Chapter 147: Irenicus

The five giant eyes that surrounded the doorway seemed to Ember to follow them as they approached, and their gazes were just as menacing as when she'd first seen them. The crystalline Tears felt heavy in her hands; hot and cold, brittle and eternal.

"So," she murmured under her breath. There was no obvious way to proceed. She halted in front of one of the eyes - a blue human eye - and held up one of the Tears; the eye swiveled to track the Tear instead of her.

"Look at that," Imoen said in a low voice.

"Eyes need tears. It wants that one, maybe?" Minsc suggested.

It certainly did seem that way; the eye still seemed hostile, but also eager. But how to bring them together? Hesitantly, Ember held the Tear a little closer and let one of its facets graze the eyeball; as soon as they touched, the Tear turned to liquid and flowed from Ember's fingers to spread across the surface of the eye. The malignant gaze changed into what seemed to be relief. The eye closed - and a wave of power washed over Ember, briefly flooding her senses with raw, vibrant strength.

Behind her, Imoen yelped in surprise. "What was that? Did you feel that?"

"You too?" Ember flexed her hands. "I feel... stronger, somehow."

"So do I," Imoen said, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Quick, try another!"

Ember moved to another eye, a green eye with an elven cast to the eyelids, and gently held a Tear against it. It, too, closed in relief as the Tear wetted it, and after the burst of power that followed, Ember felt more limber, as if a lingering stiffness had been taken from her. She almost felt like dancing.

The next was the red eye of a drow. Ember hesitated a little before wetting it, but it relaxed and closed, just like the others, and left her with a clearer mind.

The fourth eye was a muddy brown, with heavy eyelids; an orc's eye, Minsc said. Its closing made her feel tougher.

The fifth and final eye, set at the very top of the arch that surrounded the doorway, was entirely black. She'd seen similar eyes before, in her dreams. "Does the Slayer have eyes like this?" she wondered.

"A bit, yes," Imoen said hesitantly. "But only to begin with. Then... it gets worse." She shivered. "I don't like it."

"Me neither," Ember muttered. She reached up as far as she could and pressed the last Tear against the lower edge of the black surface. A golden point appeared where the Tear touched the eye, and as the liquid spread to coat the eye, golden swirls followed, growing larger and brighter until the eye was transformed into a glowing, golden orb. Ember stared at it, transfixed.

"Ember?" Minsc asked worriedly.

"Em, you're glowing again..."

"Let me through," Ember told the golden eye. At her command, the eye closed, and the sealed doorway sprang open. A black wasteland was visible beyond.

Ember stepped back, breathing deeply. "That was something," she murmured, rubbing her eyes and letting the euphoric, intoxicating power from the glowing orb seep away from her senses. "How do my eyes look?"

"Still a little glowy," Imoen said, "but it's fading."

"Good. We don't need to surprise him with that, I don't think." She looked at her friends. "So, are we ready for Irenicus?"

Minsc smiled grimly. "My sword has been ready for him for a very long time!"

"You're sure this will work?" Imoen asked.

Ember looked at her. "No. But if the alternative is spending eternity here..."

Imoen nodded. "We'll make a last stand, then, here in Hell. We fall, or we win."

-.-.-

The area beyond the doorway seemed like a mirror image of the cavern they'd been trapped in until now, with similar ghastly statues and ruined pillars; the only difference was that here, everything was black instead of red. The faint light that pervaded the place had a blueish cast to it.

"This way," Ember said, letting the aching pull in her chest guide them onward. The ground underfoot crunched like shattered icicles as they walked; a cold place, for a cold heart. It made her angry. For this, she had been taken away from herself, from her friends, from... from everyone and everything that mattered to her - all because of a power-crazed madman who was now bonded to her like some monstrous leech! Clenching her fists, she walked faster. She knew he was not far.

They found Irenicus in a shallow pit, surrounded by statue monstrosities. He was crouching beside a dead Tanar'ri, and seemed to be pulling its body apart with his bare hands. A surge of fear shot through Ember at the sight of him.

A few more steps, and they were noticed: their former tormentor looked up at them and laughed. "So, no more hiding for either of us," he said as he stood up. Ichor dripped from his hands. "I will enjoy destroying you, Ember."

She hated the sound of her name in his mouth.

He has no tools. No lair. No right to be here.

"Brave words," she snapped. "Did you forget I've killed you once already?"

"With the aid of how many others? I see you still can't resist dragging others into your problems, but their numbers have most decidedly dwindled," Irenicus sneered. With a gesture, he raised his magical wards around him. "No, you will not defeat me again. I will free myself once more with your soul, and leave you here to rot."

Ember shook her head. "You will fall here," she said as Imoen's warding spells enveloped them. "That, I promise."

"We shall see, Ember. We shall see!"

"I grow tired of this talk when it is time for justice to be done!" Minsc cried. "Evil, meet my sword! SWORD, MEET EVIL!"

Ember and Minsc charged together, moving to approach Irenicus from opposing sides; while she dodged and swerved to avoid the brunt of the spells he flung at her, Minsc managed to deal him a vicious blow, sending their enemy stumbling across the floor. Both anger and fear flickered and flared within Ember as she moved steadily closer, jabbing at Irenicus to keep him off balance; soon, Imoen would have his wards down, and then -

A staff wreathed in black flames appeared in Irenicus's hands, and he lashed out with it, carving a wide circle through the air and knocking both Ember and Minsc away from him as easily as he had done back in the Palace.

"Did you think you had weakened me that much?" Irenicus goaded them, brandishing his summoned weapon. "When there was so much to learn in this place? So much to gain?"

"You -" Ember got no further before a spell slammed into her. Pain seared her body; she wanted to scream, but no sound came out. Distantly, she heard laughter.

Forcing a deep breath into her lungs, she raised herself up with numbed arms, and looked at her enemy. She wanted to stab her blade through his heart again. She wanted to rip him apart, rip his throat out; she wanted his blood. She wanted him dead. Destroyed. Murdered. She wanted... Something darker than rage was growing within her. She could feel it building, eager to be let loose. She clenched her hands, and stretched out her fingers; they were becoming claws.

Behind her, Imoen cried out in fear.

Through a red haze, she caught a glimpse of Irenicus, staring at her in astonishment even as he fended off Minsc's attacks. She shut her eyes and pushed back at the darkness and bloodlust, but it was greater than her, relentlessly rising to swallow her whole -

No! Not like this! Never again! Never! Grasping desperately for the light within her, she clung to her own self, her own racing heartbeat, fighting every moment to keep apart from the void that engulfed her, willing it to retreat with every slow breath she took - until finally, finally, it let go of her.

She slumped to the ground in exhaustion.

"The Slayer, I presume," she heard Irenicus say. "Too cowardly to use it? Interesting." Something seemed to clench the aching spot in Ember's chest before moving to her head and doing the same, making her feel like her skull would burst. "Yes, very interesting."

The clenching in her chest and mind let go. Ember lifted her head to look at Irenicus; Minsc was slashing viciously at him, even pushing him back a little, but even as they fought, change was rippling across Irenicus, waxing and waning as he tried to force a transformation until it finally burst forth from him, turning his cruel, cold eyes into empty voids, his body into the corpse it ought to be, and his hands into powerful black claws which he used to throw Minsc across the room. The Slayer flexed its horrendous arms, roared in triumph, and charged at Ember.

Focusing on the bright core of her being, Ember closed her eyes, and pulled.

She pulled, and her soul came to her.

Irenicus screamed.

Ember laughed with relief and delight; the tugging pain in her chest was gone, and it felt as if an unseen veil had been pulled away from her senses. She was whole!

"What is happening?" Irenicus cried, staring at his hands. He was no longer the Slayer, no longer armed with a burning staff, no longer warded. "My magic..."

"You let the Slayer in," Ember said triumphantly. "You had to let go of me to claim it. And now you've lost both."

"No..." Irenicus moaned. "No. No!" He stood as if frozen in place, still staring at his hands. His entire body seemed to wilt; he fell to the ground, and lay still. His body crumbled to dust.

-.-.-

"He's gone," Imoen said in a low voice, looking at the pile of dust that had been Irenicus.

"He's dead," Ember said, "and not even this place will have him."

Imoen chuckled softly, then laughed outright, harder and harder until she was gasping for air. Ember laughed too as she ran to her sister and hugged her. "You crazy thing!" Imoen cried. "It worked, it worked, it actually worked! Please don't ever do it again!"

"You did it!" Minsc bellowed with glee. He picked them both up and spun them around, laughing joyfully.

"We all did it," Ember said, hugging her friends tight. "I'd have been lost without you two."

"We found you," Imoen smiled. "And... we're free of him now. All of us. Aren't we?"

Ember grinned. "I'd most certainly say so!"

Minsc looked at Imoen, then at Ember. An even broader smile blossomed on his face. "You mean..."

"As far as your witches are concerned," Imoen said, "the dajemma you set yourself is complete."

"I... I am so proud that you were my witches!" Minsc exclaimed, hugging them both again, a bit less tightly than before; Ember looked at him, and felt almost like she could see through him.

A lump formed in her throat. "Minsc..."

"It is time," he said.

"Already?" Imoen said with dismay.

"We have done what we came for, little one."

It was too soon, Ember wanted to protest. They hadn't had enough time; she wasn't ready! But... he was right. "If only... I wish you could come with us."

Minsc smiled wistfully. "Boo would be lonely."

"I'll miss you," she whispered.

"Me too," Imoen said. Tears ran down her cheeks.

"Boo and I will miss you as well," Minsc said, embracing them both one last time. "Ember, I must tell you something, from Lady Khelliara. She says she will still hear you, but she can no longer heed you. She says to not be afraid, and that it is what must happen."

Ember nodded slowly. "As long... as long as she is with you," she said.

"Always," Minsc said. The cavern was growing dark. "Rejoice in life, my witches."

"Go to your Halls with pride," Imoen said. "And give our love to Boo."

The last thing Ember saw before darkness overwhelmed her was Minsc's smiling face.

-.-.-

"How about Imoen? Does she -"

"Yes. Yes, she is breathing as well!"

Voices.

A slamming sound.

"He's dead!"

"Edwin..."

"The elves say he's dead! (Turned to ashes, or something like that...) "

"Edwin -"

"What? What could be more important -"

"Will you for once in your life be silent?! Listen!"

She knew that voice.

"(Breathing?)"

"They may be waking."

There was a touch on her arm, her wrist. "She... she grows warmer by the moment."

There were more voices now, some of which she couldn't understand, and the soft whisper of a healing prayer; a cool, soothing feeling washed over her, lifting some of the heaviness from her limbs.

She opened her eyes.

Anomen sat beside her bed, holding her hand and whispering prayers; she couldn't tell if she saw more hope or more fear in his expression. He met her gaze, and abruptly stopped praying.

A flood of emotions welled up inside her as she looked into his eyes. She would have jumped up and hugged him and laughed and cried if she could, but even words felt like too much for her. She turned her wrist a little and gently wrapped her fingers around his; almost immediately, his grip on her hand tightened.

"You...?" he murmured. His eyes were shining.

Managing a faint smile amidst tears of her own, she squeezed his hand a little tighter.

She was back. She was home.