Everyone stood there in silence, at the entrance to Joffey's tent, where the man lay with his neck cut open. It seemed so extreme, so unnecessary to Zevran. Clearly the woman had seduced him in order to steal the maps, but had she really needed to kill him? And where did the darkspawn come into play. Everything seemed wrong about it all, but Zevran couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"...but," Jandin was saying. "The maps aren't necessary to our cause, right? I mean, we've already checked out all the places we needed to. And we could reconstruct them from the information we still have back in Amaranthine..."

"Yes," Berton answered. "But the point isn't whether or not we need them. The question is why Lylimet needed them. Why did she kill to get them?"

"Does no one care that Joffey is dead?!" Kyran's voice was strained, and everyone turned to look at him. "He's... he was our brother, and we're just going to act like he's not... like he isn't..."

Jandin's face paled a little as he looked away, and Berton and Jessimyn exchanged a look that Zevran didn't like. Why were the two of them suddenly friends, or at least friendly? Zevran took a step closer to Kyran and laid a hand on the mage's arm. "We all care," he said soothingly. "But we need to determine why she killed him. We need to figure out what she wants with the maps. I know if it was me, lying there like that, I'd want the rest of you to do everything you could to find out why I had to die."

If anything, Kyran looked even more agitated at that, and Zevran patted his arm. "We'll build him a proper pyre, though. He will go to his rest as he deserves."

"But... she can't be more than a few hours ahead of us," Jandin protested. "There's still five of us, and only one of her. Surely we could catch her, if we leave right now."

"We can't just leave Joffey like that," Kyran demanded.

"But she's proven to us she's the mage we're looking for. We can't let her get away..." Jandin turned to everyone else, looking for support.

Zevran shook his head. "No, I don't think she's proven she's not the mage we're looking for." The others looked at him, and he continued. "I assume she didn't actually use any magic, or Kyran would have mentioned it?" The mage nodded. "Not that that means she isn't a mage, of course, but she can't be the one we're looking for. For one, she stole the maps. The only things those maps tell anyone is where the previous attacks occurred. If it had been her who was attacked, she wouldn't need that information. Maybe she's chasing the same thing the darkspawn are. The same thing we are, even."

"It almost seems like she was working with the darkspawn," said Jessimyn. "It's just too much of a coincidence that they attacked just in time to help hasten her escape from us."

"But darkspawn don't ally with humans," Berton pointed out.

Jessimyn sighed softly. "I am aware of that. But there's something wrong about all of this. There's something wrong about her, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. I do know, though, that I don't want to go hurrying after her, especially in the dark, until we have a better idea of why she..." Her eyes went to the open tent. "...why she killed Joffey."

The others nodded their ascent, though Jandin didn't seem too pleased about the delay. Since it was still dark out, and it was obvious no one was going to try to get any more sleep, they began preparing a pyre. Jandin, Zevran, and Berton went to go collect wood while Kyran and Jessimyn prepared Joffey's body and began constructing the pyre. They worked quickly, and it was shortly after sunrise when it was ready. Berton helped Kyran lay the body gently atop the pyre, after which Kyran went to stand near Jessimyn. Zevran noticed the mage clutching her hand, and it seemed he was doing everything he could to keep his emotions under control. Zevran went over and stood next to Kyran, who began to speak.

"He was our brother," Kyran said, his voice soft at first. "He was a Grey Warden, and he gave his life serving the Grey Wardens, but he didn't deserve to die this way."

"Joffey died as all Grey Wardens die," Berton said in answer. "Before his time, but in service to a greater good, so that others may live and know peace. We honor his life not by mourning him, but by continuing on our work, until the day comes that we, too, are sacrifice to our duty." His voice took on a somber tone as he said, "Know that his sacrifice will not be forgotten."

"And one day," Jessimyn said softly in response, as if reciting something. "We will join him."

Zevran didn't understand the reference, but he couldn't ask, as Kyran lifted a hand, and the pyre roared to life. Everyone stood in silence for a while, and then one by one, they began to drift away, to begin packing up their things. As Zevran began tearing down his tent, he noticed Kyran still stood, staring at the flames, which had started to die down a little. When the elf finished with his things, he went over to pack up Kyran's tent. Jessimyn helped him, and Kyran had joined them shortly before they finished.

Once everyone had finished packing up, they came back together. "Jandin and I have looked around, and we've found what looks like Lylimet's tracks, near where Joffey's tent was. They lead off into the woods."

"And from which direction did the darkspawn come?" Jessimyn asked.

"That way," said Jandin as he pointed in a different direction. "There were only seven genlocks and two hurlocks. Not a large group at all. How did they just happen to be in the area, just happen to fall upon us?..."

"Maybe Jess is right," Zevran said. "Maybe it wasn't a coincidence."

"Or maybe," Jandin countered. "Maybe this is our mage, and the darkspawn came for her, and she ran away when she saw them coming."

Zevran shook his head. "Doubtful. First, how would she have known the darkspawn were coming before the rest of you sensed them? Even had she been awake, she could not have known they were coming before you did. She even had her tent torn down, so either she was forewarned and left the rest of us to our fate, or she was somehow in league with them. Besides, discounting all of that, even if she was just looking after herself and running away from the darkspawn, it still doesn't explain Joffey." He paused, his voice more somber. "It doesn't explain why she killed him, doesn't explain why she stole the maps."

"But what if..." Jandin frowned. "Hear me out. What if it wasn't Lylimet who killed him? What if... she heard something, or saw something, and she ran. What if someone was in camp who frightened her away, someone who then killed Joffey and stole the maps."

"Someone you didn't notice while you were on watch?" Berton asked, his voice a little harsh.

Jandin tried not to wince and almost succeeded. "Well... not if they used the darkspawn attack as a distraction."

Kyran's voice was soft as he interjected. "No, Joffey knew the person who killed him. She slit his throat while he was... naked. He had no other wounds on his body. He didn't try to defend himself. And he... it looked like he... like they..." He gave Jessimyn a helpless look.

"It looked like he'd had sex and didn't have time to clean up before he was killed," she finished for him.

Kyran looked down at the ground, his cheeks turning a little pink, and Jandin shifted uncomfortably. "So..." Jandin cleared his throat before continuing. "Then we go after her. Whether she's the mage or not, whether she killed him or not, we need to find her."

"And maybe she hopes to lead us into another trap," Zevran said. "How easy to find were those tracks of hers? The ones leading from the farmhouses were well-hidden, and she didn't know we were following her then. When she left here, she had to know we would be coming after her... assuming we survived the darkspawn attack."

Jandin frowned, glancing at Berton. "They... were pretty clear, even in the dark. But even so, we have to follow her. We can't just... let her get away with this."

"It's light enough now," said Berton. "We'll check the campsite again, to see if there are any other tracks leading in or out. But whether it's a trap or not, we go after her. What other choice do we have? We could backtrack to the farmhouses, but there's nothing further to find there. Unless anyone has a better suggestion."

Zevran noticed Berton eying him, and he opened his mouth to make a jest when he noticed the stricken look on Kyran's face. Instead, he just nodded, and they all fanned out around the campsite to continue looking for tracks. Zevran waited a moment, until everyone was spread out away from everyone else, and he went over to Jessimyn.

"Do you really think this is wise?" He whispered to her. "She obviously wants us to follow her, and we're giving her exactly what she wants. I tend to dislike doing what what the enemy wants us to do."

Jessimyn shrugged at him. "But Berton's right, what else can we do? We can't just turn around and go home, nor can we just go back to Lothering and hope to hear of another attack. We're not just going to charge in blind into... whatever she may have waiting for us."

Zevran frowned at her. "Why is Berton suddenly so trustworthy? I'm not sure he has earned that, not after what he's done." He raised his eyebrows at her. "Why are you smiling at me?"

Jessimyn shook her head, trying to cover her smile. "You just remind me so much of Alistair right now. He used to say the exact same things about you, years ago. You were trying to kill me when we first met, or had you forgotten?"

Zevran grimaced. "Either you're comparing me to Alistair, or you're comparing me to Berton. I'm not sure which I find the most reprehensible."

Jessimyn patted him on the arm. "There are worse things than to be compared to our king."

"If you're the one doing the comparing... perhaps," he said.

Jessimyn looked down. "Berton, on the other hand... Well, come on. We're supposed to be looking around for... something. I've never been any good at tracking, though. I keep thinking I've found something, only to discover I'm looking at my own footprints."

She turned and left, and Zevran watched her go, a little smile on his face. He did always love to watch her walk away, as long as he knew she wasn't going very far. But then he noticed Berton, watching Zevran watch Jessimyn. The elf's smile turned into a grin, which Berton returned before he went over to Jessimyn's side to speak softly to her. That bothered Zevran a lot more than he would have cared to admit, but luckily he had other things to focus on just then.

It was only a little while later when Berton called them all back together. No one had found any further tracks, other than their own, the darkspawn, and Lylimet's. Even if they were able to track where the darkspawn had come from, they wouldn't be able to question any of them, so that only left following the tracks Lylimet had left behind.

"We all need to look at this like it's a trap," Berton stated. "We'll go slowly. I want Jandin and Zevran in the lead. Jandin, you'll be watching the tracks to make sure we don't lose the trail, and Zevran, I want you on the lookout for any traps that may be set in our path. Kyran, you'll be in the middle where we can surround you for protection, if needed, but you're close enough to all of us, should any of us need healing. Kitten and I will bring up the rear, to make sure we're not being followed, in case Lylimet or anyone else has doubled back around."

Zevran didn't like the arrangement, but he knew arguing would get him nowhere. Berton's reasoning was sound, although Zevran knew Jessimyn was just as good at finding traps as he was. Of course, if she was up front, that would have put Zevran in back with Berton, so perhaps this was for the best. Everyone else just nodded, and they went to gather their things so they could set out. He couldn't help wondering, though, as they set out, if they would regret pursuing Lylimet as much as Joffey did.