"Incoming!"
The ground shook and a spray of soil, rock and vegetation rained down on the Inquisition forces.
"Get those ballistas in formation!" bellowed Cullen over the roar of battle.
Soldiers screamed as Red Templars came rushing through the gap in the barricades.
"Protect the Emperor!" An Orlesian captain called to her men as she struggled back to her feet; blood flowed from her shoulder.
Evelyn ran out of the command tent, Leliana by her side.
It had happened. Corypheus' forces had broken through the camp defenses.
"Inquisitor!" cried Cullen's voice.
Evelyn swung around in his direction. Her eyes went wide and she pushed Leliana off to the side and out of the path of a shooting bolt of red lyrium. A red Templar came thundering toward her, bloodied sword raised for a blow. She leapt back in a flip while she reached into her quiver for an arrow. It was notched and ready to fly by the time her feet were back on the ground. She fired. The arrow glanced off his chest plate, but Iron Bull charged right into him, slamming the Templar to the ground. Evelyn sighted and fired again just as Bull bore the full force of his massive two-handed axe down into the prone foe.
"Inquisitor!" Cullen called her again. "The east barricade has fallen! We must close the breach."
"On it!" she yelled back. She looked wildly around. Bull was pulling his axe out of the corpse of the red Templar. Evelyn spotted Solas casting a barrier to protect the ballistas, and Rainier was swinging his sword, fighting to get near her.
"Solas, Thom, Bull- to me!" she screamed, her voice breaking. "We'll cut them off from the south. To me!"
Thom growled, crashed his shield into the face of red Templar in his way, and shoved himself past to her side.
"Follow Krem!" Bull roared at The Chargers before hurrying toward her.
Evelyn sprinted toward the cliff path that would take them around to the east section of the river where the Inquisition had set up fortifications. Sheer rock towered on each bank making it a perfect spot for a bottleneck. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Solas dart past an abomination and come barreling to her side.
Her squad ducked under the overhang of arbor's blessing and dashed down the trail.
"They're getting bolder," Thom said as they ran.
Bull laughed. "They're gettin' scared. They know we're on to them."
"Corypheus will want to halt our advance at any cost. We must not let him." Solas said from Evelyn's elbow.
"Maker's Light, we won't," she answered.
The path veered north east. As they rounded the bend, the sound of battle could be heard.
"They're still alive!" Evelyn cried. She launched herself forward.
They erupted out onto the bank of the river, behind the Inquisition's line. A handful of Inquisition soldiers stood, holding their ground against the onslaught of the Red Templars. None of them had time to think as Corypheus' corrupted soldiers flowed through the narrow breach.
Bull and Thom rushed into the fray, weapons flashing in the rays of light that filtered through the tree canopy of the Arbor Wilds. Both Evelyn and Solas hung back to provide supportive fire.
On the other side of the barricade something shrieked. Evelyn's blood went cold.
"Shit." A behemeth. She bolted out of the way. "Watch it!" she screamed. "Back from the wall!"
The palisade crumpled and splinters of wood went flying inward as the hulking atrocity ripped its way through the Inquisition defenses. A log split in half and was projected straight through the back of a soldier as he tried to get away from the corrupted beast. His mouth went wide, his eyes dimmed, and he fell to his knees before keeling over. The behemoth stamped down on the fallen soldier's head in a spray of blood.
Thom raised his shield and ducked under a massive swing of the behemoth's glowing lyrium blade. "Take it down!"
While the group concentrated on the colossal Templar, Evelyn focused on the Red Templar grunts surrounding it, picking them off one by one.
"Little help!" Bull called.
Evelyn whipped her attention toward the Qunari. He must have taken a serious hit from the Behemoth- his chest dripped blood.
"Coming!" answered Solas. The mage leapt from his position on a ledge and hurried toward him. "Away with you!" he snarled as a Red Templar came at him. He blasted the man with a ray of frost.
"Solas, get back!" ordered Rainier.
Evelyn gasped as the behemoth turned its attention toward the racing elf. "Solas needs help!" She fired at the monster, but was unable to stop if from slamming a gigantic fist straight into Solas' shoulder. He staggered back against the cliff face.
"I told you to stay back!" Thom screamed as he charged the behemoth. "Die, you beast!"
"We've got your cover!" came a cry from behind Evelyn.
She glanced back as a line of arrows went flying toward the raging monster. She grinned at the sight of an Inquisition squad coming up to reinforce their position. She spotted the unmistakable red plume of her brother's helmet.
"We've got you, Eve!" yelled Maxwell.
As Rainier and Bull worked to pull the beast away from their fallen comrade, Evelyn dashed toward him. She pulled a small vial from the holster on her belt and bit off the seal. She spat out the wax as she poured the red liquid down Solas' throat. After a moment, he sputtered and coughed.
"Not yet, Solas," she whispered.
He coughed again and gave her a quick nod before he pushed himself back up to his feet.
Maxwell's squad had made quick work of the Red Templars and had now teamed up with Bull and Thom against the behemoth. She pulled Solas with her toward the other archers to work as one unit to dispatch the unholy creature.
The thing roared its fury at them as every weapon focused on it. With care and practiced precision, they cut it down.
"Get that barricade back up! No time to waste," Evelyn ordered as the behemoth fell.
"Sappers! Get in there," hollered Maxwell. A group of soldier who had hung back during the fight came wading through the shallow water, carrying tools. He nodded at her. "The camp is cleared. Catapults are on their way to help defend this position. We'll be ready for the next push."
Evelyn pressed the back of her hand to her forehead and then looked down at the blood smeared onto her skin.
"Good," she said. She wiped her hand on her breeches. "We can't let this happen again." Gritting her teeth, she turned to look at her companions and gave them the once over. "How is everyone?"
Solas gave her a slow smile. "I'll survive. Thank you."
Bull grinned at her as he swallowed a healing potion. "Never better."
"You're hurt," said Thom.
"It's superficial," she said with a wave of her hand. "Head wounds always look worse than they are."
"Eve."
Evelyn smiled and turned toward Maxwell as he strode up to her. "Good to see you," she said, clasping his hand tightly in her own. "Andraste bless you."
"And you, sister. May you walk in the light."
The siblings met each other's gaze.
Maxwell give her a firm nod. "We'll hold."
Evelyn swallowed and nodded slowly in return. She straightened her back and broke from her older brother to stare down at the behemoth corpse.
"It's time we pushed back."