Chapter 34: Facing Facts
Nimbrethil rubbed her eyes and stretched on the limb she was sitting on. It was mid-morning and she had been going over everything that had happened in her life up to this point since she had left the Flagon the night before. She had made sure that not even Bishop could follow her here as she really needed time alone to think. She finally admitted to herself that things had become more complicated than ever before, and she also acknowledged the truth that she had powerful enemies now. Still, she knew that the only reason Nasher was keeping her tied to him was to save his own ass, not for her benefit despite what Nevalle said. Although the knight had a point about resources and allies. Despite all her rationalizing she was still irritated at the lot of them.
"Still angry this morning are we?" Thorondor asked.
Nimbrethil looked at the falcon and grimaced. He had spent most of the night perched on a limb opposite her, taking off briefly once to hunt. "No, it's more like annoyed than angry."
"Karnwyr says that his master is angry all the time too," the falcon stated. "Except when he is around you."
"You and Karnwyr are getting along swell I see," she stated wryly. "Do you spend all your time talking about us or what?"
"Please, we do have our own lives you know," he answered, obviously amused by her question. "However, we both agree that you could help each other if you just let down your walls a little."
Nimbrethil eyed the bird wondering just how much they had discussed her and Bishop. "What do you think of Bishop?"
"He has the same skills as you, he is an excellent hunter and tracker. He has many scars from his past that keep him from getting close to people and he is not the kind to settle down anywhere for too long. Whether or not he is trustworthy is debatable."
"What do you mean by that?" Nimbrethil asked, the last statement having been a surprise.
"Karnwyr says that he trusts Bishop to look after him, but that is all. Apparently the ranger has spent most of his life looking out for himself and, if push comes to shove, he will save his own hide and everyone else is on their own. I don't know if he will stick by you when the storm that is coming hits."
"What storm are you referring to?" Nimbrethil was puzzled by that last comment.
"Nim, you know as well as I do that great events are afoot. The githyanki attacks, the Luskan treachery, and those shards you carry are all tied together somehow. You are facing an unknown danger and there is nowhere that you can go to hide from it. In time we will discover what it all means and what precisely the danger is. When that time comes you may find that Bishop will disappear as mysteriously as he came."
Nimbrethil thought the bird was too smart, but he was right, there was a storm coming and most likely Bishop would take off. Besides, even if he did decide to stay what kind of future would they have? He was human and he would grow old and die and leave her alone anyway. Still, there was something about him that drew her in and she knew he felt the same way. Daeghun had told her to not get too close to humans for she would constantly suffer the pain of losing them. He would definately not approve of Bishop and not just because he was human.
"I know you are attracted to Bishop but just be careful. If you get involved with him you will have to be prepared to get hurt." Thorondor studied his master for some time silently. He had seen how often the two-leggeds behaved like jackals, backstabbing and turning on each other. Loyalty was not their strong suit. He didn't want to see her hurt like that, but he didn't know of any way to stop her. That was another trait of the two-leggeds, stubborness.
"I know, I know Thorondor," Nimbrethil sighed in exasperation. "Even Shandra has pointed that out. Still, I can't deny that I want Bishop in a way I have never wanted anyone before."
"Then I will say no more," the bird knew when to give in. "Now, have you figured out why you are so angry at this Nevalle person?"
"No, I haven't. I don't suppose you have an opinion on that subject as well?" Nimbrethil asked. She didn't really expect an answer, so when he gave her one she was surprised, to say the least.
"As a matter of fact I do," Thorondor was amused at her surprise. "You are angry because you feel you are no longer in control of your life. You are angry because you face unknown danger and you have no idea if you will be able to confront it and defeat it. Up to this point you knew what the dangers were in your life and how to handle them: Poachers, predators and the like. You use the anger to hide the fact that you are afraid."
Nimbrethil was about to protest that she wasn't afraid and then realized that it would be futile on her part. Thorondor and her were linked and he could feel what she felt. She could hide her feelings from everyone else, but not from him because of their bond. The bitter truth was that she was afraid, something she had rarely felt in the past fifty years or so. He was also right in that the fear stemmed from the fact that she didn't know the danger facing her. How can you prepare yourself to fight an enemy you can't see, hear or touch?
"Things are different now, for you are not alone in this. The others who have joined you will help you if you let them, but you have to let them in. You can't keep them at arms length and expect them to stand by you. They want to be your friends, they proved that to you already. Now, you have to be their friend and protect them and bond with them just as you did with me. If you do that, then I think you will find that things won't seem so scary."
"If I let them get close to me I'll lose them, just like Amie and others before her," Nimbrethil stated flatly.
"Death and loss are part of life and your foster father is the wrong person to emulate. Closing yourself off from others does more harm than good. You know that even though I will live a long time, barring some accident, it is still a much shorter time than you have facing you. You didn't let that stop you from forming a bond to me and the others are no different."
Nimbrethil sat for a while longer thinking about what he said. Daeghun had suffered too much loss and that's why he had become so reticent. She knew that and, because she didn't want to end up bitter like him, she had sought to keep close connections at a minimum. However, Thorondor was right, she would need the help of others in the days ahead.
"I suppose I should get back to Sand and the others and let them know I'm okay and that I won't run off." Climbing down from the tree, she paused only long enough to ready her bow, then she started the long walk back to Neverwinter. Hopefully she wouldn't have to make too many changes to her life in order to accomodate the needs of the others. As soon as whatever threat they were facing was dealt with, she would be able to free herself from the chains that Nasher and Nevalle had put on her and go back to living her life the way she wanted. Or so she hoped.
*******
Casavir sat at a table sipping on some ale and growing more concerned by the hour. It was late evening and still Nimbrethil had not returned. He saw Duncan and Shandra talking at the bar and could see that they were worried as well. The others seemed to think there was no need to be concerned, and were grouped around a table playing some kind of card game, laughing and talking like nothing was amiss. He wished he could be as certain that the elf would return as they seemed to be. The one bright spot was that the ranger had made himself scarce and he wouldn't have to listen to the man's snide comments. The only advice Olef had given him was to be open to Nimbrethil's point of view and to try to understand the reasons behind her actions. The priest had told him that what people considered to be justice was as varied as the numerous gods they served and, that if he could not be open to those views, that he had no chance of understanding the girl. His thoughts were interrupted by raised voices from Khelgar and Qara.
"What the hells you doing lass?" Khelgar yelled at top volume. "I asked you to get me a beer not drown me in it."
"Well excuse me, but you spilled so much beer the last time that I didn't think you'd notice," Qara replied sarcastically.
"Qara, that's no way to be treating the patrons, even if Khelgar is techinically not one!" Duncan said angrily from the bar behind them.
"I'm sick and tired of cleaning up after you bunch of drunks," Qara retorted. "I have been slaving away for you for almost four months now and I think that I've paid my debt."
"You'll have paid your debt when I say, not when you feel like it. Now get back to work!" Duncan yelled.
"No I won't and you can't make me!" Qara was red faced with anger now. "If you try, I'll make sure you regret it."
"Don't be thinking to threaten me or I'll turn you over to the Academy and let you take your chances," Duncan growled as he came around the bar towards her.
"Really? Well, we'll just see about that!" Qara finished and to everyone's dismay, raised her staff while muttering the words to some kind of spell. Patrons started heading for the door as Duncan and the others began backing away from her. Suddenly, her staff flew from her hand and clattered to the floor, breaking her concentration and causing everyone to stop in their tracks at the sight. Sticking up from the staff was an arrow and all eyes turned towards the spot it came from.
Nimbrethil stood in the doorway to the backrooms, arrowed nocked and targeted on Qara. As she watched, she saw the blood drain from the girls face and could guess at the reason. Everyone had witnessed her battle against Lorne and knew exactly how deadly she was with a bow. If she released the arrow then Qara was dead, plain and simple. "If you want to see another sunrise then I suggest you shut your mouth and get back to work," she told the girl.
Qara felt a shiver run down her spine at the coldness in the elf's voice and eyes, but she was determined to not be intimidated. "You wouldn't dare."
"I will kill anyone who harms my family or friends," Nimbrethil's voice was cold as ice. "Whether they be rich or poor, common or noble. The whole of Faerun will not be big enough to hide in. Do I make myself clear?" She waited for the girl to respond while those around her held their breath.
Seeing the determination in the elf's eyes, Qara decided against testing her tonight. "Fine, but you'll regret this," she huffed as she turned and stomped off to the kitchen.
"Nim, you returned just in time. Thought things were going to get ugly there for a moment," Duncan said jovially as he came towards her, the others close on his heels. "Nice little bluff there by the way," he said as he stopped in front of her.
"I wasn't bluffing uncle," Nimbrethil told him. "I meant every word I said."
Duncan looked into his niece's eyes and realized she was serious. "Nim, there are laws and rules you have to follow, especially now that you're a squire," he warned.
Nimbrethil looked over to where Casavir was standing, and her eyes narrowed in speculation. "I suppose that you agree with Duncan?" she asked him. She could tell by his face that he did and continued before he could answer. "I may have no choice but to remain in Nevewinter's service, but I follow my own rules. I will not change to suit anyone, end of discussion," she stated firmly.
"Nimbrethil you will have to abide by the laws of Neverwinter or you will cause trouble for everyone," Casavir stated quietly.
"I can learn to play the game as well as the next person," Nimbrethil smiled sardonically. "When Nasher no longer needs me as a shield I will be free to do what I want. I can wait until then." Replacing the arrow into her quiver she turned to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I haven't slept since before the party. I'm going to bed."
"I think I'll take a run over to Sand's and fill him in," Duncan said as he watched her go, then hurried out.
"Well, at least she came back," Shandra said, relief in her voice. "She seems to be resigned to the fact that she has to stay, even though she obviously isn't happy about it. That's actually more than I was hoping for."
"She intends to pay lip service to Lord Nasher and someday that could cause problems for her and us," Casavir sighed.
"Yeah, well, I'm no fan of Neverwinter, nor is my clan," Khelgar spoke up, having overheard their conversation. "I don't doubt that if there wasn't trouble brewing, then Neverwinter would show her the gates just as quick as you please. They are using her and us to protect themselves and the sooner you realize that Casavir, the better off you'll be around her."
"For once I agree with moss-breath," Neeshka piped up. "I say good for her that she doesn't buy into their game."
Casavir just stared at them, their words going against everything he was trained to believe in. It seemed that it was only himself and Shandra who saw anything wrong in her actions and it would be up to them to soften her stance in this matter. He doubted even Sand would side with them, for it was obvious that the wizard had been coerced into helping her by Nevalle.
"Well, let's all just agree to disagree and put this behind us," Shandra said. "Nimbrethil will need our support and it'll be easier for her if we're not fighting over politics." She looked at each of them and waited for them to nod in agreement. "I think I will just take a peek in on her and see if she needs anything." She turned and headed towards Nimbrethil's room.
As the others went back to their table, Casavir headed towards his own room. Who would have thought that Shandra would be the one to play peacekeeper? It bothered him that he was unable to come up with ways to compromise. Give him an enemy to fight and defeat and he could lead an army to victory. Give him one little elf to teach and he stumbled around like a blind man. He had a feeling that in the weeks to come that they all would be very glad that they had rescued Shandra from the githyanki.