Erik de Bie - Depths of Madness

"No," Twilight said. "I mean of your life-where you come from."

Slip grinned. " 'Tisn't a riveting tale," she said. "Life in Crimel would bore woodpeckers to slumber faster than a Candlekeep sage's lecture on the life of the meadow cricket-even if there were crickets provided."

Twilight was not to be parried so easily. "Why did you leave?"

Slip shrugged. "The usual reasons-adventure, the open road, see the Realms, meet new faces, and…" She trailed off and her face went dark. "Reeman."

"Your sometime mate."

"A rascal if ever there was one!" Slip rolled her eyes. "He did say the nicest things, and he was ever so convincing." Her eyes closed, and a look came over her Twilight recognized only too well.

There was much to this story the halfling would not tell, and Twilight found no fault in the omitting. We all have our secrets, she thought.

"He was a kind lad, my Reeman-all of us loved him. Could talk a dwarf out of his beard or a dragon out of its hoard, then the both of them into leg wrestling. Which the dragon would win, of course." She smiled. "He had a trustworthy face, you understand."

"Perfectly." Twilight knew exactly what she meant, and it occurred to her that Slip possessed such a visage herself.

"And that's where the troubles began."

Slip sat silently for a moment, and Twilight did not press her.

"One night, Reeman convinced me to play at hiding with him, as a prank on my da-to get all of Crimel stirred up. I'd hide in the woods, and he'd tell everyone a mouther got me." She squinted. "You know what-"

"Yes," said Twilight. She knew the distorted abominations, with their four gangly limbs and tusks, by description if not by sight.

"Anyway," Slip said. "When everyone was gone looking, Reeman helped himself to all the gold at the temples and the warden's office, and set fire-accidentally, he said-to a few houses… while younglings were inside."

Twilight felt a chill creep through her body even as Slip hugged her arms tight about her own breast. This had stopped being an innocent tale.

"March wardens followed Reeman, and he came to me for help. I watched as h-he killed-murdered! — two of them with his magic, and tried to run. When he tried to take me too, I–I…" She looked down at her hand, as though a bloody knife had just appeared that only she could see.

Then she looked up at Twilight. "I had to do it, you see? 'Twas the-the right thing, and they cast me out for it!"

After a long moment, Twilight put out her arms.

Slip hesitated a few breaths, her lip trembling. Then her eyes softened with sudden tears, and she snuggled into Twilight's embrace. "Oh, 'Light!" she cried, as that of a child to a mother. "What else could I do? He killed two of my cousins afore my eyes and younglings besides!" Great sobs wracked her body.

Twilight closed her eyes in helpless sympathy and held Slip as she cried. She stroked the halfling's filthy hair-they were all filthy. Filthy, cold, tired, and heartsick.

How cruel she had been to suspect Slip-Billfora, Twilight remembered, for the story had allowed her to see the true halfling-how heartless. She knew all too well how easily a smile could conceal sadness, and how well tragedy could hide behind innocence.

Finally the tears stopped, and Slip breathed easier. Twilight made no move to release her.

"I was wed, too, once," she said, letting the words slide out. "Neveren. He-"

"Lilten, you mean?"

The world froze. Twilight blinked. "What?"

Slip blinked up at her. "What?"

There was a pause. Twilight looked at her very carefully. Ideas shot wildly through her mind-fears, anger, betrayal.

"Slip," she said slowly. "I've something important to do, and I need your help."

"Of course!" Slip said. "Anything, 'Light! You're my greatest friend!"

Twilight let that pass. "Can your magic recognize lies?"

"Aye. I know that spell! I can hear lies when others tell them." So it was magic, and nothing else. "How can I help?"

Twilight nodded, and explained. Slip listened. In conclusion, Twilight pointed to a back room, which must have been some kind of storage for tools. "Go into yon chamber and wait. I shall join you shortly." She brushed the back of her hand along Slip's cheek. "And you need not cry-all shall be well."

The halfling wiped the tears away and beamed at her as only a comforted daughter could. Then she scurried into the side chamber and shut the door behind her.

Twilight blew out a long sigh and rose. So that was it.

She touched the sapphire pendant. Was its magic fading?

"I need everyone else to wait here," she said as she dusted herself off. She gestured to the side room. "Davoren-come with me."

"What is it?" the warlock asked.

Ten heartbeats later, Slip guarded the door and Twilight faced the mage from the other side of the room, arms crossed. Davoren had answered his own question.

"An outrage!" His hands gripped the back of a chair and they dripped with flame. The half-circles that formed the seat glowed red. "How dare you? I ought to…"

"Have peace, demon-spawn," Twilight said. "Just answer the question."

The warlock sneered at her and twisted his lip. He shoved aside the curious chair-all curves, no angles, like all this Netherese city. "I have suffered your humiliations long enough. You and your sniveling little rat-"

"That sniveling little rat can hear the truth in your words," said Twilight. "So if you just answer the question, we'll know of your innocence and you can be on your way, back to pray to your devil-god with a hand in-"

Slip blushed a fiery red and stared at her, horror-struck, so Twilight stopped. "Just answer," she repeated. "Are you a spy, or otherwise in league with our enemy, watching our movements so as to catch us in our weakness, or lay ambushes in our path?"

Davoren glared at her, and his eyes promised death. "Nay, I am no spy."

"He speaks true," Slip said behind Twilight.

Davoren sniffed. "Satisfied? I do not need trickery to slay you, filliken."

"Not there, however," the halfling said with a shrug.

The warlock gaped at her and his lips curled into a snarl. "How dare-?"

"Ah," Twilight said. Betrayal's dusky point tapped at Davoren's groin. "Careful. You had better not say something you might regret." She winked at him. "Now. Pass through yon portal." She waved at a rear door with Betrayal. "And wait outside."

" 'Wait outside'? That's meant to be safe?" he asked. "Or do you wish merely to kill me with those foul insect-men?"

"That's why I called you first. You are, after all, the most powerful."

The warlock hesitated for a moment before grumbling an agreement. He spat at the shadowdancer's feet, then stomped off, cursing to himself in Infernal.

Slip grinned at Twilight. "I was halfway hoping he would be the one," the halfling said. "I would've liked to see that fight."

"Yes," Twilight agreed, and from Slip's expression, she knew it was not a lie.

Gargan was next, pacing in with his arms crossed, and Twilight shifted uneasily. The goliath wore the great black sword on his back-a weapon he could wield in one hand-but he could easily powder Twilight's skull and shatter Slip's delicate bones with just those fists. She did not grip Betrayal's hilt, but her fingers were not far from it.

"I come," the goliath said in the Common tongue. He looked to Twilight and spoke in his own gruff language, which she understood by virtue of Taslin's earring. "Why have you brought me?"

"I have questions," she replied in Common, the only way to be understood.

"I have answers."

"Let us see if they fit."

There was a breath's pause as he contemplated what that might mean. Then he nodded. "Blades in scabbards," the goliath agreed in Common.

That would have to do. "Are you Gargan Kaugathal, called the Dispossessed?"