In the days after Flemeth's failed attack, tensions ran higher in the camp, and people were quick to snap at each other. Morrigan and Hawke bristled over who was in charge; Wulfric and Fergus revived some old childhood arguments and nearly came to blows. Fenris snarled at Varric over an elegantly phrased remark that he took as an insult; Anders and Oghren argued over something that had happened at Vigil's Keep long ago, but there were greater tensions beneath the surface. Bethany managed to stay out of most of the unpleasantness because she mostly stayed with the Driazi, and was very happy that way, but she and Jennie managed to snipe at one another a few times. Only Zevran and Isabela seemed unaffected. The heightened nerves only served to make both of them seem more bonelessly relaxed and more amused at the foibles of their companions. They responded to barbed remarks with lazy smiles that further infuriated the remarkers.
The rain wasn't helping. It was a warm rain that felt thick and viscous on the skin, not refreshing at all, and it fell steadily for three or four days straight. Wulfric and Morrigan usually retreated high up to their cave during these rainy periods, and the lack of their usual routine wasn't helping Arthur at all. He kept falling into tantrums that set everyone's teeth on edge.
"If this keeps up, I'm willing to go look for Flemeth myself," Jennie said, staring out into the rain through her open tent flap.
"Not without me, you're not." Fergus took her hand, stroking her palm with his thumb.
She glanced at him, fighting the urge to pull her hand from his grasp. With nothing to do but wait and try to prepare for an attack that could come from anywhere at any time, Fergus's focus was more sharply on Jennie than she was entirely comfortable with. She was learning to trust him, slowly, but this much togetherness was a bit more than she was ready for. Looking away from him, she returned to the other topic uppermost in her mind. "Why doesn't she come?"
"I'm sure she's trying to drive us all crazy. And maybe that poison of Zev's took longer to clear from her system than she'd planned." Fergus seemed maddeningly calm, and Jennie restrained herself from snapping at him only with an effort.
Lightning flashed and cracked outside suddenly, and when the air had cleared, a woman stood in the middle of the camp, surrounded by an orb of blue light.
Jennie got immediately to her feet; the last time she'd seen this woman, she had been preparing to turn into a dragon and fly off the top of Sundermount. Exiting the tent, Jennie cleared her throat loudly. "Nice entrance, Flemeth." Behind her, she hoped the plan was being set in motion.
"It is a small world, isn't it, Hawke?" Flemeth asked, a knowing little smile playing over her lips. "One seems to keep running into old friends."
"We're friends? I'm flattered."
"You should be." The smile was still there, but the words had a deadly edge to them. "Ah, and I see your friend the elf has joined you in your attempt to spare Morrigan from the consequences of her actions. Hello, ser elf."
Fenris was standing at Jennie's shoulder, and she could feel him stiffen as Flemeth's attention turned toward him, but he nodded his head respectfully enough.
"And the others? Scrambling around in the bushes in an attempt to hide Urthemiel from me?" Flemeth's piercing eyes turned on the trees and brambles behind the tents as if she could see movement back there. Jennie resisted the urge to turn and look to see if any movement was actually visible. Not that Flemeth needed confirmation, but there was no point in giving her assurance of a target.
"You said I'm trying to spare Morrigan, but that's not true," she said, trying to draw Flemeth's attention back to herself. "It's the child I'm thinking of."
"That is no child, girl. That is Urthemiel reborn."
"To you, maybe. To me he seems like a little boy, no different from you or me."
"No different from me, perhaps," Flemeth said. "But from you?" She snorted. "Do not try to understand things that are beyond your ken, little Hawke. Maybe I made a mistake all that time ago—should I have given my amulet to your sister, instead?"
"Maybe you should've," Jennie said drily. "I'm sure Bethany would have jumped at the chance to be your apprentice. Of course, eventually you'd have gotten tired of her mouth and killed her, and then where would we all be?"
"What if I tire of your mouth?"
"You couldn't hear me if you left."
Flemeth threw her head back, laughing. While she was distracted, Wulfric emerged from the forest behind her, setting himself carefully and casting what appeared to be a holy smite on her. Jennie hadn't known the Hero of Ferelden had Templar training.
The shield around Flemeth wavered for a moment, then held, and with a careless flick of her hand Wulfric flew through the air, landing on the ground far behind her. She didn't bother to look backward, but Jennie could see as he tried to rise and collapsed. Flemeth shook her head. "I'm sorry he did that. I rather liked him."
Jennie kept her eyes on Flemeth and away from Wulfric, who was being dragged off into the underbrush. Hopefully Bethany could help him. "Haven't you done enough?"
"Child, I have barely begun. When my plans come to fruition, all of Thedas will know it. Enough? I have done nothing. Yet."
"What plans?" Fenris asked.
"Surely you don't imagine your minds can comprehend these things, do you, slave?"
He shrugged, unimpressed with the old woman's sharpness.
Flemeth shifted her attention back to Jennie. "You cannot touch me through this shield; the only person who could have forced me to drop it has failed in that attempt. Possibly at the cost of his life. And I could kill you with a snap of my fingers if I chose to do so. You see, you have no choice but to give me the boy. One way or another, I will have him."
"Will you? You'd like us to think it's your whimsy that makes you leave us alive. But that's not the whole story, is it, Flemeth? You're too practical to be ruled by such caprices. And you know you will not have that boy unless you take out each one of us first."
"Is that a promise … Hawke?" She pronounced the name with exaggerated civility. "Do you truly pledge yourself and every one of your people to the protection of this woman's child, this woman who is all but a stranger to you?"
"I do." Jennie didn't flinch, or look around to see if Fenris supported her.
"Then who do I take first? This elf here? Or do you offer yourself as the sacrifice I must go through in order to achieve what I want?"
"If you must, you're welcome to try." What was she saying? The odds of her standing against Flemeth for half a minute were basically zero. But she didn't think she was in any danger. If Flemeth had wanted them dead, they would all have been dead already. There was something more there, which was why Jennie had been chosen to stand against Flemeth when she came—of them all, it had been determined she stood the best chance of getting any information out of the witch. Morrigan had been darkly pessimistic about the chances of success, and Jennie had to admit it appeared the other woman had been right. Flemeth would reveal nothing she did not want to reveal. It was time to attack.
Evidently she wasn't the only one who had thought so. Fenris gave her a violent shove and threw her to the ground as something large and predatory came down out of the sky, sharp beak stretched out as it hurtled directly toward Flemeth. At the same time, Fenris's markings flared to life. As the bird closed in on Flemeth, so did he, both of them moving at impressive speeds. Flemeth stood her ground. When Fenris reached it, the lyrium in his markings caused the shield to flicker just long enough for both Fenris and the bird to breach it. Jennie was relieved to see it—they hadn't been sure that would work.
All three combatants were obscured by the combination of Flemeth's shield attempting to reconstitute itself and the dust kicked up by their scuffle. There was a cry from Fenris, a squawk from the bird, and as the dust began to settle it became clear that Fenris had the sharp beak in his hand and his other arm was trying to phase inside the giant bird's chest. Flemeth was nowhere to be found. She had disappeared in the scuffle, apparently deciding she was better off trying another day than fighting her way through.
Jennie ran forward to separate the combatants. The bird became Morrigan, standing with her hands on her hips and screaming at the elf. "You let her get away! I had her in my sights—I could have finished this once and for all!"
"I let her get away? You knocked her out of my grasp. I could have had her!" Fenris was as angry as Jennie had ever seen him.
Pushing the two of them apart, Jennie said firmly, "Enough! Clearly, we shouldn't have had both of you attack at once. Next time—"
"Next time? You think there will be a next time? Pah! She has tried the easy way twice. When she comes again, no doubt she will not hesitate to kill us all." Morrigan's eyes were flashing, but there was fear there. Deep inside, Jennie could see that the witch didn't truly believe she could defeat her mother. She wondered how much of the problem that was. If Morrigan was crippled by her certainty of failure, how could she plan effectively for success?
More quietly, Jennie asked, "How is Wulfric?"
"Bethany says he will live. His ribs were cracked, and one came dangerously close to his lung." Morrigan bit her lip. "I did not think she would harm him, of all people. Me, perhaps, but … not him."
"She said she didn't want to."
"Flemeth would say whatever she thought would gain her own ends."
"True enough." Jennie nodded. "Now what?"
"She will try again. I doubt she will be so bold as to walk into the camp again—her next attempt will be something else we do not expect."
"We'll be ready." Jennie wasn't sure she believed that, but what else was there to say? They had to be ready; there was no other choice.