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Chapter 19


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#1 Guest_theacefes_*

Posted 03 March 2005 - 10:47 PM

Sacrifice: Chapter 19

“LAND!” Imoen threw herself on the ground,

“Ermm..Immy…we’ve been on land the whole time,” I said.

“Oh, well, I’m just glad we’re out of that place,” she said as she ran her hands through the grass.

We had been successful in returning the eggs to Adalon without being seen by the Drow. Adalon kept her promise to us and took us to the exit of the Underdark, where we were thrown right in the middle of a battle between elves and Drow. After we helped defeat the Drow, the elves told us to go to the surface to see Elhan, the elven war general.

“Hold!” an elven officer barked. “Know that your evil-wait, you are no Drow!”

“We need to see Elhan. I seek Irenicus!” I said.

“Irenicus?” the elf gave me a surprised look. “Elhan must see to you. Your fate will be decided shortly.” We were led to Elhan’s tent.

“Welcome,” he said, looking at us suspiciously. “Yes…welcome. First off, I will tell you that I do not trust you, despite the fact that you are not Drow. You may not be our enemies…but you could be friends of our enemies.”

“I seek Irenicus,” I said, trying to be patient, “and I think you do, too.”

Elhan stared at me for a moment. “I will have my sages decide if you are being truthful or not,” he said. Three elves surrounded us.

“Is this really necessary?” I muttered.

“Necessary or not, child, just tell the truth,” Jaheira said.

“First off, what were you doing near the Drow?” Elhan said.

“I was fleeing their dark realm,” I replied.

“Truth,” one sage said.

“Truth,” another said.

“Yes, truth,” the third said.

“Crap, they’re going to be annoying, aren’t they?” Imoen whispered and Aerie tried not to giggle.

“Silence, both of you!” Jaheira snapped.

“Next, why were you in the Underdark?” Elhan asked.

“I was chasing Irenicus,” I said.

“Truth.”

“Truth.”

“Truth. The association is clear.”

“I see. Are you then, a servant of Irenicus?” he asked.

“No, he is our common enemy,” I said.

“Truth.”

“Truth.”

“Truth. It seems she knows much of this.”

Elhan asked us a few more questions until finally saying, “I see you bear no love for Irenicus and that we do in fact, share the same enemy. Classically, this makes you our friend.”

“Why wouldn’t you believe us before?” Imoen asked.

“We had to be sure. Now, on to more important things…we are in dire need…Suldanesselar has simply vanished!” Elhan said.

“An entire city…just gone? How is that possible?” Nalia said.

“Irenicus has invaded the city and taken and hidden the object that allows us passage to our home. The Rhynn Lanthorn must be found!” Elhan explained.

“He probably gave it to Bodhi,” I said. “We could get it for you. I know her territory well.”

“I thank you,” Elhan said, “for our resources are thin, and I cannot allow any of my men to leave their posts. The Drow will return.”

“I will need assistance,” I said. “Holy Water and wooden stakes come to mind.”

“I have such things,” Elhan said and had a servant bring me a bag containing the items.

“There will be tents set up for you to rest before you set out. You should leave tomorrow morning,” he said.

“Thank you, Elhan,” I said and we retired to our tents once they had been set up.

________________

“I’m so glad we’re out of that place,” Nalia said.

“Me, too.”

We were all taking some time to rest before we traveled to the Graveyard District to battle Bodhi and get my sister’s soul back. Nalia and I had decided to take a walk in the forest.

The forest was so perfect and beautiful compared to the rocks and blackness of the Underdark. The area had three or four ponds on the surrounding edges of it and there were a few large boulders scattered throughout as well.

When we came to a pond, Nalia took off her boots and said, “I haven’t gone swimming since that day at my keep.” She looked at the water longingly.

“It seems like that was so long ago,” I said.

She looked at me and smiled. “It does, doesn’t it?” She sighed. “Isaea will be looking for me when we get back.”

“He still deserves a wedgie,” I said.

“I agree,” Nalia said. She looked sad for a moment.

“What’s wrong?” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder.

“I…I just miss my father, that’s all. I…just wish I could have saved him.”

We had gone to Lord de’Arnisse’s funeral before returning to Athkatla after saving Nalia’s keep. Isaea Roenal had harassed Nalia there, demanding she marry him. I had stepped in front of Isaea, warning him to leave Nalia alone. He had laughed, claiming it was not over yet.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“No, it’s not your fault…” she said and smiled. “Come on, let’s go swimming.”

I looked at the sky. “Swimming…but it’s almost dark!”

“And? It’s not like you need to see far,” she said.

“It’s pitch black,” I said.

“There’s a full moon,” she said.

“The water’s cold.”

“You whine too much,” she said and stepped into the pond. She shivered. “It’s cold!” she exclaimed.

“See? I told you,” I said.

“Oh, you are such a baby, Auren,” she said. Then she stepped out.

I grinned thinking I had won the argument. “Changed your mind?”

She began to remove her leather armor. “Nope. I just don’t want to get my clothes wet. I am a noblewoman, you know.”

“Wait…you’re going in there without clothes?”

“Like I said, Auren, you are such a baby,” she said and continued to undress.

“I’ve never heard of a noblewoman that goes swimming in ponds naked,” I said as I turned around.

“Well, I AM a noblewoman, and I’m going swimming in this pond naked so get over it!” she said boldly. She hung her clothes on a tree branch and went into the water, wading until she came to the center of the pond.

“Hey, it’s shallow!” she called. “Come on, Auren!”

I stepped back. “No, thanks. I don’t need my armor to get wet.”

“Then take it off.”

I stared at her. “Since when did you become so bossy?”

She shrugged. “Like I said, I’m a noblewoman. Now, come on, be a brave little fighter and come swim with me.”

“I’m always brave!” I said.

“Sure you are.”

“Fine then!” I said and undressed in record time and ran into the water. I stopped wading towards her when I heard her giggling. I realized I had fallen for her trick. I felt my face turning red.

“Damn,” I mumbled.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!” Nalia was nearly crying.

“You….you…I ought to-,” I said.

“You ought to what?” Nalia said, now looking innocent.

“I…ought to try harder to hide how nervous I am,” I said.

Nalia just smiled and said, “Come here.”

I waded over to her and she took my hand and squeezed it. The pond was shallow, and it came up right above the bottom of Nalia’s neck and the top of my chest…and I was not standing up straight. The angle that the light from the moon hit the water made the water dark so that we could only see each others’ faces.

“So…” I said as we held hands facing each other.

“So…are you nervous about fighting Bodhi?” she said.

I shrugged. “A little. But we’ve defeated her before in a fight, so we should be able to do it again.”

“Just promise me one thing, Auren,” she said, staring straight into my eyes.

“What?”

“Don’t become the Slayer.”

I smiled a little. “I promise I won’t.”

“Good,” she said and pulled me closer to her. I stiffened up, trying unsuccessfully not to show that I was nervous. I closed my eyes and felt her wrapped her arms around me as she pulled me even closer to kiss me, and then I was lost.

_________________


“…and that is how I met Khalid.”

Aerie stared at Jaheira with wide eyes. “Gosh, Jaheira, there’s just so much to you that we don’t know.”

“And I intend to keep it that way, child…for now. When you are ready, I will tell you more. Which reminds me, have you perfected that spell we spoke of earlier?” Jaheira asked. They had also decided to take a walk that evening.

Imoen was staring up at the sky as she walked alongside Jaheira and Aerie. “The stars are so pretty,” she said softly.

“Imoen, I advise that you get your head out of the clouds and focus on getting your soul back. Bodhi is not an easy foe to fight,” Jaheira said sternly.

“I know…I know…sheesh…” Imoen said and sighed. “So, what’s this spell anyway?”

Aerie looked at Jaheira nervously and Jaheira said, “It’s a very difficult healing spell and Aerie wishes to learn it.”

“I see…hey look over there!” Imoen exclaimed. She pointed to a pond not too far away, but partially hidden by trees. “Let’s go swimming!”

“Isn’t it a bit cold to do that?” Aerie asked.

“That and the fact that it is already occupied,” Jaheira observed.

Aerie put her hand over her mouth and Imoen’s eyes went wide.

In the center of the pond they could see a tall elf and some very noticeable reddish hair. The redhead was swimming back and forth a little before getting closer to the elf.

“So much for Nalia’s lack of swimming skills,” Jaheira muttered.

Aerie looked guilty. “Jaheira, I would have told you, but Auren and Nalia asked me not to-,”

“Don’t worry, Aerie, I’ve known for quite some time, before we left Nalia’s keep actually, that there was something going on,” Jaheira said.

Aerie couldn’t tell if it was the moonlight playing tricks on her eyes but she could have sworn she saw Jaheira smiling.

Imoen had not moved from the place she was standing nor had her facial expression changed. “Oh…my…”

“Does this come to you as a shock, Imoen?” Jaheira asked.

“Well, no…I mean yes! I mean….hmmm,” she thought for a moment as she saw her sister and Nalia’s clothes hanging on a tree branch.

“Heehee…I have an idea!” she said and grinned.
____________________

“Where could they be? Dammit, I knew this was a bad idea!”

“You’re telling me!” Nalia said as she stayed in the water to cover herself while I desperately searched the area around the pond, naked, trying to find our clothes.

“Arrgh…this sucks,” I vented.

“Who would wander around this place just stealing people’s clothes?” Nalia said.

I didn’t have to think much. “I’ll give you a hint…she has pink hair and the attention span of a goldfish.”

“Imoen!”

“I’m going to get her!” I growled. “We can’t stay in the water forever or we’ll get sick. We should make our way back to the camp.”

Nalia’s eyes became wide as she exclaimed, “Auren, look! Your pack, it’s still here!”

I looked near the bush where I had set my pack down earlier ( I always take my pack with me wherever I go) and sure enough I found it.

“I have a blanket,” I said.

“Good, because I’m really cold right now,” she said. I gave her the blanket and she covered herself with it as she stepped out of the pond.

“I’m still a naked elf,” I said.

“Let’s stay here for tonight,” she said.

“Out here?”

“Yes…like camping here…we do it all the time, Auren,” she said.

“Well, yes, but we’re kinda-,” I said nervously.

“Kinda what? Naked? You’re such a baby. Besides, if we go back to the tents, Imoen will see us, and she’ll have won. If we stay, we’ll show her up because we won’t care.”

“True. Imoen hates to lose,” I said.

“Good.” She yawned. “I’m tired.” She lay down on the grass and got under the blanket. I followed her and did the same.

“Hold me, Auren,” she whispered and I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close.

“I’m so not looking forward to tomorrow,” I said.

“Me neither, but soon your sister will have her soul back…and then you will, too,” she said.

“Does it…ever bother you that I’m a Bhaalspawn, Nalia?” I asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

“Not at all. I know that you had no say in your heritage, and I can see how hard you try to stay away from it,” she said. “Sometimes I think people like Isaea are more like Bhaalspawn than you are.”

“I wish there was a way to just get rid of the taint.”

“Hey, it’s kind of neat. I’m with the daughter of a god…what an honor,” she said and giggled.

“Yes, make fun of me, now.”

“Oh, you’re such a….” she started.

“Stick in the mud?” I finished.

She sighed. “I’ve been hanging around Imoen too much.”




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