CHAPTER 11
..x..
By midday, the group was nearing Sulcher's Pass, a small clearing on the way north to the Dwarven kingdom. Everil was focused on the road, listening to the noise of the trees as they traveled through a forested area. She heard the rustle of the leaves and the creaking of the branches as the breeze caressed the treetops. Squirrels prancing overhead chimed in with their squeaks, along with the rustle of the shrubs as they galloped over them. Soon they began to see ruins of stone marking the area, surrounded by the thick vegetation. Crumbling remains from a time when Tevinter ruled over those lands.
Movement in the distance caught their attention and a carriage with boxes laid out around it emerged from the foliage. A man they assumed was the owner waved at them as both Wardens approached him, halting their horses. "Maker..." he said, surprised upon seeing the emblem on their armor. "You're Grey Wardens?"
Everil ignored the man's nervous stare. "We are, yes. Do you need help?"
"Sort of…" He anxiously scratched the back of his head. "Have the lot o' you seen a goat around 'ere? The old girl got spooked and ran off."
"I'm afraid we haven't, ser…"
"Ah, well, I didn't think you would've..." He sighed, briefly glancing at his wagon a few feet back. "Say… without that goat's help, I have a few too many things to carry on my own. There's something 'ere I don't have a use for that may just come in handy to you Wardens… with the Blight and all. Would you be interested in taking it off my shoulders?"
"Uhm…" Alistair gave him a scrutinizing stare. "That depends… What is it?"
The man gestured for them to follow and the pair exchanged a look before dismounting. "Wait for us here," Everil told the others as they went after the stranger. Upon arriving at his merchandise, he pulled out a long, stone rod from one of the boxes, glowing blue symbols inscribed over it. He faced them, holding it with both hands. "This was given to me by a friend of mine to the east. He said it can be used to control a golem! Only, I don't have the command phrase to use it."
"A golem?" Everil folded her arms. "Why is it you want to do away with it? It sounds like something like that would be useful to you."
The Dwarves once used golems in their wars. They were said to be formidable fighters, hard to bring down and nearly immortal. But that was in ancient times when they ruled over a massive underground empire that once spanned all of Ferelden, and beyond. Before the darkspawn nearly annihilated them during the First Blight, massively shrinking their territory to just Orzammar. If there was a golem out there, anyone who owned it would have the advantage in any battle.
"I'm just a merchant… it would go to waste in my hands. And I'm not charging you anything since this would be a favor to me." He awkwardly scratched his head, a grin on his chapped lips. "I read once that so long as you have the rod, it will be forced to obey you. It won't be able to hurt anyone… unless you tell it to."
A skeptical Alistair arched an eyebrow at him. "So... where would we find this golem?"
"It's been sitting in a little town called Honnleath, or at least that's what I was told."
"I would like to see it," Everil said to her fellow Warden.
He nodded. "I know the place. Arl Eamon owns those lands."
She took the rod from the merchant, strapped it to her back, and gave him a quick thank you before returning to their horses. They mounted before Everil regarded their companions."Change of plans. We have a small errand to run."
"An errand?" Morrigan questioned with slight irritation. "Have we not wasted enough time as it is? Mostly thanks to Alistair's moronic encounter with a dragon's claws."
"A dragon we had to fight to save your skin, by the way." Alistair sent a subtle glare her way. "So I guess that makes it your fault too."
Morrigan glowered at him. "You—"
"Everil…" He ignored her, shifting his attention to the other Warden while the witch huffed angrily. "Uhm… I'll lead the way this time. I know a shortcut to the village, so I can get us there faster."
She nodded, then watched him veer his horse towards the woods, her eyes settling on his back before she and the others followed. She couldn't quite place it, but lately, he seemed much more assertive and sure of himself. Perhaps due to their conversation after meeting his sister. A smile tugged at her lips, realizing she liked this side of him.
They cut through the thick of the woods this time, occasionally ducking to avoid the hanging branches. Birds chirped, accompanied by the rustling of the leaves as they filled the silence. And had she not known there was chaos running rampant in Ferelden, Everil would've been fooled by the quiet peace.
"My lady, I have a question, if you will indulge me," came Zevran's inquisitive voice.
She glanced his way. "Yes?"
"We have fought our fair share of these... darkspawn. But I don't think I quite understand what it is that makes this a Blight. Is it that storm we saw on the way to Redcliffe?"
Leliana cut in. "You've never heard the story behind the Blight? The Chantry speaks of it all the time."
He smirked, lifting his nose while riding. "I don't know if you've noticed, my dear, but religion is not my forte. In fact, I've never set foot in a Chantry my entire life." He paused and tapped his chin with a finger. "Oh, wait… Yes, I have. I killed a sister once."
"A sister?" she gasped. "Why would you do such a thing?"
The elf shrugged. "She'd been meddling in politics... Sassing the wrong people. Your Chantry is not as pure as they pretend to be."
Leliana shot him a judgy look. "Still… you murdered someone in one of the Maker's homesteads..."
"Like I said... religion: Not my forte." He snickered wickedly, then returned his attention to the Wardens. "At any rate...What makes this all so different? Don't darkspawn occasionally raid villages down here?"
"The difference is that a tainted god commands them during a Blight, turning small groups into a horde that tramples the lands."
Bewildered eyes went from her to the other Warden. Just what had he gotten himself into? He was no hero. He did what he wanted and got what he wanted—of course within the constraints of his servitude to the Crows. Now, he was traveling with a group he barely knew, fighting creatures he knew close to nothing about. And he was free. Free to make that choice without following someone else's motivations. Yet it didn't feel wrong to help. It felt as if he had a purpose now, not one given to him by the order of assassins who raised him.
He put on a lopsided smile, gazing towards Everil. "I suppose it would feel better to die fighting for your little country than to die at the hands of a Crow."
"You know…" Alistair glanced over his shoulder, drawing his attention. "I think that's the first time I didn't find something you said incredibly annoying."
Zevran smiled slyly. "See? I told you making love to a ravaging woman would lighten your mood."
"Aaand here we go… I knew it wouldn't take long," Alistair sighed, hanging his head.
"Zevran," Everil warned, a tint of red spreading over her cheeks.
"What?" He gave her a casual grin. "You two didn't seem to care about us hearing you last night, despite knowing we were all just down the hall. Don't you think it's a little late for modesty?"
She avoided his gaze in embarrassment, yet stubbornness remained on her face. The others sent them a mixture of knowing smiles, a scowl, and a stern gaze.
Alistair ran a hand over his face "Maker…"
"Ah, yes, Him. Heard his name many times too." Zevran smiled at the female Warden. "I never thought you'd be the religious sort, my lady."
Everil released a frustrated breath, resisting the urge to reach out and smack the grin off the elf's face. "Could we change the subject, please?"
"You Fereldans are so finicky when it comes to such matters… So prudish." Zevran chuckled. "It's almost too easy to make you blush."
A rustle in the bushes ahead silenced them all, their horses coming to a stop as their gaze moved in its direction. They were reaching for their weapons when a young boy suddenly stumbled out from the brush, covered in blood. "H-Help...!"
Everil slid off her horse as he fell to the ground, rushing towards him. "Hey!" She knelt, placing a hand on his shoulder while quickly looking him over. He was littered with deep cuts and burns, all bleeding profusely.
"H-Help… the village…!" he choked out through ragged coughs. And she stared in silence as his eyes glazed over, a soft sigh escaping his broken lips as life left him. She clenched her teeth, anger rising within her. This boy was barely a man, his features still those of a child. Clicking her tongue, she quickly rose and ran for her horse, climbing it without a word.
As if knowing what she was thinking, Alistair immediately kicked his mount into motion, while she and the others followed suit. They rode fast through the woods and towards their destination, the trees a blur as familiar voices whispered in her mind. There were darkspawn ahead.
.x.x.x.x.
They rode to the edge of the woods until a small village came into view, nestled atop a hill a distance away. Huts were set aflame as a cloud of ash and smoke rose up above them. The group crossed the village entrance and brought their horses to a halt, dismounting and drawing their weapons as darkspawn charged towards them. Everil slashed at the incoming genlock, slicing through its neck. It fell spraying blood while Alistair stabbed his sword into another, piercing through its armor as it screeched in pain.
More enemies came at them as they made their way up the hill, weapons raised high above their heads. Leliana released a string of arrows, downing two genlocks, while Sten rushed a group of hurlocks with a mighty swipe of his sword.
"Why are they running towards us?" Wynne shouted above the sounds of battle.
Everil pulled her blade out of a hurlock's torso, then gazed ahead, watching a few run in their direction. Though instead of attacking them, they seemed to be fleeing from something. Another one got too close, and she cut its head clean off before glancing towards her party. "Something is driving them away. Come on!"
They dashed up the rest of the way, turning a corner into the village square. Human bodies were scattered about, torn to pieces to the point it was hard to tell which body part was what. Darkspawn also lay dead, thrown about, their bodies twisted while stragglers made for the village exit.
In the middle of all the death stood a little girl with two long, blonde braids. The child seemed unscathed in spite of the blood and gore around her as she held a cat in her arms, petting it gently.
"Kill the rest!" Everil commanded the others before running towards her, leaving them to eliminate what remained of the creatures. She approached her and dropped to a knee. "Are you all right?"
The girl slowly nodded.
"Grey Warden!"
Her eyes shot past the girl and to a group of people on the other side of the village. They were surrounded by light while one of the men kept his hands raised, holding up the force field. Darkspawn lay dead in a heap at the foot of their shield, seemingly having been thrown against it.
The Warden slowly stood while her companions came to her after completing their task, leaving the dead behind. She regarded their healer. "Wynne, see to the child."
The old mage knelt next to the girl, gently taking her shaky hand in hers. "It's all right now, darling. We are here to help."
"You are?" she whimpered.
Wynne gave her a kind smile. "Indeed we are."
Stepping around them, Everil walked towards the other villagers as the rest of her party followed. "What's happening here? Why did the darkspawn flee?"
"That's my daughter, Amelia. She's not what she seems. Please help her!" the man—a mage—responded with alarm, shields still up around him and the cowering people behind him.
"What are you talking about?" She frowned and shifted her attention to the child as Wynne gently stroked her arm, speaking quietly to her in an effort to calm her trembling little body. "She seems fine to me," Everil said, giving him a quizzical look. "Why don't you lower your shields so we may talk?"
"You don't understand! That cat is a demon and it has my daughter under some spell! It will try to kill my people if I do that!" he pleaded, and as he said those words a scream reached their ears. They all whirled around to see Wynne being lifted into the air by an unseen force, her body stiff and fear etched over her features.
"Wynne!" Everil made to run to them but was stopped when a woman's voice echoed through their minds.
"I wouldn't get closer if I were you, mortal," it said as the cat's eyes glowed red, piercing into their very souls.
"So you're the reason the darkspawn were fleeing the village…" Alistair muttered next to his fellow Warden, glaring at the animal.
"What's a demon doing here? Is that girl a mage?" Everil asked over her shoulder at the child's father.
He shook his head. "No! She—"
The demon let out a small chuckle. "Foolish mortals. I have been here all along! Summoned and chained by Willhem the mage, the long-dead grandfather of this brat. Amelia simply awoke me from my slumber and begged me to save her little village." The cat's face twisted into a distorted snarl. "And now it's done. And now she's mine."
"Let them go." Everil scowled, her gaze meeting its crimson eyes.
"No," it quipped. "I am still tied to this village. This woman will help me break the seal and then I shall use the child's body to roam your world free of these shackles!"
Suddenly bony hands broke out of the ground, rotten skin barely clinging to the fingers.
"And there is nothing you can do to stop me!" it cackled maniacally while a small army of undead pulled themselves out of the ground around it, wielding ancient weapons and armor which could barely hold together.
The girl then grabbed Wynne's wrist and ran, dragging her along towards the open door of one of the huts.
"Wait!" Everil took a few quick steps forward, only to be blocked by one of the skeletons. In one swipe, she decapitated it, then blocked the attacks of another as it swung at her from the side. She kicked its knee and it buckled before she brought her sword in a diagonal and sliced off part of its head. It fell back, and shock dawned on her as she saw the numbers rapidly increase along with the ghastly groans and moans. The sound of metal against metal joined the voices of the dead, their old weapons clashing with theirs once more. They were coming from all directions, breaking through the ground and slowly crowding the village square.
It's like Redcliffe all over again… Everil gritted her teeth as she brought down another corpse, then craned her head to the door through which the child and her mage had disappeared. She turned to the father. "Where is it going? Tell me quickly!"
"Underground," he replied, too afraid still to put down his shield. "There's a passage in the cellar that leads to some ancient crypts, as well as my father's old magic chamber."
"Leliana, Bjorn! Come with me!" Everil called, then addressed her fellow Warden as he pushed a skeleton with his shield and ran it through. "Alistair, you and the others stay here and help the townsfolk. I'm going after that thing."
He nodded. "Got it. Just watch yourself."
"Right." A corner of her lips curled up into a half-smile before she turned on her heel and made haste to the hut. Leliana and her hound went after her.
Alistair watched them go, then blocked a blade with his own, prying it to the side. He pulled his shield back and swung, hitting the creature with its edge. He slashed and cut off its weapon arm, then lunged at its neck, piercing through.
The people behind them were the only ones left in the village, and he didn't know how long their mage could hold up his barrier. They had to protect them until the demon lay dead. He blocked another hit as two more undead tried to flank him. Using his shield, he hit one and stunned it, before his sword met its head. Then he whirled around, using his gauntlet to punch the other before turning to his sword and pulling it from its friend's body.
Their enemy's stumble then turned into a clumsy run as they drew nearer. Seeing the charge, Alistair yelled to the others in his party. "All right! No matter what happens, let's keep these things away from these people! Morrigan!"
The witch's eyes switched from a burning corpse over to him.
"Ice them as they come in! We have to slow their advance as much as possible!"
She paused for a moment, then gave him a brief nod. And in seconds a wave of ice swept the first row of enemies, freezing them on the spot.
"Never thought I would see the dead come back to life!" Zevran shouted from his side of the field before he broke into a run, swinging his weapons and breaking through the ice with ease.
Morrigan cast another ice spell, freezing another section of the advancing army of enemies. One of those not frozen charged at the elf, swinging sideways with its blade. Zevran easily dodged, sliced its head off, then kicked its body to the ground.
"Ten down!" he shouted, grinning towards the Warden.
Alistair gazed his way with a quirked brow, pulling his blade out from a creature's chest. Movement from the corner of his eye made him swing at another corpse, severing its head. "Twelve!" he shouted.
Zevran then killed several in one swing. "Thirteen!"
"Fourteen!"
Eventually, the two of them were fighting near each other, leaving a trail of bodies behind. Alistair hit another monster with the pommel of his sword, shattering its skull before slashing through one more.
The sound of crushing bones and shattering ice made the two look in Sten's direction. Like a mighty twister of muscle and metal, the qunari swung his sword, releasing a battle cry. He took out several corpses at once, sending body parts flying and scattering over the ground. He turned his piercing gray eyes to another group, then rushed in, swinging sideways and slicing several more in half.
Both Alistair and Zevran watched in awe as he easily decimated a portion of their opposition, completely unhindered by their numbers.
"How many was that?" Zevran asked numbly.
"Enough to make me want to stop counting," Alistair replied while Sten sent the pair a severe glare, rotating his shoulders before resuming his killing spree. But no matter how many they killed, the creatures were relentless. Some put themselves back together and rose to attack again, while others emerged from the ground.
"Seems like they enjoy punishment…" muttered the assassin as they witnessed the wicked magic mending the undead.
Beside him, Alistair clicked his tongue, eyes narrowed. "Yeah. I hope Everil kills that demon and quickly…"
.x.x.x.x.
The two women made their way through the crypt along with the hound. It was dark, damp, and quiet, but the open tombs they passed thankfully empty. Everil found herself wondering just what sort of man would have something like this hiding away in his cellar. But the name Willhem refreshed her memory.
He was a mage who served the crown when Prince Maric took Ferelden's throne back from the Orlesian Empire. It was known he had a short temper, and an ego the size of a giant. But he helped the king free the country, so he was respected across all circles of nobility in spite of his many flaws.
Soon they made it through the dark to a door, and Everil carefully opened it, her sword at the ready. On the other side was a large chamber, well lit by flames. The three entered, the Warden's eyes narrowing upon spotting the child at the center, with Wynne beside her, barely able to stand. Bjorn snarled at it, growling menacingly.
"So you followed me... How convenient." The demonic cat's gaze focused upon them once more. "This woman is too frail to work the mechanisms in the seal that traps me." And it laughed as an invisible force flung its captive towards the party. Everil quickly spread her arms, catching her with a grunt and falling on her rear with her.
"Wynne!" Leliana dropped to her knees beside them.
Carefully, Everil laid the unconscious mage on her back, observing her worriedly. She placed a hand on her cheek while noticing the red burns now covering her pale skin. Thankfully the injuries weren't severe, but she couldn't tell if the demon's influence caused further damage inside.
"You will pay for this, you foul creature!" Leliana snapped at the demon.
It only chuckled. "Come now. Perhaps we can reach an agreement without resorting to violence."
The Warden pushed herself up to her feet, then took a step towards the child, angrily pointing her sword at it. "You are way past the bargaining point, demon."
"What's this? You wouldn't kill the child, now would you?"
"The girl isn't possessed yet. All I have to do is kill the cat," Everil responded coolly.
The demon's eyes flashed bright red at her words. "I still have control over her mind, mortal. She won't let you near me. You will have to kill her to get to me or listen to what I offer."
Narrowing her eyes, Everil's grip on her weapon tightened. "What is it you want?"
Leliana's head shot up. "Evy, you couldn't possibly…"
She raised a hand, effectively silencing her.
"I knew you would understand. You seem like a smart human. Here is what I offer: Release my shackles and allow me to possess this child. She and the other villagers will live, her father will not notice the change. And I will be able to live among you and finally see the world through her eyes." It snarled, as if attempting to smile. "We all win."
Everil raised a brow. "And the alternative?"
"How long do you think your friends will last up there? I can summon and mend the undead, making my army practically endless. And unless you kill Amelia and me, or release me, it will not stop." A mirthful giggle escaped it. "Or you could flee and leave the village at my mercy, though I highly doubt you would do such a thing, Grey Warden."
Silence stretched out for a moment as Everil pressed her lips into a thin line, weighing their options.
The demon waited patiently for her answer.
"Very well... I shall set you free."
"Evy…" Leliana uttered uncomfortably.
The Warden gazed at her from the corner of her eye. "We don't have much of a choice, Leliana."
The demon let out a laugh, casting its eyes on the metal patterns on the ground behind it. "This is the seal Willhem kindly built for me. One of the moving pieces has to be placed on the slot at the end of the puzzle, once set in place I will be free. However, if you get it wrong, you will end up like your friend there."
With a confident look, Everil sheathed her sword and walked towards the platform. She climbed onto it, glancing over it. There were metal squares that were movable, each with a pentagram drawn over it. It reminded her of a sliding puzzle, only a seemingly dangerous version of it. Her sharp eyes traveled the mechanisms underneath, trying to map the paths for all the pieces in her mind. She could feel the heat radiating from some of the slots where the pieces fit in, which told her perhaps it would be a good idea to avoid sliding pieces into them.
Taking a breath, she approached the first piece and lowered herself onto one knee to place gloved hands over it. She slid it through the metal railing, hitting a corner when the railing bent downward across the platform. One by one, she continued pushing the pieces while Leliana watched worriedly from afar, Wynne's head resting on her lap.
Then one of the pieces slid into a hot slot.
Everil jumped back, narrowly avoiding the flames bursting up through the platform. "Blast it…" she breathed out as the fire slowly died down.
The demon laughed at her. "Nice reflexes, mortal."
She shot it a dirty look and pushed herself back up, returning to the last piece she tried to move. Everil breathed a sigh of relief when the last piece made it to the end of the puzzle, clicking still and lighting up a cool blue.
The demon moaned in response and the cat's body glowed, dropping from the little girl's arms and landing gracefully on the floor. The shape of a woman emerged from the animal's body, sharp curves rounding her naked, purple body. A crown of blue fire decorated its head, while her sensual lips spread into a smile. Everil kept her sights on her as she turned to face her, the creature hovering inches from the ground as its eyes bore into hers.
"A deal is a deal, human." Like a predator honing down on its prey, the demon's gaze went to Amelia. Yellow eyes glowing red as she approached the frightened child.
"Kitty?" Amelia, now fully awake, gazed up at the demon. All color drained from her face and tears slid down her cheeks, fear gripping her.
"Yes…" The demon chuckled, a clawed hand reaching out to her. "We can be together forever now, Amelia."
Blood sprayed, blocking the demon's vision while Amelia's eyes rolled behind her head as she fainted. It pulled its arm back to find her forearm was now missing, a bewildered expression dawning on its face upon seeing blood flowing freely from the stump. She then watched as Everil stepped between her and the child, blade in hand and crimson dripping from the edge to the floor.
"Sorry, but I can't keep my word this time," Everil quipped with a smirk.
Leliana stood, drawing her weapon while Bjorn also dropped into a battle stance, growling at the enemy.
"You tricked me…" it gasped in disbelief, anger quickly bubbling up as she bore her fangs. "You bitch!"
The demon swiped and Everil blocked the claws, then dodged another hit. It roared, attacking again and again as the Warden deflected every hit with her blade, slowly drawing it away from the unconscious Amelia. Meanwhile, Leliana broke into a dash, both daggers at the ready as she neared the demon from behind. The creature was forced to block with its remaining arm, while Bjorn latched on to its leg. It cried out, and in its anger, released a shockwave that sent them all flying in opposite directions.
With a huff, Everil rolled onto her feet, bringing up her sword to guard against another hit from the demon. Her jaw tensed as it applied more pressure upon her, glaring down at her while rage twisted its beautiful face to show its bestial form. Her arms shook as she pushed back, her stare unwavering.
"I will tear you to shreds!" the demon roared at her as sparks crackled over its body.
Everil saw the demonic spell coming, and quickly shifted to the side and rolled as a stream of electricity shot straight through where she once stood. She then kicked forward, closing the distance once more. The demon swiped and she docked, before swinging upwards, forcing her to block. It pushed down, breaking the Warden's stance before slashing at her again. Everil turned, earning a small scratch on the arm while bringing Elethea around with her. The demon blocked again and tried to parry her sword, its strength making Everil bend her knees.
Three arrows suddenly connected with its back, making it cry out in pain while her hound jumped onto its arm, locking his jaws around it. Everil took advantage of the opening, thrusting her sword through the creature's chest and bringing her dagger up to its neck.
"This is for Wynne!" she cried out, and the demon's eyes widened as the Warden sliced her dagger through its neck, lopping off its head. Blood sprayed over her as its body sank to its knees. Then Everil put her foot to its chest and pulled out her blade, gazing coldly upon it as it fell.
Everil gazed upon it for a moment, catching her breath. "I hope you enjoyed your moment of freedom..." she uttered cooly and sheathed her weapons. Her eyes then went to the child they'd rescued, seeing her still sleep where she'd fallen.
.x.x.x.x.
With a roar, Alistair sliced through one of the corpses before breathlessly eyeing his companions. Zevran seemed all right despite the minor cuts. Morrigan was out of breath but had managed to remain untouched. While Sten seemed tired but continued to fight through the exhaustion. He dodged another blade and stabbed into the creature's gut, then swung his shield to knock off the skeleton's head.
"Why won't they stay down!" Zevran shouted from his spot on the field, irritation in his tired voice as the one he'd just killed put itself back together.
"It's the demon's powers! Until it lies dead I fear they will keep coming back!" Matthias the mage shouted, sweat sliding down his brow before he cast a wave of flames upon those approaching him. They'd managed to keep the corpses from crossing further towards the villagers behind them, which was good considering Matthias had been forced to drop his barrier to help them.
And then just as they came, the corpses stopped moving, and one by one, they began to drop. The group of warriors stared in bewilderment, lowering their weapons as the last enemy fell. The demon's influence over the village slowly faded, lifting like a curtain of mist. A cool breeze flowed into the streets, lifting up dust as it grazed over the bodies that lay on the ground around them.
The sound of a door being kicked open drew their attention to Everil as she stepped out, carefully carrying the sleeping Amelia in her arms. She calmly made her way to them, still covered in blood as her hair gently swayed with each step. Leliana came out after her, Wynne resting on her back while Bjorn followed behind them.
Matthias ran and met them halfway. "Amelia!"
"She's fine, only sleeping," Everil said with a small smile as she handed the child over to her father.
"Thank you! I… thank you!" he uttered with great relief, tears welling up in his eyes as he held the child tightly."
"Once you're done tending to her and your people, I need to talk to you."
"Of course," he replied, watching her and Leliana walk past him to meet with the others of their group.
Everil stopped next to Alistair as Leliana carefully leaned a slowly awakening Wynne against one of the few huts not burning. She pulled out a balm to begin treating her wounds while uttering reassuring words.
"How is she?" he sent her a worried glance.
Everil folded her arms. "Minor burns and bruises…"
"She's tougher than she looks."
She sighed. "Yes… Yes, she is."
Steps from behind them had the two Wardens turning their attention to Matthias, who approached them with shoulders slouched from exhaustion. "I thank you again for saving the village. If you hadn't come when you did…" He shuddered and swallowed nervously. "I don't really want to think about it. Uh… At any rate, what is it you needed to talk about, Warden?"
"I have a question for you." Everil pulled the rod from behind her back. "That golem over there." She pointed to the rock statue standing in the middle of the square. "How do you awaken it with this?"
"Shale?" His eyes darkened. "That thing killed my father. Why would you want it?"
Everil ignored the warning, refusing to back away from a potential resource. "We need it to help against the Blight."
"You'd be willing to risk the danger?"
"Yes."
He sighed helplessly. "Very well... I will show you how to awaken it."
.x.x.x.x.
Its eyes lit up a bright blue, the symbol on its forehead flaring as its joints began to pop and turn. It let out a groan as if yawning, then turned its gaze upon her, its stone face twisting into a cold scowl.
"Hmph… I must admit I didn't expect the next one to be a female… and not a mage," it spoke, the deep vocals matching its massive body as it stood five heads taller than she.
Everil cranked her head up to meet its gaze, unfazed by its intimidating size. "My name is Everil Cousland. And we need your help."
"It speaks?" The golem's stone brows lifted up in amazement. "And it asks for my assistance?"
"Y-yes…" Everil frowned at the way it was referring to her. "We need you to fight with us against the Blight."
"The rod allows it to command me. Surely it knew asking in such a way is not necessary." It placed its hand on its chin, giving her the closest expression of puzzlement it could muster. "Wait a moment… Something doesn't feel quite right here. I ask that it command me to perform an action using the rod."
"All right... I command you to walk over there." She awkwardly waved the rod to the side.
Shale gasped in surprise. "Nothing... No compelling feeling to obey."
Alistair stepped up next to her. "I don't like this."
Everil gave him a quick glance, spoke sternly to the golem. "Why is the rod not working?"
It shrugged. "Perhaps it's broken? Regardless, it seems I am free to make my own decisions now. And what an odd thing to say that is..."
Everil folded her arms. "So what does that mean? What will you do now?"
"I… I honestly don't know. I don't remember anything from my past or what I used to do before that pathetic little mage took control of me. So I suppose I have no plans for myself now." It tilted its head. "It said it wanted help defeating the darkspawn. I will help it, at least until I find a new purpose for myself."
She opened her mouth to talk, but Alistair spoke up first."Erm… Could you hold a moment, please?" He lifted an index finger to the golem and without waiting for a response, gently took Everil by the wrist. He led her to the side, seeking to keep the conversation just between them while the others in their group sent them quizzical stares.
"I know what you're about to do, and I don't think it's a good idea," he spoke under his breath. "The rod is supposed to be a means to protect yourself. If we take it with us, we'd be walking around with an unshackled golem, instead."
"Come on, Alistair," Everil chuckled, folding her arms. "Can you imagine the number of darkspawn Shale could take out at once?"
"Oh, I can. But I can also imagine how many of us it could kill if it turns on us. You heard Matthias. It murdered its prior owner. So what's to keep it from trying to do the same thing to us later?"
She shrugged a shoulder. "I think the gain is worth the risk. We could use another heavy hitter. Besides, we don't know if Wilhem deserved what he got. He did have a reputation."
"That may be true…" He reached up to rub the back of his neck, shaking his head. "But it's still too dangerous."
"Don't worry so much." She grinned and playfully winked at him. "Just trust me."
"You know I always do…" Alistair couldn't help but smile hopelessly as he watched her spin around and head back to the group. In the end, she had proven to be a better judge of character than he. He had been adamant about having some of their companions around, seeing them as crazy or unworthy of trust.
A witch of the wilds with little to no social skills.
A former nun who could kill any man from the shadows, while reciting the Chant of Light.
An assassin who once tried to claim their lives, but was now willing to give up his life for her.
The sage mage who kept them all in line with her motherly words while healing their wounds.
A qunari who spoke little, constantly looking down on everyone, yet was as loyal as any soldier.
And then there was him. A man whose past turned him into a giant ball of insecurities, something she was helping him overcome since Denerim.
They all had their faults, but each of them followed her loyally, risking their lives for her without hesitation.
From a distance, he observed her interaction with Shale, watching as she reached out for a handshake. Her small hand disappeared into the golem's much bigger hand, one strong enough to crush hers into paste. But while the thought made him slightly nervous, he felt a tug at the corner of his lips. If she had managed to keep their band of misfits working together this far, then perhaps there really was nothing to worry about.
