Goodbye Astarion [Astarion X NB Tav]

Part 5

It had been Karlach's idea to get involved. She and Wyll had made camp in a cave carved into the base of a jagged cliff. It wasn't truly evening as there wasn't a sun to set in Avernus but the exhaustion of battle forced them to rest anyway. She spread out her bed roll and the bundle of letters she kept safely tucked in its center thumped to the ground.

She picked it up and drummed it against her palm as she paced. Avernus was a lonely place even with Wyll's company. Most nights she wrote a letter to one companion or another. Well, Wyll wrote them but they were her words. No one had heard from Lae'zel since the pier but that was expected. She was somewhere in space or something trying to liberate her people. It was probably hard to get mail there.

Less expected was the silence from Tav and Astarion. Within the first tenday that Karlach and Wyll had gone to Avernus she had sent a letter to Tav telling them of their decision. Tav had been like a little sibling to her and Karlach wanted them to know she was all right. They had both been burning up on that pier and there wasn't time for goodbyes. But that and every letter since went unanswered.

Maybe if Astarion hadn't changed after his ascension, hadn't become so openly possessive and paranoid, Karlach wouldn't have worried so much. But he did. The last month of their adventures he was a different man. Karlach sighed and stopped pacing. "This is a good idea, right?" She asked Wyll.

"Sleeping?" He answered stretching out on his own bed roll. "Absolutely."

"No, the party." It was only a few days away and Karlach felt more tense with each passing day.

Wyll sat back up rubbing his neck. The red light pouring from the cave mouth reflected off his horns. "I think so. Jaheira said that what she saw at their palace seemed off." He shrugged.

Karlach sat on her own bed, one leg extended the other bent. "Suppose so." It wasn't like they were the only ones who hadn't heard from the reclusive vampires. Shadowheart and Gale had also mentioned being unable to reach them even through magical means. It had been that last part that made Karlach ask Jaheira to check on them. If even magical messages weren't getting through then the silence was intentional.

Wyll moved closer and held her hand. "Why? Are you worried about it?"

She rocked her head from side to side "No. Well, sorta actually." She squeezed his hand back. "Tav's our friend, and I'm worried about them, but it feels weird going behind their back like this."

Wyll nodded. "I understand. If nothing's wrong then there's no harm in just asking questions, and if something is wrong you'd never forgive yourself for not saying anything." He sighed and leaned against her, she settled against him too. "Let's just worry about it when we get there. There's not much we can do from here anyway."

Karlach and Wyll had settled to sleep then but were interrupted only a few hours later. "Arise, heroes. We must speak." Gods knew how Withers had found them. They were deep in Avernus on the trail of an orthon, no one should have known where to find them. Yet there he stood, gray dry skin stretched tight over his skull.

They stood. "Withers, what is it? What's happened?" Karlach asked. She was confused by his presence. It felt wrong to see the hunched figure there in the dust and red light of the hells.

He blinked slowly. "Thou did. Thou and thine compatriots have been plotting an intervention at my party." Karlach frowned. It wasn't meant to be a secret from Withers but they hadn't told him either.

"We have." Wyll confirmed. He lifted a hand to emphasize as he said "I promise, it's necessary. We wouldn't do this there if we knew of any other way to bring out Tav and Astarion."

Withers hummed and considered Wyll. He turned his attention back to Karlach. "This is not the path that was ordained." He warns. "Art thou committed to thine plan?" She opened her mouth to answer but he raised a finger and she waited. "Remember the cost of balance, should thou pursue this quest. I am no longer at thy service. The consequences are yours to bear."