Chapter Nine

"Let my blade pass through the flesh,

Let my blood touch the ground,

Let my cries touch their hearts.

Let mine be the last sacrifice."

-Canticle of Andraste 7:12

I was finally here: Sloth's inner sanctum. I could see the vile fiend standing just several yards up ahead. I knew it knew that I was here. It was staring right at me with unnaturally, black beady eyes.

As I approached it, I felt my heart start to pound. In order to leave here, I'd have to defeat this fiend. I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to defeat it and that I'd be stuck here forever.

"What do we have here? A rebellious minion? An escaped slave," Sloth laughed scornfully. "My, my, but you do have some gall. Play time is over. You have to go back now."

I glared at the demon, fury boiling inside me. This wicked creature had trapped me and my companions, and countless others, in its realm to suffer; to taunt us with our deepest desires, just so it could feed off of our life essence and make itself stronger.

Alistair, Leliana, Sten, and Wynne suddenly appeared to my left. They hadn't awoken after all, like I had hoped. Perhaps it hadn't been realistic to expect them to have been freed so easily.

"Oh, here I am! And there you are! You just disappeared. Well no matter." Alistair said.

"I am here. It's time to finish this. I've had enough of cages." Sten growled.

"You will not hold us, demon. We found each other in this place and you cannot stand against us!" Wynne said defiantly.

"You tried to keep us apart. You lead us from each other because you fear us. Don't you?" Leliana said.

"If you go back quietly, I'll do better this time. I'll make you much happier." Sloth said.

"We'll make our own happiness, thank you." I hissed.

"Can't you think about anyone besides yourself? I'm hurt, so very hurt." Sloth said.

"I'll take my chances. I'll do nothing you say!" I said.

"You wish to battle me? So be it. You'll learn to bow to your betters, mortals!" Sloth snarled.

Alistair, Sten, and I brandished our weapons and charged at the demon. Each of us struck it, but it seemed to have no effect. Our blades went right through the fiend, cleanly. No blood was spilled. Not even Leliana's arrows were doing anything.

Sloth laughed mockingly at us. "You have no power here, mortals. This is my realm!" It said.

With a wave of its hand, Alistair, Sten, and I were hurled backwards. I slammed painfully into the ground. The force of the impact had been so strong that the wind was driven from my lungs. I lied there, wheezing.

I staggered to my feet, still feeling dazed. I pushed past the pain and charged at the demon with Alistair and Sten, only to be flung away like a ragdoll again.

Wynne was striking at the demon with arcane bolts from her staff while Leliana was unleashing arrows. Leliana's arrows were doing absolutely nothing to the demon, but Wynne's magic was affecting it. Sloth shrieked in agony when the old mage's magic struck it.

I climbed to my feet, groggily. The pain that seared through me was excruciating. It was getting harder to get back up each time.

I stood there for a moment, surveying the demon from a distance. This thing wasn't like the people or darkspawn I had faced in the waking world. It didn't bleed and it didn't seem to have any weaknesses, apart from Wynne's magic. But there was only so much Wynne could do. She couldn't defeat this demon on her own.

We need a new strategy. Doing the same thing over and over isn't cutting it. This is insanity. I thought. Perhaps if I can sneak around it and strike it unawares, I can deliver the death blow. If the others can keep it busy long enough, perhaps I will have a chance.

While my allies kept assailing the demon with their attacks, I quietly crept around, looking for an opening from which to strike. I spotted an opening between Alistair and Sten, so I charged at the demon. I leapt into the air and landed on the demon's back, my longsword going straight through its neck.

It didn't work like I had planned. The demon seized me with an invisible power and slammed me into the ground. I felt as if I were being held down by some giant hand. I was unable to move and my body was being crushed. My life was being squashed out of me, much like an insect being stepped on by a boot.

The demon then lifted me up and began crushing my throat. I writhed in its invisible grip, gasping for air. I could feel the bones in my throat being crunched and my blood streaming from my wounds.

"I command the darkest shadows of your nightmares!" The demon roared.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sten, battered and disoriented, rise to his feet. He brandished his mighty broadsword and swung it with all his might, decapitating the demon in one stroke.

I was released and I fell to the ground, wheezing painfully. The demon had been vanquished at last. We had won.

I weakly lifted my head, searching for my comrades. Alistair and Leliana were feebly climbing to their feet, while Sten was scanning his surroundings warily, as if waiting for more demons to appear. Wynne was going around, using her healing magic to help them recover. By the time she finally came over to me, I was barely conscious.

The old mage knelt down beside of me and murmured some strange words under her breath. An oddly warm and soothing sensation washed over me as Wynne's healing magic went to work. I could feel my injuries mending and the vigor being returned to my exhausted body.

As I stood up, I saw a mage appear near where the sloth demon once was. I recognized him as the man I had met after leaving Dairren behind in my dream. He was the one that had told me about the pedestals and islands.

"Niall?" Wynne said.

"You defeated the demon. I never thought…I never expected you to free yourself, to free us both!" Niall said.

Niall? That name sounds vaguely familiar. I thought. He was a Circle mage that tried to stop the blood mages…I think. Didn't Owain mention him?

"When you return…take the Litany of Adralla from my body. It will protect you from the worst of the blood magic."

"Aren't you coming to help?" I asked.

"I can't go with you. I've been here for far too long." He replied.

"Why?" I said.

"For you, it will have been an afternoon's nap or perhaps just a night's sleep. Your body won't have wasted away in the real world while your spirit lay in the hands of the demon." He said.

"What is that supposed to mean? You think your body is dead?" I inquired.

"Every minute I was here, the sloth demon was feeding off of me, using my life to fuel the nightmares of this realm. There is so little of me left," He said. He let out a long, sad sigh. "I was never meant to save the Circle or survive its troubles. I am dying. It's as simple as that."

"You're not dying. I could heal you." Wynne said.

"Thank you, but it is too late for me. I don't fear what may come. They say we return to the Maker in death. That isn't such a terrible thing. My only regret is that I couldn't save the Circle. But you…you all can," He murmured. "Take the Litany off my body when you return. It's extremely important."

Reluctantly, I agreed. I felt terrible for leaving him behind here, but he was already resigned to his fate.

"I will do this." I said.

"I'm not a hero…perhaps trying to be one was foolish." He sighed.

"That's not true. You did a lot for the Circle." Wynne said.

"Dark times, greater acts of heroism, eh? You may be right," He said. "Before I was taken to the Circle, my mother said I was meant for greatness and that I would be more than my ancestors could have ever dreamed. I just hope I haven't disappointed her."

"I'm sure she's very proud of you." I responded.

"It's time for you to be on your way. Remember the Litany. The Circle is all that matters now. Thank you and goodbye, friends." He said.

XXXXX

I woke up. I was back in the waking world at last. I stood up slowly, looking around warily. My head was still reeling from what had just happened. It seemed that I was alive and back in reality. I couldn't believe it! I was back in my body!

My allies stirred. They looked equally grateful to be alive.

"I can't believe it. We're alive!" Alistair said.

"Ugh…I never want to go through anything like that again." Leliana groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"Let us be off. I'm ready to leave this place." Sten said.

I knelt down by Niall's corpse and took the Litany of Adralla, as I had been instructed to. My companions and I then made our way through the rest of the fourth floor of the tower. We ran into some more demons and abominations, but not as many as I had expected. Our increased animosity of these wicked things fueled us onwards, allowing us to cut through the fiends rather easily.

When we reached the final chamber of the fourth floor, we came across something truly bizarre. There was a lone templar in the middle of the chamber, kneeling and praying. He was enclosed by an odd purple energy. Was that a templar ability or some sort of magic? He seemed to be anguished, so it was likely that it was a maleficarum's doing.

"This trick again? I know what you are. It won't work. I'll stay strong!" The templar spat upon seeing us.

"Cullen! Are you alright?" Wynne asked.

"Enough visions. If anything in you is human, you will kill me now and stop this game." Cullen said. "You broke the others, but I will stay strong. For my sake and theirs…filthy blood mages! I will not break. I'd rather die."

"He is exhausted. And this cage…I've never seen anything like it," Wynne said. "Rest easy, help is here."

"Silence! I'll not listen to anything you say. Now be gone!" Cullen hissed.

He squeezed his eyes shut tightly. After several seconds, he opened them again. When he saw that my companions and I were still here, he looked both livid and alarmed.

"Still here? But that's always worked before. I close my eyes but you're still here when I open them." He said.

"I'm real and I'm here to help you." I said firmly.

"Don't blame me for being cautious. The voices…the images…they're so real….d-did Greagoir send you? How did you get here?" He asked.

"We're Grey Wardens, trying to resolve the Circle's difficulties." I replied.

"Good. Kill Uldred…kill them all for what they've done. They caged us like animals and looked for ways to break us. I'm the only one that's left." He said.

"Be proud. You mastered yourself." Sten said.

Rather than being flattered, Cullen was furious. "Be proud? What is there to be proud of? That I lived and they died? They turned some of us into…monsters. There was nothing I could do!" He cried.

I truly did feel sorry for this man, but this was taking too long. More people were getting tortured as we spoke. I could hear ghastly screams and shrieked from upstairs, and it concerned me greatly. If I was going to save all those that could be saved like I had vowed, I would need to get up there quickly.

"Where are Irving and the others?" I asked.

"What others? What are you talking about?" He said.

"Irving and the other mages who fought Uldred. Where are they?" Wynne said.

"They are in the Harrowing chamber. The sounds coming out of there…oh Maker…." He said.

"We must hurry. They are in grave danger. I'm sure of it." Wynne said.

"You can't save them. You don't know what they've become." He said.

"We can't just kill them all." Leliana replied.

"They've been surrounded by blood mages whose wicked fingers snake into your mind and corrupt your thoughts!" He cried.

"His hatred of mages is so intense…the memory of his friends' deaths is still fresh in his mind." Alistair murmured.

"You have to end it before it's too late!" Cullen said.

"I want to save everyone who can possibly be saved." I said.

"Are you really saving anyone by taking this risk? To ensure this horror is ended, to guarantee that no abominations or blood mages live, you must kill everyone up there." He said.

"I can't decide on that until I see what is going on." I responded.

"You can't tell maleficarum by sight. Just one could influence the mind of a king, of a grand cleric." He said.

"I've made my decision." I said sharply.

He sighed heavily. He looked as if he were finally finished fighting with me.

"Maker turn his gaze on you. I hope your compassion hasn't doomed us all." He muttered.

I left the templar behind and ascended the final flight of stairs. My heart was pounding and fear was threatening to consume me, but I ignored it and pressed on. These people needed my help and I had sworn to help them. It was my duty as a Grey Warden.

Upon arrival into the Harrowing Chamber, I saw a horrifying thing taking place. A demon was being forced into the body of a mage, who was shrieking in agony. A pair of abominations and a mage was performing the ritual on their victim. The mage that was leading the vile ritual looked awfully familiar. He had a clean shaven head, beady eyes, and an aquiline nose. Perhaps I had seen him at Ostagar?

Their victim dropped to the floor, convulsing and screaming. Within a few seconds, he began a hideous metamorphosis. His skin became pale white at first, but then started to darken and redden. It bulged and twisted, and then expanded. His body became gnarled and fanged, all the while he shrieked in torment. Just a few feet away from it all was a small group of mages, limbs bound with rope and shaking from fright. They were all so horrified that they couldn't watch.

And then it was over. An abomination rose and looked at us with beady black eyes. It was a hideous sight to behold; a thing twisted with corruption and sin. My stomach knotted at the sight of such evil. The only thing uglier was a darkspawn.

The ring leader mage turned around and looked at us. His lackeys stood by his side defensively, ready to attack upon command.

"Ah, look what we have here. An intruder," The mage said. "I bid you welcome. Care to join in our revels?"

My lip curled in disgust. I did recognize this fool after all. He was that weird mage who tried to approach the king when we were at the meeting. Those cold eyes and bald head were unmistakable.

"I take it you're Uldred." I said.

"Oh, very observant. I'm quite impressed you're still alive. Unfortunately, that must mean you killed my servants," He said, crossing his arms. "Ah well. They are better off dying in the service of their betters than living with the terrible responsibility of independence."

"I'm sorry. Are you upset that I killed your lackeys?" I said sarcastically.

"We needn't fixate on who killed whom. That doesn't help our relationship." He said.

"There's no relationship to speak of. You're an abomination." I snapped.

"A mage is but the larval form of something greater. Your Chantry vilifies us, calls us abominations when we have truly reached our full potential," He exclaimed. "The Chantry has all the mages convinced. They deny themselves the pleasure of becoming something truly glorious."

"You're mad! There's nothing glorious about what you've become, Uldred!" Wynne spat.

"Uldred? He's gone. I am him and yet not him. I am more than he was." He replied. "I could give you this gift, Wynne. You and all the mages. It would be so much easier if you just accepted it. But some people can be so stubborn." He sighed melodramatically.

If he was trying to make me pity him, it wasn't working. I felt absolutely no sympathy for that heinous cretin. I had seen all that he had wrought because of his ignorance and pride. The Circle mages didn't deserve to pay for his hubris.

"Say what you like. I'm still going to kill you." I snarled.

"Resistance! Everywhere I go, resistance! How inconsiderate. I even have the First Enchanter on my side, don't I, Irving?" He said.

I assumed Irving was the eldest of the group of imprisoned mages. They all looked so horrified and anxious. Seeing them like that only increased my outrage.

"What have you done to him?!" Wynne demanded.

"Stop him…he…is building an army. He will….destroy the templars and —" First Enchanter Irving said. His voice was hoarse.

"That's enough out of you, Irving. He'll serve me eventually, as will all of you." Uldred said.

"No. None of us will ever bend knee to the likes of you!" I said.

"Killing you would be such a waste. Your raw potential, with the strength of a demon behind it, would be unstoppable. I can do that. I can give you power and a new life." He said.

"No. You have gone too far. Prepare to die!" I snarled, unsheathing my blades.

"Fight if you must. It will make my victory all the sweeter." He scoffed.

"Don't forget the Litany. It will thwart his attempts to control the mages and it will win the fight for us." Wynne whispered.

Uldred exploded into a gigantic, snarling beast. His skin became dark purple and corrupted. Great spikes protruded from his skin, his nails turned into sharp claws and his eyes became black.

Alistair and Sten rushed forth to confront the abominations, while Wynne and Leliana struck at them from a distance. I pulled out the Litany of Adralla and immediately used it, thwarting Uldred's first attempt to turn his imprisoned mages into abominations.

I had to hang back and use the Litany several times during the course of the battle. Uldred and his three abominations put up quite a fight.

During one of the times I was using the Litany, one of the abominations attacked me. It charged at me and tried to seize the Litany from me. When it reached out for the Litany, I sliced its arm off. It reeling back, howling in pain. I buried my dagger into its chest and beheaded it with my longsword. Once it was dead, I resumed using the Litany. Fortunately, it disrupted Uldred's casting of blood magic just in time, saving Irving and his fellow mages from its effects.

In an effort to vanquish Uldred and end this struggle, I crept up behind him and threw myself at him. Using my twin daggers, I climbed up the monstrous demon's back. It snarled angrily each time my blades sank in its flesh. Dark, vile smelling substance oozed from the puncture wounds my blades made. It was akin to darkspawn blood, but was not corrosive like darkspawn blood was.

Just when I reached his shoulders, I saw Alistair leap into the air and shove his blade into Uldred's heart. The abomination let out a bloodcurdling screech and its dark blood gushed forth, streaming down onto the floor. I nearly panicked when he began to fall backwards. I released my blades and dropped to the floor, managing to roll out of the way just before he came crashing down.

I lied there for a minute, waiting to calm down. My heart was pounding so hard that I thought it was going to explode. Once I regained my composure, I retrieved my blades from Uldred's corpse.

We did it. We saved the Circle. I thought.

I sheathed my blades and turned to my allies. I was sore all over from all the fights that we had had since our arrival here, but otherwise, I was fine. Everyone else seemed to be fine as well.

Wynne immediately went over to Irving and his companions. They were still lying on the floor, bound by ropes. With Leliana's help, I severed the ropes and released the traumatized mages.

"Maker, I'm too old for this." Irving said.

"Irving! Are you all right?" Wynne asked.

"I've…been better. But thankful to be alive. I suppose this is your doing, Wynne?" Irving said.

"I wasn't alone. I had help." Wynne replied.

"The Circle owes you all a debt we will never be able to repay," Irving said. "Come, the templars await. We shall let them know that the tower is once again ours."

"Very well. Lead on." I said.

"I'll need you to guide me down the stairs. Curse whoever insisted the Circle be housed in a tower!" Irving grunted.

The First Enchanter led us down the four levels of the Circle tower. I allowed him to lean on me when he needed to.

As we passed through the levels, I saw the carnage that we had left behind earlier, as well as the destruction that Uldred and his comrades has left behind before that. It saddened me to see all of this. These walls would always remember the massacre that took place here, even long after its inhabitants forgot it.

Finally, we reached the first floor where Greagoir and his men were waiting. They all looked astonished to see us. Even Cullen was present, though he looked less than thrilled to see the mages all alive.

"Irving? Maker's breath, I didn't expect to see you alive." Greagoir said.

"It's over, Greagoir. Uldred is dead." Irving replied.

"Uldred tortured these mages, hoping to break their wills and turn them into abominations. We don't know how many of them have turned." Cullen said.

"What? Don't be ridiculous!" Irving gasped.

"Of course he would say that! He might be a blood mage! Don't you know what they did? I won't let this happen again!" Cullen shrieked.

"I am the knight-commander here, not you." Greagoir said.

"I believe order has been restored to the Circle." I said.

"We will rebuild. The Circle will go on and we will learn from this tragedy, and be strengthened by it." Irving added.

"So we have won back the tower, then? I will accept your assurance that all is well, Irving." Greagoir said.

"B-but they may have demons within them, lying dormant…lying in wait!" Cullen exclaimed.

"Enough! I have already made my decision." Greagoir snapped. He turned away from Cullen. "Thank you, Wardens. You have proven yourself a friend of both the mages and the templars."

"It had to be done." I said.

"I know I promised you aid, but with the Circle restored, my duty is to watch the mages. They are free to help you, however. Speak to them." He replied.

"What will the templars do?" I asked.

"For now, I will have to oversee a sweep of the tower. There may be some survivors and we should do our best to tend to them. Now please, excuse me. And Irving…it is good to have you back." Greagoir said.

"Ah, I'm sure we'll be at each other's throats again in no time." Irving chuckled.

Greagoir departed, leaving me and my allies with Irving. The old mage looked at us, expression mixed with gratitude and sorrow.

"Here we are…the tower in disarray and the Circle nearly annihilated…though it could have been so much worse." He sighed. "I am glad you arrived when you did. It's almost as the Maker Himself sent you."

My lips twitched. Why does everyone always give credit to the Maker when good things happen? It was my choice to come here and help. He had nothing to do with it! I thought angrily.

"The Blight drove me here to seek aid." I said.

"The least we can do is aid you against the darkspawn. I would hate to survive this only to be overcome by the Blight." He replied.

"So I have your word?" I asked.

"Yes. The Circle will join the Wardens in the fight." He said.

"Irving, I have a request: I seek leave to follow these Grey Wardens." Wynne suddenly said.

Irving and I both were shocked. The Circle was in need of mages but I also was in need of help. I felt quite honored to have her even think about leaving her home, especially after what it had just faced, so that she could help me.

"Wynne…we need you here." Irving said.

"I appreciate the sentiment, but the Circle will do fine without me. It has you." She responded. "This woman here is brave and good, and is capable of great things. If she will accept my help, I will help her accomplish her goals."

"I would be honored to have you join me." I said.

"You were never one to stay in the tower when there was adventure to be had elsewhere." Irving sighed softly.

"Why stay when I can be of service elsewhere?" Wynne said.

"Then I give you leave to follow the Grey Wardens, but know that you always have a place here." Irving said. "Now, there is much to be done here and I must go. Forgive me for not being a proper host."

"I understand. Until we meet again." I said.

"When the time comes, we will stand beside you." Irving said. He then took the small group of surviving mages with him and left.

I took my leave and departed from the Circle tower with my allies.

XXXXX

We returned to the tavern at Lake Calenhad's docks to pick up Morrigan and Zeke. Morrigan was quite cross at having been left behind with my 'mangy mongrel' and Zeke was overjoyed to see me. He tackled me and licked my face, coating me in terrible smelling saliva. I couldn't be mad at him though. I knew he had missed me and I had missed him.

When we arrived at the tavern, it was sundown, so we stayed there for the night and left first thing in the morning.

Where should we go next? I thought. I pulled out the ancient Grey Wardens treaties and studied them again. We just went to the Circle tower and the mages pledged to help us, so that part is done. Now all that is left is the dwarves and elves, and of course, we will need to go to Redcliffe. I suppose we should go to Redcliffe next? I recall Ser Donall saying that Eamon was critically ill…if that is true, we will need to get to him fast. Eamon is probably our strongest ally and our best shot at dethroning Loghain. Alistair would be furious with me if I were to let him die…not that I could do such a thing on a good conscience, anyways.

I stuffed the treaties in my backpack and took a gulp of the ale that the bartender had given me. Slowly but surely, my companions were coming downstairs. When they all were present, I announced that we would be heading to Redcliffe next.

We departed from the tavern after everyone ate and packed up.

I have collected four allies, not counting Alistair and Zeke. They didn't have much choice to join me in this matter. I thought. Perhaps I can find some more allies during our travels. The more people that join this cause, the better…

We returned to the Imperial Highway once we left the docks. We walked from sunrise to sunset. The Highway was fraught with bandits, but none of them were daring to attack us. It probably was because there were six of us and a mabari war hound. The bandits had become increasingly audacious since the king's death, but for the time being, they were leaving us alone.

XXXXX

At dusk, we set up camp underneath the Highway. Alistair and Leliana cooked supper tonight. While they did, I sat off to the side, contemplating the events that took place at the Circle tower. I tried not to think about Dairren and the Fade, but my mind wandered there anyways. In my mind, I went over the scenario again and again. It was torture but I couldn't stop it.

Would I have been better off staying behind in the Fade? Would I have been happier there? My life is so desolate here. And who would miss me? Zeke would be fine without me. He could easily find a new and better master. I thought. But odds are, Wynne, Leliana, Sten and Alistair would have remained in the Fade too, had I not of set them free. It wouldn't have been fair to abandon them, just because I'm too pathetic to accept how terribly I failed at Ostagar and at Highever.

I glanced around at my allies. Alistair and Leliana were talking while cooking supper, Wynne was making potions, Morrigan was being harassed by Zeke, and Sten was off by himself. He had his back turned to everyone and was staring off into the woods.

From here, I could hear Alistair and Leliana's conversation. I really didn't care to hear what they were talking about, but it would distract me from my sulking, for the time being at least.

"So what do you think will happen to all those people we left behind in Lothering?" Alistair asked.

"Some of them will find their way to Denerim. Many will die, as the Maker wills." Leliana said.

"Don't you wish you could have stayed there? To help more people, I mean?" He said.

"If the Blight isn't stopped, everyone will die. This is the greater good we're serving, both of us, right here." She replied.

"So it's all right to let some people die for the greater good?" He inquired. I... I'm not so sure about that. I felt bad leaving all those people there, all panicked and helpless."

"You're doing what you must, Alistair. There will be worse to come yet... you will need to steel yourself, you know this." She said.

"I've never been very good at that. The steeling myself part…I find it better sometimes to just be a little weak. I'm all right with that, really." He responded.

"I don't believe you. And either way, it's not as if any of us has a choice." She said.

I haven't thought about the pitiful people in Lothering since our departure. Most of them had been cold and indifferent, and ignorantly believed in Loghain's lies. All they had been concerned about was their own plight. I suppose they were like that because they were desperate and frightened. People often turn on each other when times get tough; they become more concerned about their own survival than anyone else's. I thought. I don't know what we could've done for them. I'm fighting for my life myself. I'm a fugitive in my own country. How many of those imbeciles would have helped me, had the positions been reversed?

I stood up and stretched my stiff limbs. I had been sitting there so long that my body had become numb.

By this point, everyone had gone sleep, except for Sten. He was pacing back and forth by the fire, which was still smoldering. I could hear the occasional crackle and hiss of the flames. The noise was oddly soothing to me.

When I was about to sit back down, I began to hear a rustling sound nearby. I immediately unsheathed my longsword and tensed. No one was going to come slay me and my companions in the middle of the night!

A man with medium length light brown hair, and cerulean eyes stepped out of the woods. He was unarmed and had no armor, and looked a bit ruffled. Apparently Sten saw him too because the mighty qunari warrior brandished his broadsword and pointed it at the man's throat.

"Be gone, human." Sten growled.

"W-wait! I seek an audience with the Grey Wardens!" The man spluttered.

"Stay your blade, I would like to hear what he has to say." I said.

"Speak then." Sten grunted.

He and lowered his weapon, but didn't sheathe it. He remained where he was and glared at the man. His mere presence was enough to terrify the lone traveler, so I doubted that he would try anything anyways. Besides that, he was horribly outnumbered. There were seven of us here in camp and there was only one of him.

"You're a hard woman to find," A strange man said. "Where are my manners? The name is Levi Dryden. Did Duncan ever mention me? Levi of the Coins? Levi the Trader?"

"You know Duncan?" I asked.

"Oh yes, for years. Considered him a friend, I did. But here I am carrying on while you have a Blight to stop. I don't want to waste your time, but you see, Duncan promise that together we'd look into something important for the Wardens…and for me. But poor Duncan's well…no more. A tragedy that is, at that. But I know he would want his work carried on. His pledge fulfilled."

I looked at this strange man closely. What in the name of Andraste was he rambling on about? And how did he know who I was, much less that I was a Warden? I'd never seen him before in my life.

"What promise did Duncan make to you?" I inquired.

"As you probably know, my family's name is mud around noble circles. My great-great-grandmother, Sophia Dryden, was the last Warden-Commander of Ferelden, back when Wardens were known as freeloaders. So King Arland banished the Wardens and he took House Dryden's lands and titles." Levi said.

"What happened next?" I asked.

"Hard to say. After King Arland died, there was a civil war, loads worse than this one. And our family was on the run, hunted by enemies with nary a friend in the world. But the Drydens are tough. We rebuilt, became merchants and we never lost our pride." Levi said.

Dear Maker. I don't want to hear about your life story. I thought. Get to the damn point already!

"What favor did you ask of Duncan?" I said.

"I asked for the truth. My family reveres Sophia Dryden. We know she died at the old Grey Warden base, Soldier's Peak. We want evidence to clear her name. It may not restore our land or titles, but at least it'll restore our honor." Levi replied.

"I've never even heard of Soldier's Peak before." I said.

"Well, no one's been up there since Arland's days. At least none that's come back," He said. "I've spent years mapping the maze of tunnels to the peak and I found the way a few years back. So I went to Duncan. I said that he could reclaim the old base and my family would have its honor."

"So…what do you need from me?" I asked.

"I can pick my way through the tunnels at the base of Soldier's Peak, but the place…well, they say it's haunted. It'll be dangerous for certain. So…will you at least think on it?" He said.

An old Warden base, eh? That would be quite useful. Perhaps if we recover that base, then we will be able to develop a stronghold from which to build up the Grey Wardens. Plus, if I do this, the Drydens will be indebted to me. They will want to help my cause. I thought. The more I think about this, the more I like the idea.

"Your family's faith will be rewarded. I will help you." I said.

"A thousand blessings upon you, Warden. Come with me and we'll pick our way through the tunnels together!" Levi said.

"We shall first thing in the morning," I said. "You are welcome to stay in camp with us."

Sten made a low grunting noise, but didn't say anything.

I gave Levi my supper and allowed him to sleep in my tent; I was too restive to sleep anyways. I ended up staying up the entire night pacing around camp and keeping vigil. Sten went to sleep around midnight, leaving me to my screaming thoughts for the rest of the night.