Chapter 44 A Good Woman is Hard to Find
Usual disclaimers: The characters are owned by Bioware, Obsidian, and a whole boatload of others and not me, with the exception of a bear and paladin-lovin' ranger and an occasional NPC. Again, a few liberties were taken with spells. Then again, we still don't know what new spells were in the Tome of Iltkazar, so there. As always, reviews or comments appreciated, as well as pm discussions.
On the Sword Coast:
Aldanon turned over on his side and curled up, his thumb stuck firmly in his mouth. Nethen and Troki, two of his research assistants, had gently carried him from the chair in the audience chamber, where he had been sleeping soundly. Troki looked down at him and smiled as Nethen unfastened his belt and loosened his robe. She whispered, "He looks like a little boy. So peaceful." She tucked the covers around him, and they tiptoed out of his bed chamber and sought the warmth of their own beds.
The ancient sage mumbled something in his sleep and tossed fitfully, eventually working off the covers. But that left him vulnerable to the chill night air, and he thrashed a while longer until the chill overcame sleep. He sat on the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes and tried to remember going to bed in the first place. He thought it ironic that at his age he slept perfectly well with his head cradled by a book on a hard table in the library or sitting in one of the stiff chairs. But when he was in a soft, warm bed, sleep often eluded him. He dangled his legs for a few minutes before he braved the icy floor, grumbling about where his slippers had run off to, then toddled over to the chamberpot resting on a low table (set at just the right height to avoid accidents) and stood there for some time waiting for nature to take its course, which was happening with alarming frequency. A few dribbles led to a small stream, then after a few more spurts and with a final shake he closed his robe with a contented sigh.
"What was I doing," he muttered, scratching his head. "Oh! I remember now! We were waiting in the audience chamber for the Captain and her companions to return from the Mere. But why do I get the feeling I've forgotten something?" He wandered over to the window and peered out at the darkness as he scratched his head again trying to remember if they had returned but he had forgotten about it. He decided he was sure he would have remembered something like that, but that led to another train of thought. "My Contingency spell hasn't triggered yet either. Or has it?" He scratched his head while he tried to remember exactly how he worded the spell before he gave up. "No matter. It will all work out, I suppose." He rubbed his belly, suddenly conscious of being hungry, and left in search of cinnamon rolls, which he hoped would be available down in the kitchen, if that cook had gotten back from where ever he ran off to with those children.
Khelgar examined the debris in the doorway he and Neeshka had exited hours before, one of several examinations he had made of the stone since then. He leaned against a pillar and thought aloud, "Nothin' more's come sliding down in a while. Stone looks stable now. I think 'tis finally over and 'tis safe to go back in." He had tried breaking another rock, but the continued assault proved to be more than his foot could take. He grumbled, "If I had the power of all the Ironfists behind me, we could dig 'em out in no time."
He looked over his shoulder blushing profusely, conscious of someone coming up on him talking to himself, but the tiefling was still gone, exploring the exterior of the structure for another door. Khelgar looked up and stroked his beard in thought. "Now there's another possibility. We could dig our way down or find a way inside that's not blocked off." He strode up a smooth marble column that was leaning against the roof at an angle as if walking on flat ground and whistled as he surveyed the damage once he reached the top. There was nothing he could do for now, so he sat cross-legged on a portion of the roof that hadn't collapsed and began chanting, though to a casual observer it might have sounded more like snoring.
Neeshka returned from her exploration and looked around for him, calling to him nervously. "Hey! Stumpy! Where are you?" She heard Khelgar's rumbling chant above her so she stepped back until she could see the roof and spotted him sitting above her with his eyes closed. She called up, "Hey stumpy, do you see anything, or are you asleep?"
He opened his eyes and scowled then gestured at her to join him. Neeshka gracefully walked up the column, her tail extended aiding her balance and reminding him of a cat. She sat down beside him. "I didn't find anyone. I reached an a dead end where the swamp has completely taken the building. El could probably find her way through the vines, but I sure couldn't. I could try the other direction later, but I wanted to get back to you." She wrapped her arms around herself to ward off the chill that wasn't entirely due to the cool autumn air. It was true, but she also couldn't stand to be alone any longer either. It was bad enough that it appeared they were the only ones who made it out. She still wouldn't accept it until...she shook her head sadly.
Khelgar turned back to look over the ruin, nudged her and pointed. "Look there, can you see that? I think that's where the Inner Sanctum was. You see the way the damage spirals out from there?" She peered in that direction then nodded, seeing it once he pointed it out to her. He sprang to his feet and carefully stepped on the roof and held his breath to see if it would support his weight. It held, and he exhaled loudly in relief. "I was thinking that if we climbed down over there, we might be able to find a way in. I think that portal that brought us here was somewhere around there too."
"You mean...we use the portal without the others? Could we even do it without Sand? But that's assuming it still exists." She gaped at him in astonishment and couldn't believe Khelgar was the one making the suggestion.
Khelgar didn't look very happy about his suggestion either and bellowed defensively, "I'm not sayin' we abandon the others, fiendling! Here me out!" He flushed and added, "Mayhap we should use it tho', if it wasn't destroyed. We have to get help fast so we can find the others in that rubble and then find out who took the Captain."
Neeshka's tail lashed anxiously. "You're positive you saw her carried off, Khel? Umm, you sure you didn't take a rock to the head? I'm just askin.'"
He snorted loudly, and Neeshka sidestepped to avoid the contents of a nostril. "It would take more than a rock to crack an Ironfist skull!," he bellowed, knocking on his skull to emphasize his point.
Neeshka thought the whole story of monsters stepping out of a portal and spiriting Dee away seemed like something out of a bad play, but she had to admit Dee did seem to attract trouble like fruit attracted gnats, and she reminded him of that. "It's probably because of that cursed planet in her birth chart."
He grunted, not putting any stock in such foolishness, then continued more quietly, "I don't know if I believe that, but I know what I saw, lass, crazy as it sounds. And I'll admit right now it does sound crazy. I wouldn't believe it either if you had been the one who saw it. But it's true! Some kind o' fiends snatched her up from under the rocks and jumped through a portal with her. I heard a crack. They must've broken a bone yankin' her out. I was fightin' one of 'em, and Jerro jumped in after them. Then the one I was fightin' breathed a cloud of somethin' foul in my face that made me fall back so it could join the others. By the time I recovered the portal had closed. Then the building started shakin' again, and I got the hells out of there."
Neeshka could see that he was ashamed that he hadn't been fast enough to stop them and she took his hand. "It's okay, Khel. You did what you could. You don't think...Jerro would have...?" She had come to forgive him as Dee had for what he did to Shandra, and over the past few months had even sought him out in his lair in the cellar to learn what she could coax out of him about the lower planes and about Mephasm, whom she was convinced was her grandfather. She didn't want to believe that Jerro could have betrayed them too, but it occurred to her that he might have needed Dee's sword again once the King of Shadows was destroyed, or that he was using her to fulfill one of his infernal bargains.
Khelgar replied emphatically, "Nay, I tell you I saw Jerro's face clearly! He was trying to stop 'em too, not goin' with 'em. I never liked the man and thought the Captain was bein' too soft on 'im, but he has pulled his weight, I'll give him that. I don't envy him facin' whoever sent those things alone either. Come on, fiendling. It'll be dawn soon. Let's see what we can find up here."
Neeshka took the lead in climbing over the rubble, deftly testing the footing before she motioned him on. "Solid enough, Stumpy. I can't promise it'll hold your weight though." And indeed from time to time they had to pause as the stone under their feet swayed alarmingly or loose rocks slid and threatened to take them down.
Far below in the rubble Sand stretched out the stiffness as much as he could. It was dark and quiet as the grave here now, though they still jumped at the sound of rock falling on rock from time to time. He tried not to dwell on the fact that this ruin might indeed become his grave. His spell had expired long ago, so he didn't dare leave their shelter until he had time to study his spells and renew them. There had been something fetid and unwholesome in the air after the structure first collapsed, and he had been overcome by the fumes and lost consciousness, as had Elanee, but he could smell fresher, slightly less fetid swamp air now.
The space they were in was too tight for Elanee to shapeshift back to her Elven form, so she remained by his side in the form of a vole with Naloth, though the badger, being restless by nature and less cautious than they, had gone exploring. Elanee had curled up in a ball once they awakened. Sand suspected she was panicking being trapped and cut off from nature. He opened his magic bag and withdrew a spellbook and his scroll case and uncovered the light coin in his headband. He withdrew the tome too, but being a transmuter he couldn't cast the spell that opened the portal anyway even if he knew the spell, so he set it aside, though he caressed the cover softly. They had yet to fully explore all the spells within it. But he decided it was safer to stick with the spells familiar to him rather than to experiment with Illefarn magic.
He skimmed over his spells and paused deep in thought then adjusted the light from his coin and glanced around them. "Elanee, dear girl, do you have any idea how close that door was? Or what direction it was from here for that matter?" Elanee sat up and squeaked at him then inclined her head to the left, but then she shook her head, not being sure.
He frowned and steepled his slender fingers under his chin. "I'm not sure either. We could sit here and await rescue, but frankly, I'm not sure there is anyone left to rescue us. I'm afraid that if we try to conjure an earth elemental again it might cause the structure to collapse further. Perhaps if you could shapeshift into the form of an air or water elemental you could find a way out for yourself. Another option is that we could become ethereal and travel through the stone, though if we haven't found a way out by the time the spell expires, we will be ejected into the closest available empty space. Quite forcefully and no doubt painfully, I might add." He sighed and resumed perusing his spellbook.
Naloth squeezed back under the slab and sat down before Elanee, looking intently into her eyes. Elanee stared back and listened as he spoke to her through their bond then needed communicate what he had found to Sand, for there was much to tell. She moved as far away from Sand as she could and resumed her Elven form. They were forced to press against one another because of the tightness of the space. "Naloth says the hallway that led to the door has collapsed and he couldn't find any way through. He found the Construct close to us, but it is stuck under a slab of rock. He didn't see Grobnar though he caught his scent faintly nearby, and he says he heard a sound coming from the Construct while he sniffed it, so he scratched on it."
She paused to stare into Naloth's eyes again as he settled onto her lap, and after a moment she gasped in alarm. "Oh, Sand! He says the only one he found besides us was the bear-walker's mate—Casavir, trapped under rocks. He said he wasn't moving, though he nuzzled him." Elanee sobbed, and she put her face in her hands as her voice failed her.
Sand's voice cracked as he asked, "He...found no sign of the dear girl? She was right beside him."
"None." Elanee shook her head and he pulled her close. She said softly as she buried her head on his chest, "He found no trace of Zhjaeve at all either, nor of Dee other than a faint scent. It's odd though, he says he found her paw cover—that's her boot—and her blood, but she's not in it, and her paw wasn't either. He says it's stuck between rocks."
"That is indeed odd." Sand raised a delicate eyebrow and tried to fathom what that meant. "Perhaps she had to leave it behind so she could free herself and get out."
Elanee smiled hopefully. "That's possible. Perhaps she's outside waiting for us with Neeshka. She had a big enough lead that I'm certain she made it out, and Khelgar was right behind her. And Zhjaeve could be with them too."
He said with more sarcasm than he intended, "Perhaps they are all sitting there having tea and waiting for us. I don't wish to sit here awaiting rescue any longer. Ethereal it is then." Sand leaned back against the stone wall trying to decide which way was least likely to cause them serious pain and injury if the spell expired. He looked around then murmured, "Up, perhaps..." He opened his spell book across Elanee's lap as Naloth growled a complaint and thumbed through the spellbook until he found the right spell.
But before he could cast it a familiar voice called out, "Oh my! I was beginning to think I was all alone down here! I've managed to write with a new ballad about the battle, but I feared no one was ever going to hear it."
"Grobnar!" Elanee shouted happily, and Sand was surprised how happy he was to hear the gnome's voice as well.
Grobnar stuck his head into the opening Naloth had used and beamed at them. He explained how he had taken cover in a compartment in the Construct's back when he realized his way out was blocked. He was taking a nap after he discovered he was trapped inside, seeming to be the only logical thing to do, when he was awakened by scratching coming from outside the construct. "So I became ethereal and followed the sound of his claws clacking on the stone until I found you." He peered into the tiny compartment. "That's certainly a snug space. I don't think I'll fit." He drifted up the rock and looked as if he was about to try to join them anyway.
Sand rolled his eyes to the heavens and muttered, "Oh yes, by all means please do join us then. I'm sure my lap can hold half of Elanee, the badger, my books, and you. I believe this is as good a time as any to find our way out of here. Follow us." He hastily put his books and scroll case away. "I only hope I can perform the gestures correctly so the spell doesn't go horribly wrong." He cast the spell and touched Elanee, who put her arm around Naloth, who in turn let Grobnar lay a hand on his tail. In a heartbeat they felt light as air, and they followed Sand as he moved up, swimming through the solid stone as if through water.
Casavir awoke with a start, and he cried out as the pain crashed over him again. He was wracked by a deep cough. "Tyr help me endure this," he earnestly prayed when the spasm was finished. The metallic taste of blood filled his mouth. He knew that meant he didn't have long. He listened but heard nothing. He could have sworn he was awakened by something clawing at him, but he was truly alone unless it had been an animal in search of a meal. Alone without her, without anyone. Where could she be? He thought he remembered dark things that picked her up, though he was no longer sure now if it had really happened. He whispered sadly, "Please, Tyr, help my love." He tried to move and made a bit of progress, but the effort to extricate himself a few more inches was exhausting, though he was able to put his hand on her boot. After a final whisper of "Tyr," he surrendered to oblivion.
Some miles away, Wolf watched the Luskans below his perch peering through a spyglass the Captain had given him for an early birthday present. Their camp was to the north of his and Zeta's position. He worried that she had gotten too close to their camp, but even out here in the woods she had an uncanny ability move soundlessly and to become one with the shadows, better than anyone in his crew, and almost as good as Miss Neeshka. Even Zeta's greasy dishwater blond hair seemed to turn gray and blend with shadow. He chalked it up to some enchantment on the leathers that Miss Neshka had given her once she had the tail hole patched. He had climbed a tree to spy what he could in the dark, though he couldn't hear much of what was going on below. That's why Zeta took the chance to get closer when they saw the Luskans were fighting about something.
The Luskans had built a fire and set up their camp for the night, and Wolf had dozed off leaning against the trunk of the tree waiting for Zeta to relieve him. Then the argument broke out and woke him up, and he spotted Zeta watching below. Wolf pressed against the trunk of the tree and wondered if they were going to come to blows. The half-naked one that they thought was a mage was staring at something she held closely in her hand and said something excitedly to the others. She took out a scroll and held it out before her. Wolf figured she must be casting a spell, and a few heartbeats later what looked like a glowing circle appeared in front of her. The big one with the tattoo on his hand continued to argue with one of the other men as the mage shouted loudly enough that Wolf could hear her clearly, "We're within range! We have to go, you fools. Now! You know what the consequences will be if we squander this opportunity to seize the tome!" The big man cast a last glare at the others as he put his hand on her shoulder, joined by a man wearing a plain gray robe and a woman in leathers. The circle vanished as soon as the four of them stepped through.
The other two who remained behind renewed their argument as one of them dug something that looked like shackles from his belt pouch. Wolf figured they were probably not happy about being left out of whatever the others were planning. He knew the feeling; he got that from Leather every time he and Zeta went scouting alone, though he only had to put up with Leather's sulky looks. He noticed that Zeta took advantage of the Luskan's continued distraction to move to safety, moving silently and staying to the shadows. He climbed down nimbly as a squirrel and followed her back to their own camp. They slipped up behind and startled Hiram on last watch, who raised his huge cudgel defensively but relaxed when he saw who it was. "You getting some sleep before we move on, lad?"
"No, the Luskans are up to something. Let's tell the others."
They awakened Mignon and Leather, and all gathered around Zeta and Wolf to hear what they discovered. Zeta related to her companions what she had heard as she sat on a fallen tree and pushed her hair out of her eyes, which she kept fixed on the ground. "I moved closer when I heard them fighting so I could find out what they're up to. The woman wearing those two red scarves that she thinks is a gown said their lives would be forfeit if they returned without the Tome of Ilkazar. She reminded them that was their mission here."
Hiram handed the two of them a cup of coffee. "So that's what they're after. Makes sense that they would want that back since Luskan is fighting a war over it."
Zeta shrugged and looked back at the ground. "Yeah but there's more. She had something that let them trace it when they got close enough to it, and she told them a couple of times to shut up so she could concentrate. She was arguing that they detected it at the Keep and they knew it was no longer there, so the Neverwintans must have used it to find Black Garius, but it was hidden somehow. The big one with the tattoo on his hand said they should just get the tome as fast as they could and kill anyone who got in their way, but the man in the gray robe called him an ass and said that they had to bring back the Farlong woman, the sorceress, and the Githzerai dead or alive for the bounty so they could be put on trial for killing Sydney someone."
Wolf leaned forward and interrupted her. "Sydney Natale! She was the Luskan ambassador who tried to murder the Captain and Qara! I heard Mr. Jalboun talkin' about it to Mistress Maisie one night when he had too much to drink."
Zeta scowled at the interruption and continued. "That's mainly what they were arguing about though it's hard to tell there was so much hate bein' throwed about. How could they even work together hating one another so bad? Anyway, the woman in the leather said the bounty covers all of the Captain's companions too, and that some in the Hosttower would pay handsomely for Black Garius's corpse too if they could find it. She said they couldn't leave such a fortune behind. I could see the greed in her eyes—she would kill anyone who got in her way. The other man in the chain shirt thought it was too dangerous. They would have to travel with them all the way to the ship at Highcliff whether alive as prisoners or even dead as animated corpses, and he said he didn't see why the Hosttower couldn't just teleport them back.
Mignon interrupted her this time. "Because there are ways of tracing the spell, no? That was in one of the books Master Sand let me borrow."
Zeta nodded. "Yeah, the man in gray stuck his finger in the big man's chest, called him stupid, and told him that the Captain's disappearance must not be traced to the Hosttower under any circumstances. The big man swore and said that he'd tear his arm off if he ever did that again." She paused for a swallow of coffee. "But there's more. The man in chainmail said that they could have the others as long as he got Bishop all to himself. Something about making him pay for Red Fellow Witch, whoever that is. I heard him say 'Bishop thought he killed everyone but he was wrong,' and he told them he planned to skin him alive. Slowly." She shuddered and looked like she was going to be sick. "I know he meant it. And then the woman in red yelled that she had detected it and she read a scroll and they disappeared." Zeta took a deep breath and pushed her hair out of her face again. "And that's it."
Leather said softly, "So it seems Bishop was already a murderer before he betrayed us at the Keep. I don't know why I'm surprised, yet I am."
"All but two of them disappeared," Wolf corrected. "We need to find out what the other two are doing."
Hiram frowned and smacked his cudgel into his palm. "I've heard enough. Those gods-cursed Luskans aren't getting their slimy hands on our Captain or her companions to leave them to rot in some dungeon, and that's if they're lucky. Thoughtful of them to leave only two behind. I say we subdue them and lay an ambush for the others."
Mignon had been restraining herself from casting a Clean cantrip on Zeta's hair while she listened. The girl had such a lovely face, but she seemed determined to hide her looks. But given what she knew of her childhood as a Luskan slave, Mignon could understand why. She turned from her scrutiny of the girl to regard Hiram's look of grim determination. "Yes, papa Hiram, but two can still be formidable, no? Especially two Luskans trained to murder? Are we, even five of us, any match for them?"
She still wasn't sure why she came along on this outing except that she wanted a chance at some adventure away from her twin sister. Leather was very persuasive, promising the novice sorceress she would have plenty of opportunity to practice her spells if she joined them. She wondered for the first time if he had fascinated her into going. Her sister could do that, as could many Sharessan clerics. For her part, she had discovered from Sand the mind-numbing pleasure that came with giving herself over fully to the Weave. It was positively orgasmic, better than any physical lover she had ever had, and the pleasure only seemed to get better and stronger the more she practiced and the more she learned. But she also wanted to live to grow in power, and to her taking on two Luskan killers promised a fast, violent death.
Leather smiled saucily and walked over to her; his snakeskin trewes looked like they were painted on and leaving little to the imagination. He hitched up her skirts then adjusted her bodice to push her breasts higher. "Never fear, lovie. We two will distract them. We tell them we're entertainers on our way to Waterdeep who got lost in the woods and separated from our companions. Or better yet whores, which we are. And we would be oh so grateful if they showed us kindness. Very grateful. They should go for one or the other of us and the rest of you can get the drop on them. Then it's simply a matter of picking off the others when they return. Lay some traps, perhaps? Pity I can't summon large cats like the Mistress can."
She didn't look convinced. "You make it sound so simple, my sweet. What if they don't want either of us?"
Leather gasped in mock alarm then struck a seductive pose, running his hand down his lithe body. "Not want this? Not want you? Lovie, how could they resist?"
Hiram grimaced as he shouldered his cudgel and said with more confidence than he felt, "Sounds like a plan! We'll follow you two."
Wolf strung his bow so he would be ready if they had trouble with the Luskans and replied grimly, striking Hiram again of looking and sounding like he was sixteen going on forty, "Don't sound like the best plan, pops, but it's the best one we have. I'll lead the way."
At the Keep, two wagons were being readied and two squads of Greycloaks fell into formation outside the entrance to the bailey. Sergeant Bevil Starling glanced at Daeghun, waiting to lead the squad to Merdelain. A twitch at the corner of his mouth that had always made Bevil nervous (and still did) was the only hint of Daeghun's annoyance at the delay. But even though Kana and Light-of-Heavens had worked all night making arrangements, Lathander's rosy glow lit the Keep's walls and she hadn't given the orders for the rescue party to leave. Katriona squeezed Bevil's hand, detecting his own nervous twitch. They had decided that he and Daeghun should lead a fast-moving elite squad made up of members of the Captain's Company ahead of Katriona's squad, which would travel with the wagons and the supplies that either Kana had ordered or Jacoby had suggested they bring.
Bevil whispered to Katriona, "I don't think Daeghun is gonna stand for much more of this, and I can't say I blame him a bit." Katriona dared a glance at the elf, who didn't look much different than he usually did to her. But Bevil had grown up around him and could read his mood. "He looks like he's ready to strike out on his own."
As Kana walked over to the lead wagon and checked her inventory list once again, Katriona whispered, "I can't say I blame him either. The waiting is maddening. If we don't get going soon, she'll think up even more supplies that we might need, and then I'll be leading a third wagon."
She looked around to make sure they were out of the 'Cloaks' earshot and leaned close. "I'm going to miss you, Starling. If I had known she would be this thorough, we could have had time for a proper goodbye. I know we shouldn't speak of such things at a time such as this, but..."
Bevil flushed scarlet but grinned at her. What a difference a few days made. His bride had been so shy on their wedding night that he didn't coax her out of her small clothes until after he blew out all the candles and she had finished most of the bottle of wine; last night she was waiting for him to get off duty and tackled him as soon as he stepped through the door of their cottage. The mood of the Keep had been jubilant then as the remaining undead crumbled to dust and the shadowy gloom receded. The festhall reopened, and it was packed with off-duty 'Cloaks celebrating. It wasn't until Kana awakened them that they learned the truth. Neither of them had gotten much sleep after she left out of concern for the Captain and those who went with her to the Mere and anticipation of leaving at dawn.
Kheros Ironfist strode up to Kana, flanked by several dwarves. He stood with his arms crossed and cleared his throat loudly, waiting for her attention. She looked away from her list and down at him and said politely, "Yes, is there something I can help you with?"
Kheros replied gruffly, "Most of me clan are headin' back to the Ironfist Stronghold on the morrow, but a few of us decided they are going along with your troops to find our king, either alive, or bringin' him back to give him proper dwarven rites and reclaimin' the Ironfist artifacts he bears."
One of the dwarves standing just behind his right shoulder, a tall (for a dwarf) female with flaming red braids and a huge axe, shot him a murderous glare that could have felled a basilisk. She said tersely, "We will be findin' him alive, Kheros Ironfist, or bringin' him back to the priest for resurrectin' as the Captain ordered." She turned to Kana, having nothing else to say to Kheros that could be conveyed without using her fist. "Khalia Ironfist at yer service. We're ready to go whenever your troops are, and time's a wastin.' What are ye waitin' fer?"
Kana glanced up at the sky, shocked that the sun was as high as it was. She was so tired she couldn't think any more much less organize another thing, but she still had enough mental clarity to realize that she was delaying the rescue. "Very well, Khalia. We welcome your help. Report to Sergeant Katriona Starling."
She added to Kheros, "I would appreciate the favor if your remaining Ironfists could stay to help defend the Keep until the Greycloaks return from the Mere." She signaled Sergeant Bevil Starling as Kheros grunted his agreement and stalked off to give word to the remaining Ironfists. "Sergeant Starling, move out. Sergeant Starling, these Ironfists are accompanying you."
Bevil leaned down and startled Katriona with a quick kiss. "I'll see you in a few days, sweetie. Be careful. Pray that we find them walking back wondering what we're doing out there."
She ignored the stifled chuckles of some of the Greycloaks. "You be careful too, honey." She reluctantly let go of his hand and watched as he ordered his squad into formation and nodded at Daeghun to take the lead.
As Sand feared, the spell expired before they cleared the rubble, but as he hoped, they were close enough to what had been the roof that they were ejected onto the stone. They had the odd sensation of being thrown skyward a few feet then landing with a thud. Sand groaned in pain, and Elanee was beside him at once to cast a healing spell on his broken wrist. Grobnar had landed on his lute, shattering it. Elanee nudged Sand as he whispered a prayer of thanks to Mystra that they wouldn't have to endure the gnome's latest ballad as they made their plans.
They picked themselves up and looked around, blinking at the early morning light. Naloth growled, and Elanee pointed and shouted, "Look, there's Khelgar and Neeshka!"
Neeshka heard Elanee and squealed then grabbed Khelgar and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Look! They're alive!"
Khelgar returned the hug and bellowed, "I know, I see 'em, lass, and a sight for sore eyes they are."
They moved as fast as they safely could to close the space between them and exchanged ecstatic embraces for a few minutes, though their joy was tempered by the by the absence of a large part of their company. Khelgar immediately let the rest know what he had seen regarding Dee. "We have to get back to the Keep so we can figure out who took her. But we have to get back here and get Casavir's...body back too...and the the Gith lass." He flushed as Neeshka and Elanee both burst into tears. He didn't want to say it, but it wasn't the dwarven way to deny the obvious. "The rest there's no rush to reclaim. Qara will no doubt be taken to Neverwinter to be placed in the Tomb of the Betrayers if we find her. Bishop too if he didn't make it out."
"He had plenty of time to escape, and he was always most skilled at self-preservation," Sand sniffed as he wiped at his eyes. "I've no doubt he's halfway across the mountains by now. Black Garius certainly didn't have time to deal with his double treachery. But enough about him. I suppose it would have been expecting too much for Aldanon to have planned for a way to get us back, so we're on our own. Elanee, you can travel faster than the rest of us in the form of a bird or an air elemental. I suggest you go ahead of us. Grobnar and I can cast Haste spells on the rest of us, but it's still going to take time to reach the Keep."
"I will do that. May Silvanus grant my wings speed." Elanee gave Naloth a hug. "You take care of them, my friend. I'll see you soon." She took the form of a white-tailed swift and flew into the air, circling her companions before she sped off.
At the same moment, Aldanon was carrying a basket of muffins and cinnamon rolls back to the library. He wondered why no one was in the audience chamber, not even the guards. He had been trying to remember exactly what he had cast, and to his chagrin, remembered that he had forgotten to tell Sand what to do to reactivate the spell. Nor had he told anyone, for that matter. He scratched his backside while he thought about it and mumbled, "He's likely cursing me now." He smacked his forehead as he remembered part of the Contingency. "Of course, that's it! Hopefully he is!" He shambled over to the Captain's chair, where he sat and munched a roll as he waited.
And he didn't have long to wait, for the spell was set to trigger as soon as it could be cast again, the next day after he sent them off to the Mere of Dead Men. Everyone was still outside except for a guard who had just come on duty and looked askance at the sage sitting comfortably in the Captain's chair gobbling sticky buns. A pinpoint of light in the center of the chamber grew brighter and larger until it once again formed a shimmering portal. Aldanon continued to chew while the astonished guard drew his sword and stared at the portal then ran off in search of Kana. A few heartbeats later Sand blinked and stepped through the portal, followed by Naloth then the others. Aldanon chortled with glee. "There you are, right on time. Oh, but the others better hurry before the spell expires or who knows where they'll end up."
Sand uttered a filthy Elvish curse and glared at the sage. "You certainly might have warned us that we would have to wait a day or provided us with a standard Teleport spell to return. Lives depended on it!" He looked like he wanted to strangle him.
Neeshka was kissing the ground in relief at their safe return as Kana, who had just decided to allow herself to get some rest, ran in followed closely by Brother Ivarr and Sir Nevalle. "You're back! I've just sent a rescue party, but we can send a rider on a fast horse to recall them." As soon as the words left her, however, she noted the absence of the rest.
Sand met her eyes and answered the frightened question in them that she hadn't found the nerve to ask with a nod. "Don't send them back, but do indeed send them word that this is going to be a recovery mission and then some. I'll let Khelgar explain."
Grobnar had no sooner followed the others through the portal than another popped into existence near the ruined door. The Luskans tumbled out, weapons drawn, spells ready. The mage in red retrieved something from her belt pouch and held it up, turning in a tight circle as the others got into defensive postures and peered around for any of the Neverwintan party. She hushed one of the men who spotted the other portal and turned into another circle, but the presence of the other portal answered her question. She shrieked, "No! Bethshaba's twat! We've missed it again!"
The big man with the assassin's tattoo on his hand cursed as well and ran his hand through his hair. "Well that's it then, Glyden. We're fucked when we get back."
The woman in well-oiled leather swallowed hard, already considering whether she could make a break for it before the others cut her down. She had no intention of returning to Luskan to face their masters. A distraction was in order. "Might as well have a look around, Ragnar. Look at this place. No way they all made it out alive. That way we don't have to go back completely empty handed."
The big man grunted at her and cursed again. "Yeah, but no way we're getting them out if they're buried." He was also at that moment considering whether he could redeem himself in the eyes of their masters by killing his companions and laying the blame for failure on them. But he dismissed that idea. Glyden and the priest were too well-connected in the Hosttower.
The scantily-clad mage reached into her belt pouch and nodded at the man in gray, who was standing back trying to take in the scope of the damage. "Leave that to us two. You need only be ready to subdue anyone we find inside, and if they're dead, Braden will take care of them."