Chapter 14: Ice and Fire
Appropriately enough, the two winter wolves had attacked during a light snowfall. A grueling battle had followed; they had all felt the chill of the wolves' icy breath at least once before the beasts were dealt with.
"Why would anyone want to hunt those on purpose?" Imoen asked while Ajantis applied his healing powers to her injured shoulder.
"Because they are magical," Kivan said, kneeling over the wolf corpses. "Come see." They all gathered around Kivan. He pointed at the pure white pelt of one of the wolves. "Do you see it?"
"No, what's to see?" Ember asked.
Kivan ruffled the fur, sending up a shower of ice crystals. "Snow does not melt on them. And if you see here, their blood does not wet the fur. But that is not all; touch them."
Ember and Imoen both reached out and touched the pelt. "It's warm!" Imoen exclaimed, burying her fingers in the soft fur.
"Indeed it is. Such a pelt will keep anyone warm and dry throughout the coldest winter. And its color is unmatched."
Ajantis gingerly touched one of the dead wolves. "Amazing!" he exclaimed.
"It seems a shame to have this go to waste," Ember said as she stroked one of the soft, snow-coloured pelts.
"I should be able to skin them in a matter of minutes," Kivan said, pulling out his dagger. "Minsc, are you familiar with skinning?"
Minsc nodded and produced a dagger of his own. "The Ice Dragon Berserker Lodge at home hunts winter wolves in mild weather," he said as he cut a line down the belly of one of the wolves. The skin beneath the fur was very dark, and was easily separated from the underlying tissues. "I got a fur for my witch before my dajemma," he continued proudly.
"Your witch?" Ajantis asked.
"Your dajemma?" Imoen asked.
"My dajemma? It is a test, and when I complete it, I shall be a man. I must follow and guard Dynaheir wherever she takes me, and when I am ready, she will let me know. "
"So Dynaheir is your witch?"
"Little Imoen is wise! Yes, my Dynaheir is one of the wychalarn. She is very clever, and she knows very much about magic. She helps Minsc as much as Minsc helps her."
"She sounds like a good witch," Ember said.
"A very good witch," Minsc said somberly.
---
The snowfall had long since ended when they came across two men. They were sitting at a small fire in the shelter of a rock outcropping, and appeared to be roasting a brace of rabbits. As they drew closer, one of the men stood up and approached them. He carried a halberd, but was using the weapon as a walking stick, and his whole demeanour appeared rather unthreatening.
"Hey there fellas," he said amiably, leaning casually on the halberd pole. "Seems like your party's wandered a bit off the beaten path."
"Sometimes, the beaten path doesn't lead where you need to be," Ember said.
"True, that," the man replied. "Well, it's too bad for you, cause you've had the misfortune of meeting the fastest draw in the west. See that man over yonder?" He gestured towards his comrade, who was still sitting in front of the fire. "His name's Zal, and he's the fastest dart thrower that has ever walked the Sword Coast. Now, if I were you, I wouldn't want to test the patience of such a man. So why don't you do the wise thing and hand over all your money. Otherwise you're going to be in a heap of trouble."
Ember scoffed at the man's boast. "The fastest dart thrower in the west? That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard of."
"You don't say?" the man said. "Hear that, Zal? Seems they don't take you seriously! Guess it's time to show what for, huh?" he shouted at his companion, who got to his feet and sauntered towards them.
"Sorry guys, but you're in for a world of hurt," the first man said before taking two steps to the side.
Something whistled through the air. Imoen gasped, sounding as though she had been punched hard in the gut. Ember turned towards her friend and immediately forgot all about the impending fight.
Imoen was clutching her belly and staggering unsteadily; a very large wooden dart had pierced her leather armor and embedded itself deep in her upper abdomen. "Ow," she whimpered as she fell to her knees.
"Immy!" Ember shrieked. The shouts of their compantions - Ajantis calling out to Helm and Minsc bellowing something about Boo going for their eyes - had a dreamlike quality; while Ember heard every word, it was as if the sound came to her through a mile of water. Wasting no time, she kneeled beside Imoen and examined the wound. It was very deep, and the edges pulled open around the dart with every breath Imoen took.
"I feel so cold," Imoen whispered.
"You'll be all right, Immy, we'll get it out and get you fixed in no time," Ember said, daubing helplessly at the wound with her cloak. Blood seeped out of the wound every time it gaped open, and there was a trickle of blood on Imoen's pale lips. One thing at a time. Get the dart out, then healing potion. She pulled her flasks of healing potion out of her sack and placed them on the ground beside Imoen for easy access. "Immy, I am going to pull it out now. Are you ready?" Imoen nodded weakly.
As gently as she could, Ember eased the dart out of the wound. It wouldn't budge at first, and there was a horrible sucking sound, similar to a pole in mud, when it finally came loose. Imoen groaned with pain, and a fresh gush of blood streamed out of the wound. So much blood... please, don't die! Ember instinctively pressed down on the gushing wound with both hands.
Ember's hands felt as though they were on fire. The burning sensation rushed up her arms, blossoming into a giant flame in her chest; for a moment, she could not breathe. The flames rushed back into her hands and burst out of them in a blue flash.
"What was that?!" Imoen asked in a loud, agitated voice.
"I-I don't know!" Ember said. She slowly took her hands away from Imoen's belly. The wound was no longer bleeding at all, and it was considerably smaller than it had been mere moments ago. Somehow, it had been reduced to a shallow cut surrounded by some mild bruising. Color had returned to Imoen's face as well.
The two girls stared at each other.
The sounds of battle died off soon after, and Ajantis hurried towards Ember and Imoen. "Miss Imoen, is all well?" he asked, kneeling beside her to assess her injuries. "Ah, that is fine work, miss Ember, but I believe she should have a little more potion, just to be certain."
"I haven't had any," Imoen said in a low voice.
"But how-"
"She healed me. With her hands."
Ajantis turned towards Ember. "You did this? I was not aware that you had any priestly inclinations."
"I don't! And I don't know how I did it. It just happened."
"Strange. Could you describe it more closely?"
"I was pushing on the wound to stop the blood. My hands and chest felt like they caught on fire, and then the fire went from my hands and into Imoen in a blue flash, and the cut was like this."
Ajantis furrowed his brow. "Healing spells are usually associated with a blue glow, but I am not heard of any that feel like fire to the caster. In my experience, and from what the priests in my Order have told me, it is more common that the caster feels a benevolent sensation, such as light or cleansing water, flowing through them as they channel the healing power. Also, even my simple healing abilities require a brief incantation. This is most curious."
"Do you think it's dangerous?" Ember asked nervously.
"I honestly cannot say, miss, but you do not appear to be harmed by the experience. Do you think you could do it again?"
"No," Ember stated. "I can't explain how I know it, but I can't repeat it. Not yet, at least."
"Ah," Ajantis said, "I have a similar awareness of my own gift from the Watcher. I suspect you are unknowingly blessed by some power; you would not be the first human to receive such a gift."
"Ember, maybe one of your parents were Chosen?" Imoen suggested. She had drank a few mouthfuls of healing potion while they talked, and her wound had disappeared completely.
Ember smiled. We never went that far with our pretending games. "If they were, I hope they were the Chosen of a nice power."
"I would not worry about that, miss. Your gift is clearly of a benevolent nature. Now, let us go reassure Kivan and Minsc," Ajantis said, gesturing towards their two companions who were watching them from the battlesite.
---
They inspected the bodies before moving on. The man with the halberd had been carrying two potions of healing, and the dart thrower was wearing some decidedly magical bracers. Kivan added the potions to their cache, and carefully removed the bracers from the dead man's wrists. "I would not be surprised if these aided him. No human of his build should be able to throw darts quite like that," he said.
"Speaking of magical items," Imoen said, "I think I should try wearing that leather armor we got yesterday."
"But we don't know its enchantment yet," Ember protested. "It's not safe!"
Imoen looked her squarely in the eye. "Look, I've been thinking about this. All I know is that it looked like it'd fit me, and that this set is ruined, and that if the wolves and fastest dartsmen in the west are going to insist on attacking me first, I want to be a bit more protected. I know that woman was weird, but she stayed that way even after you took the armor from her, so it probably isn't cursed. And you can just knock me out if I go nuts and start challenging the squirrels to unarmed combat, you know."
Minsc and Boo can watch you," the giant man offered. "If the armor makes you do bad things, we can tie you up safely and then carry you somewhere to be fixed. Minsc has a strong back and can easily carry a small Imoen, and Boo can sing you little songs to make you happy again."
Imoen smiled happily at Minsc. "Thank you! I'd love to hear Boo sing."
"That armor did appear to be stronger than yours, even when yours was not damaged," Ajantis said.
"I agree," Kivan said. "It is a risk, but so is going into battle with inadequate gear."
"Very well," Ember said. She opened her pack, pulled out the soft leather armor, and handed it to Imoen. Imoen pulled off her old, torn armor, hesitated for a moment, then visibly steeled herself and put on the magical set. It was a near perfect fit.
"Well," Imoen said, "I don't feel any different. The only change is that it's so much lighter and more comfortable than my old armor. It's almost no heavier than just wearing a tunic or a dress!"
Ember smiled with relief. "You don't look different either, other than prettier. It suits you."
They continued onward through the wild, rocky landscape; past rambling thickets, across shallow streams with many beds, over crumbling patches of unmelted winter snow, through giant archways carved from sandstone by wind and weather, always following the tracks of the gnolls deeper into the mountains. They saw no more wolves and no more people.
By evening, they could see a large, haphazard jumble of walls and towers in the distance ahead of them. The buildings were rendered more visible by their lengthening shadows, and the whole construction glowed red in the light of the setting sun.
"A gnoll fortress," Kivan said.
