The Nether Scroll Disaster: Part 31

The Nether Scroll Disaster: Part 31

Back at the Copper Coronet, Viconia was sitting by Benny’s bedside, gently stroking his hand, while Kane wandered up and down the room, his features emotionless. At Viconia’s insistence, he had sent the others away, ordering them to go to their rooms and try to get some rest.

Things weren’t looking good for the shapeshifter. Though exhausted from raising Cory from the dead, Viconia had still insisted on using every healing spell she had, but it had done little good. He was still unconscious, his breathing was still faint. Now the drow shook her head, utterly defeated.

“There is nothing else I can do for him,” she said wearily. “All we can do is wait…wait and hope.”

“Benny won’t leave us,” Kane tried hard to believe what he was saying, but he couldn’t. Not really. “He’ll wake up. He has to.” But they both knew that it wouldn’t necessarily end there. The risk that the acid would cause permanent damage to his eyes was high and there was a really possibility that he could end up losing his sight. There was no way of telling the extent of the damage however, not until he came round. So all that was left to do was wait, as Viconia said.

They both turned as someone knocked on the door, then pushed it open without waiting for a reply. Edwin stepped in, looking slightly uneasy, upset and more than a little worried. Kane stepped forward and Viconia stood up, a scowl on her face.

“I just came to see how he was,” he said quietly. “Is there any…?” He trailed off, as he noticed the fury in Viconia’s eyes. Before he could fully register what was happening, she slapped him, hard.

“This is your fault!” she spat at him. “Look at him, look what you’ve done!”

“That’s not fair!” Edwin rubbed his stinging cheek. “I never wanted any of this to happen!”

“Well it did!” Viconia’s eyes narrowed even further. “They attacked us because of you; you put all of our lives in danger. I always knew that you were a useless waste of space!”

Suddenly losing all control, she threw herself at him, hitting him again and again, until Kane grabbed her arms and pulled her back. She gave a cry and collapsed against him, her anger quickly fading. The warrior’s arms encircled her, pressing her to him and he gently stroked her hair.

“Easy now,” he said gently. “There’s no need for that.”

“But it is his fault!” she insisted. “Look at him! He’s a Red Wizard, just like the ones who did this! He’s still loyal to them; he still wears their colours, that stupid amulet, he still wants to be one of them, even after they did this! He may not have planned for this to happen, but he is still as much to blame for this as they are!”

“That is not-” Edwin started, but Kane quickly cut him off.

“I think you should go,” he said, not meeting his eye. “You being here just isn’t helping.”

“But…”

“Just go!” his lover insisted. “Go to bed, try and get some sleep. We’ll talk later.”

Edwin left without another word, though he glanced back briefly, scowling as he felt a sudden stab of jealousy. But he said nothing, knowing that whatever his own feelings, it was neither the time nor place to start an argument.

At the top of the stairs, he met Cory, who was just about to go into his own room. The youngest party member looked pale and tired, it was clear to Edwin that he had still not fully recovered from his encounter with death.

“Hello Cory,” he greeted. “How are you feeling?” At the sound of his voice, the assassin backed away slightly and as his eyes met Edwin’s for a moment, the wizard thought that there was a hint of fear in his face. Then he lowered his head and Edwin was left wondering if he had imagined it.

“Hey Edwin,” he replied awkwardly, not able to meet the wizard’s eye. “I’m…fine.”

“You don’t look it. You look very tired.”

“I suppose I am,” Cory laughed nervously, taking a step back. “I was just going to bed, though I doubt that I’ll sleep much. I wanted to stay with Benny, but Kane said that it was better if I didn’t. I suppose I can’t really do anything anyway.”

“He’ll be all right, Cory.” Edwin reached out to touch his friend’s arm and was surprised when he flinched away. “What is the matter with you?”

“It’s just…” the assassin hesitated, not really wanting to answer the question. “I don’t really…blame you for what happened tonight, I know that you never wanted it all to happen like this, but I just can’t be around you just now.”

“Don’t you start blaming me too!”

“I’m sorry,” Cory muttered, shaking his head. “Knowing that you still consider yourself…one of them…it changes things. I’m really sorry, but I can’t help the way I feel.”

Eyes on the floor, he turned and went into his room, leaving Edwin feeling as though he had just been slapped again. Viconia’s reaction he could just about understand…but not Cory’s. The rejection of one he considered a close friend hurt more than he had thought possible. He heard the lock click shut; Cory didn’t mean to be disturbed by him nor anyone else for the rest of that night.

As he passed by the room the two dwarves shared, it was easy to hear their voices through the thin doors. And when he heard one of them mention his name, he paused, stepped closer to the door.

“Pity that all this had to happen,” Kagain was saying. “Trust the bloody wizard to mess things up.”

“If ‘e stays after this, I’ll be goin’,” Korgan grunted. “It be bad enough gettin’ attacked by beasties an’ assassins and the like without ‘aving to put up with groups o’ wizards an all. Let Edwin deal with it ‘imself.”

Edwin turned away, unable to listen to any more. He went to his room, undressed and got into bed in a daze. He couldn’t believe how everything had suddenly turned so wrong. They all blamed him, Viconia hated him, Cory wouldn’t even look at him…and he had no idea how Kane felt. Even he couldn’t figure out how he felt about it all. It was his fault that the Red Wizards had come after the adventurers and so it was also his fault that people had been hurt. He hadn’t wanted things to happen as they had, had never wanted Benny or Cory to get hurt. They had both been good to him and yet…

Benny got hurt because he was trying to protect me. It should have been me, not him.

As he lay there, unable to sleep, listening out for Kane, Edwin silently wished that he had never had anything to do with the Red Wizards of Thay.

At least an hour more passed before Edwin finally heard Kane come in. He stayed where he was, lying on his side with his back to the door, but he didn’t turn over and neither of them spoke. The wizard could easily tell what he was doing from the sounds he made, the clattering of metal as he placed his swords on the floor, a thud as he threw his boots in the corner. At last he climbed into bed. Still no words were spoken, until Kane lightly touched Edwin’s shoulder.

“Eddie,” he said softly. “Are you still awake?”

“Is Benny all right?” Edwin asked at once, though he still didn’t look at his lover. “He hasn’t…died, has he?”

“No change,” Kane said wearily. “He’s still not woken up, but he is holding on. There’s nothing more we can do except wait. I…I hate waiting.”

“How is Viconia?”

“Not good. She’s still sitting with him. I tried to persuade her to get some rest, but she wouldn’t listen, so I just left her alone in the end. That’s what she really wanted, I think. To be alone with him.”

“How are you feeling?”

“I can’t believe it’s happening,” Kane confessed, knowing that there was no need to hide his true feelings from the one he loved. “I must be cursed, everyone I love ends up being taken from me one way or another. I have to keep telling myself that he is going to be all right, because…because I can’t bear of how I’m going to cope if I lose him now. To have found him again after so long only to have him snatched away…would the gods really be so cruel?”

“He’s going to be fine,” Edwin knew the words sounded hollow and empty even as he uttered them, but he had to say something to try and make Kane feel better. “He’s strong and he won’t give up, he won’t leave you alone.”

“What if…” the words caught in his throat and Kane had to swallow a few times before he could finish. “What if he does come round…but he doesn’t recover. What if the acid…what if he loses his sight, Eddie? He could never deal with that. His profession, his job, means everything to him and he has worked so hard to become what he is, suffered more than anyone realises. To lose it all now would completely destroy him.

Edwin had to turn over; the pain in his lover’s voice was too much to bear any longer. There was no mistaking the sadness in his dark eyes and the wizard knew that this was hurting him more than any injury ever could. He reached for Kane and the warrior hugged him fiercely, pressing his face against his shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”

“What did you say?” Kane froze and pulled his head back, attempting to look Edwin in the eye, but with little success.

“I said that all this is my fault and I’m sorry.”

“Your fault?” Kane repeated, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “Oh Edwin, you stupid, stupid wizard! None of this is your fault!”

“But Viconia said…and Korgan…”

“They need someone to blame for what happened,” the warrior shook his head. “Makes it easier for them to deal with, and you just happen to be the easiest target. But that doesn’t mean that you really are to blame. And don’t you ever let me hear you say that again.”

“I was the one they wanted though,” Edwin said quietly. “They came after you to get me. If it was not for, I would be…dead. Gone. Just little pieces of dust floating around the docks.”

“Don’t!” Kane said sharply. “That was far too close for my liking. Whatever happens to him, I will always be grateful to Benny for defending you like that, risking his own life. I don’t know what I would have done if I had lost you.”

“I wish it had been me they hurt!” he said suddenly. “I wish he had just let them kill me!”

“Edwin!” Shocked at the wizard’s outburst, Kane’s arms tightened protectively around him. “Edwin…why?”

“Everyone hates me, Kane! Even Cory won’t look at me. Thy all think I am to blame for what happened…and maybe they are right!”

“No!”

“What if Benny dies?” Edwin asked him. “How do you know that part of you, deep down, won’t blame me for that? How do you know that you won’t look at me differently knowing that it was the Red Wizards who killed your teacher?”

“Because I know that you can’t be held responsible for what they do,” Kane told him, his voice weary and fraught with emotion. “You are no longer one of them, no matter how much you pretend to be, and you weren’t to know what they would do. You might still act like one of them, but I can see passed that. I cannot blame the others for targeting you, for I understand why they feel that way, but I know you and I know that you would never wish harm on Benny. It doesn’t matter that your parents are Red Wizards, it doesn’t matter that you were one once, you cannot be held accountable for their actions. Besides, Benny chose to do what he did, to protect you though he knew that the price could be high and he would be horrified if he knew that people were blaming you for his actions. No matter what happens, I will never blame you. I promise.”

“Do you think that the others will eventually see that?”

“I don’t know, Eddie,” his lover admitted. “I’d like to be able to say yes, but the truth is that I don’t know. Perhaps they’ll see sense after some sleep, but who knows? You’ll just have to give it time, see what happens with Benny.”

“I wish there was something I could do to make them feel better, to trust me again.” Kane started to say something, but Edwin continued before he had the chance. “I know that I shouldn’t have to, but it would be easier if we could compromise, work together without any unpleasantness…” he broke off, noticing that Kane was yawning. “You should try and sleep for a while,” he said gently. “You’re tired and you’ll feel better in the morning.”

“It’s nearly morning now,” Kane glanced out of the window, where the darkness was slowly beginning to fade. “Aye, you’re probably right, but I don’t think I can. I just…I think I just want to be held.”

He rested his head against Edwin’s shoulder and closed his eyes. The wizard could feel his warm breath against his neck. Holding him as tightly as possible, he rubbed the palm of his hand across Kane’s shoulders, sighing softly as he felt how tense the muscles were beneath his touch.

“I love you, Kane,” he whispered; though he was unsure if the warrior could even hear him. “They can try all they like, but no one will ever come between us.” He leant back against the pillows and closed his eyes, the guilt already beginning to fade. Knowing that Kane didn’t blame him made him feel so much better. And there was always a chance, however small, that Benny could recover.

But even entangled in each other’s arms, neither of them slept well that night.

“This is your fault!” she spat at him. “Look at him, look what you’ve done!”

Oh, that is just so unfair! I really resent Vic right now. See, I've been in Edwin's situation (not exactly, in a way similar), and I know what it's like having totally unjust accusations flung at me.

Oh yes, she really is being unfair here. No doubt about that.

And while grief and worry can be an explanation of sorts, I personally don't think it's much of an excuse for treating others like dirt.

I agree completely with this. The way Vic's behaving is understandable enough, but still not acceptable.

“It’s just…” the assassin hesitated, not really wanting to answer the question. “I don’t really…blame you for what happened tonight, I know that you never wanted it all to happen like this, but I just can’t be around you just now.”

And this is even worse. This is supposed to be his *friend* after all. Should Edwin then blame Cory for everything that the Shadow Thieves do? That is extremely unfair, and I think Eddie is owed more than one apology by now.

He is...but he isn't likely to get them any time soon.

“Your fault?” Kane repeated, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. “Oh Edwin, you stupid, stupid wizard! None of this is your fault!”

Phew...I'm *very* glad to see Kane being so understanding. At least somebody around here is acting like a mature person.

Well someone has to. In any case, he's more likely to blame himself before anyone else.

“Everyone hates me, Kane! Even Cory won’t look at me. Thy all think I am to blame for what happened…and maybe they are right!”

No they bloody well aren't! And I don't want to see you apologizing any more for something that isn't your fault.

Kane: Hopefully I managed to convince him that he isn't to blame...but I doubt my opinion will be enough for him.

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