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A raven’s cry woke Tavrian. The embers of the fire smoldered, leaving their camp shrouded in darkness. Above him the sky appeared as a void; the moon was hidden and even the stars were obscured. With such little light even his half-elven eyes found it hard to pierce the darkness. Nearby, Gale slumbered with a book over his face, Wyll tossed and turned and Astarion was absent, as usual. The only one missing from his direct gaze was Shadowheart. The flaps of her tent fluttered in the sandy breeze, and while her gear remained deep within the tent, her bedroll lay undisturbed. For a moment he considered falling asleep. Shadowheart was a capable cleric, strong enough to defend herself if anything were to attack, with a sensible head on her shoulders. But, the idea of going back to bed without ensuring one of his companions was safe left a bad taste in his mouth.
He slipped out of his bedroll and snagged the thin dagger he kept by the burlap sack which functioned as his pillow. He didn’t expect trouble, but he would be a poor paladin indeed if he was caught unarmed. As he crept through the camp, gaze swinging from side to side, he noticed that even sound seemed smothered. Each footstep across the gritty ground was lighter than a feather, an incredible feat given his bulk and size. Tavrian was not the lightest member of the group, with a build fit more for hauling a plow across a field all day than sneaking across a kitchen floor. He counted the circumstances as a blessing, then stopped as the slightest flicker of movement caught his eye. It was outside the shelter of the encampment, past a screen of trees where a cliff watched the breaking sea and the distant, still-burning Nautiloid . There was little else to do but prowl towards the movement, hoping it was someone, or something, friendly.
When he broke through the trees he saw Shadowheart. She was kneeling on the edge of the cliff, head turned towards the sky, her shirt fallen from her shoulders. Her pale skin glowed in the darkness, a sliver of silver that was as alluring as an unearthed diamond. The darkness surrounding her seemed deeper, as if a cloud of absolute shadow had descended and wrapped itself around her like a shawl. This was no natural darkness that surrounded her, for as Tavrian took another step forward he could see it shift at his arrival, and fade away into the night when he approached. Shadowheart turned her head and pulled the shirt back to her shoulders.
“You’re up late,” her voice carried far, the whisper light and dancing in his ears. She didn’t seem particularly upset that he interrupted whatever had occurred, but curious that he was even here.
“Something woke me up. I saw that you were gone.” Tavrian approached the edge and took a seat next to her. She studied him for a moment and he held her gaze, the slightest hint of a smile appearing on his lips. “Trouble sleeping?”
“Hardly, I saw the portents of a beautiful night. Can you see that Lady Shar is with us?” Shadowheart turned her attention back towards the night sky, her own mouth turning into a smile. Tavrian turned his own gaze towards the heavens, but couldn’t see any particular signs that a divinity was present. The black night stretched forever across the sky, unceasing, uncaring for what happened below on the earth.
“You know I’m not familiar with Shar’s,”
“Lady, Shar.”
“Lady Shar’s teachings.” He glanced towards Shadowheart who had resumed staring at him. Her lips now were pushed together, eyes aglow with an eeriness that made him question just how far he was willing to wander down the path of her faith. He had no qualms with her being a Shar worshiper—her actions spoke louder than the rumors and stereotypes of her faith—and by all accounts he thought she was pleasant to be around. Yet in the midnight darkness, she seemed more shade than person.
The beauty that she held made it all the more alluring.
“How do you know that Lady Shar is here with us?” When he asked Shadowheart perked up, the hint of a smile flickering for a moment before she turned back to the sky.
“I suppose I can teach you a little. To start, Her Grace is always present at night. She is, after all, the darkness that swallows the moon, the patches of black that no star could ever outshine. On nights like these, her full glory is revealed to the world, and we can admire the naked beauty that her majesty graces us with.” Tavrian thought a hint of red lit up her cheeks, “it is also why I was topless, if you have to know. Nothing more than a rite to mimic Lady Shar.”
“Of course,” he scratched the back of his neck as a slight heat rose to his own face. “Why is the night so important to her?”
“It is her essence, her very nature. She is the comforting blanket that envelops this world, promising nothing but a blissful sleep in her embrace.” Shadowheart’s hands rose, as if to cradle the very heavens themselves. “The night sky, without the glare of the moon or stars, is an endless void of nothing. It represents the purpose for why Lady Shar fights, and what she wishes to achieve. A world with no pain or misery, only soothing comfort found in the hands of a deity that loves us. It is Lady Shar’s desire to return the universe to the Void, the primeval night, so that we may all escape the pain this life brings us.” She brought her hands to her heart and closed her eyes. The darkness surrounding her seemed stronger, the air seemingly vibrating with dark energies that wrapped and engulfed her body, a mantle that Tavrian thought could suffocate any other person.
“Sounds bleak,” Tavrian said as he fell back to the stone, legs dangling off the cliff. He heard Shadowheart huff and turn away; the shuffling on stone meant she had shifted to a more comfortable position, legs stretched out like a cat lounging in the darkness. As Tavrian stared into the void he considered everything she said. Sharran worship was no good thing, at least from his experience. He had only met one such cleric before, long before meeting Shadowheart. He had been a hard man, for many depressing years had left him scarred and broken, yet his faith had given him a power that surpassed Tavrian’s oath. The man had tried to sacrifice his entire family on a night like this, proclaiming that such a show of devotion to Shar would elevate him beyond all other worshippers. When they had spoken, it became clear that the maddened cleric truly believed that killing was a mercy, and the death of an innocent family would be better than continuing to live, for they would find eternal bliss in the Void. Tavrian had no choice but to end the man’s life, and pray that his soul found salvation in the afterlife.
Despite belonging to the same cult, Tavrian could not detect the same nihilism that had driven the cleric to plot such evil deeds inside Shadowheart. She was kind, cooperative, and compassionate. Despite her faith, she still fought to free Halsin and save the tieflings. There was a warmth to Shadowheart which seemed antithetical to Shar’s worship, a warmth he could not deny his own attraction to. As he lay there pondering, a single pinprick of starlight flashed. It was distant, overwhelmed by the oppressive darkness, but it shone with a radiance that Tavrian could not ignore.
“Do you want to know what I think?” His voice broke the tender silence that surrounded them, a deeper hum that made the quiet atmosphere shiver in response.
Shadowheart laughed, a short sound that was so close to a song. “Sure, go ahead, o’ knight of holy light.”
Tavrian smiled as she teased him. His own oath was something that he wore on his sleeve, for better or worse. “I think the night is an endless possibility. It is empty, to be true, but it represents how much potential the future has to offer. There are endless paths through the darkness, and nobody knows where they may go.” At that moment a comet streaked through the sky, its journey a quick dash across the darkness before it was snuffed out like a candle. If it were not so bright, the tail end’s blaze ripping through the heavenly darkness, he would have missed its passage. Tavrian sat up and pointed towards it, a bright smile on his face. “There! See, not everything is submerged in numbness. There’s a whole future ahead where anything can happen, does that sound so bad?”
Shadowheart regarded him with a glance, then turned her gaze towards the sea below. “In truth, it doesn’t sound unpleasant. But, Lady Shar does not approve of hope, or dreaming that a brighter future may come.” She paused and locked her hands together, “In all honesty I can’t deny that lately I’ve been looking forward to waking up to another day.” Her voice sounded softer, as if the expression of her own feeling was somehow sacrilegious.
“I’m happy to hear it.” A few more stars were beginning to poke through the darkness, and as they did Shadowheart rose to her feet.
“I think I’ll go get some rest now.” She hesitated as she began to pass by, and then gently let her fingertips brush past his shoulders. “You should try to get some rest too. There’s endless possibilities tomorrow, you know.”
“Thanks. I think I’ll stay here for a moment longer.” Tavrian turned his head to regard her as she stepped away, their eyes meeting. “It seems like a nice night after all.” He swore a smile lurked underneath her lips, though as he continued to stare she turned and slipped into the dark depths of the foliage. Tavrian returned his gaze to the stars above. It was still dark on that cliffside, but for now he did not feel alone.