Three days seemed too long and yet not long enough for Nesgrim to do whatever it was the gnome druid had planned to do. But no one could deny that there had been no trouble with gnolls or anything else since Aran had spoken with the gnome, almost as though they had moved on in some way. It seemed he had kept his end of the bargain ....one half of it, anyway.
It seemed almost unbelievable the way the attacks had ended, and the gnolls were no longer a threat to the village. A miracle to some, though Hal knew better. He knew it was because of the bargain they'd made with the druid, and now it was their turn to keep their end of that bargain. He'd left that part to Luin; all he needed to do was escort her there and keep her safe. That, and free the drow girl from captivity. In the end, they hadn't needed to make a choice between the two drow in the village. One had declined, which left the other to reluctantly agree in his place.
Luin had spent the third day closeted with the mages, learning the essence of the spell and how to cast it. She was as ready as she would ever be to do this, but she already knew she would not give Nesgrim his peace unless he first gave the drow girl her freedom. This time, when they reached the barrier of vines, there was no separation of the greenery. They were forced to wait while, presumably, Nesgrim was summoned.
The third member of their party - a dark elf named Kalan'ar - was not a seasoned warrior, like his companions, despite the fact that he was armed, mostly for his own protection. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other, obviously restless as they awaited the gnome's arrival.
"Stop fidgeting," Hal hissed in annoyance. "You are making me nervous."
"Apologies, my lord," the dark elf murmured, struggling to remain still. He tilted a glance at the woods around them, in anticipation of the druid's arrival. "Do you think he knows we are here?"
Luin had been watching the tops of the trees in this clearing, ignoring the nervous fidgeting, and felt a faint sense of relief when she saw what she had been hoping to see. "He knows," she assured her companions, gesturing toward the shimmering hummingbird flitting back and forth above them. "I would venture to guess that he is almost here."
"A hummingbird?" Kalan'ar asked, as he followed Luin's gaze to the tops of the trees.
"That is no bird," Hal pointed out. "That is the dark elf that is his captive," without further explanation. They had already told him as much as they knew, but the drow had not been expecting her to appear in such a delicate form as that.
"He seems to keep her in that form until he requires the use of her hands," Luin commented softly, tilting her gaze back to the vines as they began to whisper and untangle themselves, parting to reveal the disheveled and bearded gnome druid, stumping toward them with his heavy staff.
He stopped at the sight of Kalan'ar. "You bring drow?"
"He is only here for the girl. We do not know what language she speaks, and we need to be able to communicate with her," Hal said, stepping between the druid and the drow, in part to protect him and in part to become a living barrier between the gnome and the drow. "Do not fear. We intend to keep our part of the bargain," he assured the old gnome."
Nesgrim eyed them warily, but it appeared that he had decided to trust at least the two elves he had already met. "Gnolls gone," he informed them. "Moved them on through a portal, back to their own lands. No more trouble coming your way from them."
Luin smiled. "Thank you, Nesgrim."
"Yes, thank you. The villagers are grateful for your help," Hal echoed Luin's words, though he wasn't quite as trusting as she was. Still, the gnome had upheld his end of the bargain. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked further, of the bargain they had made. All the druid claimed to have wanted was the peace and quiet that came with solitude before he died, but to Hal, it seemed a lonely way to end his life.
The old gnome huffed at the concern in Hal's voice. "Four hundred years might not seem much to you long-lived ones, but for me, it has been a very long life," he said in his cracked voice. "Peace, I need peace. No more demands. Just the Mother, and the bounty of her goodness."
"And the drow girl?" Luin asked, her tone just a little sharp.
Nesgrim scowled, but thumped his staff against the ground. The hummingbird swept downward just in time to prevent the dark elven woman being hurt when she landed, but she still stumbled and fell to her knees.
Kalan'ar gasped as the hummingbird turned into a pretty dark elf, right before his eyes, and he unconsciously reached out to steady her before she fell, without thought as to whether she might welcome his help.
"Steady," he told her quietly, as he offered his arm, choosing to speak to her in their native drow language, rather than common in hopes she understood. "We are here to set you free."
She did not shy away from his touch, but the tension that rippled through her suggested that this woman was accustomed to stealing herself against anything unpleasant. But she nodded in answer to his words, showing that she understood Under-Common, at the very least. She touched the circle of twisted vines about her neck silently, her violet eyes very carefully devoid of all emotion.
Kalan'ar scowled as he recognized the vines for what they really were. "The collar," he pointed out, switching back to the language that was commonly spoken in Rhy'Din. Hal glanced over at the girl and the circle of vines about her neck, furrowing his brows in annoyance again, assuming that was what held her in the druid's thrall. He wondered if the druid was waiting for them to uphold their part of the bargain before he freed her completely. "That is not part of the bargain," he said, turning back to Nesgrim.
The gnome ignored him, his beady eyes fixed on Hal and Luin, the two elves he had met before and felt no particular dislike of. "You kept your word?" he asked, and it was almost painful how much hope the little man held in those few syllables. He truly did want to be away from the world of men and elves and others in his last weeks and months, needing reassurance that he would have that before he gave up everything he had agreed to.
"We kept our word," Hal confirmed, looking to Luin, who was the one who would be casting the spell. "Will you keep yours?" he asked, with a nod of his head toward the drow girl and the matter of the collar of vines around her neck that seemed to still hold her in thrall.
Sensing that she was the one who would make or break this deal at this point, Luin knelt down, opening the pouch on her belt to start bringing out the components of the spell she was about to cast. Nesgrim eyed her thoughtfully, watching for a long moment. Then he leveled his staff at the drow girl, and a thin blast of green energy swept from the crystal hidden in the gnarled wood to the circlet of vines about her neck. The vines unraveled themselves, revealing the thorns that had been turned inward against her flesh, slithering away to rejoin the living mass around them as dark blood trickled from the pinprick wounds left behind by the living collar.
It seemed almost unbelievable the way the attacks had ended, and the gnolls were no longer a threat to the village. A miracle to some, though Hal knew better. He knew it was because of the bargain they'd made with the druid, and now it was their turn to keep their end of that bargain. He'd left that part to Luin; all he needed to do was escort her there and keep her safe. That, and free the drow girl from captivity. In the end, they hadn't needed to make a choice between the two drow in the village. One had declined, which left the other to reluctantly agree in his place.
Luin had spent the third day closeted with the mages, learning the essence of the spell and how to cast it. She was as ready as she would ever be to do this, but she already knew she would not give Nesgrim his peace unless he first gave the drow girl her freedom. This time, when they reached the barrier of vines, there was no separation of the greenery. They were forced to wait while, presumably, Nesgrim was summoned.
The third member of their party - a dark elf named Kalan'ar - was not a seasoned warrior, like his companions, despite the fact that he was armed, mostly for his own protection. He shifted nervously from one foot to the other, obviously restless as they awaited the gnome's arrival.
"Stop fidgeting," Hal hissed in annoyance. "You are making me nervous."
"Apologies, my lord," the dark elf murmured, struggling to remain still. He tilted a glance at the woods around them, in anticipation of the druid's arrival. "Do you think he knows we are here?"
Luin had been watching the tops of the trees in this clearing, ignoring the nervous fidgeting, and felt a faint sense of relief when she saw what she had been hoping to see. "He knows," she assured her companions, gesturing toward the shimmering hummingbird flitting back and forth above them. "I would venture to guess that he is almost here."
"A hummingbird?" Kalan'ar asked, as he followed Luin's gaze to the tops of the trees.
"That is no bird," Hal pointed out. "That is the dark elf that is his captive," without further explanation. They had already told him as much as they knew, but the drow had not been expecting her to appear in such a delicate form as that.
"He seems to keep her in that form until he requires the use of her hands," Luin commented softly, tilting her gaze back to the vines as they began to whisper and untangle themselves, parting to reveal the disheveled and bearded gnome druid, stumping toward them with his heavy staff.
He stopped at the sight of Kalan'ar. "You bring drow?"
"He is only here for the girl. We do not know what language she speaks, and we need to be able to communicate with her," Hal said, stepping between the druid and the drow, in part to protect him and in part to become a living barrier between the gnome and the drow. "Do not fear. We intend to keep our part of the bargain," he assured the old gnome."
Nesgrim eyed them warily, but it appeared that he had decided to trust at least the two elves he had already met. "Gnolls gone," he informed them. "Moved them on through a portal, back to their own lands. No more trouble coming your way from them."
Luin smiled. "Thank you, Nesgrim."
"Yes, thank you. The villagers are grateful for your help," Hal echoed Luin's words, though he wasn't quite as trusting as she was. Still, the gnome had upheld his end of the bargain. "Are you sure this is what you want?" he asked further, of the bargain they had made. All the druid claimed to have wanted was the peace and quiet that came with solitude before he died, but to Hal, it seemed a lonely way to end his life.
The old gnome huffed at the concern in Hal's voice. "Four hundred years might not seem much to you long-lived ones, but for me, it has been a very long life," he said in his cracked voice. "Peace, I need peace. No more demands. Just the Mother, and the bounty of her goodness."
"And the drow girl?" Luin asked, her tone just a little sharp.
Nesgrim scowled, but thumped his staff against the ground. The hummingbird swept downward just in time to prevent the dark elven woman being hurt when she landed, but she still stumbled and fell to her knees.
Kalan'ar gasped as the hummingbird turned into a pretty dark elf, right before his eyes, and he unconsciously reached out to steady her before she fell, without thought as to whether she might welcome his help.
"Steady," he told her quietly, as he offered his arm, choosing to speak to her in their native drow language, rather than common in hopes she understood. "We are here to set you free."
She did not shy away from his touch, but the tension that rippled through her suggested that this woman was accustomed to stealing herself against anything unpleasant. But she nodded in answer to his words, showing that she understood Under-Common, at the very least. She touched the circle of twisted vines about her neck silently, her violet eyes very carefully devoid of all emotion.
Kalan'ar scowled as he recognized the vines for what they really were. "The collar," he pointed out, switching back to the language that was commonly spoken in Rhy'Din. Hal glanced over at the girl and the circle of vines about her neck, furrowing his brows in annoyance again, assuming that was what held her in the druid's thrall. He wondered if the druid was waiting for them to uphold their part of the bargain before he freed her completely. "That is not part of the bargain," he said, turning back to Nesgrim.
The gnome ignored him, his beady eyes fixed on Hal and Luin, the two elves he had met before and felt no particular dislike of. "You kept your word?" he asked, and it was almost painful how much hope the little man held in those few syllables. He truly did want to be away from the world of men and elves and others in his last weeks and months, needing reassurance that he would have that before he gave up everything he had agreed to.
"We kept our word," Hal confirmed, looking to Luin, who was the one who would be casting the spell. "Will you keep yours?" he asked, with a nod of his head toward the drow girl and the matter of the collar of vines around her neck that seemed to still hold her in thrall.
Sensing that she was the one who would make or break this deal at this point, Luin knelt down, opening the pouch on her belt to start bringing out the components of the spell she was about to cast. Nesgrim eyed her thoughtfully, watching for a long moment. Then he leveled his staff at the drow girl, and a thin blast of green energy swept from the crystal hidden in the gnarled wood to the circlet of vines about her neck. The vines unraveled themselves, revealing the thorns that had been turned inward against her flesh, slithering away to rejoin the living mass around them as dark blood trickled from the pinprick wounds left behind by the living collar.