Chapter 4: Companions

Aramil anxiously paced the docks, waiting for the ship to arrive and feeling his heart flutter faster as every moment passed. A gargantuan shark had been spotted attacking a ship earlier, and Aramil feared that it had been the ship he now waited for.

A ship began to pull into the harbor, badly damaged but, somehow, surviving. Aramil looked to the rigging to see exactly the person he had been hoping for balanced carefully on one of the wooden beams. He was soaking wet, but he was alive.

Aramil ran to greet him as the ship docked. His apprentice was one of the last ones off the ship, moving slowly and stiffly.

"You look horrible," the elf remarked as he wrapped his gave his cloak to the young Calishite. The man wrapped around his soaking body. "We should get you back to the guild house."

"Aramil, catch…" The man fell into his mentor's arms.

"Alright, who are you and what did you do to Artemis?"

Artemis Entreri grunted and Aramil accepted his duty of supporting the exhausted man. "You look like you just came out of a storm."

"I got drug into the water."

"What? When did this happen?"

"The shark tipped the boat over enough for me to fall in."

Aramil hugged Artemis close. "A beast like that…you are lucky to be alive." His apprentice made no response. He felt tense to the experienced assassin and the elf began to rub the man's shoulders.

"Aramil, please, I just want to rest."

"How were things in Memnon?" Aramil asked, now beginning to shove his apprentice through the dock district of Calimport.

"Why does it matter?" Artemis muttered, embarrassed at having to be pushed around. It was not the sort of things to do wonders to the reputation.

"Artemis, I somehow doubt that the trip was uneventful."

"I already told you I was attacked by a giant shark. I think that qualifies as eventful."

"Have you met…"

"Aramil! Please, not in public."

The elf sighed, but accepted his apprentice's discomfort. Nevertheless he felt concerned. Artemis was too unwilling to discuss problems when they arose.

"Artemis," he whispered gently.

"What?"

"You need to be careful."

"That's redundant advice."

"I know, but…well, I never expected to actually grow fond of you."

"Do I come across so horribly?"

"Artemis, you are, at first glance, an unfeeling, terrifying, apathetic, monster of a human being."

"And at second glance?" the young man inquired.

"Well, at second glance you are just an apathetic assassin. It is quite the step up. At third glance, however, a person begins to truly peel the rot away."

"Rot?"

Aramil grinned; glad to hear the indignation in Artemis's voice. "Yes, rot. You are covered the most despicable waste this side of the…well, of the very Spine of the World?"

"The where?"

"The Spine of the World!" Aramil cried, drawing several scandalous looks from the crowd, as well as a rather vicious one from Artemis. "Surely, you have had some basic geography?"

"What is the Spine of the World?"

Aramil took a moment to answer. He had told Artemis plenty of stories, but had never directly said anything to give evidence as to where he was really from. "The Spine of the World is a mountain range far to the north. I'll show you on a map when we get back."

"Have you ever been there?"

"Is there anywhere I haven't been?"

"Have you been to the family basement?"

"Sadly, no."

"Then not only have you not been everywhere, but there is a place I have been that you have not."

"You always sound so chipper when you're being cruel."

Artemis's face immediately dropped. "It runs in the family."

Aramil gave Artemis a hug. "Actually, I think it comes with the job. You'll find that your perspective on the world, well, it will get even more permanently warped." The elf kept the rest of his thoughts to himself, content that Artemis was alright now. If he had anything to say about it that would be a permanent statement.

"How much longer do you expect us to walk without rest?" Jarlaxle asked. He had been surprisingly silent and Entreri liked him more when he was exhausted.

"We walk until we get there," the man responded.

"A very interesting statement when 'there' is a phrase only broadly defined."

"We are going to the Moonwood."

"Yes, a statement roughly equivalent to 'we're going to Anauroch'."

"The Moonwood is a far smaller area than The Great Desert."

"We will not be able to defend ourselves if we are attacked."

"Then we should avoid getting attacked."

"That would be a far easier order if we had horses."

"You can't pull one out of your hat?"

"I may be many things, but wizard is clearly not one of them."

"Well then, we have no horses and you should just deal with it. This is better than walking through the desert."

"Especially if you are a horse," a voice said behind them.

Entreri and Jarlaxle spun around to see a black panther sitting on his haunches and looking smugly at them. Both of them had their weapons out in an instant. The panther yawned and two horses came up the small bluff to stand behind him.

One was a beautiful mare, if you liked pitch black with shadow tail and mane. Her eyes softly glowed red and her approach was completely silent. She stood tall despite not being all that high for a horse. The other horse, while a perfectly fine stallion, paled in comparison to her grandeur.

"Well, are you two going to keep gawking all day like kittens or were you not really in a hurry?"

Entreri lowered his weapons, but Jarlaxle kept his daggers ready to throw. "Sahide?" the assassin inquired.

"How many handsome, talking ,panthers do you know?"

Artemis Entreri was rarely one to let down his guard, but his weapons were sheathed in an instant. "Why are you here?"

"A very good question, indeed," Jarlaxle added as he sheathed his daggers. He was not one to like being left out of a conversation.

Sahide yawned. "Do you need horses or do you need a chat?"

"We need you to answer the question," Jarlaxle replied.

"I am here because I was under the impression that you were in need of horses."

"Let me rephrase that, why would you help us?"

Entreri let out a soft groan and move towards the panther. "Thank you, Sahide, but I fear they will not speed our way as much as you have hoped. We have very little food, and that is half the time of travel."

"Artemis, do not give me reason to believe your senses have dulled. The saddlebags on the horses should have food to get you there. They are exceptional steeds and will require only minimal rest, surely no more than you, even when ridden to the fullest. You could be to the Moonwood within the tenday."

"You still have not answered the initial question," Jarlaxle just about snarled.

Entreri had never heard his drow companion sound so openly suspicious, but Sahide seemed completely unfazed at having a dangerous dark elven mercenary extremely suspicious of him. The panther's gaze kept on Artemis Entreri. "Do iyou/i trust me?"

Jarlaxle expected the man to reply that he didn't trust anyone and fell back a bit when Entreri replied immediately, "Of course." It wasn't carefully thought out and no layers of double meaning were sought. It was an answer that was starkly…honest.

"You are placing our lives in the hands of a talking panther!"

"He's more trustworthy than you or me," Entreri responded resolutely. He then turned his attention to black mare, approaching her carefully.

Her eyes narrowed to slits, and her ears folded back. She bared her teeth, which were pointed like a wolf's fine fangs.

"Lady Akilah, it would be my honor if you would allow me to ride you," Entreri said with a bow. The horse, Akilah, sniffed at him a moment before relaxing. Her coal black eyes scrutinized her would-be rider, who stayed bowed. However, he did glance up and their eyes met. Artemis Entreri was willing to be humbled, but he was not one to be cowed.

It was very clear to Jarlaxle that the two were sending messages to each other, and sizing one another up. Both seemed to like what they were seeing and he wondered at how intelligent Akilah might be. A strange look crossed over Entreri's face then, and he straightened.

"We will serve each other well," the assassin said softly. Akilah nodded.

"Well, dark one?" Sahide pressed, motioning towards the stallion.

"He appears a bit…normal for the feat you have ascribed to him."

Sahide shrugged. "He is only paled by Akilah's might, not by his own abilities, I assure you."

Jarlaxle cocked an eyebrow and moved towards the stallion. Nothing was required for this beast, which looked at him with eyes which were filled with animal intelligence. He was smart for an animal, but an animal nonetheless. "Are we really sure that it's worth it?" he asked his companion.

Entreri said nothing in response, simply mounted Akilah and gave the drow a look which said all that was needed. Jarlaxle could come or he could stay, but if he chose to stay he was on his own.

With a sigh, the drow mounted. "I suppose you realize that this is a pointless venture?"

Sahide chuckled, turning into a smaller cat which leapt upon Akilah, in front of Entreri. "I think you will find it more valuable than you know," he said.

Jarlaxle had a bad feeling about this cat and the venture he was stupid enough to participate in. It was strange to empathize with his companion and Jarlaxle laughed as they sped away.

AN: Not to sound like a review whore, but please! I see all of these hit and not reviews and it makes me frustrated. It can be something as simple as 'I look forward to the next chapter' or noting what character you really like, and if you have any questions I'll try to answer them. Your reviews really are appreciated.