Leliana's chin sank forward and rested against Zevran's shoulder. Her grip around his waist slackened and he felt the full weight of her body slump against him as the horse picked its way over the ground. She was asleep. Not before time. He was exhausted himself but the energy he could see she was diverting into keeping her fool's hope alive was surely even more draining. Zevran could not understand the point in it. Antivan politics had taught him to be realistic, not sentimental.

He shifted his weight in the saddle so that she rested against him more squarely. It had been a full day since they had found the horse and now darkness was creeping around them once more. He could see torches a little way off in the distance. Darkspawn. In the daylight, the patrols had seemed fewer or at the very least easier to spot and they had been able to skirt around with being pursued. But truth be told, it seemed that the darkspawn had little interest in them anyway. Without the presence of two Wardens to draw attention, the elf, human and dog appeared to be of too little consequence to chase. The former Crow had a feeling he should be insulted.

The Mabari let out a growl just as the horse suddenly spooked. Leliana jerked awake, her grip tightening around Zevran through reflex. "Wh... what is it?"

"Quiet!" Zevran included all three in the instruction, placing a calming hand on the neck of the horse while aiming a kick at the Mabari and trying not to let Leliana's hold upset his balance in the process.

The horse continued to skitter, refusing to walk forward despite Zevran's best efforts to control it. There was an outcrop of rocks ahead of them, the tiny particles in the rock reflecting the dim moonlight enough to cast an outline but not much more. The Mabari continued to bear its teeth but he obeyed the elf's command for silence, crouching next to the horse with raised hackles.

Leliana slid off the back of the horse and took a few hesitant steps towards the outcrop. She stifled a yelp as she stubbed her foot against something and went sprawling across the ground.

"Leliana!" Unable to dismount for fear the horse would bolt, Zevran called to her as loudly as he dared. The darkspawn maybe did not see them as a direct threat but there was no need to unnecessarily signal their presence.

The sound of dry heaving reassured him that she was at least alive and under no particular threat. The Mabari made to spring in her direction but Zevran checked the dog with a click of the tongue. He could just about make out Leliana's form as she unsteadily got her feet. She stumbled towards him and the stench caught him off-guard. Darkspawn blood. Leliana was covered in it.

She gestured behind her while spitting out the bile that continued to fill her mouth. "Corpses."

The horse laid its ears back and flared its nostrils, unimpressed by Leliana's closeness in her current state. The Mabari moved closer to sniff at her before trotting to where she had fallen. He continued to sniff around the darkspawn corpse before following his nose further away from them and into the darkness. After a few moments he began to whine.

"Come back." Leliana called to him softly.

The whining only increased in pitch.

"We can't see you!" The Bard retorted as if in response to a question.

The dog bounded back to them and pawed at her. Leliana bent down and rested a hand on his neck. "Guide me then."

With a roll of his eyes, Zevran turned the horse and trotted a little distance back the way they had come to another outcrop of rocks. Dismounting, he ran his hands across the surface until he found what he was looking for. He took an arrow from Leliana's quiver which was slung across the back of the horse and drove it deep into the narrow crevice before knotting the horse's reins around it. It wouldn't stop the horse from bolting but it would act as a small deterrent and it was the best he could do in the surroundings. Zevran turned and rummaged through the saddle packs. There were some bandages stuffed at the bottom and taking another arrow, he made a make-shift torch. A look through the other saddle bag produced a flint. With one last soothing murmur towards the horse, he stumbled back towards the faint reflection of the light coming from the larger outcrop ahead. The Mabari appeared at his side out of the gloom and nudged at his hand with a wet nose. Zevran mirrored Leliana's earlier posture and allowed the dog to lead him to wherever she was.

As he neared, Zevran could make out Leliana as she knelt next to a dark heap. Another corpse. She was still, clutching something to her chest and staring down at the lifeless body.

"What is it?" Zevran sank down beside her and the Mabari wandered away once more, nose to the ground.

Leliana offered him the object without a word. It was a dagger. The blade was curved into an 's' shape and he only had to glance at it before recognising the unusual weapon.

"Elissa."

"She did this."

"It would seem so."

"There's another over there." Leliana gestured off to the side.

Zevran's eyes strained to follow the direction she pointed in but knowing what he was looking for, he was able to make out the thin silhouette of what he guessed was Elissa's main sword sticking straight up from another dark mound.

"She must be nearby."

The elf looked back at Leliana. Three corpses and discarded weapons; it had to be said. "She is likely dead."

There was a brief flash of reflected moonlight and Zevran realised that Leliana's eyes were filled with tears. He reached out and fumbled for her hand, squeezing it in an awkward gesture of support.

The Mabari gave a sudden bark, making them both jump. He was pawing at something in between the rocks that made up the outcrop, the movement of his stub tail helping them to pinpoint where he was. Before Zevran could move, Leliana was already on her feet with her damn fool's hope revived. She rushed to the dog, tripping over rocks as she did so and shoved the creature out of the way as she dropped to her knees with a cry. Hearing the change in her voice, Zevran fumbled for the flint and striking it off the rocky ground, lit the torch which he had dropped at his side. It flared up but settled into a bright if fast-burning light. He only hoped it would not act as a beacon to the darkspawn he had spotted.

Able to move without guidance from the Mabari, Zevran stood behind Leliana and held the torch over her head so she could make better use of the firelight. Elissa lay in front of them, slumped at an awkward angle. Her armour was soaked in foul darkspawn blood and beneath the grime, her face was a dirty grey tinged with blue. She gave no indication that she was aware of them.

"Is she alive?"

Leliana brushed the Warden's cheek but it was cold to the touch. She moved her hands over Elissa's body, desperately trying to find some sign of life. She was no mage healer but from what she could tell there were no obvious injuries. Her hands worked their way back across Elissa's core, searching for any crack in her rogue's armour which might give a clue as to what had happened. Leliana let out a hiss as her fingers caught on the rough edge of something. There was something embedded in Elissa's shoulder. She gestured for Zevran to hold the torch closer and leaned in to examine the wound. An arrow was embedded in the Warden's flesh, broken so only the poisoned tip remained. As Leliana looked to see how she could remove it, she felt the faintest tickle on her neck. Elissa was still breathing but only just.

"Yes but barely. Although being so near death must be what prevented the darkspawn from sensing the taint in her."

"Can you heal her?"

"No, she will need magic to draw the poison out. But hopefully I can keep her alive with the poultices and potions."

"Then you must hurry. We cannot stay here." Zevran suddenly threw the torch down and stamped it out.

"Zevr..."

The elf clamped a hand over Leliana's mouth and pushed her down next to Elissa, pressing himself against her so they both lay flat against the ground. She made to struggle but the Mabari hunched over all three, shielding them with a low whimper. Leliana froze as she caught sight of what Zevran and the dog had already seen.

High in the sky, circling over some point just beyond the hills, the outline of a large dragon passed across the moon.