To Baldur's Gate

Chapter Seven

Opening my eyes was a struggle. 

More than usual, anyway. 

After a few blurry seconds, my brain kicked into gear and began to make some sense of the world around me. Someone crouched in front of my bedroll, their face terribly close to mine.

"Astarion?" His smile and sleep-tousled hair softened some part of my heart. "Why are you in my face?" 

"Good morning to you as well, beautiful," He cooed. "You'd best get out of bed. We have company coming."

"I don't remember inviting anyone for breakfast." I yawned. When I tried to sit up, a wave of dizziness pounded at my skull. I brought a gentle hand to my neck and felt the new and very tender bruise on my skin. "Do I look as bad as I feel?"

Astarion's eyes roamed my face and trailed all the way down my torso before glancing away. "Quite the contrary. If we were alone ... " He chuckled, low and dark. " In time, I'd be happy to discuss all the things I want to do to you. For now though, we need to wake the others. Kahga is on her way."

                ..............................................................................

"Are you sure it's her?" Shadowheart asked, eyes tired. 

"Yes, I'm sure." Astarion's face was annoyed. "I was patrolling this morning and saw them coming up the hill. They'll be here any minute. She has about a dozen of her lackeys with her." 

"This will be no challenge," Lae'zel said.

"There's no time to pack up and move past them," Gale thought aloud. "I for one won't be sad to see Kagha go, and the sooner we finish her off, the sooner we can get to Halsin." 

There was a general consensus reached - Kagha and her soldiers would not make it back to the Grove alive. I was fine with this verdict, but I was surprised that Gale agreed so readily. My mind went back to what Astarion had said last night. Was Gale truly interested in me? It seemed doubtful considering that we had only known each other for a few days now. 

"Let's set up an ambush. We should be able to find places in the bushes and trees to the south of camp, which will place us directly in their path. On my signal, we attack." I gave a shrill, short whistle to demonstrate. "Now, let's move." 

The group of us hurried to the area, keeping our voices down and steps silent. A pathway led from our campsite down the hill to where Kagha was coming from, the dirt well-trodden and grassless. We took spots on either side of the trail head and hid behind large rocks and tree trunks, with Shadowheart and Astarion both on my side. I kept my gaze down the mountain, but my focus was almost entirely on Astarion. I heard every shift of his body against the tree, every quiet breath he took, and every pluck of his bow string against his fingers. 

Who was I kidding? It wasn't impossible for Gale to fancy someone he barely knew because I was in the same boat. The annoyingly beautiful elf was quickly consuming my thoughts, day or night. Last night, with his lips and teeth on my neck, I wished we had been alone. Alone and in a bed. With romantic lighting and no clothes on. My grip on reality was so utterly nonexistent with him around, I was worried I might be going mad. But now I knew it wasn't me alone that felt this way. He wanted me too. If his words weren't proof enough, the way his eyes burned into me this morning convinced me. 

Gale would never look at me like that. He would never be able to give me these feelings. Gale would, however, give his heart and soul to someone he loved. There would never be any doubt that what he felt was genuine.

 Astarion didn't seem the type to fall in love. I wondered if he ever had. 

Red hair and the flash of a blade brought me back to the present. When Kagha stepped over the imaginary line we had established, I whistled, alerting the rest of the group that it was time to move. Shadowheart murmured an incantation and a blinding light surrounded our enemy, surprising them enough to bring down their guard. Astarion and Lae'zel let loose arrows, finding chinks in the druid's armor. Three of them down. Nine more to go. 

Gale and I sprung out of the foliage with spells blazing from our fingertips. A few unfortunate souls writhed under his lightning bolts while I cast burning hands upon those in front of me. Four left. 

"It's such a shame to have to kill you," Kagha called out to me. "We could have helped each other. A talented sorceress like you would be invaluable to my forces." 

"Maybe if you weren't such a bitch, I'd have considered it," I replied, falling into a defensive stance. 

"Naive little drowling. You don't want me as your enemy." Kagha notched an arrow into her bow, taking aim at me. Lae'zel was hacking down the rest of Kagha's entourage while Shadowheart lent her shield and strength. Gale and Astarion were coming around either side of Kagha, circling her, weapons at the ready. I had only my hands and no knowledge of defensive sorcery - Kagha could shoot me down before any spell escaped my lips. The boys saw were this was heading. 

"Tav - " Gale moved to shield me. Astarion lunged for Kagha, but not before she let the arrow loose, sending it straight to my heart. By sheer luck I managed to twist my body, angling it in such a way that the arrow would only pierce my arm, but the pain wasn't any less of a shock to the system. Tears blurred my vision and I fell to my knees, watching as Astarion dragged the tip of one of his arrows across Kagha's throat. Her eyes remained open even as blood gushed down the front of her tunic and her body hit the dirt, lifeless. 

"Tav!" Gale ran to me and went to his knees beside me. "Let me see. We need to make sure the arrow wasn't poisoned." 

Whimpering, I offered him my shoulder. It hurt like the devil, but I reminded myself that I had been through worse. Gale inspected the wound closely before snapping off the tip of the arrow from the other side. 

"No poison. But we're going to have to get it out now," he said, softly. Shadowheart and Lae'zel came back to us, both of them grinning triumphantly. 

"We are victorious." Lae'zel's wide toothed grin morphed into a scowl when she saw my bloody predicament. "Tch. Most unfortunate. Do we need to remove the arm?" 

"What? Gods, Lae'zel. A simple healing spell will suffice," Shadowheart said, standing next to Gale to inspect the damage. Astarion stood back, watching the scene with a strange, detached look. The thought occurred to me that he had taken a good portion of my blood last night. And that I was now losing more. 

"I think ... I think we need to pull it ... out," I mumbled. I was dizzy. My head slumped to the side and nausea rolled in my stomach. 

"Tav? Stay awake for me," Gale said, gripping me in his arms. He was so warm. I couldn't feel my fingers any longer. 

"Shit. Gale, pull it out!" Shadowheart urged him. With a wet slurping sound, the arrow shaft was removed from my body, leaving a gory hole that would surely scar. The pain was dull as my vision began to fade from blood loss for the second time in twenty-four hours. After the pain came a glowing heat, not quite unbearable, but definitely uncomfortable. Shadowheart's hands were placed on my shoulder and on the side of my face, the words of a healing spell spoken from her lips. When it was over, I breathed a sigh of relief. Rolling my shoulder front and back, there was no more pain, and the terrible headache had vanished. I felt the best I had in weeks, actually. 

"You're going to have to teach me that trick, Shadowheart. Preferably not when someone is bleeding on the ground," I joked. 

"I have a feeling we'll both need to learn that one," Gale said. He stood and entangled his fingers with mine, bringing me up with him. "You'll be taking it easy the rest of the day - doctor's orders." 

Astarion scoffed from the shadows of the group. "You're hardly qualified to be giving orders." 

"I grow tired of your bickering," Lae'zel interrupted. "We must return to camp, pack up, and move on." 

The group started to move together, leaving the trail of dead bodies behind us. I attempted to extract my hand from Gale's, but his grip didn't loosen. Instead, he cracked jokes, lightening the mood with his humor and deep laugh. Lae'zel led the pack and Shadowheart stayed close to my side, laughing along and occasionally worrying over my shoulder. When I glanced behind, Astarion was slouched, crimson eyes glaring daggers at Gale's back.