Harpers Quest Two- Beyond the Mists

Chapter Thirty-One

Mature Themes in this Chapter

"Shard!" came the whispering voice "Shard wake up!".

Shard stirred, still asleep and pleasantly warm and aware of the warm solid feel of Baldur's muscular chest, which she snuggled into.
Baldur snorted, and his arm snaked out wrapping his arms around Shard's muscular back.
"Shard!" the voice repeated.
Shard groaned and opened her eyes " what! Damn you!" she growled.
The voice continued unabashed from the darkness "Shard I really need to speak to you and you seemed the obvious choice to contact".
Baldur still asleep started to caress Shard, Shard relished in the feel and rolled back so he could have better access it had been a while since she'd been with a man intimately, not since she had left Crasolia. She was enjoying the experience and the last thing she wanted was some voice bothering her.
"Mmm Baldur keep that up," Shard said softly as he caressed her becoming more ardent as he did so.
"Look Shard I really need to talk to you" the voice continued.
"Who in the Blazes are ye? And can't it wait till Mornin?" Shard asked.
"Well, not really," the voice said, "I have limited time".
"Can't ye see I'm busy?" Shard exclaimed deciding if she found out whom it was, she would throttle them! It was probably one of the Halflings, Caldon or Tevon as she didn't think Mendis would do something like that, maybe it was even Gus seeing he had disapproved of her actions, but the accent sounded wrong but then she wasn't fully awake.
"Obviously" the voice sounded amused.
"Mmm so soft!" Baldur murmured.
"Well go away then!"
"I can't do that, look I really need to talk to you Shard, I'm sorry for the interruption but you are the obvious choice to contact, seeing we come from the same world and you know who I am".
"Deela!" Shard asked as she suddenly realised that she was talking in her native Gorta-Trellian, as was the voice, she hadn't thought about it and answered in kind.
"Close but err not exactly" this time it was in the language common to Faerun, with the pleasant Crasolian cadence.
"Who are you then?" Shard asked rolling away from Baldur.
"I suppose I should show myself," the stranger said stepping out of the shadows while lighting a mage light, Shard saw him and pulled the blanket up over herself, Baldur rolled over and started to snore.
The stranger revealed himself to be a tall Gorta-Trellian man, with dark golden-brown skin, violet eyes, long red hair, and dressed in purple and white robes, he was barefoot and holding a staff and wore a holy symbol around his neck, that Shard knew well.
Shard pulled up in amazement, pulling on her silk robe one the few luxuries she allowed herself when adventuring, Shard was a lady of the road but she was fond of silk, lace, satin and velvet, a bubble bath, romantic walks, flowers, jewellery, beautiful dresses and dinners and perfume when she could get it, there were no rules that a Dwarven female couldn't be feminine!
"Crikey!" she said stunned when she realised whom she was talking too " What in the Nine Hells are you doing here!?"
The stranger smiled slightly "I'm sorry Shard to have disturbed you at this time, but I needed to talk to someone in the Band and you seemed the obvious choice to contact, seeing you know who I am and can tell your friends who I am".
"But what are you doing here? How did you find me? And geez are you even real! "all her life she had never thought she was going to meet this person and now here he was.
"Real enough" he replied "I'm here, well at least my Avatar is, I wanted to come myself but I'm in a kind of a bind at the moment on several different levels, and it appears I've gotten a wee bit too powerful to not have to use one when wandering the mortal realms! But Shard I need to talk to your friends, I want to give you some advice, besides Deela is worried about you, he wants to know if you're ok" he looked at Baldur " hope it was worth it".
"You do huh?" Shard asked.
"yes, I'm serious Shard," he said.
"Ok, I will tell the others about you," she said, pulling on her clothes.
"Thank you," he said.

Shard walked outside the stranger, following her noticing that both Narache and Jack were current watch.
The stranger observed the two "interesting company you keep" he said " but then who am I to judge you? Their hearts are true, and one is not what he believes he is".
Shard walked up to where Varharland was resting, the huge Silver Dragons scales glinted in the light.
The stranger chuckled and then said, " now that is a Dragon! A Silver I believe".
"This is Varharland," said Shard " he's their Leader".
"A worthy choice," the stranger said, " his heart is true and good".
"Varharland!" Shard called hoping she said it loud enough to wake the Dragon.
The Dragon stirred and opened a huge, sleepy, jewelled amber eye, and he snorted and lifted his head slightly " what is it Shard? Are we under attack, as you do realise how dangerous it is to awaken a sleeping Dragon?"
"No, it is just that someone wants to talk to you rather urgently and claims they have limited time to do so," she said.
Varharland then became aware of the person beside her, a person shining with a divine light and with a considerable aura of power, Varharland gasped as he suddenly realised he was looking upon someone most people never got to meet, although it was also clear that the stranger was no servant of darkness, but nor was he a pure Servant of light, someone more Neutrally aligned then but with a strong streak and a tendency towards good.
"What the...?" Var said.
"Allow me to introduce myself", the stranger said in a pleasantly accented voice speaking flawless Common, actually come to think of it Shard had a similar accent "I'm known as Prince Durnaa Midnite and yes I'm a god".
Varharland said " what?"
Shard said, " Prince Durnajar Midnite to give you his full name, God of Neutrality and Justice and Head of the Crasolian Parthenon".
"You're a God?" Var asked although it made sense they were on the Planes!
"Uh yeah," said Durnajar.
"Then what in the Blazes are you doing here!" Varharland said.
"I have been here before or I will be I'm not quite sure of the time and I can give you some advice".
"Really?" Var asked.
"Do you not trust me Silver Dragon?" he asked then.
"I admit it is difficult, you appear out of nowhere on one of the Planes like this claiming that you are a God. And you ask me if I trust you?".
"Point taken" he admitted reluctantly.
Shard said, "Varharland he is who he says he is".
"Look into my soul then Silver Dragon" Durnaa invited.
Varharland said, "Ok, you must be right then, your aura and there is a feeling of great power I'm getting is vast, ok then, but who are you?"
"I'm as I say, the Crasolian God of Neutrality and Justice, and I'm also Second head of the Crasolian Parthenon. I have come to you in my avatar tonight to pass on a warning, I have been here before or I will be like I said I'm not sure of the time, but regardless of whether I have been here or not at this current time, what I have to say may help you all" Durnaa said.
"Var what is going on, I heard voices," said Mendis.
Varharland turned and saw the Halfling fully dressed and said: " Mendis, what are you doing up?"
"Relieving Jack and Narache for the watch," Mendis said " me and Tevon" just as Tevon came out yawning slightly.
"Wake the party," said Varharland.
"Are we under attack?" Tevon asked pulling out his sword eliciting a yelp and a complaint from it.
"wake me next time you do that!" Jaws complained, " I was asleep!"
"You're a sword!" Tevon said to it, " you don't sleep!"
"Wanna bet" the Sword challenged.
"No, we are not under attack," said Varharland.
"Well, put me back in my sheathe so I can go back to sleep!" Jaws said.
Tevon sighed and resheathed the sword " then why do you want us to wake the party then Var?"
Var said, " there is someone here who wants to talk to all of us".
"Couldn't it wait till morning?" he asked.
"No it couldn't," said a voice "I have limited time," Tevon noticed that the stranger whoever he was couldn't seem to see Mendis "I'm in a bit of a bind here on several different levels".
Tevon took a better look at the stranger who he first took to be an Elf, but then realised that he wasn't, he was too tall, with pointed elflike ears, slanted eyes and what looked like a tail and what also looked like wings, another Eladrin perhaps? The stranger was dressed in what looked like white and purple clerical robes, with red hair and softly glowing violet eyes that also seemed to lack whites and wearing what appeared to be a holy symbol of some sort around his neck.
He was clearly a wizard of some sort or a Priest, maybe both, although he didn't recognise the symbol on closer inspection, it appeared to be similar to Kelemvor's, but this strangers symbol was a pair of balanced scales over a pendulum.
"You're a Priest?' he asked, but he also had a feeling that also wasn't entirely right, as the stranger's aura was incredibly powerful.
"Oh yeah, you could say that" he replied.
Mendis spoke then his voice sounding awed " he's more than that Tevon! He's a God! A Greater Power by the feel of that aura! Or at least the avatar of one!"
Tevon said " but which god! I don't recognise the symbol".
"I don't think he is one of ours," said Mendis then.
The stranger regarded Mendis then looked astonished as he became aware of Mendis's presence and then said: "Mendis Underwood, also known as Mindshadow I believe, do you realise that two Parthenon's of two very different worlds are fighting over you and your siblings because they can't agree on which world you belong too?"
"Really?" Tevon asked.