Shilana's Trial

"Even then you're not supposed to piss off the servants. Who knows what kind of prank she will play on us in return?" Tear asked.

"None, if I have anything to say in that matter," a melodious male voice answered her. Davec leaned on my side of the bench, curiously eyeing our motley band.

"Lady Elbharyl, I never pegged you for a people person," he said by way of greeting. "But I have to admit, as far as travelling companions go, you have quite the taste." With a flourish, he bowed. "Davec of the House of Selhané, at your service. Milady," he purred, taking Arach's hand and sighing a kiss onto it. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. Davec then leaned past her to wrap me into a rib-crushing hug before holding me at arm's length.

"You look as troubled as ever, Lady Elbharyl. Do you want me to take your mind elsewhere again, like all these seasons past?" he purred invitingly.

After a particularly vicious battle with a pack of dark elves, he had found me, gravely wounded and barely coherent. He had taken me here, to Valcrest, and nursed me back to a semblance of normality. In the end, my restlessness had gotten the better of me again and I left his gentle care and peaceful Valcrest behind, to eventually end up in Storm Harbour, but I still thought back fondly of the times we spent just walking through the fields and forests. I blushed as I remembered how he had inadvertently seduced me when all he wanted to do was bathe me. But his hands felt so unbelievably good on my aching body, his soft, murmuring voice so different from Hael'quira's manic giggle...

I shook my head, mostly to chase the stirring memories away. What was it with my past creeping up on me all the time?

"I kindly thank you for your offer, but I fear I can't spare the time," I said, in Elven, smiling sadly as the sting of rejection fluttered across his delicate face.

"That sounds much like the song the humans sing. Hurry this, no time that. You really should visit more often," he commented. In the Common tongue, he said, "But I can't help but notice that you actually travel with drow. How come?"

"It's a long story," I sighed. Davec's eyes lit up. Of course. He never could resist a story. "But I fear it has to wait for another time. We are looking for answers to a puzzle ourself, and since you're all ears, as they say, maybe you could help us?"

"Oh, business," Davec complained. But nonetheless, he pulled over a stool and joined us, folding his hands on the table. "But before we get to it, how about you introduce your companions to me? I don't do business with strangers. Oh, wait. This fine specimen of humanity," he pointed at Leo, "isn't that Leo of Storm Harbour?"

"What gave it away? The crest?" Leo smiled at him, displaying his cloak clasp. Emblazoned on it was the crest of Storm Harbour's City Watch.

"Not really. There are only a few people as large as you, and believe it or not, your reputation does precede you. Fine work you did with the dragon," Davec chuckled.

"And here I thought killing the dragon was a group effort. Seems our contribution hasn't made the rounds yet," Tear interjected.

"Believe me, once I begin to sing of your beauty, oh flower of darkness, the whole continent shall know your name. Which would be...?" Davec nearly managed to look sincere as he flirted with Tear.

"Tries'tana, first Daughter of House Eltha'rys, Blade Of Darkness, but please, by all means, call me Tear," she said sweetly, graciously extending her hand. Davec brushed his lips against it, throwing her a smouldering look. Tear actually blushed.

"You want to slobber my hand again?" Arach teased, waving her fingers in Davec's face.

"Would you mind?" he asked, playing along.

"No, Arachnida Malevolentia, of House Undrearth does not mind in the slightest," Arach giggled, mimicking Tear's gesture. Davec took her hand and flicked his tongue against her knuckles, much to the mirth of everyone present.

"Zentam dok'Calgore, but keep yer fluids to yerself, elf," our gruff dwarven warrior snorted, waving Davec off.

The serving maid chose this moment to reappear, her face twisted in a nasty scowl. But as soon as she noticed Davec sitting with us, her expression softened somewhat and she briskly brought platters laden with meat, potatoes, assorted vegetables and foaming mugs of ale. Davec nodded gratefully and she swept off, her angry eyes piercing through Arach, Tear and me. The elf waited patiently until we had finished off most of our food before leaning in again, sipping from a long-stemmed glass of wine one of the serving girls had brought him while he waited.

"So, what fortuitous wind blew you into my home?" he asked.

"No wind exactly, more the rumour of a medusa haunting these parts," Leo explained.

"That must be the creature which has attacked the village of Miller's Crossing. I've had a few people passing through who said they escaped by the slimmest of hairs," Davec confirmed. "That place had all kinds of bad luck lately. I am not quite sure which happened first, but along with tales of the scaly terror, some people said that the village was attacked by a band of drow as well."

"Before or after the medusa showed up?" Zentam asked around a mouthful of food.

Davec shrugged and spread his hands. "As I said, it's quite a mess, no one seems to have the facts straight. The council is still debating if they should send over a few scouts, but you know how it is. Few are brave or stupid enough to run open-eyed into the lair of a medusa."

"Yeah, about that. What's so dangerous about a damn woman anyway?" Zentam asked, after draining the last of his ale. "I mean, I've heard the tales, but come on. Just looking at a man can turn him into stone? How ridiculous is that?"

"With magic, hardly anything is impossible;" Davec said, twirling his fingers in an elaborate, and utterly overdone, spellcasting motion. Ethereal chimes jingled and sparkling dust rained off his fingertips. "The medusa needs to look a man into the eyes, and with her charms, she usually has little trouble to lure the foolish close."

"So, her magic only works on males?" Tear asked, a thoughtful expression on her face.

"So the legends and tales say," Davec conceded.

"Legends and tales are all fine for entertainment, but I'd like to be prepared for once," Leo grumbled. "The dragon was hard enough, and the idea of squaring off against a being that could kill me with a single look is... disquieting."

"Luckily, we don't need to rely on tales alone," Davec reassured him and rose. "Come, follow me. There is something I'd like you to see."

* * * *

Davec's room in a side building was as curious as the elf himself. Three sides of the airy suite were large doors, opening the room to the gentle breezes, while the fourth was one giant bookshelf, the boards almost overflowing with books, tomes and scrolls of all sizes. Racks scattered around seemingly at random held weapons or musical instruments, sometimes even both at once. Everything from slender rapiers to hefty greatswords, from piccolo flutes to elaborately carved lutes and harps. Somehow he managed to even cram a spacious bed into all of it. Transferring a sheaf of maps and sheet music off a table, he called a simple syllable and a large tome sailed from the shelf straight onto his extended arms. Murmuring quietly to himself, Davec flipped through the pages until he had found what he was looking for, placing the book onto the table for everyone to see.

On one page was a drawing of a naked and curvy humanoid female, long, slender limbs, gently swelling breasts, an almost boyish bum, nothing out of the ordinary below the neckline, if you left out the coat of fine, hexagonal scales. Her head was bald, with sharply pointed ears and overly large eyes, the pupils slitted vertically. The face was comely enough, apart from the elongated incisors in her upper jaw and the long, forked tongue.

The other page was filled with text in a meticulous, neat script.

"What is this, some kind of monster manual?" Arach asked, intrigued.

"Knowledge is power, oh impatient one," Davec grinned at her. Arach crinkled her nose in mock indignation. "I like to be informed, especially if some exotic monster should decide to attack my home. So I made it a habit to always keep an open mind and never stop learning. Many a scholar has found that paying with knowledge in my house is easier than paying with coin."

"What exactly are you doing here anyway? You're no simple bard, right?" Arach asked.

"I live here, first and foremost. I also run this inn, when it needs running," was all Davec said before turning back to the book. "The notes say that medusae as a whole are a rather reclusive species, content to live out their lives in remote forests or hillsides, in harmony with nature."

"That seems at odds with what we're having here," Leo remarked.

"Well, that was only half of the story. The sad part is that, much like some animals, medusae are regularly driven to procreate. Since there are only female medusae, they need the 'aid' of other races."

"So, Lady Snakeskin gets horny and needs a good fucking. But why turn her lovers to stone?" Zentam asked, scratching his beard.

"Initially, that may very well have been only a defensive mechanism," Davec guessed. "But now, with all the tales, people will panic and attack a medusa on sight. She fights back and the whole circle repeats itself, causing only more trouble for the next one."

I laid my hand on Leo's arm. "I know what you're thinking. 'Poor thing' and all. But the only mercy we can offer her is a quick death. Such a dangerous creature must not walk the land freely."

His eyes burned into mine. "Shilana, I have to-"

"I fear I have to agree with Lady Elbharyl here," Davec cut in. "From what I've heard, the medusa has killed several innocent townspeople already. Even if she had acted in self-defence initially, she chose to kill those people. And our laws are clear on how we deal with murderers, whatever the reasons. You, as a paladin, should know that."

Leo closed his mouth, his whole face a mask of silent, furious protest. I knew him long enough to understand how he felt, to him, everybody was innocent until proven otherwise. But there was no room for mercy in this. The medusa we would soon face was a killer, and we needed to deal with her as such.

* * * *

"Why does he call you 'Lady Elbharyl' anyway?" Leo asked when we were alone, standing on the balcony overlooking the Bored Basilisk's yard. The sun had already set, the stars were out and only the light of a single wick lamp on the windowsill offered a hint of illumination, the golden shimmer playing on his back muscles as he leaned on the bannister. I stepped closer and tentatively placed my hand on his broad shoulder, noting how tensed up his muscles felt. The whole medusa thing was gnawing at him.

"It's his idea of a stupid joke," I grumbled. "It began when he realized that I was indeed a noble, daughter of the High Speaker and all. From that moment on he only called me 'Lady Elbharyl', despite my constant reminder that House Elbharyl now is just me. 'All the more reason to keep the name alive' and all that."

"Must be annoying as all hell," Leo grumbled. My hand was caressing up and down his back, and I couldn't help but smile as he sighed softly.

"Yeah, worse than Arach," I teased. To my surprise, he flinched under my touch. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, but I think we need to talk. In all seriousness." Leo righted himself and took the lamp. My stomach clenched. Here he was again, all stern and grim, and his gaze made me shiver in dread. What was it he needed to tell me? Slowly, I followed him into our room and closed the door, fumbling with the latch.

"Look at me, Shilana."

I slowly turned to face him. Leo was sitting on the large double bed we were to share this night. For one breathtaking moment I envisioned us, naked, heated bodies intertwined, his large hands caressing all my intimate places, but when our eyes met, I froze. For the first time since I've met him, I saw fear in Leo's eyes.

"So, what is it you need to be all serious about?" I asked, trying my best to keep my voice from trembling.

I saw him balling his fists, looking at the small holy symbol hanging on a chain around his neck, the scales of Lord Justice glinting warmly in the lamp's light. The he again looked back up at me, his lip trembling.

"You know I have changed," he began.

"Leo, even a blind troglodyte would have noticed that," I scoffed. What was this about?

"Gods, you're not making this easy for me," he mumbled.

"As you wish, I'll be quiet. What's bugging you, hatchling?"

He smiled at me, weakly. "You know, you could stop calling me that," he softly complained.

"Why should I? Until you've made your first century, you're still a hatchling. Everybody knows that. My hatchling," I said, surprised at myself, at the feeling in my voice.

"I...slept with Arach," he almost whispered, like a man in a confessional.

Was he fucking serious? I was that close to confessing my love for him, and he had to slap me in the face with this? Did he really have to tell me about his escapades with those gods-forsaken drow women?

He went on. "I tell you this because I know how you feel for their kind..."

And that made his confession even harder to hear. "Yet you fucked her regardless," I snarled.

He sighed with a pained look. "She was no mere drow I lay with, Shilana. She was a friend, companion, a trusted ally that danced with death at my side. She saw the same in me, and she wanted to show me how she felt..."

I snapped, lightning sizzling around me, my hair whipping in my face. "And you showed her as well, is that it? No doubt you showed her your feelings again and again! Or did you show them both?" I had to wrap my arms around myself to keep my robe from flapping open as strong winds whipped through the room, snuffing out the wick light. But it wasn't dark. No. every single one of my storm gems flared in an angry white, illuminating Leo's shocked face.

"What can I say?" Leo nearly screamed, to be heard over the roaring of the wind.

"To what end? To get me into your bed again?" I hissed, fighting to rein in my fury. I didn't want to tear down Davec's livelihood, after all.

"Shilana, she opened my eyes!" Leo pleaded.

Yeah right. How much fun a hot romp in the sack could be, no doubt. And I had been this close of letting him have me.

"Well? What can I say except 'you're in the wrong room, hatchling'?" My hand whipped out and I rattled off a few quick syllables. With a bang, the door to the hallway flew open, golden lamplight spilling into our room.

"Please, let me explain," he said, reaching out to me.

"I don't want to hear it, how much fun you two had!" I shrieked. Everything in me wanted to claw at him, to wipe that look from his face.

"It's not about her. Shilana, I love you," he said.

"One more word, Leo, and I can't be held responsible. Get out of my face, now!"

Hanging his head low, he turned and left, closing the door with a soft 'click'.

* * * *

The next morning eventually came and I woke up to the sounds of the Bored Basilisk starting the day, the calling of stable hands who readied animals, the clinking of crockery from the kitchens. I looked around. The room was a mess, furniture turned over, the bed all crumpled and torn. I was alone, hugging the pillow, which was all wet and clumpy.

With a start I remembered. Leo and his utterly infuriating admission. Why had he told me? What did he want to accomplish by revealing that he had sex with that blasted drow girl? And what had that to do with the fact he loved me? If he truly loved me, why did he had to hurt my feelings like that? And here I thought I would have finally figured out how he ticked, but the closer I got to him, the stranger he turned out.

Groaning, I tried to sit up. I felt utterly drained, as if someone had coated my insides with lead. I had a splitting headache and my belly cramped in hard, rhythmic spasms. Carefully, I looked at my hands. The skin in my palms looked raw and bruised. No wonder, the storm gems had flared up like seldom before. Yet another price I had to pay for my heightened magics. I carefully made my way to the washing table, amazed that the porcelain dish had survived my rage. There was no way around it, I had to face the others. By now everyone surely would know that I nearly ripped Leo's head off. But by the Livegiver, he so deserved it. How could he hurt me like that?

Sufficiently cleansed, I gathered the few belongings I had and left the room, heading for the taproom. The first few patrons were already having breakfast and I wondered where Leo had could have gone to after I kicked him out. No doubt he spent a comfortable night tangled up with Tear and Arach.

I walked towards the booth we sat in the previous evening, and there he was, bent over the table, head on his arms, still wearing only his loincloth and sleeping shirt, much as he had left me. But what got me the most was his face, utterly forlorn and sad, even in his sleep.

"Did you fight last night?" someone asked from behind. I whirled around, facing down Tear. She spread her arms in a placating gesture. "Good morning to you, Shi. Can I help somehow?"

"Yes, you can. Mind your own business," I hissed and brusquely turned away. I felt utterly, terrifyingly stupid, and the tears welling up weren't helping. I stormed out of the taproom, hearing Tear softly rousing Leo. Maybe I made a huge mistake. Maybe I barked at him for all the wrong reasons. But how could I ever ask him for forgiveness? And why was my life becoming so bloody complicated all of a sudden?

* * * *

"This place is givin' me the willies," Zentam whispered. I couldn't blame him. Walking through Miller's Crossing was eerie. It was a small place, even compared to Valcrest, and it was utterly deserted. Well, not quite. There were statues everywhere, men, women, children, even the occasional cat, dog or chicken, in all manner of lifelike poses, still wearing their clothes as the stare of the medusa had hit them. Their bodies had turned to actual stone, smooth like polished marble, all color drained from them, leaving behind a dull, lifeless grey. We were slowly making our way through the village, looking for the medusa. Our weapons were out and I was wrapped in protective magics, just in case. After all, this was her lair now, she was bound to know the area better than we did, an attack could hit from any direction.

"So much for medusa magic only working on men," Arach said, tracing the chin of a young girl with careful fingers, the girl's mouth frozen in a perpetual scream.

"It seems the legends were wrong on that account. Lets hope that's the only error," Leo said, avoiding my gaze. The last two days had been torturous. He had withdrawn from me, almost to the point of completely avoiding me. When there was no way around it, he spoke to me, but every word, every look my way was an obvious reminder how much I had hurt him. I felt awful, really, but how was I to mend things? It was he who confessed that he had slept with, of all people, Arach!

A mean, unruly part of me was silently asking if I would have exploded like that if Leo had confessed he had tumbled around with a human, elven or even a dwarven woman. I honestly didn't know.

I was slowly looking around for any signs of danger, taking small steps through an alley off the village's main street, as my foot caught on something. I bent down and picked up the item. At first it looked like a smooth stone, large enough that you could hold it comfortably on the palms of both hands. As I turned it in my hands, I discovered that it was hardly a stone, but the petrified head of a baby, its neck snapped off. I flinched violently and I had to fight the urge to throw the ghastly piece from me. Hastily I scanned around, until I found her. The woman had been feeding the little one, an ample breast hanging out of her blouse when the medusa had appeared on the scene. At her feet were the shattered remains of her baby, slipped from her lifeless grasp as both had turned to stone. I went to my knees before her, my tears running from my eyes. The little one was truly dead, before its life could even begin. And again, unbidden memories assaulted me.