Lidia acknowledged Anomen with a nod but otherwise didn't break her brisk pace, making her way towards the cedar doors.
"Wait," Anomen called. Lidia stopped in place for a moment.
He said, "I had heard rumors about your deeds before. With the scope of the tales I was told, I had hardly believed them, but...you stopped the war in the North?"
Lidia said, "I had a lot of help, but yes, that happened."
"And that's all you have to say about it?" He was incredulous. "Perhaps you would tell me more."
"Not here." She pushed the doors open, and he followed her through the foyer to just outside the High Hall.
The streets were mostly empty and silent — their detainment and meeting had taken the better part of a day. Here and there, runners and messengers ran near the buildings, darting in and out of alleyways to their destination, but they broke the stillness. Magelights glowed along the other side of the street, as though the stars had descended and lined themselves up. The clouds had cleared, replaced by a brisk wind; Lidia got her gambeson out of her smaller pack and put it on as a buffer against the cold.
Lidia slowed her pace and went towards a short wall about four feet tall, leaning against it, looking out across the canal to a row of small shops and broker-houses, their lights dimmed. Below, the wind-tossed canal waters rustled against Athkala's concrete bones. Anomen joined her on the short wall about three feet away.
The salty smell in the air helped Lidia compose herself as she figured out where to begin. Finally, she asked him, "How much do you know about Sarevok?"
"He was a man of great power and similar godly heritage to you, from what I understand," he replied. "He caused a certain feebleness to creep into his country's iron. He would have wrought great destruction upon the North, and Amn too, had he been allowed to continue his course. Is that the right of it?"
She nodded. "You heard correctly — I'm sure Ajantis had to tell the High Hall all about it. Sarevok also killed Gorion and hunted me, and he wanted to use the destruction to ascend to Bhaal's throne, if I hadn't killed him first."
She shut her eyes for a moment and bit back everything else she'd wanted to say — how she'd spent five months looking over her shoulder, evading assassins and bounty hunters, staying on the move from town to town, and sometimes even going without food or sleep.
And the memory of killing Sarevok, the sight in her mind's eye of his body disintegrating as his essence fled — it caused an awful feeling of pleasure, an animalistic purring in her soul that caused the rest of her self to recoil in disgust.
"The whole thing was a trial, start to finish," she said. "I didn't want to kill him, but he left me no choice. Sarevok harmed everyone in his way, and he wouldn't stop. It wasn't just about justice or vengeance for Gorion."
A long silence passed between them until Anomen said, "This Gorion, he was very much like a father to you, wasn't he?"
"He was my father, even if he wasn't my kin," she replied.
A heaviness filled the back of her throat, and her vision blurred. She turned aside, staring over the ledge until she could again see the white caps churning beneath their feet.
"That's my grand adventure, I suppose," she said in a brittle, feeble attempt at levity. "If it's all the same to you, I don't want to talk about this anymore."
He replied, "I apologize most humbly if I have given offense."
She shook her head, almost reflexively. "No, it's…it's still difficult to discuss, that's all. Maybe I'll regale you with the better parts of that whole thing some other time."
Her thoughts turned back to business. Business was easier. "I've got to get going. In the meantime, thank you for your help."
They shook hands, and she continued, "Gorion's Company owes you at least a couple of favors. I hope that's something you can use."
Anomen straightened up. "I only ask for one thing."
"What is it?"
"An opportunity to assist you in the future. It would be an honor."
Lidia cracked a smile, a real one this time. "And I'd honored to have you along. Just one thing, begging your pardon: I thought my group only did 'pathetic skirmishes.'"
"I fear my words are not always as true as they could be," he said. "Adventure seems to follow in your wake, and you are capable of confronting it at every turn. You pulled a child from the clutches of a red dragon, confronted a tyrant, and scoured evil's touch from an entire valley. For anyone bold and pure in heart, it would be foolishness itself not to follow you."
She had to admit that those incidents sounded a lot more heroic than they felt at the time, when he put it that way.
"Well, that all happened, too," she said. "I plan to go to the Coronet next and see if the others are there. I could use some help finding my way. Want to come now?"
"Of course, I would," he said.
They had gone some way when Anomen said, "I must admit, I look forward to seeing more examples of your prowess in action. 'Tis most wondrous, for a woman."
Lidia folded her arms. "'For a woman?' Really?"
He seemed startled. "I meant no criticism by it."
"Oh, come on," she said. "Putting aside what you've seen from me, Lanka, Jaheira, Mazzy, and Irlana could give you a run for your money. I've seen Jaheira cave in someone's head with her staff, and he was wearing a helmet; she also has a chant to Chauntea, which unleashes an army of tiny, nasty, stinging insects that can disrupt spellcasting and crawl through gaps in armor —"
"My lack of experience with the fairer sex shows itself," He threw up his hands in defeat. "I have spoken as a blunt tool, here."
It was too late. Lidia was on a roll. "If you gave her a day and a pep talk, I bet Aerie could take you on, too."
Anomen replied, "The outcome of such a battle also depends on what spells are equipped, who can close the distance first, and where the fight is to be staged."
"And Minsc. Don't forget Minsc."
"Aye, one should not disregard Minsc. But if I knew that I would confront a capable magician who could also call upon the power of the gods, I would likely prepare the following spells…"
As they went to the River District, Anomen gave her a verbal road map of the parts of the city they traversed. He wasn't the most observant member of the Company, but he seemed to know Athkatla backward and forwards.
Lidia was grateful for the distraction and for having some company on the way. More than once, she thought she had seen the shadows move.
They reached the Coronet to find that Aerie, Yoshimo, and Minsc were safe and sound, having arrived shortly before without incident.
The Coronet was quiet tonight — Lidia later learned that Madam Nin's prostitutes were all undergoing routine examinations by an itinerant physician. Bernard and Celyce were taking advantage of the slow time, working in a silent, well-practiced tandem as they mopped the floor. The nights were still chilly, so the long brazier in the middle of the room glowed, radiating heat from the embers.
Lidia pulled Bernard aside and showed him the symbol that Jaheira had drawn in her journal.
He recognized it at once, setting aside his mop. "You're not in trouble, are you?"
"No more than usual," Lidia said. "Have you heard from her lately?"
"Sure I have," Bernard said, holding out his thick, golden-brown fingers. "Give me the page; I'll get that to her. Jaheira's free tonight, as far as I know, and she'll be here in two shakes of a drake's tail."
While the rest of the Company settled in, Lidia set down her small pack and Azuredge in Room H, then left the Coronet and went up the stairs around to the Coronet to the small shanties atop the bar, where the small shrine to Ilmater and the hospital kept their vigil.
A peek inside the shrine's window revealed that it was empty, so she gave the bleached, weather-beaten door to the hospital a gentle knock. Almost immediately, it opened, spilling a golden light into the evening.
"It is good to see you, child," Sebire said, standing in the doorway, wiping her right hand on a bloodstained apron. A brief and harried smile crossed her lips, revealing two half-inch-long tusks. The darkness and the gray tint of Sebire's skin made it difficult to tell, but Lidia thought she saw dark rings under her eyes.
"Hello, Sebire. I just got back in town," Lidia said, "and I thought I'd stop by. Is everything all right?"
Sebire turned back into the room for a moment, then towards Lidia. "These souls here need the kind of help a holy warrior cannot give."
She leaned in, her coarse, silver-and-black hair spilling into her face. "Tomorrow, come by if you can. If help is what you offer, it is something Ganthet and I could use."
The door shut, but Lidia had gotten a brief glimpse of the hospital's interior, around the edges of the doorway that Sebire filled. All six beds, and the cots on the walls, were full.
Lidia went next door into the small makeshift shrine of Ilmater. The place was dark. She couldn't do much about the draft in the room or the threadbare rugs that lined the sagging floor. But she replaced the candles in the six pewter bowls and lit them again, until the front of the room and the bas-relief of the Crying God were bathed in a golden glow.
She sat on one of the benches and spent some time meditating, though she couldn't say whether it was guidance or relief she sought. She let the minutes carry on without her notice as her mind traveled down pathways she otherwise refused to tread. Once or twice, tears spilled from her eyes.
But her chain of thought was broken by another knock, this time at the door to the shrine. She rose and opened up the door.
A dark-eyed boy, no more than seven, stood on the threshold. In his dirty, little hand was a note.
"Nice to see you again, Brus," Lidia said. Remembering last time, she fumbled in her pocket for two small copper coins as the boy offered up the note.
"This for you, ma'am," he said, his little round face solemnly staring up at her as she took the note.
He didn't ask for any money this time, but Lidia handed the coins to him anyway in exchange. As soon as his fingers closed over the coins, Brus left and disappeared into the night without a word.
Lidia opened the note, read it, and leaned against the doorway for a moment, nearly crumpling the paper in her hand. She glanced back to the image of Ilmater, then wiped her eyes and set her jaw, hoping that Jaheira had arrived by now.
She departed the shrine, closing the door behind her, and descended towards the Coronet, determined to gather the others together. This note's contents were something they all deserved to know.