Lidia heard a rustle, and immediately started awake. For a moment, she thought she was back in her cell in Irenicus's lab, and that he was in the corner, preparing some fresh torment for her. She could have sworn that he heard his voice.

But she felt the mattress beneath her back, and could see the dim light of the early morning through the thin sheets of animal horn covering the window. She rubbed her eyes with her hand, shivered, and scampered under the blanket, pulling it up and around her as she sat up on the bed.

"The time is six o'clock in the morning, if you are curious," Jaheira said. She turned away from where she'd been sitting and meditating near the light, and lit a lantern on a nearby table.

"Did I miss anything?"

"No. I judged that letting you rest was the most important thing. I did speak to Bernard, though. He is willing to put the four of us up here, so we have some time to choose our course."

"Thank you."

"Gorion would have haunted me for the rest of my days if I had left you here." Jaheira seemed to be trying for lightness, but only half-heartedly. "Besides, escape would not have been possible without you."

"You wouldn't have been captured if it weren't for me."

"Ach, I am not arguing this," Jaheira said with a wave of her hand. "Will you sleep more, or are you ready to start the day?"

After Lidia got up, got dressed, and had some breakfast, Jaheira said, "There is something we must do."

"What is it?"

"From what I understand, finding Imoen's whereabouts will be difficult, if not impossible."

Lidia gave her a questioning look, but Jaheira said, "Bernard told me. Many in the city have already heard of it."

"Do the Harpers know where the Wizards took her?"

"They do not. At least, not yet. They have simply never looked into it," she said. "They will begin, if I bring you to their stronghold for questioning."

"What do they want from me?"

"They refused to say. But I know the Harpers here - one of them was my mentor. If it were not important to the balance, they would not have asked. When shall we pay them a visit?"

"Nothing else is going on," Lidia said. "Let's go today."

Lidia checked over her weapons, as she did every morning, and noticed something new by her things. Minsc had dropped off something she'd given him for safekeeping.

Secured in a harness was Sarevok's black blade, her sole trophy as the Hero of Baldur's Gate. She had taken the sword from his empty suit of armor after Sarevok had died, after his body had turned to dust as his spirit fled.

This was a good sword, but she was hesitant to use it. Not because she couldn't - its length and weight weren't a problem, and in fact in many ways were an advantage. It was well-made, well-balanced, and it even had a hook in the blade just above the crossguard. She was fairly certain the sword had beneficial magic of its own. Imoen had assured her several times that it held no curse. But any thought of wielding it was immediately put aside whenever she saw the black hilt.

It had only one adornment. In the pommel was wrought a small relief: a grinning black skull surrounded by red teardrops, its eyes red jewels and seemingly lit by its own inner flame. It was the symbol of Bhaal, the Lord of Murder. Every tale about this god described the sheer depths of his evil and sadism, and the horrifying lengths his cultists went to advance his cause. Bhaal's was the kind of evil that Lidia would have been called to oppose at every turn, if he were not already dead.

She put the greatsword aside. If she were ever lucky enough to settle down, it'd be an impressive conversation piece for the wall. She reached for the few other weapons she had. She tucked a dagger into her belt, and tightened the pommel on her shortsword, for it had come a bit loose while the guards were handling it. She thought for a long moment about whether armor was really necessary now, since from the sound of it they would be among friends.

Better to have it and not use it, she thought. She tightened the joints on the breastplate as best she could over her clothes.

As they were making the final preparations to leave, Lidia noticed something new by Jaheira's things: a strange-looking staff. There was a faint glimmer of magic about the tip, and the wood was elegantly reinforced with inlaid metal.

"That's nice," Lidia said, pointing it out. "Where did it come from?"

"Oh, that," Jaheira said. "The Harpers asked me to do a favor for them as a show of good faith."

"Already?" Lidia asked.

"Perhaps you lost track of time, but I and others have not. We have been in Athkatla over a month - it may very well be that some knew we were here before we ourselves did."

Lidia said, "What about the staff, then? What favor did you do?"

Jaheira went over to the staff, took it, and held it up. The tip transformed into a spear before their eyes. "I encountered a certain Zhentish acquaintance of ours who no longer needs it."

They left the Coronet shortly afterwards. They crossed through the River District until they came to a wall with a wide iron gate, much like the one that bound the River District on the south.

Two guards stood on either side. Their plate armor was intricately etched with scrolls across the breast, and they carried long polearms that looked a lot like guisarmes: one side of the tip had a long, gleaming hook, while the other was spiked with a simple wand.

As Lidia and Jaheira approached on the left side, the guard nearest them called out: "Halt, and state your business."

"Errands," Jaheira said, and tossed the guard a silver coin.

He caught it. "On your way, then. Cause no trouble."

When they passed through the gate, they seemed to step into a different city altogether. Lidia had heard rumors that Athkatla was paved with gold and built up with gems, and she now understood why the rumors had come about. The street in front of her was a cacophony of carved reliefs, ornate pillars, and bands of gold glittering in the early morning sun. Several points on this street alone had crews of workers carving, polishing, sculpting, and laying great bricks of marble and granite. One building from this block all by itself would have been a landmark and the talk of the neighborhood, but each structure seemed to be trying to outdo the others around them.

The number of feet and wheels on the clean, well-laid streets was only beginning to grow, but many of those that passed them were guards going to their posts or messengers running errands. Every so often, a lavishly decorated coach or palanquin passed by, accompanied by a band of guards and announced by a runner.

Lidia kept one eye on the road ahead, and another on the faces that streamed past them. She hoped against hope that one would be familiar to her. But after some time, she noticed that Jaheira seemed pensive, and guessed at the reason. "Are you all right? If there's anything I can do - "

"There is nothing," she said sharply. "What else have we to do but set to work?"

Lidia focused again on where she and Jaheira were traveling. It seemed as though they would be here for a while, so she would get to know Athkatla well, for better or for worse. It wasn't too early to learn.

They came to a corner where a confusing array of signs kept watch over the crossroads. Jaheira studied the signpost for a moment. "Well, this entire city is before us. What course shall we take?"

Lidia was about to comment that Jaheira seemed to know the way, but thought better of it. "Are you asking for a geographical or moral answer?"

"Moral, most definitely. I must watch the overall balance of things, and you may figure largely in the tipping. It is because of...what you are."

"Right," Lidia replied. "Can't let me forget. At least there's no one after my head yet."

"That will not last. Your deeds have a way of impacting those around you. Others like me have to deal with the outcome." She whispered, "I am Harper, you know this. I should hate for us to end up on opposite sides of a coin."

"What is it you fear? You've spoken up about the group doing too much for others."

"All the more reason to be careful." Jaheira said. "You know what happens to those who twist noble goals to self-serving ends."

Lidia was ready to protest, but her friend continued: "I have no doubt that you mean well. But what should be the best too often becomes the worst. The direst evil can take root in perverted virtue. The more good deeds you do, the more I worry that you might be blinded by them."

"Can't you help me see the right course?"

"You are not a child. You are capable of seeing for yourself. But if you cannot, and you leave me no other choice…"

There was no need to say anything else. They both knew where this line of thought went.

Jaheira continued, "Few will ever walk your path, and I cannot walk it for you. But my promise to Gorion still stands. I will guide you for as long as you will have me."

They passed through one more gate. On the other side was a line of abandoned temples. They turned left and passed by several of them until Jaheira stopped in front of one. It had no symbol or adornment, but there were still traces of rust where metal letters had shown the building's name. To a keen eye, the outlines of those letters still read: "House of the Guiding Lady."

"This is the place," Jaheira said.

Lidia stared up at the tall, stucco-covered walls, and whispered, "This whole building? I thought - " She remembered just in time to not say the name out loud. "I thought they were supposed to be covert."

Jaheira said, "I know. Someone failed when even you can see it. Come on."

She went up to the guard at the door, whispered something into his ear, and he let both of them pass.