Knights of the Platinum Dragon: A D&D Story

Chapter 9: Small Secrets

Once Ren was laid down and seemed to be fast asleep, Logan stepped out into the hallway of the Cockatrice, with Finnan following after him and Arabella coming just after, closing the door with a gentle call of "Goodnight, Ren," as she eased the door to.

The hall was bathed in pale orange light by candles set in sconces along the walls, brightly illuminating all in sight. And as they left him in peace, Logan remarked about their wizard companion "I hope he feels better come the morning."

Seeing Ren be so sharp and demanding when he asked if they'd heard anything in his mumblings had caught Logan off-guard and made him feel unnerved, especially when it was over something so minor. If Arabella felt the same, though, she hid it immaculately behind her grace and composure.

"I hope so too. But I don't begrudge him for being jumpy and on edge..." she replied. "He did almost lose his life today, after all."

Logan nodded, standing with his legs slightly apart as he folded his arms. "True. And I absolutely don't begrudge him that either," he said. "And to be fair, he was that jumpy when I first met him earlier today..."

Logan now looked back on the boat journey in a bittersweet light – Edwyn had been among the first he had buried while he and Stalk were working outside. While he didn't follow Kelemvor, the Lord of the Dead, he had said a prayer for the sake of all those who had fallen, the halfling ferryman included.

His thoughts must have cast a grim pallor over his face – he figured as much when he saw Arabella's eyebrows pinch and she gave him a concerned look.

"Logan, are you alright?" the high elf asked him.

Blinking a few times, Logan turned her way and nodded. "Yes, I am. My apologies, Arabella. It's just... been a long and trying day, to put it mildly."

His response, surprisingly, made Arabella seem to come over a tad sheepish – she gently entwined her hands together in front of her body and began to play with her fingers as she looked down. In that moment, Logan felt something spike inside him – alarm, fearing he'd hurt her somehow.

His mind raced for something to rectify this, but as the memories of the day swirled before his eyes, all he could recall right now was the battle.

But then it hit him.

"You saved a lot of lives today, including my own," he managed, each word controlled and slightly taught as he fixated on how he spoke. "Thanks for that... cleric."

In that instant, Arabella went from sheepish to proud and playful, beaming at him as she put her hands on her hips. "What gave it away?" she asked him with a cheeky smile. And Logan smiled right back as he told her his answer:

"The spells you were casting – Divine Shield and such," he said. He then glanced down at the necklace depicting the golden heart that Arabella wore around her neck and asked "Is that your holy symbol? Forgive me, but I don't recognize the deity."

Arabella smiled warmly at him, as if she was happy he'd noticed. "Hanali Celanil – elven goddess of love, beauty and the arts."

"Sounds like a deity that suits you."

Logan heard those words, and it took him a moment before realizing he'd been the one to say them! At once, his ears and face burned with embarrassment, and he quickly opened his mouth again. But as he desperately tried to form an apology, his mind was as blank as a sheet of white paper.

Fuck! How useless was he? When he wasn't supposed to speak, he blurted things out, and when he desperately wanted to say something, his head turned up empty as a drum.