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. Nor do I own Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jana Sanam by Anand Bakshi.
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.

Children of the night

The maid set down the last of their dishes with a smile, the group sat about a table in the common room sharing a noisy breakfast, all talking of their plans for the day as they passed about the baskets of bread and fruit and, to Minsc's delight, a dish of pickled herrings -they were apparently quite the delicacy in his homeland. Jaheira was not tempted though, bread and honey a more than adequate meal to start the day in her opinion.

'Right,' came a voice clear over their din and everyone seemed to hush instinctively as Fritha continued, 'now we're all here, there's something you all need to know. Anomen and I were out together last night-'

Jaheira suddenly straightened in her chair, the tiefling next to her doing the same as the girl continued.

'It was very enjoyable. We drank and laughed and had all sorts of fun. And, of course, how could our evening be complete without another run in with our local vampire guild.'

'Vampire guild?' exclaimed Cernd, seemingly astounded, 'There's an actual guild of such creatures in the city?'

'It is so, my hound; perhaps you could begin one for you and your canine kin too,' quipped Haer'Dalis, Aerie tutting at him. Jaheira ignored them both.

'You encountered the vampires again?' she confirmed with a frown. Fritha sent her a humourless smile.

'Yes, my tall dark stranger has finally made her appearance, it seems. They were looking for me this time though; they've an offer for us concerning Imoen.'

Aerie was the first to break the heavy silence that seemed to descend at her words, the girl venturing nervously, 'W-What did they do when you refused them?'

Fritha shrugged. 'Well, nothing, since I didn't.'

'You're going to go?'

'Oh bar that, my dove,' interrupted Haer'Dalis, the man nonchalantly going back to spreading honey over a slice of bread, 'she may as well hear what they have to say.'

'Why?' the elf demanded shrilly, 'Whatever they offer, Fritha surely cannot be considering allying us with vampires!'

Jaheira turned to the girl, her manner betraying nothing of the turmoil now within her.

'Aerie does have a point.'

'So does Haer'Dalis,' Fritha countered coolly.

'Oh, no, no, no, young Fritha,' came Minsc, shaking his head and looking troubled, 'you would not have us ally with such evil creatures. Boo does not believe it.'

The girl's voice remained firm, but Jaheira noticed she could not meet the ranger's eye. 'Well, I am sorry to disappoint him, Minsc, but it changes nothing.'

Jaheira swallowed, her heart pounding; if Galvarey heard of this….

'Fritha, Imoen would not want-'

'Imoen isn't here,' Fritha cut in sharply, 'which is rather my problem.'

Jaheira shook her head and turned away, though Aerie was not defeated yet, the elf turning a stern look on the knight who had been silent all this time.

'Surely you do not agree with this, Anomen?'

'No, I do not,' he said, sending the briefest of glances to the girl next to him, 'but the decision is not mine to make.'

'Exactly,' agreed Fritha sharply, clearly not willing to hear any more discussion on the matter, 'each of you can make your own decision about whether you want to attend or not, but I was invited to meet their guildmistress at sundown in the cemetery and I am going. In the meantime, we will just carry on with the investigations for the Lathandites and the Cowled Wizards respectively. Now Cernd is with Jaheira and I today if that is all right with everyone.'

No one answered her at first, and Jaheira could feel the fractured unrest in those about her.

'Yes, that should be fine, my lady,' said Anomen eventually, 'we can ask another priest to join us in the search if need be.'

And so after a rather subdued breakfast, the group parted once more, Minsc and the others heading back to the crypts while Fritha, Jaheira and now Cernd as well continued their search for the fugitive, Valygar. They had had little luck searching his residence the previous day and so had moved their investigation to the scene of his crime, Madeen dispatched once more to lead them to an area of derelict warehouses that bordered the river just north of the slums before the majority of the fishing trade had moved downriver to the docks.

Cernd gazed up at the wide arc of cold blue sky, glad that circumstance had led him to joining the women that day, their investigation proving a better distraction from his worries than searching those sunless crypts, where he had nothing to alleviate the boredom but going over and over Fennecia's words.

He could hardly believe Galia was dead. That he had left her was true enough but he had still cared deeply for her and it had been a blow to return to that city and find she was just gone. A grief only compounded when he considered that if perhaps had he stayed she could be alive still; just living together in the Promenade as they had been, she and him… and their child.

Cernd winced, fighting the urge to almost curl in on himself as he felt the pain stab right through him. He had a son. Sweet foolish Galia; why hadn't she told him? Why hadn't he noticed? He and Galia had been trying for a child for so long to the point where he had given up all hope, consoling himself with the idea that they were all children within Nature. But now he had one, a child of his own blood and the idea that it was being raised by someone else, that he would never see it grow and bloom, was a torture he could not describe.

But it was not over yet. Perhaps he still had a chance to right the mistakes of his past, for Galia and their child both. Jaheira had informed him yesterday of their appointment with Magistrate Bylanna Ianulin that afternoon, thoughts of this impending meeting and this chance to win back his child through the writ of law more than enough to disturb his rest without even taking into account the second night of the full moon.

He had spent long into the previous evening deep in mediation, trying to control the baser instinct that twitched within his skin, just itching to be out on the hunt. Instincts which were not limited to the nights either. For days, his senses had been building, becoming keener even for him, the slums around him now, alive with scent. Wood smoke from the nearby homes, the heavy reek of the green-grey river and even the scent of the two women next to him was not beneath his notice; Jaheira, a pleasant, more natural smell of day old clothes and leather, while the girl, Fritha, was a rush of oranges, motes of something spicy lingering just underneath.

Madeen had shown them the exact spot where the two bodies had been found, on junction between two warehouse and the riverside, before hurrying back to his duties in the Council Buildings. Cernd gazed about him, the paths between the warehouses littered with rotting crates and other debris, the contrast made in the much finer neater storehouses he could see on the other side of river. Cernd could smell blood, slight and stale on the air, though he could see no sign of it about them and he wondered vaguely why the Cowled Wizards had bothered to clean it up.

'Why on Toril were those mages out here?' questioned Fritha with a frown and Jaheira shrugged.

'Who knows; this place is deserted though, which would make it a good place to meet someone alone.'

Fritha nodded thoughtfully. 'Perhaps Valygar lured those two mages out here, so he could murder them without being discovered. It must have been a while before anyone found the bodies.'

Cernd watched as Jaheira noticed something, the woman moving aside some old crates to reveal grey white lines scrawled on the warehouse wall, all that was left of what had clearly been a much larger symbol. She rubbed a finger across one of the lines, the substance smudging easily.

'What is it?' came Fritha.

'Chalk' Jaheira answered promptly, raising her fingers to sniff at it, her face instantly twisting with disgust, 'and sulphur.'

Fritha looked surprised.

'Used for marking out ritual circles; they were doing a spell out here?' she questioned aloud, glancing about her at the jumble of rundown warehouses as though she couldn't think of anywhere less fitting.

Cernd frowned, turning to scan the packed earth and stones of the ground about them for any other clue and at last he found it in the shelter of the open doorway of the nearest warehouse where the ground had been protect from the weather and the tramp of careless feet.

'Over here.'

'A footprint,' came Jaheira crouching down next to him, Fritha peering over her shoulder.

'Goodness, you could fit two of mine in there. Whoever it belongs to must be tall.'

'Well, that would fit the description we have ofthe fugitive,' agreed Jaheira. Cernd merely nodded, leaning closer to the imprint. It was, as Fritha had pointed out, large, the boot it came from clearly stout with a heavy tread and there was something crushed in it too, some sort of plant matter. Carefully, Cernd freed it from the mud holding it up to the light for closer inspection.

'Hmm, a leaf,' he confirmed after a moment, showing it to the women. 'There is too little left to tell you what it came from, but it doesn't look to be local. It was probably picked up in the tread of his boot. And this,' he continued, taking up a little of the rich black mud that still clung to it to smooth it between his fingers, his years spent as a potter giving him an intuitive knowledge when it came to soils, 'do you see the tiny fragments of shell and fish bone?'

'Silt?' came Fritha and he nodded glancing up to send her a smile.

'Exactly. If this came from anywhere in Athkatla, it will have been near to the docks.'

Cernd sniffed it once before touching it to his tongue, Fritha squealing, clearly revolted.

'Oh, don't do that!'

'That is odd,' he muttered, looking to Jaheira as he explained, 'the taste- it tastes of soap.'

'Oh, hear that?' said Fritha, looking up as the temple bells tolled highsun, 'We had better be heading over to the Council Buildings, our meeting is soon.'

They set off and it seemed no time at all before they were stood before the grandiose architecture of the main government building. Cernd had seen the place before, of course, though he had never had any reason to step inside until now. He followed the two women as through the great oak doors and into a wide entrance hall, two staircases and numerous other hallways and doors leading from it, clerks flitting back and forth, their urgent whispering echoing to fill the air like a nest of angry bees and only serving to make him more nervous. Something which did nothing for the more primal urges coursing through him now, his whole body twitching with the urge to lash out and flee.

Jaheira had caught one of the passing clerks, the man nodding once and the druid beckoned Fritha and himself as the youth turned to lead them along the leftmost corridor and in a flurry of customary civilities Cernd was suddenly sat before the stout, stern figure of Magistrate Ianulin.

'Good afternoon, citizens,' she greeted pleasantly, glancing up from the papers that strewed the desk between them and starting slightly as she noticed the two women, 'Ah, are you not the two who accompanied the young Lord Delryn here a month or so past now? How is he?'

Fritha glanced briefly to Jaheira, before turning to answer, 'He is well, magistrate, though his sister's death still troubles him.'

The woman nodded with a matronly sympathy.

'Yes, it can be difficult when no one is seen to pay for the crime; though I am very pleased the young man was convinced not to take the law into his own hands.' She paused a moment, letting this more sombre air hang between them a moment, before she smiled and continued, 'But what can I help you with today?

'Well…' began Fritha, the girl trailing off as she glanced to him and Cernd swallowed, very aware that this was his chance, and possibly the only one he would be given, to plead his case.

'They are here on my behalf, honourable magistrate,' he began calmly, finally reigning in his nerves and from then the magistrate listened patiently as he told his tale. And it took some time. He left out nothing baring is rather unusual heritage, though the story was such that she still had cause to raise her dark eyebrows more than once, most men leaving their wives for a mistress more mundane than the Earth Mother.

'I see,' she said eventually, leaning back in her chair slightly and frowning in a way that made Cernd tense. 'I am actually more familiar with this case than I would have first realised. Lord Deril had to inform us when he moved to officially adopt the boy as his own upon the death of his wife, your estranged spouse, Galia. Without any official records of paternity concerning the boy, it was, of course, granted. The child was taken into his household most wholly,' she added, as though the idea would be of some comfort to him, 'with rights of inheritance and lineage.'

'But he is my son! My blood!' Cernd cried, two hands instantly on each of his shoulders, the two women holding him in his chair though it hardly registered, the blood roaring in his ears as something more primal fought for control. 'I had no idea Galia was with child or I never would have left in the first instance!'

Ianulin said nothing of his outburst, perhaps understanding that in such a situation tempers would run high, though her look was unyielding and he reined in his anger with some difficultly as she continued.

'I am not without sympathy for your plight, sir, but you must understand this child is Lord Deril's under the law. Unless you can prove some neglect or the like that would show his unsuitability, then the child will remain his. And,' she continued, letting her stern gaze travel the three of them, 'that is not an excuse for you to go poking around in his affairs stirring up trouble in efforts to find something incriminating. I usually find in such cases, rare as they are, it is the child that suffers the most of all and I am sure no one here would wish for that.'

Cernd dipped his head as he fought to control the rush of emotions in his. No he did not want that and yet at the same time he yearned to see him, hold him: that child he had made with Galia, that small part of her that lived still.

xxx

Anomen rolled his shoulders, more than looking forward to getting out of his armour as he pushed open the door of the Coronet. Another day of fruitless searching was over, the crypts below the city as lifeless as the corpses that rested within them, something which would have normally pleased him, though at the moment he would have given anything for some trouble that would have led to the missing Lathandites.

The tavern was crowded, the heat from both the two large fireplaces and the press of patrons making the air stiflingly hot. It seemed they were not the first to return though and at their usual table over by the windows he could see Fritha, Cernd and Jaheira, the latter two leaned together and engaged in what appeared to be an earnest discussion, Fritha ignoring them in favour of sharing out the ale that had just been set on their table.

'Good evening,' Anomen greeted as he reached them, Fritha sending him a faint nod, while the two druids glanced up from their conversation, the woman forcing a smile as her eyes travelled them.

'Ah, you have returned; did your search meet with any more success today?'

Anomen glanced to Minsc, sharing a frown with the ranger before shaking his head, and he could feel the others about him fidgeting tiredly as he spoke, all of them eager to change their clothes and wash away the dust of that decaying place.

'No, my lady, no sign of either the child or the priests that went after him.'

Minsc nodded gravely. 'Though Boo knows it to be impossible, it is as though they all disappeared into the air.'

'Yes, well, there seems to be a lot of that going around,' sighed Fritha, 'We are still no closer to finding this Valygar fellow.'

Anomen frowned, knowing this lack of progress would only serve to encourage her towards finding an alternative path to her friend. He had not forgotten her invitation to visit the vampires was that evening; indeed, it had been plaguing him all day.

'Have we ordered our meal yet, my lady?'

Fritha shook her head, neatly avoiding any further expositions of her plans as she merely answered, 'No, not yet.'

'Then we've time to go and change before we eat?' the tiefling continued, turning to Aerie with a cheerful smile. Fritha shrugged.

'You can all do whatever you wish; I will have to go out again soon.'

'So, you are still planning to go and meet with this guild?' confirmed Aerie sharply, a slight flush rising in her cheeks.

'Yes, I am,' said Fritha bluntly, giving her an expectant look as though daring her to say anymore. Aerie looked as though she would as well, the girl frowning as she drew a breath to continue when Haer'Dalis caught her eye, the man shaking his head imperceptibly and the elf exhaled with an angry reluctance.

Anomen sighed deeply. Fritha was set on going, it seemed, and he knew well enough what that meant for him. He pulled out the closest chair and sank heavily into it. There was no point in returning to his room now; his armour would be needed for a time yet.

The three he left standing seemed to share a look before slowly moving to follow his example and sit as well, the maid arriving not long after with more cups and another pitcher of ale and the group sat talking of nothing and drinking just to pass the time. Fritha kept her attention firmly on her cup, Anomen suspected, so she could ignore the dark looks she no doubt sensed passing between the group as dusk fell outside the windows.

And, at last, Fritha pushed her chair back with a sigh and rose, pointedly swinging her cloak about her shoulders as she did so.

'Well, the sun is set and I must go. Is anyone else attending with me?'

A last round of disgruntled looks travelled those present before one by one they nodded and stood as well and Fritha led them out into the twilight.

Outside, the evening air was pleasantly cool after the crowded heat of the Coronet, the streets around them empty for the most part and seeming to grow emptier still as they journeyed south, skirting the edge of the temple district, headed to the cemetery that rested against the south western quarter of the city walls. Fritha led the way alone, the rest of them following in knots of twos and threes, none seemingly bothered about trying to continue talking her out of the meeting at this late stage.

Anomen glanced up as they rounded the curve of the street and, at last, the tall granite walls of the city cemetery came into view. It was really a district in its own right, the graveyard at least as large as the slums, a sprawling metropolis of mausoleums and family vaults set on narrow cobble paths like some city of the dead. It was where the rich of Athkatla spent their final rest,thepoor merely acquiring berths in the crypts under the city that were more than familiar to him now.

The group halted just before the ornately carved archway that was the entrance, Aerie pulling her cloak about her more tightly about her as a cold breeze stirred the yew trees just inside the open gates.

'So, where are we supposed to meet this guildmistress,' demanded Jaheira, casting about them with a frown.

'Well, here, I think,' offered Fritha and their group started as a voice, cold and disturbingly girlish, spoke behind them.

'Ah, you have come, Fritha.'

Anomen had whirled with the others and watched with held breath as the creature stepped from shadows of the archway to stand boldly in the bright pane of moonlight before them. 'I am pleased you decided to accept my invitation. I am Bodhi and I greet you warmly.'

She was surprisingly petite, her skin a pale lifeless grey, her hair a tangle of black that looked wild and unkempt, yet in a rather well tended way. She was wearing a dress that would have probably served most women quite well as an undergarment, the outfit little more than a tight black corset with long silken skirts that ended in tatters and wisps just above her ankles and the whole effect was one of decayed opulence, corrupted and dark.

Anomen could sense the woman's malevolence even from that distance, an aura of palpable evil washing over him as she approached them. Something he was not alone in either, the others about him all suddenly tensed, hands twitching over their weapons, Aerie clutching the holy symbol at her neck so tightly he would not have been surprised to later find its imprint pressed into her palm. Fritha, though, was either unaffected or ignoring it, the girl stepping forward to dip a slight bow as she replied politely, 'I accept your welcome, Bodhi. Parisa said you have an offer for us.'

Bodhi smiled at this mention of her servant, revealing two neat rows of pointed ivory teeth and Anomen had to fight against the impulse to pull Fritha away from her.

'That is so. I understand you are collecting monies to secure the rescue of your missing companion, Imoen, and I also wish to offer my aid in the task. My offer is simple, I can obtain for you her location and will even arrange for your transport there for the sum of five thousand gold pieces.'

Fritha frowned slightly and Anomen suspected her suspicions matched his own. He had been sure they would have some foul task to perform in return for such aid.

'That is it? Just coin?' the girl questioned, her eyes narrowing, 'What would someone like yourself need with gold?'

Bodhi smiled wryly. 'I fear my reasons are my own until you decide where your loyalties lie. Now, do we have an agreement?'

'I,' Fritha began, clearly feeling the eyes of those behind her boring into her back. She sighed. 'I will need to think on it.'

Bodhi inclined her head slightly in acceptance of this.

'As you will, but remember, Fritha, my patience is not limitless. Return here in three days with your answer. Farewell.'

Bodhi turned to walk away, seeming to fade as she did so, merging to the shadows of the cemetery until she was gone. Wordlessly, Fritha turned to lead them northwards once more and it seemed they were streets away before the darkness of the vampire's presence was finally banished, the group breathing a collective sigh of relief.

'Well,' began Jaheira sharply, the first to break the spellbound silence Bodhi had left hanging over them. 'Are you still so keen on working with them?'

Her question had an almost rhetorical air, borne with the slight smugness as of one expecting a vehement about-face on her previous stance, but Fritha merely shrugged.

'No more or less keen than I was before. Her offer was worthy of consideration.'

Jaheira seemed to tower over the girl. 'Fritha, you cannot be serious! If you will not be swayed by the obvious evil of what you would be allying with, considered then the sum we have already paid to Gaelen!'

'Oh, Gaelen,' laughed Fritha tiredly, 'I do love how he's suddenly become our saviour now.' She turned to send her a shrewd look, 'None of us know who he's working for.'

'No,' agreed Minsc evenly, 'but Boo says, it would be most difficult for them to be worse than these vampires.'

Fritha smiled wryly, dipping her head in acquiescence. 'Perhaps so, but Gaelen still needs another ten thousand gold before he'll help. Bodhi is offering her aid for half that.'

'But-!'came Aerie, and Fritha halted abruptly, something about her manner hardening.

'Look, I said I would think about it and I will! Ten thousand gold pieces is a vast amount of money; it could take months to raise it, especially now the winter is upon us.'

Aerie did not look very happy at having the discussion so firmly ended and neither did Jaheira, though they were left no further chance to continue.The group had stopped at a crossroads in the slums, the eastern street leading back to the Coronet though Anomen could tell by the way she stood apart from them that Fritha had no intention of taking it.

'Right, I'll see you lot later,' the girl said, confirming his suspicions. Anomen sent her a concerned frown.

'You are not returning to the inn, my lady?'

'No, I think I'll go out for a bit.'

'Out where?' snapped Jaheira and Fritha sighed tiredly.

'Oh, I don't know, anywhere but here.'

Jaheira sent her a stern look and the girl threw up her hands in frustrated defeat. 'The theatre then!'

And before any other complaint could be made, Fritha turned to march off in the opposite direction, Haer'Dalis sharing a whispered exchange with Aerie before jogging after her.

'Wait, I shall join you, my raven.'

The girl nodded curtly, allowing him to link arms with her and Anomen watched them until they were swallowed by the shadows.

xxx

That first blast of cold night air felt wonderful against his face and neck as Haer'Dalis practically fell through the tavern doorway, Fritha at his heels, the pair of them flushed and laughing.

They had not bothered attending the theatre in the end, Fritha having no desire to meet Higgold only to be forced to listen to the director's latest ream of woes, and Haer'Dalis had instead led them to a tavern just south of the Promenade that he had once visited with his friends from the Sigil troupe. The Gilded Lion was a small welcoming place that often had music even if it did not have the room for dancing. Its lively atmosphere was good for lifting the spirits or drowning one's sorrows both, something he had discovered first hand; Raelis's rejection hard to bear even to the end.

Fritha was stood next to him now, drawing in deep cool lungfuls with the same appreciation he had, her blue woollen coat hanging loose and open, both of them with their cloaks slung over their bags, the ale they had drunk more than fortifying them against the night's cold.

'Be careful, there you two,' rumbled the guard kindly as he moved to shut the door behind them, Fritha sending him a smile that could have lit the whole street.

'We will. Goodnight, sir.'

Haer'Dalis grinned as well, though for a completely different reason, the man drawing in a theatrical gasp as they set off down the darkened street.

'Fritha, did you just wink at him?'

Fritha did the impossible as she flushed even pinker. 'Of course not!'

'Really, my raven, half a pint of cider and you become the most appalling flirt.'

'Haer'Dalis!' she shrieked, unable to actually continue her protestations for laughing and Haer'Dalis joined her in the gesture, the girl's amusement infectious. That he loved Aerie most wholly was true enough, but she did not laugh like Fritha, with such careless joy. Her laughter had finally faded now, the girl grinning she skipped forward a few steps and began to dance to the tune she was singing.

'Tujhe dekha to yeh jaana, sanam. Pyaar hota hai deewana, sanam.'

Her movements were sharp and angular in the Calimshite style; hips, shoulders and head all bobbing to a beat only she could hear, the girl dancing along the street before him tracing patterns in the air with her hands as she pretended to shyly serenade him with her song of love.

'Ahhhhhh, la la la, la la la, meri aankhon mein aansu tere aa gaye, muskuraane lage saare gha-'

She stopped suddenly, dropping back to walk next to him once more just as a pair of city watchmen stepped round the corner before them, the two pairs exchanging a polite nod as they passed, Fritha and the bard instantly dissolving into whispery laughter as soon as they were safely around the corner.

'Ah, my raven,' he sighed, fondly ruffling her hair, 'you are wasted on this plane.'

'No, no, give me a couple more rounds yet,' she quipped wryly and he smiled.

'Oh, very amusing; you know of what I speak. You could be a dancer or a musician of the highest skill, and instead you must waste your talents mouldering away this city.'

'Don't,' she said quietly, her smile suddenly replaced with a painfully empty look, 'don't say things like that. We both know thinking about it won't make it any different; we all could have been someone else…'

'And you could be her still,' Haer'Dalis pressed earnestly, 'after all this has passed. You would make quite the dancer, my raven.' He paused a moment, wondering if he should continued, before- 'I know Nalia thought so and she had enjoyed formal instruction in the art.'

Fritha looked to him sharply. 'She told you that?'

'Yes, on that first evening when you danced together in the Coronet, when those minstrels from the Dales were playing. She said she thought you had a soul for it, and no amount of lessons can afford you that.'

Fritha had turned away again and though he could not see her face, he suspected she was not smiling. 'Do you still miss her?'

The girl shrugged and nodded, glancing to him again as she continued, 'I am glad, though, that she is not here to see what must come… I think I would find my decision a much harder one to make if she were to look upon me with the same disappointment I see from the others.'

'You have decided your course then?'

She nodded, her eyes staring out at a point far ahead them in the darkness. 'Yes, I think so.'

'Ah, my raven, do not fret,' he sighed, putting an arm about her shoulders, 'whatever your choice, this sparrow will remain at your side.'

The contact seemed to bring her round slightly, the girl smiling, her eyes soft.

'You are very kind, Haer'Dalis. I appreciate this, you know, you coming out with me of an evening; it helps…' He watched as she raised her face to the inky sky, though her eyes were closed. 'Everything feels different at night, like the days are just a dream: a nightmare of hopes and struggles that I must endure until the sun sets and the glare is finally gone from the world, and I can be myself in the darkness it leaves behind.' She dropped her face to gaze at him again, her eyes fixed on his with that same soft look. 'Like I am only alive when I am out with you.'

He smiled slightly. 'Jasmine is not the only flower that blooms at night.'

A tense silence seemed to hold them, the moment hanging timeless between them, until the slight twitching in the edge of her lip was involuntarily mirrored by his own and the pair bust into raucous laughter.

'By Milil, that was dreadful, even for you!'

'Oh, forgive me, my raven,' he laughed, feeling warm in their uncomplicated camaraderie, 'I am, before all else, a poet.'

'Well, I have every sympathy for Aerie if that is the usual rubbish you spout,' Fritha giggled, lightly slapping his cheek as she continued with a sigh. 'Ah, I love it when you've been drinking, you get all flushed; it looks so adorable.'

Haer'Dalis grinned. He had been called striking, handsome, even beautiful before now, but never adorable. He rather liked it.

'Come along, my raven,' he laughed, throwing an arm about her once more, 'pick a song to get us home on.'

Fritha drew a breath and began, the bard joining her a bar later and together they returned to the slums just as they had left them, arm in arm.

xxx

Anomen sank onto his bed with a sigh, the room lit on by the low fire that flickered in the grate, throwing dancing shadows about the room. His armour was finally off and his clothes changed, though this was hardly the relief it would have been before they had attended the graveyard. Anomen closed his eyes, hearing her words again, tired but firm.

'I will need to think on it.'

He could not deny it; a part of him had hoped Fritha would refuse outright once that vampire had made her appearance, though it had been foolish of him to think she would. Fritha had met with their ilk before, if she was willing to attend the vampires in the first instance she would no doubt wish to hear their offer. And then it had come to light just what Bodhi was offering and Anomen had felt his heart sink.

And so the girl was 'considering it' and Anomen could only pray she decided against it because he knew what his path would be should she choose to change their allegiance…

But such thoughts did nothing and Anomen had just stirred himself into lighting the lamps in order to do some reading when there was a knock at his door, the man opening it on Aerie, the elf looking slight and troubled stood before his open doorway.

'I am sorry for disturbing you like this,' she apologised as he invited her in, letting her take the chair at the fireplace as he sank down on to the hearthrug opposite her. 'I just could not bear another moment alone in my room. I keep going over and over it all in my mind: what will happen to our group if Fritha allies us with those vampires, can I put aside my beliefs for my loyalties to her? After all, she saved my life and everyone at the circus too, and all she does is for her poor imprisoned friend. But then I think of what we will be doing. To ally with such creatures is against every fibre of my being! And so my thoughts go back and forth until I feel as though I will run mad.' She sent him a sad half-smile, 'You must think me very foolish.'

Anomen shook his head.

'No, Aerie, I do not. There is not one of us does not feel similarly, for it is an unkind situation in which we find ourselves.' He sighed, smiling wryly as he cast his mind back to the sewer tunnel what felt like a lifetime ago now. 'Ah,I ever was a fool. Do you recall once long ago me lecturing you on this matter, how we were this group's moral compass and there would come a time when it would fall to us to ensure our company remained on the right path. And now look at me.'

'But it is good that you feel such indecision, Anomen,' Aerie assured him with conviction, 'it shows that you care for both your own morals and your duties to Fritha, as I do.'

Anomen almost laughed, feeling both hopeless and elated at the same time.

'But do you not see, Aerie? There is no indecision. I knew in my heart the moment Fritha said she would meet with them, that if she decides to work with the vampires I will stay. There would be no way I could leave her then; allying herself with that nest of vipers, it would be then that she would need me the most.'

Aerie looked both shocked and awed by his admission.

'But Anomen, surely the Order would frown on such a course; you would risk losing all that you have worked for, all you've achieved?'

He shrugged loosely, his voice quiet. 'I would not have achieved what I have without her help, perhaps it is fitting.'

Aerie just shook her head, seemingly unable to reply to this and after a moment, she sighed, turning to gaze blankly into the fire.

'I must admit, this change in our alliance is not the only thing that troubles me. I can understand your reasoning. Indeed, I understand Fritha's even though I do not agree with it, but Haer'Dalis's… He goes along with it all so willingly, not even a word of caution or reluctance, as though he does not even care that we could be allied to such evil.'

'That he does not seem to be against it is true enough, my lady, but he does not speak in favour of the alliance either,' Anomen reasoned, though more for her peace of mind than any real belief it was so, 'Perhaps he merely follows as we do, and keeps any reservations silent out of his regard for Fritha- I am sorry, my lady, I did not mean-' he added, suddenly worried at how that would have sounded but the elf just waved his words away.

'No, no, I understand. After all, what is the point in complaining if you intend to go along with it anyway? Fritha isn't a fool. She understands the risks and consequences as well as any of us.'

A silence seemed to fall between them a moment and though Anomen suspected he already knew her answer he asked her regardless.

'And what will you do, my lady?'

'If we agree to work for the vampires?' Aerie confirmed, before she sighed deeply. 'I could return to the circus perhaps. Ah, I don't know, I really don't.' She turned to him, her blue eyes suddenly bright with hope. 'Anomen, what do you think Fritha would do if we all refused to ally with them?'

'I believe she would continue her path without us. She would not have made the decision lightly; if she chose such a course, I believe she would see it as the only way and see it through to the conclusion.'

'Alone?'

Anomen smiled slightly at her naivety. 'There is nothing stopping Fritha gathering together another group, Aerie, just as she once gathered together this one.'

And for a moment he imagined it, the torture of no longer being in her company, all his contact with Fritha reduced to those chance occasions when they would meet in the city, where they would perhaps nod and exchange a few polite words before parting ways once more, returning to their own lives, forever divided.

'Do you imagine Haer'Dalis and Fritha talk about us like this?' asked Aerie, breaking though his reverie and Anomen smiled.

'I sincerely doubt it, my lady. They are likely too busy enjoying themselves. I-'

He stopped as something just on the edge of his hearing caught his attention. A familiar pair of voices, lifted in song, were echoing along the street outside. Anomen rose and crossed to the window, Aerie close behind him and they watched as Fritha and Haer'Dalis finally strolled into view.

'The bee shall honey taste no more, the dove becomes a ranger; the falling waters cease to roar, ere I shall seek to change her.'

They did not seem particularly drunk though they certainly looked to be in good spirits, Haer'Dalis holding one of her hands as Fritha danced along next to him, occasionally twirling herself under his arm.

'The vow we made to heav'n above shall ever cheer and bind me. In constancy to her I love, the girl I left behind me.'

The final note was lost in a shriek as Haer'Dalis swept her up into his arms to spin her around, Fritha screaming shrilly before it soon descended into her warm laughter.

'By the planes, my raven,' he huffed, hefting her in his arms, 'you must weigh a full long ton!'

'No, I don't, you cheeky git!' she laughed, cuffing his shoulder for good measure, 'Now put me down.'

He obliged her just as the pair disappeared behind the edge of the window frame to continue on down the street. Aerie stepped back from the window, her voice quiet.

'I should retire; it must be late if they're returned.'

Anomen nodded once, half his attention still on the pane before him.

'Goodnight, my lady.'

xxx

Aerie was sat on the large plain bed absently pulling a comb through her hair, eyes drifting over her room, neat and familiar in the soft glow of the lamps;spellbooks stacked upon on the dresser, robes draped tidily over the back of her chair. She was already wearing the shift she planned to sleep in, though she had no intention of going to bed, not yet anyway.

That last morning in Trademeet seemed a lifetime ago now, awaking next to Haer'Dalis in the dawn still. So much had passed between them since that morning; she had learnt of his mother and perhaps more than she would have liked of his Doomguard philosophies and though they had argued more than once, the bond between them had felt all the stronger for it and now…

Now something had surfaced between them that could part them forever, because Haer'Dalis seemed more than happy to accompany Fritha on her alliance with the vampires and it was a path Aerie was not sure she could ever agree to walking with them.

And there it was finally, the knock at the door she had been waiting for, and Aerie called out without a thought.

'Come in.'

The door opened, Haer'Dalis peering around it to finally find her on the bed, his face lighting with a smile.

'Ah, you are already retired, my dove? I will merely wish you a good night then.'

'Yes, goodnight,' she sighed, unable to keep the terseness from her voice and she watched his smile fade, the man seeming to know she was unhappy and entering without invitation to sink on to the bed next to her.

'Are you angry with me, my dove? I am back in good time and not deep in my cups.' He frowned slightly, 'Are you displeased I accompanied the raven tonight? You said you did not mind when I asked you earlier.'

Aerie shook her head, recalling their whispered conversation on that darkened street as Fritha walked away from them. Haer'Dalis had wanted to accompany the girl, to 'keep her from herself' as he had put it, and Aerie had been glad to let him go, knowing Fritha would have likely refused anyone but the bard.

'No, I am not cross you went with Fritha, I am just...' She trailed off with a sigh, finding it hard to put her worries into words and in the end she just asked bluntly, 'Haer'Dalis, why do you want us to join with the vampires?'

The tiefling looked mildly surprised. 'What makes you think I do?'

'From your complete lack of protest!' she snapped, annoyed that he seemed to be avoiding answering. 'Has it something to do with you being a Doomguard? That you feel you should embrace the most destructive course.'

Haer'Dalis frowned again, slowly shaking his head.

'No, my philosophies have no bearing on my decision. I do not protest against this proposed alliance, my dove, simply because I do not care; who we finally work for is not what I deem of importance at this time.' He smiled slightly. 'I can see the abhorrence in your eyes at this admission, Aerie, but think on it another way. Fritha has been offered the thing she desire most at a price which is on the verge of being too high for her and now she is faced with a difficult decision between her oldest friend and her own conscience. Anyone can see she needs support, but you are all too busy disapproving and trying to tell her what she should do to lend it to her. But this sparrow trusts her judgement. I have not forgotten that she saved the lives of me and my friends both and if she wishes to work with vampires then she need not convince me, I will follow.'

Aerie watched him looking back at her with quiet conviction and she felt suddenly tearful. She always seemed to assume the worst of his actions before finding out his reasons. She sighed heavily.

'Oh, why does everything have to be like this? At least before all our troubles were on the outside, things we could face together. But lately it seems as though all our troubles have come from within. First Nalia left, and now this threatens to split our group in two.'

'There now, my dove,' Haer'Dalis soothed gently, 'do not distress yourself over things which have yet to come to pass; whatever course you decide, our alliance need not end because of it. Here, let me.' He took the comb from her hand, moving behind her slightly to continue brushing her hair and she pulled away instinctively. Haer'Dalis frowned. 'Why do you shy from me, Aerie?'

Aerie swallowed. She knew well her reasoning, but she was not sure she was ready for him to understand it. She glanced to him, his eyes searching her face with a pained look and in the end she relented.

'I- my back, there are scars where my wings were…' She lifted her hair briefly to show him, her face half-turned to see his reaction, though his expression was unreadable. 'See?'

'Yes, I see, my dove.'

She heard him sigh, the man gently laying his face against the back of her head and she could feel his breath stirring her hair, the question that had been pressing on her for a while now forming on her lips. 'Haer'Dalis, what- what do you think of them?'

'Think of them?' he repeated, sweeping aside the curtain of hair to look over them again and Aerie felt him lightly trace a finger over them, 'I like them.'

'You like them?'

'Not how you got them or the loss you associate with them, but the scars themselves, I like them. Flaws can be beautiful, my dove. They show where you have been, what you have done. A wise person once said you cannot be angry with your past if you like who you are in the present; you change your past, even for the better, and you are a different person.'

'But-But you like them?' Aerie said again, his talk of twisted beauty making her feel slightly sick.

'Well, you would prefer if I found them abhorrent?' he snapped tersely, finally losing his temper with her, 'By the Lady's Shadow, Aerie, what do you want from me?'

She shook her head, melancholy again. 'I don't know. I'm sorry, please stay.'

'For what? So, we can lie together again and then tomorrow you can push me even further away? I do no understand, Aerie.'

'Neither do I. I-' She trailed off. How could she explain it to him? That feeling she had sometimes as though there were some unbridgeable gulf between them. 'I just feel so different from you. The way you view the world; where I see horrors, you see marvels. Those things you have experienced, with your mother and- and your past, they must be the root of it. If we could just talk about it-'

'And how would that help? You would have me dredge up things which are best left forgotten, my dove.'

'Oh, I see,' she snapped, losing her temper herself, 'my scars are beautiful, but yours must be kept hidden.'

Haer'Dalis flushed and for the first time she could remember he looked uncomfortable.

'It does not matter how I came to be,' he began eventually, his voice quiet, 'only that I am; remembering my past will not transform it.' He sent her a measured look, 'I cannot change who I am, Aerie.'

'No, I know and I would not want you to,' she assured him promptly, trying to will the truth of it into her heart. Aerie sighed deeply, knowing from experience she was getting nowhere. 'Ah, I am tired, let us talk of this no more now.' She laid a hand upon his arm. 'Please stay, we don't have to- well, I just want to be with you.'

Haer'Dalis looked at her a long while, eyes searching her face before he sighed tiredly and nodded.

'Ah, I never could deny you. Here,' he said, pulling back the blankets, 'lie down.'

She did as he asked, watching as he put out the lamp and removed his boots and belt before lying down next to her. And there she lay in the darkness, listening to his breathing steady and deepen as sleep claimed him.