silandra was relieved. It looked like she would be alright. Moments later, Ajantis asked her to dance and she acquiesced. For the moment, she was able to just enjoy herself and forget about the fact that they had to begin their search for the bandit camp tomorrow. She didn't worry about her strange healing power, or the bandits who wanted to kill her, or what the sirene queen had said. She just danced.