...herself

Teysa awoke with a start. She was sprawled on the stone floor of the massive cavern. Pins and needles tingled in her arms and legs. She tried to prop herself up on her arms, failed, tried again, and managed an awkward elbow-walking crawl. She inched forward, then doubled over as a wave of nausea swept through her. It brought with it a surge of memories that crashed over her all at once: the cave, the carvings, the ancient drow, Aliara...

Her shaking legs threatened to give out at any moment, but Teysa turned around, inch by inch, dreading what she'd see. A sad bundle lay on the floor. Aliara's face was cold, her skin waxy and pallid. Beneath the skin, fingers of darkness spread out from her chest, crawling up her throat and down to her navel. Sobbing, Teysa cradled Aliara's body in her arms. The half-elf's head lolled, eyes staring at nothing, as Teysa held her close. "I'm s-sorry!" Her voice hitched and she gasped for breath. "I'm, I'm sorry, oh God, Li, I'm sorry, oh, I'm so-sorry..." she trailed off in a croak. She tried to remember Aliara as a vibrant, laughing ****, a joker, her smiling lover. The happy woman in her mind could not be reconciled with this cold, stiff flesh. Rocking back and forth, Teysa howled, an animal sound that started deep in her chest and burst out of her like a volcanic eruption.

She was not sure how long she sat there. Dully, she was aware that there was something else she should be doing, that she could not wait here forever. It all seemed so far-off and unimportant. She would rest here for a while longer. Just a while.

justice...

The voice in her head rang out like a bell, like a stone dropped in a placid pond. It seemed to echo. Teysa blinked once, twice, and then stared at the opposite wall. Inside her, the raging turmoil calmed, flattening out. She gently lifted Aliara's head into the crook of her elbow and then, patiently and carefully, began to brush the half-elf's hair away from her face. Her fingers glided along Aliara's temple. Teysa stared vacantly as she worked, a tiny smile on her face. Tears trickled down her cheeks as she brushed away the dirt and sweat and ran her fingers through her lover's hair. Tenderly, she closed Aliara's eyes and bent down to plant a single kiss, whisper-quiet, on her cold lips.

There was a moment of perfect, total silence. It was broken by a rasping, scratching cough. Teysa, jolted from her reverie, startled backward.

Aliara's body convulsed. There was another horrible growl, and Teysa realized it was coming from the half-elf. She stared in disbelief as the inky black stains under Aliara's skin ran together like oil across a countertop, pulling back their reaching fingers into an ugly-looking ball. It traveled-- underneath her skin-- up through her throat, as Aliara jerked and hacked. Her mouth lolled open, and with a terrible retching cough, she vomited out what looked like a balled-up spiderweb as black as night.

Aliara's eyelids fluttered. Her limbs twitched. She rolled over slightly and groaned, and that was what did it. The sound of her voice, even hoarse and wracked with pain, broke through Teysa's shock. She squeezed Aliara to her chest with all of her might, eliciting another pained grunt. Teysa's mind was blank. She couldn't speak. Blood roared in her ears, but she had the presence of mind to slacken her grip. When she did, she looked down and saw Aliara staring back up at her with a bemused expression. "Tey," she said, in a tiny, crackling voice, "I'm cold."

The tears came again. Teysa had thought she was out of them, but they flowed freely, happy tears, tears of joy. She swooped down and covered Aliara's mouth with her own, the half-elf's eyes going wide with surprise as Teysa fervently pressed into the kiss. For thirty seconds or more, she couldn't bring herself to come up for air, but when she finally broke off her eyes were sparkling. "Aliara! Oh, Li, oh, my love, oh..." she trailed off, dumbstruck. Aliana looked up at her with a wary smile on her face. "What did I do to deserve all this, hm? How long was I out?" She grabbed Teysa and used her to steady herself, pushing up into a seated position and crossing her legs in front of her. "Damn, that's sore. What happened? Where's that old drow?"

Teysa hadn't given that question any thought. She craned her neck to see past Aliara, and pointed. "Is that her?"

The enormous stone figure was still where it had been, its eyes blank orbs of rock. Standing at its base was another statue. This one was crude, little more than a roughly carved stalagmite. If you squinted just right, you could make out the figure of a woman, her arms held above her head in a pose of supplication. In the flickering firelight the shadows it cast seemed to move oddly. Teysa pursed her lips. "I don't know. But I think we're safe now. Let's get out of here. I don't want to stay here one more minute."

"What did you see? What are you talking about?" Aliara's face was regaining some of its warmth, and her chipper enthusiasm was sneaking back into her voice. She rested a hand on Teysa's arm. "Tey... I wasn't asleep just now, was I?" She tried to maintain an even tone, but her eyes were big and fearful. "It's... hard to remember..."

Taking a deep breath, Teysa told her everything that had happened since they had descended into the cave: the Mourner, her attack, the statue, and the vision she had been granted. "I think... that big statue... I think it's actually her." Teysa's voice dropped to a whisper. "The Mother."

Aliara swallowed. "Maybe." She looked back over her shoulder. "This is such a mess. It's all tangled up... they won't believe you, you know. They'll kill you for heresy." She gave Teysa a pleading look. "Let's just get out of here while we can. Run and never come back. We found what happened to poor Siri'ka."

Teysa climbed unsteadily to her feet, then extended an arm to help Aliara up. "Ok. I'm not going to argue with you this time. Let's go. I've had enough of this place."

Aliara's limbs pinwheeled as she tried to keep her balance. "Tey, you know I was going to leave? One last adventure, right? I told you, I don't want to be a ****, ever again."

Teysa nodded dumbly. She was too exhausted to argue. The half-elf turned and rested her arms on Teysa's shoulders. She leaned forward and planted her forehead on Teysa's chest. "I wanted to go home. But you're my home, Tey. Wherever you are, that's my home. If you're going back to the warren, I'm going back with you. Of my own free will. And you're right. It is different. It feels different. Maybe because I'm choosing it. Maybe because it's with you."

With no torch, Teysa had been prepared for a difficult ascent. She hobbled into the tunnel, Aliara leaning on her for support, and stopped dead. The passage was lit by a dim golden glow. She took a few steps in and stubbed her toe on a piece of rubble. There was stone strewn across the floor. It looked like shattered pieces of masonry. Staring in wonder, she crossed the hall to one wall, where the carvings had been. They were gone now; in their place, a set of golden plates were set in the wall, seamlessly, as though growing out of the bedrock. They were the source of the light. Teysa squinted at the brightness and leaned in. These panels showed a different story: drow and drider worked together, laying stone on stone to set the foundations of a great city. Looking over both of them was Mother Lolth, her smile radiant and proud. The panels were as smooth as ice and warm to the touch. Teysa's fingers unconsciously traced their patterns before she pulled away.

"Let's go, Li." Teysa's face was set in what she hoped was a determined expression, but her heart was thudding in her chest. She lifted one of Aliara's arms around her shoulder and set off.

The trip back was endless and exhausting. Even with the light, they stumbled over loose stones, cutting the bare feet and scraping their shins. The incline was mild but steady, and they often had to rest. After what seemed like hours, the passage widened, and up ahead Teysa could see the bottom of the winding staircase. And something else-- there were three figures standing there, silhouetted against the entryway. Two of them carried lit torches.

Teysa hesitated, but there was no way that the figures hadn't seen them approach. She was too tired to run, too tired to fight. If this was the end, this was the end, that was all there was to it. Aliara reached the same conclusion. She reached down and gave Teysa's hand a squeeze as they walked the last few steps out of the tunnel.

All three figures wore cowled black robes with red trim. The first stepped forward. A woman's voice came from the darkness beneath the hood.

"We knew you were coming."

The second followed suit. The voice from this one was the aristocratic and clipped. "We dreamed of you."

The third stepped up and pulled back her hood. Mish'li smiled at Teysa and Aliara with genuine warmth. "Our Mother told us you needed our help. We came as soon as we could." She held out her right arm. Two more black robes were draped over it. "Here. You must be exhausted."

Teysa was suddenly acutely conscious of her nudity. Her body was bruised, streaked with dirt and blood, and caked with sweat. She awkwardly covered herself as best she could and took the robes with one hand, passing one to Aliara. She pulled her robe over her head and shook the cowl off, marveling at its softness-- and the comfort that came from having something to wear again. For her part, Aliara made no attempt to hide herself, but flexed and stretched before pulling the robe on. Her tiny frame vanished into its depths. Mish'li and her torchbearing companions waited silently for them to finish dressing, then turned towards the stairs.

"We are, all of us, servants of The Mother Below," Mish'li explained as they climbed. "When we all dreamed of her at the same time, we knew that we had to heed her words. She told us to find you here, and quickly." Her tone was carefully neutral, but it was impossible for her to disguise the hint of curiosity in her voice. "The Basilica is in disarray. Nobody has seen the High Priestess in hours. The Empress has not deigned to make an appearance, either, or to issue a proclamation. The City is abuzz." She paused on the stairs. "What have you seen? What have you done?"

Teysa sighed deeply. "I... it's hard to explain. I don't- I don't know, exactly." Inspiration struck her. "There are panels in the wall of the tunnel where you found us. You should go back later and read them." Aliara coughed and swayed on her feet. When she spoke, her voice was raspy, but it contained a hint of its old impish charm. "Don't shoot the messenger, but I think you've been doing your religion wrong. If what Teysa told me is true, Lolth Herself has answered the drider question, and it's not the answer your High Priestess was hoping for."

Mish'li's brow wrinkled in confusion. "You-- had a vision? From The Mother Herself? She spoke to you?" Teysa nodded. "I think so. I'm sorry, it's all so overwhelming. I mean, we were running away, and then down there we found the Mourner, and she... attacked us." She decided not to share the entire story of Aliara's **** and resurrection, not while it was still raw. "I don't know what I saw. But I think if you go down there, you'll see it too."

Mish'li nodded solemnly. "Then I must. We must. But first, let's get you out of here. This is not a safe place for you right now." They were nearing the top of the staircase, and Teysa could hear a faint murmur from above. As they crested the last step, her eyes widened. Dozens of robed priestesses filled the hallway, milling around and holding whispered conversations. As they saw Teysa and Aliara approach with their escorts, they fell silent. A ripple of silence spread outward, and then as one, they dropped to one knee. Teysa glanced at Mish'li; the priestess looked as surprised as she was. They reached the top of the stairs and stepped out, and the crowd parted before them, kneeling figures shuffling aside to make room.

The one nearest Teysa stood. She wore elaborate robes with silver inlaid over spiderweb patterns. She appeared to be older, with patrician features and a silver tiara that matched the choker around her neck. When she spoke, her voice was hesitant and surprisingly soft. "You are her?" she asked. "Tayza?" Her accent gave the unfamiliar syllables an exotic sound. She waited with an expectant expression until Teysa nodded. "We have prayed in communion with our Goddess. She has told us you must be protected. Come with us, please." Teysa looked at Mish'li, who shrugged, then nodded once. Teysa smiled. "Lead on, then. I don't have anywhere else to go."