And here comes the next part of the story for you, dearest readers! The party reaches Brynnlaw and gets involved in a small side-quest some of you surely remember from the game.
Author note: My heartfelt thanks to all of you readers for keeping on following this story. You ladies and gentlemen are the reason why “Amber&emerald” has come so far and is still going on.
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...Lost and so alone
Born but never known
Left all on their own
Forgotten children...(Tokio Hotel, “Forgotten children”)
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CHAPTER 33
Meg sat on the upper deck with a cup of spiced milk in her hands, relaxing after another long day of training with her new armour on: she was finally getting accustomed to its weight and to the way it enveloped her body, the feeling becoming more and more familiar with each passing day.
She had a faraway look in her eyes as she reflected, watching the waves glistening silver in the moonlight, Jon knows we’re coming, it’s what he wants, what he has planned, she thought, If only he would listen to me, we could try to find a cure for his curse together…He would have no need to hurt anyone else, then.
"You’re pensive, my love", Anomen said, taking a sit next to her, "What ails you?". "Just some stray thoughts", she smiled and cuddled against him, "But now I have something better to think of". He smiled back and slipped his arms around her shoulders, "Are you afraid of what awaits us on the island?". "No...Well, yes, but I don’t fear for myself: I fear for you all. You should just let me go on my own, after all it’s my fault that Immy is in trouble now".
"Meg...", the young man sighed, shaking his head, "It’s not your fault. And we can’t let you face that...That beast alone, you would surely die". She opened her mouth to shout him that she didn’t care, that it was exactly what she deserved, but in the end she simply leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes, "Hold me". "Gladly, my lady".
They enjoyed their closeness for a long moment, then the Ilmatari looked up at him with a shy smile, "Anomen, I...I would like for us to sleep together. I don’t mean doing everything, just...Being close and cuddling a bit, you know?". The Helmite’s heart skipped a beat with emotion, "I-I would love to, Meg". "Shall we, then?". "Of course", he took her hand and they descended below deck together.
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After a long travel, the ship finally docked at Brynnlaw and Saemon Havarian looked quite relieved for that. "Good, we’ve arrived and in good time, I’d say. Congratulations to all the crew, you did an excellent job! And my guests, it was a pleasure to have you on board", he said with exaggerate cheerfulness, constantly rubbing his hands together. Yoshimo snickered, "Ah, yes, a pleasure indeed: I managed to win a nice amount of money from the sailors.
They seemed to think they were the only ones knowing how to play poker". "How to play, or how to cheat?", Meg asked with a wink and he pretended to be offended. "You wound me, sekai no hikari! How can you insinuate that the Great Yoshimo cheats at poker? Just because I marked some cards of my deck, it doesn’t mean I was cheating!", he replied, struggling to keep up his air of wounded pride, but his lips curved in a roguish grin and she laughed.
Sime approached the Ilmatari, deadly serious, "I hate having to spoil your good mood, but we should not lower our guard: I think Havarian is planning something. He’s not that big a fool as he would like us to believe". "Yeah, I don’t trust him either, but he doesn’t look that dangerous to me. Besides, we’re both well-equipped and well-trained, so if he turns on us, he will regret it for the rest of his short life", the priestess said, shrugging, "Come, Immy awaits".
Before they could enter the city, Saemon walked up to them, his face was pale and twisted with fear. "I’m afraid I can’t allow you to go further", he stammered, nervously rubbing his sweaty palms on his dirty trousers, "I have nothing against you, but a job is a job, you see and my employer would not take it well if I didn’t do what I was paid for. You already know those you’re going to face...I hope it will end soon. I hate violence", he muttered, running away as fast as his legs could carry him.
Minsc was furious, "The little pirate is a traitor! Minsc and Boo will kick his backside for this!", he yelled, but the Painbearer cut him off. "Forget about him, we have company", she said, as five Vampires appeared from the mist and lunged at the party. It was a hard and bloody fight, at the end of which the undead were reduced to dust that was carried away by the cold wind.
Edwin’s lips curled in a snarl, "That bloodless bitch Bodhi is behind this, no doubt", he growled and added something in Thayan that made Margaret Dawn start and blush furiously. "Edwin!". "What? For all we know, she could as well have done it (As if she’s never heard of such practices...She can’t be that naive!)". "I...Well, I’ve heard of it from Eldoth, yes, but that’s not the point here. Oh, whatever.
Sime, where should we go now?". "You should go to the Vulgar Monkey to meet your contact", the Shadow Thief answered, "You can’t miss it, it’s the only inn of the island". "Vulgar...Monkey?", Meg turned to the Red Wizard with an impish grin, "Did they ask for your advice in choosing the name?". He sniffed indignantly, "I had no part in it, I assure you (If I had, the inn would surely have a much better name. And it would be in a much better place than this disgusting island)".
"Uh-hu. Okay then, the Vulgar Monkey it is". "Look for a man named Sanik: he deals with Spellhold, he may know of a way to get in", Sime advised them, "I’ll contact some of my old acquaintances and see if they can help too. Meet me on the path to the asylum when you have the means to get in there". "All right. Good luck, Sime and I hope we’ll see you soon", the Painbearer nodded her goodbye and led her companions to the inn.
Calling it a low-level dive was an understatement: the floor was dirty and sported long scratches, the tables had clearly been broken and repaired more than once and a disgusting stench filled the air. Jaheira wrinkled her nose, "Silvanus’ horns and here I thought the Coronet was bad!". The Ilmatari smiled, "Come on, at least it’s not as bad as the sewers of Athkatla". "I’m not so sure about that, child".
Edwin grabbed the Human girl’s arm, "Meg, tell me we won’t have to stay here for long", he pleaded, making his best puppy eyes at her. "I’ll try my best not to make you stay here any longer than necessary. Happy now?". "Honestly? No". She chuckled and quickly pecked him on the cheek, "Come on, cheer up: as soon as we’re back to Amn, I’ll buy something very powerful and extremely rare for you, okay?". The Thayan relaxed a bit, "Uhm. Well, better than nothing, I guess (And I’ll make sure she doesn’t forget about this promise)".
They found Sanik easily enough: he was the only patron to sit alone in a corner, shooting nervous glances around like a man expecting a knife in the back at any moment. Meg approached him first, "Excuse me, sir", she said gently and he started. "Gah! What do you want?", he nearly shouted, backing away from her. "I am Sister Meg, a Painbearer of Ilmater and I’m looking for a man named Sanik. Maybe you know him?".
He eyed her Holy Symbol and her grey vest and his tension eased slightly, "Well, that’s me, miss. Why are you looking for me?". "My friends and I need to find a way to get into Spellhold and we’ve been told that you could help us with that". Sanik blinked, "Spellhold? Are you kidding? None of those who entered that accursed place ever came out! Why in Umberlee’s name would you want to do it?".
"To save a friend of ours who’s been imprisoned there", the young woman couldn’t help her tone becoming pleading, "Please, sir, we just need some information, nothing more and I promise you will be well rewarded for your help". He massaged his chin thoughtfully, his eyes moving from her to the rest of the party members, "Uhm...You are adventurers, right? And you look strong and capable too". "We are, rest assured".
"Then maybe we can help each other: recently I’ve had a...Disagreement with...", he trailed off as he heard a soft gurgling sound coming from behind himself. Turning, he saw Yoshimo sheathing his dagger and a Dwarf lying on the floor, his throat sliced open and a short sword in his hand. "He was going to kill you", the Kara-Turan explained, pointing to the dead Dwarf, "You must have angered someone very dangerous".
Sanik’s face twisted with rage, "It’s that bitch Galvena! My wife Claire is one of her...Employees at her Festhall and Galvena doesn’t want to let her go". "She keeps Claire prisoner, you mean", the Ilmatari said, her temper rising quickly, "And I guess the Festhall is a brothel". He nodded, "It is, yes.
I’ve tried to take my wife away from that hell, I swear, but alone...", he made a helpless gesture. Minsc gave him a friendly pat on the back, nearly toppling him over, "You’re not alone anymore, little man! Now there are Minsc and Boo and their friends to help you! We will free your wife from the bad woman, right, little Meg?", he announced enthusiastically.
Margaret Dawn smiled, "Right, Minsc. Fear not, Sanik, we will make sure that Galvena will not bother you anymore". Edwin cleared his throat, "And what about our “heroic rescue”? Have you already forgotten about it? (Bah, she will never change! Always ready to help every single wretch who comes whining to her...Though I’m not sure if that’s a such a bad thing)", he added pensively.
"I’ve not forgotten about it, it’s a trade of services: we save Sanik’s wife and he tells us how to get into Spellhold", the Ilmatari replied, then she turned to Sanik, "Deal?". "Deal. I’ll wait for you here and pray". "Okay. Anomen, you’ll stay here and watch over him, just in case Galvena has sent some other killer. The rest of you, with me".
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The companions left the inn and after only a few steps, a child bumped into the Human girl. "Sorry, miss", he apologized and made to walk away, but Yoshimo gently held him by the shoulder. "Before you go, little one, could you return the money you stole from my friend?". The poor boy looked up at him with fearful eyes, "P-please, sir...I...I-I don’t want to steal, but if I don’t, he will beat me again!", he stammered, trembling like a leaf.
Meg kneeled in front of him with a sweet smile, "Don’t worry, you can keep the money. Who is this man who beats you?". "I...I can’t tell you. He will kill me!". Minsc’s face darkened, "A man who beats children deserves to be kicked so mightily in the backside that he will never be able to sit down again! And Boo will go for his eyes!".
"Well said, Minsc", she stroked the child’s hair tenderly, "Fear not, darling, nobody will kill you. What’s your name?". "Ason". "Nice to meet you, Ason, I’m Meg and these are my good friends. We can help you, you know? If you tell us who the bad man is, we will make sure he never ever ever hurts you again, okay?".
He shook his head, "I can’t! He has my sister and he’ll kill her if I don’t obey!". Jaheira narrowed her eyes, "He must be one of Galvena’s lackeys", she said, her voice simmering with anger. "One more reason to teach that bi...That woman a lesson", Meg commented, "Ason, do you know where your sister is?".
Ason nodded, "Yes, she’s not far from here, looking for customers". "Lead my friends to her then, they will protect you both. And I will take care of the bad man, just tell me where he is and what he looks like". He hesitated, but at last murmured, "His name is Chremy. He works for lady Galvena and he spends a lot of time near the inn. He’s tall and has black hair and a scar on his face that looks like a spiral".
She smiled, "Thank you, darling. Now go and fear not, we will make it all right", she rose to her feet and turned to the druidess, "Make sure he and his sister are safe". Aerie intervened, "But...Do you want to face Chremy alone?". "Why not? He’s just a scum", the Painbearer replied, then left quickly: she couldn’t wait to meet the bastard.
As Ason had said, the man was next to the inn, leaning against the outer wall and yelling at whoever happened to pass by in the futile attempt to look strong and dangerous. He spotted her approaching and his ugly face twisted with contempt, "Whatcha lookin’ at, bitch? D’ye want ol’ Chremy ta show ye yer place, uh?", he sneered and her lips curved in a crocodile-like smile while her eyes flashed golden.
"So you’re Chremy. I’m so glad to meet you", she purred, inching closer, "I have a message for you". He blinked, taken off-balance by her lack of fear, "Message, what message?". "The message is...", her left hand shot forward and she gripped his throat, without noticing that her fingers were longer and thicker than usual and her nails looked vaguely like black talons, "You’re going to die".
Before he could react, she squeezed hard enough that his eyes bulged out of his skull and in a matter of seconds, he sagged in her grip, dead. She let him go with a satisfied laugh and the voice coming out of her mouth was, once again, a mixture between hers and Bhaal’s. She searched his pockets, finding nearly two hundred gold coins, a Sun Stone, a Diamond and a strange gaudy medallion, then she went back to her companions.
Aerie saw her first, "Meg, what news?", she asked anxiously. "Chremy is dead. Everything okay here?". The Avariel nodded, "Yes, we found a sailor...Well, a smuggler, who has accepted to take Ason and Ginia away from this island and to a safe place". "And he asked us a hundred gold pieces to do that!", the Red Wizard added, scowling, "(At least the elfling used the money of her own share to pay him)".
Meg smiled, "That’s good to know. And you must be Ginia, then", she addressed Ason’s sister, a girl of barely seventeen with curly red hair and clear hazel eyes. "Yes, I am. I don’t know how to thank you for freeing us, you are true heroes!", Ginia exclaimed happily and the Thayan rolled his eyes. "Bah! How many times will I have to suffer such indignity?
(I hope it won’t be too often, or I fear I will be at risk of getting accustomed to it)", he muttered with a shudder. The Painbearer shot him a fond look, "Nah, you’re perfectly safe, trust me", she reassured him, while taking an empty leather purse from her pack. She filled it with the money and the gems she had taken from Chremy’s corpse and handed it to Ginia, "Here, take this: it will help you build a new life somewhere else".
The younger girl took the money with wide eyes, "I...I don’t know what to say...". "Then say nothing. May Ilmater’s blessing be with you both". "And with you too. Goodbye and thank you for everything!", she took her brother’s hand in hers and they left together, smiling happily for the first time in nearly three years.
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Before the entrance to the Festhall stood a dozen courtesans of both genders, all of them scantily dressed and doing their best to attract the bypassers with their forms and calls. One of them, a very attractive young man of barely twenty, with dark skin, black hair and dark brown eyes, saw the party approach and smiled, his attention fixing on Meg who walked at the front, "Good afternoon, my dear.
Would you like to spend a night of pleasure in my arms? For just a hundred gold pieces, I will be all yours for the whole night", he proposed with an enchanting smile. Her eyes briefly wandered over his lovely face and body, but then she started guiltily and shook her head, blushing scarlet, "Ah, no thanks, I’m already committed", she said, "I’m just looking for some information".
"Oh. Well, what do you want to know?". "My friends and I need to know how to meet Galvena". The young man shrugged, "Good luck with that: she mostly keeps to her rooms and nobody is allowed to go there, unless she needs some fun", his face twisted with disgust as he said the last part.
"Is there really no way for us to get in?". "I...I can’t tell you: if the mistress finds out that I told you...". Jaheira intervened, "We’ll kill her, boy, so you have nothing to fear and everything to gain in helping us". He looked from her to the Painbearer, a spark of hope dawning on his beautiful features, "You will? Truly?".
Minsc nodded, "Fear not, little man, you have our word that Minsc and Boo will make sure the bad lady can never hurt you again! And you can trust the word of a Miniature Giant Space Hamster!", he announced, showing his hamster to the baffled courtesan. "Eh...Yeah. Right. Uh...What were we saying again?", the poor guy asked and Meg bit her lower lip to keep from laughing. "You were about to tell us how to get into the Festhall", she reminded him. "Ah, right.
Well, you can get in as customers, of course, but then you won’t be allowed to snoop around too much. Or one of you could pretend to be a new master: Galvena has new masters coming to the Festhall every day. They all wear a golden medallion, a very garish thing if you ask me". She grinned and showed him Chremy’s pendant, "Like this one?". The young man’s eyes went wide, "Yes! Where did you find it?".
"I took it from Chremy’s dead body after killing him", the Ilmatari replied casually and he brightened. "Finally some good news! That bastard nearly broke my jaw last week, after I failed to bring back the expected quota. Well, you have the medallion and the information, so I’ll just...". "You will bring us to your room, so we’ll save time in getting to our target", she cut him off.
The courtesan frowned and indicated the men of the party, "I can bring in you and the other two ladies, but not them. I don’t know what you think of me, my beauty, but I don’t like men". "Don’t worry, nobody will see them. Aerie, please turn our boys invisible". The Avariel cast her spell and the courtesan nodded, his face relaxing. "That’s better. All right, come with me, lovely ladies: I will show you the way".
