Wait and See

Anomen twisted the blood-stained handkerchief in his hands, wishing wholeheartedly it was Mae'Var's neck he was wringing instead of the innocent swatch of muslin.

"Two more, please." Sir Keldorn gestured with his empty wine cup to the tavern maid, who nodded and bustled past the midnight patrons crowding the Sea's Bounty. The old paladin looked back at Anomen. "What was I saying? Oh yes, the prelate. That he did not seem ... worried about Renai's sudden affiliation the Shadow Thieves unnerves me. 'Keep to your duty,' he tells me. 'Keep your eye upon her but do not interfere.' I find it odd that he is allowing this opportunity to slip by him. To have one of the Children in hand without offering the influence of the Order for guidance is puzzling, to say the least. I just cannot understand ..."

This was, at least, the twelfth time in as many hours that Sir Keldorn had circled this topic. Anomen had long ago tuned him out. Instead, the mind's eye of the young priest of Helm stayed sharply focused on a memory from the morn.

"Fear will keep you honest," the pink-leathered assassin leered at Renai, who stood stiffly beside him. She still wore the troubled expression that had darkened her face since she had told Sir Keldorn of her contract with the Shadow Thieves. The rest of the small group stood apart from her, at her suggestion. Let me be the only one to really do this, all right? The less you're all tainted, the better, she had said.

Mae'Var caressed Renai's cheek with the dull side of his dagger. "You don't want to end up in here, with me having to prove your honesty. Difficult to do with certainty."

Renai grimaced at his touch but did not move. "Who examines you when your honesty's in doubt? Do you get the same treatment?"

Anomen never saw the blow land. All he heard was the familiar sound of bone breaking on bone from a back-handed strike, and suddenly Renai was on her knees before Mae'Var, blood pouring from her nose. "You dare to speak so to me? You insolent woman!" Mae'Var snarled, shaking his bloodied fist at her. Before Anomen could take a step to defend her, Renai held up an arm, ordering the small group to stay back in one gesture more effectively than she ever could do with words. Slowly, she struggled to her feet, squared her shoulders and met Mae'Var's furious gaze with her own murderous stare.

"You touch me again," she said in a ragged voice, "I will kill you." And for the first time since learning her heritage, Anomen believed without doubt that Renai was, indeed, a Child of Murder.

The rage in Mae'Var's eyes faded into something Anomen could not read. A slow smile spread across the thief's face, and he actually laughed softly as he dared to wipe his knuckles stained by Renai's blood onto her blouse. Hand held at her nose to staunch her wound, Renai allowed the touch, but Anomen thought he heard a growl. He did not know whether it came from Renai or himself.

"You're welcome to try," Mae'Var said. "But we have an understanding now, do we not? Yes, I think you know exactly where you stand. Pity that I'm so short of hands right now, because then you'd be dead before your threat was finished. But since I'm desperate, you'll just have to do. You're certainly up for a bit of larceny at the Temple of Talos, aren't you?"

"... exorcism," Sir Keldorn finished and took another swallow of his wine.

Anomen blinked at the wine cup before him, a twin to the untouched goblet Sir Keldorn had ordered for him hours ago when they had arrived to wait while Renai, Jaheira and Yoshimo completed their work with the Shadow Thieves.

We cannot be a part of this vile plot, Anomen and I. If you insist upon this, we must stand aside for now! Sir Keldorn had hissed at Renai as they left Mae'Var's guild. Anomen had stood by, pressing his handkerchief to Renai's broken nose to catch her blood, and said nothing. I should have said something. I wish I had said something. But she was so angry, and he ... The image of Renai's beautiful face, broken and bruised, swam behind his eyes, dredging up other, older memories that Anomen quickly pushed away.

Anomen shook his head. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I said that the chaotic streak in Renai may be so wide that our only course of action may be an exorcism." Sir Keldorn gave Anomen's surprised expression a double take. "I meant that as a joke."

"Oh." Anomen nodded. I wonder if I'm supposed to laugh. Or agree. he thought. Trying not to look as flummoxed as he felt, Anomen squeezed the handkerchief into a ball to hide it in his hand and took a drink from his first cup of wine, trying not to gag at its dryness. This wine is a terrible vintage. I would rather drink mead. I wonder, would it be amiss to order one now? But he took another gulp of the wine, grimacing slightly at the taste and hoping Sir Keldorn wouldn't notice.

But the old paladin was looking over Anomen's head, making the squire turn around. Across the crowded room, Anomen saw Renai talking to a stout and suspicious man. The druid healed her injury well, Anomen thought, you cannot see her nose was ever broken. I wish I had half that skill. After a few shakes of her head, she handed to the man what looked like a substantial amount of coin and received from him a packet of papers. As she turned to leave, Renai noticed Anomen's stare and gave him a sheepish grin that plainly said, "Whattayagonnado?" before she ran up the stairs and out of the Sea's Bounty.

Sir Keldorn shook his head, then leaned across the table. "You've been in her presence for several days now, have you not?" he asked. "You must have conceived some thoughts of her. Tell me of them."

Anomen pulled his eyes away from the stairwell. She dances through my life, an aspect of darkness and light like a clear and starry night, with all that's good and clean of the dawn meeting in her eyes and her smile. Anomen shook his head; that certainly wasn't the thought Sir Keldorn was seeking. "She is ..." he said slowly, trying to find in the chaotic thoughts of uncertainty and desire one pure thought, "she is sure. Yes, sure. Of herself and everything she does. Of what she is doing. I am certain of this. In all this time that I have known her, I have never seen her make a misstep."

"Until now, you mean." Sir Keldorn sat back and frowned.

"No, not even now. She knows exactly what she is doing, and I ..." Sir Keldorn's stern glare tied Anomen's tongue, but the young priest swallowed hard and closed his eyes, "I think she is right to follow her duty, no matter where it leads her."

"Duty," Sir Keldorn snorted. Anomen's eyes flew open to see antipathy on the older man's face. "There are only four duties -- to faith, to family, to masters and to the good beings of the Realms. I do not see how Shadow Thieves can possibly be included in that list."

"Aye, Sir Keldorn," Anomen said quickly to stem the tide of catechism that mostly likely was about to pour forth. Strive to maintain law and order. Stand ever against corruption in the hearts of men. As if Anomen had not heard these lessons daily since Sir Blethyn had first squired him. "That is true. But I wonder, does she not have her first duty to her sister, who is being held by the Cowled Wizards?"

Sir Keldorn rubbed the wine from his beard with the back of his hand. "I had almost forgotten the lass," he muttered just loudly enough for Anomen to hear. Louder, he said, "There are other ways to secure the girl's release than making deals with Mask's minions. The Order can help her. Why does she insist upon turning from us?"

"She does not place her faith with the gods." Anomen spread his hands before him. Renai's aversion to Faerun's faiths disturbed Anomen, but he did not dwell on it. It was merely one small flaw in an otherwise noble woman. "I know, it surprises me as well. Especially since she herself is the child of a god."

The mention of Renai's sire hardened Sir Keldorn's countenance, and Anomen immediately regretted bringing it up. "Even were she not, I still would worry over this alliance. That she is Bhaalspawn -- " and now Anomen grimaced at the foul term Sir Keldorn used to describe the fair Renai, " -- makes matters even more precarious. Her will alone should not save her from the kind of corruption she will face among the Shadow Thieves. She needs to be protected from such influences that would attempt to shape her soul."

How can he have met her and believe this? Is it because she follows only her own mind, or because she will not blindly follow his? Anomen felt his face heat under his growing irritation. "What she needs, Sir Keldorn, is support! Should that not be our duty to her? If you care so much for the state of her soul, why are we waiting in this tavern for Renai to fulfill her contracts with Mae'Var instead of standing at her side making sure she is protected?"

"Now see here --" Sir Keldorn began, setting his wine cup on the table so hard its contents sloshed out of the cup and splashed across the polished tabletop.

"No, you see here!" Anomen snapped. "We sit here because you're too upset that Renai will not follow your advice or your orders! Wouldn't it be easier for you if she were a Child of Torm instead of a Child of Bhaal! Well, not everyone in Faerun is meant to become a follower of the Loyal Fury, no matter what you say! Does it count for nothing, all the good that she's done, or is it only her sire that matters? I tell you, we do Renai no service merely talking about the path to righteousness when we should be with her showing it to her through our actions!"

"You should sit, lad, people are starting to stare," Sir Keldorn said mildly. Anomen looked around him and saw he was on his feet before the older man, shouting down into his face. Again, Anomen's cheeks flamed, and he sat and took up his wine cup, drinking long from it to delay Sir Keldorn's dreaded reprimand.

But Sir Keldorn only rubbed his eyes with his fingers. "You might," he said slowly, "have a point, lad." Before Anomen's jaw could drop completely to his knees in shock at the paladin's admission, Sir Keldorn fixed his iron gaze back on Anomen and sternly said, "Might. Don't let it go to your head."

"Ah .. of course not, Sir Keldorn."

"I sometimes forget you are no longer a newly squired boy. You have trained long and well and have grown into a strong man, and it would benefit me to remember that. So tell me," Sir Keldorn said again, "what course do you believe we should take on this matter?"

"Uh ... " Anomen was so surprised that for a moment he couldn't remember what they were talking about. "I think ... uh ... we should be vigilant, of course. We should stand, wait and watch, and then judge her actions fairly. Let her make her choices. If we do, I do not believe she will disappoint us."

"Stand, watch and wait," Sir Keldorn sighed. "I should have guessed that is what you would say. Helm would be pleased."

Anomen scowled. "Explain to me how that differs from, 'Stand ever alert,' as the followers of Torm say."

"It just is," was Sir Keldorn's curt reply. But a smile tugged at the corner of his lips, and after a moment he laughed. "Do you want another wine, lad?"

"Actually I'd prefer mead --" Anomen began to say when Renai's cry cut across the tavern's noise.

"Guys!" The men turned and saw Renai standing on the stairs leading the inn's upper floors. "Can you guys come up here and help me out? Real quick? Please?" Desperation warred with annoyance across her lovely face as she looked behind her. "Come back here!" she shouted into the upper room and ran up the stairs again.

Anomen exchanged a cautious look with Sir Keldorn and rose to follow her. Behind him he heard Sir Keldorn grumble something about being too old for this as he followed.

In the far corner of the Bounty's upper quarters, as far away from the door as she could take him, Renai stood before a man in dark leathers with her arms spread wide to keep him still. "Please don't kill me!" he was blubbering, "please, don't kill me! I didn't mean to, I swear! It was a misunderstanding! Just let me go!"

"Shut up, you moron! I'm not here to kill you!" Renai looked over her shoulder and flung an arm behind her toward Anomen. "Look, see? Paladins. I told you!" she cried. "Nice holy paladins. They're with me. They're my friends. Do you honestly think they'd let me kill you?"

"Are you kidding? They don't care what happens to the likes of me. They'd not lift a finger to help a Shadow Thief!" Indignation replaced panic on the thief's face.

"Hmmm," Renai looked back at Sir Keldorn and shrugged. "All right," she told the thief, "that was a bad argument, wasn't it?"

Sir Keldorn scowled and placed his hands on the pommel of his greatsword. "I resent that, young woman."

"You resemble that, old man," Renai returned but gave her attention back to the thief before Sir Keldorn could do anything more than deepen his frown. Anomen wanted to laugh but did not dare. "I promise I'm not here to kill you," she said. "Do I look like a killer?"

The thief nodded so quickly his face became a blur. Sir Keldorn's guffawed loudly. "Oh shut up," Renai muttered. "Look, just tell me about this misunderstanding of yours, all right?"

The thief looked from Renai to Anomen and back again to her. "It was ... was I heard Mae'Var talking about killing -- " he winced "-- Renal Bloodscalp. I was so shocked I cried out and Mae'Var heard me! I know I'm good as dead! Please!" he cried again, "I've been faithful to the Shadow Thieves! I never wanted to get mixed up in this!"

Renai managed to pat the man on the shoulders. "Listen, if you have proof that Mae'Var wants to kill Bloodscalp, you should tell him --"

"No! He'll just think I was the one sent to kill him! Oh Tymora!" He pressed his palms against his face and shook his head. "I'm a dead man either way! What am I going to do?" He grabbed Renai by the arms and shook her. "What am I going to do?"

When Renai cast a rather frantic look at Anomen, the priest stepped up and gently pried the thief's fingers off Renai's arms. He held the thief's hands firmly against his struggles. "Look," Renai said, "Mae'Var wants your dagger as proof I killed you. Just give me that and run away. Maybe get out of the business just to make sure. I'll keep Mae'Var off you. All right?"

Anomen took a very deep breath to keep from laughing into Sir Keldorn's very surprised face. I told you she would not disappoint us! he wanted to shout. She knows exactly what she is doing!

The thief stopped struggling. "You ... you would do that?" When Renai nodded, Anomen released the thief's hands. From within his leather coat, the thief pulled out an ornate, thin-bladed dagger and put it in Renai's hands. "I don't even know who you are but I cannot thank you enough! You've saved my life! I ... I ..." Before she could reply, the thief grabbed her by the shoulders again and kissed her thoroughly on the lips.

Anomen's temper flared. How dare he do that! A smile was threatening to break across Sir Keldorn's face again. Suppressing a growl, Anomen grabbed the thief by the collar and pulled him off Renai.

Renai rubbed her mouth with her palm and stared at it in disbelief. "What the hell?" she gasped. Before Anomen could release him, the thief squeaked and slipped out of his coat. He ran toward the egress of the Sea's Bounty without a look behind him, leaving his garment in Anomen's fist.

"What is it with these thieves that they just want to mess with me today?" Renai muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose, then scrubbing her hand again against her mouth. She looked at Anomen. "Are you keeping that coat, wonder boy?"

Anomen looked at the dark leather coat in his hands. "I don't know. It is not the proper attire for one of Helm's faithful." But when he looked back at her, he saw she was grinning. He still could not tell that she had been so brutally hurt just that morning. Even her eyes did not reveal the shame or grief that usually occurred with such a beating.

"Kidding, wonder boy. You're still way too easy. Give me that. It looks like I can have it recut for a fit for me, and I may need it considering what I'm getting into." Renai grimaced. "Oops, I wasn't going to bring that up again. Sorry."

"I would speak to you of that, young woman." The seriousness in Sir Keldorn's voice made Anomen cringe. "I will tell you again, I cannot approve of this plan of yours to take membership with the Shadow Thieves."

But after all we discussed, after all we said! Anomen took a deep breath and put his hand on Renai's shoulder. She looked up at him and arched her eyebrow in surprise, then looked back uncertainly at Sir Keldorn.

"So she is becoming a Shadow Thief," Anomen said firmly, "and so what? Sir Keldorn, did you not see what she has just done? She saved a man's life! True, he was only thief himself, but there is hope for him still to step upon a more righteous road. If she had not taken this task, he would be a lost soul for certain."

"But lad," Sir Keldorn began.

"But nothing! Open your eyes, Sir Keldorn! Renai is a good and noble woman. If she is placed in a position of authority with the Shadow Thieves, is it not unbelievable that she might change them instead of being changed herself? Especially if we stand beside her to help her?"

"What I meant to say was --"

"This has gone far enough!" Anomen turned to Renai and took her hand. "My lady, I pledged to remain by your side to assist you in any way I could. That pledge still holds. It is my hope it will see only the good we do. I would stand by your side again, if you would not have any objections."

Renai closed her open mouth with a loud snap of her jaws and gingerly freed her hand from Anomen's desperate grip. "I am," she said in a dazed voice, "so rendered speechless by that."

"Lad," Sir Keldorn sighed deeply and shook his head, but Anomen saw he was trying to hide a grin, "you took the words from my lips. Young woman," he said to Renai, "will you allow us to accompany you? To help keep your feet on the proper path while you undertake this dark alliance?"

Renai raised her eyes to the heavens. "Only if you understand that sometimes you have to stray from it to get the job done. Just do me a favor and save up all your moral objections for the end of each day, all right? We'll schedule that especially. You, me," she grinned, "and Jaheira."

When Sir Keldorn winced, Renai broke into peals of laughter. "All right, you got a deal. Come on. Yoshimo and Jae are waiting outside, and they'll be soooo glad you're joining us for this." She snickered. "She's just missed you --"

"You're pushing it," Sir Keldorn grunted. "How many more assignments before you finish this quest?"

A neat flick of her wrist sent the fleeing thief's dagger up Renai's sleeve. "This should be the last for him. When I give him this to prove I did his dirty deed, we'll be in and I can start hunting for the proof Bloodscalp wants." Her face hardened. "Just in time, too. I don't know how much longer I can talk to Mae'Var without him giving back some of what he gave me this morning." Her words were strong and her eyes were like black stone, and Anomen had no doubt that she recovered from the incident. But Anomen wasn't sure that he had.

She will not worry much longer about Mae'Var, Anomen thought as he followed her out the door. Mae'Var may think his greatest mistake would be to cross the Shadow Thieves. But that is nothing compared to what I will do to him. Helm help me, but Mae'Var will pay dearly for harming Renai.