13 - The War
They return to the keep. Nyssachrix continues to fortify the place against the advancing horde coming from the Mere.
Merchant traffic was still flowing, mostly war goods now, and I suspected that if we didn't all die in the next few weeks, Crossroad Keep would be a major trade hub. However I also knew if I survived this, I wasn't going to stay. I had developed an uneasy truce with Nevalle but I still chafed at the titles I had been saddled with. The keep was a prison of responsibility and bureaucracy. I missed the freedom of adventuring. I was not here to serve Nasher. I was here to protect Neverwinter because I was the only one who could. When it was over, I planned to get far from the Sword Coast.
I often dreamed of where I would go and who would come with me. Khelgar would have to go back to Ironfist. Neeshka would certainly join me. Elanee might, unless she decided to return to the Mere. Qara might at least until she got bored. Grobnar might just to get more stories, though I think he was getting old enough to consider settling somewhere. Casavir would be torn over his fatherly feelings toward me, but would stay and serve Nasher. Bishop was anyone's guess; I still didn't know why he was here at all. Sand would go back to his studies and his shop. Zhjaeve would return to her people. Oops, I mean her People. Jerro? I wasn't sure what he'd do, but he wasn't welcome to travel with me. I still hated him, and tolerated him only out of necessity.
Of course, I sighed, that assumed we all survived. It was hard to make firm plans when you weren't sure you'd be alive in the morning.
Unfortunately, the war wasn't going to wait for us to be ready. Nevalle came to me one day and said, "Lord Nasher is leading the Neverwinter forces to meet the army of the King of Shadows north of Highcliff. I am riding to join him. He has commanded..." He hesitated and then said, "asked that you remain here and make sure the keep is secure." I kept the smugness off my face. They were finally learning how to deal with me. "He does not wish to risk you and your companions at Highcliff. Waterdeep and the Lord's Alliance have reinforcements on the way, but if we cannot hold the keep until they arrive, then all is lost."
My smugness faded. "It sounds like he doesn't expect to win at Highcliff."
"If we can pull a victory from this battle, we will, but I will not lie to you, captain. This battle is intended to buy time to allow the people of Neverwinter to escape before the King of Shadows arrives. And to buy you time to find a way to defeat the King of Shadows before his troops advance any farther." He saluted me. "Farewell and good fortune to you, captain. Our fate rests in your hands."
I returned his salute, the first time I had done so without sarcasm, and said, "Good luck, Sir Nevalle."
As one of the Nine, Casavir went with him. I was disappointed but I understood why he had to go. Besides, Casavir was chafing at being stuck the keep while battles were being fought. I wished him luck as well and watched them ride off to join the column of Neverwinter forces moving south along the High Road.
A few days later, the sentries announced our forces were returning. I knew that could only be bad news. I went out to meet them and saw I was right. There were far fewer soldiers coming back, and nearly every one was wounded. Casavir came to see me.
"The battle at Highcliff did not go in our favor," Casavir said. "It gained us time, but reinforcements are still days away. Worse, Lord Nasher was wounded during the battle. The rest of the Nine are bringing him to the keep. We cannot risk moving him further until he has recovered."
"What's our next move?"
"We must hold this keep at all costs. The enemy is not far behind us so do what must be done to prepare this keep for siege. That is all we can do until reinforcements arrive."
The news was not unexpected, but did have a demoralizing effect on the garrison. I tried to keep spirits up through propaganda--lying, in other words. I de-emphasized the losses at Highcliff, overestimated the number of reinforcements, and generally kept up a brave face. The keep would be an immovable object, and Garius's army would not pass us.
Ammon Jerro is missing. The group tracks him to Shandra's farm and together they defeat the devil, Koraboros.
Ammon Jerro whirled on me angrily. "I don't recall asking you to come with me. I won't bother asking how you knew I was here. You always seem to be underfoot, interfering with everything."
Gods, he was as infuriating as his granddaughter could be. "I can't afford to lose you and the part of the ritual you possess," I said.
That got to him. "True," he admitted, calming himself. "I had not thought to be ambushed here, but it is the nature of the Lower Planes to harbor grudges once humiliated. In any event, to waste time trading words with you is not why I came here."
"Did you come to pay your respects to Shandra?"
That just made him angry again. "You're mistaken, of course. No, there is something I placed here long ago that may be of use in our war now."
"Is that all this place means to you?" I demanded.
"Is it all it means to me? Yes. I never knew this place, never knew my granddaughter until you brought her to me. So should I feel something as I look at this place? I think not. It is a burnt ruin, and I have seen many of these strewn with corpses - some caused by me, but many more caused by the King of Shadows, so it affects me little. That is because I know there will be hundreds, thousands, countless more unless the King of Shadows is stopped. And he must be stopped if people are to live."
"Is that why you've killed people you've been trying to save - like Shandra?" I regretted my remark at once, but for him to be so cavalier about the deaths of innocents infuriated me.
"Ah, and so you pass judgment on me yet again. Do you realize how you sound or are you deaf to it? As you condemn my actions, perhaps you should ask yourself how well you knew her - really knew her."
"She was my friend," I said, my voice catching. "She was more family to me than my real family."
"Indeed," he said skeptically. "Because from all that I have heard, you were constantly placing her in danger, and you know very little about her at all. So your preaching is not only irritating me, it is a hypocrisy I commonly observe in the Neverwinter nobility, captain."
I stormed forward, energies gathering around me. Only the fact he had part of the Ritual prevented me from blasting him into oblivion. "How dare you stand in judgment against me! How dare you act like I was using Shandra, the way you have used everyone you have ever met. I did everything I could to protect her from danger, guarding her against every enemy we faced, but in the end I was not quick enough to save her from you. Shandra traveled with me of her own free will, walked with me as an equal and a friend, and yet here I have to walk beside her murderer, take him into my home, defend his vile actions when others speak against him, not just because I want to fight the King of Shadows, but because it's what she would have wanted. You slaughtered my entire village, killed practically everyone I've ever met, and yet the only reason I hate you and pray to the gods that fiends like Koraboros spend thousands of years torturing you, is because you destroyed one of the few truly decent people I've ever met. And I can only hope after we stop the King of Shadows and you have no more purpose on this Plane, that you have the common decency to draw your dagger and plunge it into the dark mass where your heart used to be so someone else doesn't have to."
I had more I wanted to say, but I was crying so hard I couldn't speak. Jerro was stunned by my vehemence and was silent for a long time. "Your grief is...it is a great deal more than I thought. She could have remained here and been safe, but yet she followed you...why?"
I took a deep breath. "Sometimes you have to fight, which you know already."
He nodded. "Still...despite what you have said...she is still the reason why I have to fight this war, because no one else has the strength to do it. Or is willing to make the choices I can."
"Keep telling yourself that, and soon you'll become what you're fighting. You really think you're better than the King of Shadows because you've killed fewer innocent victims?"
"I did what I had to do, always," he said, his voice like steel. "They were hard decisions, but they had to be made by someone. And if no one would do it, I would. And before you judge me for my crimes, perhaps you should look back. The trail of dead behind you is long indeed, 'hero' of Neverwinter. As yourself truly if everything you have done has been done because you believe it was right - and then ask yourself if because of it, the innocent have suffered."
Visions of charred bodies carried out of a smoking Watch house rose in my mind. "Don't think I'm unaware of my deeds. The difference between us is I remember every one, and I atone for them each day."
The forces of the King of Shadows draw near. Nyssachrix witnesses Casavir and Katriona confessing their love to each other and then retreating to his quarters.
Everyone was finding their own ways that night. Bishop and Qara went off together, but that wasn't news. Khelgar trained. Elanee meditated among the trees; Zhjaeve meditated in her room. Grobnar polished the Construct. And so on. And me? I felt alone. I knew everyone in this keep looked up to me, and some were even my friends, but in many ways I was as isolated as the night I first left West Harbor. I was restless. I wanted to get this over with and move on.
I returned to my room. After a while, there was a knock at my door. Of all the faces I expected to see when I opened it, Ammon Jerro's was the most surprising and the least desired. "I wish to speak to you, if I might," he said. There was contrition in his voice. I wanted to slam the door on him but I reminded myself we needed to tolerate each other for now. I silently opened the door a little wider to let him in.
He entered and sat. He stared at the floor uncomfortably and started to speak. "I have been thinking a lot since we got back from the farm. About my past. My mistakes. My reasons for fighting. At first I thought it was because of my family, and perhaps it was, but later I fought because it was the right thing to do. The King of Shadows had to be stopped. But that some of my blood had survived because of what I did...it is a new thought. I thought I had lost them all." His knuckles were white on the arm of the chair. He still wouldn't meet my gaze. Softly he said, "I did not wish to kill her, you know. I would have liked to have known her. But..."
Again my feelings were mixed. I couldn't forget what he had done, what he was, but I also remembered he was a man. A fallible, foolish man. I remembered Sand once commenting that I might become so convinced of my own purpose I could crush anyone in my way. And, at times, it was hard to hold the power back. I thought about how easy it was to become lost. I didn't know who I would have been at that moment if I hadn't had the perspective of people like Casavir and Elanee and Khelgar. Even Neeshka kept my feet firmly on the ground, through the sweetness and yes even innocence that lurked inside her. "What do you want from me?" I asked, trying to keep the venom out of my voice. "Forgiveness?"
He laughed bitterly at that. "No. I do not wish it nor would you give it. If it makes you feel better, I have already had a taste of my future. The Lower Planes have many cells, and many agonies. At the close of the war against the King of Shadows, I was cast there - not yet dead, but soon wishing that I was. Fortunately, in those infernal prisons, I gained strength and tolerance for pain. I escaped, but this is only a temporary reprieve. I will be back there soon enough."
He was silent again. I still didn't know why he was here, but I realized he didn't either. I gained no pleasure from his pain. I took a deep breath and tried to let my anger fade, just for a while. "If you like, I can tell you what I know about her."
He looked up at me with an expression of anticipation. "I would like that."
I settled back. "Well, I first met Shandra as we traveled through Highcliff..." I talked well into the night and, when I was done, he seemed...calmer. Satisfied somehow.
Jerro said, "It seems she lived much in the short time left to her. And wouldn't have stayed away from the Haven no matter what you had done. I thank you for sharing her experiences with me." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pendant. I recognized it as the one we had found at Shandra's farm. "I think you should have this." I started to object but he said, "No. I insist. I don't...deserve this. Perhaps never will. You, a child, were more of a parent, a guardian, a protector to her than I could have ever been. This may have been meant for me, but I wish to pass it on to one more deserving. Please, take it."
Reluctantly I did and fastened it around my neck. He nodded and left my room.
And for some reason, I felt better. He deserved punishment, but it was not my place to give it. My hatred hurt only me, and ultimately would turn me into him. I doubted I could ever forgive him, but hating him was like hating a flood or an earthquake. Or the Guardian. Jerro had become a natural force, destroying everything in his path, not out of malice but just because that was what he did.
That night, I slept well.
They travel to the liar of the King of Shadows, eventually facing Garius. Bishop has joined him, but Nyssachrix convinces the ranger to leave. "So, Garius, tell me again how my companions are going to turn on me," I said. "Or should I go back to the keep and fetch Torio first?" She had proven to be an effective agent for the keep, a limitless source of information, and as near as I could tell completely loyal as long as she was treated with a little respect.
Sand defects to Garius, citing his fear of Qara's growing power.
I was nearly speechless. "You're saying she's worse than a shadow demon with an army of undead who's going to destroy the Sword Coast? Wow, Qara, I guess I've underestimated you. Either that or overestimated Sand's hold on reality."
Qara gave Sand a cold smile. "And here when Bishop left, I didn't think I'd have a really good target to kill. Nobody touch Sand. He is mine."
"Carve your own path, Qara," Garius said, "and I will show you the way."
"The only one I've ever had a problem with in this group is standing next to you, so I'll stay where I am. Trust me, Sand makes bad decisions all the time, and this is the last. And as for power, after I cook Sand's brains in his skull, I'll show you power when I cast a little light on your King of Shadows. This girl follows nobody."
"Enough, Garius!" I said. "I'm tired of your stalling. Fine, you managed to fool Sand because he's apparently far less bright than I thought, but you aren't going to waste any more time. We are going to end you. Now."
They defeat Garius, but the portal that will free the King of Shadows remains.
I looked down at Sand's body gloomily. There was a charge left in the rod of resurrection but that was where it would stay. I had been absolutely convinced of Sand's loyalty to me. Under normal circumstances he would never have sided with the King of Shadows. But I hadn't considered his unreasonable fear of Qara. I guess his hatred of her was greater than his loyalty to me, his compassion for the people of Neverwinter, and the intelligence he often bragged about. I looked at the portal. "So now what?" I asked.
Ammon Jerro examined the portal. "Hmm. Unfortunately, our resident expert on the Tome of Iltkazar chose to join Garius. However based on my studies, this portal is not fully activated. We would need to complete the ritual for the King of Shadows to come out."
"So he's still trapped?" I said. "Can't we just destroy it and imprison him?"
"Theoretically yes, but I would advise against it. That was the mistake the githyanki made. We would close this rift he's created, but history has shown he will simply create another. The Illefarn couldn't kill him because they didn't have the Sword of Gith. The githyanki couldn't because they lacked the Ritual of Purification. Now, with both, we can call him out and finish him once and for all."
"So you want to summon this powerful evil?" asked Neeshka. "And people think I'm irresponsible."
"If we do not defeat him, he will simply return on another day," Ammon Jerro snapped.
"Know that Ammon Jerro understands the truth of it," said Zhjaeve. "Imprisoning the King of Shadows is only a delaying tactic. Now, today, is the first time any one mortal has had the will and the power to destroy him utterly. Such a person may never again walk your world. We must face him now and end this."
"Great," said Qara - not sarcastically for once. "Let him out and blast him to pieces. Problem solved."
"I've been wanting to test the Hammer of Ironfist against a worthy opponent," said Khelgar.
I said, "All right, I agree with the sentiment. But I'm not sure we're strong enough anymore. The fight with Garius was much too close. We are all weak, wounded, and low on spells. I have only one charge left in the rod. Anyone who dies in this battle is gone for good."
"No," said Zhjaeve. "I can restore life to some, two or three. However I believe we do not have to face him immediately. Here, in the heart of his domain, we are safest of all. He can reach us only through this portal, and that is closed to him until we choose to open it."
"The gith is right," said Jerro. "We can rest for now, a few hours, maybe a day, safely. Tend our wounds. Strengthen our magic. Then we can call him out."
"I still want someone watching that portal," I said. "Two people in fact, since I don't completely trust that he can't reach us somehow." We arranged a sentry schedule - deciding on teams of three after all. I would watch with Khelgar and Zhjaeve. Then Ammon Jerro, Casavir and Neeshka would watch while we rested.
Fully rested and ready, I told Ammon Jerro to complete the activation of the portal.
