Echo J. Tollridge

A Dungeons & Dragons short story written by Echo J. Tollridge

The warmth of my amulet radiated in my grasp as I held it in both of my hands. My goddess, my lady Mystra, was with me. I whispered a quiet prayer beneath my breath to her: guide me, my lady, on your path of knowledge and wisdom.

I lifted my eyes to the moon. It was bright and full, casting its pale light to the earth and illuminating the peaceful clearing around me. The leaves rustled softly in the woods. As a swirl of spiritual energy surrounded me, I lowered my gaze to the stone pendant in my hand. It briefly flashed and pulsed with a blue glow, then faded. 

The grass brushed and stirred next to me. I glanced sideways to see Murtagh’s silvery stare examining my amulet, then flickered upwards to meet my eyes. A curious smirk curled in the corner of his deep blue lips, curving the white whiskers that framed his mouth. His voice rumbled with a deep and resonant chuckle.

“She must have spoken to you this time,” he suggested. 

A nervous flutter erupted in my stomach, and I quickly averted and turned my head down. “No,” I admitted in a low voice. “But I felt her.”

“Hmm,” he hummed. Murtagh stood and offered his hand. “Perhaps next time.”

I timidly smiled and placed my hand in his. The callouses and scars scraped against my smooth skin, but it did not deter me from his gentle grasp. His touch was electric and cool. He assisted me as I stood.

“Shall we stroll?” I cooed, gesturing to the woods.

Murtagh did not let go of my hand. He stepped closer, and one of the Tiefling horns on his head shadowed the moonlight from my eyes. His white brows were creased together and made deep blue folds in his solemn expression. 

“Ezrae,” he began in a soft voice. 

My heart clenched. I looked up to him with worry.

“Yes, love?”

“We are halfway there now, and I have been thinking,” Murtagh continued. His other hand raised from his side to cup my cheek. “Would you…would you stay with me when we get to Baldur’s Gate?”

I searched his eyes. They were tender, but pained, as if with hesitation and anticipation. A lump formed in my throat. 

“I could for a few days,” I answered apprehensively. “Then I need to venture back to Waterdeep and fulfill my obligations there.”

“No, Ezrae,” Murtagh. “I mean, stay with me. Stay with me forever.”

My heart sank into my stomach. “In Baldur’s Gate?”

“I will take care of you there,” he insisted. His fingers brushed affectionately through my hair as his gaze softened. “Or wherever we go, we don’t have to stay in Baldur’s Gate. We could go together elsewhere.”

The blood rushed from my limbs into my chest. I brought my trembling fingers to the hand that cupped my face. “I know you do not want to go back to Waterdeep,” I said with a shuddering voice. “B-But…”

His other hand came to my opposite cheek. “Ezrae,” he interrupted firmly, though he kept his voice low. “I told you I needed to leave that place, and you need to leave it too.” His thumb stroked my skin. “Look at you. Look at your potential. That wretched place only holds you back.”

“Waterdeep is my home,” I pressed. I breathed, but my lungs felt frozen. My eyes burned with tears. “My temple, my family…that is where I belong. My duty is there. “

“You said yourself that Mystra is with you, always,” Murtagh huffed. His grasp intensified with the growing hurt in his gaze. “You can serve her anywhere you go. You’re a gifted cleric and priestess, and she knows that. She must understand that you can’t stay in Waterdeep forever.”

“How do you know what she thinks?” I spat. I let out a quivering sob and turned my head down, appalled by his assumption. My eyes squeezed shut, and I felt the hot tears roll down my cheeks. “I must stay on the path she has chosen for me. I must stay with my temple and continue my family’s blessed lineage.” 

“Please, Ezrae,” Murtagh pleaded. Desperately, he let go of my face and clutched both of my hands. “I’ve only just found you and don’t want to lose you this way.”

I shook my head furiously. “I don’t understand,” I huffed. “You never said why you had to get out of there. Why must you leave Waterdeep? What is driving you away?”

A solemn and remorseful expression twisted his face. He slowly let go of my hands and wiped away my tears with his knuckles. “You will see someday, Ezrae, my love. Then maybe you will understand and leave like I did.”

Without warning, a foreign phrase escaped his teeth. The world spun, and my vision blurred. My body felt like a bag of rocks and pummeled to the earth.

An angry toe stabbed my side. The feeling came back slowly into the rest of my torso from the radiating pain. An involuntary groan escaped my throat. “Mystra, help me,” I grumbled.

“How about you help us figure out where our Tiefling friend went, priestess?” a gruff voice scolded.

My eyes squinted open. “What?”

A feminine voice growled with frustration. “Mister Murtagh is gone!”

A stout, bearded dwarf and a blonde halfling woman stared down at me, hovering over me with deep frowns. 

“You were the last one with him,” the halfling woman hissed. “Where did he go?”

I groggily sat up and rubbed my neck. “Murtagh…” Dazed, I looked around. We were just talking last night, but what were we talking about? My head throbbed. “He’s gone?”

The dwarf threw up his hands. “Oy, the priestess doesn’t know what happened to him either.”

“Has he abandoned us?” the warrior woman said.

“If he did…” the dwarf muttered irritably. “There goes our pay!” 

Their voices only became muffled in my ears. I absently gazed aside and clutched my amulet. Guilt and sorrow weighed painfully in my bones. Somehow, the stone pendant felt heavier in my grasp. Help me, Mystra. Did I make the right choice? Keep me on your path, my lady, and please show me a sign.