Justice makes an unexpected appearance. *giggles*
We meet another Amell...
Thanks to my lovely beta, PheonRen for helping me sort out punctuation and all that jazz, and to the lovely LadyCallia for her reviews and feedback!
Yeah, yeah...Bioware owns...whatever! :D
Chapter 10 - A Harrowing Encounter
Anders had only attended one meeting at the Mage Underground quarters in the Undercity and did not return. He wanted to help the mages, but did not agree with their violent terms. What really kept him away was that the majority of them spoke about using blood magic, which made him sick and angered Justice. Instead, he chose to keep to himself, and continued to heal people at his clinic. Evelina would stop by every now and then to chat with him and keep him informed of what was going on.
The months passed quickly and another year went by. Anders found himself helping Faith out with other jobs that she took, enjoying her proximity and still falling to sleep eventually on his cot at night, aching for her.
One day Evelina stopped by his clinic looking worried and wringing her hands.
"Hello, Evelina," Anders greeted her cheerfully, then faltered when he saw how worried she was. "What's wrong?"
"Oh, Anders. I wouldn't bother you if it wasn't an emergency, but it is. There isn't anyone else at the place where we meet and I need your help desperately," she said nervously.
"Sure I'll help," he answered back automatically, smiling kindly at her. "What's the problem?"
"I just got a note that there was a scheduled break out from the gallows for this afternoon. Unfortunately, nobody is around to get the job done, and for the first time, our leader has an emergency at home and is unable to help out. I have to hurry home to feed the children. Would you kindly do this for us?" She said, wringing her hands again nervously.
"How many am I helping to escape?" Anders asked, keeping his voice down for there were some Fereldan refugees in his clinic who were warming their hands over one of the fire pits on the other side of the room.
"Three. One young woman and two children. One is six and the other is nine. The children are siblings."
Justice stirred to attention and Anders agreed immediately.
"I'll show you the way to the secret passage to the gallows. It's not far from here. Thank you so much, Anders!"
Anders turned to the Fereldan refugees and asked them to keep an eye out for he had to go out for a few minutes. The three people in the clinic smiled back at him and nodded. He followed Evelina out to the entrance of the passageway. They stood there for a few minutes, while Evelina gave him the exact time when the job had to be carried out. She also told him the three mages' names, then left.
I finally see you have come to your senses. Good.
Anders could not think of anything to say to Justice so he kept quiet all the way back to his clinic. When he arrived, Faith was standing in the middle of the room, obviously waiting for him. The refugees had vanished and she was alone in the clinic.
"Faith! I didn't expect to see you here. Are you feeling all right?" He asked in a surprised tone.
Faith nodded, grinning at him. He smiled back warmly.
"I'm fine, mother is fine. I came by to ask if you something, actually. Merrill needs our help to retrieve something from Sundermount and I was wondering if you could come with us."
"Something from Sundermount? What do you mean?" He inquired.
"She needs a tool to help her finish a mirror she has in her house. It's a special tool that only the Dalish use. She's afraid to go alone and speak to the keeper. I've agreed to come with her, to give her moral support, you know..."
Anders frowned. "Are you talking about the mirror she's been talking about for months? Isn't it the reason she was kicked out of her clan to begin with?"
"Well, yes. She said they feared the corruption from the mirror. But she says it isn't dangerous and I believe her," Faith replied, wondering where Anders was going with his questions.
"I recall her telling you that she fixed the mirror so it wouldn't hurt anyone. How did she 'fix' it exactly?" He asked, his eyes narrowing.
"You were there when she spoke to me. You know how," Faith snapped.
"Are you sure you want to help her, Faith? Think about it. She used blood magic to fix it. I don't think it's wise for you to help her finish it," he shot back.
Faith bristled. She was getting upset because Anders was against Merrill's use of blood magic. She, herself, had never seen Merrill using blood magic, and she thought Merrill was a sweet person who essentially had a good heart and honestly wanted to help her clan. The only way Merrill could was by restoring the mirror for she was convinced that this could help them get back some of the history and lore they had lost ages ago.
"If you don't want to go, just tell me. I'm a big girl and can handle it if you refuse," Faith replied angrily.
Anders opened his mouth to say something when suddenly a blue glow started to emanate from his body as Justice took over. His booming voice only made Faith angrier.
"You foolish girl. You think that helping a blood mage is sensible? Anders doesn't want to do this. He won't go with you. Now why don't you leave him alone?"
"Shut up, Justice! I know what I'm doing and I advise you to leave him alone, you demon!"
Justice unstrapped his staff and banged it against the ground. He took a few menacing steps towards Faith, who glared back at him.
"I am NOT a demon, you fool!" He bellowed.
"You think I'd go if I knew Merrill was dangerous? I know she has a good heart. You, on the other hand, I'm not so sure!" Faith growled back at him.
Anders fell to his knees, panting - then straightened up, a horrified expression on his face.
"What just happened? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Justice happened, that's what," Faith replied, still nettled. "I told him to leave you alone, by the way. I bet he probably hates me. That's fine. I'm not afraid of him."
"Did I hurt you?" Anders asked in an anguished tone. He took a step towards her, but she raised her hands and asked him to stop.
"It's alright, Anders. I don't want to cause you further pain. I think it's better if we stopped seeing each other for a while. That way, you can get your priorities straight. I am ready to help you and Justice, but I won't let him walk all over me or control me!" She spun around to leave the clinic.
"Wait! Faith, please don't go!" Anders cried out.
But Faith did not look back and all Anders could do was watch her disappear around the corner.
She's a distraction, but I like her.
"Shut up, Justice," Anders snarled.
...
Fenris accompanied Faith and the rest of her party to Sundermount. He didn't mind and was so grateful for what she had done for him in the past, that he would probably have faced an ogre or two for her and then some.
They arrived in Sundermount early in the afternoon. The trip itself was uneventful, and since it was a hot day, by the time they got there the group was silent, tired and thirsty. Once in the Dalish camp, they rested and had something to eat, gulping down great quantities of water with their meal.
When they walked up to Keeper Marethari, Faith saw Merrill had started to fidget, and her eyes looked fearful, kind of like a deer's when sniffing out a predator. She felt sorry for Merrill and stood right next to her.
Merrill took strength from Hawke standing by her side and demanded to be given the tool she needed to finish the mirror. She also said she was invoking vir sulevanan, which turned out to be performing whatever task the keeper gave them in exchange for the arulin'holm - the tool Merrill was asking for.
The keeper seemed a little angry at Merrill, so Faith interrupted then and asked her to be a little less 'elfy' when she talked, so she could understand better.
As she suspected, this comment earned her a smile from the keeper, and lessened the tension in the air. Since the keeper relaxed, so did Merrill, and Faith felt better because of it.
The keeper then sighed as she gave them their task. "A varterral has taken the lives of three of our hunters. It lairs in a cavern in the mountainside. Seek it out and slay it. No one else must fall to its anger. Do this for us," the keeper paused and looked straight at Merrill for a moment, "and I will give you the arulin'holm." She bowed her head. "May the Dread Wolf never catch your scent."
They bowed their heads respectfully and walked away. Merrill looked even more troubled than before.
"What is it Merrill?" Faith asked.
"The varterral is a terrible beast. It will be quite a battle to slay it." She sighed.
"What does it do?" Faith inquired curiously.
"It spits out poison that paralyzes you and takes your health away. And it's enormous...bigger than any spider."
"Wonderful," Faith said sarcastically. "And here I thought this whole trip was too easy."
...
Anders flattened himself against the rock, listening to the sounds above. He had been through the tunnels as stealthily as he could, climbing up wooden stairs and avoiding confrontation with the lyrium smugglers. When he had first seen them and realized what they were from eavesdropping on their conversations, he suddenly knew that these tunnels were also used to supply extra amounts of lyrium to the templars. He was so angry that he pondered on actually sending out a fireball and frying the whole lot to a crisp, but he had refrained - better to save his mana for a real emergency.
Now, he was no longer deep in the tunnels, but at the entrance to the gallows. He hoped the sounds he had heard were actually the mages waiting above for him, for if that wasn't the case, he would find himself arrested - or worse - executed on the spot.
You cling to life too easily. You still don't understand the meaning of real courage.
"No," he muttered back at Justice. "I'll leave the 'real courage' to you."
Justice said nothing to this. Anders braced himself for the worse, and pushed the trapdoor above his head open. He now heard nothing above him, so he hoisted himself through the opening.
The room he found himself in was darker than the tunnels had been. Peering around, he prayed inwardly to Andraste for the three mages to materialize before him.
A noise on his right made him turn and he saw a child cowering behind some crates. He gave a sigh of relief and relaxed.
"Are you Carla? Or... Jasper?" He asked, his voice low and kind.
Another voice made him look harder, and he blinked because the person seemed familiar to him.
"Are you our rescuer?" The female mage asked as she took halting steps closer to him.
"Yes," he said, taking in the honey-colored eyes that regarded him. Where had he seen those eyes before? "My name is Anders. We have to hurry."
The young lady started at the name, but said nothing else, and quickly took the children's hands. Anders told her he would go first, that way she could lower the children to him, and he would safely carry them down to the ground below. She nodded.
Once they were back in the tunnels, he turned to the children and asked them to be very, very quiet.
"There are men with swords around," he cautioned. "We do not want them to see us."
The children nodded and clung to the woman, who smiled reassuringly down at them. Anders's brow furrowed in thought, vainly trying to remember why she seemed familiar, but Justice broke through his reverie, demanding they leave at once.
They kept to the shadows, hugging the walls and hiding behind bushes along the way, which made their progress slow.
They were nearing the place where the lyrium smugglers had set camp, so he warned them to be especially quiet and keep low. They all nodded to this. The smallest one trembled slightly, but the brother held out his hand to his sister and smiled at her reassuringly. Anders's resolve strengthened when he saw the simple gesture and he swore to protect them at all cost.
They practically crawled through the bushes, inching their way past and away from the fire the men were sitting around. They were eating and drinking, laughing and talking loudly.
Just a few more feet...just a few more...and we're past them...
The little girl's hand landed on a spider web, and she squeaked. The men stopped talking and drew their swords. Anders swore and stood up, staff at the ready, and all hell broke loose.
...
Faith stood in front of the huge, ugly creature that roared at her. Her initial shock over, she threw a fire bomb at it, disappearing at the same time and reappearing on the other side, her daggers slashing at its spindly legs. The varterral roared again, but in pain this time.
Merrill deftly sent out a sleeping spell and the creature stood still, asleep on the spot. Fenris yelled as he rallied the team, and jumped lithely through the air, bringing his hammer down on the creature's head. Faith slashed at its tender underbelly and Varric's archer lance tore a hole through one of its legs, nearly severing it on the spot.
The sleeping spell wore off, and the varterral gave a different scream. Half a dozen giant spiders dropped down from the ceiling above, and Faith understood that it had summoned them to help win the fight. Gritting her teeth, she flung another fire bomb at the group of spiders, killing two of them instantly and badly burning a third one. Varric's arrows managed to slow the remaining spiders to a crawl and they were able to once again focus on the varterral.
Fenris slammed at the varterral from behind, and Faith took advantage and used vendetta to attack it again. The creature turned to face them and opened its ugly mouth spitting a truckload of poison at them. They both jumped out of the way, right into the path of the remaining three spiders.
Merrill yelled and flung a winter's grasp spell on the varterral, immobilizing it for a few minutes, so Faith and Fenris were able to finish off the spiders. The varterral, however, managed to break through the ice, and now reared up on its hind legs, turning to slam down on Fenris and Faith. Merrill sent out a horror spell at it that made it stop in its tracks and allowed Fenris to leap into the air and crash his huge hammer on its head. This time, there was a crunching sound and its skull broke. The varterral gave a last scream and went down.
They all drank health potions, then Merrill ran to Pol's quiet form on the ground.
"Pol! Help me, Hawke! We have to get him to the keeper. She'll heal him!"
Faith shook her head gently at Merrill. "Merrill, he's dead. Nobody can heal death, as far as I know. I'm sorry."
Merrill broke down and cried over his dead body. Fenris and Varric looked elsewhere, while Faith walked closer to Merrill and asked her if she wanted a moment alone.
But Merrill shook her head and said there was much to be done.
"Something is very wrong, Hawke. Pol should never have run away from me. He ran directly into the varterral's path! And...he acted like I was a monster."
"You are a monster," Fenris growled behind Faith. Faith turned and glared at Fenris and he looked the other way.
"I - I need to speak to the keeper about this. Let's go," Merrill said quietly.
They left the cavern where they had fought the varterral and Faith felt sorry for Merrill. Even so, she finally understood why Anders berated her so often. Merrill simply did not understand that blood magic was wrong. She didn't use it to harm others. But in time, it would end up consuming her eventually turning her into an abomination.
Faith sighed. As much as she liked Merrill, she could not allow that to happen. Even if it meant berating her herself.
...
Once they finally arrived at the stairs that would take them back to Darktown, Anders breathed out an audible sigh of relief. The children held on tightly to the young woman's skirts and the older boy, Jasper, looked up at Anders with adoration in his eyes.
The fight had been shorter than he thought it would be. The young woman had helped and the magic she held was extraordinary. The mercenaries and lyrium smugglers had been effectively killed and they had finally managed to find their way to the entrance that led to Darktown.
"Thank you so much, Anders," the girl said quietly.
Anders turned to look at her, straight into her large honey-colored eyes. He suddenly remembered where he had seen them.
"You say your name is Mary Anne, right?" He asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"I cannot lie to you. I took that name when I arrived in Kirkwall," she said softly, a smile playing on the corner of her lips.
"You're Rilka, right? Rilka Amell.."
"That's right! You remember me from the tower?" She asked in disbelief.
"I remember you all right," Anders chuckled. Rilka blushed and looked away. "Hey, don't worry about it. You were, what? Eight? Nine?"
"I was five. But I followed you around until I was ten. Shamelessly too..." Her blush deepened and Anders burst out laughing.
"And I was a foolish fifteen-year-old," he grinned. She smiled at this and relaxed visibly. Anders's grin deepened.
They had been walking away from the entrance to the tunnels and now stood right in front of the doors to his clinic.
"Is this where you live?" Rilka asked timidly.
"Yes and no. I'm the healer here. The only healer in Kirkwall, as a matter of fact," he smiled. He asked them to come inside the clinic, while he busied himself making them some sandwiches, smiling as he chatted with Rilka about Ferelden and her reason for leaving. She, too, had fled the Blight just like so many others had.
"Evelina, the woman who asked me to help you escape will be coming shortly." Anders stopped talking as he remembered how much Leandra Amell wanted to find her cousin. And now standing before him was her cousin's daughter, alive and well.
"I know that Evelina is arranging with others to get us away from here. To Tevinter," Rilka said, smiling at Anders as she bit into her sandwich.
"Yes, she told me the others had arranged this. But before you go anywhere, there is someone I think you should meet," Anders said, his smile deepening into a grin.
...