-Chapter Eighteen-

Casavir awoke with a start as his hand wandered to the cold spot in the bed. It had been two months since the first time Lana had shared his bed and ever since, she had been a constant presence by his side. He lay and reminisced of their travels to gather evidence for her trial flooded over him and finally the day had arrived for the trial. He surmised Lana had quietly risen and left to prepare with Sand without waking him.

Lana and Casavir had traveled with Sand, Bishop, Khelgar and Shandra for the last two months in search of evidence to clear Lana's name. She had been falsely accused by Luskan for the annihilation of the small village of Ember. They had traveled to Port Llast and Duskwood where they had conquered werewolves and goblins. The party had met several people; some related to the trial and several not before finally returning to Neverwinter. The road had been long and strenuous for the small band as they searched to clear Lana's name.

Casavir sadly recalled watching Lana interrogate Alaine, the lone survivor of Ember and the same woman who had watched Shandra be dragged away by githyanki in what seemed so long ago. Lana had confronted Alaine with seething, fierce anger and loathing as she questioned Alaine, but Casavir understood Lana's actions. Alaine had betrayed Shandra through her inaction to aid to Shandra; to Lana there was no greater sin then to betray a friend.

Painful memories washed over him when he remembered their time in Ember. They had unwillingly become witnesses to the slaughter of the small village; the innocent lives wasted in an effort to bring Lana and Neverwinter to their knees. Lana had been asked by Nya, an herbalist in Port Llast, to sprinkle wyrmsage on the deceased in Ember. Lana stoically agreed to this duty, feeling it was her way to pay tribute to those lost.

Casavir sadly recalled that Ember had also been the scene of a bitter argument between Lana and himself. The party had met Marcus the first time they had traveled through Ember and the strange child had asked for Bishop's hunting knife. Lana had convinced him to surrender the dagger to the boy for unknown reasons and Bishop had grudgingly agreed at Lana's bidding.

At the time Marcus had first made the strange request, Casavir had not given the episode much thought. He had put it aside as another of many odd occurrences they had witnessed over their travels. On the return trip through Ember, they had found Marcus hiding in the village well and he had returned the knife to Lana. That was the beginning of the dispute.

"Here is your hunting knife back, just as I promised Bishop," Lana offered, holding the hilt to him.

"Huh, you keep it. I don't need it and you could use a good, light blade," Bishop had grunted nonchalantly.

"But Bishop, you told me it was of some importance to you. I cannot keep something of such personal worth," she insisted.

"I said you keep it. You might need it for some up close damage since all you carry are those longswords and longbow. I wouldn't want anyone damaging that pretty neck of yours because you were ill prepared," he had sneered at her.

She hefted it in her hand, looking at the sinister blade and again at Bishop. "I thank you, I will keep it close to me and use it well," she replied as if Bishop had given her a great gift. She had then carefully tucked it into her bandolier where the blade laid snuggly between her breasts.

Casavir had seethed inside that Bishop had offered a personal keepsake and she had so willingly accepted.

What in the nine hells is he playing at? She knew that blade held importance to him and now he just casts it aside to her? I think not!

They had had to search the remains of the burnt village to find all of the bodies left unburied and untended. With each recovered victim, Lana's jaw clenched tighter and tighter. No one had been spared; the elderly, babes in arms, small children, women and men. The people were burned in their homes or killed as they tried to escape. There were charred bodies huddled in corners of houses in obvious attempts to seek shelter from the slaughter outside. They had then become trapped by the fires the killers had laid to every building. The group had even found slaughtered animals and pets. Almost every victim all had been weaponless. This was not the doing of any one with honor, it had been a massacre.

Casavir tried to contain his anger and frustration as they made their way through Ember. The reek of death and despair hung over them all. Constant thoughts of Bishop and Lana again haunted him, making everything seem darker and more oppressing.

It had been hard on them all; Khelgar and Sand had remained stoic, saying very little. Shandra had openly wept and uttered cries of dismay. Even Bishop seemed to be affected and had remained oddly silent, offering no snide comments or cruel remarks.

Once they had settled camp some distance from Ember's remains, Casavir gruffly pulled Lana aside to confront her as he could contain his anger no more.

"What in the hells is going on?" he snarled without warning.

"I would ask the same question of you Casavir," she inquired with rising anger in her voice.

"Why did you keep his knife? What makes you think to keep such a thing?" he boomed, sharply nodding his head in Bishop's direction.

She scowled at him. "Keeping Bishop's knife? That is what is upsetting you Casavir? Are you insane? Have you not seen the massacre before us, smelled the charred bodies or noticed all that is going on around us and you're worried about a knife?" she spat angrily.

"I am not blind to what we have seen but you appear to be blind to Bishop! Do you not realize the depths of his depravity? He is not to be trusted, he is not a pet dog but a ravenous wolf who would like nothing more then to devour you," he shot back.

Lana only looked at him with a mixture of frustration and dismay. She shook her head slowly, "Still so much jealously Casavir, why do you let him torture you so? Do you not know that I am true to you? It is you I want to be with, he is my friend and I trust him. He knows that, why don't you?"

He stood staring into her eyes at a loss for words. He knew she was right but there was more then just simple jealously in his heart.

"I am sorry my lady, I know this. I do not trust him nor ever will as you do. I have listened to what you have said but your attachment to Bishop frightens me. He is evil and I fear for you since you cannot or will not see that. He will turn on you, he is no man's friend," Casavir said at last, sighing in resignation.

"I only worry about you my lady. This has become such a heavy burden. I only want to help you, not cause you more grief or trouble," he finished heavily.

"I know Casavir, and this day has been hard for everyone. Shall we return to the others and get some sleep?" Lana said wearily.

They returned to camp were the atmosphere was grim. No one spoke anything more then necessary as they put out their bedrolls. Casavir noted with the smallest spark of pleasure that Lana had still placed her bedding next to his in spite of their disagreement.

Lana lay down next to Casavir and curled her backside against him. He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her. He was dismayed when he felt her shoulders shaking as silent tears racked her body. Lana lay huddled in his arms in an uncharacteristic display of weakness as she wept quietly. The anguish of Ember's slaughter, aggravation of the impending trial and the burden she silently bore of being the shard bearer and leader washed over her. He had held her, tried to comfort her but felt inadequate in the face of it all.

One of the only positive things that had come from their search was discovering evidence placing Lorne, a large Luskan assassin, firmly at Duskwood. They had also encountered Lyssa, a dryad who had given Lorne alteration powder he had used to transform himself into Lana. Marcus had also given a positive identification Lorne had been disguised as Lana while they were in the well. These clues had given them all a glimmer of hope after they recovered from the shock of discovering Luskan's involvement. They were uncovering evidence concerning the trial but the motive still lay unanswered.