Free Baldur's Gate II Throne of Bhaal by Drew Karpyshyn Page A

accept the offer. Thus were born the Five, a secret alliance of the Lord of Murder’s progeny, organized and led by Bhaal’s Anointed.
    The Five were taught to operate as their leader had done for so many years. They learned to work patiently from the deepest shadows. Secrecy was their weapon, anonymity their shield. Bhaal may have been dead but his many, many enemies still lived.
    Over time the Five solidified their positions and power, spreading their invisible web of influence throughout the country, always careful to keep their very existence a secret. Throughout it all the guiding hand of Bhaal’s Anointed directed their sinister actions.
    They were instructed in the ancient rituals of the Lord of Murder. The mysteries of how to capture the fleeing essence of the dying Bhaalspawn were revealed to them. They were taught how to nurse the embers of the unholy fire in the temple so that it might one day be fuelled by the spirits of their dying kin. And the genocide of the Bhaalspawn had begun.
    But the wholesale slaughter of the other Bhaalspawn had brought consequences even Bhaal’s Anointed had not foreseen. The Five were becoming more independent, less willing to follow the orders of their evil mentor, growing ever stronger as they feasted on the essence of their fallen kin.
    Some of them acted rashly and openly now, exposing themselves before the time was right. Illasera had been the most headstrong of the Five. Bhaal’s Anointed had sent her to slay Abdel Adrian, knowing full well it would be the Huntress who perished in the encounter. A lesson for the rest of the Five, a warning to curb their growing ambition and recklessness. A lesson that had gone unheeded.
    The gray light of approaching dawn was just visible on the horizon. The new day was almost here. The day, Bhaal’s Anointed knew, when Abdel Adrian would be brought to Saradush.

Chapter Six
    “That’s Saradush?” It was Imoen who voiced the questions they all were thinking. “How are we supposed to get inside there?”
    Sarevok shrugged. “I only promised to bring you here to meet Melissan. She is inside. If Abdel wants answers to his questions, he must speak with her.”
    For nearly a week Abdel and his companions had been following Sarevok. Emerging from the shelter of the Tethir Forest they had covered a grueling distance on foot, driven by the enemies behind them and the former enemy who now guided them. Sarevok led them ever east and south, crossing the Sulduskoon river. He led them within a day’s march of the legendary Gorge of the Fallen Idol. Finally he had brought them to the northwestern edge of the Omlarandin Mountains, though the rounded, grass covered mounds were little more than oversized foothills.
    Saradush itself was located just beyond the western edge of the small range, and after a day’s journey south through the rolling hills Abdel and his companions finally got their first glimpse of their destination. They didn’t like what they saw.
    Saradush was under siege.
    The scene was a familiar one to Abdel. The city itself was nearly a mile away, it looked like a small town surrounded by high stone walls that appeared more white than gray. From his vantage point atop the hills overlooking the fields and plains leading to the city gates, he counted nearly a hundred large tents. The sun was just nearing its apex so the glow of campfires was difficult to make out, but Abdel could see thousands of thin smoke trails crawling up through the still air, joining together in a heavy ashen cloud above the plains. Countless tiny figures milled around—soldiers looking to breach the walls. There was no sense of urgency in their actions, but rather a grim, relentless determination. Many of the soldiers clustered together around larger objects.
    At this distance Abdel couldn’t make the details of the objects out, but he knew what they were. Huge wooden towers, with platforms fifty feet high so that the invaders could see over the walls and