Rush Of Blood To The Head, part 2.6.

Rush Of Blood To The Head, part 2.6.

This must be one of the really good mornings in my troubled life, is the first thought that crosses my mind as I open my eyes and see Jaheira, completely bare, prowling around the room and picking the stray pieces of clothing from the floor. Unnoticed by her, I continue to admire her sleek and powerful body, the sight of her breasts bouncing as she bends down to pick up her clothes sends a flash of burning desire through me… Suddenly she sharply turns around and discovers that I’ve been staring at her. Slowly she moves towards the bed “Really, I thought you to be more virtuous than that… but then I suppose Gorion did not gave you much lecture on that matter…” she tries to sound serious, but fails miserably, her hand now rests on my blanket.

“What is the matter? Swallowed your tongue or what? Or maybe you are hiding something from me?” with these words she tries to pull away my blanket, I struggle for a while, but she is stronger and finally succeeds…

“As I said… no virtue at all…” she grins and we proceed to make this morning truly unforgettable for us both…

 

There is no sight of any of my companions this morning - Jaheira and I have almost finished our breakfast and are slowly sipping our drinks. Last evening we returned late and found Nalia and Yoshimo in a quite drunken state singing together with even more drunken Amnish soldiers. They are probably having a tough time this morning.

“Do you have some Cure Hangover spells memorized?” I ask Jaheira in the most inconvenient moment as laughing and drinking at the same time is pretty difficult to pull off…

“I thought so,” I add seeing her coughing and shaking her head.

My head is not that fresh either, but the slight giddiness is caused mostly from something rather different than alcohol. Yesterday’s drinking spree actually proved to be quite useful because our new mage friends became quite talkative when intoxicated. Of course, I used that to extract some information about Imoen, but they did not know anything for certain. They mentioned a place called Residence for Magically Deviant or Spellhold in which all those that are involved in misuse of magical energy are confined. It’s likely that Imoen and Irenicus have been taken there – the problem is that the whereabouts of this place are kept in secret… so we actually have not made any advancement in Imoen’s rescue. Another valuable gain was the license that allows to cast magical spells in Athkatla. Terrece probably is wondering where his licence is now… but then he really shouldn’t have shown it to us… After he passed out, we kindly helped ourselves to it… that saved us quite a lot of gold, indeed…

There is no sign of Aerie or Jan as well. I feel relieved that the Avariel is not present, she certainly knows how to bring out the worst in Jaheira… but then again I do not blame Jaheira, as the elf girl has been annoying me as well. I already have heard the stories of her clipped wings, of the beautiful and “better-than-thee” Avariel people, and how miserable the life on the ground is…

How miserable life on the ground can be, I ponder as I look in Jaheira’s eyes… How miserable my life would be without you… and whether it is on the ground or floating around in the clouds makes no difference at all if I am alone…

My melodramatic musings are interrupted by the arrival of the infamous Jan Jansen… “Greetings, my Worship!” he shouts whilst making his way towards us.

Before he can even start to mock us with one of his stories, I quickly take the initiative in my hands… “And a good morn’ to you Jan! What have you to report?”

“Ah, I do have something interesting, but first there are more important things,” he is digging through the backpack and retrieves something… unhealthy looking, “Ma’s Turnip Pie, baked especially for you, my Worship!”

“Err… yes, well… thank you…” I hope that Jaheira loves turnip pies, but from the disgusted look on her face that seems unlikely… “Now, please, tell me what have you found out…”

“Very well, you see my Worship, I was just strolling around City Gates and a man by the name of Flydian (no relation with Uncle Flydian McScratchy, I’m afraid), told me an interesting tale. It would seem that the merchant town of Trademeet is indeed in dire need for heroes and knowing your interest in all things druidic, I thought this to be the task for us!” Jan is very content with himself seeing my face assuming somewhat of a red colour. I look over at Jaheira and see that she has reddened as well, starting from her cheeks, till the gently pointed tips of her ears… something in her eyes speaks I’m going to strangle this gnome…

Jan seemingly pays no attention to our reaction as he explains the whole details of the task ahead. It would seem that the local druids have gone on some sort of rampage, commanding the woodland creatures to attack the local town. Jaheira loudly expresses her disbelief and urges us to go there immediately – I have no choice but to agree, of course…

 

So, we are on the road again… Trademeet is some distance away from Athkatla, as we draw closer to our destination the open uplands are replaced by thicker coniferous forests. This is a welcome change as I see my companions cheering up considerably, as I even spot something like a faint smile on Jaheira’s lips. Everything seems to be going smoothly, until…

“I...I have been looking at the scars...on my back. The stumps that were...that were once my wings. They do not...they do not make me truly homely, do they? Do I look ugly to you?” Aerie has somehow sneaked up on me and surprises me with another one of her unbearable questions…

“Oh, dear,” Jaheira, who is walking beside me, sighs heavily, “I was just starting to enjoy the quiet silence of the forest… You really have no backbone, girl, absolutely no respect for yourself…”

“I was j-just asking for his opinion... is that so bad, Jaheira?” Aerie is not inclined to give up so easily this time.

“I suggest you forget your scars as soon as possible, for the sake of us all, but most importantly for yourself…” Jaheira sends a disgusted glance to me so that it almost makes me laugh.

“I... I don't know. Maybe it was silly of me to ask. I just... respect Theodur’s opinion. I have no idea what I look like... to men,” she blushes heavily at these words.

Oh, dear, so that’s what it’s all about… I realize… well, time to set her straight.

“Ah, I realize now why you are asking, Aerie. Somebody is courting you, right? Ah, don’t worry, you are definitely not ugly, on the contrary…” I try to sound as sincere and serious as possible…

“R-really? You are...very kind to say so, Theodur. But… nobody is… courting… me. At least, I don’t think…” and she gives me another sweet, innocent stare, all the time blushing heavily.

Bah, I guess she is too naive or simply too dumb to take a hint… this could turn out to be a quite embarrassing turn of events, I think as I hear Nalia and Yoshimo giggling behind our backs… now what’s that all about?

After walking for a while, Jaheira points out the fact that we have not encountered any merchant caravans that usually are quite common on the road from Athkatla to Trademeet. That is a very likely indication that all is not well in Trademeet and I have to agree with her judgement.

It is getting dark and we hold a little meeting to decide whether to make a camp or press on. Jaheira insists on trying to reach the Trademeet and I loudly express my support for this idea. After all, sleeping in an inn has so many advantages… according to the map Trademeet is only a couple of hours walk away, that is another argument in our favour.

It is already past midnight as we finally reach Trademeet… and heart-rending scenery opens before our eyes. Piles of bodies, slaughtered animals and town guards, greet our eyes as we approach the gates… the sounds of animals roaring and soldiers screaming indicates that the slaughter continues…