Finder's Bane - Kate Novak [123]
The idol made an effective wall standing before the passageway, blocking Jedidiah from leaving. Jedidiah stood before the creature, holding the Hand of Bane over his head. The magical stone statue had enough awareness not to damage the item it was created to guard, but neither was it going to let its thief pass by.
The creature had its back to Joel. The Rebel Bard took aim with the sledgehammer and swung it right at the statue's left ankle. The blow sent a crack running across the stone joint. The creature started to turn around, but its foot remained frozen in place. It wobbled, trying to balance itself on one foot and the stump of the other leg. Joel raised the sledgehammer again and swung it at the idol's opposite knee. The stone creature slammed Joel in the head with a rock fist before falling backward.
Joel dropped the sledgehammer and fell to his knees, stunned. He was just barely aware of Jedidiah slamming into the idol from behind and sending it crashing to the floor. The stone statue shattered into several pieces. The fragments did not move again.
Jedidiah stumbled forward into the passageway, still clutching the Hand of Bane. He was pale and wheezing, but grinning like a schoolboy. "Are you all right?" he asked Joel. "That was quite a blow you took."
Joel raised his hand to his head. He could feel a lump forming already. "I'm going to have a giant-sized headache," he replied. With Jedidiah's help, he was able to stand.
Slowly the two men walked back down the passageway, propping each other up.
At the base of the stairs, Jedidiah pushed the Hand of Bane at Joel. "Take it," he said.
"Why?" Joel asked, unwilling to touch the stone hand.
"I want you to make the decision of what to do with it," Jedidiah said. "Whether you choose to destroy it or exchange it for the other half of the finder's stone is up to you."
"Why?" Joel asked again. "Jedidiah, is this some sort of ridiculous test?"
Jedidiah shook his head. He leaned against the passage wall. 'The questions I asked the mind flayer… do you want to know what they were?"
Joel blinked with confusion, then answered, "Yes, of course."
"My first question was 'If I exchange the Hand of Bane for the other half of the finder's stone, will Joel still follow me?' You heard the answer in your head too didn't you?"
Joel nodded, then lowered his eyes. The answer had been No. He hadn't thought about what he would do if Jedidiah gave the banelich the hand. He had deliberately avoided thinking about how he felt about it since that first night in the Lost Vale. He looked back up at Jedidiah. "Ilsensine can't know that. It can't predict what I'm going to do."
"Joel, before I cast the spell to protect us from Ilsensine's probes, it was in your mind while you were unconscious, burrowing for your darkest secret. It knew what you thought. It knew what was in your heart. I knew what was in your heart, too, but I didn't want to admit it to myself. I want all my power back. I was a selfish mortal, and godhood hasn't changed that. If you weren't part of the picture… but you are. I don't want to lose you as my priest, so I'm leaving the decision up to you."
Joel felt as if a heavy weight had settled on his heart. "What was the second question?" he asked.
"If I leave the decision up to Joel, will he act on my behalf?"
"And the answer was He does not know," Joel replied.
Jedidiah nodded. "The mind flayer left before I could ask it if it meant you or Ilsensine."
Joel shook his head. "I don't know what I'll do, Jedidiah. I don't want Bane to be resurrected. But it's not fair that you should be lessened just so he remains dead."
Jedidiah held out the Hand of Bane once again. He looked more than tired now. He looked ancient and haggard. He said, "Joel, I only became a god because several good friends demanded I fight Moander. One even gave his life to show me how an unselfish man dies. But I lived, and I