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Chapter 2 – And Then There Were Two
As they approached the gates that led out of the Wilds, Sara turned back to thank Morrigan, without whom they would have undoubtedly been lost.
The witch, however, was nowhere to be seen. She frowned as she briefly noticed a raven gliding away from them, dipping through the trees of the forest.
"Morrigan?" she called out, knowing before she'd finished saying the name that no response would come.
She sighed and turned back, following Alistair, Daveth and Jory into the campsite. She looked down at Dani, who blinked up at her wearily. Sara bit her lip and knelt down.
"Are you okay boy?" she asked, her voice tinged with concern. She'd noticed that the hound's energy had been rapidly slipping – he had not even growled at Morrigan's sudden appearance at the cache.
The mabari whined pathetically in response, and Sara felt a pang in her chest.
"Come on," she said, rising and heading into the camp.
Alistair was waiting for her at the gate with a puzzled look.
"Something's wrong with Dani," she muttered, making her way to the kennel master with the Warden in tow.
"'ello there," the kennel master said as they approached.
"Ser," responded Sara, inclining her head. "I think my hound may be ill."
The kennel master knelt down and took Dani's massive head in his hands. He lifted the hound's lips to examine his teeth and gums and inspected his eyes.
"'e's been fightin' darkspawn, ent 'e?" he asked, looking up at Sara.
She nodded, a worry line creasing her brow.
The kennel master sighed and straightened up.
"The taint," he said. "Darkspawn blood. If 'e got the proper medicine, then maybe…" the kennel master trailed off.
"Where can you get this medication?" Sara asked, a swell of panic filling her chest. Dani was the only family she had left. She looked down at the hound stretched out helplessly on the ground.
"There's a plant I can use," he began, "but you'll 'ave to go back in the forest..." He looked at her uncertainly.
"What plant?" she snapped impatiently.
The kennel master described it to her in detail, but before he could tell her where to find it, Alistair chimed in.
"Like this?" the Warden asked, pulling a white flower from inside one of his bracers.
"Aye, that's the one."
"Why do you-" Sara and the kennel master began asking simultaneously.
"I picked it while you were looking in the cache," Alistair explained. She looked at him, bewildered.
"I thought it was pretty!" he exclaimed defensively, his voice cracking, but Sara could only stare at him. "Is that a crime?" he asked sensitively, a flush of red creeping up his neck and ears.
"Right, well," began the kennel master awkwardly, taking the flower. "I'll get 'im fixed up in no time." He nodded at them and led Dani into the kennel.
"Well," said Alistair after a moment, puffing up his chest in the manliest fashion he could conceive. "We should prepare for the Joining."
Eyes still wide with bewilderment, she fell into step behind him as they headed toward Duncan.
xxx
"We say only a few words before beginning the ritual," Duncan told the recruits gathered before him. "To honor those we have lost."
"Lost in battle or…lost in the ritual?" Jory asked hesitantly.
Sara swallowed. Alistair had told her before they'd gathered that the danger of the ritual was one of the reasons its details were a well-guarded secret.
"Both," responded Duncan. "Alistair, if you would," he nodded to the junior Warden.
Sara could feel Daveth grow tense beside her as Alistair recited the introduction.
"Step forward, Daveth," Duncan instructed, offering a massive silver chalice.
"Drink it?" he asked, gazing at the cup uncertainly.
The senior Warden nodded.
Sara could see Daveth's chest rising and falling rapidly.
"W-what is it?" he stammered, taking the chalice from Duncan.
"It is the blood you collected. During the Joining, we drink the darkspawn blood to master its taint."
Sara's mouth went dry. She looked sharply to Jory and Daveth. Both of their mouths hung open, but after a moment, the thief lifted the chalice to his lips, drinking deeply.
He handed the cup to Alistair and wiped his mouth. Sara looked at him uncertainly, but allowed herself a small exhalation of relief.
Suddenly, Daveth dropped to his knees, clutching the sides of his head. What began as a moan of pain escalated quickly to an almost inhuman shriek.
"I am sorry, Daveth," said Duncan, bowing his head as the thief's body writhed on the ground in agony.
A small sob escaped Sara's mouth when Daveth's body went rigid just before it finally stopped twitching. She finally tore her eyes away when Jory broke the silence.
"No," he whispered. "No," he said more loudly, drawing his sword. "I have a wife, a child-"
"There is no turning back," said Duncan firmly as he stepped toward him.
""You ask too much." Jory raised his sword and swung at him.
Before Sara could look away, Duncan had drawn his own weapon and caught the knight's sword by its hilt. He drove his dagger into Jory's gut.
"I am sorry, Jory," he whispered, catching his body as it slumped against him and laying it gently on the ground.
He turned.
"Sara."
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked first at the chalice in Alistair's hand and then at the bloodied weapon at Duncan's side. Stepping forward, she took the cup from Alistair's outstretched grasp. When she glanced up at him, he held her eyes, his expression somewhere between worry and encouragement.
She inclined her head in an almost imperceptible nod and pressed the chalice to her mouth, taking a deep breath. The thought that it might be her last flickered through her mind briefly, and a sort of peace edged in through the anxiety as she considered the possibility of seeing her family soon. Twisted though she knew it was, the idea of being reunited with them, even in death, was…alluring.
She tipped the cup and tilted her head back. The warm liquid flooded her mouth and slid down her throat. It had the coppery-sweet taste of blood that she recognized, but there was an almost overwhelming bitterness that she hadn't expected. She nearly gagged as she passed the chalice back to Alistair.
For a moment she stood still, trying not to vomit, but then the pain tore through her. She dropped to her knees and clawed at her head, just as Daveth had done. It was as if her insides had caught fire – she felt her organs twisting and bones shaking. Her vision began to fill with black spots as the pain forced all else from her mind.
And then it was over.
xxx
When she awoke, both Duncan and Alistair were standing over her looking worried. The latter exhaled loudly.
"You're alright," he said, his relief evident.
"Barely," she muttered, pressing a hand to her forehead. "There was, something, a dream, I think," she clenched her eyes shut, trying to remember what she'd dreamt of, but it slipped away before she could figure out what it was.
"I had those dreams too," Alistair said. "Nightmares, more like."
Sara rose shakily to her feet, suddenly remembering what had happened to the other two recruits.
"You," she whirled on Duncan. "You killed Jory!"
"There was nothing that could be done," he told her sadly.
"He had a family!" she said, her voice hoarse.
"You are bound to service the moment you become a recruit," said Duncan firmly. "It can be no other way."
"Sara," Alistair cut in gently before she could continue her assault. She looked at him and saw an amulet dangling from his hand. "Each Warden is given one of these after the Joining," he said, holding it out to her, "so they can remember those who did not make it this far."
She took it wordlessly from him and stared at the necklace in her hands. It was such a small token, such a tiny piece of metal, to represent the two lives that were taken only a short while ago. She nodded at him without meeting his eyes before she ducked her head and pulled it on.
"Now," began Duncan as she straightened back up, "you must sleep. The Joining is an exhausting process, and the darkspawn are nearly upon us." His eyes flickered briefly to Alistair. "Tomorrow morning we will join Teyrn Loghain and King Cailan to discuss the strategy of tomorrow night's battle. Alistair will show you your tent." He bowed and turned to walk away, pausing after he'd taken only a couple steps.
"You did well tonight, Warden," he said, addressing her by her new station for the first time.
She stared at his retreating figure, a mixture of emotions flooding through her.
"Your tent is here," Alistair said, interrupting her thoughts. He led her to a small tent that had been erected near the campfire. "There's a bedroll and a change of clothes. The inns were all booked up, so…" he trailed off awkwardly.
She knew that he was trying to make her feel better, or at least take her mind off the horrible things that had taken place only hours before, but he was unsuccessful.
"Thank you," she whispered before ducking into her tent.
When she stepped inside, she saw an unexpected visitor. "Dani!" she exclaimed. Her hound was lying lazily across the bedroll as if it were his own. He bounced up happily when she entered, apparently having made a full recovery while she was busy with the Joining. "I'm so glad you're alright," she murmured, pressing her face against his neck and wrapping her arms around him. Climbing into her bedroll, she patted the space next to her.
"Let's get some sleep."
xxx
"Thank the Maker you're here!" panted a guard as he ran down the hill towards Sara and Alistair.
"What's going on?" called Alistair, rushing to meet him outside the Tower of Ishal.
"Darkspawn everywhere!" he cried, looking back at the tower. "Everyone inside is dead," his voice cracked. "I don't know where they came from!"
"Come on," said Alistair, pulling on Sara's arm. "We have to light the beacon quickly."
She ran after him towards the front door of the tower, trying to shake the pounding headache that had been plaguing her since the battle began.
"What?" Alistair cried indignantly. "We're not even going to be fighting?"
"The beacon must be lit at the proper time," Duncan intoned. "The two of you will ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Alistair pouted and Sara rolled her eyes. She didn't care so much about being in the thick of the battle, but she wanted something to do. She hated being idle, as being idle gave her time to think.
"Where is this Tower of Ishal anyway?" she asked.
"Where we first entered Ostagar," Duncan informed her. "Across the gorge."
"So basically, we run up to the top, light the beacon, and enjoy the show?" she asked drily.
"Basically," Duncan replied evenly, either genuinely not bothered by her sarcastic and dismissive tone or refusing to take her bait.
Alistair continued pouting.
"Weren't you worried you wouldn't get any action?" she asked after they'd dispatched a small group of darkspawn, crinkling her nose as she wiped the gooey blood from her blades.
"Hey, yeah! I guess you're right!" he responded brightly. "There's a silver lining after all! Although," his eyes darkened, "the fact that there are darkspawn in the Tower…ahead of the horde." He frowned up at the doors as they approached.
"So?" Sara asked.
"Well, darkspawn aren't the best tacticians," he said. "And this seems planned."
He pushed the door open and they entered.
The ceilings were massively high, but any beauty the ruined tower held was marred by the blood and bodies littering the ground. The Wardens and Dani picked their way across the first floor and hurried up the stairs at the other end of the entrance hall.
The second floor looked much the same as the first, and despite the guard's vehement warning, they encountered no darkspawn as they made their way toward the third floor. Corpses were strewn about, darkspawn and human alike, but they didn't encounter a single living creature on the third floor either.
Climbing the stairs to the top of the tower, Sara began to relax the iron grip she'd held on her daggers the entire time. The silence of the Tower had set her on edge and she'd been expecting an ambush around every corner. The anticipation of battle had left her restless and tense, and she hoped that they'd light the beacon quickly enough to be able to return to the field and aid the other Grey Wardens-
Alistair pushed open the door to the top of the Tower and froze.
It was undoubtedly the largest creature Sara had ever seen. Hunched over a pile of dead soldiers, it casually bit the head off one of the bodies and tossed the rest aside.
"Oh," Alistair squeaked.
The troll's massive head swiveled to look at them, its beady eyes taking in every inch of their soft flesh.
Dani crouched low and growled as Alistair hoisted up his shield.
"I'll distract it and you try to take it down from behind," he muttered to Sara out of the side of his mouth.
Her eyes swept the edge of the room and fell on a tall pile of rocks.
"Keep his back to the left wall," she said, melting into the shadows as Alistair and Dani stepped forward.
She crept quickly and carefully through the darkness behind the pillars that encircled the center of the room, forming a sort of morbid battle arena. She clung to the walls, keeping out of the troll's line of sight.
True to her instruction, Alistair moved about the room so that the beast's back was to the pile of stone she'd noticed earlier. She tucked her daggers back into their sheaths and begin climbing, finding it difficult to keep quiet as several of the stones slid down the pile.
But the troll seemed too engaged with Alistair and Dani to hear the tumbling rocks. She made it to the top undetected and withdrew her daggers silently. Alistair was edging the troll back towards her slowly while dodging its lunging grasps, and when it was just close enough, she leapt.
She'd jumped from trees before, and even once from one of the high walls encircling her family's estate in Highever, but never before had she done it with the intent of landing directly on a creature bent on killing her.
She landed hard on the back of its neck, digging her daggers into its shoulders to keep from flying off. It roared, rearing its head back and trying to shake her. Just before it succeeded, it dropped helplessly on one knee. Glancing down briefly, Sara could see that Dani had his jaw firmly locked on the back of the troll's ankle and was not letting go.
It was her turn to scream now as she reached around its neck and plunged her daggers in, tearing them out sideways.
The troll's roar caught in its throat, a gurgling sound escaping from its mouth as it slammed to the ground, the impact casting Sara off its shoulders.
She rolled away from the body and was still.
"Sara!" Alistair cried, dropping his sword and shield as he ran towards her.
She sat up gingerly and groaned. When she saw the troll's bloodied body lying motionless, she made a noise of surprise,
"Oh. We did it."
"You did it," he insisted. "You were amazing!"
"I had help," she said, taking his hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. She smiled at Dani and patted his head, "Didn't I, boy?"
"Hey!" Alistair said indignantly.
She smiled at him before growing serious,
"Where's this beacon?"
"Oh!" he exclaimed, sprinting to the opposite edge of the tower and taking up a torch. He held it to a massive brazier and a huge fire sprang to life within.
He set down the torch and approached the edge of the Tower with Sara, peering down to where Loghain's men waited. Sara crinkled her brow in confusion – from the way his men were moving, it looked like-
"He's- he's retreating!" cried Alistair. "Why is he retreating?"
But before Sara could wonder aloud, she felt an immense pressure in her head again. They heard pounding footsteps and doors flying open behind them.
The Grey Wardens whirled around and were met by a hailstorm of arrows from darkspawn archers. Alistair pushed Sara to the ground and threw up his shield, but not before she'd taken an arrow in each shoulder. She struggled to pull her daggers from her waist, but as she tried to rise to her feet, she took another arrow in the gut.
She cried out in pain and looked to Alistair. He was falling more rapidly than her, having blocked the bulk of the assault. Her vision grew hazy as blood seeped from her wounds. Knees buckling, she collapsed on the ground, fighting to lift her head before everything grew dark.