Author's Note: Again, it's been a while...

Something that is out of our hands

Something we will never understand

It's a hidden law

The apple falls

Destiny calls

I follow you

- Depeche Mode, The Bottom Line

The path sloped gently up the hill, a tall wooden palisade bordering either side and making the route feel more constricted than necessary. Birdsong filled the air, the dawn chorus sounding louder to Xan than it ever had before; and every step they took on the muddy trail was like a signal of their approach to the guards, who would undoubtedly be holed up in the building they were heading straight for.

They were within the Cloakwood Mines compound, having managed to bring down the guards at the entrance with a combination of stealth and surprise. Coran had, to Xan's chagrin, excelled at the task – using the cover of the surrounding shrubs to slowly sneak up behind the sentries, throwing some stones while they looked the other way, to disturb the horses tethered outside the stables. And as one had gone to investigate the source of their agitation, he'd struck; silently and deadly, dragging the corpse back into the foliage with him and waiting for the second guard to return.

And when he had, Coran had displayed his patience, allowing the man to pass him by fully before he leapt from his cover in an ambush, claiming his second kill. The others had quickly and quietly rushed to join him, expecting at least a dozen more guards to appear, but none came. The dawn patrol was light, and Jaheira urged them move onwards swiftly and take advantage of their luck.

They'd only just rounded the stables, however, when they came face to face with more hired mercenaries. These knew Nuila by name, and Xan's blood had frozen in his veins as they addressed her. Her response to them had been cold and short, and they were thrown into battle before he'd realised what had happened. Somehow they'd survived; he wasn't sure how, but he'd been whispering his thanks to the Seldarine as they made their way onwards, Imoen delightedly examining the 'prizes' they'd picked up from their most recent victims.

Eventually they were at the summit of the small hillock, huddled together in the shadows of the palisade at the far side of the clearing. The wooden structure they were heading towards loomed into the sky, more of a tower than a simple hut. Large gears and pulleys were vaguely visible from their vantage point, the mechanisms for the mine's lift at the other side of the structure. Xan could hear the whines and rattles faintly, and he suppressed a shudder. He didn't want to be here at all.

And so he was surprised when Nuila appeared by his side – but pleasantly so, though he could not help but feel embarrassed by the attention, as the others would undoubtedly have noticed, and would recognise his weakness. Quietly, she took his hand in hers, and led him a little away from the group, where Jaheira and Khalid were devising the next stage of the plan.

"It's not like last time," she said softly. "You won't become trapped here. We would never leave you."

"You may not have a choice if you're lying dead at my feet," he mumbled, shuffling his feet uncomfortably. Her words had touched him, despite his awkwardness, and he was unsure how to reply. She gave him a bemused look.

"True enough," she replied lightly. "But should that happen, the onus is on you to escape; taking all our bodies with you, of course, to ensure we get a proper burial."

She was smiling at him; there was no fear in her eyes, no worry in her expression. He wished desperately that he could let himself be assured by her confidence, but he couldn't; not yet. He let out a long sigh.

"Your use of humour as a defence against my logic does not change the likely outcome at all." He looked past her, towards the path they'd ascended and over the sides of the palisade to the trees of Cloakwood that surrounded them. It felt as if there was a powerful magical force lying between him and the freedom he would feel there, at the other side of the palisade, rather than just several logs, tied together to form a sturdy wall. He couldn't bring himself to look back around at the mine's entrance; he couldn't bear to think of what lay ahead.

She squeezed his hand. "Do you trust me?" she asked. He looked into her eyes sadly.

"I barely know you, Nuila," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "The time we've travelled together has been short; a tiny fraction of my life. But… but I will say this. I've known others for longer who I have trusted less than I want to trust you."

She seemed to ponder this for a moment, then nodded and moved closer to him, wrapping her two arms around his left and resting her head against his shoulder.

"Well, just remember that I will be there," she said. "I mean, should you… If you need to…" Then it was her turn to sigh as she pulled herself away from him, seemingly reluctant, offering a small, shy smile. "You know what I mean. I hope."

He nodded just the once, following her as she casually wandered back towards the others; ignoring pink-hair's lascivious wink, but cringing openly as Coran patted him roughly on the back and nodded knowingly towards their monk leader. Thankfully, Nuila seemed completely oblivious, listening intently as Jaheira and Khalid went over their thoughts with her. Xan pushed his way past Branwen and Ajantis, the two humans inspecting their weapons and armour, and scowling at him as they made way for his escape from Coran.

And then there was a low rumble, and the earth shook gently underfoot as the wheels of the lift's mechanism began to turn slowly, the pulleys creaking loudly behind them. He glanced over to the tower and was filled with a sickening sensation, and a terrifying feeling of claustrophobia and abhorrence at the idea of descending into the bowels of the earth. The others had exchanged glances, Jaheira signalling that they needed to make their move then, and one by one, with Nuila in the lead, they started jogging over to the tower. With a heavy heart and an even heavier sigh, Xan followed.

The mine was not like the one at Nashkel. For one, it was still very much in active use and the miners were overjoyed to see people who were not part of the guard. Xan followed dourly as they wound their way through mile after mile of winding tunnel, until suddenly they reached a larger cavern. It looked to be used as a storeroom of sorts, with crates lining one of the walls, and the tunnel continuing off into the distance. Two guards were quickly despatched, and Imoen was quick to find a bunch of keys on one of their bodies.

Nuila took them, and with Jaheira, she cautiously opened a wooden door set into the granite wall. The door creaked open, and the group filed through, Xan noting Imoen's gasp before he was able to make out the surroundings for himself.

They were in the holding area for a makeshift prison. Shackles adorned the wall, and a few crude cells had been carved into the stone. While barely big enough for two humans, some of them had as many as five or six men crammed in. None of them looked very well.

"Get the doors," Jaheira said quietly to the elven girl. Nuila nodded, her hands shaking slightly as she tried different keys in the locks. Khalid set about freeing those in the shackles, the metalwork old and rusted and breaking easily at his determined hits. The imprisoned miners tried to talk, but Jaheira hushed them, ordering them into groups where she could assess for wounds and injuries. Branwen and Ajantis were then signalled to administer healing while the druid instructed Imoen and Coran to search the room outside for food and bring in whatever they could find.

Xan, feeling helpless, went to Nuila.

"Let me," he said, gently taking the keys from her hands and quickly trying each in turn on the cell door until he heard the click, and it swung open easily. She followed him as he opened all the doors, then they stood together, watching the miners being recovered, Imoen and Coran handing out some bread and wineskins that they'd managed to find.

"Are you all right?"

Her voice jolted him back to reality; he'd almost allowed himself to go into a daze, anything to escape the memories of his own, recent capture.

"I am fine," he lied. "Come; we should assist however we can."

She nodded, and they moved into the group, him following her lead as she approached Jaheira and Khalid.

"We cannot just leave them here," she said, looking around at the ravenous men. Most were perking up now they had received some nourishment, and wounds were healing nicely. "We don't know if they would wander out and give our presence away, or if a patrol might happen upon them..."

The druid nodded her agreement. "You are right. We should escort them to the surface, perhaps. There was an empty barn on our way in. If they wait there for our return..."

"If we return," Xan sighed. Jaheira ignored him.

"Khalid – take Imoen with you. Get these men – and any others you pass to the surface. Explain our plan to them – if they decide to brave the woods on their own, then so be it. Then come back to us. We will wait here."

Her husband nodded, calling pink-hair over to help him round up the men and see them out of the mine. The druid sighed as she watched, one hand absent-mindedly scratching her braided hair. Her jaw was set determinedly.

"The passage continues deeper into the mine," she said, a steely glint in her eye. "We should see what lies ahead."

"I will go," Nuila said. "I can be quiet—" She noticed Xan's look. "Quite quiet. I will have a quick look along and just see what lies ahead; I won't go far, and I won't try anything foolish if I see someone."

Jaheira sighed, but Xan could tell as she looked at her surroundings she had limited options. She nodded her asent, Nuila looking grateful to gain the druid's trust. She repeated her promise to be careful, and padded away towards the door.

"Fear not, sweetling; I will come with you and ensure your safety."

Xan clenched his Moonblade.

"Tell me again where this plug is."

Xan sighed; the day was going very quickly from bad to worse. After pacing the holding room for what seemed like an eternity, Nuila had returned, apparently relatively unmolested by Coran. The cocky elf was still accompanying her, but their ranks had been bolstered by another; a bedraggled and angry dwarf.

"Not far from here; I'd wager ye went past it on yer way down." Yeslick had a plan. To Xan's non-surprise, it involved the real chance of killing all of them. But since this was becoming a relatively routine occurrence, he let it pass.

Yeslick, it turned out, was of the Clan Orothair, the original owners of the Cloakwood Mines. Many years ago his clan had dug too far, breeching a wall that allowed the river to flood in. He was one of few survivors, and he left the Sword Coast to seek his fortune elsewhere. He met a man named Rieltar in Sembia, and confided to him the tragedy which had befallen his clan.

"Then he betrayed me," the dwarf sighed. "He lied to me and fooled me intae givin' him the location. Then his goons captured me and took me here, lockin' me up so I could tell no one."

"And this plug is where Rieltar repaired the original breech?" Jaheira asked, a look of relief swiftly passing her face as Khalid and Imoen returned unscathed from their journey to the surface.

"It is, aye," Yeslick nodded. "But I know how he did it and how it works. I'm sure I can reverse it, too."

The druid nodded. "It is certainly an option. The men are safe above ground?"

Her husband nodded. "Th-they are happy waiting for us. Some weapons were found, and they w-will defend themselves if needed."

Jaheira nodded, beckoning Nuila over. "What do you wish to do now, child?"

If Nuila was upset to be referred to as a child, she didn't notice it. Perhaps she had her mind on other things, perhaps she was growing in maturity. Either way, Xan reflected, she had a thankless task ahead of her.

"This Rieltar is head of the Iron Throne?" she asked. Yeslick nodded. "And it has been people working for him – for his company, at least – who have been trying to kill me." She looked helplessly at Jaheira. "I still don't understand why."

"Nor I, Nuila," the druid admitted. "But we will find out."

Nuila nodded. "We will flood the mines," she said. "But only after we have discovered all we can about this whole mess. They've shown so far that they love their pieces of correspondence; someone here is likely to have some kind of letter or note about me, popular as I am." She sighed heavily, a sentiment he wholly related to.

"Let us go on, for now. We will unplug the mine on the way back to the surface."