Longish chapter!! Sand takes the stage!

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Eye of the Storm

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"You mean to tell me that I endured hours of torture just to miss out on dinner and sleep to hold a vigil in a cold, stone church to prove that the truth is true? How come every damned tradition of this accursed city involves losing sleep?!" Nell cursed, all the while taking care not to trip when walking swiftly out of the Castle Never.

It was after the trial; they had won. Through dazzling, word-picking and immense care, they had won against great odds. The presence of Shandra had contributed to that, but the main victory lay with the two elves, who had made it seem as if there were actually two lawyers present and no accused.

Neliel, too, looked almost nothing like her usual self. She was clad in an ankle-length dress of pine green velvet and satin, with only a belt of golden leaves as decoration and a small pendant around her neck. Her long hair had been trimmed and cut to fall several inches past her shoulders, her face had been painted subtly and a cloud of soft perfume seemed to enshroud her. She bore no visible weapon, but the very air around her seemed to crackle when a particularly nasty glint passed through her eyes.

Sand doubted anyone else paid much heed to that, though. Everyone was more interested with the outcome of the trial. That is, those who were now following the three of them exit the Castle – some of their little entourage had already left for one reason or another.

"I thought elves didn't need as much sleep as other races." Shandra, honorary bearer of the title of the most important chess piece of the day, noted.

It didn't do much for Nell's mood. While the sun elf had been very dignified and graceful during the trial, now, when she was angry, that control was gone. "It's the principle that counts, Shandra!"

"That is currently the least of our problems." Sand interjected before the threat of a rant from Neliel became too high. He wasn't in the mood for such a thing; he, too, had been frustrated by the sudden turn of events, but, unlike others, couldn't dwell on it. He supposed he could understand why Nell was being like that, but he had no urge to express sympathy. It had always been his way to deal with the immediate with a cool intensity. "I had hoped that Torio didn't know about this, but we must deal with it somehow."

"Maybe you could go back to your dusty tomes and research again." For some reason, Qara had decided to stick around. Sand was beginning to lose count of the reasons why he disliked the girl. Her obvious sneering indifference to proper tuition, her arrogance, her lack of subtlety… and, of course, the whining sound of her voice. Definitely nerve-shattering. "Then, after a year or two, you'd find out the obvious: that burning Lorne to ashes is the best solution. Assuming, of course, that Nell can manage anything beyond cantrips by tomorrow." she added, throwing the elf woman a taunting smirk.

Nell didn't as much as look at her, keeping her eyes in front of her. It was difficult to tell if the blow had stung, though judging by her expression, she shared Sand's sentiments on this. "I'd tell you where you can go, but that place is obviously too good for the likes of you, Qara."

It was best to break off the little party while there was still time. While it was… not the best choice he could have made, Sand's calculation of who was best suited for the task of separating the group was hardly incorrect. "I'll ask you to see her safely to the church." He turned to the paladin, who had been following silently, like some kind of bodyguard for Nell. That was probably the best way to describe his position – a bodyguard. Good thing she had one, too, because Nell was too frail in physique to be able to smash the skull of an orc without her magic.

The downside of it was that Nell herself might not forgive him – Sand – for making this decision, as her current rather pleasing overall appearance was in no way lessening the more than obvious affections the paladin had for her. He almost pitied the girl, really. Her love life really – for lack of a more cultivated expression – sucked.

"I honestly don't think it matters if I make an impression on Hlam or not, Sand." And Nell was the only one who was happily oblivious to it. Or perhaps she had trained herself to ignore it and look natural while ignoring it. Maybe it was just an orator's acting talent, because no one could be that blind naturally. "Besides, I'm in Oleff's good books already, since I cleaned his tombs."

"Thoroughly." Neeshka the rogue, appearing out of nowhere, assured them all. "I can vouch for that."

"Dear girl, right now, Luskan is desperate enough to have thugs ambush you on the way to the church." Sand explained with what patience he had. Which wasn't much, really, but it was still more than he would have done for most of the others. "While you are capable of handling them, fighting now wouldn't look too good."

"Yeah, and if your dress gets ruined, I'll have to pay Ophala back for it, Nell." Neeshka added unhelpfully.

Neliel frowned and sighed in deep frustration. "It's times like this when I feel like a horse. Nell, do this. Nell, kill that. Nell, you're absolutely green, but the rest of the Watch has decided to take a night off at the tavern, so go defeat those few ogre tribes." she quoted in a sing-song high-pitched voice, her face the expression of faux naivety – or utter stupidity, though that was hardly possible with her. "Oh, and rescue a lost emissary while you're at it. No, we don't know what he or she looks like or where to find him or her. Off you go!" she waved the imaginary recruit off. Then, she was once more the picture of frustration.

Angry horses were like that, too.

And…

Smiling wryly, Sand couldn't resist living up to the challenge. "Yes, well, everyone likes to bet on the winning horse, wouldn't you agree?"

Nell only gave a "hah!" like sound before stalking ahead, apparently heading towards the church, much more easily in her long gown than the paladin in his armor.

X X X X X

"Well, this certainly brings back memories." Nell muttered cynically once at the church. "Although the air was fresher last time." In a weary kind of manner, she turned to her companion – or bodyguard, as Sand had set him up – with what she hoped was a kinder expression. It wasn't what some of the others thought – that she didn't see – it was that she chose to turn a blind eye to the way she knew both Casavir and Bishop regarded her at times. It was hardly something to be celebrated and she truly had no wish to encourage either of them. Besides, it seemed that nowadays, they were more occupied with glaring daggers at each other than at her, so she decided to leave it be for the moment.

But being stuck alone, together with one of them… well, just to wipe away any ideas, she decided that he might as well make himself useful. Not that she expected anything unpredictable from Casavir – the man was loyal to a fault and utterly honest, which was not entirely to his advantage. Nevertheless, she needed her gear.

"Anyway, I was hoping if you could bring my armor and weapons here, as I doubt Lorne will be too impressed if I show up like this." she said with a bitter little laugh, looking down at her attire. Hours of torture had gone into the bloody dress and now, she was still supposed to prove her innocence.

Damned corrupted system.

Casavir looked like he was about to say something, but at that precise moment, a familiar voice called from the doorway of the church: "No need for that! I've got everything right here, Lady Neliel!"

"Grobnar?" Indeed it was him; but Nell wasn't the only one to look puzzled. Casavir also didn't have his neutral, impassive expression when he saw the gnome stride into the hall. Both were hoping that the bard hadn't come to offer himself as Nell's champion for the fight.

"If what you're bringing me is invisible armor from the Wendersnaven, you can keep it with my blessings." The Sun Elf said in a deadpan voice, though the gnome seemed to light up with deep thought at that.

"You know, that would be very handy! I bet it would have all kinds of wondrous enchantments!" he said with sincere excitement. "Maybe it could think for itself…"

"Grobnar…"

"Right, sorry." Then, he produced a Bag of Holding – from where, Nell had no idea – and handed it to her. "Here; Sir Sand found one of these in our pile of loot and somehow, everyone seemed to think that I was the right person to bring your things here."

Everything was there; her armor, her swords, scrolls, bone wands, a few potions… even her cape, which she didn't intend to wear for the fight, for maximum agility. But it was organized so neatly and well, Nell was forced to wonder if it had actually been Sand, with his organized chaos, who had packed it all. "Wow… remind me to make Sand pack my stuff next time." she almost whistled in awe, digging through the contents of the bag. "The only thing that's not here is an alchemy workbench."

"He seems to be proving reliable and capable." Casavir noted in his somber, quiet voice from somewhere over her shoulder. For a moment, Nell felt that he wasn't as much as studying the contents of the bag as he was studying her face from relative proximity – for his standards, of course. If one was to compare this distance to Bishop's standards, it would qualify as miles away. "Those are certainly qualities we could use on our side."

"Oh, yes, well, as soon as we arrived, Sir Sand started bickering out commands to everyone." Grobnar nodded eagerly. Nell wondered how blissful it must be to have not a care in the world and be completely ignorant of everything. "Not everyone was too enthusiastic about that, but they all want to see you safe, Lady Neliel. My, I must say, this trial is surely a thrilling adventure! Too bad about that Wendersnaven armor, though. That would make for a great song!"

Of course, Nell's train of thought was broken when she dug out a lute – the Golden Lute of Shazar, in fact. She had won it from the resident bard "champion" in Blacklake, though, to her chagrin, no one left her alone now and Grobnar kept asking who had taught her to play the mandolin so well. That was one thing that she never intended to tell any of her entourage. "Why did you pack this? I'm not serenading Lorne, I'm fighting him!"

Again, in that blissful ignorance, Grobnar waved a dismissing hand. "Oh, you know, sigils bring about inspiration! And if you don't use those blank scrolls, you could write a heroic elegy!"

"I'll work on a victory dance." Nell muttered, rearranging the items she needed. "Here's the bag."

"I believe Neeshka wanted your dress back, for the Mask lady." Grobnar reminded her. Nell thought she sensed Casavir tense a bit. She had never thought he'd actually get the implications of that almost before her.

"Tell her she'll get it in the morning." Nell said flatly. "I'm not about to spend the night in armor. And I'm not using up my Darkness and Stun spells on you two. Besides, you can bet Bishop would never let me hear the end of it." And the ranger would hear about it, for certain, from the ignorant little gnome. She really didn't have the patience for that – such taunting would have perhaps caused even her to blush. "Now, shoo! I've got things to do and plans to plan!"

X X X X X

Hours later, people began to sneak into the church. Literally, almost, but certainly Sand's visit was the one that calmed Neliel most.

"So, do you have a plan or should I not sit in the front rows tomorrow?" By then, the Sun Elf had been rummaging through potions before looking up and rolling her eyes. "Just as a precaution, of course."

"No, I'll manage. And don't you dare say anything snide about this being bravado! I really don't need that now, please."

"You said that, not I." Sand noted, with a light shrug. Then, he proceeded to examine the equipment she had laid out in front of her while devising a strategy. "Is that a… yes, a potion of Haste, I see. Strength versus speed, then, is it? I do hope you don't intend to use it mid-battle, dear girl. It might be just the chance to get your head chopped off. Ah, wands. Of… missiles, frost and summoning. No fire?" He made a small, mocking "tsk"-like sound. "Qara will be disappointed."

"Animals fear fire and this thing can only summon animals." Nell noted, rummaging some more.

"It's all a distraction for the true spell, correct? Paralysis, slowing and extra time is what you hope to gain." the moon rlf analyzed with precision.

Nell gave him a weary smile, the first she had produced in quite a few days. "I wouldn't want you against me, Sand."

"Age and experience, nothing more." the wizard said, waving the compliment off, though it was obvious that to some extent, he was pleased.

"From Hosttower?" Nell suggested. Sand was silent. That had been way below the belt, in his opinion. "You know you could have told me."

He could have, certainly, and she would likely have understood it. It seemed she did, anyway, but one could never know. Besides, they were in completely different situations. Sand would easily wager a guess that once this whole matter of Luskan and the King of Shadows would be somehow resolved, Cloaktower would be begging Neliel to join them. Assuming the tower would still be standing by then.

"I reserve the right to be evasive on such matters when speaking to relative strangers, especially when they're related to Duncan." he said instead of mentioning that.

"In name only. Not even that, I suppose." Nell mused.

"I would consider that a fortunate occurrence." Sand said as pleasantly as possible (as it was the truth), earning himself a mild glare, which was a testimony of the fact that he had successfully managed to change the topic of the conversation. "Now, as the suspense has reached its pinnacle, do tell me what you intend to use on our dear friend Lorne tomorrow."

"The potion is a precaution, in case I have to use plan B." Nell explained.

"Very well, do tell."

But this time, the sun elf grinned like an excited child. "But where would the drama in that be?"

Sand had no patience for that. "Girl, save your theatrics for the crowd in the arena. You smell of anxiety and doubt. Can you cast this spell or not? Have you done it before?" Silence, twice. That was not a good sign. She needed help and quick. None of her bumbling friends knew the first thing about real magic, save for the wild magic Qara could do. And this one was a student of the arcane, though her power supply was still rough around the edges and almost slightly animalistic. Sand attributed that to the harsh environment of the Mere. That had to leave a mark. "I insist that you tell me now."

"Fine, then." Nell scowled, as if to say that I wasn't fair to ask. "I want to cast a Sunbeam. Directly at his eyes. It will work better than Darkness and if I can blind him for a moment…"

"You realize that the spell you want to perform is on the eight difficulty level on the arcane scale?" Sand interrupted, with a somewhat stern expression. He wasn't mocking her this time; these were facts. "And that you are barely scraping the weakest sixth level spells as you are now?"

"I know that. But weaker spells could be resisted."

But in her eyes, one could see that she didn't believe she could do it. She knew it was beyond her skill, but she was determined to try nonetheless. Admirable, but foolish. She had one night to master a spell such as that – that was just as foolish as mixing random potion ingredients together.

"You might as well summon a baatezu without a Protection spell, Neliel. Sweet Mystra, I thought you were reasonably intelligent." Sand dismissed her sigh without even acknowledging it. At least he had planned for such a situation. "Fortunately for you, as your lawyer, your defense is in my capacity."

Nell crooked a golden eyebrow with distinct amusement. "You're offering to fight for me?" She seemed to be laughing, though whether because it was ridiculous or touching, Sand couldn't say.

Not that that was the case, of course. "Amusing thought." he noted, the corners of his mouth twitching once. It was kinder not to laugh outright. But they were late. "They should be here…"

"There you are, guys!" a shrill female voice called from the entrance just as three similarly tall figures burst into the church.

"…right about now." Sand finished, unimpressed by the dramatic entrance of the three women.

One wore leather armor, a shining dagger concealed on her person. The second a set of light armor and the pelt of some animal around her shoulders, a sickle hanging from her belt. And the third, dressed in fine if snobbish robes, carried a slightly curved staff in her hands.

It was the first time he had seen Neliel goggle at something openly. "Neeshka? Elanee? Qara?" she asked with disbelief.

The one mentioned last scoffed and sneered a bit. "She remembers our names. Maybe this'll actually work."

"That proves you're not Luskans with alteration powder, at least." Nell noted, ignoring her. Then, she noticed a cubical object in Elanee's hands and stared some more. "Is that…?"

"Yeah!" Neeshka said gleefully, hopping onto the nearest seat with an air of well-deserved rest. "We got this from the academy – it is the right one, right?" she said, glancing at Sand, who nodded once before ignoring her once again.

""The Epic Gate to Spell Battle"." Nell read once the druidess gave her the book with a small smile. She could hardly believe her eyes. "How did you…?"

Neeshka waved the question away without arrogance, but with that annoying mischief she always had around her. But she seemed highly pleased that Nell was shocked. "You're talking to the "Greatest thief of Neverwinter" here, Nell. It was a synch once we got past the wards."

"Actually, I believe that imp you helped in Blacklake saved us a lot of trouble with entering." Elanee corrected, sitting down as well. All of them remembered that experience. There were still imps flying around Blacklake today.

"Oh, come on, Elanee!" Neeshka whined. "I did the toughest job here! I got the book without problems!"

"Except almost getting fried by the holy trap on one of the shelves." Qara said snidely, the only one not bothering to sit down.

"Yeah, no thanks to you, Princess." Neeshka´s voice actually lost its cheerfulness for a moment when she looked at the sorceress. "You could've at least pointed out where those wards were."

Perhaps their bickering continued, but Sand, who had taken the book from Neliel, was already flipping through the pages before finding the one they would need. "This is your spell." He said, pointing at a page with the picture of a rotting corpse. Level six, so she could manage it. It was a bit of a gamble, but Sand considered it more of a chance than her own chosen spell.

Examining the page, Neliel cringed a bit. "That is going to be… messy." she noted, reading the name of the spell again.

"Not at all, if you do it correctly. The druidess has offered to help you practice a bit." he said, glancing at Elanee, who nodded and summoned a wolf with an incantation of nature. "Try it. You cannot learn by just memorizing the words. You may read the first few times as if it were a scroll."

The Sun Elf took the book and read through the incantation twice. Then, closing it while holding a finger at her page, she stood up, focused on the wolf and imagined that it had Torio's head.

And, somehow, the incantation wasn't necessary. It took one word: "Disintegrate!" A pile of dust was all that remained before it vanished, the wolf unsummoned. Sand himself was almost impressed. He was beginning to understand why Luskan feared this one woman so. She wasn't great in power now, but her potential for growth was astonishing. And lightning-fast. If her powers could be honed and tuned, she could be… and if he could remain on her good side, giving her a leg-up now could secure him some great favors in the future.

This woman had the chance to be one of the select few running Cloaktower one day.

There was silence. And then…

"I think we might manage one more spell tonight." Sand proclaimed, taking the book from a stunned Nell and began flipping through the pages again. "Proceed."