Shilana's Trial

"Great, she fled here?" Zentam hissed. Tear shrugged and tip-toed to the only other exit, gently brushing the curtain aside. A heartbeat later, she disappeared in a globe of darkness.

"Ha ha, very funny," Zentam chuckled, slowly approaching the inky blackness. To his surprise, Tear rolled out of it.

"That's not mine. Why would I snuff out my own eyesight just now?" she hissed.

"Another drow?" Zentam asked, readying his axe for a swipe. Oh great, just what we needed. To be safe, I summoned my staff and prepared for an attack.

"What do you mean 'another drow'?" a suspicious, male voice answered from beyond the darkness.

"Who are you?" Tear asked, taking a careful step back.

"Who's askin'?" the voice shot back.

"Damn, I'm getting sick o'this," Zentam grumbled. "I'm goin' to have a look meself if ye're chicken, lass."

"For all we know, it could be the medusa, playing tricks on us," Tear cautioned him.

"Nah, Tissana isn't here," the voice said.

"Now I'm really curious. Who are you, and how do you know the medusa's name?" Tear asked.

"Who's askin?" the voice repeated.

"Shifty bugger," Zentam grumbled.

"That's not a nice thing to say. I'm only careful here. For what I know, you could be some holier-than-thou townspeople out for a little righteous justice and all," the voice said.

"And why would that be a problem for you?" Tear asked, suspicion rising in her voice.

"Ah, by the Queen's black tits, you've already answered yourself, lady," the voice chuckled.

"You're a dark elf? And by your tone, I'm guessing, one of the Trickster's followers?" Tear guessed.

"And since you've not killed me yet, I guess you're one of the Moon slu- erm, Maiden's own?"

"Yes. You have nothing to fear from me and my companions here," Tear said, gnashing her teeth at the insult to her goddess. "Unless you revile the name of the Maiden again, that is."

Let him revile all he wanted. I only wanted to know where this medusa, this... Tissana had gone to.

"All right, all right, I'm sorry, won't happen again. I hope," the voice murmured. Then the globe of darkness vanished and a slender drow male stepped through the curtain, his hand brushing against the door frame, his head slowly scanning from side to side.

"By the Goddess, what happened to you?" Tear hissed, looking at his features. His lower face was handsome enough, a sharply pointed chin, thin, wide lips made for smiling wickedly, a slim nose. But his eyes, the skin surrounding them and his tall forehead were an unsightly cluster of scars, still looking raw. His hair was an unruly explosion of white, the points of his ears sharply poking through. Apart from a loincloth, he was naked, putting his slender, toned body on display. I felt a ghastly chill creep down my spine. He looked just like one of the dozen drow males who had raped me ages ago. I had to stop myself from throwing my spells his way, frying him on the spot. But a small, rational part in me stopped me from torching him. He had information. He was useful. For now.

"Tissana wasn't too pleased when we first met. No wonder, I was about to stab her in the back," he said, shrugging. "I didn't know how good her ears were. Before I could get close enough, she turned and then I had it, worst pain this side of a Mother's sacrificial blade." For some reason, he didn't sound too perturbed.

"And she kept you alive?" Zentam asked, incredulously.

"Yeah, more or less. She finished the job her poison had started on my eyes, and that was really unpleasant. But she more than made up for it," he grinned. I couldn't help but notice his loincloth starting to bulge. Suddenly I tasted bile in my mouth. Not wanting to puke just then, I forced myself to take slow, deep breaths. Eventually, the nausea passed.

"What are you doing here in the first place?" Tear asked.

"I still have no clue who you people are. Well, since you're not forthcoming, I'll go first. Name's Gheeran, formerly of House Ortyl, nice to meet ya. If you look as hot as your voice sounds..." he began, suggestively caressing the bulge in his only piece of clothing, his face turning in the general direction of Tear's voice.

"Oh, that's quite the compliment," Zentam chuckled.

"Nah, not you! I mean the Lady whose name I don't know yet!" Gheeran protested.

"Ah, be honest, ye can't resist me charms," Zentam teased, nudging Tear with his elbow.

"Call me Tear," she said, almost brusquely, eyes narrowing in sudden understanding. "My companions, Zentam and Shilana. You were here on a raid, weren't you?"

"Guilty as charged, lovely one," Gheeran fawned. "Too bad there was no one here when we arrived, 'cept all the statues outside."

"And you didn't suspect what could have done that?" Tear asked, doubting.

"Actually, we couldn't believe our luck that we didn't have to deal with town guards or anything," Gheeran said, lowering his head. "We... might have gotten a little bit careless. And by 'we' I mean 'I'."

"What about the rest of your squad?" Tear asked, tapping the pommel of her sword. She was the expert on drow, so I let her do the talking. I instead kept watch for any sudden moves he would make. Even naked and blinded, I didn't trust this Gheeran one bit. He was a drow, after all.

"No clue, I was a little too busy screaming my head off after Tissana spewed all over my face. Maybe they ran, maybe they've joined the scenery? Either way, I've not seen any of them, ha ha," he half-heartedly joked. "But enough about me. What are a seriously sexy-sounding worshipper of the Moon Maiden and a dwarf doin' here? Oh, and that silent third one? Did ya kill Tiss?"

"Priestess," Tear cut in.

Gheeran shrugged, then prodded, "Well?"

"We came here to kill this Tissana, yes. But we failed miserably," she sighed. "She turned our paladin to stone, poisoned Shilana here and now we're looking for a place to rest, maybe even a cure. Do you know anything?"

"Well, as far as cures go, you won't find anything useful here. Tiss said she found exactly one healing potion in the village shop, and it was so old, the liquid had almost completely evaporated," Gheeran said, feeling behind himself before carefully leaning against the wall. "If they don't have anything for simple wounds, I highly doubt there would be anything for more serious issues."

"Sounds all too plausible," Tear sighed. "I will ask the Moon Maiden for help, but even her healing powers has limits."

"Well, we could always ask Ya'tyrr, my boss. He knows quite a lot about exotic substances," Gheeran suggested.

"How so?" Zentam asked.

"Because he's either an alchemist, specializing in drugs, or an assassin, with a similar field of expertise," Tear grumbled. "There's not exactly an over-abundance of professions a renegade drow male could take up," she explained when Zentam shot her a curious look.

"Ouch, that's harsh," Gheeran snickered. "But you're right on the money with your guess. He taught me all I knew, and I sadly disappointed him by letting me get surprised like this."

"Huh, that's new. Loyalty from a Trickster's own?" Tear sneered.

"Well, either that or trying to survive alone," Gheeran admitted soberly, "I'm not a loner."

"You look awfully comfy, though," Zentam smirked, pointing at the dark elf's nearly naked body.

"I wasn't actually in a hurry to leave. You see, without eyesight it's a little tricky to ply my trade. And, once you've got to know her a little, Tiss wasn't all bad. And she was one hell of a demon in the sack. Didn't get this much pussy since I gave my family the slip." Gheeran almost drooled. "But since you're here, how about a little deal? You take me away from here and bring me back to my people. I will make sure Ya'tyrr will help you find a cure."

"How can we make sure you don't try to stab us in the back once you're back home?" I asked, speaking up for the first time in quite a while. Gheeran's head jerked in my direction, and I swear I could see his loincloth bulge even further..

"Very funny." Gheeran complained, then, "Oh. You're joking."

"Not one bit," I said, deadpan.

"You can't fault us for asking," Tear said. "You are a dark elf, after all, and I've seen enough followers of the Trickster to be extra careful when they promise a deal. And the last thing I want is ending up back home, at the mercy of the Chaos Queen's faithful. You know what happens to renegade priestesses, I presume?"

"That thought never crossed my mind, really!" Gheeran protested. "But all right, I'll even invoke the Blood Oath to satisfy you. Got something sharp'n'pointy?"

"Blood Oath? What's that?" Zentam asked while Tear produced a dagger from her belt, giving it a thoughtful look.

"It's a ceremony usually employed to make sure a drow male doesn't try anything foolish with an entrusted female," Tear explained. "By invoking the Blood Oath, he chains his life force to mine. Should I get hurt, so will he. I die, he dies. It's the ultimate show of submission, and only a male can invoke it."

"Sounds nifty," Zentam said.

"Yes, but there's one catch. The female in question needs the favor of the Chaos Queen, something which I obviously don't have."

"Ever wondered if the idea that all that 'favor' bullshit is just made up?" Gheeran murmured. "For all I know, and that's only what Ya'tyrr has told me, the Chaos Queen doesn't even care if you invoke her name in deceit."

"Were I still one of her priestesses, I would have taken your tongue for that," Tear chuckled. "Well, a try wouldn't hurt, I guess." With a quick step, she closed the distance between herself and Gheeran, placing the hilt of her dagger into his palm. His fingers closed around the hilt and he brought up the blade. Tear swiftly stepped back.

"You even smell good, despite the blood," Gheeran whispered. Then, louder, he proclaimed, "I, Gheeran of the Trickster, submit to Tear, by the blood that binds us." He closed his hand around the dagger and pulled the razor-sharp blade through his fingers. With practised ease, he twirled the weapon in his fingers, handing it hilt first in Tear's general direction.

Tear took the bloody weapon. "I, Tear of the Moon Maiden, accept your submission and will make sure no harm comes to either of us, by the blood that binds us," she intoned, repeating his movements. Almost gingerly, she pressed her hand onto his. A soft hissing could be heard as their cut palms touched and the faintest trace of radiance, shifting from an eerie gold to radiant silver, pooled from between their fingers.

"Did it work?" Zentam asked, scratching his beard.

"Only one way to find out," Tear hissed.

"You don't want to..." Gheeran asked, lip trembling.

"Just be quiet for a moment, all right?" Tear snapped, before harrumphing. Chanting softly, she intoned a small healing spell, caressing her fingertip over her palm. Gheeran sighed and raised his own hand to his lips before licking his palm.

"Bloody, but whole. It actually worked, and all without the blasted eight-legged bitch's involvement," he grinned.

"Fine, we should get going soon. Where are your belongings?" Tear asked, stowing her dagger away.

"No idea. Tiss insisted I wouldn't need much more than this," Gheeran smirked, flapping up his loincloth. Tear shook her head.

"Ye didn't even try to flee?" Zentam asked in disbelief, "After all she did to you?"

"Well, what can I say? Lock picking is all well and dandy without eyesight, fighting even when you've trained it like every drow male does, but believe me, breaking out of a building that's barred and nailed shut is a damn noisy job even with eyes. Shall we go then? Maybe we'll find some threads on the townspeople that'll fit me."

"Spoken like a true follower of the Trickster. Let's go, the others will be waiting, no doubt," Tear said, gently grabbing Gheeran's elbow. "Zentam, lead the way please."

"As her Ladyship commands," the dwarf grinned, heading for the door.

* * * *

Voices woke me from the worst nightmare yet. Leo, turned to stone, his hand stretched out towards me, his face a helpless mask of surprise and regret. I blinked my eyes open. The sky above me was almost black, only the western horizon showed the last vestiges of red. And above me, the vision from my dreams, or what I had foolishly hoped, were my dreams. But there was no denying it. Above me, his arm pointing like a harbinger of doom, was Leo, skin grey and lifeless. I had to muster all my willpower to keep from helplessly sobbing. Even after a few hours of rest, the sight hurt like a knife to the gut.

"Are ye all right?"

My head whipped around. Zentam was kneeling next to me, genuine concern on his face. From a bit farther off, I could still hear the voices, raised in argument.

"Lass?" Gingerly, his gauntleted hand brushed my shoulder.

"I'm alive, I guess. But I really wish I wasn't," I said, brushing my hand up Leo's metal-shod thigh. Then the futility of that gesture hit home. He wouldn't feel it. And what right did I have to touch him anyway, after all the horrible things I threw at him? And why is it that you only realize what you threw away when it was truly gone, irrevocably lost? I wrapped my arms around both of his legs, not minding if I burst into tears. The feelings of loss, of regret wrenching at my innards, they hurt far worse than the medusa's poison on my face ever could.

"There, there, lass, let it all out," Zentam murmured, his hand brushing my hair. "The dark elves keep talking about some kind of cure they're trying to come up with. Remember?"

Sniffing, I slowly turned to face him. Then it came back to me. "Gheeran."

"Ah, so you remember my name?" a voice asked from the shadows. A moment later, he shuffled into sight, wearing a mishmash of ill-fitting clothes, one hand stretched out in front of him.

"You might want to keep talking, so I can find you. That is, if you don't mind," he said. I gnashed my teeth. Just what I needed, another dark elf. He was almost upon us now, but then he tripped over Zentam's axe handle, laying a little bit away from where the dwarf was kneeling. With flailing arms, the drow tried to regain his balance and crashed into Leo's statue. I could already hear the crash, the shattered pieces scattering all over the flagstones, but miraculously, it didn't happen. Zentam was on his feet, his stout body keeping Leo's statue from falling. I was on my feet as well, my hand whipping out and smacking him over the face. To the side, I heard Tear gasp.

All at once, it was deafeningly quiet, until I heard Arach speak up. "What, in the Nine Hells, have you done, Tear?"

For the first time since I've known her, Tear actually sounded apologetic. "I have taken the Blood Oath."

And right on cue, the arguing continued, even more heated than before.

"What is that all about?" I asked the others.

"It seems that Arach isn't too fond of the idea of Gheeran here being linked to Tear," Zentam explained. "And she's not too fond of having to take care of a Trickster worshipper besides."

"I wonder why," I mused. I knew that drow were not to be trusted, but there had to be more to it when even Arach was uneasy.

Gheeran was more than happy to elaborate, "You see, there's that notion that we believers in the Trickster can't be trusted, that we would do anything for personal gain, even turn on our allies. That's quite foolish. Who would risk angering their allies? But I can understand their misgivings. The worst that can happen to a renegade male is a swift death on a sacrificial altar, maybe with a little torture beforehand if the House Mother is in an especially vile mood. But you see, the females who renounce the Chaos Queen and worship the Moon Maiden instead, they have it far, far worse. They will be humiliated and tortured, in all the exquisite ways our people can think of, and when they think they can take no more, they will be truly punished, by changing them into a hideous effigy of the Chaos Queen, for all time doomed to remember their transgressions. I can understand, really."

I shivered and pulled my robe closer around me. Unbidden, my eyes met Tear's, and slowly, gradually, I began to understand. Both she and Arach, they weren't unlike me. They had left behind everything, even renounced their faith. But compared to me, they could never hope to return to their former lives, because only suffering and pain would wait for them.

"What's our plan?" I asked aloud. "That is, if we have a plan?"

Tear and Arach whispered heatedly for another moment, then Tear said, "Let's deal with one problem at a time. I'm sure I can deal with Gheeran."

"Thanks for taking my feelings into account," Arach hissed, brusquely crossing her arms in front of her.

"Would you like to take my place instead?" Tear offered, producing her dagger.

"The hell no. But I would have liked it if you had asked me beforehand, if I would be comfortable with him sharing your thoughts and feelings," the younger drow snapped. "Or do you like the thought of him getting horny whenever I'll touch you?"

"You didn't have any problems with inviting Leo into our bed," Tear shot back before she could stop herself. Our eyes met, but I couldn't muster the energy to snap at her. Not after today. Tear bowed her head in a silent apology.

"Well, what can I say? With Leo I didn't have to worry about any betrayals! Even if he does not attack us outright, he can still offer us to his boss, and who knows what that guy will do to us?" Arach spat, jabbing an accusing finger at Gheeran, who completely missed the gesture.

"I gave you my word that no harm shall come to you. Ya'tyrr is a reasonable man," Gheeran said, trying to smooth the waves.

"That remains to be seen. I don't want to end up as a Living Remembrance," Arach hissed. "But for lack of a better plan, we will go with you."

"Where exactly do we have to go?" I asked, then I shrieked "Watch out, for Mercy's sake!" Gheeran had leaned against Leo, causing the petrified paladin to sway precariously.

"Whoops, sorry. Who would have thought that such a big statue would be this unstable," Gheeran chuckled.

I had enough. Rising, I counted things off on my finger.

"All right, here's my plan. First, Gheeran, I want you well away from the statue. Then we'll return to Valcrest. I don't want to risk Leo shattering into a thousand pieces. Also, maybe Davec can help us with finding a cure. And from there, we can still bring Gheeran back to his people. How's that sound?"

"Fantastic, but how do you propose we transport this fella here?" Gheeran asked, rapping his knuckles against Leo's chest plate. "I don't exactly fancy lugging this piece of stone around."

Small lightning bolts flickered around my fingertips when I said, "Once you're out of the way, I will show you."

* * * *

Fully rested, I had little trouble teleporting all of us, including the petrified Leo, back to the Bored Basilisk. The world was still spinning when slender arms went around my shoulders. I blinked the dizziness from the teleport spell away and looked into Davec's concerned eyes.

"I take it your assault on the medusa met with failure?" he softly asked, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear.

I tried to answer, but a huge lump sat in my throat, silencing me. So I just nodded weakly, trying to keep the tears in check.

Davec hugged me against his chest. "I will try to help you, in any way possible," he promised, before turning towards his servants. "Get two more men and bring the statue into the vault, and by the gods, be careful with it. I don't want it nicked, scratched or otherwise harmed. Understood?"

Both men nodded solemnly before one of them sprinted off. Davec, still one arm around my shoulder, motioned for my companions to follow.

"Let's see what we can do," he said while leading me towards his room.

Sadly Davec had little help to offer, apart from sending letters to several scholars and wizards he knew, in hopes that they might have learned anything about a cure for petrification. It would take several weeks for the answers to return, time neither of us was willing to spend sitting on our hands.