Chapter 5
Jozzlyn awoke to see a two giant eyes glaring at her in the darkness. Her infrared vision made the beast look even more menacing. She jumped up on her feet and immediately ran for the ledge. A hand grabbed her wrist just as she was about to jump off.
"It's okay! She means no harm!" she heard Drizzt say. Jozzlyn slowly turned to look at him.
"Is this the friend you were referring to?" she asked quietly.
"Yes. This is Guen. Well, Guenhwyvar actually. She is from the Astral Plane, and my dearest companion. She is not accustomed to strangers, and I'll admit she can be very intimidating at times," Drizzt said. Guen gave a snort as if to punctuate Drizzt's comment.
The huge panther rose up to walk toward Jozzlyn, and she froze in fear. The cat stopped inches away from Jozzlyn and gazed into her eyes.
"She's very large," Jozzlyn noted, and quickly added, "but beautiful." Guen's body seemed to relax as she turned around and lay down gracefully on the ledge.
Drizzt smiled. "You will get to know her soon enough. She is an invaluable ally to have in the caves and tunnels. Did you rest well? You were out the minute we reached the ledge." Jozzlyn allowed herself to relax as well.
"Yes, actually. Despite the circumstances. I can't believe we made it out their alive and unscathed." Drizzt's face grew darker.
"Yes, and to be honest with you Jozzlyn, the only reason we did escape is because he allowed us to. He could have alerted the entire of Menzoberranzon, but he chose not to. Do you know why?" Jozzlyn shrugged.
"Jarlaxle has been acting rather strange ever since…" she broke off. After a small pause she continued. "Since about a month ago when he came to my chambers to question me about my mother. He knew, Drizzt. He has known for only Lolth knows how long, about me and my…double-sided work."
"And still he did not betray you to Baenre? He must foresee something in the future that benefits himself, or else he would have dispatched you as soon as he found out. Perhaps he also has dealings with your House?" Drizzt quietly crouched down on the ledge.
"If he does I have never seen proof of it. My mother chooses carefully what information she passes along to me. I am not trusted by either side." Jozzlyn stated.
Silence took over their conversation. For several moments, neither of them spoke again until Drizzt rose to his feet. "Are you hungry? I have a small store of food in my satchel. It's not enough to last us throughout our entire journey, but it will do until I can hunt."
"No, thank you. I don't think I could eat right now." Jozzlyn replied. She sat down beside where Drizzt had crouched moments earlier, careful not to get too close to the sleeping panther. Drizzt went to Guen and sat down alongside her, stroking her behind her large ears. The cat began to purr softly. Jozzlyn almost laughed at the sight of it. The ten-foot long cat purring alongside her five and a half foot friend. At length Jozzlyn spoke. The questions began pouring out of her.
"Drizzt? Did you mean what you said back at the dungeons? About seeing good inside of me? How were you able to block your mind that strongly? Were you once a priest? Where are we going? I have never left the Underdark before and I have only heard the most…"
"Patience." Drizzt said. "I can only answer one question at a time." He smiled. "As far as your first question, I say this: Every creature has both light and dark, good and evil inside of them. It is our choices that make us one or the other." Jozzlyn frowned.
"I've done some evil things, Drizzt. I have broken fellow drow down to nothing but husks. I have taken everything they had."
"Did you feel remorse at this? Did you want to do it?" he asked quietly.
"At first I did. At first, I would cry myself to sleep at night or pretend I could not find any information. I did not ask for this power. I did not want to use it to harm others. Over time, it became a duty, my purpose. The only thing that kept me alive was to aid House Baenre or my mother. I closed myself off to their pain. I did not allow myself to feel it."
Drizzt listened attentively. "We have all done things we are ashamed of. We have all made difficult choices and had to deal with their consequences. I think you did only what was necessary. The simple fact that what you did bothered you is proof that you are not evil."
Jozzlyn fought the tears that were coming into her eyes. She did not trust herself to speak again. Drizzt took her hand in his. "The important thing is that you have escaped. You never have to go back there again or face the ones who forced you to do evil in their name. I trust you Jozzlyn. You could have betrayed me but you chose not to. You risked life and limb to get me out of that dungeon. You lied to a priest and took down several guards to do the right thing. Because of you, I can warn my friends and help them prepare for a major battle."
Jozzlyn squeezed his hand but did not look into his eyes. She made no moment to speak, but instead focused on Drizzt's chest as he breathed. He never made a sound. "My journey takes me on to Mithril Hall, my home for the present. It is a dangerous road, goblins prowl these tunnels, and occasionally evil rogue drow can be found lurking in the darkness. You are welcome to join me; in fact I hope you do."
Jozzlyn shook her head in agreement. "I fear I have no choice. As I said before, I am no fool. I know I could never survive alone on the surface. I have heard the light is blinding."
Drizzt took her other hand in his. "Yes, your eyes must slowly grow accustomed to the light. You must learn to use vision other than infrared. It took me several weeks to be comfortable in the sunlight, and even now after being in the tunnels for an extended time it stings at first."
Jozzlyn looked up at him and opened her mouth to speak. Before she could utter a word, Drizzt's head cocked to the side and he let go of her hands. A stab of fear went through her chest. She had not heard anything. Drizzt motioned for her to stay calm and keep very still. The panther's fur bristled in anticipation. Guen had risen to a crouching position in what seemed like seconds. Just then, Jozzlyn saw a figure moving in the far cavern below. Several more came from behind a large boulder. Drizzt was poised for an attack, but made no movements.
They waited for several more minutes before suddenly Guen pounced as fast as lightening to the cave below. Drizzt's eyes were wide and his mouth in a snarl of battle lust. Jozzlyn watched as Guen's razor sharp claws raked across the figures bodies, ripping them to shreds. In a flash Drizzt jumped down to dispatch the remaining bodies. In all, the entire battle took only minutes. Drizzt knelt to clean his blades and Guen continued to keep watch for other intruders. After a moment, Drizzt returned to the ledge and began packing his gear. Jozzlyn followed suit and reached for her sack. Drizzt motioned for her to follow him as they levitated down to the cave floor.
"We must move quickly. We must make it to the surface and risk the trek above ground. These caves are swarming with goblins." Drizzt explained.
After several hours at a brisk pace, Jozzlyn began to tire, but refused to slow Drizzt down. She suffered in silence until at last they came to a small cavern with several large boulders in a row.
Drizzt turned to her. "I will have to blindfold you. We must move quickly to the exit. By then we will not have time to risk stopping again. We shall eat and drink now and you may rest a bit."
"Is the light really that painful?" Jozzlyn asked.
"Yes, it is at first but the blindfold will help. You must trust me and allow Guen to carry you. If we run into an ambush, she will have to set you down. Eat now and rest. I will wake you in an hour."
Jozzlyn wondered if Drizzt ever slept as she ate her meal. She attempted to sleep, but every little sound startled her. She wanted to ask Drizzt about the goblins, but he seemed too deep in thought for her to bother him. After a half hour, she gave up trying to sleep."I'm ready to move if need be."
Drizzt studied her. "Are you sure? It will be a long walk. We cannot stop until we find shelter from the snow. Go ahead and put on your cloak. I have an extra pair of leggings as well for you."
Jozzlyn nodded and put on her gear. "I'm ready."
Drizzt tore a piece of cloth from a coat he had tied to his satchel. Jozzlyn wondered why she had never seen it before. "He never answered me when I asked him about his magic." She thought.
Drizzt moved behind her to tie the blindfold. His hands grazed the side of her face as he wrapped it around her eyes. She could feel his breath upon her neck. He took her hand and led her to the giant panther. Guen has agreed to carry you to the surface. It is not far, only about one kilometer up." Jozzlyn's hands were shaking as he helped her on the cat's muscled shoulders. Guen felt hard as stone underneath her.
"Hold on tight." Drizzt stated. They began to walk at a brisk pace with Jozzlyn holding around Guen's massive neck. She was afraid she was pulling the cat's fur, but Guen never complained. Jozzlyn gave up looking around the caves, her blindfold was pitch black. Her infrared vision slowly began to show more of a bright orange as they made their way up the crevice. She had taken to closing her eyes underneath the blindfold. After several minutes, the light began to grow brighter even through closed eyes. Jozzlyn's head began to ache. They made it to the surface with no incident. Drizzt explained that most goblins did not come to the surface until dusk, when the sun was setting. He explained the sequences of the day and night to Jozzlyn, only stopping when she asked a question. Dark elves rarely walked to the surface, they were masters of darkness.
Guen came to a stop, and Drizzt helped Jozzlyn down from her back. She heard him whisper "Until nightfall my dear friend." Guen let out a low growl.
"Is she not coming with us to Mithril Hall?" Jozzlyn asked.
"Guen is a creature of the Astral Plane. Even she must go home to rest. I will summon her again at nightfall when she is rested," Drizzt explained. "We must cover a lot of ground before the sun sets and the snow freezes," Drizzt told her as he took her hand and began walking.
Jozzlyn heard the soft crunch of the snow as she walked, and Drizzt took the opportunity to explain precipitation and snowfall. Occasionally if they had to walk over tricky terrain, Drizzt would place his hand around her waist and steady her. His body radiated heat, and Jozzlyn's head slowly stopped aching. As the light faded, Jozzlyn noticed the air felt colder. She had grown accustomed at feeling the snow land on her hands and face. Drizzt placed his cloak over her head to block some of the wind. An hour passed and Jozzlyn was steadily growing colder.
Drizzt sensed her concern, "The sun is setting. We have roughly an hour to reach my hidden shelter, but if we keep our pace we shall reach it before nightfall."
"Everything is so…bright. Will ever get used to this, Drizzt?" Jozzlyn whispered.
"Of course you will. Hang on, we are almost there."
Jozzlyn's face went numb. She stopped talking as her lips began to chap. Once she stumbled and Drizzt caught her before she landed face forward into the snow. Drizzt pulled her close and told her she could sit on a broken limb and rest for a few minutes. She sat down beside him and he held her frozen hands to warm them. After a few minutes, Jozzlyn felt his hand cup her face and gently turn it toward him.
"Your lips are blue," said Drizzt. "When you are ready we will continue up this hill and be at the cave in less than ten minutes." Jozzlyn licked her chapped lips.
Drizzt cupped her face with both of his hands. Slowly she felt pressure as he brushed her lips with his. She felt warmth rush into her and her heart skipped a beat. Slowly and gently he pressed his lips to hers. She found herself responding to his kiss, and let her lips part. He took her bottom lip in between his and gently sucked on it to make her blood flow. He pulled away slowly and Jozzlyn noticed she had been holding her breath the entire time.
Suddenly Drizzt stood up. "You're freezing and I'm just sitting here. Come on, we need to walk a few more steps."
Jozzlyn slowly stood, worried that her shaking knees would not hold her. He wrapped his arm around her waist again and they began to walk uphill.
"Almost there, Jozzlyn."Drizzt whispered in her ear. Jozzlyn began to realize just how much she cared for this male.
She willed herself to keep moving, but her head was spinning. She did not know if it was because of the cold or his kiss. She thought about the way his lips felt on hers. She recalled the feeling of losing control of herself when he pulled away from her. The last thing she remembered was the way her body and soul longed for him when he let her go.
And then everything turned to black.
[That's all I have so far. Please let me know what you think or where I can improve.]