Chapter Text
Rhian lay on her bedroll beside the fire, her head pillowed on her arm, staring up into the vast expanse of darkness. In the morning, after they’d rested, they would head for Moonrise. There, they would cut through every last one of its defenses and face off against Thorm. She knew a lot was riding on this- on them- and that they needed to succeed. Hopefully they would find answers as well, whatever magic had tampered with the tadpoles had to have come from Moonrise; every clue they’d found, every lead they’d followed, was taking them there. Something had to come of it. Because if it didn’t… she didn’t want to consider where that would leave them. As mind-flayers, probably, she thought darkly.
She mulled over their plans for the next day: she needed to get someone to Last Light Inn. Now that Ketheric was vulnerable and his relic freed, she had hope that Jaheira and the Harpers would join them. It would be a hard fight, and they could certainly use all the allies they could get. Nightsong had flown off, and Rhian wasn’t entirely sure where she’d gone, but she knew she’d be ready to face off against Thorm when they were. Rhian already had a lot of respect for the aasimar- a hundred years locked away, alone, in the dark. And the instant she was free, she was ready to take on the man responsible for her torment. Rhian wanted to make sure she was there when she confronted him, surely it would be a sight to behold.
Thoughts of the Nightsong pulled her attention to a more immediately pressing issue, however: Shadowheart.
They’d spoken, briefly, after leaving the mausoleum- or perhaps after their forceful eviction was more accurate. She was intent on getting to Thorm so she could speak with Nightsong. And Rhian could understand; the aasimar clearly knew more about Shadowheart than she’d shared. What, she could not even begin to guess.
But Rhian’s heart was being pulled a thousand different ways. Grief, at seeing her friend so agonized, so tormented, by defying her goddess, sat in her chest, curling around her heart like a shadow-cursed vine. Yet she couldn’t help but feel some sense of giddiness at Shadowheart’s admission- the connection she’d felt between them, and the relationship she wanted to pursue. Hopefully, after some time and once she had her answers, they would have more time for them, to see where things could go. She was willing to wait as long as need be.
The longer she lay, watching the night sky, the more the exhaustion seemed to weigh on her, down into her bones. With a yawn, she stretched, and settled, allowing her mind to still and slip into her meditation.