The Gift I Offer

The Gift I Offer
by Ryan Brady

Imoen awoke to the screams of the other asylum inmates, just as she had every morning since her capture. The inhuman howls echoed around in her dark cell, stabbing into her psyche like tiny daggers of ice. With every scream she felt herself being drawn closer to the insanity that had consumed the others. Clutching her hands over her ears, she began rocking herself back and forth, quietly humming a song Gorion used to sing to her when she would have nightmares. It was a magical song, he told her, one that would drive away the daemons and keep her safe. The howls grew louder, as did her humming, until she was nearly screaming the song at the top of her lungs.

The fleeting hope that Jaycen would rescue her was the only thing that pulled her back from the edge of oblivion. Any minute now, that door would fly open and he would come charging in to whisk her away from this terrible place. They would go back to Candlekeep together, living out the rest of their lives in peaceful isolation. No more fears. No more worries. Just each other.

The young girl perked up at the sound of scuffling feet that stopped just outside her door, and her heart nearly flew out of her chest as the lock turned and the door swung open. She jumped to her feet and rushed forward to leap into Jaycen's waiting arms, then screamed in terror and fell back to the ground at the sight of the figure that strode confidently into her cell.

Irenicus smiled lightly as he watched Imoen scramble back against the wall. "Good morning, my sweet angel. I trust you had a restful night?"

Imoen pressed herself into the corner as hard as she could, desperately trying to stay as far away from this monster as possible. She could feel the screams and shrieks of the other inmates pulsating through the wall behind her, and was about ready to join the wild chorus herself as Irencius slowly advanced toward her.

"Please...don't hurt me..."

"Hurt you?" The man recoiled with a look of shock on his face. "No, no, my precious rose," he whispered soothingly. "I would never dream of hurting such a beautifully delicate creature." He tenderly reached forward to run his hand lightly through her crimson hair.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed, as she swatted his hand aside and wildly thrust her feet out to kick at him.

He drew back slightly and shook his head with a hint of sadness. "Why do you continue to fight me, my precious rose? Don't you see what we have? You can help me regain that which I have lost, and I can help you discover that which you have yet to find..." Again he reached forward to tenderly touch her, and again she swatted his hand away.

"I don't want anything from you! I swear, if you lay one finger on me, Jaycen's gonna rip you limb from limb when he gets here!"

"Jaycen?" He closed his eyes and sighed. "Oh, my dear Imoen, why do you continue to cling to these fantasies of yours? You have been here for nearly a month now. Your precious paladin is not coming to save you."

Her entire body began trembling uncontrollably as she violently shook her head. "No...no, that's not true. You're lying!" The howls of the other inmates continued to echo through the cell like mocking laughter. "Jaycen would never abandon me! You're lying! You're lying!"

Irenicus reached out to take her hand in both of his, rubbing her soft skin soothingly, and staring deeply into her eyes. As she held his gaze, Imoen suddenly realized that she was no longer trembling.

"Think, Imoen," he whispered. "Think back on your time together. Did he ever have faith in your abilities as a rogue?" He reached out to take her other hand. "No." He paused briefly for emphasis.

"Did he ever show you any support as you learned the art of spellcraft?" He slowly drew her up to her feet. "No."

"Has he ever shown any appreciation for your unfailing loyalty and dedication to him?" He drew the girl gently into his arms. "No."

"Has he ever told you that he enjoys your companionship?" He ran his finger along the contours of her face, down one side, sweeping under her chin, rising up the other, and back down again to slowly come to rest on her lips. "No."

He leaned forward, rubbing his cheek against hers and whispering softly into her ear. "Has he ever told you that he loves you?" Imoen clenched her eyes, desperately trying to choke back her tears, but began to softly weep when he finally answered.

"No. You are but a child in his eyes, Imoen. He let you travel with him because you served his needs. Nothing more. "

He drew back and lifted her chin with his hand so she would look at him again. "But you are something more in my eyes. I see what you are, and I see what you can become. And I see what you can help me to become." An uneasy peace came over Imoen as she stared back into his eyes once again. His voice was so soothing, so comforting, so...loving.

"You and I are like potential energy, Imoen. We have yet to achieve all we can. Others fear us, even hate us, for this. They do not understand. But I understand. And you will too...if you will let me show you..."

He could feel the girl relax in his embrace, drawing herself closer to his body. As she pressed up against him he savored the sensation of another heart beating next to his own. Her soft breath brushed lightly across his face as her hands slowly slid up his arms and over his shoulders. For the briefest of moments he was able to remember Her holding him in the same way. He drew her lips softly against his own...then gasped in agony and crumpled to the ground as her knee rose sharply into his groin.

"How's that for potential energy?!" Imoen screamed as she leapt over his slumped body. Dashing out of her cell at inhuman speed she raced blindly down the halls of Spellhold. The other inmates screamed and howled and taunted her as she sprinted through the winding corridors. Their wails grew into a violent crescendo and were soon joined by her own. "Help! Somebody help me!"

As she spun around a corner, the hallway abruptly came to an end at a large, iron gate. Shaking the bars desperately she continued to scream her futile pleas through her tears. "Help me! Somebody get me out of here! Jaycen, where are you?!" The only response she received was the mocking laughter of the other inmates, taunting her situation.

In desperation, she backed up and fired off a Knock spell at the lock on the gate. A wild surge of magical energy shot back from the locking mechanism, throwing her to the ground and strongly discouraging any further attempts to pick the lock. As she scrambled to her feet, her heart sank at the sight of a familiar shadow moving against the wall on the far end of the corridor.

"Oh, gods, no..."

She flung her arms in the air to cast an Invisibility spell on herself and crouched into the corner by the gate, holding her breath. Irenicus rounded the corner, flanked by two of his vampire servants, and walked straight at her. With merely a flick of his hand the cloak of her invisibility was dispelled and she was once again in plain sight.

"Stay away from me!" she screamed as she thrust out her hand to hurl four Magic Missiles at him. As the tiny red orbs collided with his body, Irenicus staggered slightly then continued walking forward with little more than a slight look of annoyance on his face.

Imoen jumped to her feet and thrashed about wildly as he grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall.

"You dare to spit in the face of my divine gift?! I offer you power unequalled, yet you cast me away just as She did. I shall show you the true meaning of power, just as I shall show Her."

Releasing her from his iron grip, he slapped Imoen across the face, knocking her to the ground. Turning to the two vampires, he motioned at her crumpled, quivering form. "Take her to my laboratory. She shall serve my needs one way or the other."

The two vampires grabbed Imoen and dragged her kicking and screaming down the hall. Irenicus just stood there, listening to her screams as they echoed off into the distance.

When the screams finally faded away, a soft, soothing voice whispered into his ear. "Why do you continue to waste your time with that silly little girl?" Bodhi's arms slowly wrapped themselves around Irenicus like serpents as she pressed firmly up against his back. "She does not know you as I do. She does not understand you as I do." Without breaking her embrace, she slithered around to the front of him to gaze deeply into his eyes. "And she does not see you as I do. Why do you continue to turn to others who are just as lost as you when the answer you seek lies right here before you?"

Pushing her aside, Irenicus turned away to stare off down the empty corridor. "Why should I turn to you when you are the very one who has brought me to where I am?"

A slight smile worked its way across Bodhi's face as she drew up against him and slid her finger along his neck. "Oh, don't be mad, Joneleth. You know I only gave you what you wanted."

He clenched his eyes and slowly drew in a breath. "Perhaps you did, dear sister. Perhaps you did."