Holy Opposites 29

	Axio beamed from ear to ear as Luanea presented him with his gift.  “Oh, Luanea, you shouldn’t have!  This is so thoughtful!”

	The graceful scion of Eilistraee smiled right back.  “No, I really should, and I knew it would be yours the moment I saw it.”

	Axio held up a handful of four little silver beads.  Each was no larger than a thumbnail, but each gleamed with a sparkle of moonlight, despite the blazing sun overhead.  “Oh, Luanea, this is a lovely gift!” he said, delighted.  “I hope this didn’t put you back, I would feel so guilty if this cost you too much.”

	Luanea seemed to look secretive for a moment.  “Well, you didn’t hear this from me, but a certain friend of mine in the Night Below found them for me, and he assures me the slaver who ordered them will not miss them at all, that we’ll ever hear.”

	“Ah, well then,” Axio said.  He inspected one silver chunk – yes, they did have the light of the moon trapped within.  The gentle glow of Selûne in each cast odd shadows from his fingers.  The stones were well-pebbles, relatively easy to make but expensive.  They were focusing items, and they could be used to make it easier for a divine spellcaster to commune with their deity if they were used outdoors.  They calmed the mind and slowed the heart, and could be used as sleeping aids as much as they could be for religious ceremony.

	The priestess herself was preparing for action, too.  Axio saw that one of the pair of obviously enchanted bastard swords on the wall over the cabinet was missing.  The cabinet was a bit empty, as well, so somebody had been draining holy water.

	Dessa looked on morosely as her surrogate mother prepared to depart.  “Nobody else can do this?” she asked.  Her eye sockets were a bit red.  Axio felt a pang.  The girl had been crying, quite a bit if he was any judge, since his visit the previous morning.  He had slept like a stone overnight, and come back just after lunch today.

	“No, sweetheart, nobody else can,” Luanea assured her.  “If it makes you feel any better, I’ve been down and back many times.”

	“This feels different,” Dessa sniffled.  She was still dressed as if she was anticipating a sun-tanning marathon, but now she had her knees hugged up against her chest, and she looked anything but perky.

	“Perhaps, Dessa, but my mind is made up,” Luanea said firmly.  Axio suddenly felt very obtrusive, and stepped back into the construction site.

	He looked around at the hive of activity.  Most of the construction workers were human – this was Waterdeep, after all – but many were elves, too, and that warmed his heart.  The Dark Dancer’s followers were mostly drow, and the vast majority of drow hated elves and eladrin with a fiery, loathing passion.  Their surface kin held the drow in utmost contempt, too, at least in part because the drow were a living reminder that the loss of the empire of the elves had been the result of their own pride and shortsightedness.  That elves and drow were working hand-in-hand with their human cousins to build a place of worship, love, and acceptance in the middle of the mercantile capital of the North Coast was reassuring sign.

	Not if their children were being abducted and tortured to death, though, of course.  Axio’s stomach lurched as he recalled the sight of that terrified boy’s life crumbling to dust and oozing away on the bed.  He shook his head vigorously, trying to dispel the image.

	“Sorry about that, Axio,” Luanea’s voice said behind him.  He turned to see her standing there, hands clasped.  “She doesn’t understand why this is important.”

	Axio cleared his throat to hide his momentary flash of hate.  “Yes, of course.  If I may, my friend, I don’t get it either.  Why are you so dead-set on accompanying us?”

	Luanea looked down at the floor.  “The children of the Quessar, the greater elven people, are among the lost, are they not?  Eilistraee admires and trusts Ryaire to keep safe the souls of the young lost, but what are we, their servants, do not work together to save them before it becomes necessary?”

	Axio rested one hand on her shoulder.  “A wise decision, Luanea,” he said.  “I welcome your aid.”

	“Good.”  The two of them walked off through the construction site for the temple of Ryaire together.  “Tell me of this new Paladin of yours.”

	“Ah, Cavria,” Axio said.  “A noble and skilled friend.  She only joined us recently, but she’s a mighty warrior.  She’s a Paladin of the Path of Devotion, like me.  She prefers glaives and javelins.”

	“I see.  Where is she from?”

	Axio hesitated.  Oh, if there were ever a topic upon which even he could see he should say no more… “I think she should tell you,” he said lamely, and kicked himself inside.  Well, that had all but guaranteed Luanea would ask!  Keeping secrets was far from his strength.  Dismantling buildings, sure, but pulling his foot out of his mouth, no, he left that to experts.

	“Axio?”

	He blinked.  Luanea was giving him an odd look.  “Er, sorry.  Anyway, she’s quickly earned our trust, and I think you’ll like her.  She’s my immediate subordinate, like most of the Paladins.”

	Luanea nodded.  “Is she aware of your vaunted status?” she asked, taking a second to make eye contact with him.

	Axio nodded.  His status as a Chosen wasn’t public.  “Oh, yes, she knows.”

	“Good.  I needn’t be discreet.”

	The two of them walked the rest of the way in companionable silence.  They had been fast friends, despite Luanea’s far greater age, and Axio was confident Cavria would let her into her own confidence before long, but Ryaire willing, he wouldn’t make that decision for her.


Chapter Twenty-One:


	I stared at the pair of priests in front of me.  “Axio, you told me I was your only one,” I quipped.

	“Oh hush,” Axio chuckled.  “Cavria, this is my dear friend Luanea, a priestess of Eilistraee with whom I consult for aid in magical affairs.  Luanea, this jester is my new partner, Cavria, a Paladin of my grandfather’s Order.”

	Luanea smiled a beatific smile.  I was assembled for maximum attractiveness, and even I felt out-shone.  “Cavria, a pleasure,” she said, bowing over my hand.  Not curtseying, I noted, and her arm muscles looked like the support cords of a suspension bridge when she shook my hand.  Her flowing robe sleeves concealed them the rest of the time.  A fighter?  It didn’t diminish her beauty.  “I look forward to working with you.”

	“Likewise, priestess.”  I returned the bow out of politeness and sat back down at the lunch table.  “Axio, while you were gone, the Watch dropped off their copy of the master map of Undermountain.  Apparently, their higher ranks are arranging for some big raid on what they think to be a site of worship for Loviatar in the hills outside town, and they think they might find clues there.”

	“And even if they don’t, it’s a tailor-made distraction for us,” Axio said at once.  His tactical sense was as sharp as ever.  “Excellent.  May I read it?”

	“It’s on your desk.”  I looked over at the priestess as she sat down beside him.  No, they weren’t an item, but sex is sort of my thing, and I could tell she fancied him a bit.  It was in her eyes, and how she always turned to face him when he was the one talking.  I decided to ignore it.  I certainly wouldn’t mind my friend getting some, but there was something far graver before us.  “They also dropped off another victim’s address.”

	“I see.  Another abduction while we were out last night?” Axio asked heavily, pouring himself a drink.

	“No, actually, this one was last month, they only just confirmed it.”

	Axio frowned.  “Why did the family not come for help?”

	I scowled.  “Apparently, the parents, the Crolet family, were Baneites themselves.”

	Axio spun and stared, nearly spilling his whiskey.  “What?  Are you quite certain?”  Luanea stared in shock at my words.

	“They’re sacrificing their own members’ children now?” she asked tremulously.

	“Apparently, this one couple had decided not to adhere quite as… closely to the Scripture of Tyranny as their current cult master wanted,” I said disgustedly.  My debate with Axio while returning to town was coming back.  I actually felt it hard to feel sympathy with the Baneites whose child was now a pawn.  What had they expected to have happen?

	Axio growled.  It sounded so unlike him I was actually taken aback, and stared at him in surprise.  “Bastards,” he snarled.  He had such anger in his tone that it sounded like rock cracking.  “We’re meeting these people.  We’re doing it before we go to Undermountain.”

	“Yes, sir,” I said, unsure of how to react.  I hadn’t ever seen Axio this angry, not even when fighting the Margoyle.

	He forced his rage down and sipped his drink.  “Sorry.  I just… this, this right here, this is what makes Ryaire’s portfolio item necessary,” he said bitterly.  “People who put their children anywhere other than first.”

	“Please calm yourself, Axio,” Luanea said gently, and my partner’s wrath abated a little more.  If nothing else, her voice could get through to him.

	“Yes.  Yes, right.”  Axio slammed his drink.  “Get the address, Cavria, and we’ll head out.  Luanea, can you be ready with the usual crew in, say, three days?”

	Luanea nodded and stood.  “Oh, yes, though I don’t know if all will come on such short notice.”

	I looked from one to the other.  “Wait, wait, you two have a party of adventurers?”

	“Not exactly.  There are a group of like-minded members of the drow community in Waterdeep who travel to Skullport and back every so often, to drop off supplies and pick up recruits,” Luanea explained.  “I often accompany them.”

	“Known some of them since I was twelve,” Axio grunted.  “I trust them to watch our backs on the way down.”

	He was still pissed, but at least he was calm.  I stood up and made for the door.  “So should we go in armor?” I asked.

	“No.  We won’t need it.  We’re the last chance the parents will have to see their children again.”  Axio set his glass down.  “Luanea, do you want to come with us?”

	“No, I should make preparations for our trip to the Port,” the priestess said.  She stood and walked over to Axio.  I watched in surprise as she kissed him on both cheeks.  “Stay safe,” she said quietly.

	He smiled and hugged her.  “Thanks.”  He turned and walked out, and I followed.