Bloodlines of Fire: Moonwood

Disclaimer: The recognizable characters appearing in this story are © Wizards of the Coast, Inc., all rights reserved. They are used without permission and for entertainment purposes only. No profit is being made by the author for writing this story. No infringement upon nor challenge to the rights of the copyright holders is intended; nor should any be inferred

Author's Note: This is a revamp of the original and I tried to include elements from the later books, but at the time I originally developed this plot I had only just read as far as "Empty Joys".

Part 1: Someone Else's Turn

Jarlaxle continues to be a thorn in my side, but right now I feel it all the more strongly. He simply informs me of where we are going, and expects me to follow him blindly. I do not know why I let him put his hands over my eyes, and then lead me ever onward. Allowing people to control my life has never been in my nature, and yet it is a liberty that I seem to give him.

I follow him around. I protect him, and I have yet to even see some money coming my way for the pains I have suffered for his entertainment; and I am certain that all of this has been for his entertainment. I doubt it even occurs to him that I do not appreciate this behavior. He does not purposefully harm me, or others (most of the time), but he doesn't need to. That one attracts trouble more than gold attracts a dragon, and mithral a dwarf. Why do I feel like the one who has been turned into the gold or the mithral while he watches from a safe distance?

No, not safe; he'll fight alongside me until the very end, but I cannot shake the sense, and it is often the reality, that when my darkest hour comes he will not be there for me. He will throw me in front of the dragon's maw, and then use it as a distraction to sneak away. I like to think that I am a particularly valuable magical item to him at least, although I recognize that he probably considers that ridiculous hat of his more precious, and I do not think he will simply expend me for small gain, only when the situation is truly dire.

It does seem that he enjoys my company (his target of teasing), and I must admit that his childlike curiosity of the surface is giving me a new set of eyes through which to see my world. His view is still greatly jaded, but to him everything is fresh and there is something invigorating to that viewpoint. It is similar to looking through the eyes of a child…

It is a strange partnership, but one that seems determined to last. I have let him throw me in the way of dragons, of liches, his fellow drow, and he has stayed. It seems that the final test will be what is coming next. He has dragged me all across Toril, and now it is my turn.

I have to get there; I have to get to the Moonwood. I do not know why, but I have to. It worries me though, for I fear that something is being set in motion, quite possibly something I cannot control…something I may not come back from.

I cannot decide to simply leave Jarlaxle, because all of these senses I have honed tell me that we are both in grave danger, and even I am wise enough to recognize the use of allies.

~Artemis Entreri