In all the chaos of the battle, I couldn't identify the voice. It was only my name and the stark terror in it that caught my attention:
"Velanna, MOVE!"
My first reaction was annoyance. Move where? Why? Could you be a little more vague, please? But then I looked up and saw a massive granite slab from the Vigil's wall collapsing – directly onto the spot where I stood.
It was only the magic I had learned as the Keeper's first that saved my life. And it was more pure, gut instinct than actual skill. The Warden Commander and her recruits had seen me perform the spell in the Wending Woods, but never before had I done it so quickly – summoning the roots beneath the soil to form a cocoon around me and whisk me underground. It was a desperate act of survival, and one that I wasn't fully in control of. I had always had a destination in mind when I cast that spell before, but as time slowed to a crawl and the stone descended over me, the only thought in my head was DOWN.
So down I went.
Hurtling into the earth, pebbles and bits of dirt pelting me, until my path bisected a tunnel and I was spat violently to the ground. My head collided with a large rock and I blacked out.
My head ached rather abominably when I awoke. Luckily I had slung my pack around my torso so I had not lost it in my mindless descent. I fished a healing potion from it and drank, focusing my will as best I could to direct the potion's effects toward my head. I could feel dried blood on my scalp, which was good – better to bleed out of my skull than into it. Once the pain subsided to a manageable level, I began to take stock.
Though I had never been there before, I knew where I was – the Warden Commander had told me of the tunnels beneath Vigil's Keep that connected to the Deep Roads. I had a moment of panic – were the darkspawn down here, trying to breach the keep the way they had before? I would be no match for them on my own. I reached inside me, to the taint in my blood. I could sense no darkspawn nearby; they had likely turned back when they found the path sealed.
In fact, I could sense no darkspawn anywhere near me, not even overhead. The battle must have been won, then. I closed my eyes and murmured a prayer of thanks to Elgar'nan for lending his strength to the Vigil's defenders.
Other than the blow to my head, my only injuries were scrapes and minor bruises. I wondered if the same could be said for those that had survived the assault. I looked down each side of the tunnel. There was nothing to indicate where either direction led – the ground neither rose towards the surface nor sank further into the deeps. All I could do was pick a direction and start walking.
The problem with a fifty-fifty choice is that half the time you're wrong.
I found myself in the Deep Roads. I gazed wonderingly at the architecture – the durgen'len certainly knew how to build things. Not my cup of tea, certainly, but there was a certain beauty to it nonetheless. The silence was eerie, yet somehow calming.
I should turn back, I thought. Anders is with the Commander; my mediocre healing skills will be better than none.
But when I turned, I found myself face-to-face with a shriek. My stomach plummeted into my boots – perhaps I should have sensed its presence, but I was still learning how to use the taint. Surprisingly, as I raised my staff to defend myself, the shriek hastily stepped back, raising its hands in a placating gesture.
It spoke in a voice reminiscent of glass shattering against stone. "I mean you no harm, Velanna."
What insanity is this? Perhaps I am bleeding into my skull. "How do you know my name, creature? And how did you get here? The way is sealed."
The shriek smiled, perhaps. Its mouth was not made for that expression. "I kept to the shadows to avoid the battle above, and made my way down to you. As to your first question – think, Keeper. Who amongst us knows your name?
My lip curled in disgust. "The Architect."
The shriek lowered its head. Remarkably, it seemed sorrowful. "The Father is no more. He was slain by your Warden Commander – and the Mother, too." It raised lucid, grieving eyes to mine. "We awakened ones are lost in the dark."
"Then who…" The answer slammed into me like a Stonefist spell, and my heart leapt. "Seranni."
"Yes. She has asked me to lead you to her."
"But why did she not come here herself? If the Architect is dead…"
"She would not have survived the journey here. With the Father dead, there is no one to control the taint within her. My mindless brethren would have sensed her as she traveled and transformed into a broodmother."
I shuddered convulsively and my knees weakened; I had to lean on my staff for support. "I see. I will come to her, of course. Perhaps the Commander will allow her to undergo the Joining? It would cure her of the taint – in a manner of speaking..."
"No, Velanna. She does not wish to be cured, at least not in that fashion. She wishes to continue the Father's work as best she can, and she believes your help would be invaluable."
I stood frozen in shock. The shriek could have slashed my throat where I stood and I wouldn't have blinked. "How can Seranni possibly think I would agree to such a thing?"
Again, that sort-of smile that looked so wrong on the creature's face. "Perhaps because any hope is better than none at all."
My heart seemed to twist in my chest. The idea of helping these creatures was sickening, but – what might they do if left to their own devices? And Seranni. I could help Seranni. Perhaps I could convince her to return to the Vigil and take the Joining. Perhaps I could even cure her myself, using the Architect's research….
I faced the shriek. "I will go with you to my sister. But I make no promises as to what actions I will take when I reach her."
The shriek bowed – bowed! – to me. "Ma serannas, Hahren."
Any hope is better than none at all.
A/N: I was a bit surprised when I did a search for Velanna stories and found only five – out of over three thousand! I think I can understand why, though; it's hard to get into her head. I know Velanna's not very well-liked, but I have a bit of a soft spot for her – probably because I went to high school with the actress that voiced her. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my theory on why Velanna's body was never found.
I'm still new at this, so reviews would be much appreciated!
Oh, and Bioware owns all, yadda yadda yadda.