"Are you a vulture, I wonder? Scavengers poking amidst a corpse whose bones have been long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn filled wilds of mine in search of easy prey?"
Elissa and Alistair studied a woman who was walking down from the top of the ruins. Alistair could feel the magic coming from her. The woman was a mage and she was in the Wilds, which meant she was an apostate, a mage not under the control of the Chantry. Every fiber of his being was reverting to his Chantry upbringing and his training to be a templar.
Elissa just saw a woman who walked with poise. She had no idea the woman was anything but. The woman was beautiful and wore clothing meant to tempt not hide. Elissa was a little uncomfortable with how much skin the woman was showing. She had her brown hair pulled back in a messy bun and painted her eyelids in a shade of red. The woman's eyes were like none she had seen before, an eerie shade of brown like an amber color.
Elissa looked down at Lucky. If he didn't trust someone he was usually growling but he was just staring at the woman his tongue hanging out and his head tilted in curiosity. Elissa bit her bottom lip and wondered why. This stranger didn't seem trustworthy to her.
"What say you? Intruder or scavenger?" the woman snapped. She was looking at Elissa obviously waiting for her to answer.
"I neither belong here nor want anything that does not belong to the Order I represent," Elissa said clearly. "So I guess that would make us intruders in your eyes. And just how are these your wilds?"
Alistair moved closer to Elissa he didn't trust the mage one bit and Elissa's mouth had a way of getting away from her.
The woman laughed, "Because I know them as anyone who would own them should."
Elissa crossed her arms. "Well then you keep strange company with all these darkspawn in your Wilds."
"Ha you speak as if I just let them roam free," the woman said walking past them to a pillar. She eyed Daveth and Jory like they were hers to feast on.
"Don't talk to her, Elissa. She may be Chasind and that means others may be near by," Alistair whispered.
The woman heard him though. "Oh you fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"
"Yes, swooping is bad," Alistair clenched his jaw.
Elissa looked at him, "If she is Chasind it's a little too late now don't you think about worrying bout others. She already 'swooped' so to speak."
"She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is!" Daveth exclaimed. He was staring at the woman as if waiting for her to grow two heads.
Elissa rolled her eyes, she had heard of Witches of the Wild but she wasn't scared of them. Alistair was with her he could just do whatever it was templar's did to mages and they'd be on their way. It was putting a lot of trust in Alistair's abilities but the man fought darkspawn and had already taken down a mage today.
"Witch of the Wilds, such idle fancies," the woman sighed sounding bored. "You there, women don't scare as easily as these men. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."
Alistair wanted to stop Elissa but he knew she would tell her. She seemed the type to give anyone a chance even an apostate.
Elissa studied the woman and knew she probably wanted something. "My name is Elissa."
"And you may call me Morrigan," the woman said.
Morrigan sounded like an evil name to Alistair. He didn't like her and he didn't like her sudden appearance.
"I have watched you through out the wilds and I found myself wondering, where do they come from? Why are you here? I take it you sought something in that chest. Something that is here no longer," Morrigan said.
"Here no longer? You stole it didn't you? You're some kind of sneaky witch thief!" Alistair growled.
Elissa raised an eyebrow and looked at Alistair. She made a note to herself not to let Alistair be in charge of any type of negotiations. He was letting his emotions run his opinions. She studied him and noticed how tense he was. Then she looked back at Morrigan and wondered if she was indeed a Witch of the Wilds.
"How very eloquent. How does one steal from dead men?" Morrigan asked with a smirk.
"Quite easily," Alistair growled. "Where have you put them? Those scrolls are Grey Warden property and I suggest you return them."
Elissa could have laughed. She didn't think Alistair had a threatening bone in his body but Morrigan was definitely on his hate list.
"I didn't steal them," Morrigan sighed. "Invoke a name that has little meaning here if you must. I am not threatened."
Elissa sighed, "Who took them?"
"My mother if you must know," Morrigan said.
"Your mother? Is this a joke?" Elissa asked.
"If it is a joke it is a truthful sort rather than funny," Morrigan crossed her arms.
"Can you take us to her then?" Elissa asked.
"Now that is a sensible request," Morrigan nodded.
"She'll put us all in the pot she will! Just you wait!" Daveth said.
Elissa looked over at Daveth and saw how scared he was. She thought he'd be all over Morrigan with how she was dressed. But he was actually scared of her. She had heard stories about the witches taking men and using them and then killing them. Maybe he was scared of that.
"If the pot is warmer than this forest, I'm all for it," Jory said. He too looked scared but he was trying to put on a brave face.
"Are you sure?" Alistair said. "We need the treaties but I dislike her sudden appearance?"
"I'm right here you know," Morrigan said. "I can hear you."
"Good," Alistair said.
Elissa looked at Alistair and sighed, "Lucky isn't growling I say we can go with her to get the treaties."
"You're judging whether or not she's safe by your dog?" Alistair sounded shocked. "She could have spelled him!"
"I wouldn't waist a spell on a mangy beast," Morrigan sighed.
Lucky growled, he knew when he was being insulted and he didn't appreciate it.
"Oh look he growled, now do you not trust her?" Alistair asked.
"I don't trust anyone Alistair, but we need the scrolls. I want out of the Wilds. I don't want to stay here because we can't find the damn scrolls," Elissa sighed holding her side it felt like she was burning up again.
Alistair saw the movement and sighed. She was right, they needed to get out of the Wilds. She needed healing magic. And the Joining had to take place soon.
"It is settled then? Follow me if you must," Morrigan turned and started walking with the group following behind at a safe distance.
"Morrigan?" Elissa asked when the silence was too much for her to stand.
"What is it?" Morrigan asked sounding impatient.
"How did you follow us?" Elissa hadn't seen a woman in red wandering about the forest.
"I'm a shape shifter," Morrigan said.
"Right," Elissa nodded as if that explained it all. A shape shifter, obviously she knew what that meant but as to what Morrigan could turn herself into that was a mystery.
Alistair touched Elissa's arm and she looked up at him. He didn't want her talking to the woman. He couldn't say her name because she was still a witch to him.
Elissa's side started burning more she wasn't worried about dying just being in pain. She wanted something to take her mind off the ache but no one seemed to be talking. Daveth was eyeing every corner of the Wilds waiting for something to jump at them. Jory looked grumpy. Alistair looked tense and kept a permanent glare on Morrigan. Morrigan the cause for all of this only looked amused.
Up ahead Elissa finally saw a hut and a woman stood up from her seat in front of a fire and studied them. Elissa didn't think they had much to fear from this woman. She looked old and frail. The closer she got though, the more she felt the hair on her arms stick up. Alistair who was walking next to her grew tense. "There's a lot of magic here," he whispered.
"You all right?" Elissa asked. She looked up at him. She wasn't sure how he could stand being sensitive to magic. She wasn't sensitive at all and she felt like she was going to suffocate. She could only imagine how he felt when he was the one who was trained to sense it.
"Yeah," Alistair looked down at her and forced a smile trying to reassure her. "Just dandy."
Elissa smiled and shook her head she didn't believe him for one minute but they were here and this woman whoever she was had their scrolls.
"Mother, I bring before you four Grey Wardens who…" Morrigan said smiling.
"I see girl," the old woman interrupted and studied each of them. Elissa shifted back and forth and felt like she was under inspection. When the woman's eyes fell on her she smiled a half knowing smile. "Much as I expected."
Elissa exchanged a look with Alistair. Alistair being short on temper today smirked. "Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?"
Elissa put her hand on Alistair's. She didn't want to anger the woman and she didn't want the two mages attacking the group. One mage Alistair could handle but two? She didn't know.
Alistair looked down at the touch and knew Elissa was trying to calm him. Her touch calmed his nerves a little but the magic was humming all around him.
"You are required to do nothing," the woman smiled. "Least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight, open one's arms wide…either way one's a fool."
Elissa tried to decipher what the woman said. Obviously she was mad and talked in riddles. She thought she was saying come in with your eyes shut letting danger come to you without a defense you were a fool. You were also a fool if you walked in to danger with your arms open leaving yourself at the danger's mercy for being too brave, or stupid as the case may be. It was good advice, but the woman still seemed crazy.
"She's a witch I tell you! We shouldn't be talking to her," Daveth growled to the group.
Elissa shot him a look but Jory beat her to it. "Quiet Daveth, if she's really a witch do you want to make her mad?"
"Now there is a smart lad," the woman said. Elissa turned back to her and found the woman studying her still. "Sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things. It is not I who decides what you believe. Believe what you will."
Elissa just really wanted to get the damn scrolls and leave. She didn't like this woman she made her feel like she had a thousand tiny spiders crawling over her skin.
"What of you?" the woman asked Elissa, she stepped closer to Elissa and put a hand up to Elissa's face. Elissa had to fight the urge to step away. This time it was Alistair that touched her hand. She took comfort in that.
"Does your woman's mind give you a different viewpoint? Or do you believe as these boys do?" the old woman smiled.
Elissa felt a strong urge to stand up for Alistair, Jory and Daveth. All of their upbringings had only prepared them to be scared of Chasind folk, to fear the Witch of the Wilds. She was no different from the men and if she were here on her own she'd have run a long time ago.
"I…don't know what to believe," Elissa said clearing her throat.
"A statement that possesses more wisdom than it implies. Be always aware…or is it oblivious? I can never remember," the old woman laughed to herself then stopped short. "So much about you is uncertain…and yet I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do!"
Elissa wanted to back up but the woman was still holding her hand up beside her cheek. "So this is a dreaded Witch of the Wilds?" Alistair laughed.
"Witch of the Wilds? Morrigan must have told you, she fancies such tales. Oh how she dances under the moon!" The old woman dropped her hand from Elissa's face and cackled.
"They did not come to listen to your wild tales Mother," Morrigan rolled her eyes.
"Ah, so you've come for your treaties have you?" the woman smiled turning her back to them and going to a chest that was right outside the door to the hut.
Elissa let out the air she had been holding in. She felt Alistair rub a finger along hers and she looked at him. He was watching the older woman but he wanted her to know he was there should she need him.
"The magic has worn off," the woman said turning back to them. She deliberately handed the documents to Elissa. "But I have protected them."
Elissa reached forward to take the documents. The only woman closed one hand around Elissa's wrist.
"You protected them? What…"Alistair started to get upset that she even had them. The woman shot him a look. "That's good then."
The woman looked back at Elissa. "Yes I have protected them. Take them back to your Grey Wardens, tell them that this Blight's threat is greater than they realize."
Elissa felt the tiny spiders over her skin again. She wanted to look away from the old woman but something in her eyes wouldn't let her. "What do you mean?" Elissa whispered.
"It's either greater than they realize or they realize less," the woman smiled.
"We're just recruits they won't believe us and how do you know this anyway?" Elissa asked.
"Do I know this? Perhaps I'm just an old woman who has a penchant for moldy parchments," the woman laughed. "You have what you came for."
"Yes, time for you to go," Morrigan smiled. Elissa could tell she didn't want them here as much as they didn't want to be here. She got a strange feeling however that Morrigan was sent to get them.
"Don't be ridiculous, these are your guests girl," the woman snapped.
"Right, follow me then. I will show you out of the forest," Morrigan snapped. She started walking and the group followed her out.
The old woman's words stayed with Elissa. What did she mean greater than they realize? Everything seemed to be more than they realized lately. Her father's oldest friend was more than they realized and look what that had cost them. Elissa felt dread about the coming battle. She looked over at Alistair and realized he too was in deep thought.
She handed the scrolls to him. "This was your task for Duncan," she said.
Alistair took them and nodded at her. He didn't want to talk while Morrigan was still there. He didn't trust her at all.
"Here we are," Morrigan said stopping short. "Just over that hill you will see the entrance to your camp."
Morrigan didn't wait for them to speak she just turned around turned into a wolf and ran. All four of them stared after her in shock. "She just turned into a wolf," Daveth whispered.
"She did say she was a shape shifter," Elissa said.
"I'm getting out of here," Jory took off towards the camp. Daveth followed him. Alistair, Elissa and Lucky were the only ones who weren't running for safety.
"What do you think she meant?" Elissa asked.
"The only thing I can think of is the archdemon. We know there is one," Alistair said. "Maybe it's more dangerous and closer than we think?"
Elissa studied the ground as they walked. "Whatever it is I have a bad feeling Alistair."
"Everything will be fine. We have a while before the horde of darkspawn reaches us. So we have your Joining to see to first, and a mage healer to see for your side," Alistair sighed. "We'll deal with our bad feelings on this blight once those are seen too."
Elissa knew he was only trying to distract himself as well as her. It wasn't working. Before entering the camp she looked out towards the Wilds and felt the spiders over her skin again. She didn't like any of this.