What REALLY happened to Imoen (a novel)

[Kaltia]

Awww...poor Immy
*hefts a length of pipe and goes to beat that guard-guy out of Gal's novel*
Sorry if i don't post so regularly, dearies, I'm at school.

[Galadria]

Don't worry, Kaltia, I guessed. Yeah, that part made me sad when I wrote it. MORE:

Noemi shook her head loose of these memories. She replied to an anxiously listening Sefa,."When your Lady and I went on the road for the first time, we survived on my wits for a while, stealing food and money to buy arms. My magical talent was pretty rudimentary at the time. But we still have use for my skills. I can scout ahead, warn of ambushes, garotte guards. Whatever it takes."
Sefa, in her inexperience, didn't catch all of the implications, but she grasped one thing." So you and my Lady weren't always rich?" she asked, incredulously.
Noemi shook her head and smiled ruefully, "Not at all. We were raised in relative comfort, but we lost everything when our foster father was killed. Every gold piece we have, we have earned. The life of an adventurer is hard, but it is profitable. If you live."
By the time Sefa had thought this through, they were almost to the slums. Since the redhead was in a confiding mood, she ventured to ask,"How about Baron Odo and Lady Cythera? They're rich, and they're your best friends; how did you meet them?"
"Well," Noemi replied, "we met Odo one evening on the road to here. He was looking for Cythera. She had been kidnapped by a rejected suitor of hers. At first, he thought we were some of his retainers, but we convinced him otherwise. You know Odo. Once he's sure you're his friend, he's yours forever."
"Did you help him rescue Lady Cythera?" Sefa asked eagerly. She was very fond of the lovely blonde, and hated to think of her a prisoner.
"Oh, yes, we did. Odo killed the gentleman involved. Smashed his head in with that mace of his." She smiled unpleasantly, "The man wasn't wearing a helmet. Said it mussed his hair, so he fought without one. Let me tell you, Odo mussed it good."
They had reached the door leading to the den where Sefa's friend slept. Noemi stealthily opened the door, which this time made no sound, and they crept in, staying in the shadows to avoid any more confrontations. Sefa let the way to the nook where Sefa had dwelt with her comrades.They were lucky, for Naba was there, gnawing on the end of a loaf of bread, purchased with Cythera's money. Suth was nowhere to be seen, for which Sefa was grateful.
When she first detected them, Naba dropped the bread, and dropped to a fighting crouch, waving Sefa's old knife. "Who's there?" she hissed.
"Friends," answered Sefa aloud.. "Naba, it's me."
The ragged girl peered into the gloom and recognized her erstwhile associate and lowered her knife a little. She focused on Noemi, who had not drawn Questioner. The redhead was not at all afraid of this child, and besides, the glow might scare her.
"Who's that?" Naba asded cautiously.
"She's my teacher," replied Sefa,"Lady Noemi. You know, you saw her the other day. The one that melted Bobu's knife."
Naba's eyes widened as she recognized the sorceress."That's her? The one who threatened Suth? Why did she...why did you ...come back?"
Noemi stepped forward, mindful of the children's fear of kidnapping. "We came to find you, but not for what you think." she said in a reassuring tone. "Lady Galadria, Sefa's Mistress and mine, wants to speak with you. There will be a reward."
Naba seemed to flinch, then looked to Sefa. "What...what does she want?" she stammered fearfully.
"Oh, Naba," Sefa replied impatiently,"nothing bad. Look at me! Do I look like I'm being tortured? My Lady just wants to talk to you, that's all. You would get some more money, buy yourself a better dress and some decent shoes. Some blankets. Food. Naba, I swear to you, you won't regret it."
Naba finally gave in, and followed them back to the House of the Dome. They went in and, while Noemi went to tell Galadria of the successful conclusion to their quest, Sefa took Naba up to her room on the second floor.

[Kaltia]

I'm gonna go and find a banner with welcome here Naba on it...*wanders off*
Tell Atty-boy I said hi

[Attalus]

*hugs Kaltia until her eyeballs pop out.* [img]tongue.gif[/img] I warned you. LOL. You may want to see what happens to Naba.

[Galadria]

[img]graemlins/nono.gif[/img] Now, Attalus, no hugging the teenagers on my thread. [img]graemlins/beheaded.gif[/img]

Some more:

As they walked into the little room, Sefa was conscious of a great glow of pride. It was as neat as the proverbial pin. On the right hand wall stood a mantel above a small, bright fire.The mantelpiece was adorned with a beautiful blue stone that Sefa had found while excavating the basin and a figurine of a bear that their guide had given them, carved from amber. A copy of the picture of Galadria and Noemi that the redhead had presented her with as a thank-you for her services during the fight against the mosadorn hung above the mantel. Her small bed, covered with some animal pelt from the north stood against the wall that they faced, with her oval white pillow at the head. A window, shuttered but with one slightly ajar to admit the winter light was over the bed, and a bedside table held a candle and her reading text. A wooden chair that Sefa sat on while she put on her boots was there, too. On the left was a chest with three drawers to hold her belongings, and a vase stood on the top with a dried flower in it, a gift from Cythera, with a wash stand adjacent. A red and blue rug was on the flagged floor next to the bed.
Naba gasped."Is this your room, Sefa?" At the girl's nod, she replied, "Oh, it's grand. And all your things! Do you just love living here?" She sat down on the side of the bed, her hand caressing the fur. "I can't even imagine sleeping in a bed this nice."
Sefa was getting uncomfortable. She hated to think of her friend going back to the cheerless room she remembered so well. She hurried to change the subject, walking over to the chest. "Well, Naba, the main thing is to get you another dress if you're going to talk to my Lady" Naba looked down uneasily at the dirty blue tunic she was wearing, fingering a poorly mended rent over her belly.
Sefa produced a short pink dress that she had found in storage, the castoff of some previous occupant of the house, together with some stout brown shoes that she had bought at the store in Tarashia, but found too tight. Naba's feet were smaller than hers, she remembered. As her friend was hastily donning these donations with many protestations of gratitude, Sefa heard quick steps in the hall that she immediately identified as Noemi's by the distinctive tap that her boots made. The redhead stuck her head in the door and inspected Sefa and the reclothed Naba. She nodded in quick approval. "Good job, Sefa," she said, "Cyth'd be proud. But one more thing." She went to Sefa's washstand, dipped her washing flannel in the pitcher, and briskly began to scrub Naba's face. The urchin squawked and protested, but Noemi did a thorough job, finally stepping back to view her results.
"Well," she muttered, "better." As far as she was concerned, nobody was coming in to see her sister with a dirty face. Not if she had brought them. "All right girls, come on. Naba, your audience with the Lady Galadria is about to commence."
"Don't look so scared." Sefa reassured her, "She doen't bite."
Galadria, as usual, was seated at her table in her study, an open book before her. Her moving lips might have indicated poor reading skills to a layman, but Noemi and Sefa knew that she was memorising some cantrip.
Always at work, Gal, thought her sister with an inward smile. Aloud, she said."Here is the child, Naba, my Lady, brought at your behest for your questions."
Galadria looked up from her studies to smile a welcome to the obviously terrified child. It was her turn to think, Noemi! but she merely said in a soothing voice, "Welcome Naba, to our home. Will you sit?" she patted the chair placed in front of her. The child carefully sat down were she had indicated, while Noemi and Sefa found seats around the table.
The dark mage had carefully placed a spell on that chair which made it impossible for the occupant to lie. Now she asked, with confidence of getting truth, "Tell me, Naba, when did you first meet our Sefa?"
The girl's eyes shot to Sefa before returning to her Mistress."I dunno, Lady, I've known her since we were both little."
"But, think," Galadria pursued, "surely you remember some remark, something that might tell us whence she came? Did no adult ever care for you?"
A surprised look came onto Naba's face. "Oh, yes'm. My mother."
"And where is she?" asked the dark sorceress, gently, for she knew the answer would probably not pleasant.
She was right, "Dead," the girl replied, "in the plague, about six years ago."
Galadria nodded. The last plague to sweep Baldur's Gate was seven years before. She swiveled to Sefa. "Do you remember that?" she queried. By their reckoning, she would have been about seven.
Sefa looked at Naba. "That's right," she recalled, "Aurelia was your mother. Sure, I remember how sad we were, the winter was hard, that year." Sefa remembered her little bed upstairs. How thankful she was!
"Now, Naba," the mage bored in. "Think, and think hard. Did your mother ever say anything about how Sefa came to be with you?"
Naba was on the spot. She thought of, and tried to utter, several impressive things, invented on the nonce, but, somehow, she just couldn't get them out. Galadria saw her struggle and compressed her lips. "Do not try to lie, Naba, for the chair will not let you. Now, for trying to deceive me, I shall be forced to compel you," she said sternly. Naba tried to get up and run, but by trying to tell a falsehood in the enchanted chair, she was paralysed. She could not move a muscle.
Noemi, seeing this, was moved to whisper, "Good one, Gal." She had never seen that spell before. Her sister never ceased to amaze her. She looked at the dark mage warmly.
Intent on her spell, Galadria did not notice. She bregan an intricate series of passes with her hands, which Noemi was quick to recognize as a memory spell, designed to get someone to remember a forgotten fact. She shrugged. It was to be hoped that the girl had simply misplaced the memory, for the spell to evoke kept secrets was much less pleasant.
Galadria then spoke the invocation: "Remi lune, foavert m'sci ETTER!" she cried. For a moment, it seemed that Naba was on fire, and Sefa cried out in protest, but it quickly died to a slight glow. She realised that she had partially arisen, and sank back into her seat. She trusted her Mistress to see that Naba came to no harm, Why did she have to try to lie? she thought with a groan. How could she hope to deceive a sorceress this powerful? Naba's face was blank, her eyes glassy.
Her Mistress remained intent on her friend. "Now, Naba, you will answer. Your memory lies open before me, to the earliest times. True?"
"Yes, Mistress," came Naba's hollow voice.
"Cast back in time," Galadria asked gently. "Tell me of your first meeting with Sefa."
"My father is carrying her into our house," Naba said in the same lifeless tone.
"How old are you?" asked the mage.
"I don't know, Mistress, I suppose two or three."
"And how old is Sefa, about the same?"
"No, Mistress, younger, a babe in arms." Noemi frowned at that. They would have to revise their estimates of Sefa's age. Perhaps her sister had been right to place her at twelve. Just mature, she thought ruefully.
Galadria was going on. "Is your father speaking?"
"Yes, Mistress, to my mother."
"What does he say?"
To Sefa's amazement, a deeper voice came out of Naba's mouth. "Aurelia, look here. I've got us a prize. Did you ever see a prettier little girl? Remar told me to dispose of her, since her ransom never came through, but I think we'll keep her. Eight years or so, sell her to one of the brothels, what do you say?"
"And your mother?" demanded Galadria," what did she say?"
A tired voice came from Naba's mouth, "Whatever you say, Ulcas, what's one more brat around the house?"
"And then?" asked the mage.
"Nothing else, mistress. I went out of hearing. I know no more."
"Very well," Galadria snapped her fingers and said one more word, "Tio." Naba awakened with a shocked look on her face. "All, right, Em, give her some gold and escort her back to her dwelling. I think we have heard enough.The dark mage turned away and went back to writing.
Sefa rushed to Naba, who still seemed stunned. "Are you all right?" she asked anxiously.
Naba looked at Sefa in disbelief. "It didn't hurt," she said softly. "it was strange, though. It was like my life before was one room, and then she lit up the whole house. I could have told her anything that ever happened to me, but now...now there's just the room again." She turned to the redheaded mage, who was helping her up. "I thought you said she didn't bite."
Noemi laughed softly. "That was Sefa. She doesn't know her well enough, yet," she responded, "Oh yes, Lady Gal has a bite. Good sized teeth, too. It's wise not to provoke her. Why were you going to lie?"
Naba shook her head, As they walked into the hall, she ventured.,"I don't know, I was just going to make up some cock and bull. I guess I thought she was soft. I didn't think I knew anything. But I did. How did she know?"
Noemi grinned at the urchin's wonder. "I doubt she did, but she knew you had been around Sefa since her earliest memories were formed. She knew that it was in there somewhere. If you had frankly told her you didn't remember, she would have asked your permision, and given you more of a reward. But, you tried to lie, and activated that paralysis spell. Good lesson to you. Don't try to lie to someone that has you in their power, especially a sorceress. They might not have that spell, but they all can tell when you're lying. That's why she wanted you here, where her power is greatest. Consider yourself lucky. If you had tried that with some of them, you'd be in a cage in the basement right now, singing a different song." The redhead frowned as she thought about her time in a cage. She shook her head to rid herself of the thought of her own seemingly endless agonized screaming. We won and he's dead, she reminded herself.
She found herself at the door, while the two girls engaged in animated conversation, catching up. They went out through the courtyard and into the street. Noemi's mood changed quickly. She reveled in her freedom, able to walk and to go where she wanted. The wind was brisk aand her skin tingled. She smiled as late passersby streamed past them. Some looked at her suspiciously, some smiled back. A young man or two turned their heads as she passed, trying to meet her eye with an inviting leer on their faces. To no avail. The enticing redhead went obliviously on, her head full of thoughts. .
Soon enough, they were back in the slums. Dark shadows held many dangers, but no one accosted the leather clad mage and her charges. They dropped Naba off at the entrance to the basement. Sefa gave her a quick hug, and Noemi placed some gold into her hand. The girls exchanged silent waves, and Naba slipped into the dark basement. The door closed silently, and they returned to the House of the Dome.

[Kaltia]

AWwwwww....*looks depressed*
*hugs Atty-boy* hey, I'm a teenager, I have to annoy someone to *sniff* hide my inner feelings...(wow, the jargon here!)

[Attalus]

LOL, Kaltia, that's okay, you don't annoy me at all. Gal, er Laurie, did you put that in to make Lady Galadria a"darker" character? Just wondering, I don't remember all of that from last time that I read it.

[Kaltia]

I don't? Damnit! I might have Calthy talk...well, Calthy-ish at you [img]tongue.gif[/img]
Gal, update! If atty is here why aren't yoooouuuuuuuuuu? *realises she's whining and swear rather naughtily*
ooops.

[Galadria]

Well, I don't think that she is all that Goody Two-Shoes. Remember, in The Burned Drow, when she destroys the drow city? Oh well, that's later. Some more:

Noemi sent Sefa to clean up for dinner, then went back to her sister's study. She plopped down on a bench near the big table. Galadria looked at her enquiringly. "Well, she's home," the redhead said as she reclined and put a cushion behind her head. "After all that, what have we learned?"
Galadria smiled. "Little enough," she replied, "but still something. Sefa was a kidnap victim, one whose ransom was never paid. Twelve years ago. How will we find out whose child she was, then? I have no idea. Perhaps someone at the Flaming Fist," the peacekeepers of the city, "will remember."
The redhead, trying to juggle small pillows, made a slip and dropped them all. She snorted. "Mustn't have been too rich, or they would have ransomed her. Or, maybe since she's a mere girl, they didn't want to waste the money. Who knows? Who cares? Who was my mother, or yours, for that matter? It's what she is now that counts."
The dark mage resumed her writing of a spell. "For us, that is true," she said. "I could desire no more or better family than you, sweetie. But, perhaps, unlike us, Sefa might have family somewhere. It is a pity that we have no more time to spend on this. We will enquire, when we get back."
Well, a mother and a father would be nice, with a brother to referee between us, Noemi thought to herself, but resumed her juggling. She would liked to have launched one at the dark head, but she knew that if she messed up a spell her normally placid sister would be really angry, and that was something she didn't want to risk. Not then, with their lives about to go on the line.
The day before they were to leave, Galadria gathered the women in her study for one last attempt to get information from the bowl. They gathered around the great table, and the dark mage poured the sacred water. Almost at once, Fasz appeared. "We greet you, great Fasz." Galadria said firmly, "We are about to depart to fight against your enemy, Me'elshadrixx. We have located the Temple of the Lost Dawn, and are bound thither. Can you offer us any advice?"
"So, Galadria," the voice boomed, "you have not been idle. I felt you might command success. What more can I tell you? Be strong and be clever. Show it no mercy as it would show you naught. But there is one thing. My senses tell me that you have about you one weapon that would be strong against it, but you do not yet understand it fully. I can tell you no more, but I feel that there is doubt or lack of full knowlege between you and it. Consider this carefully, as it may mean the difference between life and death, success or failure. You have my blessing." He disappeared.
Cythera looked at Galadria with wonder. "What do you have, Gal," she asked, "that you do not comprehend?"
"Many things," her friend replied lightly, but her eye fell on Sefa's scroll.

[Kaltia]

oooh...onmious. I spelt that wrong, I know, but no correcting me, atty-boy [img]tongue.gif[/img]