Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Dragon Age. See Important Author's Note at the bottom.
"Hello there stranger."
He turned as soon as he heard the purring voice. She loved teasing him, and it was one of the many things he had missed so much. His lips twitched, trying to smile before he wanted to give anything away.
"Fancy finding a pretty little thing like you in a place like this," was his droll response.
The blonde looked around at the twisted landscape and sniffed in disdain. "It really isn't my usual sort of surroundings, but I suppose I can manage if the company is pleasant enough."
"Then I'll have to do my best to keep you entertained," he smirked.
"Yes, you will." Her expression matched his own. "Hello, husband."
"Hello, wife."
"The last time we were here, I believe you wanted to get in my pants," she said with a grin. "As the muggles say."
"I always want to get in your pants," he replied. "Of course, I always preferred you in skirts."
"My legs are fabulous."
He looked down, slowly drinking her in, and was very happy to see she'd worn a dark green skirt that showed a couple of inches of thigh, then he nodded in agreement. "I am a very lucky man."
"Play your cards right, and you just might be."
"I was the one who taught you poker."
"And I'm the one who was always better at bluffing," she replied.
"I don't like having to bluff with you. I'd rather lay my cards on the table and see what comes next."
"Oh? And what comes next?"
"With any luck, you do."
She was the first to break, cracking a smile that soon turned to laughter. "Merlin, Harry, that was so bad."
"But I was being serious," he grinned.
"I thought that was the dog's job."
"I suppose so."
"Well, we can't have him getting laid before you do," she teased. "I just hope you haven't fallen out of practice. You do remember that thing with your tongue, right?"
"I'd never forget that."
"Then let's see how well you remember all the things I like," she said as she sashayed towards him with a smirk on her face. "If you think you're up for it."
"Sweetheart, with you I'm always up for it." Before he could get out another word, she had leapt upon him, and Harry was pleasantly surprised when a bed formed to catch them.
Daphne finished kissing him and pulled back to give him a smile. "It looks like you do remember a thing or two."
"I'd hope so."
"Nice bed." She pushed on the mattress, and started to giggle. "Do you remember when Luna recommended we try out a water bed?"
"And we broke it the first night," Harry laughed. "That was some of the wettest sex we've ever had."
"Normally I like playing in the water. Just not when it's unplanned."
"God, I've missed you."
Daphne's smile faltered for a moment. "I know, Harry. But we can't do this all the time."
"Why not?"
"For one thing, you'd never want to wake up."
He snorted and shrugged. She was right as usual.
"For another, you have things to do out there in the waking world," she added. "And finally, I don't want you to forget about living a real life. Dreams can't give you everything."
"Then what is tonight all about?"
"Well, I did cut you off last time," Daphne said, one hand sliding down between them as her eyes took on a lusty sheen. "I may feel slightly bad about that. Plus, you saved those mages, and good deeds deserve rewards."
"I love your rewards."
"I know," she laughed and sat up astride him.
The sound of moans drew their attention away from each other for a moment. A number of the succubus like Desire Demons were gathered in a circle around them.
"Why don't they come closer?" Daphne asked.
"I might be getting a reputation for being able to kill them," he shrugged. "Plus, I think they can tell that I'm not their normal sort of prey."
"That's good."
"Do I need to banish them?"
"Like a captive audience would ever stop me," Daphne scoffed. "Maybe this way they'll learn about what passion really is."
"So we're going to put on a show?" Harry asked.
"I'm game if you are," she replied.
"Challenge accepted."
"Then let's get these clothes off and make with the ravishing!" she smiled.
Harry didn't waste another word- he tore her silk blouse open and smiled at the sight of her breasts.
Morrigan had trouble sleeping that night. Something about Harry was bothering her- that black look to his eyes when he had somehow cast a spell to find where the survivors of the village had been was decidedly unnatural. And more than that, how was it that he was so old and yet appeared so young? She'd long known that her mother was capable of something similar- although Flemeth perhaps chose to look like an old crone, Morrigan remembered that she had been a bit younger when she was still a child.
So, how was Harry doing it? Was there magic from his world that could defeat time itself?
And if so, how soon could she learn it?
Not that it mattered yet, as Morrigan was still young and beautiful, in the prime of her life. But the idea of surpassing Flemeth and reaching a better form of immortality than her mother had would have been a delicious victory over her.
That was when the moaning started.
It was coming from Harry's room, and she briefly wondered if that slut with the red hair wasn't having enough fun leading Sirius around by his libido. If the chantry whore was now throwing herself at Harry too, then Morrigan was going to have to do something drastic... and very, very violent.
Not that there was anything between them. (Yet.) But the way Harry took all her snarky comments with naught but a smile was tempting Morrigan more and more. While Flemeth's lessons of how to seduce a man seemed simple enough- certainly for someone as obviously beautiful as Morrigan knew that she was- she also found herself wanting something more.
What was it?
(A normal person wouldn't have found the idea of affection so completely foreign and unknowable.)
But the moaning- it just went on and on. It sounded as if 'twas only Harry though, so her curiosity was piqued. Morrigan slipped on that sumptuously comfortable emerald green robe, the one that had belonged to his former wife, and she crept out into the main sitting area of the tent.
She used her new wand to conjure light using the spell from Harry's world. Morrigan knew similar things, but she wanted to continue working with the wand as much as possible until she felt capable of taking it into battle. For now, she was only going to be using her staff and focusing on her native magic in combat. Between her steadily improving Entropy and Primal spells, Morrigan knew she was already a very dangerous witch. But she wanted to be so powerful that none would dare to cross her.
And Harry Potter was the key to becoming just that.
Morrigan opened the door to his room, noting that it had been unlocked. She hadn't done such a thing, but then Harry did seem far too trusting.
Either that or he wanted someone to come join him in his room.
She pushed that thought aside without even noticing her own growl and stepped inside, the light shining from her wand.
"Daphne," he moaned out.
It shouldn't have been surprising that he would be dreaming of his former wife, especially not with as much as he seemed to enjoy talking about her, but it still bothered Morrigan for reasons she would not be admitting out loud any time soon.
Then she caught sight of how he lay in his bed- and something large tenting up the sheet.
Normally, she wouldn't be caught dead allowing someone to see her blush. But no one was there to witness it, and Morrigan had been intrigued when she had seen him naked after first finding Harry near the old broken Eluvian. Of course, she had been merely checking him for wounds, and there was certainly nothing but idle curiosity at studying such a handsome man up close and personal.
But her thoughts were pushed aside when he cried out again, his back arching and the phallus poking the sheet up even further than it had before.
Morrigan took a step back and thought over her situation.
On the one hand, she could go back to her room and try to go back to sleep. Or do something else in her bed, her mind creating fantasies that could distract her quite well if she let them.
She also considered awakening Harry. It wouldn't do for some spirit to use lust to entrap him in the Fade.
No, it wouldn't do at all. Morrigan needed to wake him up.
(And there was definitely not any hint of jealousy towards the memory of a dead woman that may have been coloring her perception.)
She walked over to his bed and noticed the look of utter bliss on his face as well as the bead of sweat running down his brow. One finger stroked down his cheek, feeling the heated flush of his skin, and the need to-
Wake him. That's what the need was.
"Harry."
"Mmm," he mumbled.
"You need to wake up, Harry," she insisted.
"No way, Daphne," he argued in a whisper. "We haven't even gotten to round two yet."
"I am not Daphne," she hissed, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up!"
"Ugh." His eyes flashed open, and Morrigan took an involuntary step back at how fiercely green they were, as if his magic was somehow making the color more than it should be. Harry forced himself up on his elbows and looked up at her. "There's no way it's morning yet."
"No, 'tis still late."
"Then why did you wake me?"
"You were moaning in your sleep," she replied. "Loudly."
"Well, it was a really good dream," Harry answered before noting the wet spot on his sheets and quickly reaching for his wand, flourishing it over himself. "I guess next time I'll have to throw up some charms to keep the noise down."
He looked up at Morrigan and noticed her odd expression. But Harry kept himself from responding with any sort of teasing and just said, "I'm sorry if I woke you."
"No, I was having trouble getting to sleep," she countered before turning her head for a second. When she looked at him again, the aloof mask was back on. "You should know that if some vixen is seducing you in your dreams that 'tis merely a spirit provoking such a reaction."
"Ah, that may be true if I were a normal person," he chuckled. "But I am not. Believe me, I can tell the difference between a woman I knew for the better part of a century and some spirit trying to distract me."
"How?"
"I can't give away all my secrets just yet."
She narrowed his eyes as he winked at her.
Harry then added, "I wouldn't want to ruin any of the fun."
Morrigan snorted and turned for the door, muttering to herself. "Infernal man."
"Pleasant dreams," he called after her, which may have been what caused her to slam the bedroom door behind her. Harry just chuckled to himself and rolled over. "I hope Daphne's still waiting for me. I really would like a round two before I have to get up in the morning."
He yawned and slipped back into the land of dreams.
"Now, we're on to Redcliffe?" Leliana asked the next day as they gathered outside and Harry put away the tent.
"We do have one potential issue to deal with first," Harry said.
"What?"
"I don't know exactly how much weight my magical carpet can handle."
"Is it making a joke about my size?" Shale asked with a rumble. "I would think that even the most foolish of squishy mages would know better than to insult a golem."
"I beg your pardon, Shale," Harry replied. "I am certain you are quite slender for one of your kind. But as stone is much harder than flesh, so to would it make one heavier than us mere mortals."
"Hmmph," the golem snorted. "I suppose it does have a point. But what is this nonsense about a magic carpet?"
"If I may, Harry?" Sirius asked, and he continued after Harry nodded and began to remove and unroll the item in question. "Where we're from, wizards learned to enchant all sorts of things in order to be able to fly. Harry has a large room-sized rug that can fly us through the air much quicker than we could travel by hiking all the way there. The five of us all rode it from the Circle down to the village where we found you and the trip took us less than a day."
"The less delay before I can smash some darkspawn would be appreciated," Shale said. "I have been feeling more than a little frustration after my prolonged stay in that horrid little village. With those feathered nightmares."
Harry fought down a laugh at the golem's hatred of birds. "I do have a potential solution, if you would humor me for a moment, Shale?"
"What is its idea?"
"There is a spell-" Harry stopped himself as he realized that saying the name of the Featherlight Charm might not go over well with the stone warrior. "It allows something to be lifted and carried as if it weighed much less than usual. Normally, it is used on inanimate objects-"
"That could be a problem," Shale interrupted. "I am no mere object."
"Obviously," Harry agreed. "But, I have a theory that the magical resistance of golems that I've read about would be more focused on stopping battle magic. With this being so completely different, I think it could work on you."
"Show me how the spell works first," Shale insisted, and Harry did as the golem asked. A few minutes later, after charming a conjured boulder to weigh practically nothing, Shale consented to being experimented on in such a way. To Harry's delight, it worked, and the group was soon speeding through the air towards their destination.
The golem hadn't been quite as enthusiastic as Wynne had on her first experience with flight, but Shale's enjoyment was still clear to see.
Harry had even gotten something like a compliment, "It isn't so bad for such a squishy little mage."
It was roughly midday when they arrived at the town built along the slopes that surrounded the southern edge of Lake Calenhad. The castle could be seen off in the distance, and there was a drawbridge that allowed it to close itself off.
Unfortunately, that way was barred, so they would need to try to make contact with someone in the town first.
Thus, they all began the march into Redcliffe only to immediately be spotted by a man standing watch at the other end of a little stone bridge that went over a rushing stream that cascaded down the cliff side.
"I thought I saw travelers coming down the road, though I could scarcely believe it," the man said. "Have you come to help us?"
"Help with what?" Harry asked.
"We're under attack. Monsters come out of the castle every night and attack us until dawn. Everyone's been fighting... and dying. I don't know how much longer we'll last at this rate. I should take you to Bann Teagan. He's all that's holding us together."
"Wait a moment, please." Harry pulled out his wand. "Have you seen these monsters?"
"Not up close, no. If I had, I wouldn't be here to speak with you."
"Very well, then take us to this Bann Teagan."
They were led down the slopes and Harry had to marvel at how well some of the buildings were standing even in seemingly precarious circumstances. At such odd angles, he would have thought they would need wizards to create such a town. The ramshackle leaning tower that had been the Burrow immediately came to mind.
While most of the group was discouraged by the obvious desperation in the air, Shale was enthused about the chance to stomp on whatever nocturnal foes they might encounter. Morrigan of course merely wanted to get on with it and not have to spend any more time than necessary around the townsfolk.
At the bottom of the hills, a flat area of town sat along the lake shore. There were boats scattered here and there and plenty of evidence that the town thrived on fishing. In the center of everything was a large stone building that was obviously Redcliffe's Chantry. Harry thought it a little amusing how similar this world was in many ways to things he had seen back home.
In the Chantry, they met a man in fine clothing who was introduced as Bann Teagan, the younger brother of Arl Eamon, ruler of the area.
"I'm surprised to find any Grey Wardens survived the massacre at Ostagar," he said once they were all introduced.
"Unfortunately, many were lost there," Harry agreed. "I find the quest is now mine to bring together as many forces as possible to deal with the Blight."
"That may be a bigger problem than you know," Teagan replied. "The country is on the verge of civil war. Loghain has installed himself as regent and appears to be consolidating power, no matter the danger we are all in. That he does so even overtaking the Queen's authority is practically treason in and of itself, but that he also abandoned my nephew is the greater crime."
"Your nephew?"
"My older sister was married to King Maric," he answered before looking grave. "Tell me, by any chance did another Grey Warden survive? His name was Alistair."
"I do not believe so," Harry said.
"That is grave news."
"Why?"
"If we can survive this nightmare, I'll tell you in private."
"Alright, why don't you tell me what you can about whatever has been attacking the town then," Harry suggested.
"No one has heard from the castle in days," Teagan began. "No guards patrol the walls and no answer came when I tried to get them to allow me to enter. The attacks started a few nights ago. Evil things surged from the castle. We drove them back, but many perished in the assault."
"What type of things?"
"Some call them the walking dead; decomposing corpses returning to life with a hunger for human flesh," he answered. "They hit again the next night. Each night they come, with ever greater numbers."
"I hate bloody Inferi," Sirius muttered.
"But no sign of anyone controlling these things?" Harry asked.
"No."
"Interesting." Harry now had something new to ponder. If the things were coming from the castle, there was clearly something terribly wrong there. That was compounded when Teagan mentioned that his older brother had fallen ill and was trapped inside.
Harry led the others outside.
"What are you thinking?" Sirius asked.
"Stopping the attack tonight won't be an issue."
"While I am pleased to see your confidence, I do worry over whatever may be occurring in the castle," Wynne replied.
"Yeah, that will be the bigger problem," Harry nodded.
"The townsfolk are going to congregate at the Chantry when nightfall comes," Leliana said. "That will make it easier for us to defend them."
"Maybe we should split up," Sirius suggested. "We can get more done that way. Talking to the villagers, scouting for information and also making sure they're prepared, along with any sort of defenses we can create before hand."
"Good idea," Harry said. "You focus on the people, I'll ready some magical protections."
"Alright."
A moment later his godfather had departed along with Leliana and Wynne.
"I am going to find the best choke point for the attack," Shale said. "It would be a shame if they got past me when I have so much violence to share."
"Good luck with that," Harry snorted. "I'll probably come find you in a while."
Once it was only the two of them left, Morrigan was clearly ready to start complaining. "How pointless it seems to help these villagers fight this battle. One would think we have enough to contend with elsewhere."
"If we destroy these forces, then there will be less opposition when we reach the castle," Harry pointed out. "And if we can gain the help of the nobility, especially if we can save Arl Eamon from whatever ails him, then we should gain a powerful new ally for the upcoming battles."
"True, but it just seems like we could skip things and go straight to the castle," Morrigan replied. "Can't we just fly over the gates on your carpet?"
"We could, but I don't like charging blindly into enemy territory." Harry sighed. There were a number of different ways this could play out, but he wondered at which one would leave them with the best resolution. "Assuming these are the corpses of the dead, then they will need new fodder for more. In other words, they have likely been taking their victims back to the castle and reanimating them- or something similar anyway. If we kill them all tonight, without letting them drag any villagers away-"
"I see your point," Morrigan acquiesced. "Our foes will not be able to replenish their numbers in such a case. I still do not like it."
"You and Shale should get along better."
"The golem does have a good point about how we would be better off with more people 'squished' and therefore no longer obstructing our path," Morrigan smirked. Harry chuckled in response before she continued. "So, what are these magical defenses you are planning on setting up?"
"Ah, a very good question, and I suppose it's also a good time for me to show you some more aspects of the magic from my world."
"Aren't you worried about some of these... people hearing us?" Morrigan asked and Harry couldn't help but be amused by how much she disliked the common people. He could practically hear her sneering at the peasants.
"I tend to cast a sound muffling charm whenever I'm going to talk about magic," he shrugged. "When we're in public anyway."
"I did not see you cast any such spell."
"Well that would lead to a later instruction than any of the books you've likely read," Harry answered. "In the later years of our schooling, they began teaching us to cast silently. To think of the incantation, or if you were advanced enough or familiar enough with a spell, to merely desire a certain effect and the magic would respond in kind without need of speaking aloud. It doesn't always work though- certain more powerful spells like my Patronus always require the verbal component, at least as far as I know- but with simpler spells that I know like the back of my hand, I can manage them without drawing any attention to myself."
"Fascinating. 'Tis a skill I will have to work on then," Morrigan replied.
"It's easier with a spell that you've cast a lot," he suggested. "If you start using something like the light spell over and over, then the progression to being able to do it silently isn't too hard. I can give you more pointers as needed."
"I will likely take you up on that offer," she said before looking away, distracted by something.
"Alright." Harry glanced around the front of the church and decided that it would be a good place to start. "Once the villagers have taken refuge inside here, I will be able to protect them with a number of protective charms. But a simple bit that I can do right now, with your help, may be all that's needed."
"Why do you need my help?"
"Because I want to show this world that blood magic can be used responsibly to help people immensely," Harry replied and then grinned at her. "And who better to start with that, than you? You're bound to be more open minded than most other mages I'll find."
"Color me intrigued."
"I'd hoped you would say that. First, we start with an old favorite, the notice me not charm. It does much as its name suggests, making people tend to ignore whatever you are doing. Very handy for working with magic in a crowd."
Morrigan watched as he cast the spell and then saw a villager walk right past them without a glance. "That is definitely a spell I want to learn soon."
"Yeah, it is really handy," Harry agreed. "As for the next step, I'll need some of your blood."
That made her pause and straighten her back. "Why mine?"
"Well, mine has some toxins and things in it that can make blood magic more... explosive," he replied. "That could be a problem, but there may also be a slight issue with the fact that I am not a native to this world. While I am human, there may be some subtle differences that we are unaware of. We already know that the way mages here access their magic via the Fade is not something that was done in my world. Who knows if there are other changes as well?"
"I do not like handing over my blood to someone else."
"Not even me?" Harry smirked at her.
"No," she narrowed her eyes at him.
"Would it help if I give you some of mine, just to make things even? You could keep the sample."
"Why are you being so forthcoming like this?" she asked.
"Because I want you to be able to trust me," he said with a smile. "I know that earning your trust, or even convincing you that you should trust others- well, it will be a process that takes time, but I am willing to work for it."
She stared at him for a moment before answering. "I have to wonder why you have taken such an interest in me." Harry grinned and glanced down at her cleavage which made her snort. "I can tell that there is a lot more to it than mere physical attraction. I could get that sort of attention from any number of fools. You do more- you put forth the effort to discuss these things with me, and you seem to do it with little in the way of ulterior motives. Why me?"
"You have the potential for greatness," Harry replied. "I would be a fool to let the opportunity to befriend you slip by. And if I can help you achieve that greatness? Well, that will be better for us all in the long run."
"All that, and you want to sleep with me of course," she suggested, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Morrigan, my dear," he shook his head with a grin, "I want to do so much more than merely sleep with you."
She rolled her eyes and looked away. "We should get back to the topic of blood magic."
"Alright." Harry pointed back to the Chantry building. "I can cast a protective spell to keep those creatures that are animated by whatever form of necromancy this may be from being able to cross a boundary, such as a line in front of the doors. That would be the best place to put it, actually."
"Why?"
"The doors are already a boundary, a physical one, and the magic will want to... grab hold of that, so to speak, tying a magical boundary to the same thing, thematically." Harry saw her look of disbelief and shrugged. "Some sorts of magic work better with different objects, different types of material, and whatnot. It's the same reason why a weapon will do better with offensive magical properties, while armor will do better with defensive ones."
"I can see the logic in that," Morrigan answered after a few seconds.
"You'll also be glad to know that the blood I need from you will be used in the course of the spell I will cast, so you can see that I won't be holding onto it for any nefarious purposes," Harry said.
"I want some of your blood first," she replied.
Harry grinned, pulled a small knife and a vial out of his pouch, and then handed her the vial. "It will be easier if you hold that while I do the rest." She nodded as he sliced open his arm, and neither of them flinched as the blood began to flow into the vial.
A moment later, he healed the cut with a charm while Morrigan placed a stopper in the vial and looked closely at it. "It looks like pure blood to me."
Harry chuckled. "I'm a half blood, actually."
"What?"
"In my old world, 'pure blood' was the term for someone from an all magical family." He paused for a moment. "Although, there were arguments about how many generations you had to go back for that to be true and how 'pure' the blood was, which some people got really upset about. Regardless, I was called a half blood because my mother came from a non-magical family. My father was a pure blood though."
"Yes, yes, but how could I tell that there are these impurities in your blood that you mentioned?"
"We can look up spells for that later, if you don't mind."
"Fine."
"Good, then, will you allow me to use your blood for the spell now?" he asked.
"Yes, but if you betray me-"
"I would never hurt you, Morrigan," Harry replied, even as he conjured a dagger and then cut along the back of her arm. She gave him a look and he smiled. "Well, nothing serious anyway."
She snorted but watched as he took the blood and used it to draw a line across the stone in front of the Chantry's entry and then began to chant in a language she did not understand.
Once Harry had finished his protective enhancement to block the undead from entering the Chantry, he and Morrigan briefly touched base with the others. Sirius, Leliana, and Wynne were escorting a boy back to his sister inside. They had already convinced the town's blacksmith to go back to work after promising to look for his daughter who worked as a maid in the castle. Harry nodded at that- he would have agreed anyway, wanting to do his best to keep innocent noncombatants out of the way of any fighting, assuming she still lived of course.
Harry told them of the protection he had placed to keep the undead out of the Chantry, and Leliana cheered at that, vowing that they would make sure everyone knew to be inside it so they could survive the night. He and Morrigan left them to it before climbing the slopes back up towards the town entrance in search of Shale.
They found the golem in a hilly area near a gate that led to the castle. There was a narrow section where the path created a natural choke point due to the slopes on either side, and Shale was walking around slowly, taking the measure of the place.
"Found a good spot, Shale?" Harry asked.
"It is correct. I will be able to block the advance of a number of foes here, which will allow me to squash them like the insignificant pests that they are." Shale looked to be smirking, or at least that was what Harry assumed the golem's expression meant. The stone features made it a little difficult comparatively.
"That's good news. I hope you won't mind our company once the attack begins."
"I suppose it would be too much to ask for the little magelings to not want to steal all of my fun," Shale sighed.
"We'll only take the excess," Harry winked at the golem. "I wouldn't want to stop you from enjoying yourself."
"At least it has some manners," the golem muttered.
"Is there anything you would like us to do in the mean time?" he asked.
"Unless you know of a way to speed up time so we can get on with this..." Shale began before snorting at Harry's raised eyebrows. "I will be fine until the fighting comes. Take your swamp witch and leave me in peace."
"As you wish."
"Doesn't that bother you?" Morrigan asked as they walked off.
"What?"
"That Shale only refers to you as mage or it?"
"I've never met a golem before," he shrugged. "I'm willing to be open-minded with Shale, if for no other reason than to learn about it. Besides, I've been called many worse things than that before."
"I can't imagine why," Morrigan drolly replied which made him grin.
"I take it you don't like being known as the 'swamp witch' then?"
She didn't respond, only kept walking back down the path.
"It could be worse, you know," Harry added. "I caught Shale calling Wynne the 'elder mage' earlier. At least the golem recognizes your youth and beauty."
"What part of 'swamp witch' says anything about my beauty?" Morrigan scoffed.
"Oh, maybe that was just my perception of it then," he grinned, once again making her roll her eyes at him. Harry was starting to love playing this game with her- she knew it so well!
Within an hour, the party met back up, other than the golem who had claimed its spot. They spent the hour after that convincing the few knights that had returned to the town to join the militia and others in defending the Chantry instead of being at the top of the hill where Shale awaited the undead. Harry had to repeatedly explain to them that charging into melee would be a bad idea with four mages lobbing spells at their enemies.
Not to mention the blood thirsty golem that might accidentally crush their heads if they got in its way.
While Shale stood guard on the path, the others ate a late lunch with much less chatter than usual. They were going to be busy soon, and the atmosphere weighed upon them as the sun slowly headed for the horizon.
All too soon, darkness had enveloped Redcliffe.
Author's Note: Sorry about ending on a bit of a cliffhanger, but I think the battle really deserves its own chapter.
Plus, here's the bad news- this chapter was delayed and future installments may be as well because my dad had a stroke. I'm not sure how much this will change things for the coming days, weeks, or even years, but my free time will likely be diminished.
I'm not putting anything on hiatus, but I can't be sure how often I'll be able to sit down and write. Obviously the stress and everything haven't been conducive to feeling inspired and energetic. However, I'm going to start working on the next chapter immediately, so I just hope you can all be patient.
Anyway, hope your weekend is better than mine. Till next time!
