tabitha42

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 55

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The pixie looked down at them in annoyance. 

“More blessings?!” She spat, throwing her arms up in frustration. “You did me one favour and now I’m going to be making up for it the rest of my life!” 

“Just these last two,” Saff pleaded with her. “Please, if we succeed we’ll get rid of this curse and you won’t have to bless anyone ever again!” 

The pixie narrowed her eyes, then finally relented. 

“Fine. But no more after this!” She decided, then showered Malitas and Rolan in a shimmer of light, before disappearing. 

“What a strange little creature,” Rolan commented, looking curiously at the bell as Saff put it back in her pocket. 

“I thought she was rather polite for a fey,” Malitas mused as they headed into the forest.

The shadows were hungry as they made their way to Moonrise, but it was nothing the four of them couldn’t handle.

“Where did you learn magic?” Malitas asked Rolan, making small talk between the fights. 

“I studied in an academy back in Elturel. Of course, after we were chased from the city that came to an end, but I have far greater things awaiting me at Baldur’s Gate,” he replied proudly. “I have been offered an apprenticeship with the renowned Lorroakan!” 

“Ugh,” Malitas lamented with a roll of his eyes. “Please tell me you’re joking.” 

Rolan bristled as he narrowed his eyes at Malitas. 

“Saff mentioned that you didn’t like him… I think you’ll find you’re quite mistaken,” he said defensively. 

“Please, the man’s a fraud. Even from what little I’ve seen of your magic I can tell you you deserve far better than anything he can offer. The only thing he’s good at is public relations,” Malitas argued, but Rolan just laughed. 

“If I didn’t know better I’d say you’re trying to poach his most promising apprentices,” he said with a smirk. 

“Hah, I can assure you I’d never do anything so underhanded. Especially not when my current apprentice is taking up so much of my time,” he said, a slightly teasing tone in his voice as he glanced back at Saff, who only managed a slightly embarrassed smile in response. 

Soon Moonrise towered above them, an ominous shadow against the black sky. 

“Let me do the talking,” Gale said, stepping forward to lead the group. 

“Once we find the prisoners I will need a few minutes to concentrate on creating a portal stable enough for everyone to use,” Malitas explained. “We should make sure to either find somewhere quiet where we won’t be seen, or take out any nearby guards beforehand.” 

The others agreed, and soon they were making their way across the bridge once more. 

Getting in was easy enough, the guards gave them no resistance once they felt the presence of Gale’s tadpole. Knowing where to go once they were inside though was another matter.

“Where are they being held?” Rolan asked, but neither Gale nor Saff had an answer. Malitas, however, did.

“This way,” he said confidently, turning to lead them through the hall.

They looked at him in surprise for a moment, before following him through a series of doors until they reached a staircase.

“The dungeons are down here. Be careful from this point on, most of the cultists would have no reason to be here,” he advised.

“How did you know this was the way?” Saff asked, but Gale had already figured it out. 

“Detect Thoughts,” he answered, and Malitas nodded. 

“It didn’t take long to find someone who knew what we needed,” he said, heading down the stairs. 

“But you didn't cast anything,” Rolan said in confusion as they followed Malitas down.

“I am a sorcerer as well as a wizard. That grants me certain advantages,” Malitas explained. He didn't need to look back to know there was a disdainful look on Rolan's face. 

The dungeons were even worse than the rest of the towers - the stench down there was almost suffocating, and that ominous feeling seemed to grow with every step they descended. 

It was all Saff could do to keep her composure as they walked past piles of bones and rotting corpses trapped in cages that hung from the ceiling. She felt as if they were watching her, but the corpses soon became the least of her problems as a guard came round the corner. She looked forward, forcing herself to be as confident as she could, ignoring the suspicious look the guard gave them as she walked past. 

They continued down, past empty cells, til Rolan suddenly gasped. 

“There!” he hissed to them, almost forgetting not to make too much noise, before running off ahead. Saff looked to where he’d been pointing, and her face lit up when she saw the tieflings in a cell ahead of them. 

“Cal! Lia!” Rolan called as he ran up to their cell. 

“Rolan!” Lia gasped in surprise. “What the hells are you doing here??” “Getting you out, what does it look like?” He snapped back. Lia looked at Saff and the others as they caught up, breathing a sigh of relief that Rolan wasn’t here on his own. 

“The gnomes a couple of cells over have a plan, and we’re in,” she said, nodding to the gnomes across from them. 

“Then we’d best find out what this plan is,” Malitas said, and Saff headed off with him and Gale to talk to the gnomes while Rolan stayed with his siblings. 

Wulbren went through his plan with them, explaining that if they could find his hammer he could break through the walls at the backs of their cells. 

“Perfect,” Malitas said with a nod. “Once we’re all hidden, I can teleport us out. I need just a few minutes to concentrate on the spell.” 

“We might not have a few minutes,” Wulbren warned. “The guards make regular passes past the cells. They’ll set off the alarm as soon as they notice we’re gone.”

“Leave that to me,” Gale said confidently. “Illusions are something of a specialty of mine. The guards will still see you there in your cells, and will never know the prisoners they’re looking at aren’t real.” 

“We can help,” Saff offered, gesturing to herself and Rolan. “We’ll make sure the guards don’t hear us.”

Wulbren nodded his contentment with the plan.

“Good, then it’s decided,” Malitas said with a nod of his own. “I will find the hammer.”

“I’ll check the rest of the cells for other prisoners,” Gale said, gesturing down further into the dungeons. 

“I’ll tell Rolan the plan,” Saff said, and the three nodded and headed off in their separate directions. She quickly headed over to Rolan, who looked at her expectantly. 

“Wulbren says he can knock down the back walls once we find his hammer. Malitas is looking for it now,” she said, gesturing to Malitas, who was heading towards the central tower nearby. “Then once we’re hidden, Gale will make illusions of the prisoners and we’ll need to use Silence to make sure the guards don’t hear Malitas’s spell.”

“Easy enough,” Rolan confirmed with a nod. 

“Don’t get cocky,” Lia warned, and Rolan chuckled. 

“Please, I can cast a simple illu-”

“Hey!”

They went quiet as a guard approached them - a female drow with a glare that made Saff’s blood run cold. 

“No talking to the prisoners. What are you doing down here?”

Saff felt a rush of panic. She’d never used the tadpole before… but now she didn’t have a choice. She could see a hint of fear in Rolan’s eyes as he looked at her, knowing how badly this could go for them if she couldn’t convince the guard they were supposed to be here. 

“W-we… we’re… Balthazar sent us,” she stuttered, incredibly unconvincingly, trying to call on the tadpole to influence the guard. Despite her best efforts, she could feel her nerves getting to her, her hands shaking as she tried to keep her composure. She began to wish she’d taken Astarion up on those lying lessons…

“Wait a second… I recognise you,” the guard said, narrowing her eyes. “You came in with the traitors this morning… you’re one of them!” 

“No, no!” Saff gasped, holding her hands up in a panic, as the guard reached for her sword…

“Keris!” Malitas called from behind them. Saff turned to look as he approached them from the warden’s tower. “I see you’ve met my friends, Saffron and Rolan.” He spoke so easily Saff briefly wondered when he’d had a chance to befriend her, before realising of course it was just part of the act, and he’d likely learnt her name with Detect Thoughts. 

“Your… friends?” The guard stuttered, frowning in confusion. “I saw her with the traitors this morning…”

“Ah, you must be mistaken,” he said confidently. “We were out in the field this morning, searching for the weapon on General Thorm’s orders. The person you saw with the traitors was someone different. We have worked with you for months, you know us to be trustworthy.” 

Keris looked at him for a long moment, her eyes almost glazed over, before she suddenly blinked and stepped back. 

“Oh, yes, of course!” She said quickly with a smile as she looked at Saff. “Sorry, from a distance I thought you were… well I was mistaken. My apologies, please forgive me.” 

“A simple mistake, easily made and easily forgiven,” Malitas said smoothly. “I am looking for two more prisoners - a human by the name of Ulder Ravengard and a tiefling child. Do you know where they are?” 

She paused, thinking for a moment, then shook her head. 

“No… I haven’t seen any prisoners like that here,” she said eventually. Malitas watched her for a long moment, and Saff realised he was digging into her mind. Finally he nodded. 

“I see. Thank you. Now, as Saffron said, we are here on Balthazar’s orders. I trust you will let us get on with our work with no more interruptions?”

“Yes sir,” she said quickly, bowing and hurrying off. 

Saff and Rolan both watched with wide eyes as she disappeared down the hall, before looking back to Malitas. 

“How did you…?” Saff whispered, realising that what she’d just witnessed was quite a bit more than just a convincing lie. 

“A simple charm spell, but it won’t last forever,” he said, the act he’d put on for the guard dropping immediately. “The other prisoners aren’t being held here, she didn’t even know of their existence. I don’t know what they want with the child, but Ulder Ravengard is likely being held somewhere more secure than this - somewhere we may not be able to get into without a fight. Without any leads and with limited time, I suggest we break out these prisoners first and return for the others if we can.” 

Saff hesitated, not liking the thought of leaving them there. 

“Can you scry on them? Try to see where they are?” She asked. He looked unsure, then glanced around.

“Alright… keep an eye out, stop me if a guard approaches,” he said, then closed his eyes as both Saff and Rolan watched either way down the corridor. 

“Ravengard is… gods, what is this place?” He murmured, grimacing in disgust. “I daresay it’s an Illithid colony… which could be anywhere, and is certainly not the sort of place we would want to try to sneak into,” he said, dismissing the spell. Saff winced in disappointment, knowing how upset Wyll would be to hear that. Malitas quickly moved onto the next question. “Who is the tiefling child? You said her name was Mol?”

“Yes,” Saff confirmed, “she’s about the same age as Arabella, wears an eyepatch, was acting as a leader for the rest of the children.”

“She’ll also swindle you out of your gold or steal everything you have on you given the slightest opportunity,” Rolan added, though there was a hint of fondness in his otherwise mostly disdainful tone. 

Malitas nodded, and closed his eyes again. This one took a bit longer, but eventually he spoke. 

“I see her. She is not imprisoned. In fact… I think she’s in Baldur’s Gate,” he said, frowning in confusion, before waving away the spell. “Wherever she is, it isn’t here.” 

“Baldur’s Gate?” Saff asked in surprise. “How did she get there?” 

“I don’t know, but we don’t have time to speculate,” he said urgently. “We need to hurry. They’re storing evidence taken from the prisoners upstairs,” he said, nodding to the central tower, “the hammer is likely there. I can distract the warden if one of you can sneak in and get it.” 

“I can,” Saff offered, deciding she didn’t want to stay out here where another guard might wander past. Malitas nodded. 

“Rolan, keep guard, alert us if anyone comes,” he said, and Rolan nodded. 

As they headed to the tower they saw Gale heading back. After a quick rendezvous and confirmation there were no other prisoners around, he agreed to join Rolan as look out while the two of them headed in. Saff whispered a quick invisibility incantation and snuck in after Malitas, who struck up conversation with the warden. As quietly as she could she climbed up the ladder, realising that Malitas was trying to guide the conversation to get the warden to speak more about the evidence they’d taken from the prisoners so she’d know where to look. 

Unfortunately, upon reaching the top floor, she realised most of the evidence was being held in locked chests. She’d never picked a lock in her life… if only Astarion were there. She knew Knock, but such a loud spell would surely alert the warden. She began to look around, hoping to find a key, but instead found something much better - Wulbren’s hammer.

She gasped in excitement as she picked it up, noticing the initials WB engraved on the side. This had to be it. Her invisibility spell dispelled as soon as she picked up the hammer, but that didn’t matter - there was a window from the tower right opposite Wulbren’s cell, she could throw the hammer down from here-

She froze as she turned to head to the window and came face to face with a scrying eye hidden in the shadows in the corner of the room. 

“No-!” She gasped, and before she could do anything the eye screamed. 

The magical screech rang out around them, alerting all guards to their presence. Saff fumbled with the hammer and quickly threw a firebolt at the eye that shattered it in one hit, but the damage had already been done. She heard a shout of “Dolor!” from below as Malitas dealt with the now hostile prison warden, then shouted up to her. 

“What in the Hells was that?!”

“A scrying eye!” She shouted back in a panic. “I didn’t see it! I’m sorry!” 

“Did you find the hammer??”

“Yes!”

“Get it to Wulbren!” 

She heard him run off towards the sounds of fighting that were now echoing outside the tower and ran off herself towards the window that overlooked Wulbren’s cell. Jumping onto the parapet outside the window she saw now the guards that were descending on them from both directions, with Gale and Rolan preparing to fight. 

“Wulbren!” She shouted, getting his attention before throwing the hammer down towards him. Wulbren grabbed it as it hit the ground behind him and ran to the back of the cell, sending a distinct cracking noise through the air as he slammed his hammer into the bricks. 

“Ex textura!” 

She looked down, hearing Malitas’s voice echoing as a large wall of solid stone appeared at one end of the corridor, blocking off the guards approaching from that direction. He then turned with Gale and Rolan to focus on their attackers coming the other way. Magic shimmered at his fingertips as he held his hand out and a long, bronze-coloured metal staff appeared in his grip, runes and sigils engraved along the side, the top splitting into dual branches that weaved upwards, joining and separating to create diamond-like patterns in the gaps. Magic seemed to hang in the air around it, far more powerful than the simple enchantments on the quarterstaffs Gale and Rolan wielded. The runes flared as he swung it and launched a fireball which exploded over their attackers with a greater heat and intensity than any spell Saff had ever seen before, incinerating a whole group of them instantly. 

With a quick cast of Featherfall she jumped down with the others and the four wizards launched magic at their attackers, blasts of fire, lighting and magic missiles sending waves of light and heat over the previously dark, cold dungeons. 

“Rolan!” 

They looked back as Lia called after her brother and saw Wulbren breaking through the wall behind the tieflings. With a synchronised casting of Misty Step the four of them teleported behind the bars of the cell and ran through the broken wall with the tieflings. They could hear shouting behind them as they disappeared behind the cells, following the caverns into the darkness. 

They emerged to an opening in the caves leading out to the river that bordered Moonrise. A boat was moored to a run-down pier, surrounded by Ironhand gnomes that worked to untie the ropes holding it in place. 

“Can you teleport us out??” Wulbren asked Malitas urgently as they came out to the river’s edge. 

“If they don’t get through to us first,” he replied, raising his hands to begin incanting his spell. 

A charge of magic filled the air as the beginnings of a portal appeared in front of them, growing gradually larger as his command, his hands moving in hurried but controlled gestures. The group watched in anticipation as the portal grew, listening out for their pursuers…

There was the sound of shattering magic as an arrow whistled through the air and struck Malitas, sending him stumbling backwards and the portal fizzling out of existence. The arrow clattered to the ground and Malitas growled as he held his head and glared in the direction the arrow had come from, blood seeping from his forehead through his fingers. For a moment Saff wondered how the arrow hadn’t killed him, til she realised the shattering magic hadn’t been the portal - it had been one of his shields. He’d spoken before about how he specialised in abjuration, weaving the residual magic of his spells into wards that protect him from harm. It hadn’t protected him completely, but had it not been for his shields, the arrow would have gone straight through his skull.

Echoing footsteps turned to shouted battlecries as the cultists emerged from the caverns, charging towards them. Wulbren called for the gnomes to continue freeing the boat while the others prepared for battle once more. 

The cultists were upon them almost immediately. Saff frantically repelled them with Thunderwave, knowing that should they get close enough to hit her, she wouldn’t stand a chance. She looked across to see Gale stood next to her, lightning dancing at his fingertips as his spells lit up the cavern. Rolan had Cal on one side and Lia on the other, all three fighting with everything they had. Lakrissa had picked up the bow of a fallen Cultist and joined the fight while Danis helped the Ironhand gnomes with the boat. Malitas battled a warlock, taking a brutal hit from her pact weapon that by rights should have taken his arm off, but instead merely knocked him back as another of his abjuration shields shattered, absorbing the brunt of the attack. 

“That’s it! Quick! On the boat!!” 

Behind them the boat was finally freed and was being pushed out to the water as Wulbren shouted to them. Saff turned and ran with the others, jumping on the boat just as it cleared the pier. One of the cultists managed to jump in with them, but was swiftly thrown into the water as Gale slammed his quaterstaff down on him. The warlock Malitas had been fighting launched an Eldritch Blast at him, but it didn’t connect as he held his staff out in front of him and the spell was absorbed into it, sending ripples of magic across the staff as the runes briefly flared with light. 

For a moment Saff dared to hope they’d made it far enough away, until they began to hear arrows whistling past them. 

The group ducked for cover, and she heard Gale and Malitas muttering incantations to protect them, but they clearly weren’t enough as a scream cut through their words. 

She looked over to see Lia on her back, clutching at an arrow that protruded from her chest. Rolan and Cal pushed through the others and fell to their knees by her side.

Rolan pressed his hands to her wound to try to staunch the flow of blood while Cal held her hand and pleaded with her to stay with them, telling her everything was going to be ok. Saff rushed over to them and crouched down beside them, trying to steady the frantic beating of her heart as she realised Lia’s life was in her hands. 

“When I say, pull the arrow out, ok?” She said to them, lifting her hands over Lia.

“What? Are you insane?? She’ll bleed out!” Rolan shouted back in a panic. 

“Just trust me!” She shouted back. Their eyes met, and finally he nodded and looked down. 

“1… 2… 3!” She counted, and Rolan ripped out the arrow. Lia’s scream of pain was gut-wrenching, but Saff forced herself not to hear it as she focused on the spell.

“Te curo!” 

Golden light bathed them and Lia gasped as the pain receded. She looked down at herself in surprise, then up at Rolan, who looked just as surprised as her. 

“You can heal??” He gasped as he looked at Saff. 

She didn’t get a chance to answer before hearing Wulbren’s voice next to her. 

“Oh… shit…” 

She looked at him to see him looking out behind them in fear, and when she turned to follow his gaze she saw why. 

Behind them a dozen boats were setting sail from Moonrise in pursuit, each one lit up by dots of orange as archers prepared fire arrows. 

“Seems they really don’t want you to escape,” Gale said, his mind going through their options as the boats began to catch up. 

“They know how important we are,” Wulbren replied, glancing back at his fellow gnomes, before looking forward at the boats again.

“What do we do??” Saff gasped, knowing they had no chance of outrunning the small army that sailed after them in such a small boat. 

“We fight fire with fire,” Malitas answered, getting to his feet from where he’d been crouched with the others. 

They watched as he stepped to the edge of the boat and raised his arms, a charge of Weave pulsing in the air. Flames danced at his fingertips as he lifted his hands, and when he spoke his voice seemed to echo around them. 

“Furens…”

There was a wave of heat as the flames at his fingertips flared, growing now to a ball of fire that burnt in his hands. 

“...Ignis…” 

He raised his hands above his head and his cloak began to billow in the swirl of Weave that gathered around him.

“...Tempestos!” 

He threw his arms out and the air around the boats erupted into flame, great sheets of roaring fire that burst into existence and engulfed the river. Heat washed over them along with an almost blinding light, the fires so intense that even from their distance the heat felt like it would burn. The once black sky now lit up orange as the firestorm reached up above them in a great swirling cyclone. Screams pierced through the roar of the flames as burning cultists tried to jump from their crumbling boats into the safety of the water, only to have already burnt to death by the time they breached the surface. 

Saff’s eyes widened and her heart raced. All she could see was the raging fire in front of her, around her, closing in on her, the smoke filling her lungs as the roar of the inferno overtook all her senses, nothing but heat and fear and panic as she scrambled amongst fire and flames til she finally burst free and found salvation on the shores of the beach, the flaming wreckage of the Nautiloid burning around her…

She blinked and was back in the present again, no longer lost in the flashback, watching as the raging firestorm now finally began to die down. The stench of burning flesh filled the air as the dissipating flames now revealed a river full of blackened corpses and burning boats, still aflame as they crumbled into the water. 

Any remaining cultists on the shore made no further attempt to follow as their boat floated soundlessly into the darkness. 

The silence on the boat was broken as Wulbren let out an impressed whistle. 

“I like you,” he said with a grin as he looked up at Malitas, who returned his look with a smile of his own as he sat back down with them. 

The others began to clap and give their thanks to the group for rescuing them, though Saff remained quiet through it all. It seemed she was the only one there quite so harrowed by what they’d just seen…

She was snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Lakrissa asking if anyone had a healing potion, and realised she was clutching a wound on her leg. Saff quickly hurried over to heal her, trying to push the previous thoughts out of her head and focus instead on healing anyone that needed it. She made her way round the others and eventually got to Rolan, who was very curious about her magic. 

“So he’s secretly a sorcerer,” he said, nodding to Malitas, “and you’re secretly a… cleric?” 

She smiled slightly and shook her head. 

“I’m not secretly anything, I just know a bit of druidic magic,” she explained as she focused on healing his wounds. 

“Well, I must thank you for healing Lia. I’m not sure a healing potion alone would have been enough to save her,” he said sincerely. 

She met his gaze with a small smile.

“I’m just glad we all managed to get out,” she said, glancing at the others, before her smile faded. “But don’t thank me too quickly. She only got injured because I messed up… everything would have been fine if I hadn’t got spotted by that scrying eye…” 

“We don’t know that, any number of things could have gone wrong after that,” he replied. “Plus… that’s why we do these things with friends by our side, right? Because sometimes we need a bit of help,” He added with a smile, and she realised he was repeating her own advice she’d given him earlier back to her. 

“Yes… it is,” she said with a nod, smiling now as she looked back at him. He put his hand on her shoulder, letting her know he didn’t blame her at all, then sat back and nodded to Malitas. 

“Now you’d better go heal him before he bleeds out.” 

Malitas was sat at the end of the boat, chatting with Gale. The wound on his head still bled, enough that he was holding his sleeve to it, though he didn’t seem too bothered by it, as Saff realised from their conversation as she approached. 

“An impressive display,” Gale was saying, a slightly teasing smile coming to his lips, “for a sorcerer.” 

Malitas chuckled.

“You’re not jealous are you, Gale? I know it’s not an easy spell for wizards to learn.” 

“Ah, worry not, once I’m rid of this orb and the tadpole, Firestorm will be but a mere fraction of what I am able to cast.” 

Malitas was about to reply when he looked across and saw her approaching them. 

“Do you need some healing?” She asked, looking at the wound on his head. She winced as she saw the blood that dripped down his face and neck and soaked into his sleeve.

“Is everyone else healed?” He asked, glancing back at the others. She nodded. “In that case, I would appreciate it,” he said, removing his hand. 

She sat opposite him next to Gale and channelled the last of her magic into him, watching as the wound closed up, leaving little more than a faint bruise. 

“Thank you,” he said with a grateful nod. “It is most fascinating watching you cast druidic magic. You’ve picked it up quickly. Astute as always. I’m very happy for you, I know how much you’ve wanted to learn this.” 

She just gave a small smile and a nod in response, still distracted by her earlier thoughts. Gale and Malitas glanced at each other, knowing that was an uncharacteristically subdued response from her. 

“Saff? Are you ok?” Gale asked, gently putting his hand on her knee. 

“Y-yeah… I just…” she murmured, looking downwards with a sigh. “All that fire… I felt like I was back on the beach just after the Nautiloid crashed. And all those bodies…” 

A chill went down her spine as she thought about the corpses, blackened and charred, floating in the water. 

“Those people… the True Souls… they were like us, except they didn’t have a dream visitor to protect them. If we didn’t, we’d have been among them…”

She winced, realising now what they’d done and feeling awful about it. 

“It wasn’t their fault, and… we killed them all…” 

Gale and Malitas shared another quick look, realising this was going to be a difficult conversation. 

“Saff, I understand your concern, but we had no choice. It was fight them, or leave the prisoners. Surely you agree this is better?” Gale reasoned. 

“We wouldn’t have had to fight them if I hadn’t alerted the eye…” she murmured, but Malitas was unconvinced.

“If we hadn’t fought them now they likely would have fought us in defence of Ketheric Thorm once we remove his immortality. It is a tragedy what happened to them, but we cannot save everyone, and you shouldn’t feel guilty for not being able to do so, nor for alerting the eye. Learn from the mistake, do not wallow in guilt,” he said firmly. Saff glanced away slightly, looking conflicted. 

“We can’t save everyone if we don’t even try…” she said quietly. “And if we kill innocent people to stop the Absolute… are we really any better than them?” 

“If we don’t, the cult will kill or enslave far more people. If a few innocents have to die to save the many, then it is a sacrifice that must be made,” he replied. Saff held her arms as a flicker of anger crossed her face. 

“I’m sure Mystra feels the same…” she muttered bitterly. 

Her words hung heavy in the air, but before either of them could reply, the group were pulled into battle by shadows from the shoreline. Saff was rather grateful for enemies that she had no qualms with killing. 

Her mood hung over her as they pulled up to the shore and travelled back through Malitas’s portal, but once she saw the group reuniting back in Moonrise, she found her doubts beginning to melt away. 

She watched with a smile as Bex ran up to Danis and threw her arms around him while Lakrissa and Alfira embraced across from them. Rolan celebrated at the bar with Cal and Lia. The kids were thrilled to hear that Mol was safe and had managed to find her way to Baldur’s Gate, though Saff hoped the reason Mol had been able to do that hadn’t been related to a certain cambion that had shown too much interest in her. Barcus seemed happy to be reunited with Wulbren, despite his less-than-warm response to Barcus’s greetings. Wyll was disappointed to hear they hadn’t found his father, but remained optimistic they’d still find him eventually. 

While they’d been gone the others had found the way to the mausoleum. It was decided to leave first thing in the morning, which gave them one final night at Last Light before venturing off. With the tieflings already beginning to celebrate their reunion, this quickly led to plans being drawn up for the evening. 

“Another party?” Gale asked in surprise as Rolan, Cal and Lia announced their plans to the group. 

“I think we’ve got enough worth celebrating, don’t you?” Rolan replied with a grin. “And if you are to be leaving tomorrow, we need an appropriate send off.” 

“Fuck yes!” Karlach agreed excitedly. 

“I never knew tieflings were so into partying,” Shadowheart commented, glancing at Karlach before turning back to Rolan and the others. 

“If there’s one thing we’ve learnt since Elturel fell, it’s to celebrate good times when you have them,” Lia said with a smile. Shadowheart sighed, not sounding particularly thrilled about this, which Astarion seemed to take offence to. 

“Darling, didn’t you enjoy the last party?” He said, the playful smile on his lips somehow implying there were more to his words than the others knew. 

“Hmm… I suppose it was enjoyable enough. Though I think there’s room for improvement,” she said, looking back at him with a playful smile of her own. He gave her a look of mock surprise, before the smile returned to his lips. 

“Well, darling, I’m sure that can be arranged.”

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 54

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Saff didn’t know when she’d fallen asleep, all she knew was she woke up in his arms. 

“Welcome back,” he said softly, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. 

She opened her eyes and saw the stars above them, glistening amongst the auroras he’d made. They lay on the blanket still out in the clearing in the forest. As she looked at the sky she began to remember floating through the stars with Gale, resting in his arms as she gently drifted off to sleep. 

“Gale…” she whispered, still slightly drowsy, looking over to him. He gave her a smile, a deep warmth in his soft brown eyes. 

“How are you feeling, my love?” 

She looked at him for a long moment, blinking away the tiredness. 

“Gods, was that… did that actually just happen??” she asked with a laugh, almost unable to believe such a thing could be possible. 

“Oh yes,” he said with a proud smile. “I hope you enjoyed it?” 

“Enjoyed? I’m not sure words can even begin to describe it!” She said giddily as she leant into him, nuzzling into his chest. “It was… incredible. Mind blowing. I had no idea you were capable of anything like that.” 

“Oh there’s so much I haven’t shown you yet,” he said with a confident smile, then kissed her cheek as he wrapped his arms around her. “I am very glad to hear it. I just apologise that it is not the sort of thing I can do every night.”

“Oh gods, don’t apologise for that,” she said, looking up at him. “I wouldn’t want it every night. It was amazing, but… so is this,” she said with a loving smile, nuzzling into his chest again. He smiled, glad for the reassurance, and gave her a small squeeze of appreciation. 

“I’m glad. Still, I hope it was enough not just to woo you, but to wow you.”

She chuckled and leant up on his chest to look at him. 

“Oh, I think you wowed me a long time ago,” she said, her tone playful but her words sincere. 

“Is that so?” he asked, a curious smile on his lips as he brushed her fringe behind her ear. “I’m curious, how long ago? When were you first wowed?” 

“Hmm…” she murmured, looking upwards as she considered the answer. “I’d say it was definitely somewhere between when I pulled you out of the portal and when you hit the ground.” 

He barked a laugh. 

“Really? Love at first sight, was it?” He asked, equal parts surprised and touched. 

“Well, maybe not love I suppose, but… definitely something,” she said, casting her mind back. “You know, I spent that first evening wishing we’d only found enough supplies for one tent.”

His eyebrows shot up as an amused smile came to his lips. 

“Gosh, if only I’d known,” he said with a laugh. 

“Were you thinking the same?” she asked with an excited smirk. 

“I… can’t deny certain thoughts may have crossed my mind…” he answered, to her amusement. “Though at the time I dismissed it as little more than physical attraction. I’d only just met you, after all, and, well… regretfully, at that point, my heart still belonged to another.” 

She gave him a sympathetic nod. 

“When did that change?” she asked curiously. He hummed slightly as he thought about it. 

“Do you remember what you said to me the first time I needed an artefact?” he asked. She paused as she tried to remember, replaying the conversation in her mind. 

“Um…” she murmured, remembering vaguely what had been said, but not remembering anything exact. He took her hand in his and placed a kiss on her fingers. 

“You offered me the locket you’d been given for rescuing Arabella. At first I refused to take it, saying it was important to you. You said, ‘you’re more important to me’,” he spoke softly and gave her a loving smile. “No one has ever said anything so sincere to me.” 

Her heart melted at the way he looked at her, and she nuzzled into him once again. 

“It’s true,” she said, holding him tightly as she buried her face into his chest. “Nothing’s more important to me,” she whispered, trying to ignore the fear in the back of her mind that tomorrow the most important thing in her world might be taken away. 

Morning came with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. The group were eager to finally get some answers, though none of them quite knew what to expect. One thing they hadn’t expected was a surprise visit from Mizora as they crossed the bridge towards the towers… or at least, a visit from a projection of her. 

She wasted no time in tasking Wyll with rescuing one of Zariel’s assets. The group didn’t even need to look at Karlach to know how angry she was about this, the waves of heat emanating from her were enough to tell them her feelings on the matter.

In the end though, it was Gale that stepped forward to respond to her commands. 

“It seems to me this is not just an order for Wyll, but in fact an order for all of us,” he said, prompting a curious look from Mizora. “If this highly important asset was captured by the cult, then surely it stands to reason that Wyll, as strong as he is, would not be able to rescue this asset alone. So for him to have any chance at succeeding, he would require our help. Thus you are asking this of us as much as you are asking it of him.” 

“Where are you going with this?” Mizora asked, just a hint of urgency creeping into her otherwise playful tone. 

“If you’re asking something of us, then it’s only fair we should ask something of you.” 

Saff felt a sudden pang of panic as she worried about exactly what Gale was going to ask of her. Mizora, on the other hand, started laughing. 

“Oh, are you looking for a pact too? Not satisfied with your own magic?” She asked, a confident smile on her lips. 

“Quite the opposite, actually,” Gale said with a confident smirk of his own. “I ask that, in return for us helping rescue this asset, you release Wyll from his pact.” 

A wave of surprise crossed the group, most of all from Mizora, who looked none too pleased with the unexpected bargain. 

“Bold of you to make such demands,” she spat, her playful tone completely gone now. 

“One must be bold to deal with devils, don’t you think?” Gale responded with a smirk. “So make your choice. You agree to these terms and we see to it that the asset is released, or you refuse, and Wyll surely falls trying to rescue this asset on his own.” 

The air was tense as Mizora glared at Gale, deciding whether or not to call his bluff. Saff was sure if she refused, Gale would still help Wyll anyway… at least, she hoped he would…

“Fine,” Mizora relented eventually through gritted teeth. “You have your bargain. Now get to it.” 

With that she disappeared once more and the group turned to Gale in surprise. 

“I can hardly believe that worked…” Wyll gasped. 

“All devils love a deal. If you’re going to do something for a devil, might as well get something out of it,” Gale said, clearly quite proud of himself for this. 

“Thank you, my friend,” Wyll said gratefully, taking Gale’s hand in an enthusiastic handshake. 

“Don’t celebrate too quickly,” Karlach warned. “I don’t like this. What if this asset is dangerous? Or worse, a runaway like me? You can’t bargain with devils. They never lose.” 

“If Wyll doesn’t fulfil this command, he becomes a lemure on the front lines of the Blood War,” Gale reminded her. “We’ve been given little choice on the matter. I’d have thought you’d be jumping at the chance to get Wyll out of his contract, Karlach?” 

“Of course I would jump at that chance,” she said sincerely, looking at Wyll for a moment, before looking back to Gale. “Wyll’s happiness is my happiness. But I know Mizora will not give him up easily. We need to be careful.” 

“Very true,” Wyll agreed. “We must keep our wits about us, and be prepared for whatever awaits us…” he said, looking ahead of them towards Moonrise. 

The group split and Saff stayed firmly at the back with Karlach to let Wyll and Gale talk their way in, while the others snuck off round the side to find another route. Luckily they were able to get in with little issue and soon found themselves in the entrance hall of Moonrise Towers. The once grand towers had fallen almost to ruin, with twisted trees forcing their way through the crumbling brickwork. Cobwebs covered ancient, broken furniture and the rotting remains of tapestries adorned the walls. The stink of death and decay hung heavy in the air. Beyond the rot and ruin around them, something deep in the walls, deep beneath their feet, left them with a profound, ominous dread that pooled in their stomachs… 

Saff found that dread was only amplified when she heard the dream visitor’s voice in her head. 

This is it. This is where we’ll find the Heart of the Absolute.

Her eyes met Gale’s, and silently they took each other’s hands. 

It wasn’t long before the others caught up with them, having found an unguarded side entrance, and the group headed through to the audience chamber. 

The name Ketheric Thorm had already been one that filled her with dread, and she now found herself rooted to the spot in fear as she watched him pull an axe out of his chest and walk over to the goblin that had thrown it at him. 

“Try again,” he ordered after dropping the axe at the goblin’s feet. Once more she attacked, nearly taking his head off, and once more he pulled the axe out and dropped it aside. 

Saff had to clap her hand to her mouth to stop herself from throwing up as she watched him crush the goblin’s skull in with his own hands, pounding and pummelling until there was nothing left of her. Saff might not have been able to stop herself objecting had she not been terrified into silence. 

She was infinitely relieved she wasn’t at the front of the group when they were tasked with dealing with the goblins after Ketheric departed. Instead it had been Lae’zel, and she’d wasted no time in talking out the goblins herself. The fight had been so quick Saff had barely even registered it had started by the time it was over. 

The others split up to either head upstairs to speak to Z’rell or explore what they could of the towers, but Saff followed neither group as she ran outside onto the walkway that overlooked the river. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to get the stink of blood out of her mind. 

She heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Gale looking at her in concern as he came out to meet her. 

“Are you ok?” he asked softly, putting his hand on her shoulder as he stood next to her. 

She leant into him, taking in his scent, his warmth, trying to calm her racing heart. 

“Yes,” she said eventually, nodding as she stood up straight again. “That was just… a lot. Gods, Jaheira was right, he really is immortal. How the hells do we kill him??” 

“The others are trying to find some clue as to what grants his immortality as we speak. Once we know what it is, we can figure out how to disable it,” he said, leaning forward on the stone fence and looking out over the water. Saff joined him, leaning on the fence as she rested her head on his shoulder. They both stayed quiet for a long moment as they looked out over the dark waters. 

“This place… there’s something wrong with it, I swear…” she said, feeling that dread rearing in her stomach again. 

“I feel it too. A deep sense of foreboding, almost emanating from the walls.” 

She hummed softly in agreement, her fingers brushing against his. 

“Or maybe that’s just our own foreboding…” she murmured, thinking of the decision she knew he’d have to make soon. Gently, his fingers began to intertwine with hers.

“Well, no sign of the Heart of the Absolute so far. I may yet live another day,” he joked with a small chuckle. 

“Do you even know what the Heart of the Absolute is?” she asked, looking up at him. 

“Not a clue I’m afraid.”

“Wonderful. Mystra couldn’t even be bothered to tell you what to look for before blowing yourself up,” she said disdainfully. “Not only do you have to kill yourself, the journey there has to be a struggle too. For someone who thinks the Absolute is such a dire threat, she’s not putting much effort into helping you stop it.” 

She let out an angry sigh and shook her head. 

“Maybe Tara’s right, we should take up crossbows so we don’t have to have anything to do with Mystra.” 

Gale looked over at her, expecting to see the slight smile of a joke on her lips, but was surprised to see her looking totally serious. 

“Would you actually want to do that?” He asked in surprise. “Would you seriously give up magic because of all this?”

She looked downwards, fiddling with her fingers. 

“I don’t know…” she admitted. “I… I spoke to Malitas about this the other day. He said I shouldn’t give up magic because of this, that using magic doesn’t reflect on me just because of Mystra’s actions. I guess I get that, but… it still doesn’t feel right to call myself a wizard knowing how she treats her most dedicated followers.”

“He’s right,” Gale said, catching her eye as she looked up at him. “You love magic, don’t give up on it because of this. If you don’t wish to follow Mystra there are other gods you can turn to, say… Azuth or Savras. Or perhaps Sylvanus, if you wish to focus more on the druidic side of your abilities. But you need not give up magic entirely.” 

She considered his words for a long moment, glancing out to the water once more. 

“And what about you?” She asked eventually, turning back to him. “Do you still consider yourself a follower of Mystra?”

“No… though I’ve yet to decide on another god to worship, if indeed I worship one at all,” he answered. 

“If that’s true, then… why do you still wear this?” She asked, raising a hand and gently brushing her fingers over the earring that hung from his ear. 

“Ah, that,” he said, reaching up and unhooking it from his ear. He held it in his palm as he looked down at it, gently running his thumb over it. 

“My mother gave it to me on the day I graduated,” he said softly, lost in thought. “A symbol of everything I’d worked for, everything I’d accomplished. A symbol of her belief in me, through everything. The eight-sided star may represent Mystra, but this earring represents so much more to me than her. Mystra has taken much from me… but I will not let her take from me what I have accomplished through my own hard work and dedication.” 

He turned to her, giving her a serious look. 

“And neither should you,” he said, meeting her eyes. 

She smiled softly, grateful for the reassurance. 

“I won’t,” she promised him. 

The moment was shattered by a sudden clap of thunder from behind them, followed by shouts and running footsteps. 

They both turned to the direction of the noise and saw the rest of their companions running out of Moonrise and across the bridge while guards chased after them. A mage threw another bolt of lightning at the group, nearly sending Astarion flying off the bridge and into the water below. 

Saff panicked and went to run after them, but Gale just sighed. 

“I guess their search didn’t go very well…” he muttered, shaking his head. They watched as the group disappeared into the town beyond the bridge, where the guards eventually gave up their pursuit. “I suppose we’d better go find them.” 

After some time spent searching the town, they eventually found the others patching up their wounds in one of the many abandoned buildings. 

“The search didn’t go to plan, then?” Gale asked as he and Saff walked up to the group. 

“You could say that,” Shadowheart answered, narrowing her eyes at Astarion. 

“I wasn’t expecting scrying eyes!” He snapped defensively. 

“Well thanks to you, we now can’t get back in,” she said, folding her arms. 

“Well that’s fine. We got what we wanted, we don’t need to go back,” he said dismissively. 

“Yes we do!” Saff objected. “We still need to get the tieflings out!” 

“And my father and Zariel’s asset,” Wyll added, also clearly not too pleased by this turn of events. 

Astarion rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation. 

“Why does everyone around us always need rescuing?” He moaned. 

“Slow down,” Gale interrupted, holding his hands up to stop them. “You said we got what we needed. What did you discover?” 

Lae’zel was the one to answer him. 

“We were sent to find one named Balthazar and help him. We believe he may hold the answer to Ketheric’s immortality.” “Except now they’ll probably be sending someone else, since they know we’re enemies,” Shadowheart pointed out. “So we’ll need to beat them there.” 

“We also discovered Balthazar isn’t infected,” Wyll added. “There were notes in his study detailing his research into the tadpoles, so we can’t just use our parasites to convince him we’re on his side.” 

“Which means,” Astarion started, looking at Saff with a grin, “we’re going to need to finally get round to those lying lessons we keep talking about, darling.” 

Saff gulped nervously. 

“What about the prisoners?” She asked, trying to change the subject. “We can’t just leave them.”

“Well if you want to rescue them, that’s down to you and Gale now, none of us are getting back in there,” Astarion said with a shrug. 

She felt a deep sinking feeling, knowing there was no way she and Gale could do that on their own. 

The group eventually decided to head back to Last Light to plan their next steps, and it was while walking through the darkness of the forest that they heard fighting in the distance. They ran to investigate and found a lone figure cornered by shadows. 

“Is that… Rolan?” Saff wondered aloud as the group grew closer. Last time they’d seen him he was drowning his sorrows in Last Light, brushing off anyone who tried to talk to him. 

They made quick work of the shadows and she ran towards him to express her relief that he was ok, only to be stopped in her tracks when he suddenly snapped at her. 

“Gods damn it all!! I can do nothing right, not a damn thing!” He shouted, throwing his arms up in frustration. “I was trying to find Cal and Lia, and instead I find myself cornered by shadow-fiends and in need of rescue. From you, of all bloody people,” he spat, gesturing angrily at her. 

She looked at him in shock, and he could clearly see the hurt in her eyes. He shifted awkwardly, still too angry to apologise, but clearly feeling bad about his outburst. 

“I’ll return to Last Light. I know when I’m outmatched,” he muttered, starting to walk past them all. 

“We’re heading back too,” Saff said quickly, trying not to be too hurt by his words. “We’ll go with you.” 

“Wonderful,” he spat sarcastically, folding his arms as he walked off. 

He tried to seclude himself from the group as they headed back, staying close enough to be safe with them, but far enough away to make it clear he didn’t want to talk to them. Saff barely took her eyes off him as they made their way through the forest, and when they stopped for a rest, she eventually decided she had to try to speak to him.

“Hey, Rolan,” she said softly, walking over to sit next to him where he sat at the edges of their torches’ light. 

“What?” He spat, not turning to look at her. She tried to ignore the hurt she felt at his demeanour towards her and continue on. 

“Cal and Lia will be ok, we’re gonna find them,” she promised him, hoping that would make him feel better, but it soon became apparent that wasn’t the case.

“Of course you will, because you’re the hero,” he said with dramatic sarcasm, glaring at her for a brief moment before turning away again. 

She had to bite back tears that pricked her eyes. She hadn’t spent a huge amount of time with Rolan, but she considered him a friend after they’d spent a while chatting at the party, and it hurt now to hear him talk about her like this. 

“What… what do you… mean…?” she asked, trying to keep her voice steady. 

“You know exactly what I mean. The great hero who saved us from the goblins, who will now save us from the Absolute. You’re an apprentice, same as me, but you’re a hero and I’m useless. What good am I if I can’t even do this one thing… but it doesn’t matter, because you can do everything.” 

She stared at him in surprise, suddenly realising why he was acting this way. 

“Rolan… that’s not true. You’re not useless. You got this far on your own, through the shadows. I couldn’t have done that.” 

“Oh please, don’t lie to me to make me feel better. Of course you could have done,” he scoffed. 

“I’m not lying!” She insisted, with enough force that he finally turned to look at her. “I’m not this great hero you think I am. The only reason I’ve survived this long is them,” she said, nodding back towards the others. “I’d be dead a hundred times over if they hadn’t helped me. When this all started I couldn’t fight at all, Gale had to give me lessons. He’s still giving me lessons. The first fight we got into, I froze up and had a breakdown! If Gale hadn’t been there to help me, the goblins would have ripped me apart. I’ve learnt a lot since all this started, but gods I still couldn’t do all this on my own. I don’t think anyone could, even any of them.”

She leaned forward, catching his gaze with a sincere look, seeing the emotions in his eyes as her words sunk in. 

“So don’t feel bad because you couldn’t do it on your own. Don’t put that sort of pressure on yourself. We all got this far because we worked together. And we’re gonna need to work together to break out Cal, Lia and the others. In fact…” she glanced briefly at the rest of the group, then looked back to Rolan, “they all managed to get found out as not actually being True Souls. Gale and I are the only ones who can still get in. So if we’re going to break out the prisoners… we’re going to need some help.”

He looked at her in surprise for a moment as he realised what she was getting at. 

“You’re asking for my help?” 

“If you think you can talk your way in as an Absolutist.” 

A grin spread across his face. 

“Oh, if I can convince Lorroakan to take me on as his apprentice, I can convince them I follow the Absolute,” he said confidently. Saff happily mirrored his grin. 

“Then it’s decided,” she said, holding her hand out. He obliged and shook her hand. 

“Thank you,” he said sincerely. “And I’m sorry.” 

“It’s ok,” she said softly, before pulling him into a hug. He hugged her back gratefully, though looked at her seriously as they parted. 

“So that’s three of us, but it’s still risky,” he warned, and she nodded in agreement. 

“We’ll ask Halsin. He was hesitant to come to Moonrise, but if he’s the only hope we’ve got, I’m sure he’ll do it.”

Back at camp they found Halsin discussing the curse with Malitas and Saff wasted no time in explaining the plan to him. However, he was still hesitant. 

“I will come if you need me to, but I should warn you, I was not an unknown foot soldier when I fought here a hundred years ago. There may be people there that will recognise me.” 

Saff paused as she considered their options, wondering if it was worth the risk of him being recognised in order to have him there should they get into a fight. 

“How many prisoners are there?” Malitas asked, and Saff began to count on her fingers as she listed them. 

“Cal, Lia, Mol, Danis, Lakrissa, Wyll’s father, Wulbren, probably some other Ironhand gnomes,” she answered, and he nodded. 

“If I can get to them, I can teleport them out.”

She looked at him in surprise. 

“You’re offering to come?” She asked, and a smile came to his lips. 

“I’ve spent long enough buried in research. It’s about time I fought by your side, if you’ll have me?”

She grinned widely and nodded. 

“Of course!” 

She filled in the rest of the group of their plan over lunch, to mixed reactions. 

“We need to find this mausoleum Balthazar is in as quickly as possible,” Shadowheart objected. “They’ll have sent someone else to find him, we need to beat them to him.” 

“Then you look for that while we do this,” Saff retorted. “We can’t just leave the prisoners there. We’ll be back before evening.” 

Lae’zel scoffed and shook her head. 

“You’d better not end up needing us to break you out,” she warned. 

“We won’t. Malitas can teleport us out if it comes to that,” Saff said, glancing over to Malitas, who nodded in confirmation. 

“And if they kill you?” Lae’zel challenged, looking over at him. 

“They can try,” he said with a confident smirk. Lae’zel actually seemed to respect that enough to drop her objections. Astarion just sighed as he looked at them.

“Four wizards trying to sneak behind enemy lines to stealthily break out some prisoners?” He said with a roll of his eyes. “What could possibly go wrong?”

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 53

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The evening had been spent planning their infiltration of Moonrise. Halsin had to remain at camp, being the only one of their group that couldn’t pass for a True Soul, and he was quite happy to stay and rest with Thaniel. The others decided to split into two groups - Saff, Gale, Wyll and Karlach would try to talk their way in as True Souls, while Astarion, Shadowheart and Lae’zel decided to see if they could find a way to sneak in. It was best to cover all their bases, they decided. 

Saff spent some time with Halsin and Thaniel after that, attempting to trigger the vision again, or perhaps see something else that might give her some answers, but nothing they tried helped. Eventually she gave up and headed back to her tent. 

She was intrigued to find what appeared to be an illusion of Gale standing outside the door. 

“Good evening!” he greeted with Gale’s usual cheery manner. “I am here on behalf of Gale of Waterdeep. He wishes to extend you an invitation for a private conversation in a more suitable locale.”

Saff looked at him for a long moment, narrowing her eyes slightly as she tried to figure out exactly what she was looking at. 

“Programmed Illusion?” She asked, but he shook his head. 

“Not quite, but a good guess. If I were a Programmed Illusion, I would simply be following a predetermined script, and I would not be able to respond to you like this.”

She hummed in thought as she stroked her chin. 

“Major Image?” 

“Another good guess, but no. Gale is quite too far out of range for that one.” 

“Too far out of range…” she murmured to herself as she went through the possibilities in her mind.

“Simulacrum?” She suggested, but quickly spoke again before he could reply. “No…” she said, reaching out to touch him, and finding her hand passing right through him. “You’re not physical.”

“Indeed. Simulacrums also possess all the original’s memories and personality, whereas I possess only a portion of his.”

She smiled to herself as she mused that the illusion clearly possessed the portion of his personality that enjoyed games like this. 

“Oh! I know!” she gasped suddenly in excitement, “Project Image!”

“Correct!” he said happily, touching his nose with one finger as he pointed at her with the other. “Though an imperfect casting of it, given the limitations the orb and the tadpole have placed on him.”

“Still looks pretty convincing to me,” she complimented.

“Ah, yet you saw through it immediately, did you not? A perfect casting would be almost indistinguishable from the original.” 

“Maybe I should be glad it’s not indistinguishable,” she considered. “I wouldn’t want to think I was speaking to Gale, only to find I was speaking to an illusion. Anyway, speaking of speaking to Gale, you mentioned an invitation?” 

“Ah, yes! Simply follow yonder path, and you will find him,” he said, gesturing to a path leading into the trees. It was a path she’d walked many times before now, leading to the clearing they often did their lessons in. 

“Thank you,” she said with a smile and a nod, then turned to follow the path, as requested. 

As she headed down the path she wondered what Gale had planned for them both. Perhaps it would be similar to their night together in the Underdark. He knew she’d been struggling with the constant darkness in this place, maybe he’d created another illusion for her. She couldn’t deny, she’d quite welcome that right now - even an illusion of the sun was better than no sun at all. 

She stepped out into the clearing to find the illusion he’d created, but she’d never expected anything on the scale of what awaited her.

Instead of the ever-present darkness that hung in the sky, a great starscape stretched out above her. Auroras shone amongst the glistening stars, bright and beautiful. It took her breath away, so much so that she almost didn’t notice Gale sitting on a blanket ahead of her, illuminated by magic, arms reaching up as he perfected the illusion above them. 

As she approached he lowered his arms and looked up at her, a fond smile on his lips. She returned the smile and sat down next to him. 

“I love this time of night. There’s an almost reverent silence that accompanies the peak of darkness, when you’d almost believe the dawn will never break. The cradle of eternity. The timelessness of lovers… that most beautiful of fantasies.”

She met his eyes at those words, her heart melting when she saw the way he looked at her. 

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, leaning in, losing herself in his eyes. He lifted a hand and gently brushed his fingers over her cheeks, sending shivers of excitement through her at the tenderness of his touch. 

He leant in and closed the gap between them, their lips meeting in a tender kiss. She lifted her hand and rested it on his chest as she felt the gentle, loving press of his lips against hers. They’d had so little time to dedicate to each other with everything else that had been happening, and even the times they had spent together since arriving here had often been somewhat rushed, or perhaps more lustful than loving. Not this time though. This time she could feel all his emotions in that kiss. The way his fingers so gently brushed over her cheek and ran through her hair. The way that even when they parted he stayed close, resting his forehead against hers. The way he held her, as if he never wanted to let go…

She opened her eyes and pulled back to look at him. Only now did she see the anguish in his eyes as he met her gaze. 

“Gale?” she whispered, lifting her hand to cup his cheek. “What’s wrong?” 

He winced and sat up from where he’d been leaning back with her. She sat up with him, watching as he looked up at the stars with a deep sigh. 

“Tomorrow we head to Moonrise. Tomorrow… we may find the heart of the Absolute. And I will have to make my choice,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. 

“What…? I thought you’d already made your choice,” she asked in disbelief. 

“I had. But… it is so easy to refuse your fate, when it is so very far away.” 

He closed his eyes for a long moment, before opening them again. 

“I have no desire for Mystra’s forgiveness. I would be quite happy living the rest of my life never speaking to her again. But… what if there is truly no other way? Malitas believes Mystra commands this because she wishes me dead, but I am not so sure. Perhaps I am being naive, but I don’t think we can discount the possibility that my using the orb is the only way to defeat the Absolute. And if that is the case…” 

He closed his eyes again, steeling himself against the thought of what he must do. 

“If that is the case, then I will not sacrifice the world to save myself. If that is the case… then this may be my last night alive.” 

He looked up at the sky, a distant look on his face. 

“And if this is the last night I have, then I want to spend it under a canopy of beauty and wonder. Not under the darkness Shar would shroud us in…” he said wistfully, staring up at the stars. 

“Gale,” Saff interrupted firmly, taking his hands in hers and bringing his attention to her. “This will not be your last night alive. We’ll find another way, no matter what it takes.” 

He smiled softly as he reached his hand up to her cheek. 

“Always so optimistic. One of the many things I love about you,” he said fondly, before his expression shifted to one more serious and he lowered his hand to hers. “But life is not a fairytale, you know that as well as I do. Not everyone gets their happily ever after. Plenty before me have had to make the ultimate sacrifice for the good of the world, as I’m sure plenty after me will too. We cannot ignore the fact that the threat we face is great enough that this may be our only way to defeat it. And if that proves to be the case… then I don’t want to squander my last night alive.” 

“Gale…” she whispered, her voice cracking. He could feel how tightly she was holding his hands, hers shaking slightly as she clung onto him. “Please… don’t think like this… there’s always another way…” 

“Saff,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Believe me, I don’t want to do this. I want to live… with you.” His voice began to crack now as he started to think about everything he wished for, everything he longed for, that he might never get. “I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake every morning by your side and fall asleep every night with you in my arms. I want to come home every evening to you and share everything with you. The thought of not being able to do that, the thought of leaving you behind, alone… it breaks my heart more than I can say. But if that is to be our fate, then I wish tonight to be special. To be worthy of my last night with you. To experience as much as we can of that life in one night.”

She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to hear his words, refusing to believe that could be the case. He wouldn’t have to do this, they’d find another way, there was always another way…

Wasn’t there?

She thought of the books she’d read, both fairytales and real stories, told by those who’d lived them. The countless adventurers who had saved the world over the centuries. In fairytales there was always another way, but in the real world…?

Gale was right. Life was no fairytale. 

It broke her heart to think about the life they could never have if he had to use the orb. To think how unfair it was that he had to give up everything to save everyone. But if it were to happen, if she were to be left alone, with only memories of him to keep him alive… then she’d want to experience everything she possibly could with him now. 

Slowly she opened her eyes and met his gaze. There was so much concern in those deep, brown eyes of his… she couldn’t imagine never seeing them again after tomorrow. The thought made her heart ache, but she tried to focus on the present, rather than squander this time with him by worrying about the future. 

“Alright,” she said quietly, her voice wavering. “Let’s make tonight special.” 

He finally managed a smile, then leant in and kissed her on the forehead. 

“Thank you,” he whispered, then sat back again, squeezing her hands in his. “I want it to be perfect. To bond with you through more than just flesh - to bond in the way the gods do, intertwining our spirits in visions of the Weave.” 

She looked at him in surprise, trying to understand what he was proposing. 

“Gods? Oh, don’t bring the gods into this… I’m no goddess.” 

“Oh, you are. Believe me, I would know,” he said fondly. “But forget the gods then. Let this just be about us. What would be our perfect night, hm? After all this is done. I’ve spent so long imagining what we might do, where we might go. Where I would take you were we back home. So let’s imagine it, shall we? The perfect night in Waterdeep?” 

The perfect night in Waterdeep… she’d imagined many times what it might be like to return home with him. Her heart fluttered and she managed a smile, despite the tears that threatened to fall. She nodded, and he returned the smile, then stood up and offered her his hand once more. She wiped the tears and took his hand, standing with him. 

“The scene is this…” he started, turning and lifting his hand. As he did so, her eyes widened as she felt a charge of Weave in the air and the world around them shone white. As the light faded, she found they were standing in what appeared to be a library. Bookshelves lined the walls, and even more books were piled up on the floor. Paintings adorned the few spots on the walls that weren’t taken by bookshelves, and sculptures nestled in any gap they could find. She spotted a desk, covered in parchment and papers. Candles dotted the room, casting everything in a soft, orange light, while gentle piano music danced in the air. There was no doubting where this place was - Gale’s tower in Waterdeep. She felt a rush of warmth as she looked around. It was beautiful. Even the knocked over piles of books and haphazard stacks of papers made the place feel loved and lived in. 

“You and I stand in the room that is the centre of my universe,” he said as he began to walk forward, one hand ahead of him as he finalised the illusion, the other hand still in hers. “The sculptures, the paintings, the walls enlivened by the spines of a thousand books,” he said, gesturing proudly to his home as he walked forward with her. “The grand piano plays the Lliirian Suites all by itself, and as we look out beyond the arches that lead to the terrace, we see the weary sun take its daily dive into the sea.” 

She gasped slightly as the doors opened up to reveal the waterfront that stretched out ahead of them, the water glistening in the sunset. 

“Gods…” she whispered in awe as she walked up with him to the edge of the balcony and leant on the railing. “It’s… beautiful…” 

She allowed herself a moment to take in the sight ahead of her, before glancing back into the room behind them, now bathed in sunlight. 

“Is this really what your tower is like?” she asked, looking over at him.

“It is indeed,” he said happily, leaning against the railing. 

“It’s incredible,” she whispered, before a slightly sad smile came to her lips. “Though it could do with a few plants,” she said softly, trying to sound as if she were playfully teasing him, though she couldn’t stop her voice wavering at the realisation that all the things going through her mind, the idyllic fantasy of living here with him and calling this place her home, might never come true. 

“Yes, you’re right,” he said with a nod, his voice also wavering just slightly. “Then it would be perfect.” 

They held each other’s gaze for a moment, both trying to push away the creeping reality that threatened to shatter the fantasy they longed for. Saff eventually leant into him, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her and they both looked out to the sunset. They stayed there together for a long moment in comfortable silence, each lost in their own thoughts. 

“It’s even more beautiful than in the mountain pass,” Saff whispered eventually, deciding she wanted to lose herself in the fantasy just a bit longer. 

“You think so?” he asked, glancing down at her. 

“I do,” she replied firmly, looking up at him. “The mountain pass was amazing. But this, this is…” she trailed off slightly, looking out again as she leant into his chest. “This is home,” she whispered, a longing in her voice. Everything about this place felt perfect, felt right, even if it was just an illusion. 

She felt him squeeze her tightly at those words. Though he said nothing, she could tell how he was feeling in that moment. Delighted that she’d want to live with him here, distraught that she might never get the chance. 

“Home. Yes,” he said softly, as if trying to remind himself there was still a possibility he’d be able to come back here at some point. “You know, this balcony is my favourite spot. Many times, evening turned to night then back to daybreak once more while I sat there, lost in words,” he said, turning to nod at the bench behind them. 

“I can see why… I would do the same,” she said wistfully, then finally moved away from him to go sit down. She looked up at him with a smile, wordlessly beckoning him to join. He met her smile with one of his own as he walked over and sat down next to her. As he did she noticed the small table next to where he sat. 

“What’re you reading now?” she asked, nodding to the book that sat on the table. 

“Ah, this one is called ‘The Art of the Night’,” he said as he leant over and picked it up. “It details the first thousand nights of a newly wed king and queen.” He looked over at her with an excited smile. “They turned everything they did into an art. The art of taste. The art of conversation, time honoured and newly acquired. The art of the body. The exploration and acceptance of the self and the other. The art of the night itself.” He looked at her now with a twinkle in his eye. “I say we take a page from their book.” 

She looked at him in curiosity, still not quite understanding exactly what he was suggesting. 

“Can I see?” she asked, nodding to the book. 

“Of course,” he said, handing the book to her. 

She wasn’t quite sure what to expect when she opened it, but it certainly wasn’t what she saw. Her eyes widened as she read through and began to understand what Gale was proposing. 

“Are you able to do this?” she asked, looking back at him. This level of magic was well beyond anything she could ever hope to cast. 

“Yes,” he answered confidently. “It is not the sort of thing I can do all the time. This whole illusion is not something I’m able to do all the time, but for tonight, for you, I can,” he said, his voice almost a whisper.

“You don’t need to do all this just to impress me,” she replied, her voice soft as she met his eyes. 

“I know. Believe me, I know,” he said firmly, taking her hand in his. “You have stood by me through thick and thin. You have seen me at my lowest and stayed by my side. You have proved your love for me time and time again. I do not do this because I feel I need to impress you - I do this because I want to open myself to you, to show everything to you…” 

He leant in and lifted his hand to her cheek, cupping it gently as he looked into her eyes. 

“This may be my last night alive, my last night with you… and if it is, then let it be worth a lifetime.”

Her heart fluttered as she looked into his eyes, and finally, she nodded. 

“A lifetime,” she echoed, leaning in to rest her forehead against his. He closed the gap and kissed her, holding her close for a long moment, before pulling back. 

She met his eyes, then looked down at the book. Quickly she flicked through, til she found the pages she’d seen mentioned in what she’d read. Two handprints, one on each page. She glanced up to him to check she’d got it right, and he nodded, shifting back slightly on the bench to give her room to place the book down. She did so, then rested her hand on the page closest to him. She felt a charge of weave as her fingers began to glow blue, which intensified as he placed his hand next to hers. Their eyes met once more, a spark of connection, a flurry of warmth and belonging. 

She felt him take her hand, but when she looked down, it wasn’t her hand that she saw in his. Not quite. She looked up again to see Gale, not the way she knew him, but ethereal. Not his physical body, but his spirit, his very essence. As he leant back and floated upwards, she let him take her with him, feeling suddenly weightless as the two of them ascended into the sky. She looked down, seeing their bodies still there on that bench as Waterdeep faded away below them, and soon they were surrounded by endless stars. 

The view around them took her breath away. She’d never seen anything like it, never even imagined ever being able to feel like this. He floated next to her, holding her hand in his, smiling as she took in the beauty around her. 

Finally she looked over at him, feeling like he was her grounding in this otherwise impossible place. Were she here alone she’d be lost, scared… but with him, she knew she was safe. 

She pulled herself towards him and cupped his cheek. 

“It’s still you, isn’t it?” she asked, looking at the blue, spiritual eyes that looked back at her. 

“It’s still me,” he assured her, cupping her hand in his. 

As their hands touched she felt a spark pulse through her, a familiar warmth, a familiar love. It reminded her of the moment they’d spent in the Weave together, how she’d felt so completely in touch with him, lost in him, his feelings melting into hers until she couldn’t tell where she ended and he began. And now as he leant in and kissed her, she felt it again a thousandfold. A bonding of not just bodies, but souls. 

He leant back enough to meet her eyes again, and when he spoke now, the words did not come from his mouth, instead she heard them in her mind, his voice soft and delicate. 

“When you wake, it will be back at our camp. Back in our small, dirty, bloody patch of existence. But stay with me now. There are endless worlds out there. Countless ways to declare love. Infinite ways to express it. Too much for one night…”

He leaned in, resting his forehead against hers now, as they had done so many times before. 

“...But we shall try.”

He caught her eye for a moment, a smile on his lips. She could feel his excitement, his eagerness to share his world with her. 

He looked over as he lifted her hand with his and she followed his gaze. His fingers traced her skin, sending waves of tingling sensations, like ripples on the surface of water… until finally he dipped his fingers in. 

She gasped at the feeling of his hand merging with hers, becoming one with hers, the ethereal blue of their hands now shining a bright white. It was like she could feel him within her, not just physically, but… more than that. So much more than that. She leant her head back, shuddering slightly, getting used to these new sensations that ran through her. As her eyes closed she felt his lips on her neck, his hair against her skin, the familiar touches of physical love weaved with the unfamiliar warmth of the astral. 

She felt his hand on her thigh, lifting her leg, and as she bought her head forward, their eyes met. There was a moment between them, a silent question, a confirmation that she still wanted this. With an excited smile she nodded, and as their bodies came together all semblance of coherent thought melted away. 

She fell apart in his arms, in his warmth and his care, in everything that he was. She gave herself to him, as he gave himself to her. She was a great ocean and he the moonlight that danced on her surface, the sun that dived deep into her depths. They were the wind in the leaves, the cascade of the river, the sunset over the mountains. They were the singing of birds and the flutter of butterflies, the twinkle of stars and the gleam of auroras. The ripples of their love became waves in the endless sky and together they lit up the stars. 

Somewhere, where physicality met spirituality, she felt his hands over her body, the strokes of a hundred fingertips. His lips left kisses that echoed through her mind, through her soul, an endless melody. As his kisses reached her mouth and she kissed him back, she gradually began to grasp the magic around them. She raised her arms and wrapped them round his shoulders, every brush of skin and hair feeling like a blossoming warmth inside her. They parted from the kiss and their eyes met once more. She saw not the familiar brown of his, but she didn’t need to - she could feel him there, around her, within her, part of her. And, she knew, he felt the same. 

A smile came to her lips as she felt a breath on the back of her neck, despite looking at him in front of her. She glanced to the side to see another Gale, then to the other side to see another. 

Show off, she thought playfully.

Are you not impressed? He thought back.

You already know the answer to that.

She fell into him once more as he dived into her. More hands, more kisses, an intertwining of body and soul, lost together in the cosmos. Every thought, every emotion, touching the edges of infinity. 

The stars shone as the symphony inside her built to a crescendo. Somewhere she hoped Gale was feeling the same, and somewhere she knew he was. She held onto him tightly, in every way she could, riding the waves of their pleasure as far as they would take her, higher and higher and higher… 

Finally they crested the peak and together they soared on wings of starlight.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 52

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Gale wandered through the trees surrounding their campsite in search of Saff. She’d wanted a bit of time alone after dinner before they started that night’s lesson, so he’d agreed to come find her once he’d cleared up after dinner. Though in truth, their lessons were feeling less and less like lessons, and more like he was practising magic with a peer. He taught her new spells, while she helped him relearn the spells he once knew but had been left unable to cast thanks to the tadpole and the orb. 

When he emerged from the trees into the clearing he saw her practising the druidic dance Halsin had taught her, though she danced alone this time. She wore the white dress he’d given her, and Gale couldn’t help but wonder how she wasn’t cold. A stream of water followed after her as she danced, flowing with her movements. He smiled as he leant against a tree and watched, admiring both her beauty and her command of magic.

At first she didn’t notice him, too engrossed in her dance. It was only as she spun round and saw him out of the corner of her eye did she suddenly realise he was there, and yelped in surprise. With the loss of her concentration, the bubble above her fell down and burst over her head, soaking her in a wave of cold water. 

Shivering in the frigid air, she looked at Gale, who looked back at her with a look of shock equal to that of her own. 

“Sorry!” he called out as he came running over to her. He stood in front of her, realising how utterly drenched she was. A slight smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he opened his mouth to speak, before she interrupted him. 

“If you’re going to make a joke about how you can get me wet by just being near me, you can close that mouth right now.” 

He closed his mouth. 

She couldn’t help but laugh, before looking down at herself and trying to wipe away some of the water. Gale’s eyes wandered downwards too, taking in the sight of the now nearly see-through white dress clinging to every curve of her body, leaving very little to the imagination. 

“Opted for no underwear again, I see,” he said, the smirk back on his lips. 

She looked up at him, her expression somewhere between annoyance and amusement. Lifting her arms, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. He watched in surprise as the water began to rise up from her clothes, floating upwards in small droplets, gathering in a bubble above her head. Her magic wasn’t perfect - she was only able to get about half the water out - but he was impressed nonetheless. He was so impressed he didn’t notice the mischievous look on her face til suddenly the bubble was flying towards him. 

He raised his hands to shield himself and the bubble burst against them, showering him in cold water. He lowered his soaked arms and looked at her as she stifled a laugh. 

“Oh very mature,” he said, narrowing his eyes. He playfully flicked his fingers, and she giggled at the small splattering of droplets he sent at her. “Now we both have cold, wet clothes we need to get out of.”

“Whatever will we do?” she wondered as she stepped towards him. 

In the end, there wasn’t very much magic done in that night’s magic lesson.  

The next day, finding Thaniel’s other half had been easier than Saff had thought it would be - after just a few hours’ searching they were able to spot blossoming flowers through the darkness. Convincing him to rejoin Thaniel, however, had proved far more difficult than expected. When Saff had run through the portal with Halsin, the others closely following behind, she hadn’t expected to come out to a battle.

Halsin roared as he charged at the shadows in bear form, Karlach and Wyll diving in after him while Saff and Gale stayed at the back, slinging spells. She soon learnt that fighting shadows was hard enough, but fighting shadow children made the difficult feel impossible. She had to remind herself they were doing the right thing as Oliver screamed at them to stop, saying he just wanted to play…

Then she heard something… music? She looked around, trying to see where it was coming from. Her gaze fell on one of the shadows as it looked at her, but she felt no fear as her eyes met the deep pools of black that stared back at her. She felt only… calmness. Gradually the music coalesced until she realised that what she was hearing was singing.

Mm, mm, Thaniel and me,

Climb, climb, climbing up a tree…

Part of her knew to try to fight it, but she quickly found her eyelids growing heavy as the world began to fade and darken around her. 

We see shadows, they get darker, 

But our hiding place is brighter…

She barely even noticed as the ground came up to meet her. All was just darkness, emptiness, and that endless lullaby…

Do just what we please, together, 

Waiting for the sun, forever…

The song echoed around her, a haunting melody. 

Waiting for the sun forever…

Saff…

Was she waiting for the sun, too? 

Saff…!

Or was that someone else?

“Saff!!” 

She gasped and her eyes snapped open as Gale shook her awake. 

“Saff! Wake up!!”

She blinked as her vision slowly focused and she saw Gale kneeling over her, his hands on her shoulders. 

“Gale…” she murmured, her own voice lost in the din around her, til the figure that loomed behind Gale suddenly snapped her wide awake. 

“Gale!!” 

He turned and saw the shadow that towered over him just as it lifted its arm. He scrambled to cast a spell, but was thrown to the ground as dark claws slashed across him, cutting deep into his flesh. With a pained gasp he tried to defend himself with another spell, but the shadow was already above him, reaching out, and as it did a stream of magic flowed from Gale up to its hand. His hands shook, til finally his arms fell limp by his side as the strength was drained from him…

“Ardere!” 

Flames engulfed them, searing away the shadow as it screeched into the ether. The flames might have seared them away too, had Gale not taught her how to weave her magic around her allies, creating pockets of safety in her evocations. 

The fire flickered away and they were left in the coldness of the curse once more. Saff scrambled over to him, her turn now to shout his name in desperation, but unlike her, he didn’t wake. 

“Gale! Gale!!” she screamed desperately, but was met with no response. Her eyes went down to his chest where she saw three great claw marks in his skin, the flesh around them rotting and black. He was still breathing, but only just… 

She raised her hands, holding them over Gale’s wounds, and tried to focus. 

Remember what Halsin and Jaheira said. Balance…

She closed her eyes. When she opened them again her hands were glowing, and the words came to her as naturally as breathing. 

“Te curo.”

Gale gasped as he woke, reaching to his chest as he felt the claw marks healing. He met Saff’s gaze, but before he had a chance to thank her, an ear-piercing shriek cut through the air. 

They both turned to see Oliver’s newest summon - an owlbear, dark and ominous as the rest of the shadows that assailed them. Halsin met the owlbear’s challenge with a roar of his own, and charged at his foe. 

Saff and Gale scrambled to their feet and joined the fight once more, launching their spells at the owlbear as Halsin took the brunt of its attacks. An Eldritch Blast from Wyll shot through the air as Karlach ran at the owlbear from across the battlefield, turning her rage against their final target.

Another screech rattled them as the owlbear’s claws came down on Halsin, hitting him with a brutal attack that knocked him out of bear form. Before he could react, the owlbear tackled him to the ground, pinning him down. He raised his arms to try to defend himself, but could do little against the owlbear as it tore into him, mauling him mercilessly. 

“Halsin!! No!” Saff screamed in terror, reaching out to him. She hurled a fireball at the owlbear, focusing on not burning Halsin with her flames, but the creature persisted. Her heart raced as she raised her hands to try again, watching as Wyll and Gale’s spells also failed to take the owlbear down. It wasn’t til Karlach reached it and leapt at it with a vicious attack that it finally fell off of Halsin, screeching as it faded from existence. 

Finally, silence fell over the battlefield. Saff ran forward, panic rising in her as she saw the state Halsin had been left in. Before she could get to him, she heard a voice that brought her to a halt. 

“No…” 

Oliver looked at Halsin in terror, eyes wide. 

“I didn’t want this… I just wanted to play!” 

His voice cracked as he began to back away, then turned to run. 

“Oliver, wait!” Saff shouted after him. He paused and turned back to her, but looked like he might run again at any moment. She couldn’t let him leave… if he fled now, they might never find him again. 

“It’s ok, Oliver. You don’t need to run,” she said softly. She tried to come across as calm, but inside her heart was racing. She could see Oliver was hesitant, ready to run at any moment.

“Halsin’s fine, let me show you,” she assured him, though her actual belief in herself certainly didn’t match the confidence in her words and left her voice wavering. 

She turned to Halsin and raised her arms. For a moment she closed her eyes, tried to balance herself, and prayed this would work. 

“Te curo!” 

Halsin gasped as his eyes snapped open, his wounds knitting back together in the golden light.

Saff breathed a sigh of relief as she watched him sit up, then turned back to Oliver. 

“See? Everything’s ok. You don’t have to run, we’re not angry with you. We just want to talk.” 

Halsin stood up, wincing slightly from the injuries left unhealed, and walked over to them. 

“Oliver, it’s very important that you listen to me,” he said seriously. “You need to get back to Thaniel-”

“No! I don’t want to. I just want to stay here and play! I’m not going, you can’t make me!” 

Saff and Halsin glanced at each other, then back to Oliver as Halsin knelt down to him. 

“Oliver, nobody is making you leave - this is your home. But it is dark, empty... lonely. I don't want you to be alone. I want you to be with Thaniel.” “Why should I go back to him? He abandoned me!” Oliver shouted, throwing his arms up.

“No - you were stolen from each other. Neither of you are to blame. And I know your pain. I truly do. But you need not be alone any longer. You need not invent friends. Thaniel is back. He’s waiting for you.”

Saff knelt down next to Halsin as she saw Oliver’s uncertainty. 

“I know it seems scary,” she said softly, looking at him with a smile. “You must have gone through so much out here, all on your own. But it’ll all be ok. You’ll be so much happier once you’re back with him.” 

“But… would he even want me back?” Oliver asked, looking at her with a wince. “I’ve changed. A lot.” 

“But you’re still you, and he’ll see that,” she said softly, giving him a warm smile. “Change is good, as long as you don’t forget who you are. And you haven’t forgotten who you are, or who he is. He’ll still see you as the friends you’ve always been.” 

She reached out and gently put her hand on his shoulder. 

“I’ve changed a lot too, recently. So I get it. It can be really scary. But it’s been good for me, and it will be for you, too. And for Thaniel. Together, you two will become more than what you were before.” 

Finally, he managed a smile. 

“So I wouldn’t have to make up friends to play with anymore? I’d have someone real? I’d like that. And he would too, I think. Alright, I’ll do it. I want to do it!” 

Saff smiled widely, feeling her heart swell. 

“You’re gonna be so happy with him. Just you wait and see,” she said warmly, before standing up and stepping back from him. 

“Bye. And thank you,” Oliver said to them, then closed his eyes. A green light glowed around him as he began to lift off the ground, before fading away in a shimmer of gold and orange. 

They were left in darkness again once he was gone, but that didn’t dampen the grin that came to Saff’s lips. 

“We did it,” she whispered, almost in disbelief. “We did it!” 

She threw her arms round Halsin in a hug, who chuckled as he hugged her back. 

“Yes, it’s done at last,” he said, stepping back from her. “Soon the land will be unshrouded. We should return to Thaniel when we can.” 

“Yes! Let’s go!” she agreed, though her enthusiasm faded slightly as she looked around. “...Where are we?” 

After eventually figuring out their way back to camp, Saff was elated to see Thaniel awake and waiting for them at Halsin’s tent. She watched with the others as Halsin and Thaniel reunited, barely able to contain her happiness. Halsin turned to them, proud to introduce Thaniel to those who had helped save him. 

“These are my companions - Saff, Gale, Wyll and Karlach. They fought shadow and spite with me to help restore you. I could not have done it without their help.”

“Thank you, all of you,” Thaniel said to them. “A hundred years of sickness, almost ended. I feel every root that riddles the earth beginning to unfold. But there is one anchor still holding the shadows in place. The soul that brought it into being. For the land to heal, Ketheric Thorm must die.”

“Good thing he’s next on our list then!” Karlach said with a confident grin. 

“Indeed,” Halsin agreed. “With this done, we can focus all our attention on finding Moonrise.” 

The group agreed, though Saff couldn’t help but notice Thaniel seemed particularly focused on her. The others soon began to also notice the way he cocked his head at her in curiosity. 

“Who are you?” he asked. 

“Oh, I’m Saffron,” she answered with a smile, “though you can call me Saff. I‘m one of Halsin’s friends.”

He narrowed his eyes slightly, watching her for a long moment. 

“I can sense something on you. A magic… ancient… foreign, yet familiar…” he said, stepping closer as he tried to understand what he was sensing. 

At first she looked at him in surprise, til she suddenly realised what he must be talking about. 

“Oh, that’s… probably the curse,” she said quietly. “There’s a curse on me, but we don’t know exactly how I got it or what it does.” 

Thaniel frowned as he looked at her closely. 

“No… this is no curse,” he said, shaking his head, before a smile came to his lips. “This is a blessing.”  

“A blessing??” she gasped in disbelief. “But… how can this be a blessing? If it wasn’t for Gale and Malitas I’d be stuck petrified in the Underdark forever. I wake up screaming every night from nightmares I don’t even remember… I haven’t slept properly for days, and neither has Gale cause I keep waking him up…” 

Her voice cracked as she spoke. The others looked at her in shock, having not known about the nightmares until now. She took a deep breath and tried to steady herself. 

“Sorry…” she said quietly as she looked down and held her arms. “I… I just don’t see how this can be a good thing…”

Thaniel looked at her for a moment, then stepped forward and held his hand out. 

“Come,” he said softly. She looked at him hesitantly for a moment, before taking his hand. She knelt down with him as he took both her hands in his. 

“Close your eyes,” he instructed, and she did as she was told. “Now, open your heart.” 

The cold bite of the air around her began to fade to a comforting warmth as she felt something stir deep in her mind. Following Thaniel’s advice she tried to focus on it, to open her heart to it… 

Suddenly the feeling washed over her, and when she opened her eyes, she was no longer knelt in front of Thaniel in their camp in the Shadow Cursed lands. 

She stood in a clearing in a great forest. Above her the moon shone bright in the night sky, surrounded by a thousand gleaming stars. Fireflies and fey danced among glowing flowers. Behind her she could hear people, unfamiliar yet welcoming voices singing in a melodic language she didn’t understand. Ancient pillars of stone circled a pool of water that lay in front of her, glistening in the moonlight. She could feel the magic radiating off it. A magic unlike anything she’d ever felt before… 

“Lledaenwch eich adenydd a dysgwch hedfan…”

She stepped forward, feeling the soft grass beneath her bare feet. Her heart raced, but the gentle voices of those around her encouraged her on. As she grew closer to the pool she could feel the magic growing stronger, reaching out to her. 

“Lledaenwch eich adenydd ac ewch i'r awyr...”

She reached the water’s edge and looked at the reflection of the moon rippling on the surface. The pool beckoned to her, crystal-clear water that sent ripples of moonlight dancing on the stones. She knelt down and slowly reached out, leaning closer, the singing coming to a crescendo as her fingertips neared the water’s surface…

“Lledaenwch eich adenydd, glöyn byw bach!”

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped. Above her the others stood, looking down at her in concern. Gale was closest, and she realised she was lying in his arms. 

“Saff!” he exclaimed in relief. “Gods, are you ok??” 

She blinked several times, the distant echoing voices fading from her mind. 

“Y-yeah…” she stuttered, slowly sitting up with his help. “I had a vision… I was in a forest. It was beautiful. There were people around me singing, but I didn’t recognise the language. There was a magical pool of water in front of me… it felt like it was calling to me. Just as I was about to touch it, I woke up.”

She looked up at Thaniel. 

“What was that?” 

“I reached out to the power I felt inside you, and that was what it showed you,” he answered. “I’m afraid I know no more than that. Anything else, you’ll have to find yourself.”

Once again, she was left with more questions than answers. 

She explained the vision in more detail to the others as they cooked dinner, but they could offer no help or suggestions. She was deep in thought about it when Lae’zel, Shadowheart and Astarion finally returned. 

The group were shocked to see Shadowheart unconscious in Lae’zel’s arms, all three of them beaten and bloody. 

“Some healing?” Lae’zel said disdainfully, holding Shadowheart out to them. Halsin hurried over to them and cast a quick Healing Word on Shadowheart, who woke with a gasp. She looked up at Lae’zel, and just at the moment she realised what was going on, Lae’zel unceremoniously dropped her to the ground. 

“Let us never speak of this again,” sneered, walking away from Shadowheart. Astarion stifled a laugh as he watched them, which Lae’zel noticed. She turned on him with a glare. “You have nothing to laugh about. It is pathetic you were not able to carry her yourself.” 

“My sincerest apologies, darling,” Astarion said insincerely. Lae’zel rolled her eyes and turned away from him as Shadowheart stumbled to her feet, swaying from her still considerable injuries. 

“The shadows proving a bit too much for you all?” Gale teased, to the ire of all three of them. 

“We faced more than just shadows!” Lae’zel snapped, eager to defend her honour. “Two more creatures, twisted by the curse… but that is irrelevant, we have more pressing matters to discuss.” 

Saff and the others stood now and walked over as they realised how serious she was. 

“We have found Moonrise,” she announced. “South of the town across the water. We must head there with haste tomorrow.”

“Alright!” Karlach cheered excitedly, pumping her fist in the air. “Let’s finally get some damn answers!”

“And finally find my father and the tiefling prisoners,” Wyll added, nodding along with Karlach. 

The group grew excited, but Gale remained quiet. Elminster’s words echoed in his head. It is Mystra’s belief that only you can. 

He watched his friends celebrating. One step closer to being cured. One step closer to living the lives they’d all been fighting so hard for - lives that Malitas ensured they’d be able to live now even if he were to use the orb. He’d do anything for them all, anything to know they would be safe.

How easy it was, to deny your destiny when the moment of reckoning was so far away. When it felt like nothing more than a distant possibility. But now the time had come, and he could feel the depths of his responsibility weighing heavily on his shoulders. He cared not for Mystra’s forgiveness, but if it was the only way to save his friends, to save the world… 

Destiny was knocking, and what choice did he have but to answer?

[tabitha42]

I did a shoot with Daniel Bennett (https://www.danielbennett.uk/) at Fantasy Forest a few months ago and am finally getting round to uploading the photos! The location was amazing and the photos have come out beautifully!

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 51

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Saff clung to Gale’s hands as he led her back through the darkness. His angry rant about how foolish it was to run out alone into the curse had quickly come to a halt when he’d seen how shaken she looked. 

She hadn’t told him what happened yet. She was still processing it all herself. It felt like she’d been left with more questions than answers, and she didn’t know what to make of it all. 

They emerged from the darkness back into the safety of Selûne’s light. Saff ignored the questioning looks they got as they walked past the inn and let Gale guide her back to their tent. She followed him in and sat opposite him, breathing deeply as he took her hands in his and tried to catch her eye.

“Saff,” he said firmly, trying to drag her thoughts back to reality. “Tell me what happened.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to decide where to start. 

“I saw him,” she answered eventually. “The one Arabella talked about. Bone Man.” 

His eyebrows raised in curiosity. 

“I see. I take it he didn’t try to kill you?” 

She shook her head. 

“No. He just… talked. He said Arabella had to follow her own path, and that I must follow mine. He said he’s an arbiter, one who oversees. He even said he’s been watching us and can bring people back from the dead.” 

Gale scoffed slightly. 

“I think we should take such claims with quite a pinch of salt, don’t you? A mysterious wraith-like creature living within an all-encompassing curse is hardly something I would jump to put my trust in.” 

“That’s not all he said…” 

She took another deep breath, before continuing.

“He said that Arabella would be safe, that the Weave and the powers of nature would aid and guide her… as they have me.” 

She finally met Gale’s eyes, and he could see how nervous she looked. 

“He started talking about every time I used druidic magic. When I healed you and Isobel, how I felt like something was calling out for help when we first got here, even when we found the owlbear cub he said I was following some magic and didn’t even realise. He said… the call heard through my whole life, drawing me to the forests. How could he know all that?” 

Gale paused a moment as he thought about it. 

“Hmm… a Detect Thoughts spell, perhaps? Digging into your mind to find something to make you trust him?” He suggested, lifting a hand to stroke his chin. 

“Maybe… I don’t know. He also said that if I follow my path I’ll find my answers, and my way home, and I’ll find her.”

“Her? Arabella?” Gale asked, and Saff shrugged. 

“I don’t know. I guess so? I don’t know who else it would be…” she murmured, looking away slightly. “And when he said I would find my way home… it felt like he wasn’t talking about Baldur’s Gate…” 

She looked up and met his eyes. 

“I think he knows who I am. Who I really am.” 

“Now let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” Gale said, holding up a hand to stop her. “None of this means anything if we cannot trust this creature’s word.” 

“If we can’t trust his word, then Arabella’s still in danger…”

“Well, there is one spell that can answer that question for us,” Gale said confidently. “I cannot cast it again myself yet, but we know someone who can.” 

Saff had eagerly agreed to his plan, and after explaining everything to the others, wasted no time in sending for Malitas. She now stood with the rest of the group, watching him as he went through the motions of a Scrying spell. There was a flash of magic as he spoke the final word of the incantation, and when he opened his eyes, they glowed white. 

“She is alive,” he reported, his hands moving as he adjusted his view. “Still in the Shadow Cursed lands by the looks of things. Though I can’t say where exactly with any certainty. I see only trees around h-... oh.”

He looked surprised for a moment, then waved his hand and the spell dissipated. 

“I think she’ll be fine,” he said confidently. 

“Why do you say that?” Saff asked, slightly nervous about what his answer might be. 

“Behind her I saw a trail of shadows entangled in thorns, fighting to escape. Seems she can handle herself.” 

Saff breathed a sigh of relief, though she wished it didn’t have to be this way. Even though Arabella was able to defend herself, no child should have to fight for survival on their own. 

“Can you work out where she is, like you did with me?” she asked hopefully. 

“That… would be difficult,” he answered with a slight shake of his head. “The better you know someone, the easier it is to find them. I know you very well, but I’ve only met her twice.” 

“Ok… at least we know she’s safe,” Saff said quietly. She was happy about that, of course, but if that meant this Bone Man truly did speak the truth, then she had a lot to think about. 

“So just to be clear,” Astarion started, “if our good friend Bone Man is telling the truth, does that mean he’s really going to bring us back from the dead if we die?”

“That would certainly make things easier,” Shadowheart mused.

“Ch’k. We don’t need the empty promises of ghosts. We are mighty enough to prevail without the help of this Bone Man,” Lae’zel declared. 

“I agree,” Wyll said with a nod. “First the dream visitor, then Raphael, now Bone Man. We seem to have no shortage of extra-planar help being offered to us. Yet I believe we can face this threat with the merits of our own strengths alone.” 

“That does raise an interesting question,” Gale pondered, stroking his chin. “Raphael and the dream visitor both have something they want from us. The dream visitor claims to have the same goals as us, and though Raphael may have not yet made it clear exactly what it is he believes we can offer him, there is no doubt something. I’m sure our latest visitor is no different. So what is it he wants from us?” 

“I dread to think…” Malitas murmured. 

“As do I,” Halsin agreed. “Any such creature in this place is not trustworthy. I am very relieved to hear Arabella seems to be doing alright, but I don’t think that’s proof we should trust the one that sent her out there.” 

“Gods, you are a grim lot, aren’t you?” Karlach complained, looking round the group. “Arabella is fine and we might have someone who can bring us back to life if we die! Maybe I can even stop worrying about this thing so much,” she said, thumping her fist to her chest. 

“Hmm, you can trust him if you want, but I think I will approach this with a healthy dose of scepticism,” Gale decided. 

Most of the group murmured their agreements, though Gale noticed Saff remained quiet, a troubled look on her face. 

“Well, if that is all settled,” Malitas started, looking at Gale, “I have something I wish to talk to you about.” 

Gale looked to Saff again, unsure if she’d rather he stay with her for now.

“You go. I… need to think about everything. I’ll wait for you in the tent,” she said softly. 

Gale gave her a nod, looking at her in concern for a moment, then headed off with Malitas to find a quiet spot to talk as the group dispersed. 

“Curious business with this ‘Bone Man’,” Malitas commented as they walked. “A new mystery with you lot every day.” 

“We do like to keep things interesting,” Gale joked. “What do you make of it?”

“His statements regarding Saffron are curious. She mentioned he spoke of each time she’d used druidic magic,” he said, then looked at Gale. “Has she really been using druidic magic?”

“Oh yes, most definitely,” he answered with a proud nod. “I might have lost my arm were it not for her healing. She also healed Isobel, and I’ve seen her control the elements in a manner quite different to a wizard’s mastery of the Weave. Halsin says she is learning fast. It has been fascinating to see someone pick up a new form of magic so quickly.” 

Malitas didn’t hide the surprise on his face as he looked forward again. “I see. I suppose I should not be surprised, she’s always been a quick learner. Still, I am impressed… and I am happy for her. It’s always been her dream, yet it was not something I could teach her. Though if this creature speaks truly then it sounds like these powers are something more than standard druidic magic… I can’t help but wonder if some element of sorcery is involved. Perhaps it is worth seeing if she’s capable of using metamagic. And if this creature does truly know who her parents were, then I hope she will finally get some answers. I know she says she doesn’t care about her lineage, but everyone deserves to know where they come from. And as for Arabella… I’m glad she appears to be safe, but it is a great shame it had to be this way for her. An inquisitive mind like hers should be nurtured with care, not thrown out into the world like that.” He sighed deeply and looked out into the distance. “How cruel fate can be…” 

He shook his head, then stopped and turned to Gale. 

“Now, if I might get to the matter at hand.”

He lifted a hand and summoned a book, then handed it to Gale. 

“I came across this in my research. As you can see, I’ve made some notes. Tell me what you think.”

Gale looked at the cover - Netherese Mysteries - and laughed. 

“No prizes for guessing what this is related to,” he said as he opened the book and found Malitas’s notes. “I thought you were going to prioritise the other research avenues?”

“I have been, but have found little of use so far. And, if I’m completely honest, the orb intrigues me. Forgive me for indulging my curiosities.”

Gale could understand that. Once something was on his mind, he found it hard to think of anything else. 

He looked through the notes and the pages they related to, and as he began to piece it together, his eyes widened. 

“Is this… a proposal for how to remove it??” he asked in surprise as he looked up at Malitas. 

“It is the very early stages of such a proposal. There is much work to be done, but I wanted your opinion on what I’ve got so far.” 

Gale hadn’t been intending to spend much time out there with Malitas - he wanted to get back to Saff, knowing she was worried about what she’d been told. But time got away from him, as it so often did, once he was deep in his research. 

By the time their discussion drew to a close, they were sat side by side on a rock and several more pages of Malitas’s notebook were filled. 

“That’s given me a lot to think about,” Malitas said as he stood up with Gale. “I will keep you updated on my progress.”

“Thank you,” Gale said with a nod. “I appreciate this.” 

Malitas gave him a smile, though there was a slight look of hesitation on his face.

“Before I go…” he started, waving his notebook away, “there was one more thing I wished to discuss with you.” 

He reached into his pocket, took something out and handed it to Gale. 

“Another sending stone?” Gale asked as he took the small stone from Malitas’s hands. 

“Yes. Because I know Saffron will never allow you to use hers for what I’m about to propose.”

He looked up to Malitas, both curious and nervous about what he was planning to suggest. 

“And what’s that?”

Malitas took a deep breath, a look of sadness crossing his face.

“If it turns out Mystra is right, if there is truly no other way and you are forced to use the orb… then send for me. I will ensure Saffron, and the others, are taken to safety.”

A lump formed in Gale’s throat as he heard those words, as if Malitas’s offer made the prospect of having to use the orb more real. Maybe because it took away one of the consequences that had helped convince him not to use it…

“You know if it comes to that, Saff will never forgive you,” he said quietly.

“I know. But I would rather her be alive and angry at me, than dead.” 

Gale swallowed and as he looked at the stone. He didn’t wish to use the orb, but… at least now he knew the others wouldn’t suffer with him if it came to that. At least he knew Saff would live on.

With a deep sigh he put the stone in his pocket. 

“I hope you never have to use it,” Malitas said, stepping back from him. “Now I will let you get on with your evening. I think Saffron will appreciate your company.” 

The two said their goodbyes and Malitas disappeared once more. Gale tried to put the thoughts of having to use the stone out of his mind, trying to forget the mental images of Malitas forcibly teleporting Saff away, while she reached out to him and screamed for him not to do it…

The thoughts were finally pushed away as he entered the tent and found Saff curled up amongst the blankets. When she looked up at him, he saw tears on her cheeks.

He sat next to her and she wordlessly leaned into him as he put his arms around her. He said nothing as she cried, he just held her and stroked her hair, giving her all the time she needed. 

“Sorry…” she murmured, wiping her eyes and sitting up slightly as her sobs finally began to subside. 

“Don’t apologise,” he said softly. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.” 

“Just… everything,” she answered with a deep sigh. “It’s so much. There’s so much death, so much suffering. Seeing what had become of those nurses, what they did to the surgeon… did you know there were two skeletons on the roof? Lovers, with a book of poetry. Do you think they stayed up there til the curse got them, so they could spend their last moments in each other’s arms? Then Arabella’s parents, and how upset she was… then everything with this Bone Man. If he’s telling the truth, then… what does that mean for me? I… I don’t know what to make of it all. And I’m so tired. With these nightmares I can barely sleep. And I know you say not to worry, but I feel awful for keeping you awake, too. And it’s always so dark… so cold…”

Her voice cracked as a tear rolled down her cheek. 

“I miss the sun… I miss the stars, and the moon, and flowers, and grass, and birds, and butterflies…” 

She trailed off as she leant back into him. He wrapped both arms around her and gave a tight squeeze, kissing the top of her head. 

“We will get through this, I promise you,” he whispered softly. “No matter how hopeless a situation may seem, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Do you know who taught me that?”

She sat up and shook her head as she looked at him.

“You did,” he said with a smile, wiping a tear from her eye. “When I thought I could face the world no more, there you were, my light at the end of the tunnel. Now allow me to be yours.” 

He pressed a loving kiss to her forehead, and when he pulled back, she was smiling.

“Take heart, my love. For there is no challenge we cannot face together,” he said, cupping her cheek in his hand. “We will get through this, and before you know it, we’ll be away from this cold dark land, and walking in the sun once more.”

“I can’t wait,” she whispered, leaning into his touch. “Sorry, I shouldn’t moan so much. I know there’s nothing you can do about any of this…”

“It’s ok. Sometimes we just need to get these things off our chests,” he said understandingly. She smiled gratefully and wiped her tears away, trying not to wallow in her sorrow anymore. 

“What did Malitas want? You two were gone for ages.”

“Ah, yes. He had a proposal for how to remove the orb.” 

Her face lit up. 

“Oh, finally some good news! Do you think it’ll work?”

“I don’t know. There’s still a lot of work to be done. But it looked like a viable start.” 

“Good,” she said with a deep breath of relief. “Even if it’s stabilised, you’re still better off without it.” 

“Couldn’t agree more,” he nodded. “But before then there are plenty of other matters to be addressed, the most pressing of which is dinner. Care to assist me?” he asked, and a wide smile came to her lips. Helping Gale with the cooking always made her forget the stresses of everything they were facing, and she always felt better after spending some time with the others in the evenings. 

“I’d love to.”

---

Sunset cast the city in a deep, orange light. It was breathtakingly beautiful - the cloudless sky glowed while the sea sparkled and glistened, like a thousand droplets of sunlight dancing on the water. She’d been so busy she’d not had a chance to take advantage of the beautiful day they’d had, by far the hottest of the year so far, and even now as the sun was setting it still cast bright rays of warm light through the window. 

She couldn’t stay here for too long, she knew. Not in sunlight like this. But as long as she was here only for a moment, it would be fine. 

Through the window she felt a gentle breeze cool her skin, and smiled as she watched the leaves that flew past in the wind. Briefly she wondered if the little butterfly flew amongst them in the sunlight…

She should really move. Just a moment longer wouldn’t hurt, right? 

She ignored the trickle of sweat down the back of her neck, the growing pain of the heat beating down on her skin, wanting to enjoy the sun’s light just a moment more…

Footsteps echoed from the stairwell and she quickly jumped up, making it to the door just as Malitas opened it. 

“Ah, there you are. I need you to-” 

He stopped in his tracks as he looked at her. 

“Have you been sitting in the sun again?” 

“Is it that obvio-” 

She looked down at her arms and went quiet. 

“Oh…” 

He sighed and gave her a pained look. 

“Didn’t I tell you not to sit in the sun?” 

“You said… don’t sit in the sun for too long…” she murmured, looking away slightly. “I didn’t think this would be too long. I was only there for a minute…”

He shook his head, wincing as he looked at the damage done to her arms. 

“Doesn’t it hurt?” he asked. She just nodded. “Then why do you do it?”

“Because I love the sun…” she whispered. He sighed again and pressed his fingers to his temples. 

“Well, from now on I suggest you love the sun from a safer distance.”

Her eyes snapped back to him. No, please…

“No more sunbathing. I won’t let you get yourself into this state again.”

Her mind raced and every fibre of her being screamed at her to beg him not to do this. To plead, to shout, to cry, whatever it took. Don’t take this from me, don’t take this from me, don’ttakethisfrommedon’ttakethisfromme…

“Of course,” she said with a smile and a nod.   

“Good. Then go have a cold shower, hopefully that’ll be enough to fix this. I’ll be in my study, come find me when you’re done.”

With that, he turned and left the room.

The moment the door closed, she fell to her knees and clapped a hand to her mouth to silence the cry of anguish that tried to escape her lips. Her hands shook as tears welled in her eyes. 

This couldn’t be happening, it couldn’t be… what else did she have left now?

Slowly she rose to her feet, letting the tears fall down her cheeks now as she walked to the bathroom. As she passed the window she paused and looked at the sun-bathed window seat from the shadows she stood in. 

Enjoy the sun for me, little butterfly.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 50

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Another night, another nightmare. She was beginning to feel bad about waking Gale so much, though he insisted it was fine and not to blame herself. She didn’t sleep talk during this nightmare, apparently. She just cried. She’d woken with tears on her cheeks and a deep sadness she still couldn’t shake the next morning. 

Though she soon found out the real nightmare was what they faced that day. 

They’d approached the House of Healing with hope after Saff had seen a vision of Art Cullagh there in one of the shadow vestiges, but witnessing Shadowheart convince the corrupted nurses to tear their master apart had left Saff harrowed. When the group had headed up to the top floor she’d gone outside onto the roof to try to catch her breath, only to find the skeletal remains of two lovers, an old book of poetry by their feet. Heartbroken by the scene in front of her, she headed back downstairs in search of a quiet room away from it all. 

That was when she found Arabella’s parents. 

She’d barely registered as the corrupted nurse spoke of healing the two corpses that lay on the beds either side of her. All she could do was run out of there, out of the twisted remains of the hospital, into the darkness. It was a stupid thing to do, she knew, but she just couldn’t face it anymore. 

She wasn’t sure how long she’d been out in the graveyard that bordered the hospital, sitting on a rock staring into the distance, by the time Gale found her.

“There you are! You know I really wouldn’t advise wandering around here on your own, you never know when those shadows could…” he trailed off when he saw the look on her face and the redness of her eyes. 

“Saff? What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting down next to her. For a moment she couldn’t answer.

“I found Arabella’s parents…” she said quietly, her voice almost a whisper. A look of surprise crossed his face, before it turned to sorrow as he realised what her reaction must mean. 

“I see. They were in the hospital?” He asked, and she nodded distantly. 

“In one of the wings. There was a nurse there who said she was healing them…” she trailed off slightly, then closed her eyes in despair. 

“Poor Arabella,” Gale murmured sadly, shaking his head. “A cruel hand fate has dealt her. But we can give her what fate could not. We’ll protect her, as long as she needs it.” 

He took Saff’s hand in his as tears welled in her eyes. 

“How do I tell her…” she murmured, feeling at a loss.

“I can tell her, if you prefer,” Gale offered, but she shook her head firmly.

“No. I’m the one that’s been looking after her, the one who promised to find her parents… it should be me.” 

Saff was firm in her conviction, until the moment she saw Arabella. 

She was talking with Malitas again once they reached camp, and turned to look at Saff with an excited grin when she saw her. 

“You’re back!” she called, running over to her. “Did you find mom and pops??” 

I did! They’re waiting for you at the inn. Let’s go see them!

Her heart broke at the fantasy she’d played out in her head so many times since finding Arabella. The fantasy that could now never come true.

“Arabella…” she started, trying to keep her voice steady as she knelt down in front of her. She could see Malitas a few feet away, having already realised what she was about to say. He stood with Gale, the two of them watching her with sorrowful looks. 

“I… found your parents. But…” 

A look of hope crossed Arabella’s face at first, til it slowly began to dawn on her what Saff was about to say. 

“Arabella, I… I’m so sorry. They didn’t make it.” 

Her smile disappeared and was replaced by a fearful wince. 

“No…” she whispered, shaking her head “No no no… I don’t believe you!” 

It was all Saff could do to stop her eyes welling with tears as she tried to be strong for her. 

“Arabella… I’m so sorry. I wouldn’t say this to you if it wasn’t true. But we’re all here for you, and you can stay with us as long as you need-” “No!” she shouted suddenly, her voice echoing in the darkened campsite. “They’d never leave me! They promised!” 

“A-Arabella…” Saff stuttered, trying to reach out to comfort her, but she slapped her hand away. 

“Get away from me! Go!” she shouted, before suddenly turning and running off. 

“Arabella!” Saff tried to call after her, but she was already gone. 

Saff couldn’t stop the tears now that finally fell down her cheeks. She’d tried to prepare herself for what she knew would be a heartbreaking conversation, but this was even worse than she’d imagined. Gale and Malitas came over to her as she weakly stood up, and Gale took her into his arms. 

“Should I have said something different…?” she murmured, almost to herself, as she leant into Gale’s chest. 

“Nothing you could have said would have changed anything,” he said softly, stroking her hair. Malitas nodded in agreement as he put a hand on Saff’s shoulder.

“She is young and in shock. Give her time. She will come around,” he advised. Saff nodded weakly, hoping he was right. 

The mood was low that night in camp, with most of the group having witnessed Arabella’s reaction. Halsin tried to seek her out, but when he found her she rebuffed his offers of comfort, too. Karlach and Wyll tried to comfort Saff, telling her she’d done everything she could, but she still went to bed with a heavy heart that night. When she woke that sadness still hung over her, though she couldn’t tell if that was from concern for Arabella, or the nightmare she’d woken from in a panic. She felt a lot better, however, when Arabella greeted her with a smile. 

“Hey, you,” she said, walking up to her as she left the tent. She’d clearly been waiting for her to wake up. 

“Hey, Arabella,” she replied softly. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah. I mean… I will be. I, um… I wanted to say sorry about yesterday, for shouting at you like that…” she murmured, looking away slightly. 

“Oh sweetie, that’s ok,” Saff said, kneeling down to pull her into a gentle hug. Arabella smiled as she leant in and hugged her back. 

“Thanks,” she said with a relieved smile as they parted. 

“And I meant what I said. We’re here for you, and you can stay with us, if you want,” Saff offered, staying knelt down with her as she put a hand on her shoulder. 

“That’s nice of you, but it’s ok. I know what I need to do. Bone Man told me.” 

Saff’s smile faltered. 

“Bone Man…?” she asked, struggling to keep the reassuring look on her face. 

“Yeah! He came to me last night after I ran off. I thought he was weird at first but then he showed me my future. And I… I wish mum and pops was still here, but… I understand why they died now. And I know everything will be ok. I just have to go out there and follow the Weave.”

She now couldn’t hide the look of deep concern and fear that gripped her. 

“Um, Arabella… who is this ‘Bone Man’? What are you talking about?” she asked nervously, and was met with a confused look from Arabella.

“You know, Bone Man! He looks all withered, and he wears long blue robes that are all ripped and tattered and has gold jewellery on his face. You know him, right? He said he knows you.”

She felt a chill go down her spine at those words, but tried not to let the fear get to her. 

“Arabella, listen to me. This thing sounds like an undead, and trusting undead is not a good idea, especially in a place like this,” she said firmly, taking hold of Arabella’s other shoulder. “If you see him again you run, ok? And no matter what he says, do not go out there on your own.” “But…” Arabella started, looking conflicted. “He showed me my future. He helped me. He was nice…” 

“It sounds like he was trying to lure you out,” Saff said, trying to catch Arabella’s eyes. “You’ve seen what this curse can do. You can’t go out there, do you hear me? Promise me you’ll stay here, where it’s safe.” 

Arabella sighed sadly, but nodded. 

“Alright… I promise,” she murmured. 

Saff breathed a sigh of relief and gave her a grateful smile. 

“Good,” she said softly, pulling her into another hug. “Now I’ve gotta get ready. We’ll see you this evening, alright?” 

She pulled back to look at Arabella again, who gave her a nod. 

Saff was rather surprised when the day’s events turned out to involve saving another child, though this one was very different. 

She sat opposite Halsin in camp as he examined Thaniel, hovering his hand over him and bathing him in the orange glow of his magic. After a long moment he lowered his hand and sighed deeply. She listened intently as he explained his discovery - Thaniel had been split in two by the Shadow Curse, and his other half would have been left while he was taken to the Shadowfell. 

“Then we’ll find him,” she said confidently. “Whatever it takes.”

“Thank you,” he replied with a nod. “I can’t say how grateful I am to have you by my side through this.”

“Oh, well, you’re welcome, of course! It’s not just me though, everyone’s been helping,” she said quickly, glancing at the others round camp.

“That’s true, but you’re the one who sits here now, looking after Thaniel with me,” he said softly. “I think you feel it too, don’t you? The way the land calls for help.”

“Yes… I do,” she answered, almost in surprise. “When we first came here, it was like… something was reaching out. Was that Thaniel?”

“Most likely, and possibly his missing half. We need to find him as soon as we can, but I think we are all spent for the day. Thaniel needs to rest, as do you. I know that was no easy fight.” 

He was right - the shadows had seemed endless as they bombarded the group, and near the end she’d begun to fear they wouldn’t be able to hold them back and they’d be overwhelmed. It took a combined spell from herself and Gale to banish the rest of the shadows - a bolt of lightning that had lit up the area and torn through their attackers. 

She nodded in agreement.

“I’ll see you at dinner,” she said, wincing slightly from her injuries as she got to her feet. 

She knew Gale was waiting for her in their tent, and she looked forward to finally lying down and relaxing with him. He looked up at her with a smile as she walked through the door, that smile that could chase away all her fears. 

“How’s Thaniel?” he asked, putting down the book he’d been reading and placing his arm around her as she sat next to him. 

“Not good. Halsin says he was split when the curse took effect, and half of him is still here somewhere. Another child, twisted by the curse. We’ll need to find him.”

“That sounds easier said than done,” Gale lamented. “We still haven’t even found Moonrise yet, and that certainly will be easier to find than a single child.”

“Maybe the others will have had better luck finding Moonrise.” “Let us hope so. Oh! I nearly forgot…” 

She watched as he leant forward and picked up a piece of paper from the top of a pile of books. 

“This was in here. It’s for you,” he said, handing it to her. It was a letter, folded in half, with her name on the front. The writing was messy, undoubtedly that of a child, and the ink was fresh, recently written. She frowned slightly, then opened it and began reading.

Hey you. So, I owe you a lot. For one, I don’t know what the inside of a snake’s belly looks like. For another, you let me stay at your camp. And for ANOTHER another, you found out what happened to mom and pops. 

I’m sorry. I know I promised, but I have to do this. I can feel it. Bone Man says it’s a good thing, I just have to let the Weave guide me. I know you don’t trust him, but I do. And I trust the Weave. It’s leading me out, I know it is. Bone Man says we’ll meet again someday, so I’ll see you then!

Please don’t worry about me. I’ll be ok, I promise. 

- Arabella

“No…” she whispered, her hands shaking as she read the words. “Arabella!!” She shouted as she suddenly leapt to her feet and ran out of the tent. 

“Saff!” Gale called, reaching out, but only managed to brush his fingers against her sleeve as she ran. He picked up the letter she dropped and quickly read it, his eyes widening as he realised what this meant. He dropped the letter and scrambled to his feet, running out after her.

Saff ran through camp, up to the inn, then across the bridge leading out to the darkness, ignoring the strange looks from those she passed. 

“Arabella!” she shouted, her voice echoing in the darkness. “Arabella!!” 

She didn’t even consider how dangerous it was to be doing this. All she could think about was how, if she was quick enough, maybe she’d be able to catch up to Arabella and stop her leaving.

It was soon dark enough that even if Arabella had been standing right in front of her, she wouldn’t have been able to see her. She threw her hands up and cast a Light spell on herself, though that did little more than light barely a few feet around her. But she kept going, absolutely determined, as the twisted trees started to grow thicker around her and the biting cold left her breath misting in front of her…

Suddenly she saw a figure in the darkness. She skidded to a stop, raising her hands in preparation of a defensive spell, only now realising what a dire situation she’d got herself in. All alone, surrounded by the curse, drained and exhausted from battle… her heart raced as the figure began to approach her, stepping into the light…

She gasped.

Long, tattered blue robes. Withered skin, gold jewellery… 

This was him. The one Arabella had spoken of. Bone Man.

“Thou seeketh Arabella,” he said, an unnatural echo to his deep voice. She swallowed nervously, her hands shaking as his dark eyes bore into her. 

“Wh-where is she?” She asked, her voice wavering. 

No, she couldn’t be like this. She had to be fearless. 

She took a deep breath and stood up straight.

“Tell me where she is!” She shouted, her voice echoing in the darkness. 

“No,” he replied simply. She glared at him, summoning a bolt of fire in her hands and brandishing it threateningly. 

“Tell me!!” She shouted again, but the creature in front of her was unphased. 

“Arabella follows her own path now. Thou hath done all thy can for her, the rest she must do alone. She holds a power beyond reckoning - that of the decaying forest, and the seedling that bore it. But she is unbalanced. Her yoke is already heavy; if she walk thy path, it will surely break. Thy paths will cross again, but for now, they must diverge.” 

She slowly found herself growing conflicted. By all accounts she shouldn’t trust this creature, yet… there was something about him. 

“You expect me to just give up and let her go out on her own?” she challenged, ignoring the nagging feeling that she could trust him. 

“Yes. She will find her way to safety. It is fated.”

“I don’t believe in fate,” she said, shaking her head.  

“Fate spins along as it should, whether or not thou believeth in it.” 

“If fate is real, then nothing matters. Whatever happens is fate, we can’t change that. No choice is truly our own.”

“It is possible to defy fate,” he said whimsically, before his tone became far more serious. “I would not recommend defying thine at this juncture.”

“And who are you to say that?” she challenged, the fire bolt flaring in her hands. 

“An arbiter. One who oversees.”

She grimaced. Not a very helpful answer. 

“Arabella said that you told her you know me,” she said, hoping for a more useful answer. 

“I do. So too do I know thy companions. I have been watching thee, ensuring fate follows its path. Should thou stray, I will intervene. Should one of thy companions die, I will cleave soul to body once more.” “You can bring people back to life?” she asked sceptically. He nodded. “Then bring back Arabella’s parents.”

“No,” he replied again, no trace of emotion in his empty eyes. 

“Why not?!” She shouted, her voice cracking with emotion. 

“It is not their fate.”

“Screw fate!!” She screamed, the fire bolt in her hands flaring brighter as she threw her arms out in anger. “I will not let her suffer just because you think you know what should happen!”

“I do know,” he replied, unphased by her outburst. “The Weave, and the powers of nature, will aid and guide her - as they have thee.” 

She froze, her anger turning to confusion and fear at those last words. 

“What are you talking about?” she whispered, her voice starting to shake. 

“A companion healed on the words of a whispered voice. A cub rescued whilst unknowingly following unseen magics. A cry for help heard from these accursed lands. A cleric saved by untold instincts. The call heard through thine entire life, drawing thee to the forests…”

She stared at him with wide eyes as he seemed to look into her soul.

“Follow thy path, and find thy answers. Follow thy path, and find thy way home.” 

Home. Something told her he wasn’t talking about Baldur’s Gate…

The wind suddenly tugged at her robes and sent ancient, blackened leaves flying around her. 

“Follow thy path…”

She looked back to him, and realised he was beginning to fade, the wind a sign of his departure. 

“No, wait…” she gasped, the fire bolt flickering away as she reached out and ran forward. 

“Wait!!” 

One last final gust nearly knocked her off her feet. She squeezed her eyes shut against the wind and held her arms over her face, and in the flurry of wind and leaves around her, she could swear she heard his last words to her, echoing in the distance as he disappeared. 

“...and find her.”

She opened her eyes again and found herself alone. Her heart raced and her hands shook. Had that really just happened? Or had she dreamt the whole thing…? 

She looked up to the sky and watched as the last of the leaves blew off into the darkness.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 49

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Saff woke with a scream, scrambling back from the figure that loomed over her. Her heart raced as it came closer, raising its hands up to attack, chanting her name as it came for her, a look of anger in its cold eyes that shot fear through her heart…

She blinked, and the raging darkness around her faded to a soft orange light. 

Candles flickered gently in the comfort of their tent. Blankets were bundled round her, and she could feel the familiar softness of velvet against her skin. She finally realised the figure in front of her was no attacker at all, but was Gale, looking at her with deep concern in his soft brown eyes. His hands were not raised to attack, but were reaching out to comfort her. 

“Saff…?” he whispered, unsure if she’d snapped out of her dream yet or not. 

“Gale…” she murmured, then winced as she held her head, feeling the headache returning once more. “Gods, not again…”

He moved over to her and took her into his arms, stroking her hair as she leant into him. 

“Do you remember the dream this time?” he asked, but she shook her head. “And the headache is back again?”

“Yeah… same as before…” she muttered. Gale looked very troubled by that.

“Hmm… headaches and forgotten nightmares… this is a strange curse indeed.” 

“You think they’re both related to the curse?” She asked, looking up at him. 

“It seems likely if it’s the same headache. Unless you regularly have nightmares that you don’t remember upon waking?” She shook her head again. “Then I think we’d best keep our minds open to such a possibility.”

She supposed that made sense, but it only scared her more as she thought about what else the curse could be doing to her. 

When she left her tent the following morning she smiled as she saw Karlach happily singing to herself as she prepared for the day ahead. Saff grinned and sidled up to her, just as Karlach had done to her after she’d slept with Gale the first time. 

“Sooo,” she started, mimicking Karlach’s own words, “how was it??” 

Karlach laughed as she put her bag down and turned to face her. 

“I’ve been waiting for you to come ask,” she said with a wink. “Turns out, Wyll wants to take things slow. Real slow. So, we danced, then we sat under the stars and kissed, and fell asleep in each other’s arms. I’d have thought I’d be disappointed by that. But you know what, soldier? I loved it. I loved every moment. Gods, it feels so good to be able to do this! And if he wants to take it slow, that’s fine. I just hope my engine can last long enough…” she sighed sadly as she put her hand to her chest, then squeezed her eyes closed and shook her head. “But I’m not gonna think about that now. I’m too happy to let that get me down.”

Karlach smiled widely as she looked over at Wyll across the camp, deep adoration in her eyes. Saff could feel her heart welling with happiness as she watched her. Karlach had deserved this for so long, and she was certain they’d find a solution for Karlach, just like she was certain they’d find one for Gale. 

“I’m so happy for you,” she said, reaching up to put a hand on Karlach’s shoulder. “The night sounds like it was magical. You finally got your dance! You and Wyll will have to dance with us next time we’re celebrating!”

“Oh, absolutely,” Karlach replied with a grin. “We’ll show those boys how to party!” 

Saff was in a good mood as she headed out with Karlach and ‘the boys’ to accompany the Harpers on an ambush mission. One pixie blessing later and they set out with the others deeper into the curse in search of Moonrise Towers. The Harpers could point them in the right direction, but without being able to venture that deep themselves, that was the best they could do. 

The group split to cover more ground, though as the shadows grew stronger, they began to wonder if that had been the best decision. The battles were long and arduous, and there was no way of telling when the shadows would suddenly attack. It was when they finally decided to call it a day and head back that they heard Arabella’s voice. 

Saff was shocked to see her out there all alone, then even more shocked when she trapped a pair of attacking shadows with summoned thorns. She wasted no time in comforting Arabella and agreeing to take her back to camp with them, without so much as a glance to any of the others to see what they thought on the matter. 

“So,” Gale started as he and Saff walked behind the others, watching Arabella happily walking along in front of them while chatting to Karlach and Wyll, “she stole an idol of Sylvanus and now appears to have druidic powers. Clearly you should have done that,” he joked. 

“If only I’d known it was so easy,” she joked back, shaking her head. 

Back at Last Light Arabella was happy to reunite with her friends, and proudly told them all how the hero-lady was going to find mum and pops. Saff could hardly contain her happiness to see Arabella so confident in her. She couldn’t wait to find her parents and see the family safe together once more. 

She spent the evening with Halsin and Jaheira again, finding her balance within the curse, until they headed back to camp for dinner. She found Malitas there, which she’d expected as he’d said he would return that evening to continue his research. What she hadn’t expected was the thousand yard stare on his face as Arabella bombarded him with questions. 

“You’re an elf, right? Are you hundreds of years old? Do you do magic too? Are you Saff’s master? Do you have other apprentices? Can I be your next apprentice?” 

Saff had to stifle a laugh as she watched, and she quickly came to learn everyone else was rather enjoying it too. When Malitas finally spoke, it was with a question of his own. 

“Why are you asking me all this? There are plenty of others here you can talk to. Why don’t you ask them?”

“Because you’re the most interesting one here!” 

Given the cheeky grin Arabella gave him when she said that, Saff had absolutely no doubt that that wasn’t her reason at all - she was actually asking him because he was the most fun to wind up. Given the look on his face, he was well aware of this too. 

The questions didn’t stop as they all sat round the campfire for dinner, though he eventually relented and started to answer them. 

“How old are you?” 

“600.”

“Wow! Exactly 600?”

“No, not exa-”

“What did you do for your 600th birthday?” 

“What? I don’t celebrate my birthdays.” “Why not?” 

“When you get to my age, you stop celebrating them.” “Well that’s dumb. What’s the point in living that long if you don’t have birthday parties?” 

Malitas found he didn’t have an answer for that one, so she kept going. 

“You’re studying the Shadow Curse, right?” “Yes, I am.”

“So do you just sit there all day in a dusty old tower reading books?” “My tower is not dusty-”

“Can you fight?” 

“Yes.” 

“Then why don’t you go exploring with the others?” 

“Perhaps I will, but right now my skills are better put to use with research.” 

“That sounds boring.” 

“To you, perhaps. I find it quite fascinating.” 

“Adventuring has gotta be way more fun. You should try it!” 

An amused smile came to his lips at that comment. 

“Oh, should I? And what makes you think I haven’t been adventuring before?” 

She narrowed her eyes slightly as she looked at him. 

“Have you?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. 

“Yes, I have. I spent 300 years travelling and adventuring.” 

Most of the group were quite surprised to hear that, but Saff was well aware. She’d heard some of his stories and seen the room in his tower where he kept the most valuable items he’d found during his adventuring days. 

“Really??” Arabella gasped excitedly, then grinned at this whole new avenue of questioning that just opened up to her. “What’s the most powerful thing you ever fought?” 

“Hmm… that would be an Ancient Red Dragon,” he answered, smiling slightly at the memory. Lae’zel narrowed her eyes disbelievingly. 

“Ch’k. I don’t believe you would be able to best one of my people’s great dragons,” she said, leaning forward as she looked at him accusingly. “It wasn’t aligned with the Githyanki, if that helps convince you,” he offered. That seemed to satisfy Lae’zel, who leaned back again.

“You really won, then?” Arabella asked. 

“No, it ate me,” he said sarcastically, a teasing smile on his lips, which she scoffed at.

“I meant, did you win or did you run away, not did you win or did you die! Obviously you didn’t die!”

He chuckled at her indignation.

“Yes, we won. Just about. We would have lost our barbarian, had our druid not known Revivify.” 

“That’s so cool. I’ve always wanted to see a dragon!” 

“Pray that if you do, it is not in battle,” he advised, which she chuckled at, before getting straight to the next question. 

“What’s the most powerful spell you know?”

“Ah, well that depends on what you think the most powerful school of magic is. Do you wish to see your enemies obliterated? Or protect your allies? Or turn your enemies against each oth-”

“Obliterated!!” She announced eagerly, to his amusement and, seemingly, approval. 

“In that case, Fire Storm.” 

Gale had to smirk to himself. Fire Storm was an undeniably powerful spell, but was certainly dwarfed by the most powerful spells he’d once been able to cast. Perhaps it was petty, but he couldn’t help but be happy knowing that, without the orb and the tadpole holding him back, he’d be quite significantly stronger than Malitas. Not only that, but Fire Storm was a spell that wizards found particularly difficult to learn, but came naturally to sorcerers. Of course his most powerful spell was one he did not need to put any effort into learning. 

Saff was also smiling to herself, though for quite different reasons. Arabella had a charm to her that even Malitas, despite how frustrated he’d looked at the beginning of the evening, couldn’t seem to resist as he now answered her questions with increasing enthusiasm. Though she wondered how much of that was down to the wine in his hands. 

“Did you like adventuring?” Arabella asked next.

“Yes, I did. It was challenging, rewarding and, well, profitable. Though it isn’t a vocation I’d recommend if you are not prepared.” 

“Why did you stop?” 

The smile on his lips turned from one of amusement to something else, something softer. He paused for a moment, looking into his wine, as if contemplating his answer. 

“I stopped to take on a very different sort of adventure,” he answered, then looked back up at them. “I had a daughter.” 

The answer took everyone by surprise, especially Saff, who had no idea about this. 

“You have a daughter??” she gasped, unable to hide the shock on her face. When Malitas looked at her to answer, the soft smile on his lips didn’t disappear, though there was a sadness to it that she didn’t see before. 

“Had,” he corrected. 

She felt her heart sink as she realised what he meant. 

“Oh, gods, I… I’m so sorry…” she said quietly. She’d been shocked he’d never spoken about this before, but now she realised why. “What… happened? If you don’t mind me asking…” 

“Nothing happened,” he said, shaking his head. “She and her mother lived long and happy lives. But…” he sighed slightly, staring into the distance, “the gods were cruel when they decided humans and half-elves should have such painfully short lifespans.” 

His words hung in the air for a moment, til he finished his drink and put his glass down. 

“Any further questions?” he asked Arabella, who for once remained quiet and shook her head. “Then I will return home, I have a lot of research to get through. Until tomorrow.” 

He gave them all a small nod, then stood up, summoned one of his portals and stepped through. The group were quiet for a long moment, until Arabella spoke. 

“I didn’t mean to upset him…” she said quietly, looking downwards. Saff walked over and sat down next to her, putting her arm around her shoulders. 

“You didn’t upset him,” she said softly, comforting Arabella. “I think he quite enjoyed answering all your questions.”

Arabella smiled as she looked up at Saff, who gave her a gentle squeeze.

“Now you’d better get some sleep. There’s a bed for you up at the inn, with the other kids. Get some rest, you’ve had a long day.” 

Arabella nodded, said goodnight to the others and headed off towards the inn. 

“So,” Astarion started with a smirk once she was gone, “a family huh? I didn’t see that one coming.”

Tara huffed slightly disapprovingly. 

“I hope he treated them better than he treated you,” she said to Gale. 

“Well I’m sure they never angered a goddess,” Gale replied. “I also think he’s been quite a lot more agreeable recently.” 

“Perhaps, but he’s still on thin ice as far as I’m concerned,” she said firmly. 

“I can’t believe he used to have a family…” Saff murmured quietly. “He’s never mentioned them.” 

“It is a difficult thing, to watch those you love grow old and die,” Halsin said softly, with an emotion in his voice that reminded Saff that, at 350 years old, he’d likely have gone through similar experiences himself. “Such memories are often not easily spoken of.” 

Astarion rolled his eyes.

“He knew what he was getting into when he chose a human,” he said with a shrug. 

“We cannot choose who we fall in love with,” Gale reasoned. 

“Yeah,” Karlach agreed. “Have a heart, Astarion.” 

“What’s left of my heart stopped beating a long time ago,” he replied dramatically, waving his hand dismissively. 

The conversation eventually moved on, though Saff couldn’t stop thinking about it. Slowly, she began to realise there was so much about Malitas that she didn’t know. 

---

She’d been dreaming of butterflies when she was woken by the sound of the teleportation spell. After quickly chucking some clothes on she’d gone off in search of Malitas, expecting to find him in his study as usual, but had found the room empty. After some searching she finally found him on the second highest floor in the observatory. But it wasn’t reading through the astronomy books that she found him, nor looking through the antique telescope or using any of the myriad of intricate tools that lined the shelves of the room. She found him on the balcony, simply looking up at the stars. She started to approach the balcony door, til she saw what he held in his hand. 

A small, golden locket. 

She knew that locket, and what was inside it. She’d seen it before. The tiny, centuries-old painting of the family he’d once had. He’d spoken of them only once, some time ago, when she’d accidentally found the locket while cleaning his study. She was surprised to see him with it again now, but figured this was not a time to interrupt him. 

Slowly she began to step back out of the room, but evidently wasn’t as stealthy as she thought she was, as he suddenly looked over and turned to see her. Their eyes met for a moment, and he waved for her to stay. She watched as he slipped the locket into his pocket and came in through the balcony door. 

“Evening,” he greeted, his tone a tad more melancholy than usual. 

“Evening,” she replied quietly, her eyes flicking down to his pocket. He noticed and chuckled softly. 

“No hiding anything from you, is there?” he said, taking the locket back out. He leant against the desk behind him, looking down at it as he ran his thumb over the gold engravings on the surface. 

“You don’t need to hide anything from me,” she said softly, walking up to him and gently putting her hand on his. His eyes flicked up to meet hers, before going back down again to the locket he held. There was a moment of quiet between them. 

“Why do you never speak of them?” She asked quietly. For a moment he didn't reply. 

“What is there to say?” he answered eventually. 

“You must have something to say about your family. About the daughter you raised, the woman you loved.” 

“Would you want to hear me talking about the woman I loved?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. “Would it not bother you if I still thought about her?”

“It would bother me if you didn’t,” she answered, a hint of surprise in her tone as she looked at him. “You loved her. The people we’ve loved and lost should always have a place in our hearts, even if we’ve moved on and found someone else.” 

A look of surprise crossed his face. 

“You really are something, aren’t you?” he said, lifting his hand to tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “Selfless to a fault.”

“I hardly think it’s selfless to say you shouldn’t forget your family,” she objected.

“You’d be surprised,” he replied, lowering his hands and leaning back slightly on the desk. “Many would not be happy with anything less than the whole of their partner’s heart, even if the one who still owns a part of it is gone.” 

“Well… I think that would be unreasonable,” she said, folding her arms. “You shouldn’t just forget about them. I mean… if nothing else, you’ll see them again in the afterlife, right?”

He scoffed and looked aside. 

“What awaits me in the afterlife? Centuries ago I might have hoped Mystra would find my soul and lead it to Elysium. Now, though… I’m sure she’s heard the things I’ve said about her over the years. Likely all that awaits me is the Wall of the Faithless.”

She looked at him in shock. The Wall of the Faithless, the great barrier that protected the City of the Dead, made up of the souls of those who worshipped no god, left there by the divine to rot and wallow for all eternity. Few fates were worse than that. 

“Then why not find a new god?”

He grimaced.

“Ah, the plight of all mortals, to beg the divine for salvation from eternal damnation,” he muttered bitterly, shaking his head. “Perhaps Saffron can find a new god. I am not so sure about myself.”

“Saff? Why would she need a new god?” she asked, frowning in concern. 

“Mystra groomed Gale since he was a child to serve her, then left him to die when he stepped out of line. She now commands him to detonate the orb in his chest to destroy the Absolute, thus killing himself in the process.” Her eyes widened in shock as Malitas explained. 

“Saffron does not wish to follow her after this. I suppose you’re feeling similarly?”

She looked away and folded her arms as her thoughts were taken off Gale and turned instead to herself. 

“Why would I follow Mystra?” she muttered with a shrug. “Why would I follow any god… they have nothing to offer me.” 

She looked back at him, a look of concern returning to her face.

“Is Gale going to follow her orders?”

“He’s set against doing so. Though I can’t help but wonder what he will do if there is no other choice… I don’t think he would condemn the world for his own sake.” 

She looked downwards sadly, holding her arms. No one should have to sacrifice themselves for a god… and to hear what Mystra had done to him made her sick. Maybe Saff was right to turn away from her…

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard Malitas chuckle. 

“What?” she asked, looking up at him in confusion. 

“See? This is what I mean. Selfless to a fault. Look how worried you are, about someone you’ve never even met. And not just him, I’ve seen how much you worry for Saffron as well.” 

“Of course I worry about her,” she objected. “How could I not?”

“Not everyone in your position would,” he said, looking at her thoughtfully. “Some would become bitter, or jealous. But not you…” he lifted a hand and gently brushed his fingers over her cheek. “You could never feel that way. You can’t even comprehend wishing for anything but the best for them… for anyone.” 

He leant forward slightly and lay his other hand on her waist, the locket now left on the desk next to him. 

“As kind as you are beautiful. You’re perfect…” he whispered into her ear, leaning in close enough for her to feel his breath on her neck. 

“I think you have a very low bar for perfection,” she said as he brushed his lips over her skin and ran his hand down her body to her waist. 

“And modest, too,” he added with a chuckle. He pulled away just enough to look into her eyes. “You are… intoxicating.”

“You sure that’s not the wine?” she teased playfully, smelling it on his breath. He smiled as he leant in further. 

“I’m sure,” he whispered, closing the gap between them.

As he kissed her, her mind wandered back to his earlier words. Did he really think her such an innocent angel, who could show only love in the face of pain? Oh, how wrong he was. 

Sometimes it felt like bitterness and jealousy were all she knew.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 48

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Saff watched with the others as Malitas inspected the magic that hung around them. As there was no room in the inn they’d set up camp nearby, within Isobel’s veil of protection, but even here wisps of the curse lingered.

“It’s even worse than I imagined…” he murmured, gathering a small tendril of the darkness in his hands, before waving it away. “I have seen shadow magic before, but never anything like this.” 

“Quite something, isn’t it?” Gale agreed. “It is even more concentrated beyond the barrier. As fascinating as it is harrowing.”

Malitas looked across at the magical barrier that lay just a few metres away at the edge of the campsite, stroking his chin in contemplation, til he heard an unfamiliar voice. 

“If you’re thinking of going out there, I wouldn’t recommend it.”

He turned with the others to see Jaheira approaching with Halsin in tow. She stopped and folded her arms as she looked at Malitas. 

“I don’t remember seeing you earlier.”

“My name is Malitas. Saffron is my apprentice, I’ve come to help her investigate this curse.”

Jaheira raised an eyebrow slightly. 

“How did you get here?”

“A teleportation spell, from Baldur’s Gate.” 

“Ah, pity you weren’t here earlier, you could have helped Florrick get back to the city. Next time, arrive in a more timely manner.” 

Malitas opened his mouth to object but she’d already moved on and was walking towards Saff. 

“I’m still interested in seeing what you can do, if you’d be willing to give a demonstration?” she asked. Saff’s face lit up and she was only too happy to oblige. 

She headed off with Jaheira and Halsin, and together they found a quiet clearing in the trees. At Halsin’s suggestion she showed Jaheira the dance he’d taught her before, though found it far more difficult to summon the magic that had come so naturally to her last time. Halsin encouraged her on as she struggled to summon any water, until she eventually gave up with a frustrated sigh. 

“I don’t get it. It was so much easier last time…”

“Don’t be disheartened,” Jaheira comforted her. “It is this place. The curse sucks the life from the land, and in turn, it sucks our powers. Only the strongest druids can overcome it. The fact that you were able to summon any druidic magic at all is impressive.”

“Really?” Saff asked in surprise, looking at her hands. 

“Indeed. Halsin tells me you have only started learning druidic magic less than a tenday ago. Is this so?”

Saff glanced at Halsin, who was staying quiet as he let Jaheira take the lead in conversation, then looked back at Jaheira. 

“Well… I’ve been trying to learn it for years, but I could never cast any of it until now.”

Jaheira stroked her chin as she looked thoughtfully at Saff. 

“To suddenly pick it up so quickly…” she murmured, almost to herself, then smiled. “Perhaps together, Halsin and I can help you find your balance in these lands, too.” 

Meanwhile, Gale and Malitas wandered the grounds of the inn as they examined and discussed the curse together. 

“A zombie?” Malitas asked as Gale described Yonas’s fate. 

“Of sorts, yes, yet very different to those created by regular necromancy.”

Malitas hummed as he considered this. 

“Do you know what happens to the victim’s soul if they succumb to the curse?” he asked, but Gale shook his head and shrugged. 

“Not a clue I’m afraid. Why do you ask?” 

“Because, should the worst happen, I may be able to procure a Scroll of Resurrection. But if the soul is consumed or destroyed… then even that won’t be an option.” 

Gale looked down slightly, pondering the scroll that nestled in his pouch. 

“True… unfortunately it is hard to say. The magic here is unprecedented.”

“Everything you all run into seems to be unprecedented,” Malitas said with a sigh. “Unprecedented Illithid tadpoles, unprecedented curses, unprecedented Netherese orbs…” 

He glanced over at Gale as they both paused in front of the water. 

“Did the book I gave you offer any answers?” he asked. 

“Not… as such,” Gale answered, looking out over the dark waters. “Though I am less in need of answers than I was before.” 

Malitas gave him a questioning look. Gale held his gaze on the waters for a long moment, before turning back to Malitas. 

“The orb has been stabilised.” 

“It has?” Malitas asked in surprise, looking quite impressed by the revelation. “How on Toril did you manage that?” 

“I didn’t,” Gale answered with a distant look. “Elminster did.”

“Ah. Well, I am glad to hear it,” Malitas replied. There was a moment of silence between them as he narrowed his eyes slightly at Gale’s demeanour. “I sense there is more to this story.” 

Gale sighed deeply, contemplating for a moment before answering. 

“Elminster stabilised it on Mystra’s order. He gave me a charm to detonate the orb at will, and I am to use it to destroy the heart of the Absolute, when I find it.” 

There was another moment of silence as Malitas’s eyes widened. 

“I’m sorry, she has ordered you to kill yourself??” he asked eventually in disbelief. Gale gave only a nod, curious to see what Malitas made of this before offering any more information. “Gods… I have read about some questionable orders she has given to her Chosen in the past, but none have been so brazen. There must be something about this orb if she is so desperate to be rid of it.”

“Or the Absolute is enough of a threat to warrant such a sacrifice,” Gale countered. “Elminster says it threatens everything - even the very fabric of the universe itself. I’m sure Mystra would see a single death as a worthwhile sacrifice against such a threat.”

“And who do you think told Elminster that?” Malitas challenged, giving Gale a look as he folded his arms. “If she wants you to kill yourself, of course she’ll tell you it’s to save the realm. She’ll say anything to convince you.” 

“You don’t believe it, then?” Gale asked.

“That the Absolute is a threat to the very fabric of the universe? No, of course not. If it were that serious, Ao himself would be getting involved. He certainly wouldn’t be leaving the fate of the universe to one singular god, who in turns leaves it to one singular human. While I don’t doubt the threat is significant, I don’t think we’re on the verge of witnessing the end of reality itself. The universe has a habit of persisting, no matter what befalls it. And if we are the only hope against a universe-ending threat, then my faith in the gods drops even lower, and that was a very low bar to begin with.” 

He shook his head and sighed, then looked at Gale.

“Are you going to do it?” 

“No,” Gale replied firmly. “Mystra offers forgiveness if I do, but I have no interest in her forgiveness. Not anymore.” 

“I’m glad to hear it,” Malitas replied with a nod. “Then what is your plan?” 

“We follow the trail, head to Moonrise, find out what is behind the Absolute and what its weaknesses are-”

“No,” Malitas interrupted, “I don’t mean for the Absolute. I mean for you. What will you do about the orb?” 

“Now that it’s stabilised, perhaps I need do nothing,” he replied, but Malitas looked unconvinced. 

“Mystra left you to die while it devoured you from the inside out. She then stabilised it only on the promise that you use it to kill yourself, and lied to you to help convince you to do it, knowing that you will do whatever is necessary to save the realms. It seems to me her priority is to be rid of both you and the orb. Should you defy her and rob her of both of these goals, she will need to find another way to achieve them. Whether she will destabilise the orb and return you to the state you were in before, or will find another way, I cannot say. But I am sure she will not do nothing.” 

Gale looked away. He’d convinced himself that, despite everything, Mystra would not want him dead out of spite, and if he were to find another way to destroy the Absolute that would be enough to at least convince Mystra to remove the orb from him. But perhaps Malitas was right… perhaps the destruction of the Absolute was not Mystra’s true goal after all. 

“Then what do you suggest I do?” he asked, looking over at Malitas.

“You must rid yourself of the orb and ensure you pose no threat to Mystra.”

“A threat? I have never posed a threat to her,” he objected defensively. 

“You went snooping through Netherese magic behind her back and are powerful enough to be able to contain that thing within you without dying. Should you learn to control it… well, she certainly would not want another Karsus on her hands.” 

Gale went quiet for a moment, looking away once more as he considered his options. 

“Or you can wait,” Malitas continued after a moment, “and hope Mystra takes pity on you. Personally, I know what I would be doing in your situation.”

He thought on Malitas’s words before responding with a slight shake of his head.

“I hardly have time to worry about the orb right now. There is too much else to deal with. I will cross this bridge when - if - I come to it.”

“I suppose I cannot argue with that logic, the tadpoles do pose a more immediate threat. Still, I will make sure to look out for anything that may prove to you useful during my research.” 

“Thank you,” Gale said quietly. “But don’t let it distract you from the other subjects you are researching.” 

Malitas let out a dry chuckle. 

“Saffron’s curse, the Shadow Curse, the tadpoles… what’s one more thing?” he mused. “Plus, I’m fairly sure Saffron is considering asking me to look into infernal engines next, given the news I heard Karlach received earlier.” “Ah, yes… that,” Gale murmured, staring back out into the murky waters. It was like life was playing a cruel joke on them both, giving them each solutions to their conditions that came with a promise of death. Karlach had refused to think about it and instead opted to spend the night celebrating, and if he was honest, he couldn’t blame her. Sometimes, the only way to keep going was to ignore the inevitable reality that waited on the horizon. 

Eventually the two of them made their way back to camp. Malitas decided to say goodbye to Saff before heading off and followed Gale to find her. The pair found her with Halsin and Jaheira, the three of them sitting in a circle with their eyes closed, each with one hand held out, a shimmering swirl of orange magic pulsing in the centre. Gale and Malitas glanced at each other, making an unspoken decision to leave them to it, until Jaheira spoke. 

“I think our lesson will have to come to an end,” she said, opening her eyes and lowering her hand. “We have company.” 

The ball of magic faded as the other two opened their eyes and looked up at the wizards. 

“My apologies,” Malitas said with a slight bow. “I wished to say goodbye to Saffron before I leave.”

Jaheira watched curiously as Malitas said his goodbyes, then disappeared through a portal. 

“He is your master?” she asked Saff, and she gave a nod. “Can he fight?” 

“Yes, we fought a bulette with him yesterday,” Saff confirmed. 

“Good. We’ll need all the help we can get,” Jaheira decided. “Now go and rest, cub. There is much awaiting you tomorrow.” 

Saff nodded her thanks to Jaheira, then headed off hand in hand with Gale back to the campsite. 

“Curious,” Jaheira commented as the two of them disappeared through the trees, “that she can learn druidic magic so quickly.” 

“Impressive, isn’t it?” Halsin agreed. “I’ve said it before - Silvanus smiles upon her.” 

Jaheira was quiet for a long moment as she stroked her chin in thought. 

“So it seems. I look forward to seeing how far she can go. Now come, I have a bottle of wine at the inn with our names on it.” 

---

She hummed to herself as she tended to the plants that filled Saff’s room. She watered each one, carefully cleaned the leaves, checked the soil, then gasped in delight at the unexpected flash of pink and purple at the next plant she came to.

“Oh, hello there little guy!” she cooed happily, marvelling at the little butterfly that sat on the leaf. “Aren’t you beautiful?” 

She stepped back as the butterfly took flight, fluttering around the room above her. Giggling to herself, she watched as it made its way to the window, before bouncing on the glass as it tried to fly out. 

“Here,” she said, walking over and lifting the window latch, “let me get that for you.” 

She opened the window and watched as it fluttered out, smiling to herself as she rested her arms on the windowsill and leant her head against the frame. How amazing it must be, she thought as she watched it flutter up into the sunlight, to be able to spread your wings and fly. To be able to go anywhere, anytime… simply fly away, nothing holding you down. How beautiful the world must look from up there… 

The door opened and snapped her out of her daydream. She spun with a gasp to see Malitas in the doorway.

“Gods! You scared me,” she said, holding her chest as she caught her breath. 

“Apologies,” he replied, closing the door behind him as he walked in. “Lost in your own world again?” 

She glanced out the window, a distant look on her face. 

“There was a butterfly…” she murmured, then looked back to him, focusing on the present once more. “Did she get to the Shadow Cursed lands alright?”

“Yes. They’ve found a safe haven, protected by a Selûnite cleric, and set up camp there. I still have much work to do, but…” he paused as he reached into his bag, “...I did manage to make one stop on the way home.” 

He took out four books, and her face lit up.

“You got them!” she said happily, running over to him to take the books from his hands. She looked down at the top one - Flora and Fauna of Icewind Dale - and opened the cover. Before she could get very far she felt his hand on her hip as he stepped close to her. 

“Anything for you, my dear,” he said, his thumb tracing small circles in the fabric of her dress. 

Her eyes flicked back to the window for just a moment, before she looked up at him with a smile. 

“I’m going to go put these books in the bedroom,” she said, walking past him, then lingering in the doorway as she looked back at him. 

“You’re welcome to join me.” 

She gave him a playful look, then headed off, knowing he would follow.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 47

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The group was unusually quiet as they made their way through the cursed lands. Even Karlach shivered in the cold, the heat of her infernal engine not enough to ward off the curse’s effects. Tara lamented how this place was even more ghastly than the Underdark, and rather than flying off on her own from time to time as she had done before, she now stayed firmly rooted to Gale’s shoulders. Shadowheart was the only one who seemed unbothered by it - if anything, she even seemed happy as they crossed the twisted landscape. The reason for this became apparent as she slowly realised this curse was the work of Shar, and despite insisting that the horror here didn’t sway her allegiance from the Lady of Loss, Saff couldn’t help but think there might be the slightest hint of hesitancy creeping into her speech.

They stopped to rest under the shelter of an ancient tree, even though there was no sun to shelter from. As Gale began to prepare lunch, he looked at the pot in concern. 

“We’re going to struggle to find food here even more than we did in the Underdark,” he muttered, glancing round at the deformed remains of the plant life around them. 

“Good thing we have someone to go do our shopping for us then, isn’t it?” Astarion said, nodding to the Bag of Holding slung over Saff’s shoulder, clearly amused by the idea of making Malitas their courier. Saff sighed - she wasn’t sure Malitas would appreciate constantly doing supply runs for them, but she knew they may have no choice but to ask that of him. 

As they continued on after lunch, Gale spoke about the Moonlantern they’d found Nere’s corpse, wondering how pixie dust was involved in warding off the curse. That was when they heard voices in the distance. 

“Stay together! Keep to the light!” 

Halsin paused from where he was leading them and turned back to the others. “Careful - they may sound like allies, but the shadows can play tricks on the mind,” he warned them. “Let me do the talking.”

Saff stayed back with the others as Halsin carefully approached and revealed himself to the group. Much to her relief it seemed these people truly were allies and she approached with the others at Halsin’s call, but the relief was short-lived. 

“Yonas!”

The harper was barely able to cry out her friend’s name before he was suddenly dragged, screaming, into the shadows. 

The noises they heard next turned Saff’s stomach and left her clinging to Gale’s arm with her free hand. The group watched in horror as the mangled remains of Yonas’s corpse came stumbling out of the shadows, eyes glowing a sickly green, beckoning them to join him in a rasping, unnatural voice…

Shadows descended around them, darkness so thick it had taken form, and so began a fight unlike anything they’d faced before. 

Halsin threw his arms up and above them an orb of light flashed into existence, fending off the immediate darkness. But even an orb of sunlight couldn’t compete with the shadows here, and the light barely covered the group before being swallowed by darkness once more. 

Saff stayed by Gale’s side as the two of them threw fire and lightning into the darkness, repelling the shadows that clawed at them from the edges of Halsin’s spell. The group backed up together in a circle, defending each other’s backs… til a particularly brutal hit on Halsin left the orb of light flickering til it winked out of existence, and they were plunged into darkness. 

With only the dim light of their torches now for protection, the shadows swarmed them. The group frantically battled for their lives, struggling in the darkness against enemies that seemed to shift and disappear right in front of them. Flashes of spells illuminated the battlefield, a burst of flame from Karlach’s rage washed a brief wave of warmth over them, Shadowheart’s spirit guardians tore through the darkness, but still the shadows kept coming… til Saff felt a sudden heat against her, burning even through her clothes. She didn’t realise what was happening til she heard Karlach’s voice, her words lost to the chaos, and realised she was reaching into the Bag of Holding.

A moment later, an almost blinding light shone above them. Saff looked up to see Karlach brandishing a mace, light pouring from the bright golden spikes. The shadows screamed as the light ripped through them, banishing them. Once the group realised what was happening, it took only a few final attacks to finish off the last ones, and finally quiet fell over them once more. 

Karlach looked over at Astarion and grinned. 

“Told you it was worth it,” she said smugly, nodding to the mace. Astarion glared at her. 

“Just don’t get that thing too close to me,” he warned, holding up a hand to shield his eyes from the light. 

The group set about healing after the battle, and were relieved to hear from the harpers of a safe haven nearby. They agreed to return there with them once everyone was healed up and the harpers had given the last rites to their fallen friend. 

Saff knelt down next to one of the vestiges of the shadows they’d fought. A small orb, wisps of darkness floating up from its crevices. She reached out, curiosity getting the better of her as she lay the tips of her fingers on its mottled surface, then gasped as a vision filled her mind. 

A little girl, laughing as she played with her friends. The sunlight sparkled on the water and the long grass swayed in the breeze as the children played a game to see who could climb the nearby tree the fastest. She cheered from the top branch as she looked down at her friends. She was always the best at climbing. 

Suddenly darkness fell again as she pulled her hand away, the last echoes of the children’s laughter fading from her mind. 

“Saff?” 

She jumped at the sound of her name and looked over as Gale knelt down next to her. 

“Are you alright?” 

She looked back down again, her eyes fixated on the ball in front of her. 

“She was a child,” she whispered shakily. “She used to climb trees with her friends…” 

“What?” Gale asked, frowning. When Saff looked back at him, there were tears in her eyes.

“They were all people. The people who used to live here, before the curse.” 

Gale looked at her in confusion. She nodded down to the orb. 

“Touch it. You’ll see.” 

Somewhat hesitantly he reached out and placed his fingers on the orb. The vision flooded his mind, children playing, laughter and sunshine, before the darkness returned as he pulled his hand back. 

“By the gods…” he whispered. They sat in silence for a moment, before Saff stood up and made her way to the next one. One by one she knelt next to them, closing her eyes and watching what each one had to show her. Gale watched, seeing her struggle more with each one, til she stood up from one and couldn’t bring herself to move. He walked over to her and gently put a hand on her shoulder. 

“He was a cobbler,” she whispered, nodding to one of the orbs. “He took great pride in his work.” She nodded to another one. “She was a healer, she tried to help the harpers that battled here a hundred years ago. She thought they had a chance… but there were so many enemies. And that one…” her voice wavered as she looked to the one by her feet. “He watched as his neighbours were hanged for refusing to renounce Selûne…” 

Tears welled in her eyes as her voice finally cracked. Gale pulled her into a hug, gently rubbing her back. She leant into him, accepting his comfort for a long moment, before pulling away and heading for the next orb.  

“You don’t have to watch all of them,” he said to her, seeing how difficult this was for her. 

“They died here. And we just killed them again. The least we can do is hear their stories,” she said as she knelt down to the next one and reached out for it. 

By the time the group was ready to go, Saff had listened to every orb. She was quiet as they followed the Harpers into the darkness, wordlessly taking Gale’s hand. She didn’t speak again til they saw the glow of bright light in the distance. 

“That light…” she whispered, eyes widening as it became clear now through the trees. 

“What a welcome sight,” Gale remarked. “A beacon of hope in the darkness.”

They didn’t receive quite as warm a welcome as they’d been hoping for, but after Mol vouched for them, Jaheira finally released her vines from them and allowed them to enter. Gale groaned as he rubbed his side and turned to check if Saff was alright, then was rather surprised to see both her and Karlach practically vibrating with excitement. 

“I can’t believe it,” Karlach gasped, staring ahead of them to where Jaheira was talking with Halsin. “It’s Jaheira. The Jaheira!” 

“We’re going to work with her,” Saff whispered in disbelief. “Gods, we’re actually going to work with her!” 

Gale and Wyll glanced at each other, then back to the girls. 

“A hero of yours, then?” Wyll asked. 

“Only one of my biggest heroes!” Karlach gushed. “My mum used to tell me stories about her and how she saved the city!” 

“I read the stories about her so many times when I was a kid!” Saff added excitedly. “Aren’t you both excited to meet her??”

“Of course, but not as excited as you both, it seems,” Wyll said with a chuckle. 

“Let’s not waste any more time and go introduce ourselves, shall we?” Gale suggested. 

The two of them managed to retain at least a semblance of dignity as they introduced themselves, though didn’t get much of a chance to talk to her properly yet as she went off with Halsin to discuss their plans. Part of Saff was disappointed not to get a chance to talk to her more, though part of her was relieved - she didn’t imagine Jaheira would be particularly impressed by an overly excited fangirl.

Reuniting with the tieflings proved to be a bittersweet moment, with the joy of finding some of them alive and safe soured by the discovery that many had been captured or killed, not to mention the situation Mol had got herself into with Raphael. But there was one tiefling in particular they were very happy to see. 

Saff, Gale and Wyll watched in hope as Dammon helped Karlach install the upgrade for her infernal engine. She took a few deep breaths once the installation was complete, letting herself get used to the new feeling. 

“I think it’s worked… I’m not sure,” she said, looking down at herself, then at the others. 

Wyll walked up to her, looked at where the flames used to simmer on her skin, and held his hand out. 

“Let’s find out, shall we?” 

Karlach’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at him, and she hesitantly reached out, ready to pull her hand away quickly if she still burned too hot. But as she rested her hand in his, there was no hissing of burning flesh, no yelp of pain. 

“I’d say that’s worked,” Wyll said softly, putting his other hand on hers. She could barely contain the tears of joy that welled in her eyes as she cried out in happiness and flung her arms round him. He laughed as she lifted him clear off his feet, trying to hug her back despite the unbreakable grip she had on him. 

“It worked! It actually worked!!” she gushed happily, practically jumping up and down, before she finally put him back on the ground. She looked at him with a big grin, holding his gaze for a moment.

“We’ll continue this later,” she said with a playful wink, then turned to Gale and Saff. 

“You two get over here!” she laughed, running up to them and sweeping them both into a big hug, one in each arm. Saff laughed happily, hugging her back as best she could, while Gale struggled to say Karlach’s name as the breath was squeezed out of him. Next was Dammon’s turn, who gasped in surprise as he too was swept off the ground in a bear hug. 

“Where are the others??” Karlach asked once she’d put him down. “Lae’zel, Astarion and Shadowheart are getting hugs too whether they like it or not!” 

“Uh, Karlach…” Dammon started, his tone noticeably less jubilant than hers. “There’s something else I really need to tell you…” 

“I gotta see the others first! They went upstairs, right?” she asked. 

“Halsin, Astarion and Lae’zel did,” Gale confirmed. “I think Shadowheart would have preferred to throw herself in the lake than talk to a cleric of Selûne.” 

Karlach laughed as she glanced over to the waters. 

“Do we need to check there first, then?” she joked. 

Before anyone could answer, a roar suddenly came from the upper windows of the inn, followed by screeches in the air. They looked up as winged creatures descended on them, swarming them, and the battle began. 

They fought alongside the harpers, fending off the dread creatures with spell and sword. Saff and Gale looked to the skies to fight those that soared above them, while Karlach and Wyll took care of the ones that landed. In the air they easily dodged the motes of fire Saff threw at them, so she took Gale’s tactic instead, switching to lightning that could flash through the air in an instant. It was a new sensation to her, but one that seemed to come naturally as sparks gathered at her fingertips and launched into the air. Her gaze fell on her next target as it swooped above her, her hands preparing her next spell, only for the creature to land on the balcony to the side of the building and dive into the doors. She was about to turn to find another target, when her eyes widened at the figure that emerged from the doors. 

A man, in the uniform of a Flaming Fist, but with malformed wings of black feathers at his back. In his arms lay a woman, injured and unconscious, clad in the grey and white robes of a Selûnite. Saff gasped as she realised this was the cleric Jaheira had spoken of - Isobel, who was keeping everyone in the inn alive.

He spread his wings, and as he did, she raised her hands, acting on an instinct she didn’t know she had. 

“Te curo!” 

Golden light bathed the cleric and her eyes snapped open with a gasp. The man looked down at her, momentarily distracted by the light. The next thing Saff heard was Isobel’s voice as she threw a Guiding Bolt at her captor, blasting them both apart. She was dropped to the floor, skidding into the stone walls of the balcony, while he was thrown back. He growled as he turned back to her, raising his hands to attack her where she lay injured on the ground… until he was thrown to the side by Halsin, in bear form, smashing through the door and bringing them both crashing through the balcony walls and down onto the roof below. Saff watched in shock as the two of them fell from the roof and hit the ground, knocking Halsin out of bear form. As the dust cleared, only one man was left standing. 

The rest of the ghouls fell quickly after their leader’s defeat. After some quick heals from Halsin, the group headed inside. They found the others with Jaheira and Isobel, who was sat hunched over in a chair by the bar with the rest of the survivors while Jaheira healed her injuries. She looked up and smiled with relief when she saw them. 

“Halsin! Thank Selûne you’re ok,” she said, standing to meet him. “When I saw you fall from that window, I wasn’t sure if you’d make it.”

“I had the same fears for you when Marcus knocked you out,” he said to her. 

“Yes, that was an awfully close call… but thanks to your healing, I’m ok,” she said with a nod, but was met with a confused look from Halsin. 

“My healing? I didn’t heal you, I can’t heal others in bear form.” 

“Oh, then who did?” she asked, glancing to Jaheira, who shook her head. 

“Um…” Saff started, almost doubting if she’d actually managed it. “I think that was me.” 

Isobel looked at her and gave her an appreciative smile. 

“Then you have my deepest thanks,” she said gratefully. She looked Saff up and down briefly, a slight flicker of confusion crossing her face. “Are you a cleric yourself?” 

“No, I’m a wizard,” she answered, which brought a more confused look to Isobel’s face. “But I’m also studying druidic magic. Halsin’s been giving me lessons,” she added quickly, gesturing to Halsin. 

“Ah, well the lessons have certainly paid off,” Isobel said, nodding her thanks to them both. 

“A wizard learning druidic magic?” Jaheira said curiously. “You’ll have to show me what you’re capable of.” 

Saff grew suddenly very flustered.

“Oh, I… well I’m not… I can’t do much yet, but… I… I’d love to,” she stuttered, managing a smile through her embarrassment. Jaheira chuckled softly. 

“Then I look forward to seeing what you can do.” 

Saff was buzzing with excitement as the group split up to help fix up any damage caused in the attack, though her excitement quickly faded when she overheard the tiefling children talking. 

“We can’t. We wouldn’t even know how to get to Moonrise!”

“We have to do something! Mol would do the same for any of us!” 

“But we can’t fight those shadow things ourselves…”

The kids suddenly went quiet when Saff approached, realising she’d heard what they were saying. 

“What’s happening?” she asked. Two of them hesitated, but Mattis was the one to answer. 

“Mol was taken by one of those ghouls, and these two want to go after her!” he answered, much to the others’ annoyance. 

“We can’t just stay here! We have to help her!” One of the others argued. 

“No!” Saff said quickly, before they could get into their argument again. “It’s too dangerous out there. We’re going to Moonrise, we’ll find her,” she promised them. She desperately hoped Mol would be ok by the time they found her…

Two of them looked unsure, til Mattis spoke. 

“Guys, if there’s anything that’ll make Mol angry, it’s us getting hurt. But look at her! She’s a proper adventurer! She saved Halsin and Isobel! She’ll get Mol back too, just watch!” 

Saff could hardly hide the look of surprise on her face to hear those words. A proper adventurer. 

She managed to regain her composure just enough to reassure the kids, content that they wouldn’t try to sneak out to rescue Mol once they were out of her sight, but as she watched them scurry away an emotional smile came to her lips. As a child she’d dreamed of being an adventurer. If she could see herself now, would she think the same as the tiefling kids? Would the little girl who’d spent her life lost in stories really believe that, one day, she’d become one of the heroes she read about? Did she even believe it now? She hadn’t up til that point, she’d just seen herself as tagging along with the others. But now, maybe, she dared to believe. And it wasn’t the monsters she’d fought that gave her that belief, it wasn’t the people she’d helped or the perils she’d overcome. 

It was a child’s hope.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 46

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The bliss spores of the Myconids left Saff feeling like she was floating on air as she danced with them. The grotto was staggeringly beautiful, an oasis of safety in the dangers of the Underdark. Spaw had welcomed her with open arms, saying any friend of the Life Chanters was a friend of the Circle. 

Gale could hardly hide the smile on his face as he watched her. His heart was soaring, and not just from the spores. The last few days had felt like he was drowning, and now as he sat there and watched her dance, it was like he could finally breathe again. He wished they could spend more time here, he knew how much this place fascinated her. Same for the wizard’s tower - they’d both sat at the very top and looked out over the caverns as they pondered Lenore’s fate and lamented that they had no time to learn the secrets of the advanced magic that brought the tower to life. 

They eventually left the safety of the grotto and headed further out into the Underdark. The raft had strained under the weight of the whole group as they sailed across the dark waters, but it managed to deliver them safely to the Shar temple. This place was new to Gale as well as Saff, and the two of them looked round with endless curiosity, especially once they reached the forge. They spent some time together exploring it, marvelling at the magical contraption the others had managed to defeat, only leaving when the heat finally became unbearable. 

They made camp deep in the temple, though camping inside certainly made for a strange experience. There was no sun to catch the suncatchers Saff had bought with her, but still she hung them up anyway. As she arranged the blankets she heard a noise as Tara entered the tent behind her. 

“Gosh, strange to see you apart from Gale,” she said, slightly teasingly. Saff and Gale usually spent most of the day together, and they’d been especially inseparable today. 

“Heh, he said he wanted to take a quick walk before starting dinner,” Saff explained. 

“Ah,” Tara said with a knowing smile. “You know what that means, right?”

Saff looked at her in confusion. 

“...No?” she said, and Tara chuckled softly. 

“It means he’s looking for somewhere romantic to spend some time with you tonight,” she explained. “Though I fear he won’t find much around here, ghastly place this is. Still, I’m sure he’s planning something special. He’s missed you terribly.” 

“Oh!” she said in surprise, though felt a pang of guilt at Tara’s last sentence. “I hope he was ok… I can’t believe I was out for 8 days. It just felt instant to me.” 

“Thank the heavens those 8 days are over. I’m afraid I must forbid you from getting into such a perilous situation again,” she joked. 

“I will try my best,” Saff promised with a laugh.

That evening, as Tara predicted, Gale asked Saff to take a walk with him. She excitedly agreed, curious to see where he’d take her. They walked hand in hand through the temple ruins til he stopped them outside a door. With a smile he gestured for her to enter, and she eagerly did so.

The sight inside took her breath away. It was like walking back into the grotto - luminescent mushrooms and flowers lined the walls, trails of vines hung from the ceiling, and in the centre of the room a large bed awaited them. 

Gale smiled to himself as he walked in after her and closed the door, watching as she looked around in awe. 

“This is…” she whispered, trailing off in disbelief. She walked to the edge of the room and took one of the flowers in her hands, feeling the soft petals against her skin. 

“Is this real??” she asked, looking back at him. 

“It is… partially real,” he answered, walking over to join her. “There is a startling lack of romantic spots around here, so I thought I’d make us one.” 

She looked back at the flower, marvelling at it, before moving her hands over the other plants around her. 

“I’d never have guessed it’s not real, were it not impossible for it to be here,” she said softly. She could even smell the flowers in the air. 

“What can I say? Illusion magic has always been my favourite,” he said, reaching out to touch one of the flowers himself, admiring his work. “The power to bring dreams to life, to make the impossible real, to break down the boundaries of reality til we are limited only by our imaginations… the world can be so much more than what we see,” he said whimsically. 

“It’s beautiful,” she said as she turned to look round the room once more. She smiled as she felt Gale wrap his arms round her from behind in a hug.

“I’m glad, I hoped you’d like it,” he whispered as he gently kissed her neck. She leant back against him and looked up as their eyes met. 

“Just as long as you aren’t also an illusion,” she said playfully, resting her head on his shoulder as she lifted a hand and booped him on the nose, as if to check he was real. He laughed at the unexpected touch, then leant in once again. 

“I can assure you,” he started as he brushed his nose against her cheek, his breath hot on her neck, “I am very much real.” 

She let out a pleasured sigh as he began kissing her neck, tilting her head to the side slightly to give him more access. His name left her lips in a whisper as his hands began to wander her body in light touches and loving caresses, and it wasn’t long before she began to hear the familiar clinking of her belt buckles being undone. 

Their clothes littered the floor by the time they made it to the bed, falling upon it as they devoured each other in hungry kisses. Had she been paying attention she might have seen flickers in the illusion around them as they made love in the moments where Gale lost himself in her, but she was far too lost in him to notice anything else around them. 

They lay in each other’s arms as they came down from their shared high, flushed and breathless. As they cuddled up, Gale proudly raised his arm and, this time, successfully summoned them a blanket. Saff happily snuggled up under it with him, resting her head on his chest as he wrapped his arms round her. She knew they couldn’t sleep here like this - the conjured bed would disappear the moment Gale lost consciousness - but that didn’t mean they couldn’t cuddle for a bit. 

Of course, it had been a very long day for her, and it wasn’t long before she drifted off in his arms. 

As her breathing slowed and softened to a steady rhythm, Gale looked down and smiled to see her asleep. The last few nights without her had been unbearable, to the point that it wasn’t just a drive to find a cure that had stopped him trying to sleep. Lying in their tent without her, even with Tara’s company, left him feeling empty. He would sneak back out to his books for an escape from that as much as anything else. 

But now, with her in his arms, he felt complete again. He loved feeling the gentle rise and fall of her chest against him, the tickle of her breath on his skin, the constant reminders she was alive and with him once more. Gently he pressed a kiss to her forehead as he stroked her hair, just light enough not to wake her. As he did he felt his emotions welling up inside him, the love that made his heart sing, the relief that overwhelmed him, the fear that had suffocated him… the fear that continued to linger in his mind, knowing how dangerous their future was. 

Instinctively he held her a bit tighter, tears starting to well in his eyes. He’d barely given himself time to come to terms with how he’d felt in the time she was gone, how much it had drained him, and now it threatened to spill out. The tears ran down his cheeks as he closed his eyes and his breaths started to become ragged…

“Gale?”

He pulled away quickly as he heard Saff’s voice and saw her looking at him in concern. 

“Saff… sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you…” he said quickly, trying to give her a smile to hide the tears, but his smile faltered as she lifted her hand and gently cupped his cheek, wiping a tear with her thumb. Their eyes met, and in that moment he couldn’t hide anything from her. Wordlessly she pulled him into a hug, holding him tightly. He clutched her in his arms and buried his face into his neck as the tears escaped once more. 

He couldn’t say how long he stayed like that, curled into her arms as she stroked his hair. All he knew was by the time he pulled away, the lingering iron-like grip his fear had held over him had finally loosened. When he met her gaze, he did so with tears in his eyes and a smile on his lips. 

“Thank you,” he whispered. She returned the smile, wiping the last of his tears away. 

“Gale…” she said softly, her fingers tracing his cheeks. “You don’t need to hide this from me…”

“I know,” he said quickly, taking her hand in his. “I wasn’t trying to. I… well, it has been a long year of training myself not to feel. I confess, it is taking some time to break the habit,” he admitted. “And I assure you, many of these tears are tears of joy,” he added sincerely. She gave him a wide smile, squeezing his hands. 

“I’m glad,” she said softly, though her smile faded. “Still, I… I can’t imagine how you felt during all this. The others have made mentions of how you… struggled,” she said, he voice cracking slightly. “And I want to tell you not to feel like that if something were to happen to me, but I know that would be hypocritical. Cause when the orb nearly detonated and I thought you’d died, I… I couldn’t even move. All I could do was sit there and cry. I felt like I couldn’t face the world without you…”

It was her turn now for welled up tears to escape her eyes. 

“And that was for, what, 10 minutes? I can’t imagine what 8 days must have felt like…” 

He pulled her into his arms, squeezing her tightly, before pulling back again to meet her eyes.

“I won’t lie… it was difficult. Of course it was, I love you. But I also know that, should the worst befall us and I were to lose you… impossible though it may feel, I would live on, with your fingerprints forever on my heart,” he whispered, taking her hand and placing it on his chest. “And you say you felt like you couldn’t face the world without me, but I know how strong you are. I know you would live on too, were anything to happen to me.”

She managed a smile through her tears, before pulling him into another hug, which he gladly returned. The two of them stayed like that for a long moment, before Gale spoke again. 

“Now, we should get back to the tent. You’ve already fallen asleep once, and if I were to fall asleep too it would be a very unpleasant landing for both of us.”

The camp was silent by the time they returned. Even Tara was asleep, and despite their best efforts, they were unable to get into the tent without waking her. Luckily she only gave them a brief lecture for staying out so long, before cuddling up with them and falling asleep.

When Gale awoke next, he judged it must be the small hours of the morning, given there was no noise from outside the tent and Tara was now absent. He wondered how she found hunting around here. There was certainly no shortage of mice. 

Saff shifted and mumbled something next to him. He turned to face her, though could see next to nothing in the darkness. 

“Saff?” he whispered, but she didn’t respond. At least, not coherently. 

“Mmm… nnnn… mmmph…” she murmured, and he realised she was dreaming. Her movements were likely what had woken him, and he wondered what she was dreaming about. Though as her murmurs turned to whimpers, it started to become clear that it wasn’t a very pleasant dream. 

“Mmmm… nnn… nno…” 

He sat up as her whimpers became more urgent. With a quick flick of his hand he lit one of the candles, casting the tent in a soft orange glow. He could see now the look of fear on her face, the way she tried to curl up, the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. “No… n-no… please…” 

He quickly moved to her as her sobs became more desperate and fearful. 

“Saff, wake up!” he called, reaching for her shoulders to shake her awake. The moment he touched her, her eyes snapped open. 

She yelped and scrambled back, hugging her arms round herself as she cowered in the corner of the tent. 

“Saff, it’s ok!” Gale said quickly, holding his hands out. “It was just a dream, you’re safe.” 

She stared at him with wide eyes for a moment, before finally the tension disappeared from her shoulders and she let go of the breath she’d been holding. 

“Gods…” she whispered, wincing as she held her head. 

“Are you alright?” Gale asked as he shifted towards her and took her hand in his. 

“Yeah… except that damn headache’s back,” she said with a small chuckle. “Sorry… I guess I woke you?” 

“That’s quite alright, my love,” he assured her, pressing a kiss to the back of her hand. “What were you dreaming about?” 

She paused and frowned for a moment, then started to laugh. 

“I don’t remember. Forgotten it already,” she said with a shrug, though Gale couldn’t join her laughter. Her smile faded as she saw the concerned look on his face. “Gale?” 

He looked downwards slightly, squeezing her hands, before looking back up at her.

“You… were talking in your sleep,” he said quietly. Her smile faded now too, replaced by a more nervous look. 

“What was I saying?” 

“You kept saying… ‘no, please no’...”

She held her arms as she looked away, wincing. 

“Aryn…” she murmured. “I didn’t realise I sleep talked when I had those dreams…” 

Gale opened his arms for her, and she gratefully leant into them. “It’s been so long since I dreamt about him,” she said as she curled into his chest. “I’m glad I’ve already forgotten it.” 

“As am I,” he said, kissing her on the forehead. “You mentioned that headache is back? The same one you had before?”

“Yeah… but it’s fading now,” she said, yawning deeply as she rubbed her eyes. “Let’s get back to sleep.” 

She clearly didn’t want to talk about it any further, and he couldn’t blame her. He shifted with her to lay back down, pulling her into his arms as they cuddled up together. 

The joy of being able to leave camp the next day without being weighed down with huge packs was a novelty that had still not worn off on them. They left in high spirits - everyone, that was, except Halsin, who was all too aware of what they were about to get themselves into. 

As they ascended the sweeping stairways, the crumbling walls began to give way to grotesque, twisted roots and vines that crept through the cracks in the ancient stone. Saff felt a rising sense of fear the further they went, as if there was something in the very air itself that felt wrong. 

Halsin paused as they reached a set of doors, looking up at the vines that now completely covered the walls and ceiling. 

“Ready your torches,” he warned them, preparing his own. Somehow the vines seemed even more grotesque in the light of the group’s torches, the shadows now dancing around them, as if toying with them. 

Halsin looked back to the group one last time as he reached for the door. 

“Stay near the light,” he advised, then finally pushed the door open. 

Halsin had warned them, of course, but all the warnings in the world couldn’t have prepared them for what they saw. 

The darkness outside hung in the air with such intensity it seemed to even smother the light. Twisted, deformed trees rose above them, jutting out at unnatural angles, reaching up into endless black. In the shadows the darkness almost seemed to coalesce into physical form, so thick you could touch it. 

As Saff walked out with the others her rising fear turned to overwhelming dread. Her breath misted in front of her - even in the warmth of spring, this place hung in the deep cold of winter. The shadows felt like they were creeping towards her, reaching out to her, threatening to drag her into the darkness. Every sense and every fibre of her being was telling her to leave…

No. Not every sense. There was something deep within her that felt something else. This place was cursed… and it longed to be free. She could feel the land itself reaching to her, crying out for aid… 

And she was determined to help it.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 45

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Over the next hour or so, the others came in small groups to chat to Saff while she sat recovering with Gale. Perhaps the happiest one of the group to have her back was Scratch, who nearly tackled her to the ground once Wyll let go of his collar. She was more than happy about it though, laughing and asking if he missed her while he licked her face. 

The one person who didn’t come over to see her was Malitas, though she was well aware of why - he wanted to wait til she was ready, letting her start the conversation herself. Eventually, once the headache had finally died down, she stood and headed over to him. 

He glanced over to her as she approached him, and for a moment the two of them shared a wordless look. She nodded to the table, knowing she was going to need to sit down for this conversation, and they each took a seat across from each other. 

“Gale told me everything that happened,” she started, looking at her hands as she fiddled with her fingers nervously. “He told me how much you helped. So… thank you.” 

She looked up at him finally, though he could see she was nervous. 

“You are welcome, of course,” he said, then took a deep breath. “Saffron… there is a great deal I must apologise for. The way I have acted throughout this has been wholly unacceptable. At a time when you most needed help, I instead made things worse for you. For that, I am truly sorry. I will admit, I did not trust Gale at first. I thought he was simply using you until he could get back to Mystra. I see now that that is not the case.” 

A small smile came to her lips, though she wasn’t ready to forgive him quite yet. 

“You’re right, that’s not the case,” she said confidently, glancing over to Gale briefly where he was helping the others tidy on the other side of the camp, before looking back to Malitas. “How could you treat someone the way you treated him, based only on assumptions?” 

“At the time the assumptions seemed certain,” he explained, glancing over at Gale as well. “But I acted rashly, without ascertaining the facts. And…” he looked downwards, his voice catching slightly. “I’ll admit… it’s been a long time since someone I care about has been in such a dangerous situation and I have been unable to help them. I’d spent the days before finding you fearing you were dead, and the days after trying to find a solution to what felt like an impossible problem. I… was stressed. And I took that out on him. A dire mistake, one I hope I can earn your forgiveness for.” 

She was quiet for a moment as she thought about his words. She’d never seen him stressed before, he always seemed in complete control of any situation. But, she supposed, they’d never been in a situation like this before. 

“He’s the one you need to earn forgiveness from,” she said eventually. “You hurt him, not me.”

“I don’t think he’s the only one that was hurt by my actions.”

She looked back up at him, seeing a concerned look in his eyes. He was right, of course. She’d been hurt more than she could say by everything he’d done. But she still didn’t feel it was her place to forgive him. Or was she just telling herself that to avoid making a difficult decision? 

“So… you trust him now, then?” she asked, deciding to avoid the subject of forgiveness for now.

“Yes. Well… there are still some aspects of your relationship with him that I am unsure about, but-”

“Like what?” 

He almost had to laugh at the speed with which she asked that. He contemplated for a moment how best to answer the question. 

“Do you remember why I always insisted on calling you Saffron instead of Saff?” he asked. She blinked, looking at him for a moment as she figured out what he was getting at. 

“You think…? It’s not like that between us!” she said quickly.

“He has been teaching you, has he not?” He pressed. 

“Yes, but not like, as a teacher or anything. Just as a friend. Look, I get it, ok? Student teacher relationships are bad. And I wouldn’t want one. I mean, gods, I would never want a relationship with you-”

She stopped suddenly as she realised just how harsh that had sounded. Even Malitas looked rather surprised by her words. 

“I mean-... you know, not, like, personally, just cause… you know, you’re my teacher and-” 

She paused as he held his hand up to stop her. 

“I will choose to interpret that as a lesson well learnt, rather than a personal insult,” he said, the slightest hint of a tease in his tone. She gave him an embarrassed smile. “Anyway, if you are sure about your relationship with him, then… I will trust your judgement,” he said, then looked at her seriously. 

“Just know that if things don’t work out, then my tower will always open to you, should you wish to return home.” 

She finally managed a genuine smile as she looked at him. He returned her smile, before continuing. 

“And, Saffron… I know you trust him, and I know you believe he would never hurt you, but things can change. Keep your wits about you and do not trust blindly. I could not bear to see history repeat itself.” 

She nodded, looking down slightly. She didn’t believe for a moment Gale would ever treat her the way Aryn did, but she knew not to blindly trust anyone, either. 

“It won’t, don’t worry,” she assured him, looking back up. 

“Good,” he said with a nod. “Then I believe there is just one more thing for me to apologise for. I am sorry for how I made you feel last time we spoke. I never wished to make you feel that way.”

She looked down slightly. 

“Thank you,” she said quietly. She still didn’t know what to think about it, but ultimately she didn’t want to linger on it. There was too much else going on to worry about it… and she had a question of her own for Malitas that she hadn’t had a chance to ask yet. It had been on her mind since he’d made Mystra’s actions clear to them and up til now she’d mostly been trying to ignore it, but it wasn’t something she could ignore forever. 

“Malitas…” she started, looking down slightly. “About what you said about Mystra… and everything she did to Gale. You said she does all that to others too…” 

She looked at him, and he gave a nod. 

“It does seem to be her preferred method of finding Chosen, yes,” he confirmed, giving her a curious look, wondering where she was going with this. 

“If you knew this, then… how do you still worship her?” 

“Ah,” he started, realising now what was bothering her. “I worship her as much as any wizard must to use the Weave, but I harbour little love for her.” 

“You still worship her though,” she pressed. “You still call yourself her follower, still make offerings to her. Doesn’t it… bother you?” 

He sighed slightly as he leant back in his seat. 

“One does not need to love Mystra to love magic any more than one needs to love a king to love his country. I have no particular love for the Ravengards - no offence to your friend, of course - but I love the city enough to have lived there for 300 years.”

“That’s different though,” she objected. “Mystra isn’t just the goddess of magic, she is all magic. And I… I don’t know if I can keep using it, knowing this…” her voice cracked as she looked down at her hands once more.

“Mystra is all magic… I suppose Gale told you that, did he?” Malitas asked, raising an eyebrow as she looked back up at him. “And who do you think told him that?” He was quiet for a moment, leaving the obvious answer unsaid. “She will do whatever she can to keep him loyal to her, including telling him that she is all magic in order to make him believe that leaving her is akin to abandoning the Weave, which she knows he loves. But the Weave is simply a force of nature, it does not reflect her morals or personality.” 

He leant forward on the table, catching her eye. 

“And using the Weave, despite Mystra’s inclinations, is not a reflection on you. Do not give up something you love because of her. She has done enough damage already, do not let her take this from you too.” 

Malitas sat back up again, but noted the uncertain look on her face. 

“Have you spoken to Gale about this?” he asked, and she shook her head. 

“No. Not yet. I think… he’s still coming to terms with what she did to him. I didn’t want to dump this on him too.” 

“I see. Well, for what it’s worth, he certainly seems to have no qualms using the Weave. I would suggest you follow his example in this.”

She nodded slowly, but still looked troubled by it all. Malitas sighed slightly before continuing.

“If it truly bothers you this much, then… you must do what you must do. I would never want to pressure you into continuing with magic if it brings you so much turmoil. However I would strongly advise you at least wait until after this threat has passed if you are truly considering giving up magic, as you will be left defenceless if you do not use it. Unless you’ve also been training in swordplay?” 

She chuckled slightly and shook her head. 

“Well then, I suggest this is a conversation best left for another time, one where magic is not the only thing standing between you and certain death.”

She nodded again, and this time finally looked a bit more confident about it all. Though maybe she was just happy to have a good excuse to put off making another difficult decision…

“Speaking of certain death, I hear you are heading to the Shadow Cursed lands soon?” Malitas asked after a moment.

“Yes. I know it’s dangerous, but it’s the only lead we’ve got,” she said with a small shrug. “I guess we’ll be leaving soon, once this is all cleared up.” She turned to glance back over the campsite where the others were tidying and slavaging their supplies. “How’s it going?” She called to the others. 

“Not great,” Karlach answered, holding up the two broken halves of one of the sticks that held her tent up. The others were looking similarly despondent. 

“We’re going to need some time finding new supplies,” Shadowheart said with a sigh. 

Malitas stood up and looked over the campsite. 

“How many tents do you need? Seven?” he asked. He’d noticed Gale and Saff appeared to be sharing a tent, but had chosen not to make a comment about it. The others nodded. “Give me 20 minutes,” he said, then summoned another portal and disappeared through it. 

20 minutes later, as promised, he returned. They’d hoped he was going to bring them some camping supplies, but when they saw him carrying nothing more than he’d left with, those hopes were dashed. That was, until he walked up to Saff and handed her his bag. 

“You’ll find supplies for seven tents in there, along with enough food to last you a few days. There’s also some weapons you might find useful. Here’s a list, just think about which item you want, reach in and you’ll find it,” he explained, handing her a piece of paper. She looked at the bag, then looked at him in surprise. 

“Wait, you’re… giving us your Bag of Holding??” She gasped, knowing how valuable such a bag was.

“Yes, at least until you get to the city. You should be able to find more favourable accommodation once you get there,” he confirmed. 

“Wow… thank you…” she said sincerely, realising how much easier this was going to make their lives. 

“You’re welcome. Just try not to let it get damaged, or you’ll lose everything inside,” he advised.

The group quickly set about packing up what they’d managed to salvage of their supplies in the Bag of Holding. As they did, Gale finally made his way to Malitas.

“I must commend you on the spell. It worked better than I expected,” he said. He might have been annoyed about having to employ Malitas’s help, but ultimately, he was just happy to have Saff back. “I have to ask, were any of your assumptions wrong?” he asked curiously. He hadn’t been able to pay much attention to what Malitas had been doing as all his focus had been on stabilising the magic. 

“A couple. There was more arcane interference than I’d planned for, but I was able to adjust for it. I must thank you, too. I wouldn’t have been able to cast it without your help, and wouldn’t have been able to write it without your insights. I have to admit, your reputation as a mage is justified. I have worked with many other wizards over the years, few have as deep an understanding of the Weave as you do.” 

Instinctively Gale wanted to make a comment about how Mystra named him Chosen for a reason, and he realised that was a habit he’d have to train himself out of. 

“Even with a fraction of your experience?” he said instead. Even though there was more trust between the two of them now, he wasn’t above making the odd reference to Malitas’s previous  mistakes.

“Even with a fraction of my experience,” he conceded with a small chuckle, giving a nod of acknowledgement to how wrong he’d been. “I hope the spell was not too painful for you.” 

“I’ve cast worse,” he said with a shrug. He then looked over at Saff, a small smile coming to his lips. “Thank you for helping bring her back,” he said softly. 

Malitas looked over too, watching her for a moment. 

“I suppose if anything could make us set aside our differences, it would be helping her.” 

There was a long moment as they both watched her, each of them deep in thought, til Malitas spoke again. 

“You were right, Gale,” he said, a bit distantly. Gale looked over at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “She can protect herself.” He turned from Saff to Gale now, meeting his eyes. “I saw her fighting the bulette earlier. Despite all that had happened to her, despite being dazed from the spell, she fought. And she fought well. I… didn’t know she had it in her.” 

“Maybe if you’d given her the chance before, you’d have known,” Gale said, folding his arms. Malitas looked away slightly, his eyes going back to Saff. There was another moment of quiet, until Gale asked a question that had been on his mind for a long time. 

“Why did you never teach her combat magic?” 

Malitas was quiet for a long moment as he watched Saff, a distant look in his eyes.

“Because it changes people,” he said quietly. “Learning to fight, learning to kill… it takes something from you. Not everyone should have to be a fighter. I didn’t want to take someone who sees such beauty in everything around her, and teach her to destroy it all.” 

Gale went silent. He hadn’t expected such a response from Malitas. It was surprisingly idealistic for a man he’d thought preferred to focus on the practical, and almost naive for a man he’d thought was very aware of the dangers of the world. 

“In a perfect world I might agree with you. But we don’t live in a perfect world. Even in the safety of the cities there is still danger. We must all learn to defend ourselves. Everyone deserves a time in their lives when they don’t need to worry about such things, but that time is childhood, and Saff is no child.” 

Malitas sighed deeply. 

“Evidently you are right. She has thrived here, not just in her magic, but in her confidence too,” he said, watching as she helped the others, taking command of the bag and working out how much more they could fit in. Gale smiled as he watched her too, thinking on Malitas’s words. He remembered how much Saff had struggled at the beginning… she’d truly come into herself in the time he’d known her. 

It wasn’t long before everything was packed and the group were ready to go. Saff smiled as she watched Gale and Malitas shake hands, hoping this meant that their arguments were finally behind them. She’d been unsure about forgiving Malitas, but given their demeanour around each other now, maybe it was time. She’d wanted them to get on after all, and she was glad to see it finally happening.

Malitas stepped back from Gale and turned to her next.

“I’ll continue researching this curse of yours, see if I can find out anything more about it. Send for me when you reach the Shadow Cursed lands, I’d very much like to see them for myself,” he said to her. 

“I will,” she promised. He gave a nod, then stepped back and addressed the others. 

“Until next time, then,” he said, then with a wave of his hand he disappeared through a portal once more. 

“So…” Astarion started once he was gone, “you’re telling me that we’ve been breaking our backs carrying everything around all this time, when he could have just given us a Bag of Holding?” 

Saff just laughed as she turned and walked past him.

“Come on, let’s go. I want to see this wizard’s tower you’ve all been talking about!” 

---

Piles of books surrounded her as she wiped down the bookshelves. Her Mage Hand hovered above her, cleaning the shelves she couldn’t reach. It was a tedious job, but allowing herself ample breaks to have a flick through her favourite books always made it one of the more enjoyable tasks. As she began to pick up the books to replace them she found herself once again getting distracted by one she’d read many times before - the accounts of a group of adventurers who’d travelled to Icewind Dale and taken on the Frostmaiden. She flipped it open to a familiar page that went in-depth about the Netherese magic they’d found there, but didn’t get much of a chance to read before she heard the familiar sound of teleportation magic in the distance. 

When Malitas entered the room, she was relieved to see him in a much better mood than he’d been in last time she’d seen him. He’d locked himself in his study, saying he needed to concentrate on the spell he was crafting, and bruskly instructed her not to interrupt him until told otherwise. This time though he greeted her with a smile as he came in. 

“I take it the spell worked, then?” she asked, watching as he walked over to the drinks cabinet next to his desk. 

“It did indeed,” he confirmed as he picked up a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. “Saffron is safe once more. Well, as safe as she can be while in the Underdark on her way to the Shadow Cursed lands,” he said, taking a sip. She breathed a sigh of relief, though her mind quickly went to the next danger.

“Have you learnt anything more about this Shadow Curse?” she asked, but he shook his head. 

“No. There is very little written about it. Most who go there do not return,” he said, in a tone that sent a chill down her spine. He glanced at her and saw the worry on her face. “Worry not though, with my help, she’ll be fine.”

“Of course,” she said, managing a smile.

She paused, contemplating for a moment, before speaking again. “Since you’re in such a good mood,” she started, standing up from where she was leaning against the wall and taking a few steps towards him, “I had a favour I wanted to ask.” 

“Oh?” he said, lowering his glass. “And what’s that?” 

She reached into her pocket and took out a piece of paper. 

“Sorcerous Sundries recently published their new stock. I wondered if you could get these ones for me?” she asked, handing him the paper. 

He took it and looked at it as he took another sip. It was a list cut out of the newspaper, with some of the book titles underlined. 

Flora and Fauna of Icewind Dale: The Hardy Plants That Survive Faerûn’s Harshest Climate

Causes and Effects of the Second Sundering

A Brief History of Illusion Magic

Descent Into Avernus: First-Hand Accounts From The Adventurers That Saved Elturel

He raised an eyebrow slightly. 

“I’m sure I’ve got A Brief History of Illusion Magic here somewhere…” 

“You haven’t,” she said confidently. “Trust me, I’ve read every book in this tower. Some of them twice. You haven’t got that one.” 

He looked at her in surprise. 

“Every book?” he asked disbelievingly. 

“Yep,” she confirmed as she turned and headed back to the bookshelf and began once more replacing the books on the newly cleaned shelves. “There’s only so much time I can spend cleaning, after all.” 

“Gods, I had no idea you were so starved for entertainment,” he said, putting his wine glass down. She heard his footsteps as he walked over to her, then felt his hands on her hips and his breath on her neck. 

“I’m not neglecting you am I, my dear?” 

She chuckled softly and leant back against him, resting her head on his shoulder as she looked up at him. 

“Now how could I ever accuse you of that?” she said playfully, lifting her hand and curling a finger under his chin. He met her eyes with a smile, then leant down and kissed her.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 44

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The group gathered as Malitas and Gale stood and walked over to Saff. Malitas called Halsin over, and he quickly joined them. 

“The plan is as follows,” Malitas began, addressing Halsin. “I can’t lift the curse completely, but I hope to be able to lift it long enough for you to cast Greater Restoration on her. Be ready for my signal. Gale will stabilise the spell for me, but even with the two of us, this won’t be easy. You’ll have to be quick,” he warned him. Halsin gave him a confident nod. Malitas looked back to Gale one last time, who also gave a nod, and with that the three of them took their positions. 

The group watched as Malitas and Gale both raised their hands in unison, their voices synchronised as they began the incantation. Magic swirled around them, building in the air as they both made the same gestures, their movements smooth and sure. Purple light amalgamated into large triangles that circled both Saff’s body, rotating at their command. Eventually their gestures diverged until the two of them appeared to be casting different spells, though it was clear to even the non-magic users of the group that their magic was combining into a shared effect.

Gale raised his hands, one last flurry of movement, until he lowered them in a swift gesture, his arms crossed in front of him, fingers splayed, magic crackling at their tips, similar triangles to those that circled Saff’s body now circling his hands, anchoring the magic in place. Purple streams began to radiate from his hands, which Malitas began to gather in a bright orb in his hands. Gale held the position for a long moment, getting used to the magic he was stabilising, then looked to Malitas and gave him a nod. The other wizard nodded back, then turned to Saff. He took a breath as he raised his hands, then spoke the last word of his incantation and flung his arms out, sending out a wave of magic that washed over the others and nearly knocked them off their feet. 

The light became almost blinding, swirling around them with such force it tugged at their clothes and nearly dislodged the tents. The group shielded their eyes and peaked through their fingers as Malitas coalesced the magic that swirled around him into his hands, focusing on Saff as he continued his incantations. Gale gasped and winced as he could feel the spell building against him, threatening to spill free if he didn’t keep it stable. The longer it went on, the more it pushed him, teetering against his limits. He squeezed his eyes shut and gritted his teeth, almost crying out against the pain as it built inside him. 

Unbeknownst to him, the marking on his chest began to flare. From across the camp, Astarion was the first to notice, his eyes widening. 

“Gods, is he going to blow up?!” he gasped, bringing it to the attention of the others. 

“If he is it’s too late to run now!” Karlach shouted back over the din of the magic around them. 

Halsin now noticed too, watching as Gale began to crumble in pain, falling to one knee as his hands shook. 

“Stop! You have to stop!” he shouted to Malitas. 

“No! Not yet!” he shouted back, not taking his eyes off Saff. “Nearly there…” 

He reached out, gathering a stream of magic in his fist, then pulled.

There was a flash as the triangles that circled Saff’s body enlarged and grew brighter. 

“Now!!” Malitas shouted, and Halsin wasted no time as he raised his hands. 

“Te curo!” 

The spell finally connected, bathing her in golden light as the grey receded from her skin. She gasped as she stumbled forward, almost held aloft by the bright maelstrom of light and magic that raged in front of her and flooded her mind.

Malitas let go, and the triangles disappeared as magic swarmed back towards her. Gale opened his eyes again as the spell was torn from his grasp, just as they’d planned, and he watched as the curse fell back upon her, hitting her with waves of magic as their spell shattered. 

Then with one last flash it was over, just a few particles of light floating in the air around them to hint at the raging vortex of magic that had been there just moments before. 

Saff stumbled forward and fell. Gale scrambled to his feet and ran towards her, catching her in his arms before she hit the ground. He knelt down with her, too weak to be able to hold them both up. As he gathered her in his arms, he was almost unable to stop the tears that welled in his eyes to finally have her back. 

“It’s ok,” he whispered, holding her tightly as he felt her shaking and coughing. “I’ve got you, it’s ok…” 

He watched as she slowly opened her eyes, wincing as she looked up at him, looking like even the dim light of the Underdark was too bright for her at that moment. Her eyes were glazed over as she seemed to look through him rather than at him, til finally she began to focus, and when she did a weak smile came to her lips. 

“Gale…” she whispered softly. The sound of her voice, weak and frail though it was, warmed his heart. 

“Saff… my love,” he whispered, gently lifting his hand to her face, wiping the tears that began to fall down her cheeks. He felt her relax in his arms as she closed her eyes and leaned into him, needing more time for the headache that pounded her head to subside. He leant down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, holding it for a moment before sitting back up to look at her with teary eyes. 

Malitas half-walked half-stumbled to the nearest chair and fell down into it. He leant forward on his knees, taking deep breaths. Halsin watched as Gale comforted Saff, feeling a growing concern when he saw her clutch her head and curl up more in Gale’s arms, rather than quickly recovering as the others had done. He walked over to Malitas, though kept his eyes on Saff. 

“Will she be ok?” he asked.

“She should be. She’ll likely be dazed for a bit, but it should pass,” he answered breathlessly. Halsin still didn’t take his eyes off them, seeing the slight pulse of light at Gale’s chest. 

“Will he be ok?” he asked. 

“Yes. That will have drained most of his magic for the day, but yes, he’ll be fine,” he answered. Finally, Halsin took his gaze from Gale and Saff and looked at Malitas. He was still breathless and hunched forward, looking utterly drained and exhausted. 

“Will you be ok?” he asked. Malitas looked up at him in surprise for a moment, then nodded. 

“Yes… I will be,” he answered, clearly not expecting to be asked. They both looked back forward again to Gale and Saff, watching as he gently stroked her hair and whispered words of love and comfort to her. 

Beneath them the ground started rumbling, and a sinking feeling filled the group’s hearts. 

“Uhh, Gale…” Wyll started as they all looked around themselves. “You know you had that theory that the bulette was attracted to magic?” 

Malitas’s eyes widened. 

“A bulette??” he gasped, but had no more time to consider Wyll’s words as the ground erupted beneath them. 

They were thrown into the air and hit the ground hard, along with most of their tents and supplies. The group scrambled to their feet, unarmed and unarmoured, and began to frantically search the mess around them for their weapons. 

Gale clung onto Saff as they hit the ground, desperately trying to protect her. He looked up and saw chaos around them as the bulette charged through the unprepared group. Karlach leapt at it with an axe that wasn’t even hers and buried it into the creature’s leg, before being roughly kicked away. An arrow bounced off the almost impenetrable shell that encased it. A firebolt glanced off it from above as Tara soared overhead. None of these things seemed to deter the creature as it barrelled through them all, looking for the source of the magic…

Its eyes fell on Gale and Saff, and it charged. Gale scrambled as he tried to pull Saff, still dazed and weak, to her feet. Frantically he raised a hand to cast a spell, but holding Saff combined with pouring all his magical energy into the spell earlier left it fizzling on his fingers. The ground shook beneath them as the bulette descended on them…

It screeched as purple magic washed over its body and held it down. The creature thrashed and fought, churning up the ground beneath it as it tried to break free from its restraints. Gale looked across to see Malitas, arms outreached, a telekinesis spell on his fingertips, as he battled the creature for dominance. 

“Kill it!!” Malitas shouted, straining to hold the bulette in place. The others, weapons now in hand, came down on it, throwing everything they had at it.

Gale felt Saff shift in his arms, and looked down to see her moving to stand by herself. She swayed dazedly, but with the adrenaline that now coursed through her, she raised her hands to summon a firebolt. Briefly she looked up and met his eyes, and as she did, he too raised his hands to fight alongside her. 

The bulette turned its attention to Malitas, roaring at him as he struggled to hold it in place. He strained against the creature’s movements, his own mental energy in a battle against the bulette’s considerable physical strength. Two firebolts flew at it from the side, and after a moment he realised what that meant. He looked over to see both Gale and Saff, fighting side by side. Saff was struggling, her movements sluggish and her hands shaking, but still she fought, a look of determination on her face that he’d never seen before…

In that moment of distraction the bulette finally broke free, roaring as it reared up and charged towards its prey. Malitas turned back just in time to see it bearing down on him, enraged from its injuries, ready to tear him apart.

He raised his hands, readying a Disintegrate spell that he hoped would be enough to finish it off. 

“Dolor!” 

When the bulette reached him, it was nothing more than dust. 

Quiet fell over the camp once more. Saff stumbled and Gale caught her as she sank to the ground again. He held her close, only vaguely registering as the others began healing each other up and looking through the scattered remains of their campsite. She groaned and winced, holding her head tightly. 

“Gods…” she murmured as the adrenaline subsided and the thumping headache returned. She allowed herself some time for it to calm, before she opened her eyes again and started to look round. 

“What happe- wait… Malitas…?” she whispered as her eyes fell on him. Malitas didn’t notice yet that she was looking at him as he helped the others clean up, his robes speckled in a light dusting of the disintegrated remains of the bulette, objects floating around him as they dislodged themselves from the churned-up dirt and arranged themselves into neat piles at his command. 

She sat up, or at least tried to. Gale helped her up, supporting her as she shifted and sat next to him. Her head was spinning, but her focus was on her master. 

“Why is he here?” she asked, her voice gruff as she held her head. 

“We needed his help,” Gale admitted. At that moment Malitas looked over at them, and Gale saw a small smile on his lips when he saw Saff awake, before he turned his focus back to what he was doing. Gale then turned to Saff and took her hand, taking her attention off Malitas and back to him.

“Are you alright?” he asked, lifting a hand to gently brush some hair from her face. 

“My head feels like it might explode…” she murmured, wincing again. “What happened… why did you need his help?”

Gale looked down slightly, and she felt a pang of worry at the serious look on his face. 

“Saff, there’s something you need to know.” 

She was quiet as he explained all that had happened to her. The curse, asking Malitas for help, their solution to lift it temporarily to unpetrify her. Though he left out the details of just how stressed he’d been while trying to cure her. 

“So… there’s a curse on me, that’s really powerful, and we can’t remove it and don’t know how I got it or what it does?” she asked once he’d finished the explanation, checking the situation really was as bad as it sounded. 

“Yes,” he answered regretfully. “We theorise it’s from the spectator, and its purpose is to prevent depetrification. But… we don’t know for sure. We’ll need to keep an eye out for other potential effects.” 

She went very quiet. Her head was still spinning, and the more she tried to think about it all, the worse it got. She leant forward, holding her head in her hands. Gale leant over and put his arm round her, letting her lean against him. 

“Gods, I hope this headache isn’t from the curse…” she muttered, half-jokingly. He smiled as he leant down and placed a kiss on the top of her head. 

“Even if it is, we’ll figure it out, my love,” he assured her. She lifted her head from her hands and met his gaze, and finally their lips met in a long-awaited kiss.

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 43

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

It was hours before Malitas’s return. Long enough that, by the time the sending stone sparked and the portal opened once more, Gale had been able to get a full night’s sleep and was far more refreshed than he had been the day before.

Malitas stepped out, and this time he was the one that looked like he could do with some sleep. 

“Baldur’s Gate, Waterdeep, Neverwinter and Elturel. Not one of them had a single alchemy shop that stocked basilisk oil,” he moaned as he walked over to the table, put his bag on it and opened it. “I know it’s a rare ingredient, but you’d think out of twenty two different shops, at least one would have some,” he muttered, mostly to himself, as he began pulling out what looked like far too many books to fit in his small bag. “So I went to Candlekeep and took out every book I could find that might be relevant. I’ve made some notes, but I haven’t had time to read everything,” he said, piling up the books. 

Gale walked over and picked up one of them - an in-depth look into the physiology of spectators. There were a number of bookmarks sticking out of the pages, as well as a few slips of paper where he’d made notes. 

“You managed to get all of these from Candlekeep?” He asked, looking over the growing pile of books in front of him. “I didn’t think they allowed people to take out so many books at once.” 

“Yes, well, luckily one of the librarians owes me a favour… and the other librarian wasn’t paying much attention,” he said as he pulled the last book out of his bag and placed it with the others. He then sighed deeply as he closed his eyes, took off the silver circlet he always wore and massaged his temples. 

“Now, I need to trance,” he said, opening his eyes again and replacing the circlet. “Can I leave these with you to get started on, Gale?” 

“Of course,” he said with a nod. 

“I’d recommend beginning with this one,” Malitas advised, picking one out and handing it to Gale. It was a collection of adventurers’ tales. “It contains a story mentioning a spectator with unusual abilities. There’s a few books in here we may be able to cross-reference it with.”

Gale could hear the tiredness in Malitas’s voice as he spoke. It was weird to hear the slight slur in his speech, given how sharp his tone normally was. 

“I will return in a few hours. Send for me if you find anything urgent.” 

Gale nodded, and with that Malitas summoned another portal and left again. 

Tara jumped up onto the table as Gale sat down and opened the book. 

“Well, would you look at that? One of the worst people I’ve ever met, and even he knows to take care of himself,” she chastised. Gale shook his head as he flipped the book open to the first bookmark. 

“He’s not in love with her,” he muttered defensively as he began reading. 

He didn’t see the sceptical look on her face. 

When Malitas returned a few hours later, he found the whole group gathered round the table, each one of them with a book in hand. He was rather surprised to see them all dedicating their time to helping Saff, and even more surprised when he realised they’d left a space at the table for him. 

There was a very noticeable tension in the air as he joined them, though the group were civilised enough to ignore it for now and focus on the task at hand. By some miracle they managed to get to lunch without any major arguments breaking out.

Malitas looked sceptically at the plate of probably edible mushrooms he was given, prodding them cautiously with his fork. 

“Not up to your standards?” Shadowheart asked, her tone implying he was too sheltered to handle the hardships they’d been facing. 

“I didn’t realise you were sustaining yourselves on such… questionable food,” he said, lifting up one of the mushrooms as he looked at it. 

“Well there aren’t exactly any farmers’ markets nearby,” she replied sarcastically. 

“I assure you it’s perfectly edible,” Gale interjected, feeling a tad insulted by Malitas’s critical appraisal of the lunch he’d helped prepare. “Unfortunately our supplies from the surface have been exhausted, so we are left with what we can find in the Underdark… which isn’t much.” 

Malitas looked at the mushroom for a moment, then finally took a bite as the others started eating. There was a moment of quiet as the group ate, til they heard Malitas starting to cough. He covered his mouth and tried to hide it, but didn’t do a very good job. 

“Excuse me,” he said quickly, his voice hoarse, before quickly leaving the table and rushing off. 

“Is he… choking?” Wyll asked, trying to see where he’d gone. 

“I don’t think so,” Gale said, figuring if he could speak he couldn’t be choking. 

“Guess he just couldn’t handle the food,” Shadowheart said with a smirk. 

“Well, if he’s not gonna eat it…” Karlach started, picking up one of the mushrooms from his plate and lifting it to her mouth.

“I wouldn’t,” Astarion said quickly, holding out his hand for her to stop. The group turned to him. 

“What did you do?” Gale asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“I thought he might enjoy it a bit more… spiced than the rest of us,” he said with an amused grin. “You know those firebrand peppers we found? I ground them up and gave him a generous helping.” 

“Firebrand peppers, huh?” Karlach said, looking at the mushroom, before popping it in her mouth. Her eyes immediately widened as she coughed. “Pwoar! Yeah, that’s got a kick to it!”

Gale wanted to scold Astarion and remind him that making enemies out of powerful wizards was never a good idea, but couldn’t quite stop himself from sniggering along with the others. 

When Malitas finally returned, he declared he wasn’t hungry. 

That evening Wyll cooked dinner bathed in the purple light of Malitas and Gale’s spells as they both pooled their magic together to learn more about the curse. At times it was almost like a show with their synchronised incantations and gestures, the magic dancing in the air around them. They’d periodically drop their spells to discuss their findings at length in what might as well have been another language for all anyone else understood of it. 

They finally stopped casting for the night and returned to the books to give the rest of the group some peace as they began to head to bed. Soon Gale, Tara and Malitas were the last ones awake, the three wizards sat round the table reading or making notes. 

“Do we have Curses and Hexes?” Gale asked, glancing over at the piles of books. “It’s referenced here, it might be useful.” Malitas shook his head. 

“No, but I can return to Candlekeep and pick it up. I have a few other books myself I’d like to collect,” he offered. Gale pondered for a moment. 

“I assume you can take multiple people through your portals? If I came with you, I could-” 

He stopped and winced slightly as a familiar voice spoke to him. 

“Don’t. If you leave, I can’t protect you.” 

He sighed as the tadpole went quiet once more. 

“Not that, then…” he muttered. 

Tara had seen this happen before, but Malitas looked at him in confusion. 

“I’m sorry, did I miss something?” he asked. 

“The dream visitor speaks to us through the tadpoles,” Gale explained, tapping on the side of his head. “And she just told me if I leave, she can’t protect me. Looks like I’ll be staying here.” 

Despite the explanation, Malitas only looked more confused. 

“So… this dream visitor was watching our conversation? Is she always watching you?” 

“So it seems,” Gale answered. The look on Malitas’s face showed he had the same thoughts Gale did when they all realised they were being watched at all times. “Yes, I am aware of the… uncomfortable implications of this.” 

Malitas closed his eyes and shook his head in despair. 

“These tadpoles never cease to surprise…” he muttered, before looking back up at Gale. “In that case I shall make my way to Candlekeep myself. I need to double check some things, but with any luck, I believe I may have a solution.”

Gale looked at him in hope. 

“You do?” 

“Yes. The curse is too strong for me to remove it completely, but I believe I can write a spell that will lift the curse long enough for Halsin to cast Greater Restoration on her. It will be too powerful for me to cast on my own, but together I think we will be able to do it. I need to refine the idea and check a few books on the subject, but I believe it will work,” he explained, glancing down at the notes he’d been making. Gale looked down at the pages in front of Malitas, but saw that once again the words were all Elven. 

“Apologies,” Malitas said, clearly seeing Gale’s curiosity as he tried to read his notes from across the table. “I’ll write it all up in Common and you can read it tomorrow.”

Gale frowned slightly. Such a spell had crossed his mind, but would require more information than they had about the nature of the curse. 

“Can you explain it to me now?” he asked, but Malitas shook his head. 

“Quite honestly, I think we’re both too tired for that right now. You need to sleep and I need to trance. I will refine the spell and explain it in full tomorrow,” he said, though Gale didn’t look convinced. Malitas sighed as he looked at him. “Get some sleep, Gale, or I will make you get some sleep if you insist on depriving yourself like this.” 

“You know as well as I do that magical sleep doesn’t give the same benefits as real sleep,” Gale countered, folding his arms.  

“Yes, that’s true. So if you’re going to be asleep either way, you might as well make it worthwhile, hm?” 

Gale narrowed his eyes at him, but eventually relented when he had the rather annoying realisation that he was too tired to argue. 

He stood up and headed to his tent, leaving Malitas at the table with Tara. She walked forward across the table and sat at the edge, watching Gale disappear into his tent as Malitas stood up and began gathering the pages of his notes. 

“I will make an exception this time, but I would not normally stand by and allow someone to threaten him, especially someone I trust so little,” she warned, looking over at him. Of the group, she was the one most outspoken about her continued dislike of him. 

Malitas stopped as the two of them looked at each other, a beat of silence passing between them. 

“I’m sorry,” he said eventually. “I’m sorry for everything I said to him, and I’m sorry for calling you novel.” 

“Oh are you?” she said disbelievingly. “Is that really true, or do you say that only because of the knowledge that Miss Saffron will leave you if you don’t make amends with us?” 

Malitas looked away slightly. 

“A bit of both,” he admitted, moving to gather his notes again, before pausing once more. “Why do you call her that? She always insists on people calling her Saff.” 

“A mark of respect. I would have preferred her surname, but as she doesn’t have one, I made do,” Tara explained, before looking at him curiously. “Why do you call her Saffron?” 

“I have my reasons,” he answered simply, returning to his tidying. 

“And I’m asking what they are,” she insisted, undeterred. He paused, then sighed slightly. 

“Saffron is a very intelligent, motivated and enthusiastic young woman who I believe will go far in her wizarding career, and I have no doubts she will have plenty of teachers and mentors after me,” he said, pausing for a moment as he looked over at Saff. “She is also very naive, impressionable, trusting… and beautiful. Exactly the sort of young woman far too many wizards out there would love to have as their apprentice, for reasons that are not in her interest.” 

He looked back over at Tara as he continued. 

“She’s never been to school, never had any formal education. She doesn’t know what is and isn’t acceptable from a teacher. I was trying to instil in her some sense that a mentor is not the same as a friend, and that there should be boundaries that do not exist in the friendships she was accustomed to.” 

He sighed slightly as he finished gathering his notes. 

“Given her relationship with Gale, I can only conclude that I did not succeed.” 

Tara looked at him in surprise. 

“There is a big difference between taking on an apprentice and teaching a friend some magic,” she objected. 

“Yes, I suppose there is,” he conceded, looking over at Saff once more. “And I can only hope for her sake that their relationship is closer to that than what I fear.” 

“And I hope for her sake that you do not still think all that of her,” Tara said, causing him to look back at her with a slight frown of confusion. “I cannot speak for when you met her, but I do not think she is as naive as you claim her to be. She’s a lot wiser than you give her credit for.” 

He looked back over at Saff, contemplating Tara’s words. 

“I’ve heard tressyms are very good judges of character,” he murmured in thought. 

“You heard correctly,” Tara confirmed. “Have you also heard that tressyms will only befriend good-hearted wizards?” 

“I have heard that, yes.”

“Then take from that what you will about Gale.”

He turned back to her and met her gaze as she looked up at him, then sighed slightly as he looked away. 

“I must admit… if today’s events have taught me anything, it is that Gale cares for her a lot more than I initially thought. Perhaps I was too hasty to judge him.” 

“Perhaps?” Tara pressed. He almost had to laugh. 

“Alright, I was too hasty to judge him,” Malitas amended. 

“Good to hear you admit it,” she said with a nod. “Though I’m afraid it’s going to take quite a bit more for you to prove to us that you’re worthy of our trust.”

He looked at her for a moment. 

“Is there anything I can do to expedite that?” he asked.

“Hmm…” she murmured, considering the question. “If you could return tomorrow with some beholder jerky, it would certainly help.” 

He chuckled softly. 

“You would choose something even harder to get hold of than basilisk oil, wouldn’t you?” 

“Well, if that isn’t an option,” she said, standing up, “then I suppose you’ll just have to keep trying to earn our trust in more traditional ways, won’t you?” 

She looked up at him, meeting his eyes. 

“When you apologised you took the first small step along what I assure you is a very long road to forgiveness. Let’s see how far you can get.” 

She jumped down and headed over to Gale’s tent, disappearing through the flap as he watched her. He sighed slightly, then summoned a portal and stepped through. 

The next morning the others watched from the campfire with bated breaths as Gale sat with Malitas at the table and read through the pages of notes Malitas had given him on his return. 

“This spell is…” he started, frowning as he read the last few sentences. “It makes a lot of assumptions,” he concluded, looking up at Malitas. 

“The spell can be modified while casting should any of those assumptions prove false,” Malitas assured him, pointing to the sheet that details any potential modifications that may be required. 

“It’s still risky…” Gale murmured, picking up the sheet and looking at it. 

“Anything we do here will be risky. This situation isn’t well documented. Our options are to make assumptions, or continue research that has so far been largely fruitless. And…” he leant in and lowered his voice slightly, “I know your group is ready to progress towards Moonrise. They will likely not be willing to wait around much longer. We have to do something.” 

Gale winced, knowing Malitas was right. He knew the group didn’t want to leave Saff, but they couldn’t stay down here forever, and every moment they lingered the tadpoles grew. 

“You’re sure you can handle this if your assumptions are false?” he asked, looking up at him. 

“I’m sure,” he confirmed. “Saffron is important to me. I would not gamble with her life if I were not confident in the odds.” 

He sighed deeply as he looked over at Saff. He was certainly no stranger to casting risky magic, but he’d never done it when someone else’s life was at stake before. What made it worse was that, with the orb and the tadpole, he could only help cast the lower level elements of this spell, and had to trust Malitas to be able to handle the potential complications. 

He hated to think of it as gambling with Saff’s life, but what choice did they have? 

“Alright. Let’s do it.”

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 42

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

“A… curse??” 

Gale barely registered Halsins words as he continued modifying his Detect Magic spell, desperately trying to scrape together any more information he could get. He also didn’t register the worried looks of his companions. 

“What sort of curse?” Halsin asked, and this time his words made it through to Gale. 

“I don’t know,” he answered, not taking his eyes off Saff. “It’s… distant. Faded. Like it’s hidden somehow… I can’t even make out what school of magic it is…” 

He finally lowered his arms and the glow faded from his eyes. As the spell dissipated he was left with only the same familiar image of Saff’s frozen form in front of him, reaching out in fear… a sight he’d thought he’d never have to see again. It left a deep dread in the pit of his stomach.

“If it’s just a curse, we can remove it. Much easier than removing petrification,” Shadowheart said, stepping forward. Gale looked unsure, but certainly wasn’t going to stop her trying. She walked up to Saff, raised her hands, but when she cast the spell the same flash and spark interrupted her. 

“It’s too powerful…” Gale murmured. “Powerful enough that it can hide itself, and powerful enough that it can prevent lower level magic from removing it. This is no ordinary curse…” 

He began pacing, stroking his chin as he thought about it all.

“Ok, what do we know?” he started, speaking through his thoughts for his own sake as much as to share them with the others. “We know that was an unusual spectator as spectators don’t usually petrify people. So perhaps it could have some unusual magic that manifests in curses like this one. It unpetrified the drow to fight against us, perhaps it has magic to keep its victims petrified so it can use them when it needs,” he reasoned, wracking his brain for answers. 

“Magic that didn’t affect anyone else,” Halsin pointed out, glancing at the others.

“Perhaps… it is fallible. Perhaps the curse is not guaranteed to take effect,” he suggested. It certainly wouldn’t be the only magical effect to work in such a way. He paused for a moment as he thought about it, then resumed pacing again. 

“Or perhaps something else… the Underdark is full of threats. She could have triggered a trap that placed a curse on her, and none of us noticed. Or… something we’ve faced cursed her. Or… she was already cursed…” 

He trailed off a bit as he thought about the last option. She didn’t know her family… what if she’d been cursed her whole life? If that was the case, did they have any chance of helping her here? He ran a hand through his hair, forcing himself to focus on finding a solution rather than give in to the rising dread in his stomach. 

“We need more information. For a curse this powerful and unusual to exist, it must have been observed and documented somewhere. You said there’s a wizard’s tower near here, yes?” he asked, looking at the group. 

“Yes, west of here,” Halsin confirmed, and Gale quickly went to his tent and grabbed his staff. 

“Then let’s go.” 

Halsin, Wyll and Karlach accompanied Gale to the wizard’s tower while the others stayed back to search the nearby area. Gale had been a force of nature as he tore his way through the arcane defenses of the tower with summoned lightning, shattering the guard turrets before they even had a chance to attack. He barely flinched this time when confronted with the sussur blooms as he grabbed one and shoved it into the generator, bringing the tower to life. 

Watching Gale scour the tower’s books was like watching a skilled warrior cut through a horde of enemies. He would scan through and dismiss five books before the others had barely had a chance to look through one. But as they worked through the tower, growing ever closer to the top with no answer, his anxiety grew. 

When they took the lift to the top floor and were met with an automaton reciting poetry, he’d been so distracted thinking about the curse that he didn’t even register what was being said to him, and ended up getting the group into a fight they could probably have otherwise avoided. Even as the last of the constructs fell to pieces, he didn’t think of the magic they’d just destroyed as he would have done otherwise, he simply began the search once more, rifling through every box and cabinet he could find. 

When the group stopped to eat, he refused, insisting instead on going back through the books they’d already checked in case they’d missed something. And when the group insisted it was time to head back, they had to pry him away, only managing to convince him to leave with the reminder that the others may have had more luck back by the campsite. 

Sadly, they didn’t have more luck. Astarion had found a notebook in the temple, penned long ago, noting how it was weird that the spectator outside their walls was able to petrify. Other than potentially supporting Gale’s theory that the curse was rooted in strange spectator magic, it did little to help them. 

Halsin joined Gale in reading through the books he’d taken from the tower in the hopes they might hold more answers than he’d thought from the quick glance he’d given them before. They hoped that with their two very different backgrounds in magic, one of them might be able to find a lead. So far though, both came up blank.

Wyll was the one to cook dinner that night as Gale refused to stop his research. Purple light bathed the campsite as he cast spell after spell on Saff, desperately hoping to discover more about the nature of the curse, but finding the magic too powerful for him to decipher. Even with Tara’s help, their magic combined was still not enough to reveal the curse’s secrets. He damned the orb and the tadpole - he knew he’d be able to do this without them, but with them both hindering his abilities, he couldn’t even get close. 

As the others ate round the campfire, he sat at the table pouring through the books he’d bought from the tower. He still hadn’t eaten a thing yet, and Tara decided she’d had enough. 

“Mr Dekarios,” she said firmly, jumping up to sit on the table in front of him, “you need to eat.”

“I’m not hungry,” he muttered, not taking his eyes off the book in front of him. His attention was finally pried away from it as Tara walked over and simply sat on the book he was reading. 

“You know as well as I do that a brain needs food to work at full capacity. I hear you did not eat lunch. If you continue to starve yourself, you could stumble right upon the answer and you will not recognise it. Now. Eat. For Miss Saffron’s sake, if not your own.” 

Tara always knew the best way to get through to him, and finally he pulled the plate in front of him and took a mouthful. 

As the hours wore on, Gale remained at the table with his books, his dinner pushed half-eaten to the side, looking up only to look at Saff or try a new spell on her he hadn’t tried before. The others tried to convince him to get some sleep before retiring to their tents themselves, but again, he refused. Now, with the camp silent but for the crackle of the campfire, Tara watched as his head dipped periodically and he struggled to keep his eyes open. 

She jumped up on the table once more and pulled his attention to herself. 

“Mr Dekarios,” she said firmly. “Once again you are sabotaging your own efforts. You can no more find the answer if you are sleep-deprived than you can if you starve yourself. Come. You need to sleep.”

“How can I possibly sleep…” he murmured, his voice barely audible.

“How can you possibly read when you can barely keep your eyes open?” she countered. “Now, Mr Dekarios. Gale. Please.” 

Finally he relented, lingering as he walked past Saff to look at her once more, before following Tara into the tent. 

She curled up with him under the blankets hoping that would be the end of the matter and he’d now be able to get a good night’s sleep, but when she woke in the small hours of the morning as she always did, she found the tent empty. She emerged outside to see Gale sat at the table once more, slumped over, fast asleep, the quill still in his hand where he’d been making notes. Well, she supposed with a sigh, at least he was finally getting some sleep. 

The next day he accompanied the others to the myconid colony, hoping someone there might be able to offer some help, but found nothing. The myconids themselves had no information about the spectator or any curses in the area, and while Omeluum and Blurg were happy to help in any way they could, they too had no information to offer. They even returned to camp with Gale to see the curse for themselves, but could see nothing that Gale hadn’t already noted. 

The next few days continued in much the same vein. Gale would work on his research while the others would either help him if they could, or continue their search for the Shar temple. While Gale turned to books, Halsin turned to nature. He spoke to any surrounding animals that wouldn’t attack him on sight and communed with the plants as best he could, but none could offer any answers. Late at night, when he and Asatrion would normally have been the only ones left awake, Halsin grew increasingly concerned by Gale’s refusal to stop his research and let himself rest. 

Not only that, discussions that would normally have fascinated Gale barely registered to him. One evening while eating they mentioned the bulette, which continued to attack them from time to time, and each time they barely survived til it would finally decide to burrow away to go heal up before attacking them again. Though they began to notice it only seemed to attack when Halsin, Wyll or Shadowheart were in the party. 

“Lenore was trying to tame it,” Gale muttered, barely taking his eyes off the page he was reading. “Maybe it’s become attracted to magic.” 

The others looked at each other in confusion.

“Sorry, who’s Lenore?” Astarion asked. 

“The cleric of Mystra that lived in the tower. She was taming the bulette and probably used magic to do so. So it may be attracted to magic.” 

“So we should avoid using magic if we don’t want it to attack us? That’s going to be difficult,” Shadowheart commented. Gale just shrugged, and that was the last input he had in a conversation that he would otherwise have been very interested in. 

As time went on, he became less and less involved in their conversations until he barely even registered what they were saying. The group grew more and more concerned for him as he became noticeably more tired and frazzled, unable to rest and suffering from the stress of the situation. Even when Tara could convince him to finally lay down, sleep didn’t come easily, and he ended up getting more sleep slumped over the table than he did in his tent.

On the fifth day he headed with Wyll on another trip to the wizard’s tower, hoping to find something they’d missed. As always, the tower presented them with no answers. 

Wyll wandered the floors in search of Gale when it was time to leave, and frowned when he didn’t find him at the desk surrounded by books as he’d expected. He continued up the floors til he reached the roof and very nearly turned back down again, til he saw a glimpse of purple above him.

He climbed the ladder to the tallest platform of the tower where he found Gale sat on the edge, looking out over the Underdark. It was the first time he’d seen Gale not buried in his research since Saff had been petrified. He walked over and sat down next to him, looking out over the sprawling cavern that extended beneath them. They were both quiet for a long moment, til Gale broke the silence.

“She was so excited when we first came here,” he said quietly, his voice almost hoarse. “She couldn’t wait to explore it… she thought it was beautiful.” 

He hung his head and held it in his hands. Wyll gently placed a hand on his shoulder, his heart going out to his friend. 

“Come now, Gale. We’ll figure this out. You’re talking as if she’s dead.”

“I wish she was.”

Wyll looked at him in surprise as he lifted his head from his hands. 

“Death is known. There are ways to deal with it, to reverse it. Revivify, resurrection… they might not be easy, but we know they exist, and they work…” 

Wyll watched as his shoulders slumped and a pained look came to his face. 

“But this… this is completely unknown. And I… I don’t know what to do…”

His voice cracked as tears began to well in his eyes. He’d refused to think about the inevitable for so long, distracting himself by thinking only of how to cure her, and now that he was left with no options and had to face the truth, the crushing reality was unbearable. 

“We can’t stay down here forever. The others will find the temple eventually. And when that happens, I…”

The tears finally escaped his eyes and ran down his cheeks. 

“I can’t leave her, Wyll… I can’t leave her down here on her own…” 

As he broke down, unable to hold back his tears anymore, Wyll pulled him into his arms, holding his friend tightly as he cried into his shoulder. 

When they returned to camp that night, Gale’s fear had come true: the others had found the way to the Shadow Cursed lands. 

Gale didn’t even listen as they explained what they’d found. He didn’t hear as they spoke about duergar and gnomes and a drow named Nere. He heard only the ringing in his ears as he sunk into the chair next to the table his work was strewn across and held his head. 

What did he do? He couldn’t leave her, yet he knew he wouldn’t survive on his own down here. He could leave with them, find the answers once he had access to proper resources and come back for her, but what of the tadpoles? If they found the cure, would it still be available once he’d restored her? And that assumed nothing in the Underdark damaged or even destroyed her while he was gone, which he had no guarantee of. 

His mind spiralled as guilt ravaged him. Magic was his greatest strength, yet he couldn’t use it to help her here. If he’d just stayed with her during the fight, perhaps they could have escaped together. He remembered what he’d said to Malitas, how he’d promised to protect her… 

Suddenly his eyes snapped open as a thought came to him. Gods, why didn’t he think of that before? 

He jumped up and ran to his tent, leaving the others to watch him in confusion as they stopped mid-conversation. Gale rifled through his belongings til he found what he was looking for, then emerged clutching something in his hand. 

“Gale?” Wyll asked, watching him in confusion, along with the rest of the group. 

“There’s one more person we know that might be able to help her,” he said, opening his hand to reveal the sending stone. 

“Oh no,” Karlach grimaced. “You’re not gonna ask the king of the dickheads for help, are you?”

Normally Gale might have laughed at that, but his expression was completely serious now as he looked at her. 

“What else do you suggest? I’ve tried everything. He knows magic, and he cares about Saff. He also has access to all the resources that I don’t right now. Maybe he can even find basilisk oil. We have to try.”

“Are you sure?” Shadowheart asked. “After everything he said to you? I still don’t believe his apology, even if he was in the Zone of Truth.” 

“I’m sure,” he said firmly, looking at her. “Saff once, quite rightly, said to Malitas that if his pride was more important to him than her life, then he could find another apprentice. If I refused to seek his help simply because I don’t like him, then I would have no right to call myself her partner. My pride is not worth more to me than her life. Nothing is.” 

The group reluctantly agreed, and watched Gale clench the stone in his hand, closing his eyes as the engravings lit up. 

Upon receiving the message that Saff needed his help, Malitas’s reply was instant. Gale barely even had time to announce that Malitas was on his way, before the portal opened and he came through. 

“What’s happened?” he demanded, looking at Gale, who simply turned to look at Saff. Malitas followed his gaze, and when he saw Saff, his eyes widened. He quickly ran over to her, looking at her for a moment as Gale followed him over. 

“She’s been petrified?” he asked, turning back to Gale, who nodded. “Basilisk oil,” he said simply. 

“Have you got any?” Gale asked, and Malitas had to give a resigned shake of his head. “Neither do we, and we don’t even know if it would work.”

“Why wouldn’t it?” he asked, frowning. 

“Because there’s a curse on her,” Gale answered. Malitas’s eyes widened once more, and despite his best attempt at keeping his cool, Gale could see a hint of fear cross his face. 

“What? What sort of curse?” he asked quickly. 

“I don’t know, all I know is it’s powerful… powerful enough to stop us from unpetrifying her with Greater Restoration, and powerful enough to stop us removing it.” 

As Malitas looked back at Saff, Gale could almost see the cogs whirring in his mind. 

“Show me,” he said, stepping back slightly from her.

Halsin obliged, walking up to Saff and attempting to cast the spell. Once again the same spark and ripple of magic interrupted him. Malitas raised his hands and incanted the same spell Gale had, his eyes glowing as he looked at her, before he lowered his hands and turned once more to Gale. 

“Tell me everything you know.” 

Over the next hour Gale recounted Maltias with everything he’d found. He showed him the corpse of the spectator, which they’d pushed up against the cliff edge just outside camp. He showed him the books he’d taken from the arcane tower, though noted that none of them contained anything that seemed to be related to this. He showed him the book Astarion had found in the Selûne temple, noting that the spectator seemed different to others in its ability to petrify. He spoke at length about his theories, including any theories he’d discarded and why. Malitas listened carefully the whole time, stroking his chin and nodding. By the time Gale was finally done, the others listened curiously to what Malitas made of it all. 

“Your theory about it being part of the spectator’s magic seems most plausible to me,” he said, glancing back at the spectator’s body just outside camp. “I’d even have theorised it had actually  been a beholder, had I not seen the corpse for myself.” 

He paced slightly as he considered it all. 

“I will return home and see if I can acquire basilisk oil, with any luck this curse only affects magic. If not, then I will head to Candlekeep and see if I can find any relevant information there.” 

He stopped pacing and turned to face Gale. 

“And you should get some sleep. If this is not a simple solution and we have to find a way to remove this curse ourselves, I do not wish to work with someone who looks like he will keel over at any moment,” he said firmly. With that, he summoned a portal, then disappeared once more. 

The group looked at Gale as the portal’s magic dissipated, and he found himself deciding to do something he never thought he’d do. 

He decided to take Malitas’s advice. 

---

Careful, slowly, slowly…

She held her breath as she gently tipped the bottle, trying to steady her shaking hand, watching as the liquid made its way to the rim. Just a drop… a single drop…

The small gush of liquid that fell from the bottle into the mortar below fizzled with a flash as it hit the rest of the concoction she’d been creating, releasing all the carefully gathered magic in a single puff, rendering the whole thing useless. 

“Arg!” she gasped in frustration, slamming the bottle down on the table and clutching at her head. No matter how many times she tried this, she just couldn’t get the hang of it. 

Her thoughts were snapped back to reality as she heard magic elsewhere in the tower. Malitas was back. Quickly she grabbed the box by her feet and scooped everything into it, then buried it amongst the boxes of old equipment in the back of the room. She hadn’t expected Malitas to come straight into the alchemy lab, but when he did, he found her cleaning the table. 

“Basilisk oil,” he said quickly, rushing to the cabinet of ingredients behind her and looking through it. “Is there any basilisk oil??” 

She was taken completely by surprise by his urgency. It was quite out of character for him.

“Um… I don’t think so… why do you need basilisk oil?” she asked, watching as he rifled through drawer after drawer. 

“Saffron has got herself petrified,” he answered, taking out a bottle and inspecting it briefly before shoving it back in and moving to the next drawer. She looked at him in surprise at the news, too worried for a moment to respond. “So much for ‘she can protect herself’...” he muttered under his breath. She didn’t quite know what he was referring to, but decided not to ask as that was clearly quite a bitter subject for him. 

“How did she get petrified?” she asked. 

“A spectator,” he answered, moving now to another cabinet. She frowned. 

“I didn’t think spectators could-”

“Petrify people? No, neither did I,” he said, sounding quite annoyed about it as he continued to search.

“What about magic? Didn’t you say they have a cleric? Can’t they use Greater Restor-” 

“Enough questions!” he snapped suddenly, sending a jolt of fear through her as she went silent and quickly backed away from him. She’d never seen him this stressed before. Even when Saff had been taken by the mind flayers, he’d been less stressed about it than this. 

She remained silent as he continued to search, checking every drawer and cupboard. He briefly started searching the boxes at the back of the room, til he realised they were nothing but old equipment and moved on.

Once he’d exhausted every location in the room, he muttered a word in Elven. She didn’t know a single word of the language, but she was pretty sure that one meant ‘fuck’. 

He said no more as he left the room. She quickly followed after him, leaving enough distance to not get in his way. He went downstairs and grabbed a cloak and his bag, then disappeared out the front door, slamming it shut behind him. 

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 41

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

Gale screamed Saff’s name as he ran towards her, arms outstretched, but by the time he finally reached her there was nothing left but stone. He didn’t even get close enough to touch her before the spectator rose above her, glaring down at him, suddenly making him realise why running back to her had been such a bad idea. 

He stumbled backwards as he raised his arms and threw a firebolt, but the attack did little more than glance off its side, leaving a singed burn that the spectator barely even noticed. The single eye bore into him as it raised its tentacle. Gale hurried to cast another spell, but as he did he knew there was no hope of stopping it as it prepared to cast the same petrification ray on him that it had on the others…

Suddenly it screeched and fell back as an arrow pierced its eye, unknown liquids seeping from it as it flailed to remove the arrow. Gale looked over and saw Astarion standing on a rock above him, bow in hand, preparing another arrow. Behind him Tara flew over them and launched a fireball at the spectator that sent a wave of heat over him as it exploded, followed by an eagle that swooped down towards the spectator, shifting mid-air into a bear that fell down towards it and landed on its head with a ferocious roar, smashing it down to the ground. Lae’zel and Shadowheart leapt down from the rocks, screaming battle cries as they bought their weapons down on the creature. 

Another ear-shattering scream ripped through them as the spectator burst out from beneath them, flying up into the air. It was battered, bloodied and angry as it lashed out in attacks in every direction. The group dived for cover to avoid being hit by the petrification rays it threw at them, holding their ears against the noise of its screeches. Lae’zel was the one to emerge first, clambering up the rocks of the cliffedge next to them, before leaping out and landing on top of the spectator, driving her sword down into its head with a final battle cry. The spectator screeched, then fell to the ground, hitting it hard before finally going silent in defeat. 

The group breathed a sigh of relief as Lae’zel walked up to it from where she’d been thrown off as it fell and drew her sword triumphantly from its corpse. 

Gale had no desire to celebrate their victory, though. He ran to Saff, his heart aching as he stood in front of her. Gently he reached up and brushed his fingers over the cold stone of her cheek. He could see the fear in her eyes and could only imagine how she’d felt as the petrification had spread across her body. 

“Astarion!” 

Gale’s attention was pulled away as Shadowheart gasped Astarion’s name and ran towards the rocks he’d been standing on. He looked up and saw Astarion, arms lifted above his head as he tried to run, his skin and clothes turned a familiar grey.

She scrambled up the rocks and stood in front of him, looking at him for a moment, before raising her hand. 

“Te curo,” she incanted, but the spell fizzled in her fingers. She growled in frustration, then raised her hands and tried again, but once more the spell fizzled.

“Arg! This godsdamn parasite!” she spat, holding her head. She used to be able to cast this, but with the tadpole diminishing her powers, she could barely even get the spell started. 

Gale’s heart was in his throat as he watched Shadowheart fail to unpetrify Astarion. He turned quickly to Halsin. 

“Are you able to cast Greater Restoration?” he asked hopefully, and to his great relief Halsin nodded.

“Yes, but… it is not a simple spell. I can cast it once, maybe twice a day… and certainly not today,” he said with a sigh. 

“So it’s going to potentially take four days to unpetrify everyone, then?” Shadowheart asked, looking down at them from where she stood next to Astarion. Halsin gave her a nod.

“If that’s what it takes, then so be it,” Gale said, feeling his anxiety begin to subside now that he knew they had a way to reverse it, even if it would take a few days. “We discussed setting up camp somewhere and setting out in smaller groups to explore the area. I say we set up camp here, around them, to protect them until they can be healed.” 

The others agreed, though the mood among them was low as the group set up camp. They checked Saff’s bag in the hopes she might have basilisk oil amongst the alchemy supplies, but found nothing. Unsurprising - basilisk oil was an exceptionally rare ingredient. 

In Saff’s absence Halsin took it upon himself to look after Scratch and the owlbear cub, though the two of them lingered at her feet, whining sadly when she didn’t respond to them. They weren’t the only ones, with Gale trying to remain optimistic, but unable to hide how he kept looking longingly at her. Had Astarion been there, he might have made a joke about how there were not two, but three lost pups waiting for their master’s return. 

The camp was quiet that night. Usually, even at times like this, Karlach’s endless, contagious energy was enough to bring a smile to their faces, or in lieu of that Wyll’s optimism might have brought them some hope. Instead there was little more than muttered words and stoney silence. 

Gale looked at Saff as he stood outside their tent. He’d set it up near her, and though he knew he needed to sleep, he couldn’t bring himself to enter it without her. 

He felt the familiar brush of fur against his leg as Tara rubbed up against him, looking up at him sympathetically. 

“Gale…” she said softly. “I know you’re worried about her. But she’ll be fine, you know that. You need to sleep.” 

He didn’t have the energy to argue and reluctantly entered the tent with her, but as he laid down and looked at the empty spot next to him, his heart ached too much to sleep. His purple pyjamas lay on the pillow next to him, the ones she’d been wearing. He pulled them towards himself and couldn’t help but smile as he caught the slightest hint of her scent on them - flowers and petrichor. He pulled them into his arms, willing himself to believe it was her he was holding as he closed his eyes. 

Morning was not something that happened in the Underdark, at least not in the way Gale knew it. Instead of being woken by the sun, he was instead woken by Tara pawing at his face. It wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar way of being woken up, but it didn’t usually happen while he was still surrounded by darkness, and it didn’t usually feel like he’d only just managed to finally fall asleep 5 minutes before she decided to wake him. 

“Mr Dekarios, wake up,” she was saying, though her tone was just a tiny bit more sympathetic than it usually was. “The others are up. Halsin will be ready soon.” 

Gale had never got up so fast. 

The group gathered round their petrified companions, and as Halsin approached, they all knew a very difficult conversation was about to happen. 

“So,” Halsin began, looking across them all. “Who first?” 

The group fairly quickly decided on Karlach first - she was the best fighter of the group (though Lae’zel preferred to describe her as ‘one of the best’) and though they didn’t say it, they all felt they could do with some of her energy. 

What the group could not decide on was who would be second. 

“Karlach will not allow anyone other than Wyll to be next,” Lae’zel declared. “We might as well decide on him now.” 

“We already have enough fighters in the group,” Shadowheart retorted. “We need someone with other skills. Astarion is a good scout, and he’s more perceptive than any of us. We need that in the Underdark, where threats can be lurking behind every corner.” 

“I agree that we need someone whose skills fill the gaps that we lack,” Gale started, “but may I remind you of Saff’s knowledge of the plants of this area? She’s also the best suited to brew potions for us, without her we’ll be out of healing potions before tomorrow.”

“I think we all know why you want Saff to be next,” Shadowheart said in a knowing tone. Gale narrowed his eyes at her, but before he could object, she continued. “And Halsin can provide any information we need on the plants, and we have enough healing potions to last a single day until she can be bought back tomorrow.” 

“Yes, but-”

“Enough,” Halsin declared, bringing their attention back to him. “Karlach deserves to be part of the discussion. I will heal her, then you can all make the decision on who will be second while I meditate. I will need some time before I can cast the spell again.”

The others went quiet, allowing him to focus as he raised his hands. 

“Te curo.”

The grey faded and as Karlach’s skin returned to its normal red, she stumbled forward, disorientated and coughing. 

“Arg, gods,” she choked before finally getting her breath back and looking round. Realisation dawned on her face as she took in the sight around her, her eyes darting between her petrified friends, lingering on Wyll. 

“Oh, shit…” she murmured in shock. “That thing really did a number on us, huh… but you can bring them all back too, right?” she asked, looking round the group, not sure exactly who had healed her. 

“I can, yes,” Halsin confirmed. “But not all at once. With any luck I will be able to heal one more person today, then the others tomorrow. For now though, I need to meditate to recover enough magic to do that. I hope by the time I return, you’ll all have decided who’s next.”

Halsin’s hopes were quickly dashed as he returned to them after his meditation and found them still arguing. He insisted they do a vote, which resulted in Gale voting for Saff, Shadowheart voting for Astarion and Karlach voting for Wyll. Halsin looked at Lae’zel with a raised eyebrow. With an angry look and a roll of her eyes, she voted for Astarion. 

“Astarion??” Karlach gasped in surprise, and Gale mirrored the look on her face. Neither of them expected her to side with Shadowheart. They shared a quick look and regretted not being smarter about this - they both would have preferred either Wyll or Saff to Astarion. 

“He is the most useful to us right now,” she said simply, though it looked like she didn’t enjoy agreeing with Shadowheart on this either. 

“Very well,” Halsin said, moving towards Astarion, til Gale spoke. 

“What about your vote?” he asked. Halsin stopped and looked over to Gale. They both shared a look, each knowing exactly why Gale had asked that. They both knew he’d want to vote for Saff.  His eyes went to her, a sad look crossing his features for a moment, before he spoke. 

“I vote Astarion,” he said with a resigned sigh, before beginning to climb up the rocks towards him. “Astarion??” It was Gale’s turn to gasp his name in surprise now. 

“He has the skills we need most,” Halsin said, a distinctly sad tone in his voice, before he raised his hands and cast the spell once more. 

Astarion stumbled and coughed as he was restored, wiping the dust from his eyes. He looked around and saw Shadowheart and Halsin stood next to him, then Gale and Karlach, neither looking particularly happy from where they each stood next to the frozen forms of Saff and Wyll. 

“Ah,” he said, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Well, what a fun situation this is.” 

Later that morning, Gale sat in front of his tent, watching as Shadowheart, Astarion, Lae’zel and Halsin prepared to head out in the hopes of finding the Shar temple. He couldn’t deny he was bitter, mostly towards Halsin. He was even a bit bitter towards Tara for staying quiet on the sidelines during the argument, though he did ultimately agree with her assessment that the others didn’t entirely view her as a full member of the group, and her input would likely only have annoyed them. 

He kept his eyes firmly on the book in his hands as Halsin approached and crouched down next to him. 

“We’re heading off,” he said. 

“Mmhmm,” was Gale’s only response. 

“Are you sure you’ll be ok here with just Karlach?” 

“Mmhmm.” 

Halsin sighed. 

“Gale…”

He put his book down suddenly and looked at Halsin. 

“How could you vote for Astarion over her?” he snapped. “I know you care about her more than him. So why did you do it?” 

Halsin looked up at Saff, a sadness in his eyes. 

“Because they were right. We need Astarion’s skills more right now. And… I have learnt in my time as First Druid, that sometimes we have to make decisions that are best for the group, even if they hurt us.” 

Gale’s expression softened as he heard the pain in Halsin’s voice. 

“Yes… you’re right, of course,” he said quietly. “Sorry. I shouldn’t take this out on you, especially as without you we would have no way of helping them.” 

“It’s ok, my friend,” Halsin said, putting his hand on Gale’s shoulder. “I miss her too. But she’ll be back tomorrow, and with any luck, by then we’ll be able to move on from here.” 

Gale nodded his thanks to Halsin for understanding, then watched as he stood up and headed off with the others. 

The camp was quiet after they left, even with Karlach’s presence. She was optimistic and cheery as always, though behind the light-heartedness, he could tell there was a sadness there. 

Midway through the afternoon, unable to focus on his book, he decided to take a walk to clear his head. Not too far from camp, of course, just to the Selûne temple and back. As he returned to camp he saw Karlach standing in front of Wyll, but gone was the cheery façade she’d been putting on in front of him all day. She didn’t notice him as she raised her hand and gently touched Wyll’s cheek, and there was a softness in her voice that Gale had never heard from her before as she spoke. 

“Well, soldier… least I can touch you now, huh?” she said with a soft chuckle, though her smile quickly faded to a look of sadness, and there were tears in her eyes as she leant in and carefully hugged him. It was an awkward hug as she wrapped her arms round him the best she could given the fighting stance he was in, but it still brought a sad smile to her lips. 

Gale’s heart went out to her. He knew all too well how she felt seeing the one she cared for most in such a condition, and of course the greater problem of not being able to fully explore her feelings for him. While their restrictions were different - Karlach restricted physically whereas he had been restricted emotionally - it led to much the same outcome. They’d mentioned it in passing to each other before but never really spoke about it at length, which was something he felt a bit bad for now that his own problem had been solved. For now, he decided to give her the space she clearly needed, and stepped back to head away from camp again for a bit. 

Of course, stealth had never been his strong suit, and the moment he tried to do that he managed to step on a twig that snapped so loudly it even woke Scratch up from his nap. 

Karlach immediately pulled away from Wyll and looked around, ready for a potential fight, til she saw Gale. He’d quite clearly been trying to sneak away without disturbing her and had probably seen the whole thing. 

Whether it was from the look on her face or an underlying feeling given by the tadpoles Gale couldn’t quite say, but in that moment he realised she felt guilty for letting him see that, having been trying so hard to remain positive. She looked away sadly, and all he wanted to do was walk forward and hug her, let her know it was ok to be upset by this. With that not being an option though, he did the next best thing he could think of. 

Karlach gasped slightly as she felt a hand on her shoulder, and instinctively tried to pull away, thinking Gale had somehow forgotten not to touch her. That was, until she looked at the hand and realised it wasn’t his, but was instead the blue shimmer of a mage hand. She looked back at him and saw him giving her a sad but reassuring smile. He knew how she felt, and he was here for her, just as much as she had been for him. For the first time that day, a genuine smile came to her lips. 

The two of them were chatting at the campfire by the time the others returned. No news of a Shar temple, but they’d found a myconid colony that was housing a mind flayer that claimed to be able to help them. They just needed to get some mushrooms from a nearby abandoned wizard’s tower. 

“A wizard’s tower and a natural grotto rarely seen on the surface,” Halsin commented to Gale as the group got ready for bed. “I’m sure Saff will be excited to explore both of these with you tomorrow.”

Gale smiled as he looked at Halsin, knowing very well that he was trying to cheer him up. To his credit, it worked. 

“I’m sure she will,” he agreed, looking forward to it himself as well. He’d only been without her for a day, yet it felt like a year. 

The next day came and the group watched as Halsin restored Wyll. Spirits were high among them as Halsin went to meditate, and when he returned they were joking about holding a mock battle between Wyll and Karlach after he’d been offended to hear the group considered her to be a better fighter than him. 

Gale’s heart was racing as Halsin stood in front of Saff and began to channel the spell. All yesterday all he’d seen was the terrified look in her eyes, and now finally he’d get to see that look turn to a smile once more. 

“Te cur-”

There was a sudden loud spark and flash of magic as Halsin tried to cast the spell on her. The group winced from the flash, and as Gale looked back, he saw ripples of magic cover Saff’s still stone body, before fading away. 

His heart stopped. 

“What happened?!” he gasped as he looked at Halsin, who was looking just as shocked at him, shaking his hand to disperse the pain that had flared at his fingertips. 

“I don’t know!” he answered quickly, his mind racing. “Something stopped the spell.” 

Gale quickly ran in front of Saff, taking Halsin’s place, his hands a flurry of movements. He muttered incantations and the group watched as his eyes glowed purple. At first the Detect Magic spell he was casting showed nothing, but as he modified his movements, increasing the spell’s power til he was nearly at his limit, finally he began to see a faint glow around her. He tweaked his gestures, like one might adjust a microscope to bring the subject into focus, and as the glow became more defined in front of him, his eyes widened in shock. 

“What is it?” Halsin asked, seeing the look on Gale’s face as he slowly lowered his arms. For a moment Gale couldn’t answer as his mouth went dry, and when the words finally came to his lips, there was a deep fear in his voice. 

“There’s a curse on her.”

[tabitha42]

The Wizard's Apprentice - Chapter 40

Saffron is just a lowly apprentice with barely a successful firebolt to her name. So what chance does she have with the arch mage she's slowly falling in love with?

Gale x Tav, slow burn, eventual smut

Chapter 1 Previous chapter Next chapter

The group stared down the seemingly bottomless hole that supposedly lead to the Underdark. 

“Are you sure about this, Astarion?” Wyll asked sceptically. 

“That’s what they said,” Astarion replied, sounding somewhat unsure about it himself. 

The ruins of the Zhentarim hideout had taken a good couple of hours to dig through, but once they got through the surface rubble, they were relieved to see most of the interior was relatively intact. The question now was, were they really willing to trust an overheard conversation and jump into what looked like a doorway to oblivion? 

“Sounds like you need a scout,” Tara offered, standing up on Gale’s shoulders. 

“Tara, no, it’s too dangerous,” Gale warned, but she ignored him as she spread her wings. 

“Nonsense. I will be only a moment.”

She jumped off and swooped down into the hole before Gale could stop her. He held his breath for a painfully long time, til he finally released it again as she came back up. 

“That’s the Underdark, no doubt. Dreadful place,” she declared.

“You could always head back to Waterdeep,” he said, knowing she’d refuse before she did it. 

“Not a chance. Now come along, let’s go,” she decided, turning and flying back down again.

As the others jumped down one by one, Saff stood nervously at the edge, looking down into the abyss. The ethereal feathers that danced around her from Gale’s enchantment did little to quell her nerves, but when he took her hand and met her eyes with a reassuring smile, that was all she needed. With a gulp and a deep breath, she followed his lead, and jumped. 

They fell for so long in darkness she began to worry that the spell would wear off before they reached the bottom, but just as she was about to ask him to recast it, the tunnel suddenly opened up and what she saw took her breath away. 

The sprawling cavern beneath them went on as far as the eye could see, and was illuminated with huge, bioluminescent plants. Great trees with leaves of glowing blue towered over bottomless ravines. Orange mushrooms dotted the ground, creating what looked like fields of fireflies. She’d read plenty about the Underdark before, though as she jumped she hadn’t known what to expect. She’d certainly never expected to find it beautiful. 

They landed softly on the ground in what appeared to be a storage area, though the crates that surrounded them had been long since emptied out. Gale turned to Saff to check she was ok, and was surprised to see her excitedly run ahead, jumping over boxes, towards the exit the others had already found.

He joined her on the edge of the rock face that lead further down. The others were climbing down the rope ladder the Zhentarim had put there, but Saff remained at the top, staring into the distance, taking in the sight ahead of her. 

“It’s beautiful…” she whispered in awe, unable to take her eyes off of the alluring glow of the Underdark.

“Beautiful, and dangerous,” Gale warned. “Down here, just about everything wants to kill you, or worse. Be careful.” 

“I know. I will,” she assured him, looking up at him with a smile. 

“Karlach-!”

The sound of Astarion’s shouting was immediately superseded by the sound of a blast as a trap went off. Gale and Saff quickly covered their faces from the wave of heat, and when they looked back down, they saw Karlach lying on the ground with an embarrassed grin, small embers burning in her hair and her clothes as the fire burnt away the ladder beneath them. 

“A good start,” Gale said with a small chuckle as he raised his hands to cast Featherfall once more. 

Walking through the Underdark proved to be as exhilarating as it was dangerous. They soon discovered that traps weren’t the only things around prone to exploding if one got too close, as Astarion learnt when he lingered too long next to a glowing mushroom. 

“Bibberbang!” Saff announced excitedly when she realised what they were. “They give off poisonous spores and explode if you get too close.” 

“I noticed, thanks,” Astarion grumbled from where he smouldered on the ground. 

The group continued, and just as they thought they were finally starting to get the hang of the Underdark, they found themselves taken by surprise by a pack of Hook Horrors. 

Gale grinned to himself as he raised his hands, lighting sparking at his fingertips as the Weave built around him. It was the first proper fight he’d been in since the orb had been stabilised, and while he still wasn’t back to his full strength, he could feel he was less restrained than before. 

Lightning tore through the air, flashing an unprecedented brightness in the dark cavern. As each Horror fell another joined the fight, calling out to its packmates, but the group was ready for them. Even Saff was finding her confidence now, throwing spells at their enemies and blasting them away from her whenever they got close. Her heart raced as adrenaline coursed through her veins, her movements almost a dance. 

By the time the fight was finally over, she was breathless, sweat trickling down her neck. She looked over to Gale and found him already looking at her. There was a proud smile on his lips, though she could swear there was a look in his eyes that was more than just pride. 

She didn’t get a chance to ask though as the ground beneath them began to rumble. There was barely time for any of them to try to figure out what was going on before the ground burst beneath them between Saff and Gale, throwing the two of them to the ground. She gasped and looked up at the hulking monstrosity above her that thrashed and roared as the others descended on it, recognising it as a bulette. She scrambled to her feet and prepared another spell, though as she did, she couldn’t help but get a bit distracted by the sight of Gale, arms raised as he launched a bolt of lightning at the creature.  

Eventually their assailant gave up and burrowed back underground, disappearing from sight. As the group caught their breaths Gale and Saff’s eyes met once more, and this time there was nothing to stop them as he walked over to her. 

“An impressive display,” he complimented. She was still slightly breathless as she wiped the sweat from her brow and looked up at him. 

“You too. Those spells were… incredible.”

“Heh, trust me, with this thing now stabilised,” he said, tapping his chest, “that’s only the start of what I can do. 

“Well…” she started, stepping towards him slightly, “I can’t wait to see more.” 

He felt a flush at how close she stood, the look in her eyes, the playful smile on her lips. He cleared his throat and gave her a smile of his own. 

“You know… I once read a book that detailed the effects a brush with death can have with one’s desire for… other forms of stimulation.” Her eyebrows raised in curiosity, immediately realising what he was getting at. “Have you ever read anything on the subject?” 

“I haven’t, but…” she raised a hand and gently rested it on his chest as she moved close enough for their bodies to touch, “...it’s a subject I’d very much like to learn more about. Perhaps… you could teach me?” 

They wasted no time in finding a crevice in the cliff face out of view of the others, and before she knew it, Saff was pressed up against it with his lips against hers. She ran her fingers into his hair, pulling him in as she felt his hands wandering her body. The kiss was hungry, frantic, almost desperate. Every time they’d been together before it was loving, gentle, romantic… this was not. This was lust. The two of them were desperate for each other, and while they knew they couldn’t have sex here, they were determined to satisfy their desires as much as they could… for now. 

His hand slipped under her skirt, squeezing her thigh, pulling her leg up. He felt a hint of a moan against his lips as he pressed his thigh up between her legs, his hands pulling her hips towards him…

“Ahem.”

They both immediately pulled away and turned to see Shadowheart, arms folded, standing in front of the rest of the group, who all looked at them with varying levels of amusement. Saff’s cheeks flushed a bright red and she looked down and covered her face with her hand as Gale awkwardly tried to straighten his clothes. Shadowheart had to smirk to herself as she watched them. 

“We’re ready to go if you two are?” 

Mercifully, most of the group made no more mention of it as they continued on. The sussur tree soon came into view, looming above them, glowing beautifully. Saff was devastated to discover that getting too close led to such an unpleasant feeling - she’d read about the sussur bloom’s antimagic properties, but had never expected the sensation of it to be quite so awful. Gale had similar thoughts, and after hearing them discuss it, Astarion suddenly became much more interested in the flowers. 

“I think I’ll take one, could come in handy,” he said with a grin as he picked one up. Gale narrowed his eyes at him, knowing exactly what he was planning with that.

“If you’re thinking of putting one outside our tent to mess with us, I should warn you, that will also dispel the silence enchantment I put on the tent.” 

Astarion quickly put the bloom back down. 

The group continued, starting to grow weary now. As they ascended a natural bridge that stretched across a crevasse, Lae’zel began to grow impatient. 

“Do you actually know where we’re going?” she asked Halsin as he led the way. 

“The entrance to the Underdark from the Shadow Cursed lands went through an old temple of Shar. That’s what we’re looking for.” 

Shadowheart’s face lit up at the mention of her goddess.

“A temple of Shar, in the Underdark? The drow have more taste than I thought,” she commented. 

“Hmm…” Halsin murmured disapprovingly, but said nothing, deciding not to get into an argument about her choice of deity right now.

“Is that a temple?” Wyll asked, pointing to a distant building. 

“Looks like a temple to me!” Karlach announced excitedly, her dark vision giving her a much clearer view than Wyll. 

Unfortunately for Shadowheart, when they finally reached it they discovered it was a temple of Selûne, not Shar. 

“Oh, and look, it’s guarded by minotaurs,” she said as they surveyed the area between them and the temple’s entrance. “Sounds like a good reason to turn around and leave to me.” 

“If anyone’s going to have information on the whereabouts of a Shar temple, it’s going to be Selûnites. We might find something useful in there,” Wyll pointed out. Shadowheart seethed, but reluctantly agreed. 

The fight against the minotaurs had been hard enough, and just to make matters worse the bulette paid them another visit, before scurrying off back into the ground once more. By the time they finally found a way into the temple, the group was exhausted. They slumped in whatever spots they could each find in the entrance hall of the temple, all except for Shadowheart, who refused to spend any more time here than she needed to and immediately set about searching for information. 

“You know,” Astarion announced to the group once they’d had a moment to rest, “there’s no traps here. No explosive mushrooms. It’s defensible against outside threats. I’d say this would make for a pretty good place to set up camp.” 

He didn’t need to look at Shadowheart to imagine the look of absolute fury on her face. 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Halsin agreed, completely oblivious to the fact that Astarion was winding Shadowheart up, and oblivious to the stifled laughs around him. 

“We are NOT making camp here!” Shadowheart insisted, storming back to the group from the side room she’d been searching. 

“Aw, but darling, don’t you agree it’s safe?” Astarion teased, unphased by her anger. 

“If we stay here I will be a bigger threat to you than anything we might face out there.”

In the end, they decided a short rest there was enough. 

The group ended up splitting into two, one to finish searching the temple, one to search the immediate area outside. Saff went with Gale, Wyll and Karlach as they climbed out a broken window and began to explore the nearby vicinity. They didn’t expect to find much there, assuming anything of note would be inside the temple. 

That was when they found the drow. 

The statues stood ominously around them, screaming out in silent peril. It was like walking through a moment frozen in time, a harrowing view of a desperate fight, though there was no sign of what they’d been fighting. Saff reached out and gently touched the cold stone, looking into the terrified eyes of the drow that stood petrified before her. She wondered if they had any way to reverse the petrification. Basilisk oil was an option, though she carried all their alchemy materials and she had none on her. Greater Restoration would work, but it was no easy spell and she didn’t know if either Halsin or Shadowheart were able to cast it. She knew of an old spell called Stone to Flesh that would have worked, but knowledge of how to cast it had been lost to the ages. She felt her heart begin to sink as she slowly had to accept that there may well be nothing they could do for these poor people. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of movement, and as she looked over a deep terror filled her as she saw the creature that rose above them, its tentacles spreading, its single eye opening. 

The fight started before they knew what was happening. With a flick of the spectator’s tentacles, the drow around them were brought back to life, but any joy Saff might have felt at their resuscitation quickly dissipated as the drow turned on them. 

Spells flew and blades clashed as the group faced off against the drow. It would have been a hard fight anyway, even without the added threat of a spectator. Eventually the last drow fell, leaving only their most dangerous foe. Bruised and battered, the group faced the spectator, and Karlach led the attack. 

Gale and Saff stayed back, scraping together the last of their magic, reduced almost just to cantrips now. Karlach and Wyll kept the spectator’s attention off them, dancing around its attacks, and eventually it looked like they might be on the verge of victory… until it let out an ear-shattering scream and rose above them, its single eye darting between them. It raised a tentacle, and from it a ray of light shot towards Karlach. She gasped as she felt her muscles freeze up in paralysis. She tried to fight against it, until suddenly she realised from the creeping cold sensation that rose up her legs that this was not just paralysis. 

“Karlach!!” she heard Wyll shout, but couldn’t turn her head to see him. The sensation continued to rise up her legs, and all Wyll, Gale and Saff could do was watch in horror as her skin turned grey and hard, the petrification spreading up her body, til it finally covered her head and left her as nothing more than a statue. 

“No!!” Wyll cried out, reaching out to her. He turned to the spectator in fury, raising his blade and screaming in rage as he ran towards it, but before he could reach it another ray shot down and rooted him in place, the familiar grey now starting to crawl up his own skin. 

Saff cried out in anguish and fear as she watched her two friends turn to stone in front of her, then looked up as the spectator turned to her now. 

“Run!!” Gale grabbed her arm and dragged her with him, knowing they couldn’t both face this thing on their own. They had to get back to the others. All together, perhaps, they’d stand a chance. 

She ran with him as she heard the spectator following after them, its screams piercing their ears. Gale pointed to a spot above them and shouted for her to Misty Step there with him, then let go of her arm to cast the spell. She raised her hands to cast it with him, but as she did the spell fizzled in her fingers. He’d always warned her to leave herself enough magical energy to escape if needed… now she feared she was going to pay for forgetting that warning. Desperately she tried to cast it again, only to get the same result. She looked up as Gale rematerialised on the top of the cliff ahead and looked round for her. Panic gripped her as she heard the spectator growing closer, unable to outrun it. “Gale!” She shouted, reaching out to him in a desperate hope he could somehow help her. He turned as he heard her shout, and as he did, she suddenly felt her legs freeze up and the breath catch in her throat as her arm was frozen in place, reaching for him. 

“Saff!!” he gasped, raising his arms in a spell to return to her, only to find it also fizzled in his hands. He swore under his breath and ran, jumping down the rocky crevice, and as he reached the ground and ran towards her he saw as the grey now climbed up her legs, across her torso, over her chest…

Tears welled in her eyes, but didn’t get a chance to fall as the cold reached her face and spread across her cheeks, and the last thing she saw was Gale running towards her as the world went black.