Baldur's Gate II Throne of Bhaal (13 page)

“What I do know,” Melissan continued, “is that the Five wield great political influence within Faerun, though they always do so behind the scenes. They keep themselves hidden in the shadows, working toward a single purpose. They manipulate others into following them and serving them through lies and deceit. Entire armies have now fallen under control of the Five, though most of the troops and generals do not even realize who they are really working for.”

“And what do these Five hope to accomplish?” Abdel asked.

“The Five are a secret society fanatically devoted to bringing their dead father back to life by slaughtering their siblings.”

Abdel hesitated before asking his next question. Everyone else seemed to understand what Melissan was saying, and the big sellsword was reluctant to expose his own ignorance, but he needed to understand. More than anything he had been told before, this was something he had to comprehend in every detail.

“How will killing Bhaal’s other children bring him back?”

“Within each offspring of the Lord of Murder there exists a divine essence,” Melissan explained patiently, “a small piece of Bhaal’s own essence. In some of his progeny there exists but a faint flicker. In others it burns like an unholy blaze.

“Whenever one of Bhaal’s children perishes,” Melissan continued, “that bit of his father’s divine, yet tainted, spirit is released. The Five seek to collect the scattered essence of their father’s soul bit by bit, drawing the tiny embers together until they have built a burning pyre from which Bhaal himself will be reborn.”

Sarevok, who had been standing silently off to the side, added his own emotionless voice to the conversation. “You know what Melissan says is possible, Abdel. To a lesser degree, you have already experienced it. When you ended my first life in the caverns beneath Baldur’s Gate you unconsciously absorbed my essence—and you moved a small step beyond a mere mortal existence. When we met again, you willingly sacrificed a small part of that divine spirit to bring me back to life and give me a second chance.”

It all made sense. Abdel had not always had his remarkable healing powers. The more he thought about it, the more Abdel realized they had manifested themselves only after Sarevok’s death by his hands. He couldn’t help but wonder if he had unknowingly taken some of Imoen’s immortal essence. When she had been transformed into the avatar of Bhaal by the wizard Jon Irenicus, Abdel had fought and defeated Imoen’s hideous demon form. In doing so he might have absorbed much of the young woman’s tainted essence. That would explain why he had become so powerful, while Imoen still seemed … normal.

While Abdel was wrestling with the implications of what he had been told, Jaheira continued to question Melissan.

“You seem to know an awful lot about this,” she said, her voice more than slightly accusatory in tone. “How are you involved, Melissan?”

“I, too, have heard the prophecies,” the tall woman in black explained, “Like the Five, I know Alaundo’s words and what they foretell. I have dedicated my life to preventing Bhaal’s return to this world—as any sane person would.

“For many years I fought an invisible enemy. I suspected a group of Bhaal’s offspring would unite their powers to bring about his rebirth, but I could find no evidence such a cult existed. Only in the past few years have I been able to confirm the rumors and my suspicions. And now I will do everything in my power to thwart them in their mad quest.”

Jaheira said nothing. It appeared to Abdel she was mulling over Melissan’s words, trying to find some fault or lie in them. Eventually the half-elf gave up and turned her attention to Sarevok.

“You don’t seem surprised to hear all this.”

How his half-elf lover was able to judge anything about the reactions of the stoic Sarevok was a mystery to Abdel, though his half brother’s response did seem to indicate Jaheira’s instincts had been correct.

“I have heard this tale before, druid. Several years ago, from Melissan herself.”

“It is true,” Melissan admitted, cutting off Jaheira before she could comment. “When I first learned the Five were more than just a dark shadow in my own imagination, I sought out allies to my cause—those who had a vested interest in stopping the Bhaalspawn before they became powerful enough to orchestrate this campaign of murder that has now swept the land.”

“You went looking for other Bhaalspawn to fight against the Five,” Imoen interjected.

“Precisely, my child. Who better to aid me against the Lord of Murder’s children than one of Bhaal’s own progeny? At the time, of course, you and Abdel were still unknown to me. The scribes of Candlekeep had done well in burying your history and wiping your very existence from all records.

But I knew of another who was quickly gaining power and fame, whose name was whispered with fear and awe by the darkest, most vile criminals of the Sword Coast. A young man named Sarevok.”

“Melissan approached me,” Sarevok said, picking up the story in his deep monotone. “She told me of my heritage, and all its implications. She hoped to persuade me to work with her for my own self-preservation, if for no other reason. But I was already consumed by the dark taint within my own soul. Instead of joining her against the Five, I vowed I would be the one to bring Bhaal back to the mortal realm myself.

“And so I plotted a war between Nashkel and Baldur’s Gate, and when I learned of Abdel’s existence, I was determined to kill my half brother and take his essence to augment my own power.”

There was a long pause once Sarevok finished. Melissan resumed speaking to fill the almost accusatory silence. “That is the danger of having allies who are born of evil itself. They will often betray you. I have had to relearn this lesson many, many times.”

Jaheira spoke up in an angry voice. “So you knew all this!” she declared, pointing a finger at Sarevok. “You could have just told us this, without bringing us into this besieged town!”

“I could have told you this tale,” Sarevok answered slowly, “but would any of you have believed me?”

The silence of Abdel and his companions was answer enough.

“Whatever the circumstances of your arrival, I am glad you are here now,” Melissan said solemnly. “From what Sarevok has told me, you may be the only one who can save us from the army outside. They are led by a warrior named Yaga Shura.”

“Yaga Shura?” For some reason, Abdel felt the name signified more than the leader of an army. The name had power within it.

“Yaga Shura is one of the Five,” Melissan explained. “Like you, he is a child of Bhaal. Like you, he burns with the essence of your immortal father.

“Abdel,” Melissan whispered, “you can save us from Yaga Shura.”

Abdel honestly didn’t know what he was going to do. He was drowning in the flood of information Melissan had poured forth. Her tale ran through his head in bits and pieces as he tried to bring some order to the chaos within his own mind. ť_

“This is madness,” Jaheira insisted. “This cannot be the way to free yourself from Bhaal’s taint! More bloodshed is not the answer.”

Dozens of Bhaalspawn had been slaughtered by the armies who secretly and unknowingly served the Five, and countless more had been killed in the riots and panic the Five had sown across Faerun. The children of Bhaal had fled in terror, seeking a savior, seeking sanctuary. They found Melissan.

Or rather, Melissan found them, and she led them all to Saradush.

“We can avoid this battle, Abdel,” Imoen said, adding her support to Jaheira’s sentiment. “I found a way to sneak us into this town, big brother, and I can find a way to sneak us out.”

Many of the Bhaalspawn who followed Melissan were lowly commoners, everyday folk swept up in a storm they could never have imagined. If these were the only ones who had sought sanctuary in Saradush, perhaps Melissan could have succeeded in hiding them. Perhaps she could have kept them safe.

But others had come: powerful, influential figures, political and military leaders—even a high-ranking general in the army of Calimshan. When Gromnir and a company of his loyal troops marched to Saradush and demanded sanctuary, the predatory eyes of the Five were drawn with them.

“If you do not stand and fight now, the Five will hunt you across the entire face of Faerun, Abdel,” Melissan cautioned him, her words much more calm and rational than the impassioned pleas of Jaheira and Imoen.

The town officials had ordered Gromnir and his troops to move on. They would not allow a foreign army to take up residence within their walls. Melissan had changed their minds, and they opened the gates and offered Gromnir the same sanctuary they had granted to all his less famous kin.

“They are drawn to your tainted blood, Abdel,” Melissan continued. “Eventually they will find you—eventually you will have to fight. All you can do is choose the time and place of your battle. Why not choose here and now?”

Gromnir and his men had seized control of the town, ousting the civilian rulers under pretense of being better able to prepare Saradush for the hostile army that was only a few days march away, the army led by Yaga Shura, the army led by one of the Five.

The Saradush militia might have resisted the coup and the people could have taken up arms against the invading Calimshan general and his small band of troops. But the townsfolk were more afraid of the approaching soldiers of Yaga Shura and their savage efforts to wipe out the children of Bhaal.

Yaga Shura’s army was a juggernaut, crushing everything in its path, leaving a wake of ravaged cities and burning corpses. So the people of Saradush endured the presence of Gromnir and his men, because it gave them the best chance to survive the coming onslaught and the inevitable siege that was to come.

“I have yet to meet an opponent who can best me in single combat,” Abdel said, attempting to reassure his half-elf lover. ‘You have seen it: My wounds regenerate instantly.”

“If you undertake this task you must not be overconfident,” Melissan warned him. “No one knows the limits of your healing powers, but the limits are there. You are not a god, Abdel.”

“This is a battle you cannot win!” Jaheira shouted in frustration. “If Melissan speaks the truth, Yaga Shura is no ordinary Child of Bhaal, he is one of the Five. If we believe what Melissan has told us, how can you hope to defeat this group?”

His lover’s argument held no substance. Not anymore. Not after what Melissan had told them about the huntress who had stalked them in the forest.

“Illasera was one of the Five,” Abdel said calmly. “I already killed her.”

“You nearly died in the process,” Imoen reminded him, anxiously offering her support to Jaheira’s case. “You’re putting a lot of faith in your ability to heal, Abdel… but I seem to remember the wounds from those arrows didn’t just vanish.”

“I already killed one of the Five,” Abdel maintained, “I can kill Yaga Shura, too.”

“And then what, Abdel?” Jaheira asked, her voice on the edge of tears. “How many more of these Five are there? Even if you kill them all, what will that solve? Hasn’t there been enough deaths? Enough bloodshed? Enough …” The half-elf s pleas degenerated into choking sobs.

Melissan’s own voice was soft and soothing as she filled the void left by Jaheira’s inability to continue. “The druid speaks the truth, Abdel. I cannot say how many the Five number, or who or where they may be. I only know of Illasera and Yaga Shura because they chose to reveal themselves. The time had come for them to act in the open. The others still remain shrouded in the shadows, their machinations hidden.”

Abdel was confident he could win this battle. Since the fight on the battlements, he was confident he could control the Bhaal fire within him. Now that he was aware the Ravager lived within him, he was able to fight against it. He could keep the beast caged. Or so he believed.

‘When Abdel spoke, his voice was quiet and sure. Without even realizing it, he had adopted Melissan’s own tone. “Then whenever one of the Five dares to come out from the darkness, I will kill them as well.”

He placed a comforting hand on the shoulder of Jaheira, but she flinched away from his touch and continued to sob quietly into her hands.

Imoen forced a laugh, trying to ease the tension. “This is all pointless anyway,” she scoffed. “This so-called plan you’ve concocted will never work. What makes you think this Yaga Shura will even accept this challenge? He has an army at his beck and call—why would he agree to meet Abdel in single combat?”

“This is no laughing matter,” Melissan admonished. “Yaga Shura will accept. He will want to prove himself against Abdel, prove himself worthy of being one of the Five. Yaga Shura is the Lord of Murder’s son, the son of a god. He thinks he is invincible. He thinks he is a god himself.”

Imoen shook her head in denial. “Impossible. Yaga Shura cannot be that stupid. I’m one of Bhaal’s children, and I would never accept this type of challenge just to prove myself.”

Abdel looked his half sister directly in the eye. “I would.”

The gates to Saradush were opened, and Abdel stepped out alone to meet his foe. The army of Yaga Shura had retreated several hundred yards from the walls of Saradush in preparation for the coming duel, leaving a large patch of empty, well-trampled ground.

Abdel walked to the center of the vast expanse and waited. Inside the fortress behind him Calimshan soldiers and Saradush militia stood side by side, armed and ready. If Abdel managed to kill Yaga Shura the defenders of the town would charge forth, looking to catch their opponents by surprise. After witnessing the loss of their “invincible” leader, the troops of Yaga Shura would be disorganized and demoralized. A sustained charge could break their spirit, and the town would be saved.

At least, that was Melissan’s plan. If Abdel survived the duel. If Abdel fell, the defenders would go back to their posts, and the siege would continue until starvation and disease weakened Saradush enough for the army outside to successfully breach the walls and raze the town.

Somewhere in the distance a trumpet sounded, a fanfare to announce the coming of Yaga Shura.

Abdel braced himself for what he knew was coming.