"Is this Halaster guy still around?" Shurleen asked.
"No one knows," Volo replied. "He disappeared down here ages ago. Some say he still wanders around down here, leaving an occasional torch or message in a passage vestibule to lend some assistance to the wayward treasure-seeker."
"That guy must have been crazy," Curtis said.
"They called him the Mad Wizard," Volo said, a touch of finality to his voice signaling that the story was over.
"Maybe he wasn't really mad," Passepout said. "Maybe he was just misunderstood."
"I think I see a light down this way," Volo said, indicating the tunnel of his choice with his torch in hand. "Let's try this way."
The group agreed and continued down the tunnel.
Eventually they came to another juncture just like the other.
A new torch was waiting in the exact same position as at the previous juncture.
"Here we go again," Curtis replied, trying not to sound too pessimistic for Shurleen's sake, as she was obviously becoming frightened.
"I want to get out of here," she whimpered.
"We all do," Passepout answered gently, "and we will."
An old gentlemen dressed in the robes of a wizard from years gone by stepped out of one of the walls as if it were no more than a cloud of fog.
"You want to get out of here," the apparition said with a cackle. "Why didn't you say so? Just take the tunnel over there, you'll be on the surface and out of here in no time. And by the way, the chubby guy is right. I was just misunderstood."
The apparition walked through the opposite wall and disappeared, though his continued cackling could still be heard off in the distance.
Volo looked at the group, and then looked down the tunnel that had been indicated by Halaster.
"Why not?" the master traveler replied. "It's not like he's ever lied to us or anything."
An echoing voice was heard in the distance, repeating the statement, "I'm just misunderstood."
"That settles it for me," Passepout replied with a sense of finality to his voice. "Always obey the directions of a ghost, particularly when he is the only one who knows the way out. Feet, do your stuff."
Taking a torch down from its holder, Passepout started down the tunnel that had been indicated by the apparition.
After an hour, the tunnel's incline steadily increased.
In another hour, they were out, and the sun was high in the sky.
Volo stopped a passing milkmaid for their location.
"Why, you're in Baldur's Gate, of course," the maid replied, and continued on her way.
"Baldur's Gate," Curtis replied in disbelief, "but that's miles down the coast from Waterdeep. We couldn't have been walking for that long."
"I guess Mad Monkey isn't the only immortal with a passion for portals," Volo replied.
"Well," Shurleen commented, taking on the unlikely role of the optimist of the group, "at least we're closer to Suzail."
"We'll go into town, hire some horses and head due east," Volo suggested.
The group agreed, and they headed toward the outskirts of the city, though Volo noticed a certain sense of apprehension and reluctance on Passepout's part.
The master traveler thought he heard the thespian mutter under his breath, "Baldur's Gate, where all the chickens come home to roost." Volo couldn't be sure if those were his exact words, but thought that it would be better not to ask him for clarification at the present time.
Chapter 25
As per usual, Volo took upon the role of tour guide as they approached the city, giving his fellow travelers a little background.
"Known as 'the place that is halfway to everywhere,' " the master traveler began, "Baldur's Gate is actually two cities, one walled and the other, more recent, addition to its borders outside the wall. It seems that the city thrived like a sprouting child and had to burst its seams. It is ruled by the Four Grand Dukes who are also called the Council of Four. The city is renowned as one of the most tolerant but also quietly well policed places in the western Realms."
Volo saw that he was beginning to lose his audience to wandering thoughts and decided to bring his spiel to an end. "From what I understand it also has a thriving thieves' guild, which has been known to work with the local authorities to crush illicit and illegal activities that they might consider unfair competition."
"You can say that again," Passepout whispered under his breath.
Volo paused for a moment, thinking that he had heard something. Curtis and Shurleen were quietly enjoying each other's company as if this were no more than a walk on a summer's day. Turning to the chubby thespian, he asked, "Did you say something, Passepout?"
"No, Mister Volo," the thespian replied, resuming his distant silence.
Volo's offhand comment about Baldur's Gate being well policed turned out to be true.
Passepout was arrested within moments of his entering the city. The guards were well mannered but firm, and the chubby thespian did not put up a fight.
"Passepout!" Volo demanded. "What's going on?"
As the guards slipped a pair of shackles on him, he asked, "Can I just say good-bye to my friends?"
"All right," the captain of the guard, whose name was Gehrard, replied, "but be quick about it."
"I'm sorry, Mister Volo," the chubby thespian replied dolefully.
"What is going on?" the master traveler demanded.
"As I'm sure you know, acting is not always the most lucrative of professions. My dear parents Idle and Catinflas often had to occasionally pick pockets to help make ends meet, a trade they were all too willing to pass on to their son. We were performing to meager audiences on the outskirts of town and found that we once again had to supplement our earnings with a little unvolunteered gratuity from some of our audience. How were we to know that the thieves' Guildmaster Ravenscar was in the audience? He called out the city guard, and we were arrested. I managed to escape, but Mom and Dad are still in prison."
Volo turned to Gehrard, and said, "Surely, we can work something out?"
"Afraid not," the captain replied. "When this here fellow escaped, I was held to blame and demoted. On that day I swore out a magical warrant on the city gates that would let me know when, if ever, he returned to the city, because if he did I swore that I would once again bring this fugitive to justice."
"It doesn't sound like justice to me," Shurleen interjected.
"Doesn't matter," the captain stoically replied, beginning to escort the thespian to the jail. "A nice long prison stay is waiting for him, but cheer up, the last fellow I brought in was sentenced to have his arm hacked off before being sent to gallows, but then again he did murder the wife of one of the city's most famous clerics."
Passepout looked back at his friends, and said, "Sorry."
Hanging his head in shame, he was led off by the guards.
"What can we do?" Shurleen asked. "We can't just leave him here."
Volo was very aware of this. He had grown attached to his rotund companion and had no desire to see him left rotting in some dark prison cell. The fact that he and Passepout were still magically bound together was entirely secondary.
"Well, if we're going to do something, we'd better do it fast," Curtis replied. "We have to get back to Suzail to inform Khelben and the War Wizards of Hlaavin's plans."
Volo was torn.
"You two go to Suzail," he decided. "I'll stay here and think of something."
"We won't go without you and Passepout," Shurleen demanded. "Right, Curtis?"
"Right," the beachcomber responded in agreement without thinking, which Volo always accepted as a necessary talent for any good husband.