Returning to the Boar's Head, Chantal and Casavir were greeted by the innkeeper.

"There's a letter waiting for you, sir", he said to the paladin.

"A letter?", Casavir replied, surprised and alarmed. "Who brought it?"

The tavern keeper shrugged. "Some lad. I did not know him, and he did not give me a name. But he said it was for you, described you quite accurately." He handed the paladin a sealed piece of parchment.

Casavir took it. "It's Neeshka's hand", he said, voice shaking a bit.

"Well, I'll leave you to it", Chantal said, encouragingly. "Maybe she wants to meet us somewhere else. Read it, then come and see me in our room." She nodded to him and climbed up the stairs.

Casavir took the letter outside, sitting down on a bench in front of the inn. With a feeling of deep foreboding, he broke the seal.

xxx

An hour later, Chantal left her room, feeling worried. Why had Casavir not turned up? The letter must have been bad news. What kind of scrape had Neeshka managed to maneuver herself into this time? And where was Casavir?

She found him outside, sitting on a bench, the piece of parchment in his hands, staring into space, looking ghostly pale.

"Casavir?" He did not react. "Casavir!"

Still no reaction. Chantal felt panic rise in her chest. Something really bad had happened. She went up to him, grabbing his shoulder.

"Casavir! Talk to me! What happened?"

He finally turned his eyes to her, and she thought she had never seen this much anguish in one man's face. Wordlessly, he handed her the piece of parchment and buried his face in his hands.

Chantal took the letter and frantically started to read.

My dear Casavir,

if you read this, something will have gone horribly wrong. Please try to forgive me, but I had to do it. A "friend" of mine called in an old debt, and I really had no choice. He needed... something collected in Luskan, and had decided I was the right one to do it. He has a certain persuasive way, so I went.

I have managed to slip through the gates into the city without drawing notice. Tonight, I am going to collect the goods. I will leave this letter with some acquaintances, in case I don't come back. If so, I will find out first hand what this famous Luskan high and low justice is all about. And my contacts will drop this letter off at the Boar's Head for you.

Goodbye, my love. Please forgive me. I love you.

Neeshka

Chantal choked back a sob, falling on her knees besides the paladin, drawing him into her arms.

"That stupid girl", she whispered. "How could she do anything like that? How could she take that risk? What kind of hold has that "friend" over her? She would not go willingly into Luskan. Her letter says as much, too. Why did she not come to us for help?"

Casavir drew back from her, his back rigid, his eyes dry, his mouth compressed tightly. "I don't know. But I will find him. And I will make him pay. He will suffer." His fists clenched. "He will suffer very much. I will see to it personally."

Chantal gazed at him, worried. This was not like Casavir, speaking about making people suffer, making them pay.

"You mean, after we get Neeshka back?", she asked.

"It's too late", he said dully. "They have caught her, otherwise this letter would not have been brought here. And if she was caught in Luskan, then she is dead already. They don't tend to waste time with trials and such. I've lost her." For the first time, his eerily calm voice caught.

"You're wrong", she said, vigorously. "They will take their time. She is not just any thief. She is one of the heroes of Neverwinter. And she is a tiefling. They will make a big ceremony out of her trial and her execution. They will draw it out. And that will give us time to save her. And we will, you hear?" She took his hand, squeezing it tightly. "We will save her. She's your lover, and my friend. We will not give up on her. So get your lazy ass off this bench, climb into that spotless armour of yours, and let's get moving. We have something to do!"

He met her gaze, a shred of hope appearing in his sapphire eyes. "You think there still is a chance? You think she is still alive?", he asked, a pleading tone in his voice that touched her heart. She could not bear seeing him like this, so broken. How could Neeshka do this to him? If the Luskans did not kill her, Chantal had a mind doing it herself, as she looked into Casavir's forlorn eyes. But for that, they had to get her first.

"Yes, that's what I keep saying, isn't it? So hop to it, we don't have time to waste." She patted his shoulder and got up, grabbing his hand and pulling him with her. Sometimes it was very useful, having that drop of dragon blood. If she set her mind to it, not even Casavir could withstand her, big strong paladin that he was. She practically dragged him back into the inn, because he still seemed too petrified to move on his own.

She surely hoped that she was right. That they still did have a chance to save Neeshka.

xxx

Across the path, Bishop had watched the scene with his brows drawn together. What could this be all about? He had arrived here, nearing the inn cautiously, immediately noticing the paladin sitting on the bench, slip of paper in his hand. Not moving. For more then thirty minutes. Just sitting, staring, not moving a muscle.

Very strange. And then the ice queen came out, talking to the paladin, but he did not react, until she started shaking him. Then he handed her the paper, and she read it, and dropped to her knees, trying to hug Casavir, but he drew back. What Bishop would not have given to know what was written on that piece of paper. They talked a bit, and the ice maiden had practically dragged the guy back into the inn. And it did not look like something romantic. Strange things were going on. Bishop settled back into the thicket to watch.

He did not have to wait for long. A short time later, they came back out – fully armoured, their packs on their back. Obviously leaving for good this time. Well, Bishop would find out where they went. And then he would decide what to do with them.

Chantal and Casavir were on their way, unsuspecting of the shadow that followed on their heels.

xxx

Bishop had been following them for two days now, taking great care to keep his distance. If they noticed him, that might create some uncomfortable situations. So he watched, and he wondered. Where the nine hells did they think they were going? Did they not know they were wandering deeper and deeper into Luskan territory? What were they up to? The route they were taking was making him more than nervous.

Just turn around and go – no one told you to follow them.

I have to know what they are up to.

Yes, and you want to watch her a bit more, do you?

Resolutely muting his traitorous inner voices, he continued to follow the ice queen and her paladin, safely out of sight, still not believing the direction they were travelling. Two more days of walking, and they would march right up to the Luskan gates.

This was no good. He just had to know. This evening, if in any way possible, he would sneak up to their camp and try to find out what they were up to.

Come nightfall, his quarry found a little spot just off the path to camp. Luckily, they were in the woods, so it was not really hard for him to approach them without notice. Silently creeping through the undergrowth, taking painstaking care not to make any noises, he crept up right to the edge of the glow made by their campfire.

It was the first time since that day so long ago that he saw her close. Her beauty still made his heart beat faster and his breath catch. Why? How could she do this to him? It was ridiculous. He deliberately tried to relax, breathing low and even. He could hear their voices, talking quietly. He closed his eyes, concentrating on his hearing, not daring to get any closer.

"Don't worry, Casavir", he could hear her say, her voice as melodic as he remembered it. "We'll think of something. We'll get her out. We won't leave her to those people, we just won't."

"As my lady says", the low voice of the paladin came. Bishop frowned. The guy sounded positively devastated. What could have caused this? Not that the sound of it did not please Bishop's ears, but still...

"Casavir!", she exclaimed. "Would you please not sound so hopeless? If you already give her up, then she really will be lost. I need you in this, you hear? We both have to do everything we can. So pull yourself together, will you?"

"Yes, my lady", his answer came, in the same resigned tone of voice.

He heard her groan, then she said: "Ok, so let's plan. Do you know your way around in Luskan? I've never been there myself, so it might be useful if you knew the city."

Luskan? They really wanted to go to Luskan? Bishop opened his eyes again, staring at them from the shadows, unbelieving. Was this some kind of joke?

"No, my lady. My travels never took me there. I am sorry."

"No problem." She obviously tried her best to sound chipper. "Let's start at the beginning, then. They won't be very happy to see us, there. Or much too happy, depending on your view of things. So how do we get through the gates? And once we are through, where do we go? How do we find her, and once we have found her, how do we get her out?"

Hesitation was palpable in Casavir's voice. "I don't know. I guess if we draw up our hoods, and..." He stopped, using a word Bishop had not believed the holier-then-thou paladin would even know, much less pronounce. "Damn it, I don't know!", he exclaimed, desperately. "This is all my fault! How could I ever let her out of my sight?" He buried his face in his hands.

Bishop's frown deepened. What the nine hells was that about?

The ice queen slid over to the paladin, putting her arm around his shoulders, soothing. "Please don't, Casavir", she said with a small voice. "Neeshka is tough, and she's resourceful. She will find a way to survive, until we get her out."

Neeshka? The paladin felt miserable because he failed to protect the demon girl? And there Bishop had thought nothing could surprise him anymore.

He had heard enough, besides, he did not like the sight of those two cuddling. It made his stomach turn sour. So he slid silently away, back into the night forest, his mind working feverishly. As soon as he brought enough distance between him and the others to be sure they would not discover him, he got up and started pacing.

What did they think they were doing? Were they completely out of their minds, to wander into Luskan like that? So the goat girl got herself into trouble. Who cared? Should have known better then let her horns be seen in Luskan. And now they were following her, doing the daring rescue thing? It was madness! Pure lunacy! They were probably the most wanted people in Luskan, and they would be recognised as soon as they showed their faces at the city gates! Drawing up their hoods! Well, there was a brilliant plan! Everyone in Luskan must know their description and the ridiculous sum that surely was on their heads, plus, they weren't exactly hard to identify, especially the ice queen with her exotic looks. This was suicide!

And why do you care?

I don't!

Like hell you don't.

So maybe he did care. So what. No way he was going to let those Luskan dogs have the privilege of killing her. No damn way. She was his. His prey. His to kill. His to... well, to kill. No one else was going to touch her!

But if they marched up to the Luskan gates, merrily, it would be a bit hard to press the priority of his claim. Seeing that he could not show his face in that rathole either. And that Luskans were generally not the most understanding of people. So he had to stop them. Must keep them from going anywhere near – well, nearer – that blasted place. But how? How? He had no idea.

He did not get much sleep that night, tossing on his blanket, and when he finally relapsed into an uneasy doze, he saw her dangling from a rope, her blue eyes wide open and unseeing. He woke in the morning, feeling like something had chewed him up and spat him back out.