In The Cards

Forgiveness is a strange thing. You may feel yourself totally undeserving of it, lower than the lowest worm. And then, when you have given up all hope, you may sometimes receive forgiveness all the same, whether you deserve it or not.

Excerpt from 'Ruminations Of A Master Bard'

Dinner turned out to be a highly pleasant affair, despite being taken out in the middle of nowhere and with bats fluttering overhead. Once done, Rini stuffed the Genie bottle inside her pack, being careful to wrap it up so it wouldn't accidentally break. She didn't want to leave it lying around, and it might even come in handy somehow. The adventurers were just about to leave when they heard the voice. A loud, bragging, obnoxious voice.

The voice in turn belonged to a loud, bragging, obnoxious man. A warrior with a permanent look of distaste on his face as if he had just smelled something bad. The slicked-back look of his light hair hinted that he'd poured about a barrel of oil into it. "Greeting little ones," he said. "You have the look of experienced travelers, and a few of you look to be fine warriors. My name is Meilum, I'm the Sword Coast's most skilled swordsman. You may have heard of my name, I'm quite famous after all."

"Wow," Zaerini said, trying to keep a straight face. "The best swordsman on the Sword Coast. It's an honor to meet such a distinguished man."

Meilum straightened up and looked immensely pleased with himself. "Yes, I know, I know. I'm quite unbeatable. Never lost a fight once. Sometimes it can be a pain being such a renown swordsman. You know, people making challenges, women throwing their underpants. But what can a man do. If you're born with a skill, you might as well show it off."

Throwing their underpants? That is so gross. I wouldn't want my nice underpants to be soiled by contact with the likes of him.

"You know, you're perfectly right," Rini said. "If you've got a skill you might as well show it off. But since I highly doubt you've got one you worth seeing you might as well take a hike right now. There's no rain of underpants coming your way from these girls. Not unless your 'skill' is doing laundry, and probably not even then. You'd probably toss my red ones in with Jaheira's white, and the end result would be a dreadful pink that only Immy would want to wear."

The half-elf thought she saw Khalid go slightly bug-eyed at this, and Edwin looked as if he was about to choke on his own tongue. Jaheira was grinning slightly though and Imoen was giggling openly. Really, Rini thought. Sometimes men can be so innocent. It's kind of sweet though. Her golden eyes narrowed into mere slits as she gave Meilum a curious glance. "How about it?" she asked. "Feel up to the challenge? Or is laundry too advanced for you as well? I just figured you'd be used to it, with all that disgusting grease in your hair you must go through your shirts like there's no tomorrow."

"You…you dirty little half-breed tramp!" Meilum screamed and drew his sword. "I'll teach you a lesson you'll never…" And then he screamed as an Acid Arrow struck him square in the groin, making a rather horrible hissing sound. It was rapidly followed by another one, and the screams turned to harsh whimpers. Then the noises abruptly ceased as Rini drove her sword home.

"Thanks, Eddie," the half-elf said with a small smile as she started cleaning her sword. "Very stylish way of making a point."

"It was my pleasure," the Red Wizard said and kicked the dead body contemptuously. "That fellow was beginning to seriously annoy me, what with his manifest stupidity. What difference does it make if you happen to be of mixed blood? Much better than to be a full-blooded idiot, that's what I think."

"I know. And I…like…the way you think. It really means a lot. More than you could possibly know."

"Well," Edwin said, his face almost entirely hidden by the cowl of his robe. "I…can guess. It would be much easier if we were all able to choose our parents wouldn't it? (And much less embarrassing.)"

"Much as I hate to disturb," Jaheira said coming up form behind, "I think it is high time we entered the ruins if we still intend to. There may be no undead around at the moment, but who knows what other beasts or assorted madmen may lurk nearby?"

"Right," Zaerini said in a more business-like voice. "I agree. Let's see what the Firewine Bridge Ruins have to offer."

The party's first impression of the Ruins was darkness. A narrow, dark and twisting corridor, that immediately branched into several other even narrower, darker and more twisting corridors.

"Oh d-d-dear," Khalid said. "I r-r-really don't l-like this."

"Who cares about liking?" Edwin asked. "We're here for the possible treasure, not to buy the place. (For one thing, I much prefer the spacious look above the rat-warren style.)"

"We should be careful though," Imoen said. "Lots of corners here for things to hide behind. I'll scout ahead, how's that?" The thief was already tucking her pink hair into her hood to make herself more inconspicuous.

"Good idea," Zaerini agreed. "Just be careful. Do you have any healing potions?"

"I'll check…yeah, here's something. No, wait. Those are the potions I bought at the Fair. I'd almost forgotten about them. One is supposed to bring strength and the other intelligence, but the merchant forgot to tell me which was which. They were really cheap though."

"Potions?" Edwin asked in an interested voice. "I know quite a great deal about potions actually. Perhaps I could take a look at them?"

"Oh, sure. You can have them if you like. Well, I'll see you guys later. Just stay right here and I'll come back to tell you when it's all safe."

Slowly, mindnumbingly slowly, the adventurers made their way through the Firewine Bridge ruins. It wasn't long before Rini decided that she hated the whole loathsome place enough to want to blow it all up. Not only were the tunnels so narrow that they were forced to walk in single file, something that made her feel as if the walls were pressing in to crush her. Not only were there plenty of nasty traps around so that they were forced to move at a snail's pace. Not only had she lost all of sense of direction and was forced to let Jaheira pick their way through the dark labyrinth. No, as if all of that wasn't bad enough there were still the kobolds. Aggressive, vicious little creatures, and all of them armed with fire arrows. One of them would have been laughably easy to handle. Dozens of them were another thing entirely.

The pesky critters seemed to spawn out of the very walls. If you'd cleared one room and then went back five minutes later you could safely assume that it would be swarming with kobolds once again. And she was tired, so tired. The tension and the inability to relax was really starting to get to her. Rini swore quietly to herself and stopped to catch her breath.

"Something wrong?" asked Edwin who made up the rear of the group.

"No, no. Just a little tired, that's all. I'll be fine in a moment."

"Are you quite sure? Perhaps we should rest for a bit."

"I don't dare stop for long. There's kobolds everywhere. There's far too many of them too, I can't help but wonder what they're all doing here." The bard sighed. "Well, I suppose we should catch up with the others…" Then she paused. "Er…can you hear the others?"

Edwin listened attentively, and then he shook his head, his face pale and tense in the flickering magelight. "I hear nothing," he said.

"Well hurry up! They can't be that far ahead of us, we only stopped for a minute!" The bard hurried down the narrow corridor as quickly as she dared, Edwin close behind her. In a few moments she stopped, and her heart filled with icy dread. The passage split in five ahead of her, none of them giving any sort of hint as to where her friends might have gone. She didn't dare call out for them either, there was no way of telling what might answer.

Softpaws? she asked. Can you smell them?

There was no answer.

Damn! She must be far enough ahead that she can't even hear me! Now what? It was at that moment that Zaerini did something of which she was later greatly ashamed. She panicked. As plain and simple as that. A combination of weariness, darkness, the oppressive sense of the tunnels, the constant attempts at her life and being separated from her familiar all conspired to make her lose her head. She rushed into the first tunnel she came upon, heedless of where she was going. She just ran, with no thought at all of how she was going to get back. She didn't stop so much as she was stopped, when she tripped over an outcropping rock and fell flat on her face.

Darkness. Wet rock beneath her, the cold of it seeping into her clothes, into her soul. She squeezed her eyes shut, willing herself not to sob. And then she felt a hand on her shoulder and she reacted instinctively, twisting around to try to reach for her sword, hissing like a wounded beast. It was Edwin's extreme good fortune that the half-elf's ability to see better than a human in the dark caused her to recognize him in time. As it was she was just barely able to hold herself back.

"Well," the wizard said. "I suppose that's that. We're well and truly lost now." He didn't sound so much annoyed as resigned.

For once Zaerini was at an utter loss as to what to say. This is my fault, she thought. All my fault. We'll never be able to find our way back now. If the kobolds don't get us we'll starve or thirst to death. And she was tired. So tired, and too afraid to rest. "I…I'm sorry," she said in a small voice. "So sorry." She felt the tears welling into her eyes now, and she couldn't hold them back, no matter how much she tried to. She curled in on herself, head against her knees, back shaking with silent sobs. It seemed to go on forever, but probably it was only a minute or so.

And then she felt an arm around her shoulders, steadying her, human warmth against her cold skin. A soft voice murmuring into her ear, words she didn't recognize, but it was the tone of voice that mattered, nothing else. Faint smell of cinnamon and lemongrass, and something else she couldn't recognize. A hand gently touching her hair. She subsided into the comforting sensations, let the storm of her weeping pass. This…was peace. She had almost forgotten what it felt like. "I…I apologize," Zaerini managed once she was finally able to speak again. "You must think me very foolish."

She felt rather than saw the wizard shake his head. "Not really," he said. "No, I…don't think that at all."

She was still leaning against him, Rini realized, but she really didn't feel any urgent need to move. And he didn't seem to mind either. "Hang on," she said as she suddenly thought of something. "When I ran off…you could have stayed behind. The others would probably have made their way back soon and found you."

"Why yes," Edwin said, sounding rather surprised. "I suppose I could have. That would have been the logical thing to do, wouldn't it?"

"So why didn't you?"

The wizard chuckled quietly. "Would you know," he said, "I never even thought of it. Isn't that strange? (Perhaps there are some weird fumes down here that affect the senses. It certainly feels much hotter than it ought to.)"

Rini grinned slightly and wiped at her eyes. She was feeling much better already. "You know, I usually don't do this sort of thing."

"Me neither."

"I may have to kill you if you tell anybody."

"Likewise." Very deadpan voice. Just the faintest hint of a crooked smile to say differently as well as an amused sparkle in those dark eyes.

"And now," Zaerini said and got to her feet, "perhaps we should see about getting out of here. We'll make it. Somehow."

That proved to be a little easier said than done, as a matter of fact. Still, they were no longer walking aimlessly, instead marking each new passage to know where they had been before. Fortunately there didn't seem to be as many kobolds in this part of the dungeon. There was something else though.

A loud moan suddenly echoed through the dark tunnel, filled with despair, loss and suffering. It didn't sound as if it came from very far off either. The bard and the wizard gave each other a worried look. "I really, really, really don't like the sound of that," Rini said in a fervent voice as she drew her sword.

"Maybe it's nothing to worry about," Edwin tried. "It could be…I don't know…a kobold with a really bad case of indigestion? Or some innocent traveler who just discovered that he forgot to pack the Potion of Kobold Repelling. (Come to think of it, I did that myself.)"

At that moment a skeleton came shambling around the corner. It was dressed in an old and rusty armor, it waved an ancient sword about in a threatening manner, and its eyes glowed with a cold blue fire, merciless but yet somehow plaintive. "Strike me down......." it moaned. "Take the armor back......"

There really wasn't much time to talk things over. Rini hadn't got any spells left, and a sword wasn't the best weapon for attacking a creature made up entirely of bones, but she at least managed to keep it at a distance while Edwin peppered it with Magic Missiles. Eventually the undead knight slumped to his bony knees. "I thank thee," he whispered. "Please…find…my comrades." The light went out of his empty eyesockets and he was nothing but a heap of bones.

"I take it that was the knight who betrayed his friends," Zaerini said as she sheathed her sword again.

"Yes," Edwin agreed. "I assume that means the ones he killed are still down here as well."

"Poor thing," the half-elf sighed and started stripping the old armor off the skeleton. "He may have been a traitor, but he seemed so…sad. I'll just bring this old thing in case we happen to find his friends."

They walked in silence for a while, thankfully managing to avoid all but a few kobolds. "So," Edwin eventually said. "Have you given any thought to the suggestion I made earlier?" Though the words were neutral his voice sounded just a little tense.

"What, about traveling to Thay?" Zaerini asked. "I don't know. It might be interesting, assuming I survive this whole Sarevok thing of course. But…I just don't know about dealing with the Red Wizards. I…don't know if I want to be tied up with any organization."

"But why? Can't you see how beneficial it could be to you?"

"Maybe." The half-elf shook her head. "But I don't really trust in large organizations. I mean, I know you, and I trust you, but how do I know I can trust them?"

Edwin was silent for a moment. "I sincerely urge you," he said, "to reconsider this. Surely you must realize that I wouldn't ask you to do this if I didn't believe in it myself? (Though there is much more I would say…but cannot. She has no idea of the forces at work here.) I cannot enough stress the importance of your decision."

"We'll see. I haven't ruled it out entirely I guess…but I really don't think I'll be able to do what you ask. I'll let you know as soon as I decide, you deserve that."

"Deserve?" the Red Wizard said in a morose voice. "Yes. Yes, I suppose I do. (Yes, I think I'll get exactly what I deserve, one way or another.)"

Zaerini would have queried him further about his strange mood, but at that moment she heard voices nearby. Strange voices, and there was a cold draft in the air. Cautiously she peered around a corner to see a chilling and eerie sight. There stood the dead knights betrayed so many years ago, bony hands still clasping swords, still wearing armor and helmet though the flesh they had protected was long since rotted away. As they noticed the two mortals they turned as one, watching them.

"Together enter......Together fall......," one of the knights murmured in a low but commanding voice. "Such was the vow agreed.....None shall leave until all are one.....Such the vow remains....We must be as one......"

"I…hear you," Zaerini said and held out the broken armor. "And I have met your…friend…already."

The knight eagerly accepted the ancient armor, and a ghostly mist swirled up around it, coalescing into the shape of the traitor knight. Silently he bowed before the others. "I…have returned," he said. "Years of torment…now at end. No escape from guilt or grief…except in retribution. Take it then…my brothers."

The other knights watched him in silence for a minute. Then the leader spoke again, his voice still stern but with a streak of mercy running through it. "Torment suffered…is penance enough," he said. "The vow…was remembered, though you had forgotten it. So it was...So it is.......Together enter.....Together fall.....Brother traitor completes the one......Together free.......Come with us then…my brother." For an instant there was a look of surprise and immense relief in the traitor knight's ghostly eyes, as if he hardly dared believe in the forgiveness he had been granted. He bowed again, then clasped the hand of his leader. Then the apparitions all dissolved into a fine mist and were gone, no trace of them remaining.

"That…was beautiful," Rini breathed.

Edwin shivered. "And rare," he said. "How many would forgive a betrayal like that? I…don't understand it."

"Well, they were really good friends, weren't they? Sometimes people are able to forgive more than you think."

Edwin snorted. "Ha! Some people don't deserve to be…" And then he swallowed the last of what he was going to say as a ghostly shape, black as she deep shadows surrounding them, leapt onto his shoulder and gave him an amused look.

"Softpaws!" Rini cried out and held her arms out to her familiar. The cat gracefully leapt into them, allowing herself to be petted. "Oh, you have no idea how glad I am to see you!"

"Ecstatic," Edwin said in a shaky voice. "Though I would prefer it if she would refrain from sneaking up from behind like that. That sort of thing tends to make me nervous for some reason."

The cat purred softly and flicked her tail. But it's so very entertaining, she told Zaerini. Tell the male that if you're able to walk like a cat you'd be a fool not to take advantage of it. And there are so many nice shadows here. Where have you two been by the way? The druid is frantic.

Oh dear. Is she very angry?

Mostly worried, though I'm sure she'll give you both a tongue-lashing when you return. She did say something about putting you on a leash as I recall.

Where are they?

I'll show you. Tail up kitten. Just follow me and everything be all right.

What would I do without you?

The cat purred even louder. Keep getting lost, she said. Kittens do that. But annoying as it is, you're always happy when you manage to find them again.