Chapter 15
Jarlaxle fitted the golden disk into the indentation in the puzzle box and waited anxiously. Nothing. He frowned and removed his hand from the puzzle box. He studied the golden disk intently and then carefully settled the disk into the indentation again. Nothing. Puzzled, the drow removed the bracelet. He was positive that the bracelet and the puzzle box went together. So why was the box silent?
The journal had said that Anna was the key. Could it mean that she was the key to the artifact? The possibility that his young guest was somehow tied to the mysterious puzzle box made the drow grin. He gently pushed the golden appendages back into the bracelet and secreted both items in his cloak.
He needed to contact Bregan D'aerthe. If he had sent a warning to himself then the situation was dire. Pulling out a crystal ball he held it up and waited for the lieutenant he had left in charge to answer. Kimmuriel responded almost immediately.
The normally emotionless Kimmuriel was worried. Jarlaxle could see the lines of stress in his lieutenant's face. "What causes my lieutenant such distress?"
"There have been many unexplained deaths." Kimmuriel answered, struggling to hide his unease.
"Unexplained? How so?" Jarlaxle asked.
"There are no wounds, but there is profuse bleeding. At first we thought it a type of poison, but I know of no poison that affects multiple races the same way." Kimmuriel's frustration was clear.
"Which races are dying?" Unease began to coil in Jarlaxle's gut.
"All of them." Kimmuriel answered.
Jarlaxle paused, taken aback. "Even the drow?" Surely his people would know how to avoid this. The drow were masters of intrigue; there was little that escaped their notice.
Kimmuriel met his leader's eyes. "Even the drow have not been able to defeat this enemy. Several of the lower houses have already fallen." Jarlaxle frowned. "Survivors?"
"None." Kimmuriel informed him. "We sent spies to assess the situation. They now number among the dead."
Dread clawed at Jarlaxle's stomach. "What do the corpses look like?"
Kimmuriel's face twisted. "The skin has an unnatural hue and blood pours from the nose, eyes, mouth and ears."
Jarlaxle considered the possible connections to what he had seen on the surface. "Similar deaths are occurring on the surface as well. Have the wererats had any contact with Menzoberranzan recently?"
Kimmuriel's eyes widened at the news. The same thing was occurring on the surface world as well? "Yes, they were among the first to die."
Jarlaxle considered the journal's warning. "Recall Bregan D'aerthe and leave Menzoberranzan."
Kimmuriel stared at his leader in shock. "Leave?"
Jarlaxle nodded. "Until we know what we are dealing with speak to no one; have contact with no one. I will contact you when more information becomes available."
"What of you?" Kimmuriel asked.
"I will take the necessary precautions." Jarlaxle told him. No use worrying his lieutenant any more than he already was. Kimmuriel acknowledged his leader's orders and bid him farewell.
Jarlaxle replaced the crystal ball and contemplated his lieutenant's words.
Artemis would have been hard pressed to recognize his lively companion in the sober figure sitting on the rock.
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Anna watched the wagon bounce along the deep ruts in the road until it crested the hill and disappeared from sight. "Is it possible that they might be taking out the humans in different wagons?" She wondered.
"That's what we need to find out." The assassin answered. She glanced up at his cold unreadable face and wondered what he was thinking.
"Let's go." He said, as he started towards the city.
Anna grabbed the back of his shirt. It was a mistake. In a movement too quick to follow he grabbed her wrist, twisted it back and pressed his jeweled dagger against her jugular. She gasped and stared at him out of round eyes.
"Don't touch me." He snarled, shoving her away. Anna stumbled back and brought a shaking hand to her throat. Without another word he spun around and started walking.
I can't take this anymore! I was such a fool. He almost killed me! Why? Anna turned and fled in the opposite direction. She ran blindly, not caring where she was going as long as it was far away. She slammed into something. Jarlaxle. He grabbed her as she stumbled back, a confused expression on his darkly handsome face. Anna struggled frantically. Unable to break his hold she tried to bite him. "Oh, no you don't." He laughed and spun her around so that her back was against him. Artemis stood in front of her.
"Why can't I leave you two alone without our young guest trying to flee at the first opportunity?" The elf looked at the assassin in exasperation.
"He tried to kill me!" Anna cried. The assassin leaned forward to stare her in the eyes. "If I wanted to kill you then you would be dead."
Jarlaxle laughed. "That's just how he shows he cares." Anna twisted around to stare at him in disbelief.
"You weren't trying to kill me?" Anna's brow wrinkled as she turned back to Artemis. The assassin arched a brow. "Obviously. You're still alive, aren't you?"
"You didn't need to scare me." Anna sniffled. Artemis muttered something under his breath and then addressed the elf. "What are you doing here?"
The drow smiled and waved his hand towards the city. "I fear that curiosity got the best of me." The assassin didn't try to hide his disbelief.
"You can let me go now." Anna grumbled. The drow still had her held tightly against him. Jarlaxle leaned close and murmured. "But I fear, violent soul that you are, you might bite me."
"I was scared." Anna muttered and looked away. Quiet laughter tickled her ear. "So you bite when scared? I will have to bear that in mind lest you unman me."
Artemis shook his head and turned towards the city. "Are you coming?" He growled, trademark scowl back in place.
Jarlaxle watched the assassin start towards the city. A thoughtful expression entered his eyes. Did the assassin regret scaring Anna? How unusual. "Whatever did you do to make Artemis so cross?" He asked curiously. Anna tilted her head back to look at him. The elf's lips were far too close to her ear. "I grabbed his shirt." She said. The drow laughed so hard that the assassin stopped and threw him a threatening glare; which of course only made him laugh all the harder. Composing himself he told her. "You are quite possibly the only person that has touched him uninvited and lived."
Anna blinked. Was that supposed to make her feel better? She jumped when she felt his lips on her ear. With a laugh he released her and offered an arm. The gesture would have been gallant had it not been for the gleam in his red eyes. She wondered why he always wore a patch. She knew that there was nothing wrong with his vision. Just yesterday the patch had covered the opposite eye. Anna shot him a suspicious look. What was he up to? He flashed her a smile. She wished that she could resist that charm of his. She sighed and took his arm. It really wasn't fair how hard it was to resist him.
As they walked Anna wondered about the wagon they had seen earlier. Was it possible that this disease didn't affect humans? If she had brought it back with her then why hadn't the drow been affected? She had been around him more than anyone else except for Artemis and he hadn't gotten sick either.
"What are you thinking?" Jarlaxle's musical voice broke her from her reverie.
"I was wondering why neither you nr Artemis has been affected." It didn't make any sense. She looked up at the drow, her face a picture of confusion.
"An interesting question." He acknowledged. "Are you worried about me?"
"Of course, I wouldn't want you or Artemis to die!" She exclaimed. The thought of the dark elf dying was far more distressing than she would have thought possible.
A wide smile stretched across Jarlaxle's face. "You would miss me!" He crowed. Anna scowled at him. Stupid elf.
"Yes, I would miss you." She admitted.
Jarlaxle's eyes filled with amusement. "What about Artemis, would you miss him as well?" The assassin stiffened as he listened in to their conversation.
Anna studied the assassin. Would she mourn his death? She was surprised that a feeling of loss accompanied the thought. "Yes, I would miss Artemis too. Though I am not sure why." She muttered, drawing a laugh from the drow.
"I heard that." Growled the assassin.
Jarlaxle chortled gleefully. "Ah my friend, it is a good thing when a lovely young woman says that she would miss you."
"Shut up." The assassin grated.
Anna felt a little shiver of pleasure course through her at his words. She couldn't stop herself from asking. "You think that I am lovely?"
Jarlaxle grinned down at her. "As lovely as the stars in a moonlit sky!"
He had been teasing her, Anna realized glumly. She blew her hair out of her face. She should have realized that he wouldn't find her attractive. Though, why she would care was a mystery. She knew that there could never be anything between them. He was one of the Fae. Her grandmother had warned her that when a human and a Fae mixed it was always the human that suffered. The Fae lived far longer than humans and therefore didn't age the same. Anna wondered how old the drow actually was.
"Another wagon comes." The dark elf said, guiding her to the edge of the road. The assassin joined them to watch as the wagon approached.
A grizzled man sat slumped in the driver's seat. His weariness was evident even from a distance. He barely glanced at them as he slapped the reins, urging the tired horse forward. Bloated, bloody bodies were heaped in the bed of the wagon.
"I didn't see any humans in that one either." Anna said, once the wagon had passed. Her companions watched in silence. They also hadn't seen any humans among the dead." Are you sure about going into the city?" Anna worried, her eyes following the wagon.
"The journal was specific about needing to find answers in the city." Jarlaxle answered, as he adjusted his hat. He wasn't looking forward to this particular visit. Artemis nodded in agreement as they stepped back onto the road.
Anna lost count of how many wagons they passed. To her surprise no one stopped or warned them to stay away. The trio came to an abrupt halt when they reached the entrance to the city.
"By the nine hells, what is this?" Artemis' shocked tone was reflected in the faces of his companions.
Bodies filled the open sewer that ran through the city. As they stared at the corpses a body was pushed out of one of the windows, falling onto the rapidly growing pile of bodies. Haggard men dragged the corpses from the sewer to a nearby wagon and tossed them in the back. Even as they pulled the dead from the road more bodies were dragged from houses or thrown out of windows. The bodies were piling up quicker than the men could remove them. The sickly sweet smell of rotting flesh made Anna gag and cover her nose with her sleeve.
Impossible though it seemed, the deeper they went into the city the more bodies they saw. "There aren't any humans among the dead." The assassin said quietly. Even the unshakeable drow looked disturbed.
There were so many dead. Bodies filled the streets; thick blackish blood oozed from their mouth, eyes and ears. Like the orc village some of the dead's skin had turned a ghastly shade of lilac. Others had dark blotches or had turned completely black. Male and female, young and old, of every imaginable race, had been piled in careless heaps. It looked like a war zone.
"I've seen enough." Anna choked. The stench was so foul that she was having trouble keeping her breakfast down. The drow agreed. "Indeed, let us leave this place." None of them spoke as they left the city. Each lost in their own thoughts. Jarlaxle lead them into the woods, away from the death and decay.
When they finally stopped Anna collapsed on a fallen tree and buried her face in her hands. "How do we stop this?" She whispered. A rustle of cloth alerted her to the drow taking a seat beside her. He absently rubbed the scratch on his palm that he had received when he had cut himself on Anna's uniform. It hadn't entirely healed yet, which was unusual. The drow generally healed quickly. He sighed and rested a slender hand on her shoulder. "I do not know." He admitted. Anna looked over at him and was taken aback at his solemn expression. She had never seen him so upset.
Artemis sat in the grass in front of them. "I did not see any still living, except for humans."
"Nor I." Jarlaxle confirmed.
"What should we do?" Anna wondered. Jarlaxle absently rubbed her shoulder as he thought. For once Anna didn't pull away. After so much death the warm contact was a relief. He looked at the setting sun. "The day is almost gone. We will sleep on it and devise a plan in the morning." He decided.
Anna slumped forward, resting her forearms on her knees. "I wonder if I actually am from your future."
Jarlaxle regarded her quietly and moved his hand down to hers. The journal had said that she was the key, but the key to what? "If you are from a distant time then perhaps you are here for a reason." He had never thought that time travel was possible, but so much had happened that even the impossible was beginning to seem possible.
"What reason? So that I could bring some plague back? So that I could kill everything except humans? How do I make it stop?" Her anguished cry made the assassin look away. Jarlaxle pulled her close and rested his chin on her head. "What proof do you have that you are the cause? Neither myself or Artemis have succumbed to this sickness."
"The drow is right. This is not your doing." The assassin told her. Anna wiped her eyes and looked at the assassin. He had already stood up and his back now faced her. "Don't blame yourself." He said. Without waiting for a response he walked away and disappeared into the trees.
"Did he just try to comfort me?" Anna whispered. The drow was once again momentarily speechless. He idly wondered if being struck speechless so often was good for his health. "It would appear so." He said, when he finally found his voice. His young guest had an interesting effect on his dour friend.
Anna felt him shift slightly to sit up, though he still held her. He placed his hand on her hair and gently guided her head to his shoulder. She felt his graceful fingers slide through her hair. "We have to do something." Anna whispered.
"Do not despair my young friend. You were sent back with the journal on purpose. I would not have done such a thing if there was nothing we could do." He assured her. He placed a slender finger under her chin and tilted her face towards him. "A more interesting question is; how did the journal end up in your hands? A woman who comes from a world where the races of Faerun are merely myths and legends."
Authors Note: I left a clue in this chapter, anyone catch it?
General zargon: Yep, I'm killing them all off…hehehe, but do you have any ideas about where it's going in the next few chapters? :P
Sonra: I was wondering about coffee, but I couldn't remember any mention of it in the books. Ah well, we'll just pretend they know it by a different name. ;)
Surreptitious Chi X: I've had this story in my head wayyyyy too long not to finish it. I think you will love the ending! The few people that I told the story line to thought it was cool, so I've got my fingers crossed!
Sushi-san85: Thanks for reviewing, I always appreciate input! I realize that in the forgotten realms there are many gods. The reason the boy mentions God is because this story is set in 14th century London shortly before the Black Death hits. It would have been a normal thing for someone from London to say at the time. At least that was my thought process. I guess I didn't mix history and the realms setting well enough. Oops.