Chapter 36
~Dead Trenches~

Morriana

If I had thought the immense feel of the taint and the call of the archdemon was bad before, it was absolutely horrible now. Alistair was having a worse time with it than I. He stopped walking next to me and retreated behind the group, barely speaking. The strong feeling of the taint wasn't the only thing that was increasing. The darkspawn numbers grew as we went, which frightened me. How long until we reach a group that largely outnumbered us? I shivered at the thought. Despite our worries, we still kept going, Oghren leading the way with newfound determination since reading Branka's journal.

It felt like we'd been walking forever until we saw a glow, bright and flame-like, at the end of the tunnel. Following it led us out of the tunnel to an open cavern. In front of us, there was a canyon, where both of its sides were connected by a bridge, where the glow seemed to be coming from. Cautiously, we neared it. Peering from the ledge where we stood, I couldn't help but gasp. Below us were millions-billions, even- of darkspawn.

I looked over at Alistair as he looked back at me, just as horrified as me. Suddenly, I was almost knocked over as something enormous flew nearby and landed on the bridge.

The archdemon.

Turned away from us, it breathed out blue flames and called to its minions. Maker! It's so loud! I grabbed my head as it roared. My head was about to explode, of that I was sure. I practically had to stop myself from crying out. When I looked at Alistair, he was doing the same. At least I wasn't the only one.

It flew off a minute later into the dark depths of the cavern, leading the darkspawn horde. Once it was out of sight, the others began asking numerous questions about it, as if I, or Alistair, knew the answer. Never before had I wanted to yell at someone so badly. Instead of doing so, I commented, very calmly, that I would explain later. It took Alistair and me a while for us to recover before we moved on. But I couldn't help but stay terrified. My dreams of the Archdemon never even remotely came close to what we saw. How in the Maker's name are we supposed to defeat that thing?! This . . . this is what we're really up against? Shaking away the thoughts, we walked on.

We didn't get much further until we encountered more darkspawn that were on the bridge the archdemon had sat on not a few minutes earlier. Although, thankfully, we had help. A team of dwarves were fighting them before us, so killing them all was of no trouble. When the fight was over, almost as quickly as it had begun, I turned to the leader of the group, donned in black armor, as were the rest. He removed his helmet so I could see his sweaty face that was mostly covered by a beard and tattoos.

"Atras vala Warden." He greeted, shaking my hand. "I've never seen one of our kind in the Deep Roads before." I lifted and eyebrow.

"You know I am a Grey Warden?" he laughed.

"Why else would you all be down here. And the way those darkspawn reacted towards you and your friend," he gestured to Alistair, "it was a bit obvious."

"And yet you don't sound surprised." He shrugged.

"You know, in the Legion of the Dead we abandon our lives to be free of fear, free of hopeful blindness. The coming of the Blight is obvious to us. The surprise is not that you have come, but that you have come in so small a number. What do you want here, Warden."

"I am here to find the Paragon Branka." I explain. He scoffs and I try not to blush.

"Who put this dull idea in your head? We've got other things to worry about in Orzammar-ah, I see now. The deep lords of the Assembly can't make up their minds, so the pretenders need an added influence. I got that right?" I scratch my head, almost embarrassed.

"Yeah, that's about it." I then go on to explain the situation in Orzammar and the death of king Endrin and how we were supposed to go into the deep roads to find Branka to have her sway the votes toward his son, Bhelen.

"Warden you certainly have your work cut out for you. Paragon Branka is dead, and everyone with sense knows that. Past our line, the darkspawn kill everyone." Great.

"Why hold back?" Alistair asks.

"I'd gladly lead as assault through the Dead Trenches, but without an order from the king, I remain here." I shake my head.

"Sorry to cut this short, but we should be on our way." The faster we get out of here, the better.

"Luck to you, then, Warden." The Legionars turned back to their positions as we turn to continue on. However I stopped when I heard a call behind me.

"Wait." When I turn back, another Legionar is jogging toward me, removing his helm. "Is it true? Is Endrin really dead?" He asks, his black hair falling in his face and his beard long and straggly. I nod and he almost sobs. "It was Bhelen. I know it was."

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"My name is Duran. Duran Aeducan. Endrin is . . . was my father." I stood there, my mouth hung open as I tried to comprehend what I had just heard. Duran gave me a sad chuckled. "I know I don't look it-" which was an understatement, considering what I've always assumed a prince would look like from stories my neighbors would tell Shianni and me when we were young—"but I am King Endrian's son." He sighed and looked to the ground. "Or, at least I was until Bhelen," he spat out his name with poison, "betrayed us. Staged our brothers' death and left me to be blamed."

"And so you were exiled?" Alistair asked. Duran nodded.

"Is there any way you could take the throne?" I asked him, receiving a scoff.

"By the Stone, no. I was exiled and supposed to be dead. Even if I went back up there, they'd try to kill me or throw me back down here. I'm nothing to Orzammar. Not without proof of Bhelens' betrayal." We all stayed quiet a moment, and I felt guilty about not being able to do anything. Then, someone cleared their throat behind me and I turned to see Zevran with that mischievous grin set on his face.

"I don't even have to guess." I mumbled. His grin got bigger.

"Indeed. Sometime before we left I may have snuck my way into the palace, and do not give me that look my friend for you should not be surprised, and I may have found something that could help." Zevran swung his backpack off and quickly pulled out a roll of papers and handed them the Duran. Duran read them quickly, his eyes getting larger with every sentence. When he finished, he let out breath I hadn't even noticed he held and looked back up at me with sad, but hopeful, eyes.

"This . . . this is the proof I would need. With this I could prove Bhelens' betrayal and him buying out the assembly to exile me." He shook his head, as if trying to comprehend all of it. "A deal, warden?" he asked. I lifted an eyebrow, curious as to what he wanted. "I understand you are in the middle of a Blight?" I nodded. "Then the dwarven treaty still stands?" I nod again. "You have helped me greatly. If you help me against my brother—" he stopped as if it just wasn't the right word anymore—"against Bhelen, I will help you find Branka and give you the army you need." I smiled, glad to have someone who was making this easy. I reached out me hand and he grabbed it in return.

"Deal."

Duran actually proved to be useful. We had been going through sections of ancient dwarven ruins, encountering rooms with sarcophagi, traps, and more darkspawn, shrieks, and spiders. Our newest companion fought well as we continued on, not hesitating or holding back from the kills. Had to say, I was impressed as I watched the exiled prince fight.

I stopped for a moment to take a breath. We'd been fighting non-stop since we came down here. A quick break should be alright.

"First day they come and catch everyone."

I jumped as I heard the voice echo through the tunnel, seemingly to come from nowhere. Or maybe not.

"What in the Stone was that?" Duran whispered behind me. I shook my head as I walked further on, the others following close behind, being cautious as to whatever, or whoever, was talking. As we walked further on, the voice continued with its gruesome rhyme.

"Second day they beat us and eat some for meat. Third day the men are all gnawed on again. Fourth day we wait and fear for our fate. Fifth day they return and it's another girl's turn. Sixth day her screams we hear in our dreams. Seventh day she grew as in her mouth they spew. Eight day we hated as she is violated. Ninth day she grins and devours her kin. Now she does feast as she's become the beast."

Chills went down my spine as I listened. Against my better judgment we followed the voice. As it grew louder my heart beats became faster. We walked through a broken wall into another dwarven building where there were some kind of fleshy sacs. I cringed as I looked at them, but kept moving. I walked up to a door and listened behind it. I could hear the woman chanting behind it.

With a deep breath I opened it and gasped. I found a woman crouched over fleshy looking stuff with blood smeared in various parts of the floor. I almost threw up

"Maker. . ." I cut off as I looked around. Duran muttered something in dwarven, though whether it was a curse or a prayer I don't know. I walked slowly to the dwarf, letting my footsteps be heard as I walked to her. "H-hello." I said, trying to gain her attention. As the woman stood and started to turn Alistair quickly grabbed my arm and stopped me before I could get closer. When I saw her I gasped. She looked at me, her skin was pale with dark blotches and she looked clammy and no doubt had a fever.

"What is this? An elf? Exotic and impossible." She shook her head. "Feeding time brings only kin and clan. I am cruel to myself. You are a dream of stranger's faces and open doors." I stayed quiet, unsure of what to say. "First day they come and catch everyone." She repeated from before.

"What is that chant?" I ask easily.

"It is what I have seen. It is what I have endured. . ." She breaks off and I stumble with what to say next.

"What is your name?" I asked, calmly. She hesitated, then whispered it.

"Hespith."

"I can help you, Hespith . . . whatever's left of you." I told her, kneeling down so I at her height.

"No. No you can't." she shook her head. "There's nothing left. There's body and there's hope, and both are turning. . . They come. They . . . they vomit, they violate, and they chant. They scream, oh, how they scream," she whispered, trying not to cry. "Then the change comes. All I could do was wish Layrn went first. I wished it upon her so that I would be spared. But I had to watch. I had to see the change. How do you endure that? How did Branka endure?"

"You're from Branka's house?" Oghren asked from behind me. Suddenly the dwarven woman got angry.

"D-do not talk of Branka, of what she did. Ancestors preserve us, forgive us. I was her captain and I didn't stop her. Her lover and I could not turn her. Forgiver her . . . but no, she cannot be forgiven. Not for what she did. Not for what she has become."

"What did Branka do?" I dared to ask. Oghren shifted uneasily next to me and I couldn't blame him.

"No . . . I swore not to speak of it, not to think of it." She suddenly began to repeat "la" over and over again, then said "I will not hear any more about Branka." She vigorously shook her head. "I will not become what I have seen! Not Laryn! Not Branka!" She suddenly took off running past us. I shouted for her to stop, but she didn't. I ran after her, dodging Alistair as he tried to stop me. Following her lead me out of the building and into another cavern. Hespith vanished when I ran out and I groaned. The others came to me, looking concerned, confused, and worried.

I looked to Oghren to see if he would say something, considering his wife was mentioned. But he was the most quiet I had seen since we'd met. I look around the area, finding nothing more than another broken bridge that was blocked off my darkspawn stuff and a huge door with a smaller one adjacent to it.

"We should keep moving," I mumbled, but loud enough so they could hear me. I went to the large door, but it was locked so we began walking to the smaller door when I stopped and heard Hespith's voice, wherever it was coming from.

"She became obsessed . . . That is the word, but it is not strong enough. Blessed Stone, there was nothing left in her but the Anvil." I continued walked but we were stopped by two ogres. Though exhausted, we took it out quickly and continued through the door. "We tried to escape but they found us all. They took us, turned us . . ." I shivered and opened the door. Inside it seemed like some kind of shrine with dwarven spirits around. Those ghosts are so going to attack us.

"Bownammar. The City of the Dead. Thought this place would have fallen to dust by now." Oghren said. I turned to him and Duran, both looking around, amazed.

"I can just imagine how grand this fortress must have been before the darkspawn took it." Wynne admired. I walked through, glaring at the spirit around me. I do not trust this place. I walked on to an alter that stood across the room. A helm and a key lay on it. I picked up the key and figured it must open the large door. The helm I picked up and handed to Duran. As we turned to leave the spirits began to charge at us. Called it.

Of course the fight didn't last long. As we were leaving, Hespith's began talking again.

"The men, they kill . . . they're merciful. But the women they want. They want to touch, to mold, to change until you are filled with them." I shook my head as I walked to the large door and used the key to unlock it. Sten and Alistair came up and pushed the heavy doors open. We walked through this area slowly, Hespiths' voice echoing. "They took Laryn. They made her eat the others, our friends. She tore off her husband's face and drank his blood. And while she ate, she grew. She swelled and turned gray and smelled like them. They remade her into their image. Then she made more of them." The ground suddenly became squishy beneath us, the smell of blood and darkspawn grew more intense.

"Broodmother." Hespith said then went silent. The further we walked, more nervous feeling I felt. There was suddenly some kind of growl and as we rounded a corner I jumped back at the creature before of. It was huge with tentacles and layered breasts.

We drew our weapons quickly. The broodmother screeched at up and swung its tentacles at us. Leliana, Zevran, and Morrigan attacked the tentacles, keeping them from hitting Oghren, Alistair, Shale as we attacked the broodmother. Duran, Sten, and I fought off the darkpapwn the broodmother either summoned or created. Wynne stood away as she cast spells to heal and protect us.

Oghren swung his axe, hitting the side of the broodmother, causing it to screech and using a tentacle to push him away. Alistair took this opportunity to attack the other side of it. Now angered, it picked him up, causing him to drop his sword. I panicked as it saw him being lifted by the monster and attempted to help him as he was being crushed.

"No!" he shouted at me. "Forget me! Fight it!" I struggled with this. I couldn't leave Oghren to fight alone, but the broodmother could seriously hurt Alistair. "Go Mori!" he yelled. And I nodded and took his place by Oghren and Shale, leaving Sten and Duran to hold off the darkspawn. The others were trying their best to fight this beast off.

This horrid creature swept at us at every chance, throwing up in between. Although whether it be because of us that's just the way it is I don't know. I dodged it whenever it tried to hit me, stabbing it in return. Even though Alistair told me to keep fighting, I had to do something to help him. I fought it, hoping I could gain its attention so it would release Alistair. But it wouldn't budge. And the groans Alistair sometimes made told me it was crushing him. I looked up at him and I could see his armor was dent, more so than before, and he was coughing up blood.

I looked over to where the others were fighting and my eyes fell upon Morrigan. I shouted for her. She, thankfully, heard me over the battle. I pointed to Alistair. She nodded and electrocuted the tentacle holding him and it dropped him with a loud thud, even though the ground was covered in flesh. Sten happened to be close to where Alistair dropped unconscious, and pulled him by his armor to Wynne and away from the battle, and then resumed fighting.

Now relieved that Alistair was safe, I helped Oghren and Shale by trying to offer being a distraction. Whenever it went to hit them, I stabbed it so it would focus on my instead so that they could attack with killing blows. But this fleshy blob is tough. Suddenly I noticed it was screeching more and more wound appeared. I realized the thing was not summoning anymore darkspawn at the moment so Duran and Sten were helping.

Not giving up, the beast reached for Oghren, who took this opportunity to dodge the grubby hand, climb onto its back, and lop its head off with his heavy axe. Its body slumped and the tentacles fell. It was finally dead.

Realizing we won I ran to Alistair, who was still unconscious. Wynne was trying to heal him, but she was exhausted from this and the previous battles. We all were.

"That's where they come from." I jumped and looked up at the rock ledge above the broodmother. "That's why they hate us. That's why they need us. That's why they take us. That's why they feed us. But the true abomination . . . is not that it occurred, but that was allowed. Branka, my love . . ." she looked down and shook her head sorrowfully. "The Stone has punished me, dream friend. I am dying of something worse than death. Betrayal."

She then turned and disappeared. It took me a moment to realize tears were streaming down my face. And I wasn't sure why specifically. Everyone else decided this was the perfect opportunity to rest, even though there was blood, flesh, and bodies everywhere. And the smell was horrible.

I heard wet coughing and looked to Alistair. He was trying to sit up, but Wynne stopped him. Blood coated his mouth and chin and I felt a pang of fear as I saw this. And I didn't know what to do. Wynne had no energy left at the moment.

Morrigan pushed her way through the others and knelt down next to Alistair. They shared a glance, although what the glance said is unknown to me. Either way Morrigan cast a spell over Alistair's chest, causing him to gasp in pain. There were these horrible popping noises that made me cringe. When she relased the spell she simply got up and walked a bit away, finding a place to sit that wasn't covered in blood and flesh. I took her spot next to Alistair, and stroked his hair.

"You . . . didn't . . . listen . . . to me." He struggled to say, and he would probably continue to do so until the blood in his lungs and throat cleared.

"Of course not." I replied, my voice cracking.

"I told you to . . ." He wasn't mad, I could tell. Probably just . . . I don't know . . . worried?

"And do I listen? No." I smiled, reassuring him. He smiled too, shaking his head. "Is he safe to move Wynne?" She nodded and Zevran rushed over to assist me in helping him up. I then walked over and picked up his sword and shield, arming him once again. I looked to everyone and, although all were ready to just stop and not go on, nodded they were ready. I walked through the connecting tunnel so we could continue on.

This isn't over yet.