Gorion looked over his shoulder and saw that Dorean was now even further behind him than before.
Noticing his turned head, the little dwarf returned his gaze with a malignant glare. The old wizard paused, then silently turned back to the road.
The edges of his robes lifted slightly and flowed behind him as the sea breeze became stronger, and after a few minutes he stopped at the end of the causeway leading to the peninsula of Candlekeep. Lifting his chin, Gorion noted the walls and battlements of the fortress as well as the surrounding cliffs. He breathed in deeply and exhaled through his mouth.
It has been a long time since I last saw the sea.
He blinked, then looked over his shoulder again. Dorean too had stopped and was now over twenty paces away.
"You told me you could keep up," Gorion said sternly.
When Dorean neither answered nor moved, the wizard frowned, took another deep breath, then turned and moved toward him.
He stopped at ten paces away. The dwarf was now breathing heavily and had placed one of his hands to his chest.
"What is it?" said Gorion, his voice slightly less cold than before.
Dorean's mouth opened and closed, and he swallowed several times before finally answering.
"I-I'm not crossing that."
Gorion looked at him, at the causeway, then back to him again.
"It was made to withstand the waves, and even in a storm the winds are hardly ever strong enough to-"
Dorean lowered his head. "I am NOT. Crossing. That." His right hand clenched into a fist at his side. He breathed nosily and heavily through his mouth, his chest rising and falling beneath his left hand. The fingers dug painfully into chest.
Gorion's shoulders relaxed and his eyes became half-lidded as he regarded his companion; at three-and-a-half feet tall with a skinny build and dressed in a tattered shirt and trousers a few dwarf-sizes too big for him, Dorean was hardly the most imposing or intimidating person he had ever met.
The wizard paused, then sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
"We are running late for our meeting with the Kee-"
He took a step toward Dorean and immediately the little dwarf had a bone dagger in his right hand and pointed at Gorion's face. He stopped, gazing at the weapon.
How did I miss that?
Dorean was now baring his teeth at him, gray eyes glinting. The wizard kept his hands at his sides, looking coolly down at the dwarf.
They both stood still, starring at each other. Then Gorion blinked; behind the goatee, he saw that the dwarf's chin was quivering.
He is frightened. And not of me.
He felt the sea breeze again, lifting up and pulling at both their clothes, and saw Dorean shudder and tighten the grip on his chest even further.
After a very long moment, ignoring the dagger and maintaining eye-contact, he quietly kneeled down and extended a hand, the palm facing up at a slight diagonal angle.
"Come on. I will carry you," he said gently.
Several long minutes went by in total silence, Dorean's eyes darting between Gorion's hand, his face and the coast. Gorion did not move. He kept his gaze firmly fixed on the dwarf's face. Then Dorean very slowly put the dagger away and stepped forward hesitantly, pausing a few times. The wizard did not lower his hand, avert his gaze or change his expression, quietly waiting.
He stopped just short of Gorion's hand. Maintaining his kneeling posture, the wizard inched forward a few steps with his feet, placed his right hand under Dorean's legs and then slowly and carefully lifted him a foot off the ground before standing up. He paused for a moment, Dorean's head now level with his chest.
So light. He could not weigh more than sixty pounds.
They both looked at each other for a moment before Gorion quietly turned back to the coast.
As he approached the causeway, he felt Dorean's breath become more rapid and his shuddering more violent. Glancing down, he saw that his companion had shut his eyes tight and was now biting his bottom lip. His small body was shaking from head to foot.
The little dwarf grabbed at his robes and clung tightly to him as the wizard reached and started walking along the causeway. Occasionally Gorion felt him flinch at the sound and spray of a large wave.
The old wizard hesitated, then moved his left hand up to gently pat the back of the little dwarf's head.
"It's alright." He said gently, stroking the mane of brown hair. "It's alright."
He felt Dorean's grip on his robes relax slightly and his breathing becoming less rapid, although his eyes remained shut and his body continued to twitch.
As Candlekeep drew nearer and larger on the horizon, Gorion felt Dorean's small head rest against his chest. He glanced down at the boy's face, and a gentle, unbidden smile came to his own.
"I got you."
..
Feeling the Strength spell beginning to fade, Gorion changed his fast walk to a jog, and stopped after reaching the end of the causeway.
"We are across now."
Dorean opened his eyes, blinked a few times, then released his grip on the old man's shoulders, nimbly hopped off his back and moved to stand beside him. He took a moment to rub his chest and take several deep, long breaths, wheezing past his beard.
"Thank you, father," he said softly, not looking up at the wizard.
Giving him a quick smile and pat on the head, Gorion cast an Infravision spell on himself for the second time, blinked slowly twice, then nodded to him and resumed walking.
A few minutes passed in silence, Dorean adjusting the straps of his pack uncomfortably, before he worked up the nerve to speak.
"So where are we going?" he asked, keeping level with Gorion despite the man's longer strides.
"The Friendly Arm Inn," answered Gorion, his eyes on the road ahead.
Dorean hesitated again before speaking.
"That where we're meeting your old friends? The Harpers?"
"Yes. If I am correct, they are there presently, and awaiting our arrival."
Silence once more descended on the travelling duo for several minutes, during which Dorean fidgeted and looked anywhere but at Gorion before he finally worked up the nerve to speak.
"Father...about what happened back in-"
"You have nothing to apologize for," Gorion said softly. "You were reacting in defence of her."
Another moment of silence passed between them. Gorion swallowed once and then looked down at his ward.
"Child."
Dorean looked up into the old man's eyes.
"You should never feel the need to apologize for protecting those you love."
Dorean paused, then quietly nodded. After a moment, he looked up at Gorion again.
"These people we're meeting, who-"
A cacophony of shrieks and howls erupted ahead of them. Both men snapped their heads forward and Dorean quickly took a few steps to the side away from Gorion.
A pack of hunchbacked, black-furred humanoids appeared, steaming down the road straight toward them with short swords raised.
As he drew the crossbow from his back, Dorean rapidly counted the charging monsters.
Five ten fifteen twenty...
Gritting his teeth, the dwarf reached for the quiver at his hip and grabbed a bolt.
"Cover your eyes!"
Dorean immediately obeyed. With his left hand holding the crossbow, he fumbled and dropped the bolt as he brought his right arm across his face. He closed his eyes as a sudden burst of radiant light exploded in the midst of the pack.
A few seconds later, he uncovered and opened his eyes, swiftly reaching down and grabbing the bolt off the ground. When he looked up, there was no sign of the creatures; no bodies, blood or dropped swords.
He turned his head to look at Gorion. The wizard was standing very still, arms still outstretched from casting the Sunburst spell.
"Father?"
Gorion did not answer. Still looking up at him, Dorean hesitantly loaded the crossbow, then slowly turned his head to look at the road ahead.
"That was not an attack," Gorion said abruptly, his voice low and quiet.
He turned his head to look at Dorean. Both men starred at each other before Gorion returned his gaze to the road. His eyes narrowed and he took a deep breath, releasing it through his mouth.
"Come, child. Stay behind me."
Keeping his crossbow out and ready, Dorean followed Gorion off the poorly-lit road into the darkness of the undergrowth, jogging to keep up with the wizard.
..
"I will give you one more chance; hand him over, and I will let you live."
Five seconds passed. To Dorean, they seemed like minutes. He glanced at Gorion, moving only his eyes and not turning his head from his aimed crossbow. He saw the old man's expression drop, his eye-lids lowering slightly.
Then it was gone, and when he met the knight's eyes again, Gorion's face was once more filled with fierce, insurmountable resolve.
"Never."
No one spoke or moved. It seemed to Dorean that even the forest held its breath; there was not one rustle of a branch or leaf. Even the ogres were completely quiet.
Except for the wind, the world was silent.
Then the horned knight spoke again, slowly and clearly, stretching out every uttered syllable.
"I am sorry that you feel that way, old man."
Seconds later, Gorion had pulled Dorean behind him. As the arrows shattered against his Protection from Arrows spell, the wizard looked his ward in the eye.
"Run, child," he said, his voice soft and gentle.
Dorean froze, looking up at his foster father. No response or thought came to him. He starred up at the man's back as he turned to face their foes.
In the edges of his vision from around Gorion, he saw the ogres explode into chunks of blood and gore before they could raise their enormous clubs. Saw the knight march forward, ignoring the blood, organs and body parts striking and splattering against his armour. Yet the dwarf remained frozen, continuing to stare at Gorion's back.
The wizard turned his head to take a quick glance at him.
"Go now!"
Meeting his eye, Dorean closed and set his jaw, glaring at the old man's face, before stepping out from behind the wizard and raising his crossbow at the advancing knight.
He saw a flash of flame a half-second before he reeled sideways and his face hit the dirt, the crossbow flying up and behind him. Searing, tearing pain tore through his temple. Clutching it and feeling the wetness of blood, Dorean looked up. Once again, his vision was filled by fire. Gorion launched the fireball and then immediately turned to Dorean.
"DO AS I SAY! GET OUT OF HERE!"
The dwarf felt his body rise, turn and run for the edge of the clearing, though he was unaware of voluntarily choosing to. Another fire arrow flew past him, missing his head by inches.
Hearing the clash of steel, Dorean darted behind a tree and immediately turned to look around it.
He saw the great-sword cleave the blue-robed wizard from shoulder to waist.
The world seemed to fall away, his vision narrowing into a tunnel, until all he could see was Gorion hitting the ground in a spray of blood and gore.
The knight looked down at his defeated foe, both hands clutching his greatsword and his armour caked in blood. Then he slowly turned his head up and to the side, towards Dorean.
For a long moment, the dwarf continued to look at Gorion. Then, very slowly and without moving his head, he returned the man's gaze.
Gray met gold, both blank.
Then the gold narrowed, and the knight turned to face him.
Dorean's face remained impassive and his body completely still as the knight took several steps towards him.
After a few seconds, he slowly turned around and jogged in a straight line away from the clearing, his expression still devoid of any emotion.
..
Dorean heard the heaves and grunts of the horned knight before he saw him stagger in front of the tree. The man stopped, looking down at the small glass jar on the ground at the base of the tree. Seemingly unaware of his prey crouching on the branches above him, he raised his foot and brought it down on the jar, crushing it.
Ignoring the pain and wetness flowing from his head and onto his face, the dwarf watched his enemy drag his greatsword along the ground behind him. The blade of the weapon was slicked in blood. Dorean's gaze lingered on it for a few seconds, his expression still blank, before looking back at its owner.
With a loud clang, the man turned around and slumped against the tree. The greatsword fell from his hand as he leaned forward and abruptly vomited. Blood and bile landed next to his dropped weapon.
The man was now directly below him. Without moving his head or eyes, Dorean reached down and drew his knife. He gripped it tightly in both hands, the blade pointing down toward the man's horned helmet.
Look up.
The man bent over further and vomited again before collapsing against the tree, his body sliding down to sit against its base.
Dorean violently grinded his teeth behind his closed mouth. He felt the iron taste of blood on his tongue.
Look. Up.
Reaching up with his right hand, Dorean ran it across his blood-covered face and then flicked it down at Sarevok. Droplets of blood fell onto his helmet and shoulders.
The man seemed to tense, and his head slowly began to tilt upwards.
The knuckles of Dorean's hands whitened as he gripped his knife, knees tensing as he leaned forward on the branch.
"Sarevok!"
Barely suppressing a snarl from escaping his lips, Dorean leaned back on the branch. He watched as the woman from the clearing ran to her companion and drop to one knee beside him.
"You are very badly hurt."
"Never mind me," growled the knight. "Did you find him? Is he dead?"
The woman rapidly shook her head, long black hair flowing from side to side. "Forget about him!"
The knight paused, looking at her. "Forget. About. Him?" he said hoarsely between rasps.
The woman leaned forward, moving her face closer to his. "You need healing, now! Let me-"
In an instant, the man was standing over her, his greatsword raised over his head in both hands. She leaned back, looking up at him in terror.
The knight hesitated, then with a roar he turned and swept his weapon towards the tree.
Hurriedly sheathing his knife, Dorean wrapped his arms and legs around the branch as the ground rose up to meet him.
..
He opened his eyes to a world of blurred images. He was lying in a pile of branches and leaves.
Voices, barely five paces to his right. One the woman's, the other a male, with an accent different from and as unfamiliar as hers.
Keeping very still, he slowly turned his head slightly in their direction.
Through gaps in the branches and leaves, he saw the horned knight supine on the ground, the woman on her knees and leaning over him with her hands at his face. Next to them stood a tall, thin man in bright red robes.
"...not working, he's going into shock!"
"This should not have happened. We each used nearly half the contents of our spell-books placing all those protections on him," said the man coldly.
"We have to get him out of here now!"
"His order was to not allow the ward to escape, under any circumstances."
"Semaj, he is dying! We have to leave now!"
"I agree," said another voice. A woman stepped into Dorean's vision, glancing down at the fallen knight before looking up at the red-robed man.
"I found three of the lookouts dead, and the rest are gone."
Semaj frowned. "Beasts, monsters, watchers?"
The woman shook her head. "Not by the wounds. Someone else is out here."
The wizard looked down to meet the healer-woman's gaze, then up to meet that of the other, nodded silently and raised his hands to weave a spell.
Seconds later, Dorean was alone in the forest. He slowly closed his eyes, recalling every second of what he had witnessed.
After a moment, he opened them, reached for his boot knife, slowly cut the branches and leaves, struggled out of them and stood up.
He heard a rustle to his left and quickly turned, brandishing the knife.
"It's me, Dorean, it's me!"
Through his blurred vision, Dorean spotted a shade of pink.
"It's okay, Dorean. They're gone."
He slowly lowered the knife, his chest heaving.
"You're hurt," said Imoen, looking at the gash on his temple and his bloodied face.
When he took his next breath, Dorean felt every nerve in his body go numb. The knife slipped between his fingers and fell to the ground. He lowered his gaze to the ground, starring at nothing.
"They killed him," he said softly, his voice a complete deadpan.
"Yeah, I...I saw," She paused, her eyes brimming with tears. "I am so sorry."
"I'm going to kill them," said Dorean emotionlessly. "I'm going to kill them all."
Imoen's mouth opened slightly as she gazed at him.
"Dorean..."
He looked up at her. "Every one of them. Every one."
Imoen's jaw slowly closed and she stepped forward, dropping her bow. Dorean did not move as she wrapped her arms around his head and shoulders. He remained still for several more seconds before his body went limp in her arms.
Slowly, he dug his fingers into her clothes and buried his face in her chest.
Imoen held onto him as he sank to his knees, bending down on one knee herself. Looking down, she saw the tears pooling from his open, unblinking eyes. Ignoring both them and the blood staining her clothes, she pressed her lips and chin to the wound on his head.
"It's okay. It's okay."
She cradled his head in her arms and buried her face in his hair.
"I got you, little brother."
His eyes slowly closed, and he silently wept into her bosom.
"I got you."