The revenge Chapter 13, a baldur's gate fanfic

Disclaimer:

I don't own Baldur's Gate, the great masterpiece of role-playing.

The story on hand, ‚The revenge' is fan-fiction. I wrote it, because I love to write, but I will not use ‚The revenge' in any commercial way.

Rating: 'M'. Some scenes may be a 'T', but I had the feeling that a few scenes should be rated as 'MA'. I think, in general it's OK, to give 'M'. If you don't like that or if you are too young, don't read!

Chapter13 – 1

Hammer9th, 1370

Near Sigil, Outer Planes

"I say: Let's kill him!" Chloe grumbled.

Shelara sighed, "Just because we don't know the answer doesn't mean that we have to kill him."

"But it would make things easier."

Shelara rolled her eyes and gave Imoen a pained look, "The next time you fell in love, please can you take a lover who's more peaceful?"

Imoen smiled, "No, sorry. I like the way she's protecting me. It's so… consistent, if you understand."

Chloe crossed her arms and looked to the priestess with a wide grin.

"Ah, whatever… Jaheira, please tell me that you have an idea."

The druids shook her head, "You know I'm not perfect in riddle. The first two were quite easy, but the third one is pretty hard."
Shelara sighed and looked to Nalia who shrugged her shoulders, "Sorry, I don't know."

"Come on! We just have to find a stupid answer!"

"Find it yourself," Jaheira growled and crossed her arms.

The priestess hesitated and began to form words…

As Keto whispered, "The answer's betrayal."

"Betrayal?" Nalia asked skeptically.

The bard nodded, "Remember to the riddle:

I'm as old as time

If you need me, you can get me for a dime

Laughing at any fool

Using everybody as my tool

I'm breaking kings and houses

But against me, no creature arouses

And I'm the only one who can beat my own reign

However to remove the evil I've made, you have to act like a villain

You can't fight me, because I'm in your heart

And in my whole life, I haven't found a solid counterpart.

It can be betrayal."

"Yes, it can be, but it isn't sure," the noble said.

Keto rolled her eyes, "Damn, if you have a better answer, say it!"

Silence.

Shelara nodded, "Well, let's try it."

She didn't wait to an answer of her companions but walked to the djinni.

He looked at her, "You've got the answer? That was fast."

"Hm."

"So tell me."

"Betrayal."

The djinni stared at her, then he smiled and in a soft flash the silver plate appeared in his right hand, "I respect a keen mind… The plate is yours."

Keto's eyes blinked in surprise, "It was the right answer?"

The djinni didn't answer, but turned to Shelara and gave her the plate, "But there's still one thing I have to say… The answer of this last riddle wasn't just an answer."

"Hm?"

He laughed out loudly, "That's the last riddle. If you want to free Saerileth without killing somebody, you have to solve this fourth riddle. This last one is easy… for one who found the third answer."

"I don't understand…"

He laughed out, "I know! Your fatuity is well known in Faerûn!"

Silence.

Shelara's eyes narrowed, "By the way, why do you know about Saerileth?"

"I know more than you can imagine, priestess of Sune."

In the next moment he disappeared in a magical flash. The six women looked to the place where he was one moment ago and Shelara sighed, "What a strange creature. I don't understand what he tried to say us."

Jaheira thought for a short moment, and then she smiled.

Also Keto nodded and said, "It doesn't surprise me that you don't understand it… Listen Shelara, you're a formidable fighter, a great leader and one of the best clerics out there, but you're pretty naïve. I think the djinni wanted to say that Darkwood doesn't play fair."

"Do you think he wants to betray us?"

"It could be. We can't be sure about him, he's still a noble… eh, sorry, Nalia."

Nalia grinned. She knew that Keto hated nobles.

"But…"

"Shelara!" Keto shouted out. "At least we should prepare to trick him, before he can trick us!"

Chapter13 – 2

Hammer10th, 1370

Sigil, Outer Planes

Darkwood stood in the lobby of his palace, surrounded by guards and soldiers. He wore expensive cloth again as every time the priestess had seen him and when she looked at him she noticed an amused flash in his eyes. Perhaps Keto had been right.

His soldiers and guards wore their fighting armor and weapons and in the background the priestess saw two mages and one cleric… That wasn't good: In a normal case group of guards combined with mages and priests was made to fight, not to protect.

She looked to Immy who stood at her side and tried to smile.

The duke snapped with his fingers and a door at the side was opened. Shelara needed a moment to see another group of guards who brought a young woman: Saerileth. The paladin wore simple, but clean clothing and Darwood's guards had tried to conceal a black eye. But to her relief the priestess saw that the paladin wasn't broken: There was still fire in her eyes.

When Saerileth noticed the six women she stared at them surprised, and then she smiled, but still was silent. The priestess knew that the paladin didn't like to show too much emotion and to smile was Saerileth's way to show that she was happy to see them. And… perhaps, the happenings in Darkwood's prison had caused her silence. Shelara understood it quite good when she remembered her time in the prison of Athkatla. After a while the paladin would find to her old talkativeness… perhaps.

The priestess ignored the feeling to hug her old friend, turned to Darkwood and handed him the plate, "Here it is. Now you have to fulfill your part of the deal."

Darkwood grinned, "Ah, that's nice. I haven't believed that you would be able to bring it to me. This djinni has great power."

"Perhaps. But it was quite easy to get it. We just talked to him and persuaded him with words."

"You talked?"

"Yes. You should try it the next time if you have problems. To talk is a wise method to solve a problem."

Darkwood grinned, "Yes. But it doesn't work every time."

"What do you mean with that?"

Darkwood grinned, "Do you really think that I redeem this stupid deal?"

The priestess of Sune stared at him, "Why…?"

"I think, you don't understand, what's going on here. In the beginning I hadn't want to kill this stupid paladin here. I had wanted to kill you! But because we found another torture for you, I had to take Saerileth and made her pay for your deeds. You… you damn stupid girl freed Raelis Shai from my prison in the astral level! You bastard killed my guards there and freed all of my captives! Why should I set her free if I can punish you directly now? It will be fun to kill every one of you and my 'partners' will be grateful to me, too… And eh… Yes, I just brought Saerileth to you that she can see as I tear you into pieces!"

Saerileth's eyed widened, "Shelara, run!"

One of the guards smiled maliciously and kicked her hard to the ground.

Shelara ignored it, looked at the duke and grinned widely, "Don't say, we haven't given you a chance… Immy!"

Without any hesitation, the brown haired archmage deactivated her ring of invisibility, appeared behind his back, drew her sword of mask and held it on Darkwood's neck.

It happened too fast for the guards and Imoen hissed, "If you make one step towards me or do anything against Saerileth, I kill him, I promise!"

Darkwood's eyes widened, when he saw Imoen behind him… but he also saw her standing at Shelara's side.

Imoen smiled evilly, "Don't tell that ya never heard of the simulacrum-spell, sweety?"

Shelara cleared her throat "Well… you're right. Sometimes it doesn't lead to a solution to talk to an enemy, but a sword at a neck can give words a special weight, if you know what I mean."

"You dare to…"

"Yes, we dare to threaten you and if you do a wrong move, we will… shorten your life extremely, my dear Duke!"

Darkwood swallowed and the priestess kept on talking, "And now, listen to me: First give us Saerileth, and then we should talk about your 'partners'."

After one hour they were ready to leave. Saerileth haven't found her old equipment – apparently it was sold – but she'd taken one of the standard equipment she found in the store of the duke.

The paladin didn't want to stay here longer than it was necessary. The memory of Darkwood's monsters was too fresh and she remembered every cruel detail. She remembered every time when she had been beaten… or when worse things had happened… She wanted to leave this place and she hoped that Darkwood would never meet her again or she wouldn't be able preventing herself to kill him… and she didn't want to stain her hands with his blood.

A thing that confirmed her feelings for him was that was a coward: The first thing Darkwood had done after he had been brought to his prison he broke completely and told her everything she wanted to know, especially about Darkwood's 'partners'. And it really shocked them all what they heard now: The council of Athkatla, slavers, pirates, Galvarey's former harpers and the talosian clerics had united to kill them. But one of the most shocking facts had been that the man who had recruited Darkwood for this army… had been Isaea Roenall.

The streets were cold and lonely when they left the palace in the deep night… And no one saw them, especially when they walked through the portal back to Suldanessalar. Darkwood would never find out, in which direction they had left.

-tbc-