His scrutiny made Renai suddenly very conscious of how tattered, tired and unwashed she must appear. Squashing the desire to run away until she had at least combed her hair, Renai managed to stammer, "Ah ... who am I? I mean, I know who I am, but who am I to you?"
"You escaped the mage." His grin as well as his dark brown and black leathers marked him as a rogue, and his golden skin, dark hair and Oriental features placed him as a native of the mysterious lands of Kara-Tur. "In my own escape, I heard him make mention to his associates of his obvious displeasure that a woman of great beauty had removed herself from his clutches. You are that remarkable woman, are you not?"
"She didn't escape him," Imoen said petulantly. Renai realized the man still had a hold of her hand and quickly pulled it free. She pressed her palm against her cheek to cool her sudden embarrassed blush as Imoen continued, "We saved her. She slept through it all. So we're the remarkable ones."
The man laughed as he turned to Imoen and Jaheira. "It is as you say. But please," he said with a slight bow, "I seek whatever assistance you would offer this poor prisoner. I have seen much here that disturbs even me."
The scrape of metal against leather rasped against Renai's nerves, which had just begun to calm. But when she pulled her bow and sought a target, she saw only Jaheira, who had freed her scimitar from its sheathe and now held its edge against the man's throat. "You will excuse my mistrust, Kozakuran," she said coldly, "but I require more than flowery words and a handsome face to hand over my trust."
"Jae," Renai hissed, but the druid's hard hazel glare took the words from her tongue. Slowly, the man edged away from Jaheira's scimitar and straightened.
"I share your sentiments, lady. I have no other credentials than the truth. I may only tell you that I am a warrior with no evil intentions." When he tried to step away, Jaheira's blade followed him, and he gave Renai a pleading look. "Please," he said again.
"Jae." Renai frowned at Jaheira, but the druid took no notice.
"Are we gonna have to do this to everyone we meet?" Imoen stood behind Renai and peeked over her shoulder to examine the man.
"Yes," Jaheira replied. "This is a dungeon, not a ball. And while Renai may hold trust for everyone she comes across, I do not share that sentiment." She looked back at the man. "Tell us, Kozakuran, how you came to be here. It is a rather odd place for such a meeting."
Gingerly, he put his finger on the dull edge of Jaheira's scimitar and pushed it away. After a battle of stares between them, Jaheira lowered the weapon but kept it unsheathed. He cleared his throat, and a slight blush deepened his bronze skin. "Ah, it is a somewhat ... embarrassing story. It is not usual for someone in my profession to be caught so unaware."
"Yeah?" Imoen asked. "What's your profession?"
Jaheira snorted. "He's a thief."
A hurt expression crossed the man's face. "Those skills are known by me, but I am considered in Athkatla to be more a thief taker than merely a common thief."
Jaheira narrowed her eyes and brought her scimitar to his throat again. "A bounty hunter, then. You do not make such a perfect case for yourself. Who else but a bounty hunter would Irenicus send to capture us again?"
"I assure you, lady, I intend to place myself as far from the mage as is possible." His voice sounded hollow but honest, and sweat broke out on his face as he grimaced slightly.
"Jae!" Renai said again. "Can you at least give him a chance to talk? There's three of us and one of him. I think we have an advantage."
The druid gave them an exasperated glare but lowered her scimitar and finally sheathed it. "If you must. But I will tell you that I told you so later," she muttered.
Renai looked again at the bounty hunter and smiled slightly at the relief on his face. "You said Athkatla. In Amn, right? Is that where we are?"
"I cannot tell you that, meian. I may say only that I went to bed in my room at the Copper Coronet, and I awoke in a glass tube in the mage's laboratory. I do not know how long I was there before awakening. We very well could be in Athkatla, or somewhere else. I do not know."
Imoen's pixie face turned pale at the mention of the tubes, and she shivered so hard Renai could feel the floor shake slightly. A brief chaotic memory of glass cages burst through Rena's memory, but she put it aside. "How did you manage to escape?" she asked.
"There were explosions. During a ... moment of confusion ... I was freed." He looked over her shoulder at the portal, and his face suddenly became hard and unreadable. "It is not something I wish to speak of."
I don't blame him. If he's been through half of what He did to Imoen and me, it's no wonder he's eager to leave. We have that much in common, at least. "You're Yoshimo, right?"
At the mention of his name, the dead expression left his face. "You have heard of me then?" When Renai furrowed her brow, he said a touch arrogantly, "Yoshimo. You know, the Yoshimo. Feared by all."
"Ohhh." Imoen snuffled and attempted a smile, and some of the frightened look on he face faded as a mischievous glint sparked in her eyes. " The Yoshimo." She elbowed Renai in the ribs. "You know. Everybody knows the Yoshimo."
Renai frowned at the sarcasm in the girl's voice, but Yoshimo apparently did not hear it. "Ah, an admirer! Yoshimo is pleased to make your acquaintance." Again he took Renai's hand and bent over it. A small thrill crawled over Renai's skin at the touch of his lips on her knuckles. "You are Renai? A lovely name that suits you." Before Renai could answer, he turned to Imoen, took her hand and gave her a charming, questioning look.
His attention brought the first real smile to the girl's face Renai had seen yet. "I'm Jaheira, and that's Imoen," she said, giggling a little. "I mean, I'm Imoen. That's my name." Her face grew as pink as her hair as Yoshimo also kissed the back of her hand and released her. When he reached for Jaheira's hand, the druid growled and put her hand again on her scimitar. Beneath Yoshimo's uncertain chuckle, Imoen whispered into Renai's ear, "What do you think?"
"Don't know," Renai whispered back. "At this point, I'd be happy to see Ulraunt. I'm so glad to see a man with a real face ..." Bile rose in her throat at the thought of Irenicus, and she had to rub her mouth with the back of her hand to keep from being ill. Her lips touched the spot where he kissed her, and suddenly she felt very shy.
Yoshimo turned from Jaheira, rubbing his hands together as if in anticipation. "Now that introductions have been made, and it is clear we shall all get along so well," he said, ignoring Jaheira's curled lip, "it would be a marvelous thing if we joined our forces to search for the dungeon's exit."
"For the moment, anyway," Renai agreed. "Until we're free. After that, well - we'll discuss it then."
"Excellent." Yoshimo pulled a thin, slightly curved blade from the sheathe at his hip, a katana of some quality, Renai saw. He wielded it easily as he gestured at the door in the room's far corner. "I was exploring the room beyond when you made your er, rather spectacular entrance. In that chamber lie four portals, each of which releases a little cackling fiend that tried to kill me. It is Yoshimo's thought that, if the portals are destroyed, perhaps one could defeat the beasts already there."
"Little cackling fiend," Jaheira repeated, derision dripping from her voice. "Come, child. Let us see what has confounded the little man so." Jaheira gave Renai an imperious wave and stalked to the door, making Renai trot to catch up to her.
As soon as they were out of Yoshimo's hearing, Renai hissed in Jaheira's ear, "Why are you being so difficult?"
"You are too trusting. If being taken in the night will not teach you to be cautious, I do not know what will." Jaheira gave Renai that look the one that made her feel like she was six years old and in pigtails again.
"Hey, that was a sneak attack by strangers while our backs were turned. He's right in front of me, and I don't see anything in him worth commenting on." Except he's charming, but then most thieves are charming. Not this charming, usually, but ... She pushed the thought away. "There's strength in numbers, Jae. We'll never make allies if you run them off the moment we meet them."
Jaheira sighed. "I seek only to protect you. I feel the need more the longer we stay within this place of horrors. I will accept him on your word, but I urge you to be cautious."
"I am the picture of prudence. I have you as such a great teacher who teaches me that patience is such a virtue ..." Renai ducked Jaheira's swat with a grin, then opened the door a crack to peer through it.
Inside the room she saw exactly what Yoshimo had described: four small cages that looked like wire bowls upended on the floor, holding a small glowing creature. The dim room was filled with discarded boxes, books and paper. The creatures were only mephits, but there were many of them flitting through the room. As Renai watched, a mephit materialized from the one in the portal and flew lazily away, circling the room to join the other half-dozen. "Mephits," she muttered. "I hate mephits."
Jaheira nudged her out of the way and looked into the room, then nodded. "Call them over, child. We get nowhere standing here." Renai turned and saw Yoshimo talking with Imoen as they watched, and she only had to look at them to make them come forward. Jaheira cast her cool gaze on Yoshimo. "You assessment is the correct one, bounty hunter. What else in terms of strategy would you offer to us?"
Yoshimo nodded at the bow in Renai's hands. "How well do you shoot with that?"
"With this?" Renai held it up and pulled the string. "Not as well as I'd like. This is trash. But what I aim at, I don't miss, even with this. Why?"
"Then my plan is thus: we three," he indicated himself, Imoen and Jaheira, "will attack the little fiends, while you use your arrows to destroy the portals. If you are half the archer your confidence says you to be, the battle shall end in short order."
"Oh sure." Imoen fished her stiletto from its sheathe and bounced it in her palm to find a comfortable grip. "She gets to stay safe in the back while we're in the front getting bitten."
"The benefits of being the sniper, Imie. Why do you think I studied archery?" Renai said with a grin. Imoen gave her one of her own as the others also drew their weapons. Then, taking a deep breath, Jaheira threw the door open and the trio ran through, leaving Renai at the threshold.
The mephitis attacked the moment the door opened, diving straight for Jaheira and Imoen, while Yoshimo darted ahead to engage two more. Two arrows flew from Renai's bow, through the mesh of the little cages to skewer the first portal mephit. Its dying squawk sounded almost human, making Renai wince a little as she took aim at the next cage.
A flash of dazzling colors blinded her, spoiling her shot at the next portal. When the spots dancing in her vision finally cleared enough for her to see, Renai saw Imoen lying prone on the ground, dazed by the radiant mephit's attack. She shot three arrows into the cage. Two bounced off the bars, but the third took the creature in the eye, and it dropped without a sound.
Yoshimo stood over Imoen and was defending her from the other mephits' attacks, and Jaheira had killed several, allowing Renai to come into the room and let fly her arrows at the remaining two portal mephits. They died quickly, and the sudden silence that followed their deaths made Renai's ears ring, drowning out Imoen's groan as she awoke and Yoshimo helped her up. She looked at Jaheira. "Ransack, or run?" She nodded at the boxes and bookcases.
The druid pondered the room, then sheathed her scimitar. "Gather what you can, and quickly, but we must move soon." When Renai didn't jump at her words, Jaheira smiled. "There is no need to grow moss, child. Move your feet."
"Yeah, yeah." Renai shouldered her bow and shuffled past Jaheira. "I'll show you moss, druid. Keep your greaves on." Behind her she heard Yoshimo and Imoen joining Jaheira as she rummaged through the crates and cases. Deciding to start at the other end to meet them in the center, Renai headed for the back of the room, but the foul scent of decay coming from a nearby table stopped her.
Covering her nose with her hand, Renai inched closer to examine the table. On it lay a dissected corpse, so mutilated Renai could not see its features anymore. All she could tell was it was a man and a half-elf. Dear gods, Renai thought, trying not to gag. What did He do to him? She wanted to look away, but she couldn't tear her eyes off the man any more than she could stop the nausea from tearing her stomach.
On his left hand, the one piece of the man still whole, a glint of metal caught Renai's eye. A silver band engraved with curling vines circled the third finger. That's odd, he's wearing Khalid's wedding ring. How dare he do that? She started forward to pull the ring free, so that she could give it back to Khalid when they found him, when the realization froze her in her steps.
Khalid.
The knowledge stirred in her a darkness, with such intensity that she could almost feel the taint of Bhaal flowing in her blood. On her lips she could taste power like a tang left behind by wine, and in her soul something screamed to be released. Cold sweat broke out on her body as she struggled to keep from falling into the blackness that promised such sweet surrender.
"Kha...Khalid?" Jaheira breathed. The shocked anguish laced in Jaheira's breathless voice pulled Renai from her reverie. In the dim light, the druid's face glowed white as she stared at the abomination on the table. "Khalid! No!" she screamed. Heedless of the congealed blood and gore that surrounded the body, Jaheira went to it and put her hands on its ruined face. Tears flowed down her face to wet the dried blood on the table. "No! This is an illusion! It's a dream, a bad dream! Where are the mirrors, the switches to pull to ... to show where he is hidden! Khalid!"
Hurried footsteps behind them echoed in Renai's head as Yoshimo and Imoen ran to them to see what had caused Jaheira's shrieks. The black feeling in Renai's soul dissipated so suddenly she felt a tangible pop in her head, and the nausea she had been holding back took her, forcing her to stumble aside and fall to her knees. She had nothing in her stomach to bring up, so she retched miserably, painfully, as Jaheira screamed, "Damn you! I will have the heart of who has done this! I will tear their blackened heart from their ... I will ..." Jaheira's words were lost in her terrible sobs as she clutched at the body.
Someone had taken Renai's hair and pulled it away from her mouth, and a comforting hand rubbed her back as she tried to vomit and could not. She looked up, expecting to see Imoen, but she saw instead Yoshimo, who wiped her trembling mouth with a gentle hand. His eyes met her own, and in them she saw something broken within him, something like sadness but deeper, and she had to wonder whether in them she only saw a mirror of her own agony.
Without a word, Yoshimo helped Renai to her feet and kept his arm around her to support her as he brought her back to Jaheira. To the druid, he murmured, "I am sorry, lady. I knew him not, but I mourn for your loss."
Jaheira turned on him, and the ferocity on her face made her a stranger to Renai. "Shut up!" she screeched. "No words! Save your speeches, save your proverbs! The only voice I wish to hear is ... is dead. No more ... no ... " Her sobs took her again, taking her own words. Beside Jaheira stood Imoen, her shadowed eyes fixed on Khalid. Renai could do nothing except watch helplessly and stand in the circle of Yoshimo's arms, taking what little strength she could from a stranger's kind and comforting embrace.
After an eternity, Jaheira lifted her head and took a deep, ragged breath. "Sil ... Silvanus," she cried, "guide the light ... to the source. Take this man to what he justly deserves. By ... nature's will, what was given is returned, what was turmoil is now ... is now peace." She caressed Khalid's shattered face and looked at it so tenderly Renai had to look away. "Khalid of my heart," she whispered, "let my love guide the way."
When Renai returned her eyes to Jaheira, the druid had pulled the wedding ring from Khalid's hand and stepped away from the table. Rage and revenge shone in her cold, dead eyes, the contrast making her nothing like the woman Renai knew and loved. Jaheira's voice was distant as she said, "Come. We must hurry before we are noticed. We must get out of this ... this grave and seek the light above."
Renai swallowed hard and found her voice still worked even if her mind was screaming. "What about ..." she looked at Khalid and had to look away again. "Can't we ... Shouldn't we try to bring him back? "
"He ... Khalid is dead." Jaheira did not look back at the body as she spoke. "Beyond a point there can be no raising, especially when the body has been ... so desecrated. There is a time when ... when it is better to let go."
Renai pulled away from Yoshimo and went to Jaheira. When she tried to pull the druid into her own embrace, Jaheira shrugged her off and glared at her. Instead, Renai gently rubbed Jaheira's shaking arms and said, "Jae, let's not just give up yet. Let's try ... "
"No. Some things are unalterable. Nature is a cycle of birth and ... death. Interrupting that cycle isn't ... natural."
"But if there's a chance for him to live again, why should we give that up? If it were you, you know that Khalid would ..." Before Renai could finish her sentence, Jaheira shoved her away, making her trip over the table and fall to the floor. For a moment, an expression of hate contorted Jaheira's features, frightening Renai so much she groped for a weapon.
"Do not speak so! You do not know what he would do! Only I would know!" she spat at Renai. "Do you think forcing him to life again corrects all mistakes?"
Renai's throat burned. "But ... "
"We are but fodder in your wake, and you believe a resurrection would make it all better? How dare you! It is your fault! My Khalid is dead because the Shattered One wanted you!" Sudden shock melted the hatred in her eyes, and Jaheira clapped a hand over her mouth. The accusation hung in the air between then as they stared at one another, trying to deny the truth of what Jaheira had said. After a moment, her eyes huge and remorseful, Jaheira lowered her hand and whispered, "I did not mean that, child. I did not."
Yes, you did. For a moment, anyway. And in your heart, maybe. Renai slowly got to her feet. "You didn't say anything I wasn't thinking, Jae," she said hoarsely. "It is my fault. I'm sorry. It means nothing, but ... " Renai could not find the words large enough to take the pain away, from her friend or her own heart.
Yoshimo came to Renai again and stood at her side, as if to guard her from Jaheira's passion. "The mage has plans afoot other than you, meian. He is the villain in this, not you." Renai ignored him to look to Jaheira.
"It is ... it solves nothing, to be angry with you, child," Jaheira whispered. This time, when Renai came forward to embrace her, she allowed it, but her body was stiff in Renai's arms. "To think of how he suffered so, when I was in that cage and angry because he did not come for me. I want to hurt because I hurt so much. Oh, child." When her tears fell again, she did not lift a hand to wipe them away.
"He didn't suffer," Imoen said suddenly. She was still by the table, starring at Khalid's body. When Jaheira and Renai turned to look at her, she repeated in a strange, calm voice, "I can tell you that Khalid didn't suffer. Khalid was dead when our captor started ... doing those things to him."
"You saw this?" Jaheira said hollowly. "You watched as it was done?"
"He showed me. He cut and showed me. He said I should see, so I would understand, but I don't know what he wanted. He would cut and say 'Do you see?' Cut and say 'Do you see?' But I think I see ..."
Jaheira's strangled cry silenced Imoen's words, making her blink hard. "Be quiet!" Jaheira hissed. "No more! Stop, just stop!" The girl looked confused and opened her mouth to speak again, but Renai shook her head, and she closed it. "Enough!" Jaheira pushed away from Renai. "I will mourn later, but we must leave here first."
"It is not my place to speak here, lady," Yoshimo said, bearing Jaheira's cold glare with a small amount of dignity, "but should we not do something for the ... ah ... for ..."
Jaheira shook her head. She did not look again at Khalid's body. "We can do nothing here. We shall return to destroy this place, and when we do, what else would serve as a better tomb for my Khalid than the ruined home of his dead murderer? Come."
Jaheira fled from the room, followed by a hesitant Imoen. As she passed the table, Renai made herself look at Khalid. She forced herself to remember his friendship, his dear ways, the love he held for his wife. When Yoshimo put his hand on her shoulder, Renai still did not turn, but covered his hand with her own. "You were close?" he asked.
"He was my friend." Renai could not say more, and Yoshimo did not press. She was right, Khalid, it's my fault you're dead, Renai thought. You and Dynaheir. Maybe even Minsc. Almost all my loves, gone in the space of days. How did one man tear apart my life so much?
"You still live, meian." Yoshimo's words made Renai realize she had spoken her thought aloud. "When you were his prisoner, you were helpless. You are not helpless now."
"Yeah?" Taking a deep breath, Renai turned and faced Yoshimo. "How do you know?"
"Are you a gambling woman?"
"Sometimes. Why?"
He gave her his roguish grin again. "I am a gambling man, and I would bet everything, including my life, if need be, on you." He grimaced, but before Renai could ask him about it, or his cryptic comment, the look passed and he took her hand. "The next challenge awaits us. Let us join your Jaheira."
