Chapter 10
61 Days
The silence in the tunnel was oppressive, and Bethany glanced to her side to ensure that her companion was still there. Though Fenris carried a greatsword that must have weighed nearly as much as Bethany did, his steps were so light that no sound could be heard.
"What is it?" Fenris' deep voice cut through the silence.
Bethany started, realizing that she had been shaking her head. "Oh, I'm just amazed that you walk so quietly. Most of the other warriors I know are heavy on their feet." She thought bitterly of how Carver had clanked around with no care for stealth during the past year.
"Yes," the elf growled, his lips downturned. "One of the… perks of having lived much of my life looking behind me."
Bethany was silent, unable to comprehend the struggles Fenris had been through. "What is it like? Tevinter?"
Mossy eyes glanced at her before refocusing on the path ahead. "It is a land filled with dark people, and darker magic. Slaves are used and discarded. In some cases they are experimented on out of curiosity or greed."
Noting the bitter edge to his voice, Bethany regarded him with realization. "Is that what happened to you, Fenris?"
"Yes. My former master imbued lyrium brands into my skin, seeking to create for himself the ultimate bodyguard. Ha!" The laugh was sharp and lacked humor. "Even he could not have known that the markings gave me strength enough to eventually defy him." Fenris' fists clenched in remembrance of his former life, and his eyes narrowed with malice. "But even so, I am not truly free."
Bethany cocked her head in question, one eyebrow lifted.
"Danarius will continue to hunt me," he answered simply. "I am far too valuable for him to simply give up. But enough of such things; we must be wary in these tunnels."
Fenris' tone brooked no argument, and Bethany fell back into an uneasy silence. The shadows moved with the ebb and flow of the scant light offered by the lyrium veins, and her nervous eye searched for anything malicious hidden within. She faltered, wondering what Anders would think of her cowardice. As a Grey Warden, he was certain to be alert in these cold depths, but not crippled by fear. Steeling herself, Bethany resolved to be the kind of explorer Anders could trust at his side.
59 Days
The coin had not glowed for some time.
Prior to splitting into groups to explore the three tunnels, Bethany and Anders had come up with a crude method of keeping track of time. None of the explorers wanted to spend more time than necessary in the confining space of the shafts, especially if there was nothing to be found, and Varric suggested that all three teams meet back at the thaig if nothing was found. They had debated and argued for some time on how the groups would know when to turn back, when Bethany reached into her bag and fished out a handful of copper coins. Putting their heads together, she and Anders had managed to put a charm on each of the metal discs that caused them to glow bright blue. From experience, Anders had said that these types of charms didn't usually last for more than one day, and that when the light faded, each of the groups would know to turn back so they could report their findings.
Bethany and Fenris' trip had been uneventful – the only things they had found in their tunnel were a depleted silverite vein and a handful of dead spiders. Bethany was grateful that they hadn't run into any darkspawn, but there had been no other signs of life, either. It made her uneasy, and Fenris' continued silence was not helping. They had not slept since the beginning of their trek, and Bethany was exhausted. Whether it was concern or irritation that prompted Fenris to call a halt, it mattered not – Bethany could no longer keep up, and she was grateful for the rest.
She sat down, flexing her weary feet as she pulled out a piece of coarse flatbread for each of them. Fenris took his without comment. Bethany was lost to her own thoughts when they were interrupted by the elf's quiet voice.
"I cannot believe I am requesting this of a ma – of you," he began, "but I find myself in need of help."
Shocked by the comment, Bethany hurried to shut her gaping mouth before replying. "Oh. Of course, Fenris."
"We spoke of Danarius earlier. I have come upon information that may lead me to him." Fenris did not meet her eyes, but rather stared fixedly at the chunk of bread he held. Bethany was unsure of whether to respond or not, but Fenris continued in an even lower rumble. "I cannot face him alone."
"Of course we will help –"
"No. There can be no 'we,'" Fenris cut her off with a fierce swipe of a hand through air. "There is… something – aside from myself – that he is trying to procure. If we can get there first, it may goad him into confrontation. If too many attempt this, it will give away our intent. No – the fewer that know of my plan, the better."
"Oh. All right… if you think that's for the best." Bethany was at a loss for words; she had been under the impression that Fenris wanted as little to do with her as possible. For him to turn around and ask her help in procuring some unknown relic was unexpected, to say the least! "If I may ask, what exactly is this thing that we'll be finding?"
"A former apprentice of Danarius." Fenris' tone was grave.
"You mean, another person with lyrium markings?" Bethany couldn't believe that one magister – regardless of his influence – had been able to secure both the amount of lyrium and power that would be required for such a feat.
"No. I said she was an apprentice, not a slave – although, the two are near the same thing as far as Danarius is concerned. She is not marked as I am. Even so, she is perhaps more valuable to Danarius than I am." Fenris gave a dark smile. "She is a mage as he is, you see. She escaped shortly before I did, though how an elf like her managed the feat, I cannot say."
Bethany furrowed her brow in confusion. "If she is a mage, she probably didn't have the difficult time you might think."
Fenris chuckled, but there was no humor in it. "She may be a mage, but she is as dim-witted as child. Her 'escape' was mostly due to chance and dumb luck. The only way I can fathom that she has even survived is through the plague that Danarius himself taught to her: blood-magic." He spat the last words as though to clear the poison they'd left upon his tongue.
"She's… a blood mage?" Bethany emoted, incredulous of what Fenris had told her. She knew perfectly well what he thought about magic in general, but to consider helping the type of person that even most mages reviled was shocking. "Why would you want to help a blood mage?"
Fenris narrowed his jade eyes at her. "I did not say that I want to help her. I need to get to Danarius, and she may be the easiest way. Unlike the rest of the magisters in Tevinter, she has not been using blood magic for long, and is largely ignorant when it comes to the consequences. Danarius, I believe, views her as a liability now that she is outside of his care."
"Was she a mage before she worked with Danarius?"
"Yes. She formerly belonged to a clan of Dalish elves in Ferelden and came to Tevinter seeking to augment her power. She did that, but at the cost of consorting with demons." Fenris was evidently sickened by the thought. Bethany's next question was answered before she had a chance to ask. "Why she sought to gain power, I do not know. Perhaps if we find her, you can question her for yourself."
"Yes, perhaps I can." Bethany was dazed by the information that Fenris had given her.
In a softened tone, Fenris said, "You must understand that what I ask of you is – rare. If this were any other apprentice of Danarius, I would kill them on the spot. The reason I will not – aside from her leading Danarius to me – is that she was not a torment as the others were. She is a misguided fool, but at least she did not fall to the same level as the others. My debt to her for that small act of mercy will be paid in full when I stay my hand from ending her life."
There was a long moment of silence, then Fenris let out a soft sigh. "Get some sleep. I will stand watch, and we will be on our way after that."
58 Days
Bethany was anxious to be reunited with the rest of the team. Though Fenris had shown her an unexpected side of himself, Bethany was unsure of how to handle it. Upon waking, she found that the elf had returned to his usual, sullen mannerisms, and seemed unwilling to talk any more on the subject.
Fenris announced that they must be close to the entrance to the thaig, as the air didn't smell quite so stale anymore, and Bethany took heart at the news.
Lapsing back into her own thoughts, Bethany remembered again the brief brush of lips that she and Anders had shared before leaving for the tunnels. She struggled to keep her breath from hitching at the memory, her heart fluttering as she recalled Anders' unique scent clouding her senses. Had it been just an instinctual gesture, faced with separation as they had been? Had Anders kissed her out of pity, knowing full well how terrified she was of forging deeper into the Roads? She didn't want to think so. No, it would be better to cherish the memory for what it was: a beautiful, breathtaking moment between two people, regardless of the catalyst behind it. When she saw him again, she would know better if he'd viewed her as a passing fancy – even then, though, nothing could change what she had felt, and she vowed that her recollections would remain unblemished.
A resounding crash echoed through the tunnel, and Bethany's thoughts were torn back to the present. She exchanged a shocked glance with Fenris, who drew his greatsword. Without a word, they sprinted forward, particles of dust falling around them, glittering with the light that was just visible from this distance. The tunnel's exit was just ahead.
As they reached the precipice, Bethany peered out through the thick cloud of dust that obscured the thaig. Her hand flew to her mouth to stifle a gasp of horror, and Fenris swore loudly in Arcanum.
The stairway was gone.
Panicking, Bethany listened closely to try and make out what was being said.
"Bartrand! What in the name of Andraste's soggy unmentionables is going on?" Varric's voice echoed from somewhere across the cavern.
From an even greater distance, Bartrand's tone was mocking. "Well, Brother it looks obvious to me: the stairs are gone."
"Oh, and centuries of dwarven craftsmanship just happen to crumble to bits, right when we get back from traipsing around on your bloody errand?" Isabela's voice, though sarcastic as usual, was colder than Bethany had ever heard it. She sincerely hoped that she was never on the receiving end of the pirate's wrath.
Bethany glanced at Fenris as he swore again under his breath. "It is the dwarf who destroyed the stairs. I can see the explosive tracts in the stone."
She didn't want to believe it, praying fervently that this was all some big misunderstanding. However, as her gaze flew to the even break marks where the stairwell had been, and seeing the dark powder staining the grey stone, the proof was undeniable.
"Looks like you and your friends are out of luck, Varric." Bartrand spoke again, malicious amusement steeped into each word. "My scouts explored each of the tunnels ahead of time, and the one we're at the mouth of now leads straight to a cache of treasure. If there is anything down either of yours, you won't find it for a long while."
"Are you kidding me?" Varric laughed nervously. "I know you – you wouldn't screw over your own brother for a handful of coin. What about our partnership?"
A dark chuckle rose from below, then… nothing.
"Bartrand? Bartrand!" Varric bellowed into the now-empty cavern. Bethany heard Isabela mutter something indiscernible to the dwarf, who proceeded to spew a stream of increasingly creative profanities after his traitorous brother. She felt for Varric, and the pain of her own sibling's treachery seared through her once again.
As she forced Carver from her mind and considered their current predicament instead, the outlook wasn't any brighter. Bethany felt her throat tighten, and the corners of her eyes stung with pricks of moisture. Fighting her despair, she grasped an outcrop of rock and peeked around the edge of the tunnel. Through the whorls of dust that were beginning to dissipate, a pair of warm amber eyes locked on hers.
"Bethany." His voice carried across the void, caressing over her and soothing her strained psyche.
She heard jumbled quarreling from Isabela, Varric, and Fenris cease at Anders' voice, but she had ears only for the man who stood staring at her.
"I will find you again." At Anders' declaration, other conversation stopped.
"What's this?" Varric asked, a gleam of interest creeping back into his voice. "Blondie, did I just hear you say that you would find Sunshine somewhere in this maze of tunnels? And what are the rest of us – chopped nug liver?"
Isabela clasped her hands together and bounced on her toes, grinning with glee. "Oh, now this is just precious!"
Bethany and Anders ignored them. A flash of light emanated from the healer's staff and shot toward her. Delicate wings became visible as an ethereal lark fluttered close to hover before Bethany. As it bobbed in the air, a kaleidoscope of colors flared down the bird's wings. A piece of parchment was clutched in its beak, and opaque eyes regarded her curiously.
She took the shimmering parchment, and silvery letters flashed across the page.
You are my song in the darkness. Stay safe.
With a single, melancholy note of song, the bird and message dissolved into flecks of light that faded from view, leaving Bethany to stare at their creator once more. It was a simple spell, but the gesture heartened her more than she could express. Anders smiled, but it did not reach his purpose-filled eyes.
"Ok, kids," Varric said, "Enough of the heart-wrenching goodbyes. Let's see if this 'stone sense' that I've heard so much about really exists! Bethany and Fenris, we'll see you soon. Don't get dead."
As she watched Varric and Isabela disappear back into their tunnel, Bethany watched for Anders to turn after them. The others had already gone before he began to move, but Anders hesitated before looking back at her once more. He pressed two fingers to his lips before extending them out to her. Bethany swallowed hard, and watched him follow the two rogues.
Turning back into her own tunnel, she felt Fenris' eyes upon her. A deep frown cut furrows into his brow as she met his gaze.
"You know, that… abomination… is not the only one who can keep you safe."
A/N: Well, well… things are certainly getting interesting with Fenris now! Not to mention, the group being split up due to Bartrand's (different) betrayal should introduce some urgency to the situation. As always, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter! There have been a couple of reviews I've received that do not have the PM feature enabled, so I apologize that I was unable to say thank you that way! In any case, thanks to all of you for your support, and please let me know what you think!
Note that this story will be updated (at slowest) on an every other week basis with "Duty and Devotion."
Special thanks to the lovely Eve Hawke for her beta of this chapter :)
-Kyla