Chapter 14: Back At The Flagon
Bishop had been watching Nimbrethil closely as they neared the Dock Gates of the city and had seen her spirits dampen. She became very quiet, almost tense as they entered and headed towards the Flagon. He himself didn't exactly enjoy being there, but only because it wasn't much fun unless you had plenty of gold to spend. The difference between how she had been in the wilds and how she was now was very noticeable and he had to bite back the impulse to grab her hand and drag her back out to the woods. Why he cared he wasn't sure, all he knew was that she had been a lot of fun to be around up to this point. Hells, even Karnwyr liked her and that was unusual for he never liked any other women that Bishop had hung around with.
Nimbrethil could smell the foul scents of the docks even before she reached the gate, her sensitive nose twitching in disgust. Human cities were so noisy and dirty that she didn't understand how any elf could live there. But she had seen several around the city though most of them were mages. She wondered if there was some kind of spell they used to mask the stench or if they just got used to it after a while. She had visited a couple of elven villages with her father, and while many would see them as humble, they at least didn't smell like cesspits. Sighing she pushed open the door to her uncle's inn, hoping that because it was mid afternoon there wouldn't be too many customers. She didn't want to deal with the noise the patrons made on her first day back.
As she entered she saw her uncle give a start of surprise and then come running over to meet them. "Welcome back! Back safe and in one piece no less," he exclaimed and grabbed her up in a big hug. Stiffening at this unexpected display of emotion from him she tried very hard not to push him away. Realizing his error he quickly let her go and started to apologize.
"No, don't apologize," she told him. "You just caught me off guard that's all." She headed towards the bar to grab an ale as her uncle greeted the others and started asking for the details of their trip. She saw that Bishop had followed her to get an ale as well, looking scornfully in Shandra's direction as the woman flirted openly with Duncan. She waited patiently, not saying a word until things had quieted down a little.
"Uncle Duncan, we need to talk about this wound I received as a child," she called to him and saw him jump a little before heading over to her.
"I don't know why you're asking about that again, surely Daeghun told you all about it. You got it from stray debris," the half-elf said, but he refused to meet her gaze.
"No! No more dodging the issue," she snapped. "The gith told me I have a shard in my chest and I want to know how that happened. Furthermore, I want to know why no one thought it important enough to mention before now."
"You have a shard in your chest? I..we..had no idea," Duncan stammered, wary of the angry look in his niece's eyes.
"Ah notice the catch in your uncle's voice, it looks like he's been keeping secrets from you," Bishop spoke up, his sneering voice filled with satisfaction at the half-elf's discomfort.
"Silence Bishop," Duncan snapped at him.
"No, he's right, you knew about this. I suggest you tell me everything you know about the battle, this scar, and the shard inside me," Nim demanded. When she saw him still hesistating to say anything she marched up to him and poked him in the chest with her finger. "The gith leader tried to kill me to get at it and I'm not in the mood for any more lies. Start talking!" she snarled at him.
Sighing Duncan signaled to Sal to bring him a beer and moved to sit at a table in the corner, motioning her to follow him. Grabbing her own drink she went and sat across from him and waited for him to speak. He started with how her mother came to the village and stayed there for a while with them. He worked his way up to the night that the Hells broke loose on the village, describing the panic and confusion of those caught in the middle of a battle they had had no warning of. When he described Daeghun's reaction to Shayla's death she finally got a glimpse of the pain her father must have felt and she understood why he had closed himself off from everyone. She tried as hard as she could to remember anything while her uncle talked, but she kept drawing a blank.
As he finished his tale he looked up at her and she saw the sadness in his eyes. She felt nothing but relief at finally hearing the truth out of him. "One of you should have told me long before this," she stated flatly.
"I wanted to but Daeghun wouldn't allow it. You know my brother, he's not one you want to cross," Duncan protested.
"Yes, and he raised me. I'm not someone you want to cross either," she told him. "This is not the kind of stuff one should find out about from complete strangers. At least now I know more about why the gith were after me and I can be prepared for future confrontations, if there are any." The gith leader had seemed to imply that there would be no more attacks, but she doubted the truthfulness of such an opponent. She stared down into her ale for a while and when she looked up, she saw Duncan looking at her like some lost puppy. "It's okay uncle, I know that wasn't easy for you," she said softly, regretting her harshness from before.
Smiling a little at her, he gulped down the last of his ale. "It's been with me a long time, I'm glad I could finally speak of it," he said and they sat in silence until Bishop broke in with an irreverant comment.
"Why the long faces you two, somebody die? If so, sounds like a cause for celebration to me," he wandered over to them smirking a little, a hint of glee in his voice. "By the way, I've decided it would be in both our best interests if I stayed on with you."
"We don't need anymore of your help Bishop," Casavir snapped, coming forward from his place by the fire and glaring at the ranger.
"No one asked you paladin, it's up to our leader to decide," Bishop snarled back.
Growling a little, Nimbrethil contemplated drawing her dagger and cutting both their tongues out. "Why don't the two of you just have a good old fashioned brawl and get it out of your system?" When they both looked at her in surprise, she had to bite back a hiss of annoyance. "The two of you haven't stopped once since we left and I'm getting tired of it. If you can't play nicely together then both of you can go back to where you came from." Seeing that she had effectively silenced them she turned to Bishop and regarded him with narrowed eyes.
"Well, seeing as how I do owe you for the knife, you're welcome to join us for as long as you wish. You'll get your fair share of the rewards, if you pull your own weight." She saw him smirk at Casavir and rolled her eyes. "That being said, I need a good sparring partner and I think we're well matched." Stepping closer to him and locking her gaze on his she warned him, "Make me regret it and the lands of Faerun won't be big enough for you to hide in."
The Hells!, the wench actually dared to threaten him. He didn't know whether to laugh or be angry and unfortunately she moved away before he could decide. He knew that it was no idle threat, for he had seen how skillfull she was at hunting and tracking. Deciding to be amused, he went to the bar to grab another ale as she turned to pacify the paladin. The man looked like someone had forced him to swallow a hedgehog, but after a few words from her he seemed to relax. The man was a fool when it came to women.
"Um, excuse me," Shandra spoke up. "I hate to ask but what happens to me now. I have no home to go back to seeing as how it's in ashes."
"Shandra, you are the only living relative of Ammon Jerro, and whether you know about his haven or not doesn't matter too much. The gith think you know something and there is obviously another party involved in this shard business." Nimbrethil saw the worry in the woman's face and softened her tone a little. "I think the safest place for you is here with us, but if you choose to stay then you're going to have to train so you can defend yourself. There's only so much we can do to protect you."
"Well I'm not completely helpless, I do know how to handle a sword," Shandra was a little annoyed at being painted as a damsel in distress.
"That may be true, but knowing how to handle a weapon and being able to use it effectively are two different things," Nimbrethil pointed out. "Just as I need Bishop to help sharpen my skills, you'll need to train with someone so you can sharpen yours."
"I can help the lass with that," Khelgar chimed in, "that is if she wants me to."
"I too will be happy to offer my services," Casavir nodded politely at Shandra.
"Well, thanks I guess," Shandra blushed a little at the paladin.
"Don't thank me farm girl, traveling with us is probably the worst decision you could make," Bishop snickered. "I say we open a few kegs and drown ourselves in some of the Flagon's best wine to celebrate."
As everyone started grabbing mugs and mingling to talk about the events surrounding Shandra's rescue, Nimbrethil quietly slipped away from them. She was tired of their bickering and loud, raucous voices. She wanted to get some peace and quiet, if only for a little while. Leaving the inn by the back door, she headed for a small thicket of woods that was not far away. Finding a suitably comfortable tree, she climbed up and stretched out on one of the larger limbs. Sighing, she leaned her head back and closed her eyes, feeling contentment wash over her. The only thing that would make it better was if Thorondor was with her. However, she knew that some humans wouldn't be able to resist either trying to capture or kill him, so she had told him to stay out of the city.
Bishop had seen her leave and when no one was looking, slipped out to follow her. He wanted to have a little chat with her about her threat and figured this would be the best time to do it. As he entered the woods he paused and then stood still to listen. He didn't hear any movement, but that meant nothing for she was especially skilled at moving silently. Peering closely at the ground he saw a few bent blades of grass, something so obscure that most would not see it. Following her trail was difficult but eventually he tracked her to a rather large oak tree. He could find no other sign on the ground so he looked up and there she was looking down at him, showing no surprise at his being there.
"Well, I have to say that I am impressed that you managed to follow me so quickly," Nimbrethil smiled a little at him.
"I'm so happy to hear that," he drawled sarcastically and heard her snort in laughter.
"What do you want ranger?" she queried, staring into his honey colored eyes, noting again how much like a wolf's they were.
"I don't like it when people threaten me elf," Bishop snapped angrily, suddenly remembering what she had said.
"Oh it wasn't a threat Bishop, it was a promise," she responded. She saw his eyes narrow with anger and then to her surpise he started climbing up the tree to her. As he climbed she couldn't help but admire the way his muscles flexed and felt herself blush a little at the direction of her thoughts. He climbed to the limb next to her and settled on it, looking every bit at home in the tree as she did.
"You really shouldn't play with fire if you don't want to get burned," he growled at her.
"Is that what I'm doing?" she asked in mock surprise. "Well, thank you for clarifying that point." She saw a faint smile tug at the corner of his lips as he tried not to laugh. Finally he gave up and she found herself joining in. As she watched him, she saw an intense look enter his eyes, an almost predatory expression that sent a little shiver down her spine. When he suddenly leaned in towards her she felt her breath catch in her throat.
"You have a wicked tongue on you elf, I wonder what else it's good for," he whispered suggestively in her ear.
Gods, why did her ears have to be so sensitive she cursed to herself as little tingles of delight traveled down her arm. Before she could think of a response, his hand came up to circle behind her head and pull her lips to his. At the first touch of his mouth on hers she felt a shock run through her. As his tongue teased the corner of her lips she found herself yielding to him with a soft moan. His mouth tasted like honey and his breath was warm on her face. She kissed him back, tangling her tongue with his. When he suddenly pulled back, she opened her eyes, startled at his movement. She saw him smirk a little before he started to climb down from the tree. When he was on the ground he looked up at her, a wicked grin on his face.
"Pleasant dreams little elf," Bishop said as he walked away from her. When no reply came his way, he realized he had found the perfect way to silence her. He hadn't expected her to yield like she did, and it took everything he had to walk away. He wanted to savor the pursuit of her, like one would a fine wine.
Watching him leave she tried to gather her thoughts, her lips still tingling from the kiss they had shared. She wasn't sure if he had pressed the issue if she wouldn't have yielded completely to him. If his kiss was any indication, then sleeping with him would be quite the experience. Leaning back against the tree she found her thoughts drifiting to him and wondering what he was like in bed.