Chapter 9

It was getting dark, so we decided to return to camp to rest before going after Halsin in the morning. When night fully set in, I felt a rippling of magical energy. Something was creating a way from the spirit world, but it was somehow darker and more precise.

"Hell's fire. She's coming." Wyll breathed in a tone of pure terror.

Then a circle of churning oil with fire burning at its edges appeared in the middle of the camp. Out of the viscous portal came a female shape made of the same material, it was hiding itself behind large bat-like wings and when it let them free from its face the oily material evaporated and the devil was revealed

She had grey skin, and four horns that protruded from the front and back of her skull, her head also supported fiery red hair and golden chain-like jewellery. Like all demons and foul creatures of the like she was unmatchably alluring. The devil was beautiful in the way runway models and calendar girls wish they were, her wicked beauty surpassed even the fae women I had encountered, and almost hit succubus territories. The natural beauty was heightened by the low-cut blue and golden dress she wore, made to reveal all sorts of lovely features that could be taken and caressed if only she allowed it. And like with all creatures of this nature, I knew accepting anything of the kind would be an exercise akin to assisted suicide. The devil turned her eyes, which were pitch black aside from deep crimson pupils to Wyll and said in an equally alluring voice-

"Wyll. You've been naughty. And you know what happens when you're naughty."

"Gods damn it. Anyone but her." Karlach spat with rage and defeat.

"Get out of my camp devil or prepare to be flambeed," I demanded igniting my left hand with soul fire.

"How very rude! Did dear Wyll not mention me, for shame. I am Mizora Wyll's patron and font of his power. And as for you little wizard, not all of you want me to leave. That lovely energy around your heart and loins is telling a different story." The devil said with a seductive chuckle.

I reigned in the stupid winter mantle, and my own stupid instincts and made the fire burn brighter, "I mean it Jessica Rabbit, fuck off or you'll see how little that fire immunity means when it's hit with Dresden flare."

"Harry stop! This will only end badly!" Wyll begged putting himself between me and the devil.

"Chivalrous of you Wyll but it won't save your hide. My pet's been unruly, and his leash needs a yank." The devil said as she made a motion of pulling a dog lead and Wyll stepped forward forcefully holding his throat as if he was being choked. "We had a deal, Wyll. But Karlach's still breathing."

"I've taken more pleasant shits than you, Mizora, and at least those can be buried after." Karlach spat

"That's no kind of talk for a lady. By the way, Karlach Zariel sends her regards." Mizora shot back taking obscene amounts of pleasure in seeing Karlach skerm at the mention of her former master.

"You told me devils only. She's- a tiefling. Not a monster." Wyll struggled to utter through choking breaths.

"How precious the dogs found his bark. Clause G, Section Nine: 'Targets will be limited to the infernal, the demonic, the heartless and the soulless.' Karlach meets the criteria by way of having no heart." Mizora said listing a cause from what sounded like a legal contract. A deal with the devil, wonderful.

"Lay so much as a claw on Karlach, I'll roast you down to your bones and mount your horns up on my wall." I snarled at the devil.

"Don't you worry-that ship has long sailed the Styx. But a defiant pup must still pay the price. To wit" As she said it, Mizora waved her hand and the oily substance coated her hand and blazed with orange fire. Wyll was then engulfed in the tar-like blackness, the burning substance changing his outlined form as he fell to his knees. When the putrid magic was finished Wyll's scars had been turned to protrusions around his face and neck, his good eye was turned to a black pit with a crimson pupil and two horns that curved outwards as like a rams unnaturally protruded from his skull.

Mizora breathed in a satisfied breath, "That's better."

"What the hells have you done?!" Wyll screamed

"A promise broken, a price paid. You know the terms. Get used to the new form pet-there's no going back. Some magic, even I can't undo. Now let's see how the Frontiers do without their precious blade. And Wyll are pact still stands. Ta-Ta." With that Mizora exited the same way she came.

Wyll stumbled aimlessly towards his tent, and I followed him. "We need to talk Wyll." I said in a manner of fact fashion.

"Aye, we do. Gods damn her straight back to Hells. Just look at me. I did what was right. And Mizora made me pay for it. I'd be hunting devils and demons she said. Traitors and hypocrites-heartless evils of all sorts- but not… not innocent tieflings, not Zariel's victims." Wyll said in a cry of rage and shame.

"Devils and dealmakers of all sorts always, always have a loophole to exploit Wyll. She would have found one like this at some point, no matter how iron-clad the contact seems."

"All these years, you'd think the lesson I'd have well learned. It's Mizora who grants me the power to conjure armour and cast eldritch blasts. But I promise you, every thrust of my blade and every flame I sparked was for the good of the Coast."

"What are the terms of your pact?"

"I can't utter the terms or circumstances of the pact. I can tell you most all else – but not the pact. I'm forbidden unless Mizora wills it."

"Pulled the magic whammy on you so you can't talk. Figures. She probably thinks if you can find a good enough wizard or lawyer they could find loopholes you could exploit." I hissed in an annoyed tone.

"Yes, that's probably the bitch's goal. But despite my patron, taking the deal is not a regret. It was my proudest deed. It was worth the sacrifice. All I can give you on that is my solemn word." Wyll said with a renewed sense of agency.

"I get it. Sometimes you need to make sacrifices for the greater good. Even if it costs you more than you thought you were willing to give." I said shivering at the terms and welcoming ceremony of my own soul-dooming pact.

"You would accept a fiend-bound warlock with neither fear nor pleads for my eternal soul, why?"

Shit, this is not good. The more I reveal about myself, the more the group will question the circumstances of my arrival. But Wyll had just taken a serious life-altering loss for the sake of doing what was right. He'd earned the right to know he wasn't alone.

"You're not the only one who's given his soul to keep fighting the good fight Wyll."

Wyll looked astonished for a moment then his features softened to a sympatric pain. "Can you tell me what happened? Or are your lips similarly sealed?"

"My lips are free as a bird but there are certain things I can't tell you for my own protection as well as yours." Which was not a total lie. I was definitely not going to be uttering Mab's name in this place, both because it might attract the attention of my Mab, who was likely angry that her knight had abandoned his post and dimension. And because of the off chance it might summon her counterpart in this dimension who would not be happy that an interloper to her power was near.

Wyll nodded acceptingly and said, "Tell me what you can."

I blew out a breath, "A few years ago, I got hurt. I was trying to save my elderly neighbours from a burning building and the ladder I was using fell. I broke my back." Wyll hissed in reaction to my pain. "I was paralysed from the waist down, and I had… someone that needed saving. I took the deal that would damn me the least. I sold my soul and loyalty to a fairy lord who fixed my back and gave me a measure of power."

"What does your pact allow you to do?"

"My magic is augmented with winter cold; I can't feel pain when in the midst of battle, which can be its own problem because the injuries still happen, my strength is heightened to peak human condition, and my baser instincts are on hyperdrive. Specifically, those to kill and mate. That's why Mizora said not all of me was agreeing with the idea to roast her, the winter power was… reacting to my libido." I said embraced at the last statement.

Wyll took all this in and did something unexpected. He hugged me. "You did the right thing Harry, and the burdens we carry for our decisions must be used to further help those who cannot help themselves. I am glad there is someone here who understands that burden." Wyll said with a tear almost forming in his good eye.

I did not get choked up at all. It was dusty in the camp all of a sudden. Wyll ignored my dust mishap with great dignity. He then put his hand on my shoulder and said, "Thank you for telling me, for making this… less difficult to bear. Now, I think that's enough soul-bearing for tonight and I really do need to rest, burning in the Lake of Fire tends to take it out of you." Wyll said with a forced smile before going into his tent.

I decided I should probably check how Karlach was doing, so I went over to her tent which she also somehow had ready after fleeing Avernus. She was wearing the comfortable version of her leather outfit, with a black cloth bra covering her chest and leather pants similar to her battle wear.

"Gotta say soldier, I'm reeling. I can't believe what Wyll did. Been a long time since someone stuck their neck out for me like that."

"Wyll's a good man. The best of us maybe." I said pondering.

"No doubt. I'll have to find a way to thank him." Karlach said going over the idea in her head with a wicked smile.

"I'm sure you will, now I wanted to see how you're doing?"

"Me, aside from the Mizora scare I'm fantastic. Tomorrow I might just be able to touch things again. It's been so long." Karlach said longing echoing in her tone.

"Good. Question, if you're up for it. You mentioned two bosses were responsible for your infernal heart situation. I get Zariel was one, who was the other?"

"That would be Gortash. Politician. Inventor. One of these wheeler-dealer types who seems to have a finger in every pie. I guess I was naïve to think everything was above board. What did I know? I saw a job, a good job with people I liked doing work for, work I was good at. Sometimes I'm jealous of that girl. To be invincible again."

"I get it. I wish I didn't know as much as did about what's out there. I wish I had as many scars as I had when I was just some lanky kid looking for trouble in the city." I said rubbing my left hand through my glove reflexively. "But we are where we are, and all we can do is make the most of our situations and maybe use some of those scars to help others avoid them."

"Too right soldier. Now that those bastards of Tyr and Mizora seem to have lost interest in my re-capture I'm gonna use what I've got to get you and everyone else out of this mindflayer disaster and hopefully get myself fixed and back to the city." Karlach said with a hopeful smile.

"Speaking of Mizora. You recognised her on sight, how?"

"We were both in Zariel's inner circle. Me by force, her by choice. I think she was jealous of me at times. I got more of the Archdevil's attention. Zariel treasured me like a captive pet, and Mizora disliked having to share. I'm sure she was delighted when Zariel gave the order to come after me."

"Well, you're out now and you've got some friends that'll be mighty pissed if Mizora or any other demonic lackey decides to restart the hunt."

"Thanks, Harry. Now enough about me. Where did you think you'd be if this whole mindflayer bullshitery wasn't going on?"

"Honestly, I'd be back home running my business and dealing with the various amounts of regular bullshitery that comes with the life of a professional wizard investigator," I said with a huff of annoyance.

"Really, like what?"

"Well, there are stupid clients who don't know what they want from me or want something that'll take more time than they like. Tight-lipped clients who don't want to tell me everything. Mortgage guys on my ass about when the next payment is, and the White Council on the molecules of my ass to see if I'm gonna go postal anytime soon…"

"What's a White Council?" Karlach asked

Stars and goddamn stones Dresden. Don't get on a roll when complaining, it'll always involve the White Council at some point or another. "The White Council is the governing body for wizards where I come from," I said apprehensively.

"Really, never heard of a governing, well anything for wizards specifically. I mean there are laws for what magic you can use in the city but that's for everyone. I haven't spent much time outside Baldurs Gate though so that's probably why. Why do they think you're gonna go postal one day?"

"Well, quite frankly they've been thinking that since I was a teenager. But recently they've been more active about it because of my employment decisions and pension for breaking their laws."

"What law did you break?" Karlach asked cautiously

"The most recent and important at this stage was breaking the first law: Thou shalt not kill with magic. There was a conflict, and I had to kill some human servants of the attacking army to survive and win. The only reason they haven't executed me was because of the wartime circumstances."

"Executed you? For what? Defending yourself. Fighting in a battle I'm sure they had a bloody hand in starting. That's bollocks, complete and utter shite. And what employer could give them pause enough to mistrust you?"

"It's a similar situation to Wyll's." I said and Karlach's ire at my situation dimmed, "I won't get into the details, but I sold my soul to a fae for power to save someone and now my loyalty to the council is in question."

"Oh. Well, that's just awful man. I'm sorry."

"Ah, not like I'm not used to it by now. Just know you're not the only one on the receiving end of some unwanted attention because of some less-than-wise choices in your past."

"Yeah, guess you, me and Wyll have that in common. I'm glad we found each other."

"Me too," I said with complete sincerity.

"Well, I should be getting to bed. Thanks for checking up on me soldier."

"No worries fire girl." Karlach smiled at the nickname and went to bed.

Gale had already gone to bed and Astarion was nowhere to be found, so there was no one to distract me from the talk I was going to have with Shadowheart. I walked up the small hill to her tent and resisted the urge to admire her casual wear again.

"Well, tonight was certainly exciting. Would you have really burnt Mizora alive if Wyll hadn't stopped you?" Shadowheart asked a laugh in her voice.

"Right down to her probably over-priced pumps. The bitch rubs me the wrong way and I'll be damned if Wyll or Karlach get hurt because of some redhead hell-tart."

"I'm sure she'll rue the day she ever messed with the Harry Dresden, the great emulator of devil-tarts," Shadowheart said laughing merrily.

"Hey, I'll have you know I…" I stopped myself mid-banter and said firmly, "Shadowheart, you know this isn't the reason I came to talk."

Her laugh died sadly and she looked at me seriously, "Time to talk about my Shar worship is it?"

"I need to know about it Shadowheart. But I promise to reserve judgment until after you've said your piece."

"Very well. I am indeed a disciple of Shar-Mistress of Night and Lady of Loss. We are mirrored by her twin Selune the Moon Maiden and our factions are in constant conflict."

"So, you worship the night, loss or just the absence of light?" I asked looking for specifics that could determine if Nicodemus, holder of the shadow master Anduriel would find the goddess a match in style.

"All of the above. The night brings comfort. Through loss, we find acceptance. In the arms of the Dark Mother, we find peace."

"I don't quite understand. There must be something else that draws people to Shar."

"Most fear the dark, like children, because in darkness they see their fears reflected. But Shar teaches us to look beyond fear. Beyond loss. In darkness, we do not hide-we act. Pain. Hope. The promise of better days. All these are heavy cloaks that bend our backs and burden our hearts. We shed those cloaks. Before Shar, we stand gloriously naked, beyond the vanities of mortals." Shadowheart said preaching the doctrine like it was second nature.

Darkness, shedding hope and likely identity before your goddess. Oh, Nicodemus would be foaming at the mouth to team up with this lovely entity, but doctrine isn't proof. Time to ask specifics.

"What sorts of things does Shar call on her disciples to do? Does anyone get… hurt." I asked putting a pause in to try and get my point across.

"We tear down the lies the world is drunk on: the institutions they trust, the so-called gods they worship. The lies they cling to. We destroy false idols, topple corrupt organisations, and fight heretics wherever they're found. There's often suffering- death even. Many people break before they embrace Shar's truths. But to answer the unspoken question you were clearly trying to say. No, Shar does not demand direct sacrifices of innocent lives. The only sacrifices are of memory, and that is always voluntary." Shadowheart said with complete conviction.

Well, if this didn't sound any more like the tagline to a religious terror organisation, I don't know what else could. I believe Shadowheart believes Shar takes no direct sacrifices, but it wouldn't be the first time a cult lied to their followers. Shar was suspect number one on the list of entities that Denarian bastard threw my little girl to, just in front of the Absolute and the Dead Three. I should probably force Shadowheart to tell me the location of the nearest cloister, then kill her. She has after all, probably done some terrible things in Shars name. The idea swirled in my head for a moment, my rage and pain for my daughter, and the winter mantle encouraging the plan with great enthusiasm. But, not only was the torture-and-kill style of information gathering not my thing (for the most part), I didn't believe Shadowheart was as bad as her doctrine was portraying. She fought alongside me, helped the tiefling boy at the grove, seemed genuinely saddened by the pain of the hyenas and when I stopped the tiefling woman from killing the goblin prisoner, she approved. Those are not the actions of a monstrous disciple of a dark god, she was probably conflicted. Maybe I could help with that. So instead of accusing her god of kidnapping or admonishing her beliefs, I said-

"I try to stay out of the limelight, religiously speaking. So, I won't judge your beliefs. As long as you and your Dark Lady stay out of my hair, I'll keep out of yours." Which was not a total lie, I did have no intention of getting any god's express attention. Even though I tend to do so anyway.

"Thank you that is a very reasonable way to look at it. You had me worried there for a second." Shadowheart said relief softening her tone.

"Just try to be more honest with me in future. We're in this boat together." I said attempting a smile I didn't quite feel.

"I'll try. But deception and secret keeping is in my nature, so I'll probably need some convincing to reveal everything."

"That's fine, we can start small. Tell me something about yourself outside of Shar and tadpoles."

"Besides my life's calling and the greatest problem, I've ever faced…? Well… I like night orchids and can't swim. Is that the sort of thing you meant?"

"Okay, what do night orchids look like?"

"Purple petals and a dark green stem that looks almost blue."

"Great I'll have to look out for them," I said with a more natural smile this time.

"It's a deal" Shadowheart said a smile coming to her lips as well.

"Is there anything else you want to share?"

"No, I can't. Quite literally, I mean. My memories were suppressed before going out on my latest mission. Shar's secrets must be protected. I can't remember much of myself." Shadowheart said with what she hoped was complete confidence, but I heard a twinge of discontent in her voice. Whether she recognised it or not is yet to be seen.

"You sacrificed your memory so you could retrieve the artifact without being compromised. Christ, there's devotion and then there's well… that's a bit extreme."

"Faith tends to require that highest tolls, and… I guess it's not hard to link my creed to why I have the artifact. Well done in any case." Shadowheart said with a twinge of sarcasm mixed in with a genuine compliment.

"Thank you. It is what I do. Now what do you know about the artifact?"

"Nothing, the memory of why it was needed was taken along with everything else."

"Well, that about figures. Don't take this the wrong way, but do you think Shar has anything to do with these mindflayer Absolutists?"

"No, Lady Shar wouldn't be so foolish. Illithids are poor capital for a god as they have no souls to reap or cherish. If this 'Absolute' is a god at all, it's a new one or a very stupid one."

No souls. That probably means they wouldn't value souls as a commodity. Push the mindflayers/Absolute to the bottom ring for suspects.

"That's good to know. Thanks for sharing all this Shadowheart. I know it wasn't easy for you."

"Thank you for being so understanding about this Harry, and I will endeavour to share more with you if I can.

Then I pulled out my arms and shrugged slightly. Inviting her to embrace or not. She rolled her eyes slightly but hugged me anyway. It was nice, she was a lot shorter than me, so it felt like the escape from the nautiloid again but more intimate. We ended the hug after a few seconds, and I looked at her for a moment. She was beautiful, dangerous, tough and at times quite sweet. Damn if that wasn't all my boxes ticked. But a pang of pain hit me. It had only been a year and a bit since Murphy died. I knew that wound hadn't healed yet, but standing here wanting to maybe start something with Shadowheart. Reminded me that the hole was still there. I blew out a breath and said goodnight, Shadowheart said so too, a bit of disappointment in her voice.

I tried to sleep, but thoughts of illithids, dark gods and old wounds kept me from fully resting. It's probably why I could hear the footsteps of someone, slowly and stealthily, creep up to my bedroll by the fire. I opened my eyes to see Astarion mouth open and newly discovered fangs primed to bite my neck.

He realised I was now awake and sputtered, "Shit."

I headbutted him as hard as I could. He fell backwards and I got up. He got up in turn and said through a broken nose. "I wasn't going to hurt you! I just needed -well blood."

In the firelight of the camp, I saw what he was. The fangs, the pale skin, and the red eyes I had assumed a fixture of his elven race. He was a vampire. A slave to a hunger for the blood of living beings.

Faith is a funny thing. It's not a phenomenon exclusive to the religious alone. You could have true faith in anything, a creed, an object, a favourite football team. Hell, one of the Knights of the Cross was fuelled by the faith in Star Wars and the lessons the films sought to teach. I was not a religious man, but I did have faith. Faith that magic was in its basic form was a force of life. A power that was to be used responsively and in the service of others. This faith was best represented in my pentacle amulet a five-sided star representing the four elements and the mind bound in a circle of will. It was this symbol of faith that I thrust out at the vampire, and his skin irrupted in response to the power of pure faith.

Granted it wasn't working as well as it usually did. The effect seemed more like a mild sunburn and Astarion was more surprised than hurt but it made my message clear. "You better start talking before this gets worse vampire!" I said, an old rage bubbling up from parts long since buried.

"Ok, there's no need for the light show," Astarion said attempting to swat away the amulet, but I dodged and kept the light on him.

"How long has it been since you killed someone? Days? Hours?!"

"I've never killed anyone! Well, not for food anyway. I feed on animals. Boars, deer, kobolds-whatever I can get." Every angry part of me wanted to leap at the lying vampire and stake him with a burning log from the fire. But the rational part of me realised he could have probably pushed past my light if he wanted. It wasn't affecting him that much, so he was staying back to make me feel safe. And looking past my rage, he didn't seem to be lying. I lowered the amulet.

"Why didn't you tell me?" I asked trying to reign in my temper.

"At best I was sure you'd say no if I asked for blood. At worst I thought you'd ram a stake through my ribs. No, I needed you to trust me. And you can trust me." Astarion said almost pleadingly.

"You tried to bite me. I don't trust you, but I'm not going to kill you. You swear to not drain anyone except our enemies, and we'll be square, but if you harm anyone else. I will end you." I said putting as much of my remaining anger behind the last few words.

"That's… fair enough. I'll need to go out and find an animal to drain since your obviously won't be offering." Astarion said sulking away.

"Astarion!" I barked sharply. He turned around and I said, "This conversation isn't over. We're going to talk when the sun comes up."

Astarion nodded and snuck away into the darkness.