Disclaimer: I do not own 'Shadows of Amn', the 'Forgotten Realms' or any characters therein. Wizards of the Coast do, at my last check. Lucky them.
I do, however, own Fritha and certain other characters and plot points. Basically, if you don't recognise it from the game, it's probably mine.

– Blackcross & Taylor

Nature's wrath

Their search of the room revealed nothing though, bar the chest of cured meat that Ihtafeer had been so glad to present them with, and Fritha soon gave up, taking a joint of it with her as she, Anomen and Haer'Dalis rejoined the others.

Back in the main room, the bodies of two more rakshasa lay dead on the floor, dressed as woodsmen, their tawny fur matted here and there with blood. The air was hazy with disturbed dust, Nalia, Minsc and Cernd still searching through the room's chaos of cupboards and chests, though the three glanced up as they entered, Nalia immediately at her side.

'You are unhurt, dearest?'

'Yes, but my sword isn't -it broke on the first swing,' Fritha admitted with a snort of laughter. She was still feeling a touch shaken by the whole thing, truth be told, but there seemed little point in dwelling on it.

Nalia looked alarmed though, running her hands nervously over her arms and shoulders as though to assure herself she was still whole, while Minsc crossed the room to them as well, taking the two pieces of broken sword from her with a downcast expression.

'Oh, a sad thing it is, to lose one's weapon. '

'Well, rather it than me. Honestly dearest, I'm fine,' Fritha smiled, gently batting Nalia away and turning to Jaheira as the druid appeared on the stairs with Aerie, 'Find anything?'

Jaheira nodded grimly.

'Yes, a couple of chests filled with weapons and armour; all whole and showing no signs of any recent fight. You know of the appetites of these creatures? Rakshasa live on human flesh. I suspect the arms belonged to the unfortunate souls who came calling on this house, though whether they were druids or merely travellers I could not say; there are no remains, though the swamp would make them easy to dispose of.'

Fritha glanced down to the shank of cured meat she was holding, her stomach sinking unpleasantly.

'Oh, tell me this isn't what I think it is.'

'Do not worry, child,' assured Cernd, moving to take it from her and examine it more closely, 'it is not human. Wild pig, I think, by the look of it.'

He held it out to Jaheira, who descended to look it over as well and nod her agreement, the woman tearing a strip from it and touching it to her tongue only to remove it instantly and spit at their feet.

'As I thought, poisoned. I imagine it would have been undetectable once cooked though.'

Fritha sighed, relieved by their findings even if it did mean they were ration-less once more.

'That must be how they were catching most of their prey,' reasoned Aerie, 'They could offer the meat to travellers and then collect the bodies later. The poison probably doesn't harm rakshasa.'

'A meal for a meal; you could almost see it as a fair trade,' Haer'Dalis offered with a grin, Anomen and Aerie sending him the most appalled looks while Fritha tried not to laugh.

'Well, we should start to bed down for the night,' interrupted Jaheira with a frown, 'while you were inside, Minsc spotted a barn on an area of more solid ground just south of here. There are some steps down to it, so it was likely built at a similar time to this place. We can make camp in there.'

'What?' exclaimed Nalia suddenly, 'Why are we staying in a barn when we've a perfectly good house here?'

Jaheira sighed heavily. 'We cannot stay here, Nalia. Walls may provide shelter but they all so blind us. There are still druids abroad and it would be all too easy for them to sneak up and trap us within here should we stay.'

'But the rakshasa lived here as humans for over a tenday without any trouble.'

'We do not know that for sure, my lady,' said Anomen, his manner a lot gentler than it was usually, though its effect was rather wasted then, Nalia looking all set to argue the point and Fritha reluctantly stepped in.

'Nalia, dearest, we really can't stay here. I'm sure this barn will be fine once we've a fire lit.'

Nalia stared at her a moment but made no reply, the girl just shaking her head as she turned away, leaving Fritha with a pained look.

'Good. Well,' continued Jaheira stalwartly, 'someone should gather up that firewood, we may as well put it to some use. Minsc, could you take something from these rakshasa as proof of death? We will need Ihtafeer's head, but a paw will suffice from the other two, perhaps we can collect some sort of bounty on them.'

The man nodded, turning to take up the axe from the nearby woodpile and Jaheira glanced back to the girl next to her who was still wearing a hollow look.

'I am going to make a check of the surrounding area. Perhaps you can join me, Fritha; it never hurts to practise your scouting.'

The girl sent her a dull nod, not fooled for a moment, it seemed.

'Yes, fine, I'm coming.'

And together they left the house in a silence that lasted well into their walk, the women scouting down the rough steps to the edge of river, before circling around and moving back up onto the bridge to skirt through the woods at the back of the house. Jaheira halted in the dense undergrowth, knowing what she had to do and steeling herself for the task.

'Fritha.'

The girl stopped as well, glancing back to her questioningly, clearly under the impression she had seen something. Jaheira drew a breath.

'Fritha, I know you do not want to hear this-'

'Then don't say it,' Fritha cut in evenly, turning to resume her path and Jaheira sighed tersely, her reaction no easier to bear for all its predictability.

'This life is not for her, Fritha.'

'She's just still getting used to it is all! She was living in a castle only two months ago!'

'Fritha,' Jaheira snapped, grabbing her arm to halt her, 'this is not just going to go away, you know, however much you ignore it! You must talk to Nalia.'

Fritha shook her off, plainly frustrated.

'I have and she says she is fine! Look,' the girl reasoned, almost pleading, 'who isn't sick of camping in weather like this? You're making too much of it.'

Jaheira sighed, but pressed the point no further, following the girl as she set a swift pace back to the barn. It was a squat circular building of the same sandstone and red tile as the house. Its doors were gone, probably taken long ago for firewood or some other purpose, leaving the wide arched doorway open and Jaheira could see the others inside, sat in amongst the bushels of dried reeds that the place had once been used to store.

Fritha had been right. The building was almost hospitable in the blaze of the newly lit fire, the group gathered about it on the reed strewn floor while Haer'Dalis entertained them with what appeared to be an impression of Fritha breaking her sword, the tiefling swinging out only to do an amusing double-take and begin flailing wildly, though it was not something everyone was finding humorous.

'Will you stop that!' snapped Anomen, to a background of laughter, Fritha giggling more than anyone as she walked into the barn.

'Oh, give over, Anomen. No harm done and I imagine it must have looked pretty funny.'

He stared up at her, his face a mask in the flickering light of the fire.

'No,' he answered finally, his voice cold, 'it did not.'

Fritha opened her mouth again and from the look of her, she was more than willing to continue their previous quarrel, in front of everyone or not. Jaheira quickly stepped in.

'Well, your brush with death, however amusing, cannot be to everyone's tastes, Fritha. Now someone will have to go and collect more wood, there's not enough for the night there. And we'll need water as well, the nearby river looked stagnant, but I noticed an old pump at the far side of the house.'

Around her the group broke up, everyone moving off to their chosen tasks, leaving her and the girl alone once more.

'Fritha,' Jaheira began, wondering if she dared a return to their previous conversation, though Fritha clearly predicted this.

'Auril's breath, it's cold out there,' she sighed blithely, moving towards the fire and holding her hands as close to it as she could stand. Jaheira frowned but took the hint.

'Fritha, move back from there. You'll give yourself chilblains.'

The girl sent her a sullen look, shifting back slightly though Jaheira had the distinct impression it was only until her attention was diverted by Cernd, the druid's arms full of what looked to be misshapen cork disks that she recognised as a type of tree fungus.

'Here,' Cernd announced as he approached them, the man mildly pleased with himself from his tone, 'Dryad's Saddle. It is quite nutritious. We can use them up to supplement our rations.'

Jaheira watched as he placed his bag upon one of the bushels and set the mushrooms gently on top.

'Yes, and you've quite a haul… though I imagine it is much easier to find such when you already have an idea of where to look; why did you not mention you are already known here?'

Cernd straightened slowly as he answered and Jaheira had the impression he was delaying the moment when he would have to face her.

'Yes… perhaps I could have said something earlier but did not seem important, after all you do not need to see the seed to know the plant. This grove was where I first learnt the ways of the druid under Gragus. He was a kind and patient mentor and I was very happy here for a time.'

'And yet you left…'

The man shrugged mildly. 'I wished to see more of the land, all the wondrous diversity of Nature, and when a chance to serve the Grand Druid in the North arose I volunteered immediately. But what of you,' he smiled, genially changing the subject and Jaheira let him, 'this seems to be an interesting group you have found yourself travelling with, how did you meet them?'

'The girl, Fritha was the ward of an old friend, I took over her guardianship after he passed on when the iron crisis was a plague across these lands. As for the others… they are just people we met along the way who shared goals or ideals. We look now to raise monies to ensure the release of another of our company who has fallen foul of Athkatla's stringent magic laws.'

Cernd nodded slowly, grey eyes watching her carefully.

'A strange course for one who has chosen the path that you have. I would have thought the care of Nature as a whole would have taken priority over the service of merely one of her children.'

Jaheira gave a gesture somewhere between a nod and a shrug and turned away, his observance a little too incisive for her liking.

'We must all serve the balance as we see fit- Fritha!'

'But I'm COLD!'

But Jaheira was unmoved by her complaints, knowing the girl would feel a whole lot worse if her hands were covered in painful itchy lumps, and she distracted her with the task of preparing the evening meal once Anomen returned with the water, the girl astounding everyone by heating it with just a look.

Even with the mushrooms Cernd had found though, their rations were looking rather grim and it seemed as though the majority of their meal would consist of stale waybread and a vegetable broth that would be mostly water. That was until Minsc returned to the barn, a bloody linen bag in his hand which he opened to reveal the limp glistening bodies of a good dozen frogs for their evening meal, which everyone hailed a brilliant idea once over their initial repulsion. Well, nearly everyone.

'W-We're going to eat frogs?' cried Aerie, pausing in her peeling and looking no less than nauseated as she eyed the sodden bag.

'Do not fret, Aerie, they taste just as poultry,' assured Jaheira, passing the bag to the girl next to her.

'It's funny how people say that, isn't it?' continued Fritha cheerfully as she settled down next to the woman with her knife and began to clean the creatures, passing them to Jaheira to skewer and balance over the fire. 'I mean if they are to taste of anything it should surely be of frogs.'

Haer'Dalis glanced up from the two pieces of her sword that he had been examining to nod.

'Indeed, my raven, perhaps it is the other way round. Frogs do not taste of poultry, perhaps poultry tastes of frogs…'

Aerie looked horrified by the mere thought.

'Look at it this way,' reasoned Nalia to the elf, as she began slicing a battered old onion into the now boiling water, 'this would be considered a delicacy in Sembia.'

Aerie said nothing, just continued peeling her rather soft potato, but by the expression on her face, she wouldn't be visiting there anytime soon.

Across the fire, Haer'Dalis sighed, holding the broken sword up to the firelight with a frown.

'Well, I could try a charm to mend it, my raven, but I would not trust it in battle afterwards; still, if you wished to have it whole for some sentimental value…'

Fritha smiled but shook her head.

'Thank you, but you're all right. It's only a sword after all and I never could understand those people who got all attached to their weapons,' she shook her head with a frown, 'seemed a bit unhealthy. No, no, I'll just have to buy another one once we get back to Trademeet.'

'And what do you plan to use in the meantime,' questioned Jaheira and the girl sent her a cheeky smile.

'Well I've been working on my withering glare…' she offered, continuing with a sigh when it became clear Jaheira was not amused. 'Minsc,' here she nodded respectfully to the man in question, 'brought me a couple of swords from amongst the things the rakshasa had taken. A bit unwieldy by the look of them, but I'm sure one will do for the moment –unless you want to lend me one of yours, sparrow.'

All eyes turned to the tiefling but he shook his head, regretful but quite unashamed of his refusal.

'Alas, my raven, I would rather not. They serve me best as a pair, for Entropy and Chaos should go hand in hand.'

'Entropy and Chaos?' Fritha repeated, her voice shrill with incredulous amusement, 'You named your swords Entropy and Chaos?'

'Oh, stop laughing, just because you are not- not insightful enough to appreciate it,' snapped Aerie in sharp response to the bard's deeply affronted look.

'Save your breath to cool your porridge, Aerie,' retorted Nalia, the girl quick to her defence and Fritha felt a pleasant jolt in her stomach. She sent the bard an apologetic grin.

'Oh, no, you misunderstand me; I'm quite taken with the idea. I could name all my things too!' And with a flurry of nimble fingers she spun the knife she held with a flourish, 'Oh vegetables, quail and pray mercy at its name: Rindbane!'

Nalia laughed for the first time all evening and Fritha beamed, the mood of the group somewhat lifted as they ate their strange hodgepodge of a meal together, the dusk bringing with it a warmer, albeit damp, weight to the breeze, the air thrumming with the chirrup of crickets, the sound mixing almost melodically with the distant croaking of frogs at the riverside.

Aerie drew in a long breath. She was supposed to be practising her embroidery thought she was currently distracted watching the moths play above the fire, the air around her infused with the scent of the rich damp earth; the fens were quite a pleasant place when you didn't have to hike through them. Aerie glanced to the camp about her, most of the others just sat quietly enjoying the peace of the place, Fritha having another lesson on Rashemi from Minsc, while Nalia had made a start on one of the books they had bought. Aerie smiled, laying down her embroidery to catch the girl's eye.

'How is the story?'

Nalia smiled. 'Quite good, but the plot is a little clichéd. The heroine has just fallen from her horse and twisted her ankle in the very same forest where the hero happens to live. I'm expecting him to make a convenient appearance any page now.'

'It's always something like that, isn't it?' Fritha began thoughtfully to no one in particular, gesturing to them causally with her stylus, 'An ankle, or wrist, or knee; something immobilising, but not physically marring. I mean, the heroine never trips over and breaks her nose, or falls from her horse only to get her foot caught in the stirrup and be dragged through two thickets and a shallow puddle before her timely rescue.'

Anomen snorted noisily, trying to hide it in a cough, and Aerie suspected she was grinning at the exact same thing, an image of Fritha coming unbidden to her mind, stood bruised and muddied, her already wild hair filled with leaves.

'Well, do not get any ideas for tomorrow; I doubt there are any gallant heroes around here to step in and rescue you,' commented Jaheira dryly, ignoring Haer'Dalis and Anomen's affronted looks to rise and add more wood to the fire and Fritha sprang to her feet to stand next to her, the girl's voice coming high and breathy, one hand held against her forehead as though she was constantly on the brink of a swoon.

'Oh, thank the gods you found me! I was just riding through this forest on my way to the nearest Illmateran shrine to read stories to the orphans, when I was thrown from my horse. A fall that has left my hair and face thankfully untouched, though has inconveniently sprained my ankle. I fear- I fear you shall have to carry me!' she cried, throwing herself into the druid's arms.

'I fear not,' the woman snorted over their laughter, dumping her charge unceremoniously onto the reeds.

'You wound me, druid,' Fritha sighed, gasping slightly as she shifted and began rubbing her lower back vigorously. 'Ooo, you have as well. Our flirtation's left more than just my heart bruised.'

'Fritha!' Jaheira laughed, aiming a kick at her before crouching down to inspect the damage. 'Ah, you landed on a stone,' she confirmed, lifting the girl's tunic and shirt to examine the red mark that was blossoming on the small of her back.

'Landed? Yes, with a little help,' Fritha mumbled, hissing as the druid laid a hand over it.

'It is just bruised, stop making a fuss,' dismissed Jaheira though Aerie thought she looked a touch guilty. Fritha was muttering darkly under her breath as she shifted back to her books, Haer'Dalis moving to join her and soon it was all forgot as the two sank deep in talk.

Fritha was showing the tiefling one of the odes she had transcribed verbatim from Minsc earlier, the girl halfway through an attempt to translate it, though Haer'Dalis had succeeded in distracting her with discussion of the actual prose.

'Well, it seems quite complicated,' the girl explained with a grave frown, 'the poems use the tonal qualities of the language and run like songs. Therefore, not only must you think of a line's rhythm, but also its tone and inflection.

'Fascinating!' said Haer'Dalis.

Dull, thought Aerie and bit back a sigh, instantly cross at herself. The more time that passed the more it became clear that her little white lie about being a devotee of such things was one that she would reap tenfold.

She did like the theatre, that itself was no lie. The thrill of being sat in some darkened playhouse, watching as a story played out before your eyes; the music and the costumes and the sheer energy of it all.

But it was becoming increasingly apparent that acting itself just really wasn't for her. She felt too self-conscious stood pretending to be something she was not, and though she rather enjoyed reading through the occasional scene with the bard when they were alone together, she had no desire to do the same before an entire theatre.

She knew what Haer'Dalis thought -it was obvious from the roles he chose for her- that some grand actress hid inside this timid shell and had to be brought to blossom. But the truth was, meek though she still may have seemed when compared to him, Aerie did not feel even half as timorous as she had in the circus, even with all the danger that constantly seemed to surround them and this grand actress was refusing to be coaxed out simply because she was not there.

She sighed slightly and opened the bag at her side, staring down at the corner of the green volume she could see nestled in amongst her books and clothes. The plays of Erudis. Something Haer'Dalis had gone to a lot of trouble to find for her, and she knew she should just like it for that alone. But the fact remained, she would have much preferred some jewellery or perfume or something slightly more personal from the one she called 'love', and ironic though it had been, she had had to do quite a bit of acting when he had presented it to her, as she'd nodded and smiled and pretended to be as pleased as he was.

She glanced to the man again, still sat with Fritha, both laughing as they poured over the parchment she held. Aerie smiled faintly, considering how handsome he looked in the firelight. Aficionado of the theatre or not, her affection for him was certainly no act.

Aerie shook her head, resolved to finally get on with some embroidery when next to her Cernd shifted where he sat, the terse sigh that accompanied the movement seemingly unnoticed by all but she.

'A-Are you still in pain?' she asked quietly, 'Lord Coprith said you were set about quite badly by the townsfolk.'

But he merely shook his head, easing himself into a more comfortable position.

'No, no, child, it is nothing.'

Aerie frowned. 'Well, I am glad for that, though do wish you would stop referring to me as child; why, I'm probably four times your age!'

Cernd stared at her a moment, seemingly taken aback, before a smile was pulling at his mouth and he was chuckling quietly, hissing slightly as his ribs shook, and she could not help but join him, as amused as she was embarrassed by her outburst.

'Forgive me, Aerie, I meant it as no reflection on your maturity. You are a child of Nature, as are we all, though I note a special affinity within you.'

Aerie smiled, quite flattered he had given the matter any consideration at all. She shrugged mildly, letting her eyes linger on the doorway to the gloaming marsh beyond.

'There is a wild order to nature, an ever-changing beauty that I cannot help but find peace in. Even here -though I will admit I must look harder than usual.'

Cernd smiled slightly, sending her a measured look.

'Yes, Nature's beauty is not always apparent, though in some of her aspects it is all too easy to see.'

Aerie flushed, unsure as to why she felt so suddenly awkward.

'Yes, well, I, ah-'

'And what is this?' interrupted a smooth voice above them and she started, glancing up to find Haer'Dalis stood at her side, the man sinking to sit next to her with a smile. 'My dove, you're as pink as a camilla. I know there is a chill to the air, but you should not sit so close to the fire,' he scolded gently, putting an arm about her, and she felt her stomach stir at the dark look he sent the druid, shamefully pleased by his jealously. Though not the way she would like it to be expressed, it was nice to know he cared.

xxx

It was early, Anomen guessing the time at about an hour before the dawn by the grey milky look to the clear arc of sky he could see beyond the barn. He had been awake for the last hour or so, sat at the doorway and huddled under his blankets and cloak as he took the last watch.

But early as it was, he was not the only one awake from the sighs and stirring of those about him and, by the steady snoring from the huge pile of blankets in the far corner, he guessed Minsc was the only one of them who had managed to remain asleep. The fire had already gone out by the time Cernd had awoken Anomen for his watch, their meagre supply of wood gathered from the marsh quickly running out, though it had still been too dark to gather any more and Anomen knew from experience that attempting to burn the dried reeds would produce smoke enough to suffocate them. It had been very fortunate they had found that barn to shelter in, the thick walls holding in most of the heat from their small fire, though even then, the night had been a difficult one.

He glanced to the cold ashes before him. It was just light enough now to venture out to try and find some more wood and he was just mustering the will to leave his post when Fritha stirred, the girl sitting up still wrapped in her blankets, her hair tousled; though for all that, she looked wide-awake.

'Oh I give up. I've just been lying there for the last hour waiting for the morning.'

'So have I,' sighed Aerie, sitting as well while the bard stirred at her side, and Anomen watched as the others began to rouse themselves too, Minsc rolling on to his back to yawn widely.

'By Baervar, it's so cold.'

Cernd nodded, stretching out his shoulders. 'Yes, Nature can be harsh as well as nurturing; though such extremes are a part of Her wonder.'

Haer'Dalis sent Anomen an exasperated look and rolled his eyes, and the squire had to do his best not to laugh.

'I can't feel my hands,' murmured Nalia absently, the girl flexing her long white fingers with a sort of distracted hopelessness.

'Gods!' Fritha cried, pulling her foot closer with wide eyes, 'I think I've got frostbite- oh no, wait, it's just dirt.' The girl laughed, some of the others managing a smile though Nalia sent her a blank look. 'Oh, come on, that was pretty funny,' Fritha cajoled brightly, taking up Nalia's hands and placing them somewhere within the depths of her blankets, a shiver travelling her narrow frame, 'Goodness, dearest, you are cold.'

Nalia said nothing, just shifted closer to the girl, laying her forehead upon her shoulder as though she would return to sleep where she sat.

'Someone needs to go and collect more wood,' muttered Jaheira, finally sitting as well and rubbing her bleary face briskly.

Anomen shifted again, preparing to haul himself up. 'I shall go, I was planning to anyway.'

'Don't bother,' yawned Fritha, 'You won't find any dry wood this early and it'll be an hour before the fire's properly hot anyway.'

'Sorry?' cried Nalia, snatching her hands back to straighten abruptly. Fritha avoided her eye.

'If we break camp now, we can warm up as we walk.'

'She is right,' admitted Jaheira reluctantly.

But Aerie looked about as enthused by this plan as Nalia did.

'But what about breakfast?'

Fritha shrugged. 'You wouldn't usually eat this early anyway, would you? We can stop for breakfast once the sun's up.'

'Yes, yes,' agreed Minsc with his usual amiability, the man sat in his bedding and looking quite well rested, 'Boo says this is sensible; we would do the same in Rashemen.'

Fritha nodded once, making to rise.

'Exactly. Well, come on then,' she urged when no one else moved and it was to a background of sullen muttering that the group rose and quickly broke camp.

They were walking now, the marsh eerily quiet about them, a light mist still hanging wraith-like in the trees. The two druids were leading with the ranger, Nalia and Aerie a short way behind them with the bard, the girls huddled together and looking mutinous, while Fritha brought up the back of the group with him, the girl seemingly resolved in her decision, however unpopular it had made her, and still pointedly ignoring him. Anomen shifted under his heavy pack and nearly slipped, the ground all the wetter for the morning's mists. Fritha glanced to him, wordlessly turning back once she was assured he was fine and he felt his stomach tighten, the man steeling himself to finally break the silence between them.

'Are you cold, my lady?'

'A bit,' she conceded, though the weather had nothing on her tone. Anomen swallowed dryly, turning back to the path ahead as he felt his face burn.

'I must apologise for my behaviour yesterday, I should not have spoken to you like that.'

Next to him, he heard the girl sigh.

'No, you shouldn't, but I was angry about something else as well and you got more than your fair share of my temper. Forget about it.'

He smiled ruefully at her words, though he was glad they were back on good terms; he did not like it when they argued.

'I would that I could forget, my lady. I have been dwelling upon what Sir Ryan said of my test, of how it will be soon; it creeps ever closer and I feel no more ready than when was first squired. My temper is just as wretched, I am just as full of this- this anger as I ever was, perhaps more so since Moira was taken…'

Fritha went to speak, but he cut her off with a shake of his head.

'But, such is no excuse and I will not hear otherwise. I was taking my frustrations out on you and only when you told me what I have known all along. You are right, I should have spoken to Sir Ryan about this long ago, I- I just could not bring myself to admit it to him. It was by his kindness I was allowed to enter the Order as a squire in the first instance, I could not bear to tell him of this failing and have him know I am unworthy of the honour he bestowed upon me.'

He glanced down to find Fritha sending him a measured look.

'Well, Sir Ryan could possibly think you are unworthy, but he could not know you're unworthy unless you are… How we view ourselves can be as, if not more important as how others perceive us, Anomen.'

Anomen turned away, feeling uncomfortable and casting about for a change of subject.

'So… you said you were cold, my lady?'

The girl sighed again, though she smiled as well. 'It's Fritha, and I'm freezing. But since this madness was my idea, it is only right I suffer along with the rest of you.'

'I believe it was the most sensible suggestion, given the circumstances. It is warmer when you are moving.'

She snorted, her breath misting in the bitter air.

'Maybe for you, but I'm cold to my bones. Poor bones. Your's are all right, they've got all that muscle keeping them warm. All mine have are skin and about four layers. No substitute.'

Anomen took a moment to reply to this; he was rather surprised she'd noticed.

'Yes, but I suppose such hardships are to be expected in this path we have chosen to walk.'

Fritha laughed, gesturing about them.

'Oh yes, and I suppose this is what you imagined when you daydreamed about your life as a knight when a boy in the seminary, is it?'

Anomen smiled, dipping his head in acquiescence.

'I conceded that perhaps I did not imagine it quite like this. And what of you, my lady? What idle reverie would take you from your errands in the library?'

'Are you sure you want to know? It had nothing to do with halting the tides of chaos.'

He smiled dryly, remembering the gloom of a sewer tunnel and their argument so long ago.

'I will take that risk.'

Fritha laughed lightly. 'I just wanted to travel really, see the world, although my ideas and the reality deviated slightly. I had a very pleasant fantasy that I would sleep every night in a bed with fine linen sheets and all my travelling would be done in sunshine.'

Anomen glanced to her.

'But you are happy in what you do now?'

She shrugged vaguely.

'Well, I suppose. But it would be nice to travel on my own terms. Choose where I wanted to go and not have to fight something when I get there. Or get up really early in the mornings and have to walk all day when I'd just much rather stay in bed.'

'Can we stop yet?' Aerie called back to them hopefully, a hand pointing eastwards, 'The sky over there is pink…'

Fritha sighed crossly. 'Can you see the sun?'

Aerie turned back to their path with a disgruntled look and Fritha shook her head, tiredly amused.

'Gods, I'd hate to travel with me.'

'When we find Imoen, will she travel with you?'

Fritha glanced to him, looking mildly surprised he'd asked.

'You know what? I don't know. Imoen and I didn't really have a choice of things to begin with. She may want to return to Candlekeep or join one of the mage schools, I'm not sure.'

'And you, my lady?'

'More travelling, I suppose, but somewhere warmer.' She bit back a sigh as her foot disappeared into a deceptively solid-looking patch of bog with an unpleasant squelch. 'And dry. Definitely dry.'

Anomen smiled faintly, about to reply when another voice cut him off.

'Halt, stand where you're at, outsiders!'

The flurry of movement around him as weapons were drawn, Fritha heaving out her own clumsy blade, while Anomen drew his mace, all watching as five men stepped from the mists to surround them, each accompanied by some cat or wolf and one even followed by the shaggy lumbering form of a bear.

'Oh, Hells…' breathed Fritha, one of the men stepping forward from the others, black haired and sloe-eyed, his blade glinting wetly as the air condensed upon it.

'You are trespassing on sacred ground and your careless meandering will go unheeded no longer!'

Cernd stepped forward as well, eyes blazing behind his composed countenance.

'We trespass nowhere, Lynd, this land is free for all who wish to travel it and travel it we will; we have business with Faldorn.'

'Cernd?' cried one of the druids, some instantly looking wary, while others seemed almost hopeful. Lynd, however, looked furious.

'I care not one whit for your business, dog; this grove is under our protection-'

'And a sterling job you're doing as well,' snorted Fritha with disdain, 'Three rakshasa living here right under your nose.'

Lynd adjusted his grip on his blade as those behind him began to mutter amongst themselves, his eyes gaining a hungry look as though he would have liked nothing better than to kill her where she stood.

'She speaks truly,' continued Cernd, 'Faldorn presses her fight to the town while her own grove suffers and I would speak with her about it.'

'And what good will it do? You know she had bonded with the grove, Cernd,' called a one of the younger men and Lynd shot him a quelling glare.

'Watch your tongue, Rias; you will pay a high price for any disloyalty.'

'Enough!' barked Cernd suddenly, almost trembling in his anger, 'I have been patient, but I have asked you take us to Faldorn twice now and I will not ask again!'

Everyone looked wary now, even Lynd, one of the men swallowed nervously, cautiously approaching their leader.

'Come on, Lynd, where is the harm? He represents the Grand Druid; Faldorn may wish to meet with him.'

Lynd just stared at Cernd, his loathing evident before he nodded stiffly and turned on his heel. 'Fine, we go.'

And the group set off once more, though much increased in number, the druids walking in amongst them now, their creatures prowling about the edge of the party, ever-watchful. Cernd swallowed, his blood still roaring in his ears as his mind alternately cursed and calmed him. He knew he should not have lost control like that and he felt almost sick as he considered what could have happened, what he had been moments away from.

Lynd stirred at his side, the only one of them with his blade still drawn though Cernd knew the druid would make no move against him now; Faldorn would have that pleasure.

They were at the head of the group and behind him could sense the others following them, all nervous and chary, Aerie's voice quiet but audible.

'I knew we should have had breakfast when we had the chance.'

'Oh, stop whining,' he heard Fritha sigh, 'it's not as though we'd anything nice to eat anyway.' A pause, the sound of her rummaging in her bag before- 'Here.'

Next to him, Lynd smiled broadly.

'Oh, you've allied yourself with a proper sort, haven't you, Cernd? I can see why you'd fit in with these freaks though.'

Cernd felt his jaw clench, refusing to be baited. 'Save your bile, Lynd, you're words are nothing to me.'

A contemptuous snort. 'Ah yes, the same superior Cernd; you always were one of Gragus's favoured. But don't forget that he has gone and we know what you are, what you're capable of…'

Cernd swallowed, his eyes fixed unseeing on the path ahead of them as they walked, though he said nothing in his defence. How could he, when part of him knew Lynd was right?