The Silver-Eyed

XIII

Erevon stared down at his hands, confined in a metal cage, just like Aria and Grimmok. He sighed as he placed his back against the brick wall of the tiny cell.
«It's alright, you can admit it», Aria replied, coming in closer.
«Admit what?»
«That I was right about Kaelin. He couldn't be trusted.»
«Oh, for fuck's sake...» he grumbled, «And yet you're here.»
The genasi stammered.
«It's alright, sweetheart; you can admit it.»
She pursed her lips and turned to face Grimmok, who shook his head and said: «Don't involve me in this debate, Miss Aria, I was just doing my job. Trustworthy or not, he was giving me money.»
«At least I didn't shag Kaelin!» said the cleric, pointing her chin at the elf.
Erevon's entire face flushed a blazing scarlet, gradually spreading to the points of his sharp ears.
The orc's eyes widened: «Is that true?»
Aria nodded with vigour.
«I had no idea...» Grimmok muttered, trying to itch his light beard - to no avail, of course. Then, he asked Erevon: «And how do you feel now?»
The ranger raised his head in surprise, contemplating for a second.
«Back in Tilverton, I asked him if he would murder me if Blackthorn wanted. He said no. Well, he really stated that he would have "persuaded him" to reconsider. Still, it touched me. He was always talking about his unwavering allegiance to his master», he shook his head, «I feel so stupid now, I'm sorry I pulled you into this terrible situation...»
«It's not your fault, Erevon», the orc replied.
«Yeah, sure», the genasi whispered.
«Miss Aria...»
«No, Grimmok, she's right. I fucked up by blowing up the owlbear. It was meant to be a prize for Kaelin to bring home, a method for him to be reaccepted into Blackthorn's ranks after failing a previous mission. With no owlbear, he had to compensate with something else...»
«And what greater trophy than someone Selûne favors?» the cleric commented, «Gosh, Erevon, you should have told me about Kaelin's deal with Blackthorn sooner. The entire "lifting up the curse" business seemed suspicious from the start, but I had no clue he was under such duress to bring you here. I assumed he was solely interested in transforming you into a Sharran. Now I understand why he questioned me about being abandoned by my deity...»
«He told me that in Tilverton.»
«Seems like he told you a lot of stuff in Tilverton», Grimmok observed.
«About that, how much stuff did he tell you exactly?» Aria squinted, «Maybe he inadvertently divulged something that may help us get out of here...»
«He talked about his past, how he was imprisoned for murdering his father...»
«Holy crap, this guy is becoming more and more twisted», the orc said.
«And he still shagged him», the genasi commented.
«L-listen, he did it to help his mother, who then rejected him... It's complicated.»
«Something a little more related to Blackthorn's cult? It's not like we can defeat Kaelin with the power of mummy issues.»
«Ugh, give me a minute... He informed me that Blackthorn was originally a Selûnite who became a Sharran when the Moonmaiden took away his abilities for unexplained reasons.»
«Really? That's intriguing, but it's probably not very useful in this case...»
«Speaking of abilities, is there anything Tymora can do to get us out of here?»
He motioned towards the metal bars that separated them from freedom.
«My hands are tied... In both literal and figurative terms. If I had my lucky coin, I could try to invoke our Lady's kindness, but the guards took it away when they confiscated our personal items. I always keep it in my bag. Without it, there's not much I can do.»
«Oh, that's why you always hold your bag close...» he nodded,  «Wait, you carry that in your bag? Aren't you worried of spending it by accident?»
«Tymora's coins are never wasted by mistake. They're enchanted!»
«Oh, so Tymora keeps an eye on all her money, but can't see a poor worshipper stuck in jail?»
«I already told you how our Lady's powers work, Erevon!»
Aria started reciting the speech she memorised about Tymora's unfathomable workings and the elf rolled his eyes. While she talked, he chose to focus on the small spider creeping up the genasi's shoulder. Noticing his diverted glance, she looked to the side and yelled.
«AAH! Get it off me! Get it off!»
She tired shaking the spider off, unable to do anything else.
«Miss Aria, if you keep moving, I won't be able to squash it!»
The ranger tackled the genasi by laying his bound wrists on her chest as he heard these remarks. She stopped shaking and glanced at him, puzzled.
«No need to squash anything.»
He then placed his forearm next to the spider, on which the creature swiftly climbed.
«There you go.»
Erevon looked at the little animal, which stood still and seemed to be staring at him with his myriad of eyes.
«I hate arachnids», Aria mumbled, scrunching her nose in disdain.
«You learned», the elf said with a smile.
«Because I listen to people.»
Erevon groaned and laid the spider on the ground. Aria scooted closer to Grimmok.
«So, no magic for you, no magic for Grimmok, let's not even mention myself... What about Ros?»
«I advised him to flee and look for the Lady's Hall. Hopefully, he has reached it by now.»
«Does that imply your... colleagues will come to our aid?»
«I wouldn't count on that. Even if they did send someone to help, they couldn't just barge in. And the stealthy route would almost certainly take too long. I just told Ros to go somewhere safe.»
«You made the correct decision, Miss Aria.»
She sighed and rested her cheek on his arm.
«Many thanks, Grimmok. I truly hope he's okay.»
Suddenly, a mouse squeezed its head through a tiny hole in the wall and sniffed the air. The three of them looked at each other and then leaned in closer to the creature.
«Little one...», Aria whispered, her eyes getting teary.
The little animal bit her nose and retracted into the hole.
«Ouch!»
«I suppose that wasn't Ros...»
Aria crossed her eyes to look at tip of her nose, scrunching it.
«Are you hurt, Miss Aria?»
«It's alright, Grimmok, it's just a small cut. Soon enough, it won't matter anymore.»
The half-orc sighed and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, warmly hugging her and she immediately buried her head in his chest.
Erevon gazed at them both. His thoughts returned to Tilverton, when Kaelin wept on his neck. Why was he crying that night? Was it because he had thought back to his parents? Was it all a ruse? Of course it was. It had to be. The look in Kaelin's eyes before the guards took him away... It was scary empty, like that of doppelgangers. Like that of monsters. He felt his vision becoming blurry for a moment, until something touched his arm.
«Don't be sad, Erevon; I'm here to help you.»
He looked down and noticed his eyes were a bit watery. He wiped them and whispered: «Ros, you're really here...»
Grimmok and Aria both turned to face him and grinned. The tiny druid carried with him a bag too large for his small body. Aria's infamous bag.
«Is this your lucky coin?» the halfling inquired, rummaging into the bag and pulling out a gold coin with an effigy of a woman.
«Yes, yes, it is! How did you get my bag, little one?! Where have you been hiding all this time? Were you really the mouse?»
«No, I'd never bite you! That mouse was just a meanie. I was the spider! I'm sorry if I scared you, I think spiders are pretty.»
«Oh, honey...»
Aria leaned forward to smother him in kisses.
«I'm sorry I didn't run away, but I always saw you holding your bag, so I tought you'd be really, really sad without it...» he whispered shyly.
«Thank you, Ros, I'm really happy to have my bag back», she nodded, «Break the coin in half, please.»
Erevon shook his head in confusion.
«How can a person, let alone a child, break a coin made of metal?!»
«Shut up. Please, little one, break it.»
The druid, much to the elf's amazement, shattered the coin into two equal portions.
«Good! Now use it as a lock pick to unlock these cages on our hands.»
Ros followed her directions once more and everyone was soon free of their shackles.
«That's a really cool trick... How does it work? Was the coin already cut? Is it not made of gold?» Erevon asked, massaging his wrists.
«This coin is just a coin. I simply had faith.»
Aria smiled and took the broken coin to unlock the jail door. She peered down the corridor and remarked: «Good, no one around.»
She pressed the coin to her chest and muttered a spell while pointing to the group. The coin emitted a little glow, but nothing else appeared to happen.
«What did you just do?» Grimmok inquired.
«Shit. I attempted to cast a spell to disguise ourselves in case we encountered a guard on our way, but I believe the coin is no longer working...»
Erevon grinned as he extended his hand.
«Please give it to me.»
Aria placed it into his palm with a slight uncertainty. When the elf opened his fist, the coin had returned to its former shape.
«I need to flex the only magic I know how to do correctly every once in a while.»
The cleric laughed, took the coin and recast the spell. A veil of shadows encircled the group. Then Aria gestured for them to follow her. They slowly made their way out of the basement, passing right near to a group of guards who did not see them. Erevon had witnessed many spectacular demonstrations of magic in his life, yet he was still surprised by what some people were capable of.
«Stop!» yelled a voice from behind.
The gang froze on the spot.
«The candlesticks must be lit only a few minutes before the guests arrive, otherwise they will all melt before the sacrifice begins!»
They exhaled a sigh of relief and continued on their way.
«This place is like a maze...»
«We're almost out. Look, there's the door!»
The entry door, in all its gilded splendour, was indeed in front of them. Erevon had not even realised they had entered the main hall. They rushed towards it and pushed it with all their might. They were blinded by a strong light, but they did not care. They took off running in the direction of freedom.

«Did you really think it would have been so simple?»
Erevon adjusted to the darkness by blinking a few times. He noticed a large pair of horns in front of him.
«Blackthorn.»
The Darklord grinned as he lifted the elf's chin with his tapered, warm fingers, in a surprisingly gentle manner.
«I cannot wait to tear out those silver eyes of yours, son of Selûne.»