In The Cards

The adventurer’s life is often dark and perilous, with dangers threatening from every side. Sometimes it seems that half the world is out to kill you and the other half wants to swindle you. But there will still be moments of happiness, freedom and sunlight. One should always take care to make good use of those. Sooner or later, the shadows will return.

Excerpt from ‘Ruminations Of A Master Bard’

The Death Knight had fallen, and for a short while silence reigned in what had been his throne room. Rini could hear her own breathing heavy in her ears, and her heart was pounding quickly. Hardly thinking about it she stuck the dark-bladed dagger into her belt, not noticing the black light that winked briefly like an opening eye in the red pommel-jewel. The battle had been a fierce one, and none of the adventurers had escaped it unscathed. Khalid and Yeslick were worst off, and were hardly able to stand, but everybody was beaten and bloody to some extent. It was almost an hour, several spells and even more healing potions later that they all felt up to climbing the stairs again, and that was only because nobody wanted to look at the Death’s Knight’s empty armor for a second longer than they had to. If not for that they probably would have fallen asleep on the spot.

Eventually they slowly staggered upstairs, leaning heavily on each other in order not to lose their balance. “So Eddie,” Zaerini said, wincing at the ache in her back, “I seem to recall you frequently mentioning how much you’d like to get your hands on a demon summoning scroll. Think you can manage to put that off for just a little while longer? I really don’t feel like meeting any more powerful supernatural beings today, if you don’t mind.”

The wizard was limping rather badly as he dragged himself up the seemingly endless stairs. “I think I can contain myself for now, yes,” he said. “But demon summoning is perfectly safe as long as you know what you’re doing.”

“And do you know what you’re doing?”

“Naturally. I always know what I’m doing. (True, I’ve only ever studied the theories behind it, but I’m certain I could pull it off. If not for the fact that certain people are overly skeptical about my abilities I would have done so already, I’m sure.)”

“Be that as it may,” Jaheira said, “I am grateful that you possess no such scroll at the moment. A Death Knight was bad enough. I have no particular wish to fight a demon, now or any time during this decade.”

“We gave that Death Knight a good pounding though,” Yeslick said, sounding rather cheerful despite his black eye and the fact that some only partly healed ribs impaired his breathing.

“Yep!” Imoen agreed. “Guess he won’t be back any time soon. That was a really clever move by the way, Rini. And Khalid, you were awesome!”

“Oh!” the half-elven fighter said. “It w-was n-n-nothing really…”

“Sure it was,” Zaerini told him. “I broke the mirrors, but it was you who finished the Death Knight himself. Say, do you want me to make a song about that?”

“I r-r-r-really don’t think…”

It was at that moment that they reached the top of the stairs and felt the air turn chilly around them. Durlag’s ghost stood there, and for the first time they saw a faint smile on his face. “You…have driven out…the new invader,” the ghost said. “The Tower…is free again. I…can hardly believe it.”

“It was a really hard fight,” Imoen eagerly told the ghost. “But we slashed and dodged, and then Rini made all the mirror people explode, and then…”

Durlag’s ghost raised his hand. “I…will send you to the surface,” he said. “One…of the chains around…my heart…is broken. I…will send…” And then he fell silent, and the adventurers saw every trace of sorrow drain from his sunken eyes, replaced with the purest joy. Zaerini turned around to see what he was looking at, and she couldn’t help smiling herself. Islanne stood there, tears of happiness streaming down her ghostly face.

“Durlag…” the dead dwarf woman said in a quiet voice. “My Durlag…you can see me at last.”

Durlag simply stared, almost unable to comprehend what he was seeing. “Islanne?” he said, and his voice sounded as if it was being torn raw and bloody from his very soul. “You…are here?”

“As I have always been, Durlag. I love you now…as I loved you then…as I will always love you.”

“But I killed you…”

“Durlag…you did not kill me. Doppelgangers killed me. You loved me…loved us. You tried your best to keep us safe. You should not blame yourself so.” Smiling radiantly, Islanne stepped into her husband’s arms, embracing him fiercely. “The guilt…kept you from feeling my presence. My poor Durlag…how you have suffered. But just now you felt a little happiness….a little pride. It was enough to let me get near you.”

Durlag was holding his wife as if he would never let her go, gently touching her face, her hair. “Islanne…,” he said. “I missed you so…”

“I know husband. I missed you too.” Islanne laughed quietly. “Now, my Durlag. What say you we send these young people safe from here…and then depart ourselves. I would say…that we have tarried here long enough…and our children are waiting for us.”

Durlag managed to tear his eyes away from his wife’s face for a moment, smiling happily at Zaerini and her friends. “My friends…,” he said. “I can never…repay you enough. Allow me…to do what I can…and see you safely out of here. I will never…forget what you have done for me…for us. Farewell…and all my blessings go with you.” With that he raised his arms in a sudden gesture, and Rini felt a powerful tugging at her, whisking her away like a leaf carried of by a sudden and powerful wind. I have to say, that was really very sweet, she thought. I’m happy those two found each other at last after being separated for so long. People who love each other shouldn’t be kept apart because one of them happened to make an unfortunate mistake.

Light. Blinding, glaring light, burning her skin, hurting her sensitive eyes. It was really a cloudy day outside, and the clouds were only occasionally penetrated by the faint light of the rising sun, but Zaerini didn’t care. It was sunlight, and there were playful winds tousling her red locks, and fresh air in her lungs, air that hadn’t stood still for centuries. She whooped out loud with delight, noticing that all her wounds had been healed as well. “Yes!” she cried out. “We’re out! Finally! No more dungeon, no more monsters, no more stupid riddles! We’re OUT!”

“Not to mention rich,” Edwin said with a pleased smile, as he patted his bulging pack.

The adventurers were standing on a grassy hill, some distance away from the squat gray shape of Durlag’s Tower, and the deep forest spread out below them. Rini couldn’t remember when last she had found simple trees that beautiful. She threw herself into Imoen’s arms, hugging her friend tightly, and then the two girls danced about on the grass, singing the merry and very rude song ‘Never Toss a Dwarf, Or He’ll Make You Hurl’.

Jaheira rolled her eyes briefly at these antics, but she smiled indulgently and turned her face towards the sun, her green eyes half closed as she basked in the light, taking in the scent of the wind in her nostrils. “It is good to be out of that place,” she said. “And we have managed to do some good with the death of that undead creature.”

“Y-yes,” Khalid said, his face lit with a proud smile. “J-jaheira? Did you s-see me strike h-him down?”

The druid smiled and put her arm around her husband’s waist. “Of course I did,” she said. “I am not blind, after all. It was very brave.”

“R-r-really?”

“Yes, Khalid. Really.”

Yeslick surreptitiously wiped at his eyes with his handkerchief. “Durlag and Islanne are at peace at last,” he said, his voice a little broken. “It gladdens this old dwarf’s heart to have seen such a thing come to pass.”

“Yeah,” Imoen said, nodding. “It sure was sweet, wasn’t it? True Love…” She gave Zaerini a sly look beneath her pink locks. “Um…Rini…now that we’re out of there…are we gonna…”

Rini grinned widely at her friend. “Yes, Immy,” she said. “We are going to Baldur’s Gate. I think it’s past time we paid the city a visit.”

“Yes,” Edwin agreed. “So it is. We…really need to find out what’s been happening in our absence. (Besides, I can’t wait to display this new Archmagi robe to a discerning audience…)”

“It’s decided then,” the bard said, her golden eyes glittering with anticipation. “Baldur’s Gate, watch out. The conquerors of Durlag’s Tower are heading your way. I think that might even be enough to impress my Big Brother…”

Him or your wizard, kitten? Softpaws asked.

Well…both, I suppose. See, Edwin’s looking more cheerful already! Everything will be all right now that we’re out of that dreadful place, you’ll see.

As they walked off, Zaerini looked back across her shoulder. The sun was rising slowly but steadily above Durlag’s Tower, bathing the gray cold stone in warm and life-giving light. Seen like this, the Tower didn’t look at all as frightening as it had in the darkness. Yes, she thought happily. We’re out, and that’s the most important thing. We’re free and we’re alive, and we’ll deal with Sarevok. Somehow, I know we will. Everything will be all right now.

It was only several hours later that she suddenly realized that she hadn’t even reacted to her familiar’s mention of ‘your wizard’. She also realized that she didn’t really mind.