Ok so I really struggled with this chapter and I think you can really tell... I only just after months on end came back to this story so might not only be a little rusty but I also just want to get to Naskel *sigh* well hopefully its ok and I realize it jumps slightly.
Chapter Five
knock
Katriel curtsied low towards the queen of Evermeet, in reverence. The queen in turn curtsied back.
"It is I that should bow down to you mighty mage, if it wasn't for your spell craft our people would have been destroyed"
Knock
"Tell us lady Katriel how is it you managed to defeat the hordes of orcs?"
"I..."
Knock
"What?" Kat yelled the shocked look on the Queen's face began to fade as with the rest of the dream as Katriel woke up on the hard mattress, the room was still dark. She blinked back sleep. Imoen was still snoring away.
Knock
"I'm up!" Kat growled pulling herself up and covering her white nightgown. The hard floors were cold on her feet. Grumbling at the fact it was still dark she gently opened the door. There stood Jahiera and Khalid already geared up and with their packs firmly on their backs.
"What's this you're not ready yet, we agreed on starting early did we not" Jahiera crossed her arms.
There, is early and then there is early.
"Sorry, we will be ready in a few minutes" Kat yawned closing the door again before anyone could say anything more. She had already missed out of her first night at a large Inn... she could hear the bards in her bedroom. Then to disrupt her dreams just after she had saved all of Evermeet and was about to have a party in her honour, where she would have met a handsome charismatic elf lord who would accept her the way she was and desire to travel with her completing great deeds of daring and heroism.
She smiled evilly as gazing at her peacefully sleeping friend. Taking a run up and a jump onto the bed. Imoen body lifted off the bed as Kat landed.
"Ahh"
"Time to get up" Kat grinned.
"You're crazy" The grunted covering her head with the blanket.
"Yep, but we have been order to get moving"
"It's still night!"
"I know... come on" Kat smiled getting up as she started to fill her backpack and throwing on her robes.
"Why do wizards where robes?"
"it is better than being naked... imagine those old mages in Candlekeep, casting spells while it all flops out"
Imoen scrunched her face up as she couldn't shake the thought out of her head. "I can't sleep with that thought, eww imagine Uldred" Imoen shivered. "I meant why wear robes instead of armour which is more protection... that mages yesterday wouldn't have been able to been cut down as easily with armour on?"
Kat paused trying to think on how she could explain it. "robe's are loose and the magical energy that one needs to cast spells can be absorbed easier while armour block mages off from the energy. Simple enough explanation, anymore and you would be falling asleep again? "
"So... Not it!"
"What?" Kat asked finishing her pack and ready to meet Jahiera.
"I'm not waking Xzar and Montaron... Xzar apparently accused one of the fellow patrons last night of trying to kill him with the power of his mind alone"
"I guess it comes down to me then?" Kat shrugged leaving the room.
It was another hour before Kat had managed to awaken the two men. Montaron had gone so far as to throwing a dagger towards her... cursing his aim, and the pulsating headache that had taken hold of him.
"Pouncy, friggen early rising pointed eared layabouts" Montaron muttered, there was still a dried patch of spittle at the corner of his mouth.
"Who is this dirty dwalf" Jaheira scrunched her nose up.
" I'm a blasted Halfling you blind wench"
"M-y Dear wasn't he the brawl-ler that gutted the man la-last night"Khalid stuttered.
"That dindle head spilt my pint, didn't even bother replacing it"
"Ah curses I could have used some new spell components, finger bones, flesh, hair... haven't I told you before Montaron, waste not want not" The necromancer commented.
"I can make arrangements for you to get those blasted components, next battle"
"Jaheira, Khalid meet Xzar and Montaron..."
Xzar lifted his hand electric pulsating from his fingers... was he about to attack, before Kat could call out for Tiryns. The crazed wizard's hand shot out caging a fly within his fingers and releasing the electric grasp.
"No more infernal chattering" Xzar muttered with a grin.
"They are our companions" Kat mumbled glancing back towards the gobsmacked couple.
"We are helping them investigate the Iron shortage" Imoen grinned patting Kat on the back.
Jaheira glared towards Katriel. "Very well"
"Kat; are you ready?" Imoen whispered across to Katriel who nodded solemnly.
They had been watching and waiting for a moment that Jaheira had lowered her guard. The last couple of days travelling had been suffocating... constantly referred to as children had begun to grate on their nerves. They weren't permitted to scout ahead; stray from the group, in fact even bathroom breaks was a two person job, due to increased number of bandits. This trip wasn't as fun as Imoen had promised.
Katriel started mumbling under her breath. Jaheira was out scouting leaving Khalid in charge. The tips of her fingers started to shimmer pale pink, closing her eyes in deep concentration. Xzar gazed up his eyes intently staring at Kat as she realised the spell engulfing Khalid. His eyes glazed over, blinking blankly.
"So Khalid as agreed Kat and I need to go scout ahead. You want to send us to Jaheira let her know... that... you love her" Imoen informed the confused fighter who just stared at Imoen.
"Jaheira..." Khalid muttered.
"Yes Jaheira you're wife... Gods Katriel it was meant to be a charm spell not incapacitate him" Imoen rolled her eyes walking off.
"He is charmed... we can leave now can't we?" Kat looked across at Montaron and Xzar who shrugged and continued in what they were doing.
What happened to not casting spells on companions? Tiryns tongue tickled her ear.
"Some things are worth the risk"
If you say so? I think it was a tad drastic
Katriel run up to catch up with Imoen, the fields were dusty green covering rolling hills with very little in the way of cover that could hide them from Jaheira's wrath.
"I think I saw a small lake on the map" Kat muttered pulling out a map from her cloak as Imoen slumped onto a nearby log.
"There it is, if you go south western direction we should find..."
"Ahhhhh" A loud cried echoed across the plain, over the nearby hill. "Help!"
A small figure with stocky legs bounding towards them, his expression of complete terror even his small moustache trembling against his pale cheeks. Pulling himself around Imoen's legs and pressing his head against her buttocks much to her discomfort.
"What is...?" Kat started pausing as a large hairy figure lumbered towards them, his nose squashed against his face and two over large yellowed teeth rested on his under bite. Kat swallowed as watching the bulging muscles of his over large arms, he stood half against Kat's height. The creature was fully focused on Imoen, who was desperately trying to unstring her bow that was strapped onto her back and the trembling gnome behind her.
He lifted his oversized club high above Imoen, without thinking Kat ran towards the ogre grabbing onto the arms. He grunted glaring down at Kat shaking his arm back and forward, slamming Kat against a nearby tree trunk before turning back towards Imoen lifting his club again. She ducked down low as the club swung over her.
Tiryns flew out of Kat's hood, his tail whipping furiously as Kat struggled to get up.
"Help Imoen." She grunted taking a few steps back staring at the smelly fiend. The small dragon flew between the ogre and his prey, casting shield just as the club came down. It would not hold for long.
Kat could feel her heart beating, images of the armoured figure cutting down Gorion interchanged with the image of the ogre trying to smash Imoen... a boiling heat rumbling in her stomach as she took a running leap throwing her arms around the neck on the beast. Pulling her arms as tightly as she could to no avail; the beast once again brought his arm up to slam the cracking shield.
The fire within her stomach burned as she drew in the essence of the weave around her, her fingers tingling light electric current started forming and dancing up and down her arms as she formed her spell in her mind. The currents became stronger and faster racing down and around Kat's arms and finger tips along the creature's neck. As he cried out dropping the weapon Kat's arms tightened, she could feel his erratic heartbeat causing more currents pulsating towards him as he screamed out.
"Kat!"
Just a little more, Kat tightened her grips picturing her arms around the armoured assailant... he would pay; he would pay for killing Gorion.
"Katriel"
Imoen? Kat wondered in her deep awareness... she released the creature as he staggered to the ground, the smell of burnt flesh and deep blackened burn stretched around the drge corpse.
Dropping to her knees staring at the creature, Kat didn't move nor did any go towards her as the gnome and Imoen stared, Tiryns landed on the ground watching his mistress waiting for her to move.
"I didn't... I didn't" Kat muttered.
"Kat that was no wild surge..." Imoen muttered shivering.
Kat continued staring confused, hatred for herself setting in... she didn't meant to kill him, she just didn't want him to hurt Imoen... yet a darker side of her knew it was a lie, she had intended to kill him, she could have released him earlier and he would have made his escape saving both Imoen and the gnome.
"Well that was a bit more than I expected, thanks lass... I guess, here" The gnome mumbled throwing a small bundle of coins and a belt towards Imoen. "To lighten your hearts"
The gnome took another frightened glance at Katriel before running off. Still she didn't move, staring now at her hands. Tiryns fluttered across to Kat vresting his head on her lap.
"I might go find Jahiera... she is not going to be pleased" Imoen sighed nodding towards Tiryns before leaving Kat who burst into tears. Tears over the life she had taken but mostly for the life that had been taken from her.
Jaheira had been furious at the two girls and the sight of the deceased ogre didn't help. Due to them having much extra time on their hands Imoen was placed on clean up duty until further notice, while Kat punishment was to bury the very ogre she killed and to reflect on what a clean kill means.
"It's like she believes she is our mother, she is not the leader of this party, despite her attitude" Imoen grumbled as scrubbing a burnt pot furiously glaring at Jaheira and Khalid as they pondered over maps and plans.
"Then who is the leader?" Kat smirked. Despite Imoen's mutterings she would continue to clean up duty until Jaheira told her otherwise.
"I don't know, not that stuck up wench, I didn't vote for her and she joined out party!"
"How do you know we didn't just join her or Xzar's for that matter, they already had goals we just tagged a long" Kat shrugged, wrapping herself deeper into her cloak listening to the whistles of the birds.
"Infernal, blasted shit spitters" Xzar suddenly screamed casting a fireball into a nearby grass clearing. The fireball exploded burning all the grass in a circle the sound of music abruptly stopped, the craved wizard nodded his head in contentment before returning to his studies.
Kat glanced back at Imoen.
"Would you rather he was our leader?"
"Well no... But neither am I going to take this treatment lying down" Imoen growled. "I am not a wayward child that she can punish"
Kat glanced up curious, she was sick of being treated as a child she was lucky that Jaheira didn't find out about the charm spell. She twisted a curl within her fingers absentminded.
" What do you have in mind?"
I don't know!" Imoen sighed collapsing onto her back giving up on the black pot that lay beside her.
Kat paused glancing towards her pack where the gnome's belt sat, Imoen had claimed the gold early; Kat grabbed the belt from the pack and resting it on her lap, Gorion had always preached never to used an unidentified object regardless of it being a spell, a weapon or even a simple belt... to many unpredictable side effects. Castings identify a small cruel smile formed on her face.
"What did the gnome say before he left?"
"It was to lighten our hearts" Imoen shrugged.
"Oh this will lighten our hearts." Kat grinned whispering her plan to Imoen who grew excited.
"You are a genius"
Oh dear Tiryns hid his head under his wing.
"Ahhhh, WHO ARE YOU!" Jaheira's voice demanded waking the entire party from the nightly slumber.
"J-J-Jaheira?" A sleepy female voice stuttered. Jaheira pushed her spear further against the woman's bare chest. Montaron grinned.
"Any chance they will mud wrestle, I knew that wench enjoyed drinking from the furry cup" He elbowed Xzar laughing boisterously.
The female gazed down at herself lifting the covers of her bedding and releasing a shrill squeal.
"It's- It's gone"
Jaheira paused lifting her spear off the woman and studying her features, the body structure was different, smoother, and the hair was the same still long and brown... and the woman's deep brown eyes were...
"Khalid!" She cried out dropping to the dirt in shock.
It was at this moment that Kat and Imoen decided that it might be prudent to make their escape from camp for a few hours before Jaheira caught up with them.
