Rush Of Blood To The Head, part 2.20.

Rush Of Blood To The Head, part 2.20.

The sun is about to disappear beyond the horizon and only a few last rays reach us through the woods. The trip back to Athkatla is uneventful, but somehow I rather enjoy the silence and I’m sure that Jaheira does so as well. Jaheira mentions that we should hurry up, she is worried that the contact person will leave if we don’t make it to the Five Flagons in time, so we head straight over to the Bridge district without any delays. It would be a horrible and atrocious thing if we would have missed out on a chance to help Immy, simply because being unable to control our lust for each other…

While making our way to the Five Flagons with all haste, I noticed with a corner of my eye, a shadowy form lurking around the corner of the inn, carrying something that resembled a human body… quite lifeless it seemed. We do not have to investigate and I do not feel particularly interested either at this moment…

Inside the Five Flagons is full as always, people coming to see the play and staying for a drink or two… all that means that we can easily sneak up to second floor, where we are not really supposed to be. At least according to Samuel Thunderblurp…

We make our way through the corridor to our designed meeting spot, I am feeling a little cautious, but seeing that Jaheira is walking relaxed and confident I relax as well. We reach the large room where we are supposed to meet with whoever this guy is, but I don’t see anyone around. The room is full of various theatre requisites, including a large wagon and the room is separated in the middle by a large hanging. Carefully I stick my head through the split in curtains and take a look what is behind it. When my eyes adjust to the slightly darker light, I see a man in the farther corner of the room. I turn to Jaheira and raise a finger indicating that there is one person in the room, she just shrugs her shoulders about my overacted secrecy and confidently strolls in behind the curtain with me following her.

I still cannot distinguish the man’s face well enough, but he is of fairly large stature and fully armed in a plate mail… I don’t have a chance to examine him closer as Jaheira hisses “You? Galvarey?” and turns around to run into my chest as if she was trying to run away…

“What the…?” I ask perplexed, “What is going on? Are you here to tell us about Imoen and Irenicus?”

“I doubt that, Theodur,” Jaheira speaks quietly, “this man… I doubt that he can be trusted. He would not have us come here unless he has some scheme planned. He is the only reason I have been avoiding Harpers here…”

“Well, I have not come here to leave empty handed, how can you know his intentions? Why don’t we listen what he has to say?” I realize that perhaps I should not question her judgment, but I would feel terribly guilty if I did not at least try to help Immy.

“I have been waiting for a chance to meet you once again, Jaheira,” the large man comes closer as he speaks, his short, red hair and deeply sunken and narrow eyes do not make a friendly impression, “more so after what Bernard told me… such a shame about Khalid, how long was it, almost ten years? No, it was nine…that was one hot summer in Athkatla, remember… you both left quite in a hurry, I never had the chance to ask why…”

“Not that it is your business, Galvarey,” Jaheira hisses, “but it had nothing to do with your threats, I assure you. Neither I, nor Khalid took you seriously for you were a fool then, and I see that some things never change. We left because our safety could not be guaranteed after the Ployer affair, despite what you believe.”

“Ah, still haven’t lost your fire,” Galvarey smirks unpleasantly, “I have forgotten what I saw in you then. So you claimed that you loved Khalid so much… and now I have to hear about you and this… this… spawn of murder and lies… how low can you sink, Jaheira?”

Before any of us can reply something to his insults, he continues with a cold, determined expression on his face, “Even though, I would have been quite content with having only you Jaheira, my plans changed dramatically when Bernard informed me that the spawn still travels with you. From a simple vengeance I will be able to reap a benefit… with the imprisonment of this Bhaalspawn, I will ascend to the position of the Herald in Athkatla, yes!”

“Good sir, perhaps you have not noticed, but there are two of us in the room whilst you are alone… perhaps, you could restrain from such manner of speech or something very nasty could happen to you,” I try to sound calm but my voice is trembling from anger.

“Really?” he smiles and whistles twice. Suddenly four of his lackeys appear by his side, they must have been hiding in one of the side rooms… I realize.

“Bernard! Why?” Jaheira hisses.

“Oh, come Jaheira… do you really think someone would want to work in that hole for more than ten years and not want to advance higher in the ranks of Harpers?” Galvarey is laughing, “Now, down to the business… Jaheira, I am sure it will honor you to be the beloved concubine of the Athkatlan Herald, won’t you agree?”

“WHAT?” I am afraid that Jaheira will blow her top; I have never seen her angrier, “what makes you think that I will agree to something like that? I told you once and I tell you again – you are the most despicable person I have ever met, people like you give the Harpers a bad name everywhere…”

“Ah, but your agreement is not necessary… our mages,” and he points at a tiny looking half-elf behind his back, “are experts in mind controlling spells… you’ll make a great concubine, whether you want it or not… as for you spawn, I trust that Gorion has explained you the nature of Imprisonment spell?”

I feel a shiver running through my bones… locked away in a small container, in another plane for eternity… if it comes to fight I must kill them, Harpers or no Harpers…

“Enough talking,” Galvarey’s eyes are glowing, “seize them… try to take him alive, her we can always resurrect…”

This calculative and monstrous planning makes blood in my veins boil and I can hardly resist drawing my sword and chopping his ugly head off his shoulders, but I have to try and talk my way out, yet…

“Is everything so simple to you, Galvarey? Aren’t you going to interrogate me, ask various questions to determine whether I am dangerous to society? Aren’t you going to ask me what my favorite color is? I’ll tell you, it is blue. Light blue. With a slight touch of gray,” I speak looking in Jaheira’s eyes and see that she is slightly confused at my words…

“Wh… why are you saying that?” Galvarey is taken aback by my foolish charade, “all we wanted was a short and brutal fight,” he explains.

And that is what ensues following his briefly muttered command. We are terribly outnumbered, thus I am not surprised hearing Jaheira calling on her frolicking mountain bear friends… I use what little time is left to send an arrow aiming for the mages neck, then quickly reload another arrow and try to incapacitate the cleric as well. Just as Jaheira completes her casting, one of Galvarey’s lackeys charges her with the sword raised and Galvarey quickly dispenses a couple of arrows in her direction before joining in the melee fight. Meanwhile the pair of bears chases the mage and cleric around the room, not giving them a respite or any chance to cast a spell.

Seeing that Jaheira is for the moment coping with Galvarey and his underling, I turn to face my opponent, a halfling assassin who is stand- … was standing right over there! Where is that stupid little bugger, I think nervously, dropping my bow to the floor and drawing my sword from the scabbard. I have barely drawn my sword as suddenly the halfling appears in front of me and while I watch in astonishment he impales my thigh with a dagger…

Mad from anger and cursing myself for being so thoughtless, I jump a half step back and launch a wicked swing at him, a swing that would likely cut him to half if it would connect…

The trouble with such wild and reckless attack is that if it does not connect with the target it leaves you terribly unbalanced… I almost whirl around my axis as the halfling simply ducks to avoid my attack and when I face him again, he once again tries to impale a dagger in my stomach. In the very last moment I let my sword drop and grab a hold on his hand trying to force the dagger back so that the tip of it’s blade is pointing at the assassins neck. We both struggle to get a better grip on the dagger’s hilt and sensing that my strength is superior he tries to disengage from my grip but he is unable as one of my hands holds his own hand in an iron grip.

With a slight kick in his testicles I force the halfling to sink on his knees, wincing in pain as he desperately trying to push the blade away… I do not feel any remorse as the dagger slowly pierces his neck and I feel his grip on my hand weakening. I let the limp body hit the floor and look how Jaheira is faring… my own fight has not lasted longer than a few moments, yet it felt so long…

Seeing that the mage is no longer a threat as one of the loyal forest animals is feasting upon his innards, and cleric is screaming in pain having his arm torn off by the other grizzly, I can turn my attention to help Jaheira. I see that the last of Galvarey’s lackeys has received a terrible slash across his face and blood is sipping in his eyes obstructing his vision, but Jaheira herself has a nasty looking gash on her shoulder, courtesy of Galvarey’s longsword.

I silently sneak behind the two man molesting Jaheira and with a swift movement grab a hold on their heads and whack them together forcing them both to drop on the floor unconscious… at first I don’t realize, but the other Harper is dead when he hits the floor. Galvarey has a really thick head…

Jaheira breathes heavily and looks upon me with recognition, after that her stare follows to gaze upon Galvarey’s still form on the floor.

“We cannot leave him alive,” she speaks solemnly, “it is too dangerous… now you see why I did not want to turn to local Harpers for help…” and she drops on her knees and swiftly ends Galvarey’s life with a single cut of her scimitar. She rises from the floor and after looking at now dead Galvarey, shrugs her shoulders and hugs me… it lasts longer than I expect and after we disengage, she says “We should get away from here as quick as possible… but first let me get that dagger out from your back… you must be in pain, do you think you would impress me with your heroic antics?”

“There’s a WHAT in my back?” I ask in shock as the adrenaline rush is starting to dissipate and now I can clearly feel a foreign object in my body and the sharp pain emanating from my back…

“Directly between your shoulder blades,” she says reproachfully, “do not tell me you did not know it…” as I slowly sink on the floor but she catches me in her hands at the very last moment and holds me upright, leaning against her chest, my head on her shoulder…

“Are they always the same two…?” I ask while slipping into unconsciousness and looking at the bears reveling on the bodies of the fallen Harpers.

“Same two? What are you talking about silly? And be quiet, save your strength,” Jaheira speaks in a soft, concerned voice.

“B-bears…” I mutter, “always… the same… I’ll call them… Momsy and Papsy…”

“By Silvanus, that dagger must have been poisoned,” but Jaheira’s words do not reach my ears as I drift into the state of unconsciousness…