Hey update time then people. I'm not sure how long it is since I last updated this. It's quite a while I'm sure of that. Thanks Firilya for the review as to why Nalia is acting the way that she is I should get to that before too much longer.

Anyway Anomen is gone for now so we get to stay with Ailana and her bunch. As before Kalon and Vental are mine as is the story the other characters belong to Black Isle.

This is set a few weeks later so they are all back in Athkatla

Ailana looked up from the latest note from Valygar as Kalon stormed into the room, the young men was swearing loudly in various languages, sighing quietly Ailana put down the note and prepared to deal with the latest problem.

"What has happened Kalon?" She asked, she could already guess the answer but it was best to get confirmation before she did anything.

"That ... that ... that thief. I swear if you do not do something about him then I can not promise that he will survive in one piece." Kalon said loudly.

"I'll deal with him." Ailana promised, she wished that Renal had found anyone else to give the young thief to. Vental had been a problem as soon as Kalon had arrived in the guildhouse, before then he had been no problem at all but now, it was rare that a day did not go by without the pair disagreeing over something.

"Thank you. I'm going out. I'll be back later." Kalon promised and left by another door.

"Vental!" Ailana shouted, she knew that he would be nearby. A few seconds brought the young man runnning silently up the stairs.

"Yes?" He asked looking at her innocently. She had never been fooled by his innocent routine since she had found him helping to run the guild when she had returnned from Amketheran and she knew that he only did it now as a joke.

"What did you do to Kalon this time?" She asked.

"Me?" Vental asked his green eyes went wider than they had before making him look younger than his 22 years.

"Vental." She growled starting to loose her patience with him

"Alright, I may have walked up behind and made him jump, which may have made him spill ink over Taley who may have punched him to the floor." Vental replied a hint of a grin on his face. The image was one that Ailana found amusing, Taley had been the accountant to her guild since she had borrowed her from Anomen and not given her back, the only problem with the woman was that she was too uptight and the image of her dripping with ink was one that Ailana wished she could have seen that and the look on Kalon's face when Taley had knocked him to the floor.

"Why is it always you two? Can you just leave him alone from now on Vental. I don't want to have you punnished but the next time I hear a complaint about you I will leave you locked in one of the cells in the basement for a day. I am sure that Aerie or one of the others will make it so that you cannot break out of there." Ailana warnned him.

"I'll behave." Vental promised and with a quick turn he headed down the stairs and out the building. From her window on the 1st floor Ailana watched his reddish hair disapear into the crowds that thronged the docks at the moment. Not for the 1st time Ailana wished that she had chosen a different path in her life, none of this might have happened if she had chosen a different life than that of a thief.

De'Arnise Keep...

It had taken some time for Nalia to venture down to the dungeons after her father had been murdered there, but some months after Ailana and some of her friends had vannished from the elven city Nalia had found herself drawn down there. She couldn't explain the pull, but it had been there, sometimes she had been able to ignore it for days on end but then she'd find herself back there in front of a statue that looked much more sinister than it had ever used to. She wasn't sure when the blackouts started, all she knew was that there would be times in the day when she would not know what had happened to her, as these periods became more frequent and for longer she was aware of the staff in the keep giving her strange looks and avoiding her when they could. She did not connect the two things until it was too late.

Now though she could see what was going on but had no choice over what happened, inside her head Nalia wept at what was happening and in the knowledge of what was to happen before much longer.

Thieves guild ...

Ailana had settled down to deal with some of the administrative duties that she had to fulfil due to being head of a guild, Renal did allow her some leway especially at the moment but she still had obligations to the guild which needed to be met at all times. She wanted to be doing nothing more than searching for Anomen and Imoen as a detailed search of Candlekeep had revealed neither of them so she still believed they were alive somewhere. Valygar and Mazzy were out scouting the land around Athkatla to see if they could find any hint of where the demons had gone after attacking Candlekeep, managing to get into contact with Kevan once more Ailana had asked him to look around Candlekeep and the surrounding area. Messages had gone out to all the others and she hoped that they would all make their way to Athkatla soon. The sounds that surrounded her were normal for her guild, Kalon had been ordered to go and find Keldorn and practice with him just to make sure that he could not get into any more trouble with Vental who was still not back, the quiet hum of voices from downstairs was comforting and Ailana actually felt peaceful for a while.

"Where is she?" A voice shouted from downstairs jolting Ailana out of her thoughts.

"I do not know who you mean." Someone else replied.

"Little man I almost laid waste to the lands around Baldur's Gate and I do not think you want to get in my way!" The voice shouted again. Hurridly putting a lid over the ink Ailana hurried downstairs before her brother could kill anyone.

"Saervok, calm down." Ailana said as soon as she reached the bottom of the stairs, her thieves were surounding Saervok and two others who she presumed were Viconia and Soulafein and it looked as though it was only a matter of time until someone started a fight.

"We are here at your orders, what has happened?" Soulafein asked stepping in front of Saervok and lowering the hood of his cape. Soulafein had changed much in the time he had spent on the surface and had lost many of the drow tendancies which Viconia still clung to.

"Demons attacked Candlekeep some weeks back and destroyed it. We believe that they took Anomen and Imoen with them when they left which implies that this is personal against me." Ailana said quickly. "If you will come with me then I will explain everything to you." She said as she led the way up the stairs.

One of the planes ...

Since they had arrived back in Athkatla Aerie and Haer'Dalis had been plane jumping, demons did not inhabit the same plane as most mortals which meant that a large force had to come from somwhere else and they were determined to find out where.

"How many is this my dove?" Haer'Dalis asked quietly once he had looked round

"12 I think." Aerie replied as she began to cast her spell to trace what magics had been used in the area. Haer'Dalis meanwhile just kept his weapons ready to protect her if he needed to. At her gasp he looked at her.

"Is it them?"

"No but one of Ailana's friends was here or a least cast a spell to this place." Aerie replied surprised that this person could have done such a thing.

"It could have been harmless." Haer'Dalis suggested knowing that it was unlikely one did not accidentally contact the plains.

"This was several times. We've got to get out of here, somethings coming." Aerie said looking round. Grabbing his mate Haer'Dalis ran for cover casting various protective spells on them as he went. They had just got into a crack in what he hoped were rocks when there was a shimering and a familiar figure arrived on the plane.

The pair watched as the copper haired woman stood in one spot, one of her feet was tapping impatiently on the floor and was obviously waiting for someone or something. Not long later something else came towards them and the hidden apir watched in horror as one of the biggest demons they had seen bowed to Nalia De'Arnise.

I think that was quite a good chapter but if you could let me know I would be greatful.

What do people think of Vental and Kalon?

Next chapter we'll get allthe heros in place and start the battle.

Review pleaseeee