General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.

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Partings

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"What were you playing at?" Jaheira's voice was rough as she glared at Maiyn, though moments before she'd held the young ranger in a tight embrace.

"I didn't want to fight," the elf replied simply, avoiding meeting the druid's eyes.

Jaheira snorted. "Reckless girl! If Minsc had not been so quick to react you may have thrown away your life! There are no second chances for you -- I think it's about time you remembered that!"

"I do remember." Maiyn walked away slowly, swaying slightly as she approached the Kara-tuan's fallen body. She knelt beside it, looking down at Yoshimo's bitter face. She'd wanted to talk to him more, to understand why he felt the way he did. Why he wouldn't give her a chance to explain. But there had been no time -- so driven as he was by the need to avenge his sister, he'd seen Maiyn only as her killer. His ingratiation into the group had merely been a part of his greater plan to get close to her, to win her trust. To lead her to what he believed would be her death.

To endanger her friends.

She shook her head slightly, standing back up as she fought the anger welling up inside. He'd known what was in store, but allowed her friends to follow her into their capture when he could have prevented it. He could have been honest with her, told her what his issue was and tried to sort things out in a more honourable manner -- more honestly! Like you were honest when you hid what you were from him?

She frowned at herself. That was different... He'd known she was a Child of Bhaal, anyway -- hiding it from him hadn't achieved anything, and his 'discovery' at the news had been another act. That justifies your untruths? That makes all your lies and secrets bearable, does it? The fact that they might know anyway... and if they don't, well... nothing is as important as you, anyway. You are a Bhaalspawn.

She staggered backwards slightly. The thoughts in her head were not of her own conscious making, but they were there; commenting on everything flowing through her mind, going against her normal views. Was this another effect to having lost her soul? Was the taint capable of taking so much advantage of every situation? She jumped as a hand was gently placed on her arm.

"Are you all right?" Maiyn nodded to Imoen, allowing a small but weak smile to cross her lips. "We should get out of here," the thief continued nervously. "Before any more of his minions are sent to see to us."

"You're right," the ranger agreed, taking her sister's hand and turning back to the others. "Are we all ready to go?"

Their friends nodded grimly, gripping their weapons tightly as they made their way out of the hall and followed the dimly lit corridor. No one spoke as they travelled, and the only sound that accompanied them was the soft chinking from Minsc and Anomen's armour. Eventually they came to another door, and the ranger cautiously pushed it open and ventured inside. A large portal swirled before them, its dark form shifting shape as it rippled eerily. The ranger found herself walking towards it, and she reached out with her hand to touch the surface. She was prevented from doing so by some force.

"It's locked," she said quietly, looking around at the rest of the room. It was completely bare, and there was no sign of anything that could be used to allow it to give them access.

"We don't even know where it goes," remarked Anomen cautiously. "Perhaps we would be better advised to search for another way from this place."

Maiyn nodded to him, and they filed back out to the passage, continuing on their route around the asylum's corridors. Eventually a voice drifted around from the corner and Maiyn froze instinctively when she recognised it.

"Saemon," she hissed, stalking forward to face him. He looked up at her arrival and offered a charming smile which rapidly faded from his face as her glare took on more ferocity.

"Good to see your person well and sound," he remarked cheerfully. "As you can see, the way is clear and we are free. Now to the business at hand."

"We have no 'business' together," stated Maiyn coldly, drawing her sword slowly. "Unless you wish us to begin some."

"Now, there's no need for that," Saemon chided. "I remained here to make you an offer out of friendship and courtesy."

The ranger snorted. "What could you possibly have to offer us?"

"A way back to the mainland, for one," he replied casually. "I can get us from this place and into the town, and we can be astride the waves within hours."

The elf dropped her sword slightly. "Tell me why we should believe you are even remotely trustworthy," she said quietly.

Saemon looked hurt by her words. "It is true I was working for your captors, but I had no way of knowing what they had planned. I offer you this assistance as a sign of my apology and my good-will. It is the only safe way to leave here, mark my words."

"But how did Irenicus leave?" asked Jaheira thoughtfully.

"Ah, he used the portal you'll have already passed," the captain informed them. "I'd recommend against using it, though."

"And why is that?" Kivan's voice was level and calm, as usual.

"It goes straight to the Underdark, it does. Surely you'll not be wanting to go that way?"

Maiyn frowned slightly. He was right -- she knew she definitely didn't want to go that way, but her options were limited -- allowing Saemon to provide them passage once more would get them to the mainland, but finding Irenicus would be much harder if they didn't have his trail to follow.

"And you look like you could do with a bit of rest before you go finding him," noted Saemon as if he was reading her thoughts. She met his gaze and he nodded in Imoen's direction. The ranger followed his eyes and saw her sister leaning slightly on Anomen, her eyes closed. She looked pale and weak; there was no way she was fit to travel through a terrain as dangerous as the one they were faced with.

Maiyn turned back to Saemon. "You have yourself a deal," she said quietly. "But-" she continued before he could interrupt. "We will not all be travelling with you." The captain frowned and Jaheira appeared by the ranger's side.

"What are you intending?" the druid asked.

"Imoen will go with Saemon," Maiyn said firmly.

"I'm not leaving-"

"Please, Im," the ranger pleaded. "You've been through so much, and you need rest. We will meet you on the mainland, I promise."

"You've been through just as much," the thief pointed out.

"I've had longer to get used to all this," shrugged Maiyn. "Please... do this for me?"

Imoen stood away from Anomen and opened her mouth to protest again, but she swayed unsteadily and the knight's arms instinctively went to her shoulders, helping her to find her balance. She let out a resigned sigh. "I... I guess so."

Maiyn nodded. "Anomen, will you go with her? You can make sure she is safe in the city until we return."

The Helmite nodded, though he looked surprised. "It would be... a privilege," he said.

"That all right with you, Im?"

The thief smiled slightly and nodded. "Fine by me."

Maiyn looked over to Minsc. "Do you wish to go with Imoen too?" she asked quietly. The berserker looked concerned.

"Minsc does not know what to do," he admitted. "Boo seems to be at a loss also. But we want to stay and protect little Maiyn while she travels along the evil-infested corridors that lurk beneath our glorious feet. Boo says that little Imoen will be fine in the hands of the Knight Anomen, and we can entrust her safety to him until we are joined once more."

Maiyn nodded. "What about everyone else?"

"I am with you," said Jaheira immediately. "You will need as much support as you can to get through this, and Anomen is more than capable of protecting Imoen in our absence." The knight flushed at her words.

"I agree with Jaheira," said Kivan simply.

"I said I'd help as much as I can, and I will. I think I'd be more use with you," said Sime nervously.

"What's the point?" asked Xan with a sigh.

"You can go with Imoen-" began Maiyn.

"No." The enchanter's voice was firm. "No, I have come this far. I know my death is near, and I would not wish to try and cheat my way out of it. I will go with you."

"Then it's decided," said Maiyn quietly, turning back to Saemon. "If you do anything to endanger Imoen or Anomen, I will find you. And you will not enjoy that meeting at all."

"I am sure there will be no need for such an occurrence," the captain replied with a smile. "I'll leave you to your farewells and wait further up the corridor." He looked over to the thief and the knight. "Come to me when you're done and I will see us out of this infernal place." He turned and strode away from the group as Maiyn and Imoen hugged each other tightly.

"Don't do anything stupid," whispered Imoen quietly as they embraced.

"Keep an eye on Saemon," warned Maiyn as they parted. "I don't trust him, but I have to believe he'll get you back to land, and Anomen will be with you, so you should be able to travel safely enough."

"We'll be fine," smiled the young human girl. "When you get back we should talk. We haven't really managed to, and... there's stuff..."

Maiyn nodded. "I promise we will." The ranger turned to Anomen as Imoen hugged the others farewell. "Look after her for me."

He nodded solemnly back to her. "I'll do everything I can to make sure she stays well, my lady," he said. Maiyn smiled her thanks and they too hugged briefly. Imoen and Anomen waved one last time and then wandered up the corridor to where Saemon was waiting. Maiyn saw him smile widely to them, then there was a flash of light and all three of them disappeared.

"We need to find a portal key," she sighed.

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Imoen felt slightly disorientated as her surroundings shifted, and when her eyes recovered from the flash of the spell she realised she was surrounded by the open air, standing slightly away from her former prison.

The sun shone down from above her; she had been kept indoors without windows for so long that her sense of time had gone awry. She looked up, taking in the clouds, enjoying the slight breeze that caressed past her face. Her arms extended from her side as a smile spread across her face and she turned around, looking at everything surrounding her. Spellhold was a frightening structure to behold, but now she was free from its confines and she felt elevated. She could see a small town nestled further down the cliff, and the sea stretched away beyond it into the distance. The call of gulls rang through the air, and she could smell salt and fish predominantly. Everything was so... alive.

"My lady?" Anomen offered her his arm as Saemon began to wander along the rocky path leading to the settlement. Imoen smiled to the knight and accepted his help, cautiously making her way along at his side. She wondered how the others were getting on, and hoped they'd be fine. She had enough confidence in their abilities to know that they could look after themselves, but the tales she'd heard of the Underdark made her uneasy. Weak as she was, she would only have hindered their progress, and she wasn't strong enough to argue with Maiyn right now -- it hurt her to be parted so soon again, but this time it was necessary and under their control.

She tried to shake the concerns and fear from her head and concentrate on her surroundings. Maiyn's warning about Saemon was playing slightly on her mind, and Anomen's occasional look of distrust that was aimed at the captain didn't exactly fill her with confidence, but she was sure things would be just fine. The captain was confidently striding along a winding path that seemed to lead into the centre of the town, whitewashed houses lining the sides. Most looked to be in fairly poor repair, but they seemed sturdy enough and fishing nets were draped outside many of them, drying out in the heat.

"This is Brynnlaw," remarked Anomen with a smile as he noticed her looking around intently.

She grinned back to him. "Ah, I recall hearing the name now," she said softly. "So what's it like? I get the impression it's not the safest of places for a girl to roam around."

"Not in the slightest, my la... Ahem, Imoen. But we should be able to leave here swiftly, and you will not be missing out on much."

"I'll take your word for it," she replied with amusement. "You can show me around Athkatla instead. Deal?"

His eyes met hers, and his brown orbs seemed to light up with warmth. "It would be a pleasure," he said seriously.

Neither of them noticed that Saemon had stopped at the top of a flight of stairs leading down to the docks until they reached him. Anomen looked to him with a raised eyebrow and the captain sighed heavily.

"My ship! My ship has been stolen!"

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"Come on now, and just admit it," said Imoen sternly as the three of them sat around a grimy table in the Vulgar Monkey. "You knew this would happen."

Saemon looked deeply hurt by her words. "You offend me," he said theatrically, with the practice of a seasoned liar. Imoen just kept staring at him. He sighed. "Well, I suspected it may," he relented. "The Pirate Lord and I do not... well, we do not see eye to eye very often."

"Misleading cur!" hissed Anomen. "You have no way to see us from this island, and you once again willingly lead us into a situation in which we need to attempt to escape."

"As it happens, I have a plan," retorted Saemon indignantly. "The obvious course would be to exact a revenge of sorts to procure another ship, and it just so happens that I have the perfect mark in mind."

Anomen looked horrified. "You intend to steal a ship?"

"Keep your voice down!" whispered Saemon, looking around himself nervously. Thankfully the noise of revelry had drowned out the knight's cry, and no one was paying any attention to them. "The Pirate Lord, who so maliciously disabled my vessel, has a perfectly serviceable ship of his own. If we could make off with it, we would be set for sure."

"Than we'll do it," said Imoen simply. Saemon offered her a dazzling smile while Anomen's look of shock shifted to her.

"My lady!" he exclaimed, forgetting her request in his surprise at her reaction. "You surely are not condoning this?"

"Lighten up, Anomen," smiled Imoen cheerfully. "I'm a thief, remember, as well as a mage. And surely you can't defend a Pirate Lord?"

"Well, no-"

"Then it won't hurt if we use his ship for our own, more noble goals, right?"

The knight sighed heavily. "I... I would prefer not to, but when you put it like that..."

"Then it's settled," declared Saemon happily. "There's just the matter of the sea gate now."

Imoen raised an eyebrow. "The sea gate?"

"His ship is moored at the docks. Under cover of night we could take it most easy; we simply have to make sure the sea gate is opened for the bay to be clear."

"And how do you suggest we manage that?" growled Anomen.

"Well, if you could get the horn that signals the gateman, we could blow it at night and be gone before anyone is the wiser."

"Where's this horn kept?" asked Imoen curiously.

"The Pirate Lord lets his lady, Cayia, keep it safe," replied Saemon thoughtfully. "Had I the luxury of time I might try to woo her for it, as she is of suspect morality. So I have heard, at least. What? What is wrong?"

Imoen was shaking her head, laughing slightly. "Nothing," she smiled. "You just remind me of someone, that's all."

Saemon frowned slightly. "Well. As I was saying... by night the horn is likely to be in her room, though during the day I would suspect the Pirate Lord himself holds onto it. My advice would be to wait until nightfall and look to gaining entry to her home. If you can fetch the horn, I can find my old crew and we can meet you at the ship."

"Why can't you obtain the horn yourself?" demanded Anomen.

"My crew and I will need to get the ship ready for sailing," pointed out Saemon good-naturedly. "Unless you and the fair Imoen wish to take that task upon yourselves...?"

"No, it's quite all right," grinned Imoen. "We'll get your horn -- you make sure you're ready to go when we arrive with it, though!"

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"I am not happy about this," Anomen repeated for the fourth time. Imoen rolled her eyes as they walked along the dark quayside.

"It'll be fine," she assured him, also for the fourth time. "All you have to do is wait outside and listen for anyone coming. I can see to the rest."

Anomen looked at her doubtfully. "Are you sure I should not come inside with you?" he asked. "What if there are pirates present? How will you defend yourself with barely any armour and only a small weapon at your disposal?"

"Much though I appreciate the offer, I think your platemail would ruin the stealth I plan to employ."

"You have a point."

"I always do!" She grinned at him, and his face relaxed from its frown and almost turned into a smile. "Look, it's this house here. I'll let you know when I'm back out and we'll head to the ship quickly."

Anomen's frown returned. "How will I know you're near to me?" Imoen was planning to use an invisibility spell, and the knight had a point.

"I'll take your hand," she replied simply. She tried not to smile as she noticed Anomen flushing, and he coughed slightly as he tried to regain his composure. "If that's all right, that is..."

"That would be... fine," he said slowly and carefully. She nodded and began her casting, disappearing only a few seconds later.

"Wish me luck!" she whispered.

"Good luck, Imoen," he whispered in return, watching as the door to the house swung open slowly then closed again. He looked over to the docks and could see the lanterns of several men embarking upon the boat that Saemon had pointed out to them earlier. He'd obviously managed to get his crew back together, and the knight could only hope that they were fulfilling their part of the deal as he waited. He fidgeted impatiently as the minutes passed, wondering if he should go inside to check the young girl was all right, but he restrained himself. She'd been very clear with her instructions -- he was not to search for her unless he heard anything that gave him reason to suspect she'd been caught.

But what if they immediately gag her, he pondered. His brow furrowed deeply as he began to dwell on the possibilities of what could go wrong. They might be expecting her -- Saemon may have double crossed them, and Imoen could be in there now, gagged and tied up, being leered at by various pirates. Their filthy eyes would be looking her over right now, and they would be planning what to do with her -- they would make her join the brothel! There was no way that he, Anomen Delryn, could possibly allow this to happen! He would go in and demand she was set free.

He pulled his mace from his belt and began to move towards the door as it softly opened. He paused, waiting to see if anyone would come out, but no one appeared, and as gently as before, it closed.

"Put your mace away, ninny," came the familiar voice of the young thief. Anomen hastily returned his weapon to his belt and was relieved when he felt the warm touch of Imoen as her hand interlocked with his. A slight tug signalled for him to move with her, and he made his way back down to the docks with his invisible companion in tow.

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Imoen was pleasantly surprised to see that Saemon had remained true to his word. Sailors were scurrying too and fro on the ship as they boarded, preparing the sails for imminent departure. The captain noticed Anomen's form and frowned slightly.

"Where is-"

"I'm here," interrupted Imoen quickly, the gate horn suddenly appearing in mid-air. Saemon smiled widely.

"Most excellent!" he exclaimed, turning to his crew to bark out orders. "Cast off the mains! We are away! Set sights on the mainland!" He turned back to the priest and invisible thief. "As for you… I wish to give you this blade. I have had it too long and it is to cement our friendship. Payment for a daring theft and for many more adventures to come!"

"We do not wish your gifts," Anomen replied sharply, trying to resist taking the blade that was offered to him. It suddenly leapt into mid-air, seeming to take on a life of its own.

"Aww, come on now, Anomen," came Imoen's voice. "It sure is pretty, and I think the others would like it."

"That's the spirit," nodded Saemon encouragingly. "It is a fine blade and you are more than deserving. I will take no other answer than yes. Now let us cast off and go! We are free!" He waved one hand, and one of his men nodded, cutting the ropes that bound them to the harbour. The ship slowly began to slide towards the harbour gate, where Saemon sounded the horn. There were several long seconds as they waited to see if their request was to be granted, then the gates slowly swung open and the ship glided out to the freedom of the open sea.

Imoen faded into existence, standing at the aft of the ship and looking back at the twinkling lights of Brynnlaw. Anomen approached her and stood quietly by her side, also looking back at the island, though his gaze was concentrated more on the large structure of Spellhold. The young thief looked up to him and followed his look. She sighed heavily.

"Do you think they'll be okay?"

He took her hand gently in his own and squeezed it comfortingly. "They are a very capable band," he said quietly. "I'm sure they'll be just fine."

"I hope so," murmured Imoen, letting herself lean against the knight slightly -- the adrenaline was wearing off and she was feeling tired. "I miss them already."

"It won't be long until you see them again," replied Anomen soothingly. "I promise."