Chapter 2: Into the Unknown

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the story and the fan characters that appear in it. Forgotten Realms and various canon characters that appear are all the property of Wizards of the Coast.

Tuulikki had immediately started screaming. How could she not? Going to bed in her home and waking up in a dark forest somewhere was not normal. It wasn't fun, exciting or even remotely interesting. If she was to ever describe the experience to someone, the words she'd use would be more along the lines of "terrifying", "traumatising" and "unsettling". Her immediate thought wasn't to run off somewhere in search of Legolas or Glorfindel, rather it was "danger, danger, you're far from home" and the sound of an alarm playing inside her inner mind theatre. She nearly wet herself as full-fledged panic took hold and she looked about in denial and horror.

Ansa's face appeared in front of her and her hand came to cover her mouth. The sight of her older sister, much calmer, helped her settle down, and her screaming stopped almost immediately. "Calm down, Tuulikki," she ordered, albeit gently. "We're not in danger." She removed her hand a while later and Tuulikki took deep breaths to steady herself.

"How do you know that? We might die." She felt a knot form in her stomach despite Ansa's words. The trees were tall, pine like back in Finland, and a pale, crescent moon shone down upon them. Tuulikki's knot get worse when she saw constellations she didn't recognise. "Where are we?"

"We're not going to die," Ansa replied. "We're in Vaasa."

"What are we doing on the west coast of Finland?" the youngest asked as she got up on her feet.

"Vaasa the country," Ansa corrected her. Tuulikki felt mystified and it must have shown on her face, because Ansa continued. "Grandmother came here when she was young. She learned a lot of magic here, magic that she passed onto us."

"Grandmother never taught me anything," Tuulikki argued.

"Me, then," Ansa corrected herself.

"Alright." Tuulikki could accept that their eccentric and powerful grandmother had been to strange and far-off places. "That doesn't explain why we're here, though."

"I'm here to fulfil my duty," Ansa explained calmly. Her emphasis on herself worried Tuulikki in more ways than one. "You shouldn't be here at all." There was a moment of awkward silence between the two. "Just who did you cast the protection spell on, anyway?"

"The house," Tuulikki replied honestly. It was what they always did when they cast protective spells, just as their mother had taught them.

Ansa groaned and shot her a despairing look. "Tuulikki, I told you the spell was for me! Now you've gone and got yourself involved in something you don't understand and half-assed the magic that was supposed to keep me safe!"

"No, you didn't," Tuulikki argued. She distinctly remembered Ansa telling her about a protection spell, and while the chant specified the person in question, the visualisation could also include the room, the building or even the country. "You didn't tell me it was just for you."

Ansa opened her mouth to speak, but an unnatural howl spread across the area and rendered her words silent even as her lips moved. The sound was reminiscent of a dog's howl, but it rang in Tuulikki's ears long after it passed, clutched at her heartstrings and sent chills down her spine. That she wore only pyjamas and no socks didn't help.

The baying of hounds was the warning part of the spell. That meant people with harmful intentions towards them was nearby. Tuulikki tried to call out to Ansa that they had to get somewhere safe, but her own voice had been choked by the howl and her sister had her gaze elsewhere. A wave of trepidation came over her next and she examined the area to see if she could locate a path that would take them out of the forest. They might be able to find a shack, a house, a farm or even a small town.

A second howl sounded, and this time it came with a sense of urgency. Tuulikki grabbed Ansa by the arm and caused her to spin around, anger and panic written in her eyes. They tried speaking to each other, but no sound came this time either. Deciding on a different tactic, Tuulikki pointed at each of them in turn and used her index and middle finger to create a running motion, effectively indicating that they should leave this place. Ansa nodded and took the lead, stepping up towards a pair of trees through which snaked a path that Tuulikki hadn't seen earlier. Holding hands, they shared one look before running through the opening.

Perhaps running hadn't been such a good idea after all, Tuulikki though to herself several hours later and still with no dwarven stronghold in sight. Twilight had come, her legs ached and her steps were heavy and slow. The drop in temperature bit into her skin and seeped into her bones, and if the dark, rumbling menace in the sky was anything to go by, it would no doubt rain soon. There was a small cluster of trees nearby that offered enough cover from the rain, though she had no blanket or cloak with which to stay warm. She didn't dare start a fire, either – not that there was any firewood around anyway, apart from some thin sticks lying scattered about under the few trees that were there. No, even if she could get a spark burning, the open plains all around her was her enemy – the light would give her position away to any scouts from her sister's army.

Tuulikki sat down at the base of the cluster, finding herself a neat spot among the roots that she could nestle herself into. The trees were large, she noticed, even as far as trees went, and the foliage dense enough to keep out the worst of the rain. She unwrapped some of her food and helped herself to her own, home-baked olive oil herb bread, some cheese and Aimo's beef jerky. Her stomach growled loudly with hunger and she downed some of Aimo's most expensive red wine just to keep warm. No fancy glass to be had, though, she drank straight from the bottle. The content did indeed increase her body heat, although she took care not to drink more than her initial sip. Getting drunk all alone in the middle of the road to Ironspur, while it rained, was nothing short of suicidal. After all, she might become overly sentimental and full of regret and go back, or worse, start to wander off somewhere only to get eaten by a monster.

She suddenly grew very cold despite the earlier wine. What if a monster or hungry, wild beast came? Things had grown increasingly less safe during the two years that she'd slaved away in Helmsdale. What if Ansa's army had drawn more powerful predators this way? The growing night was silent, but she knew from many a bard tale that some monsters hunted quietly. She wrapped her food back up and stoppered the wine bottle, just to keep the smells to a minimum. Not that her own smell wouldn't attract someone at some point, but it was usually the scent of blood that drew the human-eating kind. She hugged her knees and reminded herself over and over that, so long as she didn't bleed, she'd be fine. Besides, the rain would disrupt any keen animal noses.

This was far from a comfortable bed, even compared to the haystack that she'd slept in back at Aimo's farm, but the tree trunk provided sturdy support and the moss and grass was soft enough for her to sit on. Tuulikki counted her blessings and doing so helped her calm down. There was no denying that she felt more than a little foolish, however.

Tuulikki considered her options. If she went back she might find shelter with Ansa, but after seeing what her sister was capable of, she didn't feel terribly optimistic. Her toes tingled from the alcohol and her cheeks were warm, but that wouldn't last forever. She had a collection of scarves with her, but she needed that to conceal the smell of food. Perhaps she would reach Ironspur tomorrow, but how long would she survive until then?

The people of Damara were annoyingly religious, treating gods as if they were as real as cats and trees. In fact, her disbelief was far more of an anomaly, and while she'd managed to dig up Helmsdale's one and only atheist, even he hadn't denied the existence of gods. In fact, he seemed to not worship simply out of stubborn pride. Every year, after planting the seeds, Aimo and his family had gone down on their knees and prayed to someone named "Chawn- TEE-ah", forcing Tuulikki to do the same.

It wasn't as if she was unused to the concept of deities. Witchcraft included them quite a bit, in fact. No, the problem was that she'd never been able to connect with one. Her mother had insisted it was pride, perhaps the same pride as Helmsdale's atheist. Tuulikki stubbornly tried to do everything by herself, after all, and would always tell others the importance of independence. Or "lord it over", as Ansa put it. Perhaps there was some truth to that. Living a modern life had awoken a single, but persistent question in Tuulikki's mind that she had yet to find the answer to – what did they need gods for? Healing? They had doctors, modern medicine and scientific research to find new and better ways to improve people's health. Salvation? What salvation was there to be had from worlds that no-one could prove existed? Morals and ethics? They were learned by growing up in a loving, supporting family with responsible parents and through healthy, social interactions. Controlling the natural world? That was just pompous.

The answer to that original question was more obvious in Damara, where clerics channelled divine energy to heal people – or so they claimed. Tuulikki could accept this, though she had yet to see evidence that this magic came from entities as powerful as "gods". Magical healing existed, though, that much was obvious.

Perhaps she could give it a try and see for herself? A visiting druid had given her a wooden necklace with a unicorn and a crescent moon carved into it after she'd asked him about said mythical creature. He'd assured her that unicorns really did exist and that they followed a goddess named "luh-RUE". Or at least he did. Tuulikki looked at that necklace now and briefly pondered the point in saying a prayer to this alleged deity.

Her current situation dictated there was nothing to lose either way. Gods usually wanted an offering, though. She unwrapped her food, set some of it aside and then wrapped the rest back up before saying her prayer.

It was an obvious thing she asked for – aid to survive the night, protection from harm and guidance on her path to Ironspur – and she poured some of her wine at the base of the tree as an additional offering. She waited, but her surroundings remained dark, wet and scary. Letting out a snort at her own silly hope, she let fatigue finally claim her and her eyes closed shut.

"...so it seems she did indeed leave Helmsdale behind," Ilari concluded after consulting his cards. "However, my cards offer no clarity into her current whereabouts, only that she's cold, wet and miserable."

"No wonder," Ansa said and rolled her eyes. They were in her newly acquired study, having set up everything they needed for their spellcasting activities. The rain had reached Helmsdale only a few minutes ago, so it went without saying that her sister was caught up in it if she hadn't found shelter yet. "She's alive, however, and unless she teleported to another part of the Realms, which I doubt she has the power to do, she's probably still somewhere in Damara. I reckon north of us, considering where the rain came from."

"Well deducted," he complimented her and she flashed him a smile. "Shall we send the orcs up north to track her?"

She shook her head. "It's too large of an area. See if you can scry her location first."

"Shouldn't be too hard," he remarked and stepped up to the watery scrying mirror they'd set in place. Ansa helped herself to some wine as she waited. His eyebrows furrowed in concentration, as was standard for such spells, and his blue eyes stared unrelentingly into the water below him. She always thought he was at his most handsome this way, focused and brimming with power. It was a good thing she hadn't completely exhausted him earlier and they'd both had time to rest.

His furrowed brow soon became confusion, however. The water began to steam, a clear sign of danger to the one attempting the divination. He stubbornly clung to the mirror a bit longer, but then he pulled away, nearly tripped over his feet in the process and just barely regained his footing before he sat down in the room's only armchair. His face was as pale as her bedsheets and he panted from the exertion.

Ansa was by his side immediately, a calm emotions spell spilling forth from her lips and fingers and into his mind. He closed his eyes for a moment, shuddered briefly as if a gust of wind had struck him and then opened them to display a calm look and rosy complexion. She stroked his cheek gently for added effect, as she'd found that no spell was ever a good replacement for mundane compassion. He looked distressed despite how both the enchantment and her ministrations should soothe him, however.

"I couldn't find her," he finally admitted after a small eternity of silence. "I looked north but couldn't get even a few miles north of Helmsdale. Something or someone is protecting her from my scrying efforts."

Ansa was lost in her own thoughts before he could even finish his last line. So, it had begun, as Zhengyi had prophesized. Tuulikki escaping the army, fleeing north, being hidden from view, and then... A knot formed in Ansa's stomach.

"Even though she was protected, I did manage to glimpse a river," Ilari cut in, effectively interrupting her thoughts. "Only the Goliad River moves north so close to Helmsdale."

"I suppose it's unlikely she made it all the way to the Galena Snake," Ansa mused, naming a river to the east that was separated from the Goliad by a giant glacier during the winter season. "She's on her way to Ironspur?"

He shrugged. "Unless she plans to go east and trek across a seemingly endless path of rolling hills that's home to all manner of dangerous creatures or go west and attempt to climb the Galena mountains."

Ansa started pacing. "We don't have authorisation to present our demands to the dwarves yet."

"But we hold their biggest source of food hostage," he reminded her. "If they wish to trade with us, they'll have to hand Tuulikki over."

"Dwarves?" She scoffed at him. "You underestimate their stubbornness."

"Why?" He looked genuinely confused. "They may have met your sister during the two years she was here, but they don't owe her anything. Why put their entire clan at risk for the sake of one human?"

"We're necromancers," she reminded him. "They don't care for our magic. Not to mention we work with orcs, goblins and giants, all of whom are ancient enemies of the dwarves."

"The threat of starvation will persuade anyone," he argued, "no matter how obstinate."

"Still, if I do this, I will use our advantageous position for personal reasons," she countered. "It was something His Highness strictly forbid me from doing."

"Preventing your undoing by the hands of your own sister is hardly merely personal," he parried and stepped up to her. His large, warm hands came to rest on her shoulders, but they did nothing to ease her concerns. "You're a loyal servant of King Zhengyi and a high-ranking official in his army. Your skills, apart from your magic, are quite indispensable. Dealing with any potential threats is a way to ensure success, not just for yourself but for him as well."

"If I threaten the dwarves with starvation on behalf of my own, petty problems," she began, "it will immediately sour our relationship with them to the point where they will have no problem picking up arms against us should the opportunity present itself. Not to mention His Highness will see through what justifications I attempt to come up with. He always does." She involuntarily shuddered at the thought. Zhengyi had displayed more than once how he dealt with insubordination. It wasn't a tempting prospect. She reached up, grabbed her lover's hands and brought them away from her shoulders and down between them. "He wishes to control this region, not start a civil war. I'm hardly the only necromancer here, and we both know the others vie for my position."

"But not mine," he said with a smile. Ansa felt confused, at first, followed up by realisation that quickly turned into alarm.

"You just failed to scry her location," she reminded him. "Something is protecting her already, and there's no telling what she's capable of."

He sent her a sceptical look. "Working on a farm for the past two years? I'm sure she's built some muscle since then, but that's no trouble for me."

She matched his scepticism with her own. "Still, you should at least rest up and replenish your spells before you head out. You're such a glutton when it comes to casting and you're no sorcerer."

"I take it that means you won't try to stop me?" He shot her a boyish grin.

She shook her head. "Just remember to bring her in alive. Unharmed. No life energy drained."

He pouted. "She's young and full of energy. That might be more than I can handle."

First, she felt annoyed with him for being so flimsy, but she settled instead for a nonchalant shrug. "In that case, feel free to stay and help me with the paperwork."

His arms reached up quicker than a mind flayer could stun a person with their mind, shot a look at the grandfather clock lined up against the wall and let out a yawn that would have convinced anyone other than her. "Well, would you look at the time! I should go to bed if I hope to catch up to Tuulikki tomorrow." Then he sauntered out of the room at a leisurely pace, all hesitation gone from his steps. "I'll borrow some of the things His Majesty brought with us, if it's no trouble. No harm in being prepared." Then he disappeared out the door, his retreating steps going in the direction of the bedroom.

Ansa did what she always did when he behaved this way – rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Tuulikki trembled uncontrollably and her teeth clattered. She'd managed to reach a state somewhere between asleep and awake, but she doubted she was going to get much rest. Lying on the moss was comfortable enough, especially for one who'd slept in nothing but hay for two years, but the constant cold made it impossible for her to relax long enough to slip off into a deeper state. At this rate, she'd need an hour-long aromatherapy session on top of a good night's sleep. She briefly wondered if the clerics of Ilmater were good at such things, and would the dwarves agree to let them into their home?

Soon she slipped off into a daydream where she argued her case before the dwarves. Their king, Thorin Oakenshield, stubbornly refused to listen. She argued some more, which resulted in Thorin yelling at her. A unicorn's horn then grew on his forehead and he started snorting and grunting like a horse. Next thing she knew she was a baby in her mother's arms and her favourite lullaby song rang in her mind, almost as if the woman's voice contained a surround sound effect. It came with the smell of rose and jasmine, the warmth of lit candles and a steady heartbeat against her cheek, and it made Tuulikki feel terribly nostalgic and homesick. An almost violent tremble went through her entire body and she choked on a sob at one point. Tears began to involuntarily make their way down her cheeks.

Had she been awake, she might have noticed that she was no longer cold. The thought of that tried to grab at her mind, but it slipped away in favour of Fili and Kili chasing after a wild boar whose goal was to eat the obscenely large eyebrows of World of Warcraft elves. A wizard that looked like an old Harry Potter in McGonagall's clothes transformed the eyebrows into ferocious polar bears that terrified the boar and turned Fili and Kili into orcs. They then proceeded to eat McPottergall after which they turned to face her. The orcs then mounted the bears and rode around in full gallop while singing "Heal the world" by Michael Jackson. She only barely noticed that her tears had dried up, her body had calmed down and that she breathed normally once more.

Tuulikki slipped into darkness shortly after.