Author's Note: Sorry for the late arrival of this chapter, I've been mapping out how I want to go about this adventure for the last few days and who I still wanted to introduce to the story. But please enjoy!
Chapter 13: Honnleath and Abbadon's Decision
"I still do not see why we could not have taken the easier path to the lake. Instead we're gallivanting aboutnobody knows where in the south somewhere." Morrigan said aloud as the horse's hooves clattered against the cobblestone of the highway. Once Alistair had recovered enough from his stupor over Connor, Shaylar had chosen for them a team consisting of herself, Alistair, and Morrigan, that would set out on the trail of the Urn of Sacred Ashes. It was truly Arl Eamon's last hope, and she had to wonder how many things they had tried to recover the Arl's health before they had come to relying on ancient tales. But whoever he was, this Brother Genetivi seemed to be closer to cracking this myth than most were. The trouble was finding him.
"I rather like gallivanting. Besides, you know what they said Morrigan, the route we wanted to take was teaming with Darkspawn. Now I don't know about you, but since it's just the three of us I'd rather not risk running into too many brigades of those things." Morrigan scowled as her horse caught up to theirs, but she didn't say much more about it. All three of them had known that this trip was not going to simply take a few days. A month? Two months? No one could really say for sure, save for Brother Genitivi himself. Shaylar's grip around Alistair's waist tightened slightly as she thought of what had happened on the last night the group was all together.
"Abbadon...are you sure about this?" Shaylar asked as the band of misfits they had gathered since Lothering sat around the fire together, all rather tense about the current situation. Even Sten and Morrigan, who usually didn't find their way around the fire, were there today. Abbadon had called it an important meeting so there they were.
"I'm positive. Shaylar, you and I both know once you, Alistair, and Morrigan set off, there's no telling when you'll be back." if at all, that was the phrase that would leave no one's lips. Though all of them knew it was possible, if most of the knights that Bann Teagan had sent looking for the Urn could account for that. "So the rest of us can't just sit around and wait for you to return. We have to do something." What Abbadon had proposed had been pretty simple to follow.
They would seek the Urn, and take the horses, a tent or so, and a few other supplies with them. Abbadon would speak to Bann Teagan, perhaps borrow a few horses from Redcliffe. And then, the rest of the group would set off to find the Dalish Elves, who had apparently been spotted in the east . Roland cleared his throat, to input on the matter.
"I have to say I agree with Abbadon. You know as well as we do that the world isn't going to stop turning just because you're off on some grand myth chase." Leliana nodded.
"It does sound like a good idea. Perhaps by the time you return from your journey, we will have settled a treaty or two." Perhaps they were correct, but Shaylar still couldn't account for the worry that bubbled at her stomach.
"I shall follow the male Warden." Shaylar gave a sideward glance to Sten, turning it into a sort of half glare. No matter what she did, Sten would not simply believe that a Grey Warden could be a woman, though she stood right before him. Alistair seemed un-amused as well.
"You know, I also happen to be a Grey Warden."
"...it is still hard for me to believe that either. You shriek very loudly at the sight of Giant Spiders."
"Those things are creepy! And I only shrieked once."
"It was enough." Abbadon silenced them both.
"Getting back to the point, it's more productive. We will return to Redcliffe when our business is finished. If the three of you happen to get back first, then wait for us."
Abbadon never hesitated in the face of duty and destiny. But she found herself missing him already. Ever since the attack on Castle Cousland, she had been terrified of losing him. No one had the slightest clue what might happen in the next month or so. They could die...or the other half of their little band. Either way, the whole situation left her with a sinking feeling that she didn't like, settled within her belly. Alistair looked back at her, though his grip on Dusty's reins did not falter.
"Are you alright?" He asked, to which she nodded slightly.
"Yeah. I just hope that Abbadon and the others will be alright." She spoke evenly, though it did little for Morrigan's patience.
"I think at current, you should be more worried about us." and she couldn't exactly tell Morrigan she was wrong, because she wasn't. Their group should have been her main concern, and in time it would be. But leaving Abbadon had left a hole in her gut that she couldn't quite settle.
"I suppose. Our main focus right now, is getting to that inn, and finding out where Brother Genitivi might have gone." Alistair pursed his lips for a moment, seeming deep in thought. Of course, Morrigan was there to jump right on it.
"Don't think too hard, I can see the smoke billowing from your ears." Alistair rolled his eyes, though it did seem he had something to say.
"What if we don't find the clues we're looking for? Where will we go then?" Shaylar thought about the question, her fingers linking together at the ex-templar's mid-section.
"If he was there, maybe the Innkeeper overheard him. We'll figure something out." She promised, though she wasn't so confident on how keeping such a promise was going to go. For now, she just had to remain positive about finding something at the lake. For a moment, there was a silence between the three of them, the air thick as they considered what might happen if they couldn't find the lead they were looking for.
"...is that a village ahead?" Alistair's voice was clear as he pointed out what they were coming up on. And a village it did seem to be. But the sounds of heavy grunting, and shrieking told them that it wasn't exactly finding itself in a good time.
"Damn Morrigan, how did you get so fast with your spell casting? You claimed my point." Shaylar had a frown on her face as she lowered the Crossbow that they had purchased for her shortly before leaving Redcliffe. Certainly, it was much faster for shooting, but came nowhere close to Morrigan's quick ways with a fire spell. That was something she was sure of as she watched the powered spell fly right into the face of a Darkspawn that had been nearest to her.
"Practice." Morrigan responded simply. They were mostly trying to keep the bulk of the herd of Darkspawn away from Alistair. They seemed to be attracted to the gleam of his armor, but a quick spell, and arrow usually deflected them from Alistair as they tried to claw at his back. She watched as Alistair pushed his sword through one of the larger Hurlocks for a final time, watching the slime ooze from the blade as he pulled it back out.
"Ugh...I like this a lot better when it isn't dripping..." He muttered, waving the sword around and letting the blood spatter from it, flecking onto the ground as the Hurlock's blood pooled around his boots.
"We've got more to worry about around here than a dirty longsword." Thankfully, they had found a vacant house, and with no sign of a stable, they had stored Dusty and Hohaku safely within its walls, after they had killed the Darkspawn just outside the house. She didn't know if anyone still lived in the village, but cleaning the house would be left to them once they took off, that was for sure.
As they came to the center of the village, she slowed to a stop. Alistair, who had been directly behind her, nearly crashing into her smaller form. She however, didn't seem to notice him lightly bumping into her, as her eyes were transfixed on something that stood within the center of the village. She had seen a sign earlier. Was it... Honnleath? Yes, it had been something like that. Shaylar moved towards it, her hand touching the cold stone of what seemed to simply be a giant statue. Her gazed was transfixed on the blue crystals that adorned its shoulders.
"What...is it?" Shaylar asked, tilting her head to the side. Morrigan's golden-yellow eyes scanned the statue herself.
"T'is a Golem, or so it looks to be anyway. Though such creatures are rare to see here on the surface."
"What do you mean?" When Morrigan stopped talking to observe the creature more thoroughly, Alistair picked up where she left off, though he didn't move to touch the statue. It was probably the menacing position it was in, looking poised for attack, that made him less inclined to go near it. Though Shaylar seemed fascinated.
"Most Golems were apparently made by the dwarves a long time ago...which is why they're usually found underground, if at all. No one knows how they were made or even how to control them." He explained. "Except for the dwarves, I suppose." He watched her a moment, noticing the light within her eyes.
"Wouldn't it be so...interesting if this one was real?" She asked. Morrigan sighed at how long that Shaylar was taking to simply stare at a statue. She was lucky that it seemed they had cleared out the Darkspawn.
"Interesting or not, might I suggest we come back to the matter at hand?" She asked, Shaylar stopping to give her a quizzical look. The apostate responded simply by directing her attention to a trail of blood leading to a door, from the statue itself. She pulled back from it, nodding sheepishly.
"That. Let's do that." she said, clearing her throat before leading Alistair and Morrigan in the direction the blood trail was taking them.
"Oh thank goodness...we were afraid no one was going to come." A man called from behind a magical barrier. Their trail had led them deep into a basement. They weren't sure where they had been headed, and Morrigan had mentioned getting too far off track, but it was like something was compelling her to stay. She just wasn't sure what it was, but she was almost determined to stay until she found out.
"What are you all...doing down here? You know...aside from avoiding the face-eating Darkspawn. Was there no chance for you to escape before they got here?" Alistair questioned as the seeming apostate who had been keeping up the barrier brought it down.
"Ah..well yes." the same apostate stepped over to them, wringing out his hands. "We may have...if we had any indication that they were coming at all. I am the only protection they have had against these creatures, with my barriers...but I won't leave."
"Sounds like a fools notion to me." Morrigan picked up, and he only looked at her briefly, before returning his gaze to Alistair.
"Why won't you leave? You...know it isn't safe here." Shaylar mentioned, to which he nodded.
"My daughter...I-I'm Matthias, and my daughter's name is Amalia. My father was a great mage named Wilhelm. I...can't use magic, but I've been using the defenses my father left to defend the villagers while we've been trapped her." Not an apostate. Morrigan seemed satiated, likely because she hadn't been sensing any magic coming from the man himself. "A-Anyway...she ran off, further into my father's lab. I can't go in there are...horrible sounding things down there. But I want to find her...Alive or...otherwise." Morrigan drew in a breath and held it. She knew what was coming. Family matters always seemed to strike a chord with the female Grey Warden, and she realized that soon they'd be delved deep in the heart of a problem they didn't need to be involved in.
"I'll help...I mean..we'll help." And there it was. "But first...can you tell me anything about that statue outside?" She noticed his disgusted look right away. He didn't seemed pleased to even be thinking about it.
"Ugh...I see you've seen Shale." Alistair blinked.
"It has a name."
"Of course. It's a Golem, one my father found in some Thaig somewhere. He always had a knack for collecting things and bragging about them later. Shale was one of those things. He used something called a control rod to keep it in line. But one day we found it hunched over his body."
"...she killed him?" It seemed strange to him, that she was even giving it a gender, but Alistair had noted her fascination with the statue outside.
"It's the only explanation. So my mother had the bloody thing put there, we haven't moved it since." Shaylar bit her lip.
"Would she be...able to be revived?" Both her companions seemed confused, but Matthias shook his head.
"Don't know why you'd want the damn thing. I still have the control rod here...if you want it. Even have the word my father used to get it moving. But...I won't give them to you unless you bring me Amalia...or any news." Shaylar agreed and tugged Alistair in the direction of the door Morrigan had already been standing by reluctantly expectant.
"What do you want with the Golem, Shaylar?" Alistair asked as she opened the door. She turned, smiling slightly.
"Let's get the girl first, we can talk about that later."
"But I wanted to talk about it no-" But she had already delved into the basement, pretending to be out of earshot. He sighed lightly, he and Morrigan trailing in after her.
"How do I always end up covered in blood?" Shaylar asked as they entered a room deep within Wilhelm's lab. They'd have to worry about finding somewhere to wash up later. The humming of a young girl brought their attention to the center of the room. A little girl in cute little pigtails sat on the floor, playing with an orange tabby cat.
"Oh kitty look! do you wanna play with us?" She asked, jumping to her feet excitedly. They could only assume this girl was Amalia.
"Amalia? You're father is really worried about you. I think you should come with us, we'll take you back to him." Amalia frowned however, kneeling down next to the cat.
"Kitty says that I need to stay here with her. She'll get lonely if I leave."
"...It's a cat." Alistair stated, looking at the cat. Though it stared back at him, like it understood him. Something about the feline creeped him out.
"It is no lie that I have told her she must stay." The cats eyes began flashing as it...spoke. Alistair nearly stumbled behind Shaylar, who seemed just as bewildered.
"Not an ordinary feline, t'would seem." Morrigan commented. Though it turned its attention on them, Amalia seemed to pay no mind to her next words.
"Maybe you can help me, where this girl has failed." She mewed, though Shaylar still kept her guard up...despite being up against a tiny feline.
"I wish to be free of this place. That fool Wilhelm trapped me here eons ago. I just...wish to see the world through this girl's eyes." So it was a demon. Morrigan pulled her staff from her back.
"No. We're not going to let you do that." Shaylar stared simply. Amalia seemed confused as she looked between the two parties.
"...Do what? Kitty?" The feline instead raised her hackles, and her form began to shift and change. Terrified, Amalia ran and hid behind the doorway, just past Shaylar and her companions. It stood bare in front of them, clad in nothing but white and purple skin. A desire demon.
"I will have my way, by one set of means or the other!" She sent a large ball of energy their way, the three separating quickly to avoid the blow. Morrigan and Shaylar moved to attack, when Alistair suddenly stopped, crying out in pain.
"Alistair?!" Shaylar asked. The demon hovered there, smirking.
"That's right pet...you are the perfect vessel to do my bidding..." she said, Alistair seeming to be slowly overtaken by something.
"Yes, love." Alistair said finally, lifting his sword at this demon's silent command.
"No! She bewitched him!" Shaylar called to Morrigan as she jumped out of the way when his sword came crashing down close enough to slice at her.
"Of all the times for his head to be totally empty..." Morrigan murmured as she kept an eye on the demon, trying to determine when to strike. Shaylar would not strike him, but narrowly avoided the blows that came her way.
"It's either reconsidering my offer or losing your friend..." Shaylar found it increasingly hard to breath each swing that Alistair took at her.
"No...you can't have him!" she insisted. Morrigan finally turned, casting what seemed to be a glyph that stunned Alistair enough for Shaylar to grab him, kissing him without thinking about it. The paralyzed man's dulled eyes became bright again, and..so did his face.
"For making me watch this." The demon hadn't noticed Morrigan behind her, and the witch finally struck her down with a powered spell. The demon screamed, before writhing in pain as Morrigan finished her off. Shaylar pulled away from Alistair, unwrapping her arms from around him and walking towards the door.
"W-What? Are we...at least going to talk about that? I mean...not that I don't find it...interesting but we can't just not talk about it every time you do that."
"Nope. Morrigan wasn't going to do it." Alistair blushed, covering his mouth as he watched her head for the door with Morrigan, picking up the girl on her way out.
"Maker, woman..." he murmured before following behind them.
In exchange for his daughter, he had given her the control rod, and the words to activate the Golem which Matthias had called "Shale." As she held the rod, she said these same words, and the Golem swung to life. It seemed to stretch, before looking down at the three companions.
"...it has my rod." it said, looking directly at Shaylar now with glowing blue eyes. Shaylar nodded.
"You're Shale, right?"
"That is unless it prefers Pebbles, Rubble..." it continued with rock related names and Shaylar couldn't get a word until it was finished.
"Just...how long have you been standing here?" She asked, looking around.
"I suppose since the day that fool mage met his end." it said. "Though I cannot imagine why it cares for that information. I have been forced to sit and watch these villagers plod along for I am unsure...many, many years." She looked upon Shale for a while before clearing her throat.
"Is it alright if I call you a she?" Shale seemed to blink.
"I do not care what it refers to me as."
"Wait Wait...you watched the villagers, let's go back to that." Alistair interjected. "For years. and they had no idea. Creepy..." He finished, Shaylar pushing his arm slightly. Morrigan cleared her throat.
"One would wonder why you are not grateful to the one who allowed you to stretch your legs, Golem."
"Oh...another mage. Wonderful." Shale seemed less than enthused but when she had addressed her old master, who was also a mage from what she understood, Shaylar noted how un-thrilled she seemed.
"Tell me, are all the villagers dead?"
"No, just fled."
"Damn. I had hoped it would bring me better news."
"I'm a she."
"It is offended?"
"I..." She decided not to finish. Maybe this was just Shale's thing.
"It is quite strange...you have my control rod...I see it but I do not feel...the need to carry out any command. Quick, tell me to do something." Shaylar couldn't think of anything to ask.
"Walk over there?" Alistair half questioned, half commanded.
"...and I feel nothing! How peculiar.
"T'was because you were ordered so by a halfwit." Morrigan added to Alistair's dismay.
"Well...I wasn't planning on using this to control you anyway. I just...found it unfair that you had to sit out here like this."
"I suppose I should thank it." Shaylar smiled slightly.
"But what are you going to do now?"
"I suppose I shall follow it, provided it does not mind...not that I care much if it does. This village has far too many birds for my liking...filthy little creatures. Aside from this, I have no other purpose, despite my new found free will." Alistair leaned down.
"Tell me you aren't considering-"
"Sounds like a plan."
"...Perfect." He felt he should have known.