Move 274:  There and Back Again

Tunnels--Midday, Day 24 (9 Marpenoth)

Eventually, the webs disappeared, leaving the group free to leave the cavern where the dead lizard had been dissected. Since everyone was tired, they moved back to the cave where they had been holed up previously, knowing that it was at least somewhat secure.

Aloysius stopped outside the cavern where Daelen and the lizard were. He walked a short distance in the direction opposite to that in which the party was
heading. "Stay back," he said to the others, "I want to see what this does so I'll know should its need arise later on."

He withdrew the wand Echo had identified and pointed it in the direction of the passage ahead of him, muttering the command word.

A silvery ray shot from the tip of the wand and large balls of ice began falling from the cavern ceiling in the area in front of Aloysius. After about a minute, the ice stopped falling.

Aloysius stared at the falling ice with a look of disbelief on his face. He then regarded the wand carefully for a moment before grinning slightly and returning it to an inside pocket in his robe.

"Interesting," he muttered quietly.

Everyone rested through the watch order as usual. When they got up, Arachne
disposed of her still active invisibility spell by punching the first person to volunteer. She then created the pocket dimension and got the others to load Daelen's corpse into it before disappearing again, this time with the accompanying popping sound that indicated she had teleported. Several hours passed, and the little gnome popped back into the cavern.

While Arachne was gone, Aloysius approached Echo.

"Might I borrow the book with the identify spell?" he asked.

Echo nodded. "I'll give you the book as soon as I study. It'll only take a few minutes."

When she finished, Echo showed Aloysius where the identify spell was and gave him her book.

"Thank you," said Aloysius. He took the book to a relatively quiet spot and began working with it.

After Rennirolas shook himself out of his reverie and performed his daily prayers, he got a few leather strips from Echo and Aloysius. He blessed three of the strips, using the holy water of his homeland.

Jana was sitting off in a corner brooding when Arachne returned.

Azrun stared at Jana as she walked away and frowned. He stood and walked quietly to her side and whispered to her.

Jana said something back, looking tired. Azrun spoke for a bit, then Jana jumped to her feet, eyes wide. "They what?!" she yelped. "Where is it now?"

Azrun rolled back startled, "umm....I suppose he still has the sword on him.
I think Garyld said they were at Kuiper's licking their wounds. Does this
mean we're going back to the surface? If you're going I'm going"

"We can't leave yet," Jana replied as she started pacing. "Dammit, he's gonna get himself killed." Jana turned to Arachne. "Can you get me, just me," she added with a pointed look at Azrun, "to Kuiper's and back?"

"What are you all talking about?" asked Aloysius.

Echo looked confused. "Why do you need to go to Kuiper's?" she asked Jana.

"The sword," Jana replied, sounding a bit panicked. "Lytern found the sword. Azrun told me he and Sunshine and Kuiper went to the Glade but they got their asses kicked. I need to know where the sword is for sure and tell 'em more about that paste dream thingie and all." Jana's voice was again rising in pitch and she seemed to confuse even herself as she rambled.

"Paste . . .thingie?" asked Aloysius quietly. "Oh dear." Glancing at Echo, he added. "Janathell seems quite distraught. Once you discern what it is she speaks of, would you explain it to the rest of us?"

Aloysius turned to Jana. "Janathell, Stargazer hid Zond's sword in Kuiper's barn and . . . er, forgot to tell anyone about it. Hopes have I that it was not mistaken for something more . . . profound."

"What's a zond and did it have a scale on it?" Jana asked. "It's gotta have a scale on it or it's not the right sword. I was really clear about that in my letter."

Aloysius looked a bit relieved. "Nay, it doth not. I doubted such would have caused confusion, but wanted to make sure."

He moistened his lips. "Dost thou intend to return in order to assist them in ending the curse, or to simply explain to them about the . . . pasty . . .whatevers?"

"I already explained in the letter," Jana replied, not really paying much attention to Aloysius. "But they've gotta have the right sword and maybe they didn't pay attention. I need to know if they've got the right one and make sure they don't lose it..."

"Slow down, lass." Olaf said, "Do you mean the sword connected with your pregnancy and the curse? The sword that can help you end the curse? Who is this Lytern?"

"Yes, that sword," Jana confirmed. "Lytern's... Lytern inherited the curse."

 "Yes," the gnome said, sounding as dazed as always, or perhaps even more so. She sat abruptly on the ground and shook her head slowly. "But not right now... Arachne's Surface Shuttle -- well, now we know what I can do very, very well. No, it's all right.  As long as we agree that it's the right thing to do each time, then we might as well make use of the ability I have. I don't mind at all. It's just that... I can't warn you when I'm going to get back, so you can't do much while I'm gone besides await my return. So I sort of feel like it's a pretty big imposition to keep saying, 'Please wait for me, I have to pop up to the surface for something...'" She
shrugged. "And when I _do_ get back, I'm exhausted.  Glades! I hate sounding like I'm whining, but I'll do it anyway: If we're going to decamp right away, can someone please carry me?" She sighed. "I'll let you know when I'm ready for another trip, Jana. OK? The leaves are just beginning to turn on some of the trees up top... Kuiper's place will probably be very pretty..."

"We can wait while you rest," Jana replied, pacing. "And it doesn't have to be right now, but maybe when it gets light again tomorrow or the next day if that's too soon and dammit, what time of day is it now so we can judge that?" Jana continued to pace quickly, three steps, tight turn, three steps...

"Early afternoon," Arachne said quietly, sounding, as usual, not all there. "It was the crack of dawn when I arrived up there," she added. "Just me and dead Daelen by ourselves in the tavern common room. Just as well, since he was still leaking stomach juices... He's at the village temple now, and I picked out a nice, sunny plot... Semheis is supervising the digging -- might already be done by now. I didn't stay. I had to go rest so that I could get back here..." She sighed. "I wonder if he ever had to bury anyone? Daelen, I mean. He might have reconsidered going for that constitutional if he had... What time's it down here?"

Echo went over to stand by Jana, as close as she could get without getting in the way of her pacing. "Jana," she said softly, "calm down for a minute. If you wrote them a letter and explained it, I bet they paid attention before they decided to risk their lives. If they've got the right sword, I don't think they'll lose it." She fidgeted with her cloak, picking up Jana's restlessness. "Arachne'll take you if you want to talk to them," she smiled at Arachne, "but it sounds like you told them everything you know already."

Jana slowed and stopped her pacing as Echo spoke to her. "I dunno," she muttered, "consider who we're talking about here." She sighed and turned her head toward the ceiling, eyes closed for a moment. "You're right. I know you are," she explained, her head falling to stare at the floor. "I guess a part of me wants to run up there, grab the sword and get it over with, you know?" She smiled weakly at Echo. "But," she sighed, "I don't think I could live with myself if I ran out on those people down here. I think we're they're only chance. And, I mean, it's not like I'm that important, but with Daelen gone, you guys who can do stuff need someone like me holdin' the line long enough for you to zap 'em." She smiled lopsidedly and added in a low voice, "'Sides, who else is gonna be the brooding gypsy bodyguard?" She smiled a bit more at the attempted joke, not quite managing to conceal her apprehension and fear.

Echo laughed at Jana's joke. "You're the only brooding bodyguard I've got," she answered. "You shouldn't say that you're not important," she added.  "Everyone here is important and everybody here does something important. We can't all do the same thing, you know," she shrugged with a half smile. "Doesn't mean anybody is more important."

"We'll get this curse straightened out, I promise."

Jana relaxed a bit as Echo laughed. "Well, I don't think I'm so important that you guys couldn't do this without me. I mean, I'm not staying because I think you can't if I don't; I'm staying because I want to." She sighed, then took a deep steadying breath. "Yes," she said in a tone that sounded more positive than her expression warranted, "we'll get it straightened out.  All of this," she emphasized, gesturing to the shadows before them. She took another breath and smiled at Echo. "Thank you," she said soundlessly

"I'll be happy to carry you." Olaf said to Arachne.

"Thank you," the gnome said wearily, her eyes remaining closed. "Just pick me up whenever we set out for somewhere. The good side of being completely worthless in a fight," she added, "is that it's not like I've developed any dangerous, hair-trigger combat reflexes that getting grabbed might set off. I mean, I _think_ I'll notice when I'm getting picked up, but not so that I'd ... do ... anything ... viol-...."     Arachne drooped where she was sitting.

Renn grinned a bit as Arachne rambled. "No one faults you for your tiredness, or for what you see as whining Arachne," he chuckled. "And the trips on the Surface Shuttle aren't spurious by any means, so a wait is understandable and thank Corellon, we've been able to avoid any undue attention while you've been on the surface."

"Which way do we go now, however," Renn asked.  "Shall we traverse the dangerous passages, or seek out the Grells and see what we can do about those creatures? I would suggest the Grell passageway, if only because we "know" what's living there, and we have very little information on the creatures that might have made a home in the difficult to traverse tunnels."

Olaf made notations at the end of the march as planned so that he could keep track of the passage of days accurately.

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