The night dragged on so unbearably that it felt as if the sun would never rise.
The inn's front door was pushed open again. Every traveler waiting in the common room looked over at once, only to be met by a pale shake of the head.
People sighed in disappointment.
"Rain everywhere." The person who had returned from outside was brought to the fireplace to warm up.
Drops of rain leaked down through the chimney cap. The burning logs flickered, and the heat carried a misty dampness. A heavy malice, like mercury vapor, silently plucked at everyone's nerves.
The man who had tried to escape the Way Inn kept shivering.
Tawna brought over a bowl of hot herbal broth. It was a bitter, scalding soup brewed from dried ginger, coca leaves, wild peas, mimosa, and other ingredients. One mouthful drove away the chill that had settled deep in his limbs. The wealthy dwarf merchant stuffed a pipe into the man's mouth and told him to take a few hard pulls. The smoke sent him into a coughing fit, but color finally returned to his face.
"I walked a long way. I went into the misty forest to the east, through the brush and the pines, then somehow ended up back here without realizing it. Maybe I lost my direction, but I didn't see a single animal on the road.
"But I definitely heard something moving in the trees. I heard footsteps coming closer. I'm sure it was a devil. It clicked its tongue at me twice. Maybe my soul wasn't evil enough, so it didn't kill me."
The first person to try leaving had been the dwarf guard Barenda Horn, though he had not gone far before returning on his own.
"Can we really not get out? Why would Lady Doom toy with us like this?" someone prayed in grief.
Everyone's expressions were grave. Many travelers cast hidden glances toward the warlock in the corner of the common room.
Skyl had already been treated as the source of the disaster. Once the others pushed him away, he had gone to sit alone in the corner. Stan still stayed with him, and the elven druid sat not far from his side.
Edgin watched everyone's behavior closely.
The Red Wizards of Thay whispered among themselves, their attention fixed on Tawna the halfling. It seemed they cared a great deal about that silver scepter, though the scepter was no longer in Tawna's hands. She had probably hidden it.
The travelers were divided. Some argued that everyone should flee the inn together, with the dwarf guard as their representative. Others argued that Skyl should be driven out, and the wealthy dwarf merchant Join strongly supported that decision.
The uncle and nephew disagreed, which Edgin found interesting.
The innkeeper's attitude was ambiguous. He had no real opinion of his own. One moment he agreed that everyone should flee together, and the next he wanted to throw Skyl out.
As for Edgin himself, he did not know why, but he felt Skyl had a point. Perhaps this mysterious man really could kill the devil.
But no one wanted to become the sacrifice that invited the devil in. Seeds of suspicion had been scattered into every corner of the inn.
Edgin felt that if things continued this way, everyone might start killing one another.
So he stepped forward and asked Skyl, "Sir, you heard them too. We're trapped in the inn. Is there any way for us to leave?"
"The solution is to kill the devil. It's almost here."
The warlock soothed the restless undead Mia. She had become very disobedient. The devil's wicked aura filled the rainy night, and a simple undead spirit with no real thoughts of its own was the one most sensitive to that power stirring up people's hearts.
Skyl was using Mia like a scrying glass to gauge the devil's progress. The moment Mia suddenly went quiet would be the moment that persistent extraplanar creature came here to die.
Edgin felt a chill crawl over him. The feeling of death closing in step by step was not pleasant. But when he saw how relaxed Skyl and Stan looked, he felt he might be making too much of it.
"Uh, then what should we do?"
"If I could get a rare diamond, I could cast [Gate] and bring that devil straight here. Then we wouldn't need to wait."
The travelers began cursing under their breath.
The dwarf guard Barenda quietly argued with his uncle for a few sentences, only for Join Horn to give his nephew a furious scolding.
"Is that head of yours a lump of stone? That human might have come for my... for that! Think about it. Why did your father die?"
Barenda lowered his eyes and said nothing, his teeth clenched. The grave bearing he revealed in that instant made Join's anger fade at once.
The innkeeper Jamal forced out a smile and said to everyone, "It's late. Once the sun rises, we can try again and see if we can leave. On a pitch-black night like this, you can't see the road clearly even with a lantern in hand. You should all rest first. Go back to your rooms and sleep. Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise as usual, and everything will get better."
Tawna nodded hard and called out loudly, "Tomorrow morning, I'll make a feast! Once you've eaten, you'll all feel much better and have plenty of strength."
"That's right. There'll be a feast first thing tomorrow. Go back and get some sleep," Jamal said, ordering the inn's servers to escort the guests back to their rooms.
The earlier atmosphere of panic and desperation actually eased quite a bit because of the promise of a big meal. Many travelers let out bitter sighs and gradually returned to the guest rooms on the second floor.
The common room became quiet again. Even the firewood in the hearth was covered with ash.
Edgin was anxious. He sincerely pleaded with Skyl, "You must have a way. How can we protect the innocent from harm?"
"You saw the dead Red Wizard," Skyl said. "Describe his body to me."
"All right, let me think... The corpse was shriveled from head to toe. It could be identified as undead. There were no obvious external wounds, but he had a smile on his face. His body gave off a fairly obvious rotten stench, and the arcane brands on his skin looked as if they'd been burned black."
Skyl nodded, then asked the female elf beside him, "Did your companions discover anything while watching the Red Wizards? For example, when did the dead man leave his room?"
The starling on the elven druid's shoulder chirped. The druid nodded and translated, "The Thayans are very sharp. My companions couldn't get close to the Red Wizards' rooms, but the dead man left the inn through the window. He was alone and didn't move with his companions. He wandered outside for a while, screaming like a madman, as if... as if he were possessed. In the end, he tried to return here, but black smoke poured from his body. He collapsed before he could reach the door."
Edgin stared in surprise at the starling on the druid's shoulder.
The female elf's eyes were hollow. "They are druids too."
So that was why they were so smart. Edgin nodded in understanding. There were quite a few spellcasters here.
All of a sudden, he had a little more confidence in Skyl's plan to beat the devil to death. As long as everyone could work together...
But right now, unity was exactly what they lacked most.
Skyl gave him a reassuring smile. It was the first time Edgin had seen him smile, and he froze for a moment.
"That Red Wizard killed himself. The devil hasn't descended yet. All it can use are the weaknesses in people's hearts. Stay kind and stay calm, and nothing will happen. Once the fighting starts, I'll have you all hide inside Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion... Are you listening?"
"Uh, of course. I'm listening. Good plan." Edgin came back to himself. "But earlier, you mentioned needing a sacrifice."
"A sinful soul."
"But is there a standard for that? What if an innocent person gets hurt by mistake?"
"I will not let good people bleed again."
The common room fell quiet for a while. The undead Mia let out a soft murmur.
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