Chapter 44: Witch Hunt pt1

Vigil's Keep-9:31 Dragon

Jenra was returning to the Keep from helping an old friend, Wynne. She was looking for a mage named Ines for the College of Magi convening in Cumberland. The elder mage said she was a reasonable and well-respected mage needed for this conference. When asked what troubled her, Wynne just smiled and told Jenra not to worry about it…it was mage business that would bore him. Roughly a year has passed since the defeat of the Archdemon and the Fifth Blight as well as the deaths of Architect and the Mother. Since then normalcy has returned to the lands but the Wardens were always alert and on the watch for the darkspawns' evil.

At the gates, he met with Elias who had become the new Seneschal since the death of Varel at the siege of the Vigil. Next to him was a black-haired man in brown heavy armor, Garvel, Elias's second in command who was now the new captain for the Keep. From behind the two men came a very happy mabari hound, Fenrir was sent to the Keep a month back by Fergus. Fenrir's duty in siring Highever's mabari force had come to an end and Fergus had decided to reunite the mabari with his younger brother.

"Welcome back, Commander" Elias said. "It take it inspection of Amaranthine went smoothly?"

"Yes, Amaranthine is recovering quite nicely…I think the city will be grander than it was before" Jenra said while petting Fenrir. "Everything in order here?"

"Yes sir, though the new recruits are bit green to my liking" Garvel said. "By the way, King Alistair is waiting for you in the throne room"

"Alistair? Not like him to come unannounced" Jenra headed for the throne room where Alistair and his guards were waiting. Jenra took a bow. "Your Highness, it's good to see you again"

Alistair just smirked and gave a big pat on Jenra's back. "Come now, you know it's just 'Alistair' when it's just the two of us" he said. "I heard you had rough going here"

Jenra sighed. "An understatement, I was caught between a darkspawn civil war" he said. "I lost a couple of good people to that nonsense"

"But you made it through, that's all that matters" Alistair said. "I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything to help"

"You have difficult enough job in ruling Ferelden, there was no need to add to your burden" Jenra said. "So what are you doing here? It can't just be for a social visit" Alistair had sent his soldiers to Ostagar to break the darkspawns' foothold there. His scouts came back with a report of a raven-haired woman dressed in dark reddish-purple robes that showed off her milky-white skin heading in to the Korcari Wilds. Jenra's eyes went wide; it was the love of his life…Morrigan.

"She was carrying a small bundle in a brown veil with her" Alistair said. "My scouts say it looked like an infant, but that's impossible considering Grey Wardens are damn near infertile because of the Joining"

Jenra swallowed hard. "So you figured it out…"

"Sort of, I've always found it strange that both of us survived the battle with the Archdemon, I thought it was the Maker giving us a break" he said. "But no one's that lucky…well except Andraste"

"It was because of a ritual Morrigan cast when we…made love" Jenra said. "The Old God's soul went into Morrigan after the Archdemon was slain; our child carries Urthemiel's soul"

"Not that I'm not glad to be alive but why take the Old Gods soul?" Alistair asked.

"I don't know much…but she said she had a duty to magic"

"So vague, how very like Morrigan…" Alistair said dryly. "I take it you're going to go after her?"

Jenra looked away as his hands played with the ring on his finger. "I promised not to look for her and our child"

"And yet you can't stop thinking about her, or your child" the king said. "You've done so much for other people; maybe for once you should do something for yourself for once"

Jenra looked at him shocked. "But the order…!"

"The Wardens will be fine, you have capable people" Alistair said. "All I ask of you is to be careful, I know you love that woman but Morrigan had always had her own plans"

The Korcari Wilds- A year ago

"Well, well, what have we here?" The party went to attention and saw on the stairway a woman, dressed in reddish-purple rags that showed off her very nice body, behind her was a crudely made staff. As she walked down, Jenra couldn't keep his eyes off of her…she was hauntingly beautiful with skin as fine as ivory, an alluring presence that made a devout man a sinner. But it was her eyes that caught the young lord's attention, her eyes was almost catlike and was a brilliant gold…in certain lights Jenra could have sworn that they glowed. "Are you a vulture, I wonder? Scavengers poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?" she asked. "Or merely intruders, come into these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of east prey?" Her eyes locked eyes with Jenra's eyes, such intensity like she looks in his soul. "What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"

"Intruder? And just how are these your Wilds?" Jenra asked.

The woman chuckled. "Because I know them as only one who owns them could. Can you claim the same?" She walked forward; the party was on guard…she gave a slight smirk of amusement at their defensiveness. "I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go,' I wondered, 'why are they here?" she said. "And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?"

"Don't answer her. She looks Chasind, and that means others may be nearby" Alistair said.

"You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?" she asked.

"Yes, swooping is bad" Daveth shook and walked back slowly with his eyes wide. "Daveth? What's gotten into you?"

"S-she's a Witch of the Wilds, she is! She'll turn us into toads!" When archer said that, the party went on alert, the woman just laughed.

"Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends have you no minds of your own?" She then smirked at Jenra, which made the man wary but at the same time he couldn't help but blush. "You there, handsome lad. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine, let us be civilized"

"My name is Jenra"

"And you may call me Morrigan"

Now

It has been a long time since he was in these woods, the last time Jenra was there was to kill Flemeth to stop her from possessing Morrigan. Fenrir took the lead sniffing the ground for Morrigan's scent…Fergus couldn't have sent his mabari at a much better time, there was nothing that could match the tracking capabilities of a mabari hound. Soon they reached Flemeth's hut, it was rundown and overgrown with plants due to no one being there to tend to the home. Fenrir walked up to Jenra and gave a slight whine.

"It's been so long…I hope we can find her" The hound rubbed against his master's leg to reassure him, and Jenra patted his head. They walked towards the hut and Jenra noticed the hill Flemeth died on. After a short exchange, she shapeshifted into a high dragon, and with difficulty, Jenra killed her. So much about Morrigan's mother remains a mystery. Standing in front of her deserted home in the marsh sent a shiver up the young lord's spine—like it wasn't truly over. Jenra shook his head of such thoughts, nothing escapes death even someone as powerful as Flemeth. Jenra and Fenrir went inside; the place was just as the young lord remembered it, they spread out and begin the search. Jenra checked a chest for clues the contents had long since been removed probably by Morrigan or maybe the Chasind people. The beds didn't look like it's been slept in for years. The only place in the hut not covered in a fine layer of dust was around the fireplace. It looks like the fire was recently lit. All of the sudden Fenrir growls, Jenra readies his sword. A young elven woman with shoulder length red hair came out with one of her swords out, she dressed in brown and green armor and the markings on her face identified her from one of the Dalish clans.

"Not another step! What are you doing here?" Fenrir licked his chops as he continued to growl. "Call off your hound, shem"

"You're not in any position to be making demands, good woman" Jenra said. The standoff lasted for a good few moments until the dalish woman snorted and put away her sword. Jenra whistled and called back Fenrir back to his side.

"Fine, I am Ariane of the Dalish people. My keeper sent me to find Asha'bellanar…the Woman of Many Years"

"I am Jenra of the Grey Wardens; I'm looking for a woman named Morrigan" Fenrir gave a bark. "And this is Fenrir"

"I see. Then we have more in common than I expected" Ariane said. "I pursue this Morrigan, as well. She has done great injustice to my clan. Has she wronged you?"

Jenra then gave a blush. "Ah no, she's a…friend and I'm concern for her"

Ariane was taken aback by this; of all the words associated with a Witch of the Wilds…friend was not one of them. But then she thought this was a fortunate occurrence of events. "If you're her friend then perhaps you can reason with her" she said. "Morrigan stole an ancient book my clan has guarded since the days of Arlathan. We were the only ones with such a piece of our history"

"Everything we once had, all legacy of our ancient magicks were stripped from us, first by Tevinter and then by the wretched Circle" she said. "And Morrigan took what little was left"

"And you are sure that she took it?" The elf nodded; one month ago Morrigan visited her clan in the name of friendship and took great interest in their history. Jenra sighed, that sounded exactly like Morrigan…rare and strange magicks was of great interest to her. "It was no coincidence; she knew exactly what she was looking for" Ariane said. "The Keeper allowed her to see the book, two nights later, it was gone"

"What's so special about this book?" Jenra asked.

"This book is a mystery to us, but it holds the only clues on how to reclaim the past" she said. "After wondering for two-thousand years, my people desperately need it"

"My keeper, Solan, says it was a treatise on something called 'Eluvian'. The word is as ancient as the book itself and its meaning have been lost" the elf then looked at Jenra. "Save perhaps to Morrigan"

"You want an alliance" Ariane nodded. "Very well, but I have one demand…Morrigan is not to be harmed, we can get your book without resorting to a fight" Jenra said. "Do you have any leads?"

"The Book of Eluvian was reclaimed for my clan by an elven mage, who stole it from the Circle of Magi before defecting" the elf said. "He said other similar treasures remain in the library, but they would never allow a Dalish to view them, perhaps you will meet a different reception"

"I'm friends with the First Enchanter there" Jenra said. "Plus they owe me for saving their arses last year"

"Ma serannas, I look forward to working with you" Ariane then held out her hand. "I've heard that shems greet one another with this gesture" Jenra shook her hand, with nothing else to look for the party exited the hut. Soon after leaving, the party was attacked by a small band of darkspawn. Jenra and Fenrir made quick work of them but Ariane was left a bit shaken.

"Not much experience dealing with darkspawn, eh?"

"I've heard about them but I have never seen one up close before" she said. "Are they always this horrific?"

"You have no idea…" The party headed for the Circle.

Next Time! As always Review and Comment! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!