Book 4.1

?? Jvelton
A beautiful beach far , far away from home
I just realized as I sat down to write this entry that I'm not really sure what day it is. I don't think Jvelton is over, because I haven't had a vision yet this month. But it should be close to the end of the month. I think. I'll have to find out as soon as I have the chance. I didn't think about it earlier. This has been quite a day.
After Madreus died, the others began debating what to do with his body. Ester, for some inexplicable reason, wanted to chop off his head. Somebody suggested bringing it with us. The whole discussion was a little too macabre for me, so I hastened into the next room and contemplated the gate. The island was so beautiful, with vibrant green palm trees, white sand, and crystal clear water. It looked like paradise.
But it wasn't home. Where was it? And how could we get home from there? Were we to succeed in our mission only to end our lives stranded on a deserted island? It didn't seem fair.
The others began filing slowly into the room. Nobody seemed to be in a big hurry. What was wrong with them? Did they want to stay here? And that gibbering thing I'd banished was going to come back! With a grudge against the person who banished it, I might add. I wanted out of here!
“We should burn him,” said Ester.
The others ignored her. “That book is what we should destroy,” said Rhavin, “lest it fall into the wrong hands.”
Jven raised her eyebrows. “Wasn't Canliss already carrying it?”
“It could be much worse,” said Rhavin. “Someone like Madreus could find the book. Another alienist.”
“We'll have to deal with that later,” said Kariya. The others helped her to open the box, and Rhavin walked over to me.
“So have we completed the quest?”
I gave him an incredulous look. “Rhavin, we have to go!”
“But I need to know if we have finished our quest,” he persisted.
“Which quest?”
“The Fall of the Night of Evil.”
“Oh, that. No, I don't think so.” I was confused. One of my visions had led me to believe that this mission at Firestorm had been a part of that larger quest. But it didn't seem to be related at all. I must have interpreted my vision wrong. Again. Donar will be so disappointed in me. Again.
“But have we completed our mission for Father Kalros?” Rhavin asked.
I thought about it. We were supposed to stop the madness spreading through Longbridge. According to everything we'd learned, killing Madreus and refocusing the gate would accomplish that. I had to believe it was true.
“Yes,” I said. “We've finished our mission.”
Rhavin seemed pleased. I looked over at the others. They were chatting away and taking their sweet old time about packing up the box.
“It's coming back!” I yelled. “We have to get out of here!”
“What's...” Kariya started to ask. Then her eyes widened. “Oh, the creature you banished.”
“I am not comfortable leaving these components behind,” said Rhavin. “If only there were a way to take a crystal with us.”
“Rhavin!” We had to run for our lives. We didn't have time to clean up after ourselves.
“The rest of you go on...” Rhavin started to say.
Jven rolled her eyes. “We are ALL leaving.”
I move closer to Rhavin. He wasn't going to sacrifice himself and stay here. I wouldn't let him. He promised he'd never leave me.
“Rhavin, we have to go.”
Rhavin moved over to the controls. I followed him and hovered anxiously as he reset the gate so that we wouldn't fall thirty feet into the water.
As soon as he was done, Canliss jumped through the gate.
“Canliss!” Rhavin yelled. He tried to grab the six-fingered mage, but he was too slow. Rhavin looked really annoyed. I can't blame him. Canliss is going to get himself killed some day, running off alone like that.
We heard a splash as Canliss hit the water. Kariya called Ulfie over and scooped him into her arms. Ester picked up Mr. Frazier. The giantess looked very nervous as Jven cast 'water walk' on her.
“You're going to be just fine, Ester,” she assured her.
“Okay,” Ester said anxiously.
“Now, I'm going to hang back a bit when we go through. But I want you to go straight to the shore. The water walk will last ninety minutes.”
Ester's eyes widened in alarm. “How long is that?”
Jven patted her shoulder. “A pretty long time. You'll be fine. Just stay on the shore when you get there.”
She nodded. “Ester stay on shore.”
Jven took her arm, and they hopped through the gate. There was a very large splash, and some water sprayed back into the room.
Kariya soothed Ulfie, who was wining, and they jumped in. We heard a splash and a surprised yelp.
Rhavin and I were the only ones left
“Go ahead,” he said to me.
I shook my head, panicky. “I'm not leaving without you.”
“Nikita, go.”
He was going to do something noble and sacrifice himself, I just knew it. Well, if Rhavin was going to be trapped in Firestorm, then I would stay here with him. I'd rather live in hell with Rhavin than on a tropical paradise without him.
“No, come with me.”
“Nikita, I just want to reset the panels. I'll follow you.”
I regarded him suspiciously. Rhavin tells the truth always, but he's not above side-stepping it a little for a good cause.
“Promise?”
He gave me a fond look. “I promise.”
I nodded. Rhavin's promise is something to bet your life on. I turned and dove through the gate.
The water was warm! It felt so good. And it was sunny! The glare hurt my eyes at first, but I adjusted quickly.
Jven was hanging back, treading water. “Nikita, are you okay to swim?”
In truth the water was very choppy, and I'm not a strong swimmer. But I didn't want Jven fussing over me, when poor nervous Ester was carrying an unconscious Mr. Frazier. They might need her.
“I'm okay. Go on ahead. I'll follow.”
“Okay. See you on shore.” Jven dove under the water, and I didn't see her again. I wasn't worried about her, though. She's a priestess of Jvelto, after all.
Struggling with the waves as I was, I couldn't see what was happening to my friends. But Jven told me later that I missed quite a sight. Apparently Ester had a hard time adjusting to walking on water. She wobbled and staggered, carrying Mr. Frazier as if she were walking a tight rope. Then she fell and dropped poor Mr. Frazier into the water!
Well, Jven wanted to help. So she used her shapeshift ability and turned into a dolphin! I wish I could have seen that. Dolphins are so cute. And it's so appropriate for Jven to be such a fun-loving animal.
It turned out Kariya was able to grab her father and head to shore. Kariya is a very strong swimmer. Jven stayed in dolphin form -- it was her first chance to finally enjoy swimming as a dolphin. I wouldn't have passed it up either!
Meanwhile, I was struggling in the waves and fell far behind the others. I could only see Rhavin. He must have repositioned the Gate, because he dove from a much greater height and hit the water with a loud splash. He started swimming, but he hung back when he saw I was having trouble.
Suddenly, this metallic gold dolphin leaped over my head and dove back into the water! I'd never seen anything like it. It was beautiful.
Then poor Rhavin screamed in pain!
“Rhavin!” I cried. What was wrong? Was it sharks? Maybe he just had a cramp?
“Nikita, we need to get to shore quickly!”
I spit water as a wave crashed over my head. Did Rhavin think I was goofing around back here? I was swimming as fast as I could.
But I was more concerned about him. Was he hurt? If only I'd had a spell left, I could heal him.
“Rhavin, are you okay?” I yelled.
“I'll be all right.”
I frowned. That was not a straight answer. But we were too far apart for me to tell what was happening to him. I was so worried. I didn't know where anyone was, or if they were okay.
I swam as hard as I could, trying in vain to catch up to Rhavin. But a wave came and pushed me underwater. I managed not to panic, and I held my breath just in time. But I couldn't see a thing. I tried to swim toward the surface. I caught a brief glimpse of Rhavin swimming toward me (he was holding a bloody sword!) before a wave pushed me back under. I breathed in water and started choking.
Then I did panic. I was sure I was going to die here -- and before I'd even gotten to enjoy the beach! It was too cruel. My lungs were burning, and I was growing weaker.
I almost gave up. But I could not forget the image of Rhavin's tears when he thought I was dead once before. I loved him, and I didn't want to die. I struggled to reach the surface. Suddenly I broke through the waves to see an anxious Rhavin holding my arm. He'd saved me!
I tried to thank him, but I coughed seawater all over him instead. Rhavin held me until I grew calmer.
“Nikita, you must get to shore as quick as you can.”
“I'm trying.”
Kariya swam up to us then. She took hold of me and started helping me to shore. Instead of following us, Rhavin dove under the water!
“Rhavin!” I cried. I wanted to help him, but I was afraid to let go of Kariya. I was sure I'd drown. It was so selfish of me. Rhavin was risking his life and all I could think about was staying alive.
When Kariya got me to shore, I was so relieved. I was too weak to even move. I looked around. Canliss, Ester , Ulfie and the still unconscious Mr. Frazier were all there.
“Where's Jven?” Canliss asked. Nobody had seen Jven turn into a dolphin. It seemed to us as if she'd vanished.
Canliss stared in surprised as a dolphin swam past us along the shore. It leaped out of the water and chittered, waving a fin.
Where was Rhavin? I looked anxiously out at the water. He was struggling with something in the water!
“Rhavin!” I cried. Please Torodin, don't let him die.
Canliss was watching the dolphin. “Jven is that you?”
The dolphin chittered and splashed him. The poor thing (poor Jven) was all bitten up and bleeding.
Canliss shook his head. “I can't believe you didn't tell us! Splash me twice if you're Jven, please.”
Well, Jven slapped her tail on the water, and Canliss got drenched! It was funny to see him standing there dripping. But then he cast a cantrip and he was dry again.
I was still scanning the water for Rhavin. I was so relieved when he finally climbed onto shore. But he was hurt!
I ran up to him. But then I noticed the shimmering gold out in the water. I really don't know what happened. It must have been a spell or something. I don't know. I'm so ashamed.
Anyway, all I knew at the time was that there was a lot of gold out there. It was enough to repay Donar for everything he'd ever done for me, and I just had to have it. I ran for the water, but Kariya grabbed me.
“Nikita, what are you doing?”
“I have to have the gold out there!” I cried frantically as I struggled in her grasp.
She stared at me like I'd gone mad. “Nikita, they're goldfish.”
Caught in whatever spell had snared me, I could not believe her. “Kariya, please you don't understand. I have to have that. I owe Donar so much...”
I struggled, but Kariya wouldn't let me go.
Meanwhile, Canliss fed the dolphin a healing potion. Boy was he surprised when Jven turned into human and kissed him full on the mouth.
Rhavin joined Kariya's vain efforts to calm me down.
“Nikita, there is no gold out there. They are fish. They did this.” He pointed to his bloody legs.
Tears started streaming down my face. “You don't understand. Donar and Silvio, they paid to have me healed twice. And they replaced all the spell components I lost and had the dress altered. All that cost so much money and all I did was disappoint them and cause them trouble. I can't do anything right, but I could at least give them the money back. Please. I'll just go get it and come right back.”
Ester wandered up. She was eating a mango.
“Rhavin, do you want me to hit her?”
Kariya was getting really annoyed with me. But she wasn't going to be the one to tell Ester to hit me.
“Uh, Rhavin?”
Rhavin sighed and shook his head. “No, Ester.”
“Please, I need that money,” I wailed.
Kariya rolled her eyes. “Nikita, that is not money out there. Just ask Canliss.”
“Like Canliss would tell the truth,” I scoffed.
Canliss who was getting stuff out of the box, looked over his shoulder and raised his eyebrows at me. “Would I leave money out there?”
“Nikita, calm down,” Kariya said. “Or I'll have Ester grab you with her tentacle.”
I leaned away from Ester. “I'm calm.”
But then I started squirming again. I wanted that gold desperately and I would not give up. Canliss and Kariya dragged me away from the surf while Jven healed Rhavin.
I cried and sobbed. But they wouldn't let me go. Kariya dragged me over to the box.
“Canliss, look at the mess you made! Everything's out of order.” Muttering to herself about people not knowing how to pack things properly, Kariya handed me over to Rhavin and started putting the box back in order.
I continued to sob all over Rhavin while Jven healed us all. An exhausted Ester sat down on the sand.
“Can we nap now?”
“Ester, get in the shade,” Kariya warned. None of us had seen the sun in a month. Except for me, everyone in our group is fair-skinned. Especially Jven.
Rhavin forced me to sit down with him. I pointed out to the water, crying.
“Rhavin, please I have to get that gold.”
He tried to explain that they were fish, but I didn't believe him. Resigned to putting up with my mad behavior one more time (poor Rhavin - I'm such a burden to him), Rhavin asked the others out to scout while he stayed with me and Mr. Frazier, who has been sleeping deeply ever since we left Firestorm.
The others were more than happy to get away from me. Kariya, Ester and Ulfie went one way down the beach, while Jven and Canliss went the other. (Hmm... They were alone together for quite a while. I'll have to make sure I pump Jven for information later.)
Meanwhile, poor Rhavin was treated to a litany of all the trouble I'd caused for Donar and Silvio. I cried and kept insisting that I had to get that gold, because it was my only chance to ever do something to help them. I told him about the duergar who'd offered me diamonds for the purple mushrooms and how I was going to repay them with those, but I didn't get the diamonds.
(Repay Donar and Silvio. What was I thinking? They've given me thousands of gold pieces worth of spell components and healing. I'll never find enough gold to make up for all that. Everything I do find just gets destroyed anyway. And then there's all the time they spent teaching me, and all the time they spent yelling at me the last time we were home. I've caused them so much trouble. They'd be better off if I never found my way home.)
Poor Rhavin did his best to calm me down, but it had no effect. I just kept squirming and crying. I even tried to tickle him so he'd let me go, but it didn't work.
Then Rhavin heard something moving in the trees nearby.
“Nikita, listen!”
I started to whine about the gold.
Rhavin smacked me.
I stared at him in shock. Rhavin had never hit me before. He's been the one person in my life I could always count on never to hurt me or yell at me. How could he hit me?
At first I was deeply hurt, but then I suddenly realized all the important things I had to do first I had to get that gold and then I realized maybe if I could figure out how to get back through the gate real quick I could find Naentoth and take over his mind and get his people to make a ship for us so we can get off the island. Shouldn't be hard I'm a really powerful priestess now and he's just an Azkalite and they're not very bright. And I realized I had lots of other things to do maybe I could find lotus blossoms on the island and I could build a sand castle and mouse around inside it. And I can commune with Torodin and Torodin still loves me so I'll talk Him into letting me and Rhavin get married and then when we get home we can buy a house and have a dozen kids. Oh except Nicco was going to kill me well I'd just get Naentoth to give me an army of duergar while he's at it and they'll take care of Nicco. Oh and I almost forgot I have to find Anton and save him.
I tried to break free of Rhavin all the while telling him about all these things I had to do. But Rhavin covered my mouth with his hand and forced me to the ground.
“Nikita, there's something stalking us,” he whispered in my ear.
Ignoring him, I tried to struggle. But Rhavin was lying on top of me and making me hold still. Normally I would have enjoyed that but I was anxious to get working on all my great plans.
Then Rhavin grabbed my chin with one hand and tilted my head up. There was a little boy watching us! He was a cute little guy about six or seven. His hair was a pale blond, but he was tan. He sipped something out of a brown, hairy bowl and watched us with wide blue eyes.
Suddenly, I calmed down. I forgot all about my plans. And I suddenly realized that the “gold” I'd wanted so badly was just fish after all. I was so embarrassed.
“I'm sorry Rhavin,” I mumbled through his hand.
He took his hand from my mouth, but he didn't let me up yet.
“Nikita,” he whispered, “Are you sure you don't want the gold?”
My cheeks burned. “It wasn't gold.”
We started to get up and look for the boy. But as soon as he realized that he were watching him, he scampered off.
I looked at Rhavin in amazement. “He was so cute. But what was he doing here all alone?”
Rhavin shook his head. He was looking sadly at my cheek, which was red and would soon start to bruise. (He didn't hit me hard, really. It's just that I bruise so easily...)
“Nikita, I'm sorry I hit you.”
“It's okay,” I said, and quickly looked away. I didn't want Rhavin to see that I was upset, because I knew he'd feel guilty. And I don't blame him -- he was trying to calm me down. It' s just that I was really starting to worry that Rhavin was tired of putting up with me. Not that I'd blame him. I've been such a bother to everyone. I don't understand some times why I act the way I do, but I can't seem to help myself. What's wrong with me?
“We should get dressed,” said Rhavin.
I watched with disappointment as he went over to the box and started getting out his clothes and his armor. I was down to just a few shreds of cloth that served as little more than underwear, but I liked the feel of the sun on my skin too much to change that. Rhavin is much too self-conscious to walk around so under-dressed, but sometimes I can't help wishing that once in a while he'd be the one to lose his clothing. He is so gorgeous.
The others returned as Rhavin finished getting dressed. I looked curiously at Jven and Canliss, wondering if they'd been Ôdiscussing' that kiss.
“We found a path,” Jven said. She gave me a look that dared me to ask any questions.
“Um, there was a little boy here watching Rhavin and me. He ran off when we noticed him. But he was really cute.”
“Maybe we should go look for him?” said Kariya.
Rhavin shook his head. “I fear a trap. Recall the last time we encountered children on a beach...”
Kariya, Canliss and I all nodded. We could not forget about the hags. Jven looked at us as if we were all mad.
Ester yawned. “Can we nap now?”
“Not here,” said Rhavin. “He knows we're here. We should move inland.”
Everyone started gathering their things. I sighed wearily. I'm so tired of being afraid all the time. I refused to consider that he was anything but a harmless, little boy.
But Rhavin was determined to be cautious. Following his lead, we set up camp further inland beneath the shelter of the trees, since it was starting to rain. We set watches, and they teamed me up with Jven. I tried to pump Jven for information about her and Canliss. But she started making snide remarks about Rhavin and me half-naked on the beach, so I quickly pointed out that I needed to write in my journal.

Next day
the beach

The night passed without incident, and morning on the beach dawned clear, warm and bright. Everyone seemed relaxed and content as they broke camp -- even Kariya, whose father is still sleeping peacefully. After being underneath a mountain for so long, it was so good to feel the sun and the wind, and to see brightness and color. And it was warm!
We prayed with great devotion. I thanked Torodin for helping my friends to survive Firestorm, and asked for His insight to find a way home. Then Jven and I set about healing everyone -- most of us were badly injured.
While I was healing Rhavin, I noticed that Lady Whitefall's scarf, the sword, and the bracer were all gone. Had he lost them in the ocean?
I looked up at him in confusion. “Rhavin, what happened to Lady Whitefall's things?”
“Our mission is over. I put them away. I have no ties to them.”
I stared at him in astonishment. He'd put them away? But they were magical, and useful. And they were from Lady Whitefall. Should he just put them away like that?
Was he doing this just to spare my feelings? I was both touched and troubled. If Rhavin was that concerned for my feelings, then maybe he wasn't tired of putting up with me. But what if he gets hurt because he doesn't have those things to protect him? All because I was jealous.
Rhavin was watching me, waiting for me to say something.
“Oh,” I said. Not very eloquent. But I didn't know what to say. I needed to think about this for a while.
I finished healing Rhavin without a word. Then I looked around to see who else was still hurt. Jven was working on Ester, but Canliss and Kariya could use some help. I started to move away, but Rhavin grabbed my arm.
“Nikita, you should heal yourself.”
“I did.” I had cast one minor spell on myself first thing. I was still badly hurt, but I figured I'd manage.
“You should heal yourself more.”
“But Rhavin, I'm running low on spells and we haven't even had breakfast yet.”
“If you lost consciousness, you would lose all your spells.”
He had a point there. I cast another spell on myself. Then he gave me a look, so I cast another.
“I feel better now,” I said. I was, mostly.
Rhavin nodded and let me go heal Canliss and Kariya. Everyone sat down in the shade, and Rhavin declared that we were going to rest today.
Rest? A whole day? It sounded wonderful. I hesitated. Shouldn't we be doing something? But Canliss was already gathering up magic items to identify. Well, that settled it. If we were staying here anyway...
I moved into the sun. It felt wonderful, as if it were reaching beneath my skin and healing my troubled spirit.
I looked longingly at the warm beach and had a moment of doubt. I knew there were so many things still to do, and to worry about. I still had a third eye, Ester a tentacle, and Canliss was spitting acid. It was my responsibility as Torodin's priest to find out what day it was, where we were, and how to get home. And what about the quest? I'd thought that Firestorm was related to The Fall of the Night of Evil, but I was wrong. What if this place was? I needed to look for clues. And what about Anton? I needed to help him.
I should have worked on all of these things. I thought of home, and how Donar and Silvio were going to be angry with me. They might send me away. Nicco might have me killed. Or worse. How could I think about relaxing and lying on the beach with all these burdens on my shoulders?
I glanced back at the others. Rhavin was smiling at me.
That settled it. Maybe I didn't deserve it, but I needed to relax for a just a little while. It seems like I've been worried and anxious constantly for months now, and I'm so very tired.
I gave in and lay down in the sun. It felt wonderful. At first I kept a few shreds of clothes on, but I quickly shed them and lay naked on the beach. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warm rays on my skin and the gentle sound of the surf. It was almost heaven.
Now if only Rhavin had joined me...
Um, anyway, I could hear the others chatting behind me while I soaked up the sun. Canliss was casting away, when all the sudden it got quiet.
“Uh, Canliss?” Jven asked. “Are you okay?”
“I've been better,” he said.
He sounded weak. What was wrong with him? I was concerned (really) but I couldn't quite bring myself to open my eyes. Jven told me later that Canliss had been harmed somehow by putting on Madreus' cloak. Who knew that Madreus was that evil?
“Can you put this in the box with the rest of the evil stuff?” Canliss asked.
Now that was scary. Usually we have to pry the evil stuff out of his fingers to get it in the box.
I looked up at them briefly as I turned onto my stomach. Canliss was handing Kariya the cloak. He didn't look bad. I closed my eyes.
“What is it?” Jven asked.
“It's really powerful,” Canliss said vaguely.
“Is it warm?” asked Ester.
“Canliss you should divulge what it is.” Rhavin sounded annoyed.
Canliss hesitated. “It explains why it was so hard to kill Madreus.”
“Madreus wasn't that hard to kill,” said a puzzled Rhavin.
Jven chuckled. “Easy for you to say, Mr. ÔI am here to slay you.'”
“I'm going to need to recuperate a bit,” Canliss informed everyone. “Mind you, we can sell that cloak for a lot of money.”
“The evil does not get sold. It gets turned over to Father Wayfinder.” I could just picture Rhavin's scowl. He was really getting mad.
But Canliss had me concerned. He never takes a break when he's identifying magic items. I thought about getting up, but I was awfully comfortable.
“So, uh, Jven. You can heal Canliss if he needs it, right?”
“Yes, Nikita. You concentrate on getting an even tan.”
Well that was awfully nice of her. I sighed in contentment and abandoned all thoughts of moving for the foreseeable future.
I heard Canliss mutter something about a scroll to Kariya.
“Canliss,” Rhavin snapped, “we asked to be told what the cloak does. We have far too many evil things in that box that only you know the true nature of. I don't like it.”
“Well, we can't use them,” Kariya protested.
“It's a robe of the Archmagi.”
Silence followed Canliss' remark.
“They're robes worn by really powerful mages,” Kariya explained. “They offer a great deal of protection.”
“So what caused you pain?” Rhavin asked. His tone was getting a little more strident as Canliss' half-explanations continued to annoy him.
“It didn't like me,” came the casual response from a totally unconcerned Canliss. Honestly, he doesn't care who gets mad at him.
“Could I have some healing?”
“Jven, can you get this?” I mumbled.
“Don't sweat it, Nikita.”
“Kariya, can I cut down a tree?” asked a bored Ester.
“Uh, no.”
“Please. I bet I could.”
“No. You can't cut down a palm tree unless you have a use for it.”
“Please.”
“No, Ester.”
Ester pouted.
“I'll tell you what,” Kariya relented. “Why don't you find a dead tree and cut it up? Then I can use the wood to build a shelter for my father.”
“Okay!” Ester ran off, happy to have something to attack, even if it was only a tree.
I heard Jven casting. “So, how are you?”
Canliss yawned. “A little better.” He sounded exhausted.
“Canliss, if you come over here I can nap you,” I offered.
“I'll be over as soon as I stretch my wings a bit.”
“Okay,” I said, and rolled onto my back. The sun felt so good.
I heard the flutter of wings.
“Canliss, give us an aerial,” Rhavin yelled. Then, “No! Winged man bad!”
Everyone laughed.
A little while later I heard the flutter of wings beside me.
“Nikita, could you nap me now?”
“Sure,” I mumbled. I reached out until I found Canliss' arm, then I cast the spell. I was getting a little drowsy myself.
Then I heard someone walk up and sit down beside us. I knew it couldn't be Rhavin, because he would have thrown his cloak over me first.
“Okay, Nikita, wake up,” came Jven's voice.
I opened my eyes to find Jven sitting beside me. She had Ester's folding shovel in her hand and a wicked grin on her face.
It's been an awfully long time since I've pulled any pranks. Knowing my duty when I saw it, I gleefully joined in. We had Canliss stripped down to his shorts and buried in the sand in no time. We covered his head with palm branches so he wouldn't get burned. Then I put on my robe and helped Jven carry his stuff up to the camp.
“Put his magic stuff in the box,” said Kariya. She and Ester were playing fetch (or Ôcatch' as Ester calls it) with Ulfie.
“Um, Jven and I are going to go scout the perimeter,” I said.
“Good idea,” said Jven.
We scurried off before anybody could stop us. Then I cast Ôskulk' on us both. I know it was a terrible waste of two of my most powerful spells. But a certain six-fingered mage would be looking for us in about an hour, and we didn't want to be found.
Jven and I tried to put some distance between ourselves, but between being unused to our surroundings and being unable to see each other, we had a few problems.
"Oof!" I said, the third time Jven stepped on my foot.
Jven sighed. "Sorry. Why don't we give up the scouting idea and sit down."
I agreed, and we quickly put this plan into action.
"So Jven, what's up with you and Canliss?"
"I was grateful for his help." She made a blurry movement that might have been a shrug and quickly changed the subject. "I'd like to make an observation...um, not the kind you're teaching me to do, exactly...but I'm not quite sure how to put it."
I was curious. “What sort of observation?”
“You seem a lot more...uh...happy...but not, um, too happy.”
I wasn't quite sure what Jven meant about being too happy. But, now that she mentioned it, I realized that I haven't been myself since Jven has known me. I've been nothing but worried, depressed and frightened. What must she think of me? And how could I explain without revealing too much?
“Well, I do love the beach,” I began. “And of course I'm glad to be out of Firestorm. But it's more than that... I guess... Well, I haven't been myself for a long time. The last time I was home, a lot of things happened that were very... difficult. It wasn't what I was expecting. I got through Ravenloft by dreaming of this wonderful home-coming, and everyone being glad to see me. But... well, it didn't work out that way. I'd made a lot more mistakes than I realized, and Donar and Silvio were very angry with me. To make matters worse, I -- I did something very foolish while I was in Istur, and I caused a lot of trouble.”
I blinked back tears, glad that Jven couldn't see them and hoping she couldn't hear it in my voice. “All I could think about since I left was making up for all that, and not making any mistakes this time. I don't have to tell you that didn't happen. I don't have any reason to be happier now. I certainly don't have any fewer worries. But, I guess I just couldn't take it any more. I had to let go and relax, if only for a little while.”
“Honestly, Nikita," Jven chuckled, "if it hadn't been for your Torodin-given abilities, we'd all be learning to speak Duergar right now. We're out, Madreus is
dead, and I say that makes us all plenty good enough for anyone's standards."
"Seriously though," she went on, "what could have been so 'foolish'? Remember: I generally hang around with drunken, impulsive men, many of whom can cast spells. I might not be impressed with the degree of foolishness involved."
“I can't talk about it,” I said hastily, and even I could hear the fear in my voice. What was I doing? I couldn't tell Jven about that...
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
“I - I think you're giving me too much credit for Firestorm, Jven. Really, I think you would have been better off without me. Think of all the things I did wrong. My bridge collapsed. I cost us a whole day in the bazaar when I... well, um... I didn't check for traps and we almost got killed in that acid. And then --”
“--between the two of us we healed everyone more times than we can count,” Jven interrupted me. Your divinations helped us figure out what we had to do in Firestorm and how to do it. Plus, you've kept records of everything that might be remotely helpful to us...a chore that we all recognize as useful, but none of us were likely to do it on our own. Now, I'm not saying that you're the only one in the group who ever gets anything done, but I think everyone would agree that you're an important member.”
I thought about what she'd said. I didn't feel important, or even helpful at times. But maybe being so caught up in looking for my own mistakes has made me a little too negative? I'll have to find out what the others think...
“Thanks, Jven. That's very nice of you to say. I'm just glad that Jvelto sent you along on our mission. I mean, I'm not glad that you had to endure Firestorm. But we really needed you.”
“Well, I can't say I was exactly glad to be there. But thanks.” I heard Jven moving. “Let's get back. I don't want to miss the look on Canliss' face when he wakes up.”
“Good point.”
As we hurried back to camp, it occurred to me that it's been too long since I've taken part in harmless pranks. This was fun!
Canliss was surprised when he woke up, but not terribly so until he realized that his spell components were gone. Grudgingly, he got out of the sand without magic and walked up to the camp.
“Canliss, get some clothes on,” said Rhavin.
“Does anybody know where Jven and Nikita put my stuff?”
Rhavin obligingly told Canliss where everything was. Which was nice of him, considering I think he's still mad about the whole robe thing.
“Kariya, can I please open the box and get my things?”
“Yes, but put some clothes on first please.”
Canliss quickly got dressed. “So, does anybody know where Jven and Nikita went?”
Rhavin, who was leaning contentedly against a palm tree, pointed down the beach in the direction Jven and I had originally taken.
“Be nice!” he called as Canliss walked off.
“I promise,” Canliss called back.
“I don't believe him,” I whispered to Jven. Canliss turned invisible, but it didn't help him. Jven and I sat down near the others, quite content to see and not be seen for the moment.
Canliss gave up before long. Nobody seemed too sympathetic that he hadn't been able to find us. So Canliss sat down and identified more stuff. There was a wand of light (oh sure -- now we get one). Then he identified a dagger.
“Kariya, put this in the box.”
“What is it?”
“It's an evil dagger. Put it in the box.”
“What does it do?” Rhavin asked angrily. His eyes were open now and he was glaring at Canliss.
“It does this and that.”
I sighed. He was only making Rhavin angrier. And not without reason. Ignorance can be a dangerous thing, especially where evil magic items are concerned.
“Canliss, just tell us what it does.”
“Just put it away. I want it.”
Rhavin gritted his teeth. “Canliss, tell me what it does!”
Canliss gripped the dagger. He vanished, then appeared beside Kariya.
Rhavin looked baffled. “So why can't we use that?”
“It's evil. It's made from the horn of a unicorn.”
“It teleported you. That is not evil. That is useful.”
“You want to use the evil magic item?” Kariya said in disbelief.
“I want to know what it does! Canliss won't tell us.”
“We don't need him to find out what it does!” I piped up, hoping to end the argument. Nobody seemed surprised when I let the Ôskulk' spell drop. Jven just shook her head.
Rhavin lectured Canliss for a bit about sharing information and telling others what magic items do, especially the evil ones, so that everyone would be aware of the danger. His lecture had no effect at all.
“Rhavin, put the dagger in the box,” said Kariya.
Rhavin reluctantly handed it to her, and she tucked it away.
“I don't understand why we can not use that,” Rhavin protested. “It is useful. It could save our lives.”
“It's evil,” said Canliss.
“It does nothing that is evil.”
“But it identified as evil.”
Kariya shook her head. “Rhavin's not acting very paladin-like. I don't think he's going to get a holy symbol back.”
“Kariya!” I cried. That was a terribly cruel thing to say.
Jven sighed. “Give this party a vacation,” she whispered to me, “and it goes straight to hell.”
Rhavin and Canliss argued for a while longer. But the dagger stayed in the box. I'll have to talk to Rhavin about it later when he's not so angry about the matter. I'd be happy to cast a few divination spells about the dagger. Who knows, maybe I could dispel the evil? Rhavin and I need to have a long talk, anyway. I need to make sure he's putting Lady Whitefall's magic items away for good reason, and not just to spare my feelings. And I think I need to tell Rhavin about my latest dream contact from Anton. It's only fair.
Canliss ended the argument between him and Rhavin by informing us about a fishing village on the other side of the island.
“I could understand what they were saying. But they had an accent.”
“So we're nowhere near home,” I said sadly.
Kariya rolled her eyes. “Does this look like home?”
“Who cares,” said Jven. “It's a beach.”
“They don't have any boats big enough to get us off the island,” Canliss added.
“Then how are we going to get home?” I asked.
Nobody answered me.
“We can go to the village tomorrow morning,” said Rhavin. “The day is fading, and we have earned our rest. And I think we need to be cautious. My concern is the were-seal people...”
Kariya, Canliss and I nodded. We recalled almost getting killed in the last supposedly innocent fishing village we encountered.
“The where seal what?” Jven asked.
“They were people who could turn into a walrus,” Kariya explained.
“Not like clerics,” I said. “They were all evil.”
“You people are insane.”
We tried to explain to her, but we quickly gave up. Ravenloft must be experienced to be believed. For Jven's sake, I hope that doesn't happen.
“When we go to the fishing village, we must all stick together. Canliss, you can fly overhead, but stay near us. We must be careful. Remember that we have been watched.”
Jven rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why being watched by a six year old would send a party of grown adventurers into such a panic.
The euphoria of the day faded some as we prepared to camp for the evening. I watched Ester with her tentacle, and thought about my third eye. I'd been hoping that we'd be normal once we got away from Firestorm.
“What is wrong, Nikita?” Rhavin asked.
I explained.
“Why don't you cast a genius spell?” Canliss asked. “Please. You can find out how to cure our deformities.”
“What if we can't?”
“There's only one way to find out,” said Kariya.
Rhavin nodded in agreement. Canliss handed me a gem.
“Okay,” I said. Nervously, I asked how Ester and I could be cured of our deformities. (I left out Canliss, thinking a more limited question would get a more sensible answer.)
The answer was, “Parts must be removed, then healed.”
“Oh my.”
Canliss paled. “What is it?”
I told everyone. Their eyes widened in horror. Rhavin took a step away from me.
“What are we going to do?” I asked. I shuddered at the thought of someone chopping off Ester's arm, or cutting out my eye.
Ester shrugged. “I don't mind my tentacle.”
“I don't know what kind of healing spells we'd need,” I said.
Jven grinned. “We could remove Canliss' tongue and find out.”
“I'll cast another spell in the morning,” I said. I didn't like this. We didn't want to go chopping things off until we were sure we could grow them back. Gods, this was awful.
“Good idea,” said Rhavin. “Let us camp for the night.”
We started to set up. Jven informed us that she'd spotted a water spout in the distance, which made us nervous. But the sky was clear.
“I invited the boy to the camp last night,” Rhavin whispered to me.
“Good idea. I'll look for him. Um, Rhavin. If we find out it will work, will you cut my eye out for me?”
Rhavin grimaced. I felt terrible asking him for such a thing. But I didn't want to place my life in anyone's hands but his.
“Yes, I will do it.”
“Thank you.”
Jven and I healed Ester some more before we went to bed. We both exchanged anxious looks. Our healing powers were limited. Could we really regrow an arm?
What a way to end a perfectly lovely day.
The next day - a fishing village
I was very nervous when I woke up in the morning. I prayed to Torodin for strength and guidance. My life and Ester's might depend on my asking the right question -- and understanding the answer. I could only pray that, just once, I would get it right.
Everyone was staring at me as I finished praying. I decided to put off the inevitable by telling the others what Jven and I had learned during our watch.
“I was able to see the stars last night. Jven figured out that we are very far south of Istur. And a few weeks west of Dalwa. Oh, and I saw a sea serpent in the water. It was about fifty feet long.”
“Fifty feet!” Kariya exclaimed.
“It looked like a dragon. But it had no legs or wings.”
“No legs,” said Rhavin. “That is good.”
“No skinny dipping,” said Jven.
“Um, I guess I'll cast that genius spell now,” I said nervously.
Without warning, Canliss picked up his gear and walked away towards the fishing village. What was he doing? We might need him. Or he could get hurt on his own.
“Canliss get back here!” Rhavin yelled.
“I'll see you in the village,” Canliss called back.
“Don't burn it down,” Jven called.
“Very funny,” Canliss called back in sailor's slang.
Nervous as I was, I got angry. “Canliss, don't leave,” I yelled in sailors' slang.
“You know sailors slang?”
“Torodin gave me that gift.”
Canliss kept walking.
“Canliss! Do you want me to tell Sal you weren't cooperating when we get home?”
(I didn't mean it.)
Canliss did not slow down. “What can he do to me that Nicco won't do already?”
I gasped. How could Canliss bring up Nicco? I'd been trying so hard to forget about him. I sat down beside the box and wiped tears from my eyes.
“What's wrong?” Kariya asked.
“Not sure,” said Jven. “It involved Sal and Nicco.”
Rhavin frowned.
“I'm okay,” I said hastily. I didn't want them telling Jven and Ester about all that. “I - I need to cast that genius spell.”
The others helped me figure out the wording. I asked what spells would be required to heal Ester and Nikita after our deformities were removed.
The answer was Ôregeneration and lots of curing.'
“Oh no!” I sat down again, despairing.
“What is it?” asked Jven.
“Regeneration. We can't cast that.”
Ester shrugged. I think Rhavin looked a little relieved.
“Wait a minute.” I thought about the wording of question and answer. “That would be regeneration for Ester, and lots of cure wound spells for me.”
“Are you sure?” asked Kariya.
I nodded. “Yes. I'm so sorry, Ester.”
She shrugged. “That's okay.” She pulled her arm inside her sleeve. “See, I'll pretend to have one arm like this. It'll be fun!”
I looked anxiously at Rhavin. His expression was grim.
“Do you want to do this now?”
“Um, yes. I'd like to get it over with.”
“Okay,” Rhavin said reluctantly. “Shall we do it here?”
“No, please.” I didn't want everyone to see me screaming in pain like a coward. “Can we go off a bit?”
Rhavin nodded. He, Jven and I walked down to the beach. For once, I was not happy to be there. I was so nervous I felt cold.
I sat down. Rhavin took out my dagger. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he stared at the blade shining in the sun.
I took off my headband. Jven gasped. I'd forgotten that she'd never seen the third eye before.
“Sorry. You want some ale?”
“No, thanks.”
Rhavin kneeled in front of me. He looked me in the eye, questioning. Was I ready for this?
No. I knew I'd never be able to stand the pain. I'd squirm, and it would be worse. Oh gods...
“Wait. Jven, could you cast a Ôhold person' spell on me?” It wouldn't help the pain, but at least I wouldn't move. Or scream.
“Sure.” Jven cast the spell, and I froze.
Rhavin lifted the dagger. Sweat poured down his face now. He took a deep, shaking breath.
“Rhavin, the hold person only lasts three minutes,” Jven warned.
Rhavin groaned, as if he himself were in pain.
“I love you,” he said.
I could only stare as the blade got closer to my eye.
Then it bit in deep.
It was like fire burning deep inside my skull. Blood gushed down my face, blinding my real eyes. My world was only pain spreading fast and hot through my skull and into my very bones. The shock of it chilled me to the core. I was dimly aware of a wet, popping sound as Rhavin pulled the eye out. Then the pain sharpened like a knife twisting in my brain, and I knew no more.
I awoke cradled in Rhavin's arms. I'd been healed, and felt better than I had in a long time. But I shuddered. The memory of the pain, the coldness I felt, frightened me. Somehow, I know I could have died.
I felt my forehead. There was only smooth flesh where the third eye had been. I've never felt so relieved.
Rhavin helped me to sit up, but kept me cradled in his arms. I leaned into his warmth and put my arms around him.
“Thank you, my love.”
“No one has ever asked me to do something so hard,” Rhavin whispered and hugged me tightly.
I leaned back to look him in the eye. “Oh, Rhavin. I'm so sorry. I always ask so much of you. And I cause you so much trouble...”
I started to cry. Rhavin pulled me against him and kissed my forehead.
“You have never asked for more than I was willing to give.”
He held me until I stopped crying. Then he wiped the tears from my eyes. I smiled at him, knowing I'm the luckiest woman in the world.
“I love you Rhavin.”
We kissed deeply. With the sun shining on us, and the waves lapping gently, it was the most romantic moment we've ever shared.
Except for Jven throwing up behind us. The whole thing had been a bit much for her. Poor thing.
Rhavin and I held each other for a bit, not saying a word. I could have stayed that way forever.
But then I realized something frightening.
“Oh my gods! Rhavin, Canliss is ahead in the village talking for all of us. We've got to hurry!”
Rhavin chuckled. We collected Jven and headed back to camp. Everybody agreed that Canliss making our first impression was a bad thing, and we'd better hurry over to that village to do some damage control. We collected our gear and headed out.
The walk was peaceful, and the fishing village was quiet. No men were around, just women doing chores. I noticed the women eying up Rhavin and I reached out to hold his hand. I told myself I was only doing it for his sake -- he gets embarrassed when women hit on him.
“Have you seen our friend Canliss?”
The shorter woman's eyes lit up. I wondered if Canliss had been throwing money around already.
They nodded when I described him.
“Why sure. He was here.”
“We're sorry if he offended you.”
They gave me puzzled looks. “Oh no. He was as nice as could be,” said one.
Jven described Canliss again, to make sure we were talking about the same person.
“He gave us lots of money for a meal,” said the shorter one. “Are you as wealthy as he is?”
“No,” I said.
Her friend smacked her on the shoulder. “Vida, don't be rude.”
“Was that his ship that wrecked?” Vida persisted.
“Why, yes,” I lied.
Rhavin looked puzzled. “We didn't come by ship.”
The women stared at him. Dear gods, we didn't want to have to explain the whole gate thing. They were already giving Mr. Frazier funny looks.
“You can hardly see the head wound,” Jven whispered to them.
Their eyes widened in understanding. The chesty one gave Rhavin a sympathetic look.
“Poor thing. Do you need some doctoring?”
Rhavin looked confused. I glared at her. Rhavin didn't need her kind of Ôdoctoring.'
I patted Rhavin's hand in what I hoped was a clearly possessive manner. “It was a difficult morning, wasn't it dear?”
“Yes, indeed,” Rhavin said honestly.
Rhavin introduced us all. The women were so excited when they found out that Jven was a priest of Jvelto I thought they were in danger of wetting themselves.
They bowed to Jven, who flushed in embarrassment.
“A priest of Jvelto. Oh my, that's wonderful news. We haven't had.. Well this is just wonderful. We're so honored. A real priest.”
“Rhavin is a paladin of Estereal,” I put in.
“Oh the other god,” said Vida.
“What's a paladin? asked the chesty one.
I rolled my eyes. The other god, indeed. Rhavin looked offended.
“We'll have to educate them,” he whispered to me.
I nodded. Just as long as he doesn't try educating the women without me around to protect him. I don't trust those fish wives a bit.
The women kept bowing to Jven and kissing her hand. It was so funny. “This is wonderful. You can make everything perfect.”
I burst out laughing. These people obviously had an inflated opinion of a priest's powers.
The women glared at me. “She's mocking our Lord Jvelto,” the chesty one complained.
“The Ocean Lord will wash you away,” Vida warned.
“I don't think so. Jvelto has a great sense of humor.”
“There's so much for you to do,” the chesty one told Jven. She launched on a long list of weddings, blessings, baptisms and other ceremonies that would have taken six priests a month to do.
“I don't know how long I can stay...” Jven began.
“Oh but surely you can stay through storm season. It's only two months.”
“I don't know when Jvelto will call me. While I'm here, I'll do what I can.”
“We must call the others. Oh Vida, fetch everyone. My Lady Jven, will you do us the honor of coming with us?”
Rhavin leaned close to me. “Maybe we should get a broom to sweep the path before her feet,” he whispered.
I laughed out loud. Jven glared at me. She was so embarrassed, but I couldn't resist this chance to tease her. After the horrors of the past few months, and the pain of this morning, it felt good to laugh again.
Vida and chesty ran off to gather the whole village. (Except the able young men, who were all out fishing.)
I grinned at Jven. “Oh great and powerful Jvennika, shall we roll out the red carpet before your blessed feet?”
She glared at me.
“You're going to be awfully busy blessing things,” said Rhavin.
She grimaced. “Just keep Nikita out of my face.”
Rhavin bowed. “Yes, My Lady.”
I laughed. I love it when Rhavin teases people.
Jven scowled at me. “Don't you have to go pray?”
“Oh no, your holiness. My duty is here.”
Rhavin pulled me away before Jven could give in to the urge to smack me. “Come along, Nikita. Let's go find Canliss.”
I obediently followed him. The village was small, but we didn't see Canliss. While we were looking, I spotted Vida.
“Rhavin, I'll be right back. I need to ask this woman something.”
I scampered over to her. “Could I ask you a favor?”
Her eyes gleamed when I scooped out a hand full of silver pieces.
“It's for Jven. She'd never say anything... But today is her birthday and I'd like to buy her a gift. What she'd really like is a pretty dress. You know, something pink and blue with lots of ruffles. Could you do that for me?”
“Why certainly. Anything for a priest of Jvelto. I'll take care of it.”
I rejoined Rhavin. We looked around and found a grizzled old sailor who'd met Canliss. He was repairing nets or something. He had a wooden leg and his hut was filthy, but there was a gleam in his eye that spoke of a clever mind and a good heart.
Rhavin introduced us. “And you are?”
“Barret. Here, hold this.”
He tried to hand me a nasty, smelly net. It looked way too heavy for me. I wrinkled my nose and backed away.
Rhavin grabbed the net. Barret gave me a disapproving look.
“Have you seen our friend, Canliss?” I asked. I described him.
“Yep. You as tricky as he is?”
Just what had Canliss been doing in front of these people? “Uh, no. The whole rest of our town isn't as tricky as he is.”
That wasn't precisely true. But Barrett didn't need to know that we come from the crime capital of Hurva.
“I think I like that,” said Barret.
I smiled at him. I think I like Barret. I know Jven would. He's down to earth. Some might call him simple. But, for reasons I can't explain, I have this hunch that old Barret is the smartest guy in the village.
I told Barret about Jvennika.
“Heard there was a priest. Don't understand what all the fuss is about.”
I grinned. “Neither does Jven. I'll make sure she stops by. I know she'd like to meet you.”
He shrugged. “If she's worth her salt, she'll be here sooner or later.”
“Oh, Jven is very much worth her salt.”
“It's a good thing to be worth your salt,” Barret opined, as if he were imparting profound wisdom. And perhaps he was.
Barret informed us that Canliss had been asking about the sailors. He also informed us that Rhavin's armor would sink. He didn't know anything about the sea serpents, except that they were called limbless dragons.
But I liked him immensely. He didn't make me feel nervous at all. We bid him good-bye and headed for the feast. I didn't want to miss seeing the villagers fuss over Jven.
When we got there, an embarrassed Jven was sitting on an almost throne-like seat at a huge table full of villagers - mostly women, children, and old men. Rhavin and I got there just in time to see two cute little kids sidle up to Ester, who was reaching for some fruit.
“No! We're not supposed to eat until she eats.”
Ester proceeded to hover over Jven. “You gonna eat now?”
Jven was busy trying to meet all the villagers. But she started eating about the fifth time Ester asked her to.
Canliss made quite an entrance. He flew in in bird form, landed on an empty chair, stepped off and bowed to Jven. Who glared at him. All the villagers seemed quite taken aback. Honestly, we need to teach Canliss some manners. Of course, he did go straight over to Kariya and make sure that her father was settled in comfortably. Canliss can be awfully considerate sometimes.
Well, lunch was lots of fun! It was nice to have fresh fruit, too. I sat with the little kids and told them stories about Jven. I made sure to tell them how much she likes necklaces and things made from sea shells.
At one point, a woman came up to measure a baffled Jven. She ran off before Jven could ask any questions. I was quite amused.
The fisherman came back in the middle of lunch. They were all overjoyed to see a priest of Jvelto here. I got a little nervous with so many men around, so I moved close to Rhavin, who took my hand.
Poor Jven was answering lots of questions and being fussed over. Canliss and I had fun teasing her. He shadowed her every step, bowing and scraping like a slave before his master. Jven was ready to kill him.
I had fun teaching the kids to call her “The Great and Powerful Jvennika,” but Jven insisted it was, “Just Jven.” Justven became her name among the children.
Jven couldn't finish all the food they piled on her plate, so Ester started inhaling it.
“This is much better than what they gave me,” she said loudly.
After lunch, Jven was embarrassed when the villagers led her to a large and neatly cleaned hut. Canliss bowed and opened the door for her. Jven glared at him.
“I'm not displacing anyone, am I?” she asked the villagers.
“This hut is for you,” they insisted.
Jven sighed. “Thank you. But please, you don't have to feast me like this every day.”
“Today was special,” they insisted.
Finally, the villagers left us alone to clean up.
Canliss grinned at Jven and opened the door for her. “Oh, worshipful priestess, may I clean your hut?”
“Bite me.”
Laughing, Canliss went inside to cast cantrips.
Taking pity on Jven, I told her about Barret. “He's completely down to earth, and he won't fuss over you.”
“Take me there now.”
Ester tagged along, and I left them there to while away the afternoon with Barrett. Rhavin and I played with the kids, and told them stories. They liked it when I did the voices for “The Creation of Thunder.”
What a fun day this was. Well, other than the morning. This is such a quaint little village. We had no reason to be nervous at all.