Author's Note - This is my first attempt to use this site so I apologize if I have royally screwed anything up and hope you will be kind to the new kid on the block. I tried to preserve as much dialogue and description as I could but I did wind up adding a few comments and altering some appearances.
Perfectionism is a terrible thing.
Disclaimer: Bioware owns DragonAge and all related materials – and most of the dialogue. I am simply grateful they allow others to play in their world.
Wandering Hearts
Chapter One - The First Step
"It's a Dalish!" the goateed young man exclaimed from the ground where he had slid to an ignominious stop on his behind. The other two men staggered to a halt next to their clumsy friend, sides heaving as they gasped for breath.
"And you three are somewhere you shouldn't be," Tamlen coolly observed. His grip on the bow tightened as his fingers on the taut bowstring itched.
"Let us pass, elf. You've no right to stop us," the taller, red-haired man announced while the third man helped the bearded one to his feet.
"Oh no?" Tamlen warned, "We'll just see about that, won't we?" His keen ears picked up the sound of soft footsteps quickly approaching. He recognized his clanmate's scent and added in a warmer tone, "You're just in time. I found these humans lurking in the bushes. Bandits, no doubt."
Kaslyn allowed only one corner of her mouth to lift in a tiny, amused smile as she joined her friend in the small clearing. Her bow was equally tense and trained on the three interlopers. Tamlen had 'found' the humans because she had subtly herded their wild flight through the forest towards him with a couple of well-placed arrows.
"We aren't bandits," the red-haired man insisted, "Please don't hurt us."
"You shems are pathetic," Tamlen sneered, "It's hard to believe you ever drove us from our homeland."
"We've done nothing to you, Dalish," said the third man with short dark hair, "W-we didn't even know this forest was yours."
"This forest isn't ours, fool," Tamlen replied with disdain, "You've stumbled too close to our camp. You shems are like vermin, we can't trust you not to make mischief."
Kaslyn knew that to be all too true. They were simple, yet unfortunately effective, ploys. Humans stirred up trouble with their neighbors then blamed any Dalish who happened to be in the area. 'Dalish bandits' usually turned out to be human youths who had marked their faces and wore helmets or hoods to disguise their ears. Humans also occasionally tried to antagonize the Dalish directly for who would the wandering elves turn to for justice? Kaslyn did not think these three humans had any idea where her people's camp was but that did not mean they were not capable of making trouble for her clan.
"What do you say, lethallan? What should we do with them?" Tamlen deliberately caused his bow to creak, letting her know what his opinion was.
"Let's find out what they're doing here," she responded, even though she knew her clanmate would likely be annoyed by her curiosity. These humans had been fleeing recklessly through the woods even before she had come across them, and she had questions why.
"Does it matter?" Tamlen scoffed, "Hunting or banditry, we'll need to move camp if we let them live." His grip tightened again on the bow. Really, he thought with some exasperation, did she have to investigate every little detail about even the simplest and most obvious situations?
"L-look, we didn't come here to make trouble," the goateed man spoke up, "we just found a cave…."
"Yes!" Red-hair quickly jumped in, "with ruins like I've never seen! We thought there might be …"
"Treasure?" Tamlen interrupted derisively. "So you're more akin to thieves than actual bandits."
"Ha!" Kaslyn abetted, "I'd like to see these ruins!"
"So would I," Tamlen agreed dryly. "I've never heard of any ruins in these parts."
"I-I have proof!" Red-hair fumbled in a pouch on his belt under the watchful gaze of the two elves and produced a small stone carving. "We found this just inside the entrance!" He hesitantly offered them a small figurine.
Kaslyn started to relax her bowstring to take the stone but Tamlen beat her to it. He wasn't about to let these idiots any closer to her than absolutely necessary. While his clanmate continued to cover them with her bow, he scrutinized the small statue. It was a woman with antlers like a halla, the moon under her right foot, and two hares beside her. The base of the statue was covered in strangely familiar writing and his eyes widened. "Is this Elvish? Written Elvish?" he exclaimed with surprise.
Keeping the majority of her attention on the humans, Kaslyn glanced over at him with some interest.
Sensing they might have bought their freedom, Red-hair offered, "There's more in the ruins! We didn't get very far in though."
"Why not?" Kaslyn asked sharply.
"There was a demon!" the human answered, clearly overawed. "It was huge with black eyes! Thank the Maker we were able to outrun it!"
The elves exchanged another quick glance. Finding a cave with elven artifacts could be quite an important discovery for the Dalish who were always seeking any lost lore on their people. Still, they were cautious, and in this case, suspicious. Their clan and others had been in this area before and would have made note of any landmarks like a cave. Tamlen tucked the figure in his belt pouch then drew his bow and arrow on the humans again.
"A demon?" Tamlen asked skeptically, "Where is this cave?"
"T-to the west, I think." Red-hair stammered. "There's a cave in the rock face and a huge hole just inside…."
"Well?" Tamlen asked his clanmate, "Do you trust them? Should we let them go?" He caused his bow to flex threateningly again.
"You've frightened them enough," she replied. She let her tense bowstring down then added firmly in the humans' direction, "They won't bother us."
Somewhat disappointed, Tamlen hesitated a moment longer then relented as well. He still held the bow and arrow loosely as he told the humans, "Run along then, shems," he said dismissively, then warned, "And don't come back until we Dalish have moved on!"
"O-of course! Thank you! Thank you!" Red-hair said as he gestured for his friends to leave with him. They hurried off through the bushes, more or less in the direction of their village.
At least it was away from the camp and the cranky Dalish, Kaslyn reflected. They put away their weapons and she looked at Tamlen thoughtfully.
He caught sight of her appraisal and, knowing something was on her mind, arched an inquisitive blond eyebrow in return.
"You judge humans too harshly," she finally ventured.
"You are too soft," Tamlen snapped, "how many injustices must our people suffer before you learn to resent them properly?"
Kaslyn frowned and looked away from him. They'd had this conversation before – many times. Kaslyn had never blamed current humans for the sins of the past. The Elvhen people had been slaves in the land of Tevinter many centuries ago. This was Ferelden. Though some of their race – called 'flat-ears' by some Dalish - might still live in cities with humans, that was their own choice. The Dalish were no one's slaves anymore, and she believed that anything the humans did to them was here and now. In fact, unlike the other elves, she rarely even used the derogatory 'shemlen' – 'quicklings' - term when referring to humans. "There are good and bad humans just like there are good and bad elvhen," she quietly remarked.
Tamlen sighed. He was as aware of their previous stalemates on this topic as she was. He was not looking to fight with her now though. It was a beautiful day, the sun was out, and the forest was cool and crisp with the usual scents and sounds. He was secretly delighted Kaslyn had been the one to show up when he discovered the bumbling shems. He spent another few moments admiring her fiery red hair burning in the dappled sunlight, then in an effort to make peace, cleared his throat to get her attention. She looked back at him and they exchanged uncomfortable expressions before simultaneously muttering, "Abelas, lethallen." The mutual apology caused them both to grin at each other and Tamlen suggested in a friendlier tone, "Well, shall we see if there is anything to their story? These carvings make me curious!"
His cool blue eyes twinkled at her from under his short, light-wheaten hair, and she indulged in a moment of admiration for the way the graceful curves of his vallaslin emphasized his attractive features. His handsome face and strong hunter's build easily made him too appealing for her own good but she was not about to let him know that – at least not yet. She nonchalantly replied, "Sounds like a good idea."
"And if we find anything, the Keeper will want to know!" he added, well-pleased. Her indifferent tone had not fooled him: he knew how curious she could be. Kaslyn laughed and shook her head at him, melting his heart and any lingering annoyance. She knew him well, too: he always enjoyed attention. She had just apparently never figured out he especially enjoyed her attention.
"You're not fooling me, Tam," she grinned mischievously, using the nicknames kept between themselves ever since they were small children and noticed they had similar-sounding names.
Tamlen felt his heart flutter in his chest and caught himself before he could tumble into her lovely clear-blue eyes. Those expressive eyes and her wildly wavy, red hair, coupled with a lithe, sun-kissed figure, made for a striking combination. By the Creators, she was so beautiful, he thought. He shrugged and his grin widened in response as he admitted, "And if I were to bring some valuable ancestral artifact back to the Keeper, she might forgive me for … well, you know."
"I don't see why you got into trouble," she sympathized, "we were both brawling."
"Because I got caught and wouldn't give up any names," he reminded her with a wink. Even after all these years, they were still true to an unspoken, childhood promise to look out for each other. He knew she sometimes thought he could take it a bit too far, being a year or two older than her. Age had nothing to do with his protective instincts around her though.
She remembered the incident. They had been visiting a neighboring Dalish clan on some errand the day before yesterday and words had been exchanged. One of the other clan members – a lean, brown-skinned hunter with tightly-braided, reddish hair, she recalled – had made some disparaging remark about immature hunters who hadn't braved their vallaslin. Kaslyn, to whom the comment had obviously been directed, had her reasons for not having her face traditionally tattooed yet and, unconcerned about what anyone else thought, she took no offense. Tamlen did. He knocked the guy flat. The other elf's clanmates leaped in to help and Kaslyn joined the scuffle, defending her impetuous friend's back. They were outnumbered but holding their own when an authoritative shout went up and the other fighters abruptly scattered. Kaslyn had wanted to stay with Tamlen to explain and take her share of the blame but he had pushed her away and ordered her to run. His expression had been fierce and she had reluctantly obeyed. She had not told him but her conscience had nagged at her, and she had later gone alone and privately confessed to their own Keeper Marethari her part in the incident. "Thank you for covering for me by the way," she told him shyly.
"Of course," he answered easily then added, "You know I'd do anything for you, Kas." He was rewarded for this admission with one of her sweet smiles and felt his cheeks start to warm. He hid his pleasure by turning and gesturing for her to precede him on the trail. They had hunted together often – as often as they could actually – and had developed their own, mostly silent, communication. He looked back when she did not immediately take point.
"How did you know that was Elvish, Tam?"
He shrugged, "I've seen something similar on the Keeper's scrolls." He pulled out the figure and handed it to her. "See for yourself."
She accepted the statue and examined it carefully. Absently she nodded then offered the carving back to him but he indicated she should carry it and looked around while she put it away. He was startled when he felt her fingers boldly brush his cheek, feather-light, as she went by him. He grinned happily to himself and started after her. Quickly falling into the ground-eating lope of experienced Dalish hunters, they headed in the direction the humans had indicated. Tamlen never minded following Kaslyn. She was as sharp as the two dar'misus she carried along with her bow, and, he admitted privately, he was free to admire the view without her knowledge. A smile tugged on his mouth as his eyes lingered on the sway of her hips and the bounce of her tailed hair. Oh, how he wanted to run his hands through that thick, red mane. They had never really spoken about their feelings for each other, but there had been enough such subtle gestures exchanged that he felt she might favor him over the other young bucks in the clan. Just so long as she didn't wind up with that fumble-fingered idiot, Fenarel, he vowed to himself.
She stopped abruptly, tense, testing their surroundings. Instantly he followed suit. He saw nothing but peaceful forest and caught nothing amiss on the breeze or in the immediate sounds around them but fitted an arrow to his drawn bow when he saw her doing so. He heard a faint snarl and two wolves suddenly bounded out of the hollow ahead and charged right at them. Kaslyn had always had a sense for and a way with animals, he thought proudly, and it had served her well again.
Kaslyn murmured an apology for taking their lives before letting fly with her first feathered shaft. She did not like to kill wolves. She had baffled her people by spending an entire year observing any nearby packs and had been intrigued by what she had learned from them. There was something about their behavior and pack mentality that reminded her much of her clan and how they worked together and supported each other. Still, if she was attacked, Kaslyn would fight until her opponent gave up or she was victorious.
Coolly both elves fired on the two, cunning wolves. When the beasts came too close, Kaslyn clipped the bow back to her weapon harness and drew her dar'misus while Tamlen continued to fire. He briefly wondered if he should grab his own sword and shield but one wolf lay dead and she had already engaged the other, teasing it with her flickering knife-work so it presented a broad profile for him to target. Two arrows later and the second wolf lay dead beside the first. Shouldering his bow, Tamlen quickly looked Kaslyn over for any injuries but despite having closed with the animal, she had been too quick for it and was unscathed. They retrieved any usable arrows before turning their attentions to the dead wolves. After thanking the spirits for their gifts, they quickly and expertly skinned the carcasses.
"Hey," Tamlen asked after they finished and put away their blades, "Weren't you supposed to be assisting Master Varathorn today? How did you end up coming with me?"
Kaslyn shrugged and absently replied, "You know me. I get away from camp whenever I can."
"I've never known anyone so eager to wander," he shook his head then teased, "I bet you'll end up a flat-ear someday, living in the cities like a shem."
"You take that back!" Kaslyn demanded with a scowl, punching his bare upper arm between the shoulder and elbow armor.
Tamlen laughed and cringed away from her temper. She started after him but instead of retreating further, he boldly caught her wrist, gently twisting it around behind her waist, and pinned her against him. "Or what?" he dared her. Their leather breastplates were between them and although Kaslyn's midriff was bare, his bracers prevented any skin-to-skin contact – but it was a delightfully near thing.
Eyes sparkling with mischief and affection, Kaslyn murmured, "Don't make me get … inappropriate with you…."
Tamlen chuckled again and replied in a similar tone, "Is that a promise or a threat, lethallan?"
She cocked her head and her own saucy eyebrow at him. In response he pulled her even closer for a second before they mutually relented and parted before anything any more awkward might occur. She eyed him suggestively from under the disheveled bangs over her eyes and remarked, "I got out of it. I prefer to hunt."
He smirked at her dual meaning and agreed, "Me, too, even if you are a better hunter than I am."
"It's not the quantity of shots, it's the quality of shots," she reminded him sweetly and he grinned. Although she teased him about wasting so many arrows, she hoped he would someday teach her that rapid-fire technique he had. That reminded her of something, and looking at him, she abruptly said, "Switch bows with me."
"What?" He asked, "Why?"
"Because I obviously need more lead time to aim and your longbow has greater range than this shortbow," she answered easily.
Too easy, Tamlen thought. Anyone, who didn't know Kaslyn as well as he liked to think he did, wouldn't think twice about her answer, but he suspected there was more to it than she was letting on – just like he hoped there was more to her being with him instead of merely sliding out of duties with the crafters back in camp. "But you're skilled enough to use a shortbow and shortbows shoot faster," he reminded her.
"But not as far," she repeated.
There was something decidedly off about her logic but Tamlen shrugged and did as he was asked. Longbows were generally for those who were likely to miss a few shots and to give them plenty of time to slay the quarry from a safe distance. Shortbows were usually assigned to those skilled enough to take down their target with the fewest arrows and Kaslyn was one of the best. He was also firmly convinced that she could talk anybody into doing anything she wanted – or maybe it was just him.
She smiled as they exchanged bows and thanked him, adding, "Besides, you can't throw away as many arrows since your target has to get closer." Her smile widened, "and I like longbows better."
Tamlen laughed. "Ha! Finally the truth comes out!"
They stowed the raw pelts, shared a quick drink of water, and then agreed to resume their search for the alleged cave. A short distance from where the wolves attacked them, they discovered the remains of a dead halla. A quick inspection revealed that the ivory-colored elk had been elderly and likely fairly easy prey for the two wolves. Still, Kaslyn wondered what had prompted them to attack so readily but she kept her questions to herself. Tamlen wouldn't know anymore than she did. She was distracted from her musings by her clanmate calling her name. He had found a half-buried old chest nearby but could not get the lid open. After a careful examination of the lock, Kaslyn pulled out a fine length of hooked metal she kept hidden in one of her bracers. Inserting the slender rod into the lock, she managed to trigger the mechanism to release the lid, revealing an old, iron dagger. Since both hunters were already armed well enough, Tamlen stuck it in his pack.
They continued westward, only pausing occasionally to snatch a handful of useful herb or two. When they started discovering overgrown, crumbling stone columns, they knew they were getting close to something and slowed their pace to proceed with greater caution. Warily investigating their surroundings, they discovered the broken columns becoming larger, and more obvious, and eventually leading to a large section of ground that appeared to have simply melted downward between several huge boulders. Soon they found the cavern the humans were blithering about.
"This must be the cave," Tamlen announced. "I don't recall seeing this before, do you?"
"No, I don't," Kaslyn answered. "Let's check it out."
"My thoughts exactly," he agreed with a wink. "With luck we'll find something that will make us clan heroes!"
Senses highly alert, they carefully made their way through the rough opening of the cave and descended into the gloom. The roof of the cavern had crumbled in places where large tree roots had pushed their way through. Where the stone ceiling had given way to the trees, sunlight streamed inside, providing dim but sufficient light for the two keen-eyed elves. Although they had never noticed this cave in this area before, the dirt that had spilled inside was not loose and had been settled for some time. Pausing to look for any tracks, they were surprised to discover that, although the three sets of human prints were clear, there was little in the way of wildlife traffic. They proceeded cautiously, and eventually found the rough, natural rock growing smoother before eventually becoming blocks of worked stone, and they paused at the edge where dirt met floor. The air smelled mostly of the earth obviously surrounding them but also of musty dampness and something else neither could readily identify. All was quiet around them.
"It… looks like the shem was telling the truth," Tamlen murmured, "These ruins look more human than elven."
Kaslyn squinted into the shadows and spotted something hanging up near the ceiling. A large tree root had grown out of the wall on the right and happened to curve towards whatever the thing was. Nimbly swinging atop the root, she lightly balanced on it and discovered the object in question was a large cocoon. She was both curious and concerned about what might have spun a wrapping she now realized was the size of a large elf or a smallish human. A brief investigation through the fine threads yielded a few copper coins to drop in her pouch and Kaslyn returned to her clanmate so they could continue further.
They had no more than set foot onto the worked-stone floor when they discovered the web-spinners. Two, giant spiders suddenly dropped from the shadowed ceiling. Their bodies were easily as large as Tamlen's torso and each of their eight legs was as big around as one of his arms. Too close to effectively use her bow, Kaslyn snapped her hand at the nearest monster's many black eyes, temporarily surprising it long enough for her to snatch her daggers from her back and leap behind the thing. When its partner hesitated, the second spider also turned its attention on her and attempted to attack, but Kaslyn's maneuver had positioned the first monster between them. She made three quick, strategic cuts on the first spider, effectively killing it and turned for the second.
Tamlen had not been idle. Seeing his best friend beset simultaneously by the two horrors, he had been firing arrows at them as rapidly as he possibly could. His aim was lousy when he did so and, as she had teased him earlier, he could go through a lot of arrows quickly but he continued the barrage. The first spider died and the second turned towards him, but he kept firing with a grim smile. The monster had made a fatal mistake turning its back on Kaslyn. In seconds it was over. With a final sweep of both dar'misus, both spiders lay dead, legs constricted tightly into their grotesque bodies.
"We did it!" Tamlen exclaimed, relieved to see she was unhurt. Giant spiders were distinctly not normal but the Brecilian Forest was known to be a strange place and he assuaged his lingering anxiety with the knowledge they had proven more than a match for the creatures.
Kaslyn put away her weapons, glad to see him unharmed and chagrined to find she was the one splattered with the bloody mess of battle. The immediate threat ended, they gathered any usable arrows and explored the rest of the chamber. It was clearly human-worked stone but some of the smaller pieces scattered about appeared to have been carved with more Elvish writings. The atmosphere was chill and oppressive as well as gloomy and both elves kept their voices hushed.
"This place makes me nervous," Tamlen quietly admitted.
"What do you think all this is?" Kaslyn asked
Tamlen replied, "I'm not sure. This looks like a very old human place. Why would they build this? And why would elven artifacts be here? Maybe some of our ancestors lived here - in caves like the dwarves." Hastily he added, "I'll stick to roaming the land, myself."
"This doesn't feel like anyone's home," Kaslyn pointed out. It was definitely an eerie place but she did not get the sense that anyone had lived here.
"I don't know," Tamlen mused, "I have this odd sensation that we've … disturbed something, like we just walked into a dragon's lair…." He threw back his shoulders and stoutly announced, "Well, whatever it is, it won't stop me! A Dalish hunter fears nothing!"
Kaslyn's head slowly swiveled towards him with one eloquently arched eyebrow and Tamlen grinned impishly. Her eyes said it all.
They returned to their exploration of the ruins. Amidst a pile of rubble, Kaslyn found a heap of old bones with a few more copper coins scattered amongst the remains. Tamlen softly called her to his side where he had found an ancient chest. Kaslyn investigated and in moments the chest was unlocked. Inside they found a leather helmet that appeared to be in fairly good shape. Neither one cared to immediately put it on so it was added to her pack and they turned for the arched doorway on the western wall nearby. The pointed door opened onto a stone hallway that extended north and south. Dirt was spilled onto the floor where roots had broken through the roof and walls, stone ceiling tiles littered the ground, and large, rotting timbers were leaned against the walls in places. They looked around before Kaslyn tossed an inquiring glance back at Tamlen. He shrugged, so she chose to proceed to the left. The southern end of the hall performed a sharp turn west and the dark corner was suddenly illuminated by a torch magically flickering to life at their approach. The flames revealed a stone statue of a woman holding a bowl where the fire burned. Kaslyn walked up to the statue and studied it. She looked back over her shoulder at Tamlen who was examining another carving on the wall nearby and asked, "Do you think the Keeper will want to come here?"
"She takes any opportunity to gather elven lore," Tamlen mused, "When the clans come together, they exchange whatever they've found. She shouldn't come without hunters to guard her though. The air here feels so … sinister…," he added with a frown.
She could not argue with either the words or the sentiment and turned to follow the hall westward. Their soft leather boots made no sound on the cobbled floor but as they got closer to another arched door blocking the end of the corridor, they heard a scrabbling, hissing noise and exchanged concerned glances. They had never heard anything make noise like that, but the scents were the same as the spiders they had just dispatched, so they had some idea of what might be coming next. The door opened easily and immediately two enormous spiders rushed across the floor at them.
"Shoot them," Kaslyn calmly ordered before Tamlen could draw his sword and shield. Instead of pulling her own weapons, Kaslyn quickly knelt on the floor. He was a skilled archer and she was not worried about clearing his line of fire. She was, however, intent on disarming the pressure plate she had glimpsed just inside the doorway, before it killed one or both of them. There was no way, she knew, the trap would only kill the spiders. If the eight-legged monsters could trigger it, they would have likely already done so.
Tamlen quickly and steadily nocked, pulled, and released arrow after arrow at the oncoming creatures, anxiously keeping one eye on his clanmate as she manipulated something on the floor. He knew better than to question what she was doing. Kaslyn had a knack for spotting and disarming traps. Still, when the first spider got too close for his comfort, he put away his bow and grabbed his sword and shield. Hoping she was ready, he stepped forward with the battlecry, "For the Dales!" Immediately as he strode forward, there was a clacking noise. His shield came down between her and the spider just in time, and Kaslyn quickly rolled further inside the room, clearing the path for him, and drawing her dar'misus. In moments the two spiders at the door, and a third that had tried to ambush them, all lay dead.
"I will never know how you always manage to spot these things," he said, scuffing his booted foot over the gore-slicked plate where he stood.
"I just try to pay attention," she replied modestly, pleased with his compliment and relieved they were both unhurt. It had been a close thing that she had managed to deactivate the trap just as he needed to come forward to meet the spider's rush. As ever, they had danced together very well. Quickly looking over the dead monsters, she found a few coppers stuck to the abdomen of one of them. She pried the coins loose and added them to the others in the small pouch at her waist. Individual Dalish did not need to carry money but it was useful for the clan crafters to trade and purchase supplies. She would turn these over to Master Ashalle or Master Ilen when they got back to camp. Looking around, the two hunters discovered this room was significantly larger than the first one they had entered, and contained a number of ancient sarcophagi along with more tree roots, rubble, and webbing. There were also several large holes in the walls that appeared to have no roots or other easily identifiable causes and the elves chose to avoid them in favor of the ruins they were already investigating. A large opening in the floor, spanned by some sort of grillwork which had either supported the stone tiles of the floor or had replaced them, was skirted after a fleeting glance in the pit below revealed nothing of interest. In the far southwestern corner, Kaslyn spied another person-sized cocoon hanging from the ceiling. There were no helpful means for her to climb up to it this time so she softly called Tamlen over to give her a boost. He cupped his hands and crouched then straightened with stiff arms when she stepped into his hands. Her thigh against his shoulder provided balance and he turned his head politely away from the kilt of her leather armor while she pried apart the tough spider threads. "So why did you want to come down here so badly?" Kaslyn asked him.
"Aren't you curious?" Tamlen replied with some surprise. She was usually the first into anything new. "We could be discovering our history! Minstrels will write songs about us!"
She tossed him a wry look which he did not see and pointed out, "I am curious."
He shrugged the shoulder she leaned against and admitted, "At any rate, I wasn't expecting this place to … feel quite like this. Maybe this wasn't the best idea…."
Kaslyn glanced down at the top of his head and rolled her eyes. From the belt of this withered corpse she liberated two vials containing a faintly bluish liquid. She tapped his shoulder to indicate he could let go and dropped down right in front of him when he relaxed his hands. He took advantage of the opportunity to loosely encircle her with his strong arms.
"Steady there!" Tamlen remarked, and then asked, "Find anything interesting?"
Kaslyn did not mind his proximity but thought he was pushing his luck a little. She held up the two vials, necessitating they widen the distance between them, and explained, "Smells like lyrium potions. Merrill and the Keeper will be happy."
Tamlen recognized the maneuver and smirked as he showed her the deep mushrooms he had collected from some nearby rubble. They explored the large chamber further but other than webs, empty coffins, and broken stone, there was nothing else to see. Kaslyn tried her lockpicking skills on the western door that was across the room from the entry they had initially used, but either the lock was fouled or she simply did not have the skill to open it. She eyed Tamlen, waiting for a smart comment but he only grinned at her. "Maybe you can teach me how to do that sometime," he offered instead.
A third arched door to the north opened easily and Tamlen almost bumped into Kaslyn when she unexpectedly stopped in the doorway. Ahead of them was a short, narrow room that looked more like a brief hallway. On the right stood another carved woman with a flaming bowl held over a pile of bones on the floor in front of her pedestal. On the left a few large roots had forced their way through the wall along with a mound of dirt. At the far end was another door in the same pointed style as the rest they had seen so far.
"What?" he asked her.
"Too easy," she shook her head. She looked around the area then knelt to examine the floor again. A few seconds later he heard a clattering sound and Kaslyn stood up.
"Another one?" he asked in surprise and Kaslyn nodded and proceeded down the hall.
She left the pile of bones for him to investigate and cautiously approached the door at the far end. As she got closer another scratching, hissing noise echoed from the other side of the door but she did not let that distract her as her sense for danger alerted her to another barely-visible pressure plate. She spotted this one more easily, since she now had some ideas of what to look for, and disarmed it just as quickly. When she and Tamlen regrouped, he showed her a very crudely-fashioned shortbow. They exchanged puzzled looks. Bows were typically made from a single piece of wood or horn but this one was primitively lashed together with leather strips and would not take any prizes for beauty or grace. Even humans could make better-looking bows than this one. It was functional but awkward to grip and stronger to pull than it might seem at first glance. They decided to tie the beastly-looking thing under her pack and readied themselves for the next event.
Scent had warned them before the door opened, so they were prepared for the two aggressive spiders that skittered across the room at them with disturbing speed. Instead of waiting, however, Kaslyn raced through the doorway, using a pile of rubble that lay just past the open door to vault behind them. This maneuver gave Tamlen plenty of space to step into the room and freely swing his longsword. One of the monsters did not care which elf it attacked and swiftly lunged for Tamlen. He expertly blocked the dripping fangs with his shield, which left Kaslyn free to deliver quick and precise cuts and thrusts from behind it. Glancing up, Tamlen was dismayed to see that the other spider was not distracted, however. It reared on its back legs to overwhelm Kaslyn, but she snapped her fingers in its eyes, momentarily stunning it before she moved to engage it. Two quick thrusts of his longsword finished the spider on him and Tamlen quickly went to help his clanmate. Soon both of the things were dead.
He was about to call victory when Kaslyn scooped up a rock and threw it at the other side of the room. A third spider he had not even noticed suddenly rushed out of the shadows towards them. Stopping a good distance away, it reared up, firing a blob of something at the elves. Tamlen easily got his shield up in time then realized his mistake when the web exploded all over him. Struggling to free himself, his eyes widened in horror as he heard Kaslyn shout. He looked over to see her several feet away, waving her arms at the monster, drawing its attention away from him, and he fought even more desperately to escape the sticky threads. Having immobilized the first prey, the spider turned its attention on the second. Kaslyn, her two knives already slick with spider ichor, neatly dodged the sticky bolt of webbing it tried to snare her with, and then charged the hissing creature. By the time Tamlen finally managed to free himself, Kaslyn and the monster were engaged in a dance of blade and fang, arm and leg, lunging and dodging, but something was wrong. Kaslyn's movements appeared more deliberate and he could smell elven blood. He yanked his booted feet loose of the sticky ties to the floor and leaped the other dead spiders to get to her side. She saw him coming and awkwardly maneuvered the creature around so its back was to him. Tamlen was not cunning enough to find the weak points or make the particular cuts she could inflict from behind, but a skilled swordsman was lethal enough and with two strong strokes and a thrust, he killed it.
Quickly he checked her over for injuries. Still breathing hard with her head hanging, Kaslyn was bent over, propped up from her knees by hands that still clutched her daggers. Tamlen frowned. Any good Dalish hunter could run through the forest for hours without becoming seriously winded and although fighting was a different sort of effort, he knew it should not have been that much. He hastily returned his weapons to his harness and, examining her more carefully, finally noticed a slash on her right thigh. It did not look very deep but the blood oozing from the cut and mixing with the splotch of green covering the lower half of the wound made his heart leap into his throat. "By the Creators, Kas! Let me see that!"
Panting, she looked up at him then down at her leg to see what had made him so anxious. "Hunh," she murmured. She had felt the sting when the spider had lunged at her at one point; then the sting became a burn before going numb. She had felt her reflexes slowed and dulled but all she could do was keep fighting at the time. Now that she had a moment – and Tamlen had pointed it out - she saw the green slime on her leg and realized she had been poisoned. She stood steady as Tamlen quickly took an elfroot leaf from one of his pouches, used it to carefully wipe the stain from her leg, and then threw the leaf away from them when he was done. He bound a healing poultice in place before insisting that she chew one of the mushrooms he had found in order to help her withstand any poison already in her system. She growled at all of his precautions but her dark scowl was matched by one of his own and she cooperated. Tamlen was still clearly troubled but she smiled ruefully at him while her breathing and pulse quickly returned to normal and in a little while she felt better. Reaching out to reassuringly touch his shoulder, she told him, "Thanks, Tam. I'm fine now." His blue eyes searched her own for any subterfuge but found none and she was pleased to see the worry gradually fade from his features. Her gaze shifted to the shoulder where her hand rested and she started plucking off some of the spider webbing still clinging to him. It was drying quickly and becoming less sticky. Satisfied she had no other injuries, he started to help and a little while later he was completely free of all the strands.
Immediate concerns resolved, they continued their explorations. This chamber was large, stretching south to north, but broken up by a half dozen columns marching through the room. Tamlen gestured for Kaslyn to precede him and, sure enough, she discovered another trap near the northern corner where a passage led east. While she disabled the device, his quick search through nearby piles of rubble and bones yielded a few more items, such as a couple of still-useful healing poultices and more copper coins which he put away. Tamlen spotted another cocoon hanging from the ceiling in the southwestern corner and was more than willing to give Kaslyn a lift to investigate again. When he let her down, she held a number of small, thick arrows.
"Crossbow bolts," she explained. She looked at them closely in the dim light, realized the heads were made with flint, and caught a whiff of oil-soaked wood. She showed Tamlen and explained, "I think that when fired, the flint is supposed to spark along a piece of steel and ignite the end of the quarrel." Then she added, "These weapons rely on the archer's strength instead of dexterity and are mostly used by dwarves and humans."
"How do you know all that?" Tamlen inquired. It looked like a clumsy, unwieldy thing to him; not at all like the longer, graceful shafts of elven arrows.
Kaslyn chuckled, "Did you think you were the only one who ever snuck a peek at the Keeper's books?"
He enjoyed the magical sound of her laughter, so out of place in this dark, oppressive ruin, then arched his eyebrows at her. "You got all that from a 'peek' at her books?"
Kaslyn grimaced, "I didn't spend a week of nights at the river because I was suddenly keen to scrub all the supper dishes."
It was Tamlen's turn to laugh quietly. He remembered wondering why she had been absent from those evening fires – and being startled at his early twinges of jealousy at the thought of her sharing moonlight with any of the other hunters. He was distracted from his memories by Kaslyn's insistence on checking the short passage to the northeast where she had disarmed the trap. As she had suspected, the eastern opening connected to the very first hall they had encountered on entering the ruins. They turned back to the opposite corridor in the northwestern corner and found that after a few paces west, it turned south, becoming another long hallway. Huge tree roots, stretching along the right-hand wall, partially blocked the way, but the agile elves easily made their way past the roots and over the piles of dirt and crumbled tile littering the floor.
Halfway down the length of the passage, they discovered what was left of a tall, graceful statue standing against the eastern wall. It was completely different from the women holding the flaming bowls they had encountered on the other side of the ruins. Although time had worn away any recognizable facial features – if they had even existed – they could make out some sort of headdress, two slender arms held invitingly open, robes, and a flowing cape of some sort. Looking around, Kaslyn noted another closed door opposite the hauntingly familiar figure.
Tamlen brushed her arm with his fingers and drew her attention back to the carved stone. "I can't believe this. You recognize this statue, don't you?"
Kaslyn examined the ancient sculpture with her eyes and replied, "It's worn but it looks vaguely familiar…."
"Back when our people lived in Arlathan, statues like these honored the Creators," Tamlen explained. "When the shems enslaved us, much of that lore was lost. This looks like human architecture … with a statue of our people. Can these ruins date back to the time of Arlathan?"
Kaslyn was dubious. They weren't anywhere near Arlathan but she did not know any more than he did so she hedged, "Perhaps, but there isn't much left down here."
Tamlen acknowledged her point, "Yes…, time and decay take their toll. Still, there's bound to be something of value!"
She smiled. Even as unnerved as they were by this creepy place, Tamlen's spirits were irrepressible. Suddenly curious about how he seemed to know so much, and because she enjoyed the sound of his voice, she asked, "How did you know all that about the statue?"
Tamlen shrugged and grinned sheepishly at her. "I saw a picture of it in one of those old books the Keeper never lets anyone touch. It was one of the old gods. The Keeper called him a 'friend of the dead'."
Kaslyn's russet eyebrows arched, "'Friend of the dead'? What does that mean?"
Tamlen shrugged, "He was a guide who took people across the spirit land to their final rest in the Beyond. But he wasn't an evil god, not like Fen'Harel – the Great Wolf." He hesitated then added, "It doesn't seem right that a place so … wrong… would be his."
"Are you talking about Falon'Din?" Kaslyn asked with a sudden intuition.
"That was the name," Tamlen agreed with a nod.
They looked at the faceless statue again but there was no reassurance or intimidation to be found there.
"Let's keep going," Kaslyn suggested. They had come this far, after all.
"Lead on, lethallan," Tamlen gestured for her to continue.
Kaslyn momentarily debated about trying the door opposite the strange statue but decided she would rather make certain the rest of the hallway held no surprises. Trotting south down the stone passage, she made absent note of a few withered skeletons in rusted armor sprawled on the floor. They appeared to have nothing of value or interest on them and she did not bother to search them any more closely. If they did possess anything, it would keep until they had secured the rest of the ruins. The corridor also held other statuary - a few without heads, mostly women with swords or shields, and another one holding a flaming bowl - and she continued down the hall until it made another sharp left turn and ended at a door. Kaslyn's mental map of the place identified this as the locked door that she had been originally unable to open in the first spider room, and testing the door, she found it was indeed still locked tightly. Satisfied that nothing would be coming from behind to surprise them immediately, she returned to the alcove across from the elven statue.
Starting for the pointed door, she paused; something about the shadows on the floor tickled the hair on the back of her neck. Something was amiss there. Warning Tamlen back, she knelt and examined the area for some time but saw none of the tell-tale signs she had come to recognize in this place. Apprehensive that the unsettling atmosphere around them might be starting to interfere with her instincts, she reminded Tamlen to keep his distance then stepped cautiously towards the doorway. The instant she set foot inside the edge of the suspicious shadow, an unseen charm of some sort was triggered. A wrenching nausea in her gut abruptly caused her to gasp and she started to crumple to her knees. Tamlen, who did not always do as he was told she noted both fondly and sourly, quickly leaped forward, caught her around the waist, and pulled her back towards the statue. His actions apparently caused him to be included in the trap's effects and he groaned and doubled over in pain next to her. The two elves clung to each other on their knees for several seconds until the strangely induced spasms eventually ceased.
"Well, that was fun," Tamlen gasped sarcastically as they helped each other back to their feet.
"Remind me not to have that much fun again," Kaslyn agreed.
After reassuring themselves that the spell had passed, they turned warily back towards the door. Kaslyn insisted on going first again and this time, as her second step fell into the center of the now-visible circular shadow, they heard a rasping growl from behind them. Whirling to look, they were horrified to see two of the desiccated skeletons getting up from the floor. Clouds of dirt showered around the corpses and their dusty eye sockets turned in the elves' direction. The senior hunters always taught that if something could bleed, it could be killed, and Kaslyn wryly wondered what they would say about killing things already dead. Wasting no time, she whipped out her dar'misus and attacked the dried corpse on the left, crossing in front of a motionless Tamlen as she did so.
Tamlen was astonished to see dead bodies rise from the ground, where they had apparently lain for many years, and stumble towards him. How do you kill what was already dead, he wondered, feeling panic rise in his guts. Absently he noted one of the dead easily wielding one of the largest swords he had ever seen in his life. Both he and Kaslyn had heard tales of humans and dwarves – and even some brawny elves – who used such massive bludgeons but, practically speaking, two-handed weapons were not commonly favored by the Dalish with the obvious exception of bows. There simply was not room in a forest to easily swing such huge weapons. Suddenly he was shaken from his amazement when Kaslyn darted by him to launch herself at a skeleton. Tamlen grinned at his impulsive clanmate; as ever, she led the way. Wasting no more time, he quickly grabbed his sword and shield and leaped into the fray with his best friend. The undead were tough to kill but the hunters concentrated their efforts first on the one with the greatsword then on the other with the sword and shield, and eventually both corpses were broken enough to again be back at rest on the floor. Both young elves, rattled by the haunting experience, put away their weapons then instinctively grabbed for each others' hands. Tamlen gasped, "Were those walking corpses?"
"How could walking corpses be here?" Kaslyn asked at the same time.
Tamlen shook his head. Taking a few, deep, steadying breaths, and growing somewhat calmer, he spoke. "Hahren Paivel once said that in places where many people died, it can become setheneran – a land of waking dreams. The Veil becomes weak and spirits slip into our world. Then they possess corpses and walk around…" He paused and they glanced around.
"Ugh…," they both shuddered simultaneously and one of Tamlen's arms slipped comfortingly around her waist while he rested the hand he still held on his chest.
Trying to hide her mounting misgivings, Kaslyn asked, "Do you want to turn around?"
Tamlen was thoughtful for all of a second before answering, "Mmm…, no. This place must have been important for so many to have died here. I'm curious … Let's press on … I want to know how our people were involved with this. "
Kaslyn nodded. Perhaps she was letting her imagination run away with her instincts after all. "You said something about a 'Veil'?" She suddenly recalled.
Tamlen shrugged self-consciously. "I'm no storyteller. All I remember of the Hahren's tales is that a Veil separates our world from the spirit world." He paused, trying to remember, then went on, "He said that spirits are jealous of us and always try to steal our souls. They want to be like us so badly they'll even possess our dead which drives them insane." Tamlen's shoulders twitched uncomfortably, "But for them to enter our world, the Veil must be weak." He glanced around and quietly added, "Is that why this place feels so strange?"
"I don't like that idea," Kaslyn softly admitted.
"Neither do I," he agreed.
They stood there together for a few more moments then Kaslyn made the effort to rouse them from their disturbing contemplations. "So talk," she teased, "If that will calm you down!"
"I suppose," he replied dubiously. He brightened as he realized her intent and continued in a lighter tone, "Hey, if you weren't assisting Master Varathorn today, then how did you end up coming with me?" He had found out she had confessed to Keeper Marethari about the incident in the other camp and had been both impressed and chagrined. His punishment had been an assignment to run the other clan's long trap-lines; a boring task which, if done properly, would keep him out of the area for at least a day and a half. Tamlen had been diligent and had returned to his clan late yesterday evening. For her part in the affair, he learned that Kaslyn had been assigned to work for two days with the Craft Master in the other camp. Practiced mischief-makers, they both knew the main reason was to keep them separated for a time. The other reason was to give the 'injured' clan an extra set of helping hands. If the elders were also hoping to exchange new blood by one of them becoming interested in a member of the other camp, they were doomed to disappointment. He had inquired as discreetly and indirectly as he could and found out Kaslyn was of the opinion that the other clan's bucks were mainly bland, humorless simpletons which pleased Tamlen to no end. Despite the exotic beauty of some of the dusky vixens in the other tribe, as far as Tamlen was concerned, none could compare to Kaslyn. So separation-as-punishment, plus extra chores, it was for them.
Kaslyn was shocked to hear her own voice answer, "I wanted to be with you, of course." Her eyes flew wide open. Feeling her face heat, she dropped her head with a pained expression. What was she doing? Why did she say that? If he didn't feel the same way about her …! She suddenly realized she had at some point slipped her arm around his middle, while he held her other hand over his heart, and they had been embracing each other for some time. How did that happen? Through his leathers she felt his heartbeat quicken. She was convinced this situation had Disaster written all over it.
Tamlen was elated at her words and was secretly glad she did not see the ridiculous grin that came across his face while his heart drummed in his chest. It was not often Kaslyn simply came out with her thoughts or feelings so openly. He determined right then to speak with their elders as soon as they got back to camp.
Kaslyn felt warm, calloused fingers under her chin, urging her to look up into his face. She knew she was still flushed but could not resist too hard. She had come this far, she thought resignedly, might as well see the awkward situation through. He was a half-head taller than she was and as her gaze reluctantly lifted she saw that Tamlen's eyes were as tender as his touch and his expression was gently amused.
"I … thought that might be the case. I'm glad," he quietly reassured her with a warm smile. He paused then suggested, "Let's just find whatever's here and get out. We can talk later."
Kaslyn smiled and nodded in relief and unexpected anticipation.
Reluctantly parting, they searched the corpses of those they had re-slain. Aside from the greatsword that was in surprisingly good condition, they recovered two more, viable, healing poultices, an iron longsword and a small, metal, round shield. Warily turning for the door that had been temporarily forgotten, they cautiously crept towards the entry. For once, nothing happened as they crossed the now clearly-visible, dark circle without incident. Kaslyn checked the door and found the lock had been smashed by something. The hinges were stiff or bent, however, and she had to lean in on the door to push it open.
Suddenly a loud roar echoed around them, battering their ears at the same time their sensitive noses were assaulted with the stench of raw flesh, blood, and putrescence. Both elves looked inside to see some huge, revolting … thing rising from the floor to its four, clawed feet. Two, enlarged fangs, the length of a hand, dripped down past the thing's lower jaw, long, pointed spines pierced through flesh that looked mostly raw and flayed, and only a few strips and tufts of brownish fur still clung in spots to its body.
Kaslyn immediately rushed into the room. She knew from experience that the trick with bears – if that's what this thing used to be – was to kill them before they got any momentum behind their bulk or worked themselves into a berserker fury. Its eyes, what she could see past the face marred by bony lumps on its head, looked clouded, but if its sight was worse than normal, its sense of smell and hearing clearly made up for the lack, as it quickly oriented on the doorway and started to charge forward. One of Kaslyn's blades ripped across its snout when she dodged past the hideous hulk, and it started to track her movements, giving enough time for Tamlen to close with it.
"Not a chance!" Tamlen called, and with his battlecry, struck its thick shoulder with his sword, drawing its attention to himself. He took the first blow from its huge paw on his shield with a grunt then slashed again at the monster. Kaslyn, avoiding the spikes protruding from the rest of the creature's body, quickly positioned herself behind the beast and started to work her blades over its fetid, oozing flesh while Tamlen held it at bay with his shield. A dual sweep of both blades apparently struck a nerve because it bellowed and spun around unexpectedly to turn its rage on her. She heard Tamlen shout her name with fear in his voice, and her eyes widened when the behemoth suddenly lurched to its hind legs. It towered over her, swinging both massive paws at her head. Reacting on instinct and adrenaline, Kaslyn dodged the claws and took advantage of the creature's exposed belly. Her blades were a flurry of motion as she performed three rapid jabs into its vitals. Badly wounded, the monster roared in pain and plummeted down on top of her. At the last moment, Kaslyn thrust her left dagger into its chest then swept her right blade deeply through its neck. A fountain of bloody ichor erupted, and with a gurgling moan, the creature crashed to the floor, with Kaslyn neatly side-stepping the monstrous corpse as the head landed on the spot where she had been standing.
Tamlen, who had been frantically hammering at the thing's spiny back, trying to draw it off of her, was more than a little relieved to see her still standing when the beast toppled to the ground. "By the Creators!" He gasped, "What was that thing?"
"I think …, I think it used to be a bear," Kaslyn hesitantly replied. Strangely sympathetic, she silently wished its spirit a safe passage into the Beyond.
Both splattered with gore, he eyed her sharply and asked, "Are you all right?"
Kaslyn nodded and wiped her blades off on her leggings. She gave Tamlen an inquiring expression.
He nodded that he was well then grinned and remarked, "I guess you'd know if it was a bear."
She returned his smile. She had four, parallel, horizontal scars on her upper right arm and a longer, matching set on her left thigh where she had accidentally tangled with a brown bear by herself. She still slept under the hide she had taken that day to become acknowledged as a full hunter, and she and Tamlen still wore the matching bearclaw necklaces she had made from it, too. Reluctantly, she bent to examine the mutilated corpse before her now, and discovered a wad of mail that turned out to be a scale armor chest piece, as well as a dark red, nearly black, garnet. That someone might have been the beast's last meal was disturbing enough, that the carcass suddenly dissolved into a large puddle of bloody ooze, leaving only a scattering of the larger bones, was even more unsettling. The two hunters exchanged a disgusted glance and shivered. They then turned to explore the rest of the chamber.
This room was circular and had once been much more elaborately carved than the other areas they had seen thus far but, also unlike the rest of the ruins, this chamber was even more overgrown. Huge roots, the size of tree trunks, lined most of the walls and largely obscured the detailed stonework behind them. Leafy growths in the openings of the arched ceiling above allowed for some light to penetrate. As Tamlen investigated a nearby pile of rubble, Kaslyn came across another old sarcophagus on the other side of the room. She found the lid slightly askew and inside discovered a leather belt and a small, strangely-carved black stone. The belt was clearly Dalish, made from halla hide, and bore a faint tingle of magic. Admiring the images of birds in flight embossed on it, and to conserve space in her pack, she went ahead and slung it loosely around her waist. She then examined the dark stone. An unfamiliar symbol was carved into it but the truly curious aspect was that the etching was warm, with a flickering, orange glow as though a candle flame had been somehow embedded inside the stone behind the symbol. Kaslyn was fascinated and slipped the rock into a pouch. Nothing else of interest appeared around the perimeter of the chamber, except for a rough opening halfway up the western wall which intrigued her. She turned and saw Tamlen standing with his arms crossed, studying the most obvious thing in the middle of the room.
Six, stone steps led up to a dais on which an ornately-decorated, full-length mirror stood. The top of the glass arched up to a point nearly twice their height overhead. Etched around the edges of the mirror were marks that appeared to be some sort of writing. The otherwise-flawless glass was flanked by two, huge statues of men in robes, each holding a large, stone sword with the points resting at their feet. Everything surrounding the mirror was carved from a lighter-colored rock that was different from the rest of the ruins they had explored. Kaslyn came to stand next to Tamlen who was still looking at the strange mirror.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Tamlen breathed. "I wonder what the writing says," he asked with a glance at her.
"'Do not touch the glass'?" Kaslyn answered drolly. This was definitely the source of Wrongness in this place. She could feel … something, pulsing just beyond the surface of the mirror, like a lid left on a boiling pot.
Tamlen scoffed in good humor, "Not that we'd leave a fingerprint on it … see how clean it is? Not a single smudge or crack."
She looked at him. He seemed awfully excited about something her instincts were warning to leave alone - and just leave, period.
"I wonder what this writing is for?" He mused. "Maybe this isn't – hey, did you see that?" His eyebrows quirked and he glanced quickly at her. "I think something moved inside the mirror …."
Kaslyn did not like the sound of that and her instinctive warnings about danger went from muttering to clamoring. She looked at him anxiously and said, "Get away from it, Tamlen…." She touched his elbow, subtly urging him to leave.
"Hold on," he answered with impatience and moved his arm away from her hand. He glanced at her again, "I just want to know what it is. Do you see it?" His eyes started shifting back and forth between her and the mirror.
Kaslyn peered at the mirror again, trying to see what mesmerized him in the glass. Then she did see it. Near the bottom, roughly hip-high from the top of the dais, something like a small ripple briefly appeared in the otherwise still surface of the glass.
"There it is again!" Tamlen said excitedly. "Can you feel that? I think it knows we're here."
As though sensing his emotion, faint color fluttered inside the mirror again and Kaslyn felt a wave of cold wash out over her. Tamlen started up the steps towards the glass and Kaslyn reluctantly followed as he went on, "I just need to take a closer look …."
Kaslyn really did not like the sound of that and wondered why he 'needed' to do anything but leave. Still, she would not abandon her clanmate and climbed the steps at his side until they stood directly in front of the mirror. At this point she could no longer tell herself it was the angle of the glass - whatever else this mirror might be doing – it was not casting their reflections.
Tamlen continued to look in the mirror, occasionally glancing back at Kaslyn to see if what he was watching was registering with her. She looked anxious but otherwise did not appear to be seeing anything distinctly unusual in the glass. "It's showing me places …," he explained. His hand reached out and his fingers brushed the surface of the glass. It felt icy to the touch, he noticed, even as he looked back and saw her watching not the mirror but him with a troubled expression. "I can see some kind of city … underground …, and there's a great blackness…."
Kaslyn's curiosity was quickly losing out to the combination of unease about this creepy mirror and fear about its apparently sinister effect on Tamlen. Her instincts were howling their warnings in earnest now. She flinched and then wanted to punch him when he reached out and actually touched the thing. Where his fingers met the glass, colors swirled and began to fill the rest of the mirror but there was no resolution into any of the imagery, he was apparently seeing.
Suddenly the excitement in his voice turned to panic, "It saw me…! Help…! I can't look away - !"
Kaslyn grabbed Tamlen's arm to pull him away as the mirror began to glow brighter and brighter. She felt a sharp blow in her midsection as she was thrown from the dais. "TAMLEN!" Kaslyn yelled. The last glimpse she had of him saw his head turned in her direction with his left arm up shielding his face, and his right hand extended where she had been standing. Her vision of him was swallowed by a blinding white light. The cold air was filled with the stench of ozone and a low, rumbling growl seemed to mutter the word, "Speak…." Black silence pounced on her from nowhere and everywhere.
~O~
Aching in her head, in her joints, and all the places in between penetrated the darkness. As soon as she recognized the feeling of pain, she was forced to acknowledge the waves of unbearable heat as well as the nausea washing through her. There was something she had to do…, someone…, somewhere …, needed her. Was that a voice? Kaslyn managed to lever her eyelids open and through fever-blurred vision saw something green that could have been a bush and what might have been a stone column. Her ears were filled with a roaring hum. The scents cloying at her nose, and encouraging her stomach to share its contents, she faintly recognized as belonging to the forest. Where was she? She turned her head and a dark face slid into her hazy vision.
"Can you hear me?" A deep voice she did not recognize resonated in her ears. "I am … very sorry…."
No…, sorry… The word found an echo lodged deep in her heart and she turned her head away. She had to go … do … something … where was …? She moaned softly as she felt hands gently work their way under her knees and shoulders, and she was picked up and cradled to someone's armored chest. She finally identified the scent as human then lost it in the prickling, hot blackness that dropped over her like a wet wool blanket.