The Baldurs Gate Series 01 - Baldur Gate by Forgotten Realms

Author:Forgotten Realms [Forgotten Realms]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2012-01-08T16:35:40+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Beuros, you squirmy little piece of—" Abdel started to say but stopped when Jaheira put a hand on his arm.

"Good sir," she said, glancing at Abdel who sighed explosively and turned away from the gate, "you obviously know my companion here, you know him to be a resident of this fair city and the son of one of your own. Please understand that we have urgent business here and—"

"Go away," Beuros the gate guard said sternly. "Go away or I'll be forced to—"

"You'll be forced to what," Abdel roared, "you thrice bedamned—"

"Go away!" the guard squealed and shut the little window in the big, sturdy oaken gate.

"This is ludicrous," Jaheira said to no one in particular. "What kind of city is this?"

Abdel kicked a stone on the gravel path that ended at the gates of Candlekeep, the place that had been his home for most of his life, and watched it skip away. He sighed again and looked up at the sky, noting the increasingly graying clouds obviously heavy with rain.

"I've never been refused entrance to Candlekeep," he said. "Never in my life."

"Gorion was alive then," Jaheira said without really thinking. "He was in there to let you in."

Abdel looked at her and forced a smile. She didn't notice, being too busy examining the gates with a tactician's eye.

"It's not a city," he said.

She looked at him with a furrowed brow.

"It's not a city," he said again, "it's a monastery. A library."

She nodded and shrugged as if that fine distinction didn't matter. "The Iron Throne is gathering in there," she said, "whatever it is. We need to get in there."

"Give me a book," Beuros's voice sounded suddenly, making Jaheira jump. They looked up at the little window, a good ten feet off the ground in the tall gates. All they could see of Beuros was his pimply face and crooked yellow teeth, a graying stubble and a dense, intractable expression. Abdel had known Beuros most of his life.

"Beuros—" Abdel started to say.

"Ah," Beuros interrupted, "a book, or a scroll, or a tablet, or a... something with writing on it. Give me something of use to Candlekeep and you can come in."

Now it was Abdel's turn to furrow his brow in confusion and frustration. He regarded the little man coolly.

"Why this all of a sudden, Beuros? What's going on in there?"

"The business of Candlekeep," the guard answered haughtily. "The business of learnedness."

Jaheira smiled and said, "That's not even a word, you little—"

"A book!" Beuros interrupted again, fixing an angry gaze on the half-elf woman.

"I don't have—" Abdel started to say, then stopped when he realized he did indeed have a book, a book that terrified him but that he doubted he'd be able to part with.

"Give us a few minutes, Captain Steadfast," Jaheira said sarcastically, making a dismissive brushing away hand gesture in Beuros's general direction. The guard harrumphed and withdrew behind his little shutter.

"Abdel," Jaheira said, crossing the few feet to him just as it started to rain lightly,

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