"I see you found Alistair, good." Duncan's gruff voice cut into their light moment and Elissa was surprised to find that they'd already reached his section of the camp. The man himself was standing next to a gigantic lit pyre, the wood standing as tall as he was. He gave them a look and raised an eyebrow. "I'll assume you are ready to begin preparations." He turned his attention on the junior Grey Warden. "Assuming, of course, that you're quite finished riling up mages, Alistair."
Elissa pursed her lips and focused on the ground, trying not to laugh.
"What can I say? The revered mother ambushed me. The way she wields guilt they should stick her in the army."
"She forced you to sass the mage, did she?" Duncan deadpanned. "We cannot afford to antagonise anyone, Alistair. We don't need to give anyone more ammunition against us."
Alistair sighed. "You're right, Duncan. I apologise."
Duncan turned to the recruits and Elissa found herself immediately sobering up. She stood tall and awaited his instructions.
"Now then, since you are all here, we can begin," he said. "You four will be heading into the Korcari Wilds to perform two tasks. The first is to obtain three vials of darkspawn blood, one for each recruit."
Elissa could hear Daveth and Jory start to shuffle, nervously, beside her. She remained still and upright, not letting any of her unease show. "And what's the second task?" she asked, her voice firm.
"There was once a Grey Warden archive in the Wilds, abandoned long ago when we could no longer afford to maintain such remote outposts," Duncan explained. He turned to look at Alistair. "It has recently come to our attention that some scrolls have been left behind, magically sealed to protect them. Alistair, I want you to retrieve these scrolls if you can."
"And what if they're no longer there?" Elissa asked, turning his attention back on her.
"It's possible the scrolls may have been destroyed or even stolen, though the seal's magic should have protected them. Only a Grey Warden can break such a seal."
Alistair frowned. "I don't understand. Why leave such things in a ruin if they're so valuable?"
"It was assumed we would someday return," Duncan replied. He sighed and lowered his eyes, looking out into nothing for a moment. "A great many things were assumed that have not held true."
"What kind of scrolls are these?" Elissa asked. She had to admit, that even with all the turmoil around her, she was interested, even excited about what secrets these scrolls might contain.
"Old treaties, if you're curious," Duncan answered. "Promises of support made to the Grey Wardens long ago. They were once considered only formalities. With so many having forgotten their commitments to us, I suspect it may be a good idea to have something to remind them with."
Elissa nodded. Treaties and politics, something she could understand well. "How will we find this archive?"
"It will be an overgrown ruin by now, but the sealed chest should remain intact. Alistair will guide you to the area you need to search."
She looked at Alistair then back at Duncan and nodded again. "Find the archive and three vials of blood. Understood."
Duncan turned to Alistair. "Watch over your charges, Alistair." Then he turned and looked at the three recruits in turn. "Return quickly, and safely."
"We will," Alistair said firmly.
"Then may the Maker watch over your path," Duncan said. "I will see you when you return."
The three recruits gave each other a look, then as a group headed off towards the gate that would take them to the Wilds, Elissa whistling for Loki to follow - which he did with a happy bark.
"Hail!" The soldier at the gate stood tall and greeted them as they approached. The war-hound beside him gave a deep growl, then also held his head up and barked a greeting to Loki. "I'm told you all have business in the Wilds. The gate's open for you. Just be careful out there. Even a Grey Warden won't be safe in the forest tonight."
The large wooden gates creaked open and it wasn't more than a short walk before they were stepping into the Korcari Wilds.
Barely a few paces into the Wilds and they were set upon by a pack of wolves. She felt guilty attacking these creatures, much more so than any human, but after one snapped at her and almost sank its teeth into her leg, she quickly realised she would have to fight back.
The group of four, five including Loki, quickly dispatched the wolves. The final one falling with a sad howl. Then there was silence.
Well, almost silence. Ser Jory was already starting to breathe heavily.
Elissa ignored the others and went over to the wolves, making sure that each one was definitely dead. She had no desire for these creatures to be left suffering. She syphoned off the last tiny amount of energy from one of the wolves that was sitting very close to death, then moved over to the side and set about cleaning her daggers on a section of grass that was largely not covered in blood. Once satisfied, she re-sheathed them and started washing as much of the blood off her hands as face as she could with some of the water from her waterskin. She worked quickly and as steadily as she could, taking deep calming breaths.
When she was ready to face the group again, she found the three men giving her amused looks. Fortunately, though, they didn't comment. Or perhaps they would have commented, but she just turned around and started walking again, not giving them the chance.
Suddenly, she heard someone cry out, not too far away.
She froze and listened.
"Over here!" The cry came again. Whoever it was sounded to be in a great deal of pain.
Elissa immediately ran off towards the sound, soon finding herself in an open clearing area with bodies strewn around. She stopped in the middle of the clearing and spun around on the spot, looking for any signs of life.
"Who …" a very weak voice came from her one of the bodies to her left. It moved and she hurried towards it. "Who … is that?" the man looked up at her, and the others who had now caught up with her. "Grey … Wardens …?"
"Well, he's not half as dead as he looks, is he?" Alistair commented.
Despite his glibness, Elissa had to agree with his assessment. The man looked just as bloodied and mutilated as the rest of the corpses in the area, but fortunately was quite a lot more alive.
"My scouting band was attacked by darkspawn," the soldier on the ground explained. "They came out of the ground." He paused, taking a few heavy, ragged breaths. When he refocused, his eyes trained on Elissa. "Please, help me. I've got to … return to camp …"
Elissa looked at Alistair. She knew they didn't really have time for this, but she couldn't just leave him here. The Grey Warden gave a small shake of his head, causing her to frown. When she looked back down at the man on the ground, her expression was completely blank. "We can take you back," she said.
She tried not to be too relieved when the soldier also shook his head. "If you just … bandage me up, I … can get back myself."
"I have bandages in my pack," Alistair said quickly. He kneeled down and together he and Elissa set about bandaging the soldier up as much as possible.
Once they were down, they help him to his feet. He wobbled slightly for a moment, but then the health tonic that Elissa had also given him seemed to kick in and he steadied out a bit. "Thank you," he said with a groan. "I … I've got to get out of here."
Elissa watched him stagger off and hoped that they'd managed to clear any and all dangers from the path back to the camp because she really didn't like his chances if he met anything even remotely dangerous on the way back.
"Did you hear?" Ser Jory said. She could hear the note of panic in his voice and, even though she herself wasn't exactly calm, she struggled not to roll her eyes at him. "An entire patrol of seasoned men killed by darkspawn!"
"Calm down, Ser Jory," Alistair said. "We'll be fine if we're careful."
"Those soldiers were careful," the Redcliffe soldier countered, "and they were still overwhelmed. How many darkspawn can the four of us slay? A dozen? A hundred? There's an entire army in these forests!"
"There are darkspawn about, but we're in no danger of walking into the bulk of the horde," Alistair assured him.
"How do you know?" Jory snapped back, and Elissa really hoped that he didn't notice the eyebrow raise she failed to hide as he continued. "I'm not a coward, but this is foolish and reckless. We should go back."
"Overcoming these dangers is part of our test," Elissa pointed out, forcing herself not to speak too slowly for the man.
"That's … true," the soldier said, but he still didn't look overly convinced.
"Know this," Alistair cut back in, "all Grey Wardens can sense darkspawn. Whatever their cunning, I guarantee they won't take us by surprise. That's why I'm here."
"You see, ser knight?" Daveth piped up, giving a sly wink at Elissa. "We might die, but we'll be warned about it first."
"That is … reassuring?" Ser Jory grumbled.
"That doesn't mean I'm here to make this easy, however," Alistair continued. "So let's get a move on."
There was a round of solemn nods from the Grey Warden recruits and they started off again. After Alistair's previous comment, Elissa couldn't help but keep glancing at the man, to see whether he could sense any darkspawn nearby.
While she wasn't frantically looking at the Grey Warden, she was scanning the surrounding area herself. She may not have the Warden 'sense' but she'd been taught from a very young age to sense danger. She was a female, and a noble one at that, not to mention secretly a mage, danger was a near-constant possibility.
On one of her glances into the surrounding greenery, she noticed an unusual-looking flower. It was tall and stood alone, with a single flower standing atop the long stem. Its petals were a crisp white at the edges and a deep fire red towards the center. She found herself drawn towards it and was soon was crouched down beside it.
"That flower …" Daveth said over her shoulder, making her jump. "The kennel master at Ostagar was asking about those."
"Why did he want them?" Elissa asked.
"He said this flower can help dogs that get sick from biting darkspawn." He shrugged. "At any rate, he was offering a reward if someone went into the Wilds and brought him one. Might want to think about it, is all."
Elissa looked over at Loki, then back at the flower. She pulled out one of her daggers and cut the flower from the stem, then placed it as carefully as she could in her backpack. She'd have to remember to get a herb pouch from the quartermaster when she returned to camp, to make sure that any plants she collected didn't get crushed in her bag.
Setting off again they barely made it five paces before Elissa froze. Beside her, Alistair was also unsheathing his sword and shield. It took an extra moment for the other two to notice what was going on, and when they did notice they too froze.
"Come on!" Alistair yelled and charged forward.
Elissa shook herself loose and followed the Grey Warden, Loki hot on her heels. She didn't bother to look whether the others were behind her. She was too focused on the horrors that were running towards them.
They were taller than the average man, dressed head to toe in plated armour, and wielded gnarled, twisted swords. The worst thing about them was their skin. It was deathly pale and looked like it was rotting. She was sure it should be falling off, but seemed to be held in place by a thin dark slimy substance.
The darkspawn were soon upon them and at the back of her mind, Elissa immediately adapted her previous assessment. The worst thing about them was their smell. They smelled of death and decay and darkness.
The creature in front of her let out an unholy roar, snapping her out of her musing. It swung its blade at her and she barely had time to block. It bombarded her with strike after strike, not letting up. Until suddenly it stopped, let out another cry, and started scratching at its eyes. She glanced over and saw Daveth throw another handful of sand, this time into the eyes of the creature going after Alistair. Elissa internally berated herself for forgetting her own pouch of sand on her hip and took her frustration out on the still distracted darkspawn. After a few well-aimed strikes, she could see the creature start to weaken. And finally, with one final swipe of her blade across its exposed throat, it fell to the ground with a cry.
Suddenly, a barbed arrow flew past her and embedded itself in a nearby tree. She spun around to see where it had come from and was horrified to see three more of the creatures on a small mound further up the path, all with bows and arrows. Seemingly without much thought for self-preservation, the five of them charged towards the darkspawn archers. They bobbed and weaved as they ran, dodging the oncoming arrows. Ser Jory received a slice across the cheek and Elissa across her left arm, but otherwise, the group was unharmed when they reached the three creatures. Alistair went straight for one of them, and Daveth and Ser Jory took another. Loki and Elissa went for the last one. It was slightly larger than the others and a little further down the path, but they worked well as a team and soon had the creature stumbling backwards. When it was on its last legs, Elissa instinctively thrust her hand out and syphoned off the last of its energy.
Then everything went quiet. The other creatures had obviously been dealt with as well, and all she could hear was the heavy breathing of her companions. Nobody said anything for a moment. For Daveth and Elissa, at least, this had been their first encounter with darkspawn. And, while the other two had certainly seen them before, they hadn't yet seen so many that a creature of corruption personified charging towards you didn't cause at least some anxiety.
Eventually, she heard the boys start to sheath their weapons behind her. But she stayed facing away, trying to control herself. She'd done it again. Yes, it had been an evil creature trying to kill her, but she had still, out of natural instinct, drained it of all of its life force.
And now that life force was inside of her, healing her. She could feel the tingling in her arm as her magic knitted the skin back together. She felt sick.
"Are you all right?" A hand settled on her shoulder, startling her. She whipped her head to the side and found Alistair standing beside her, a concerned yet understanding look on his face.
"I - I'm fine," she replied. Her well-practised mask of calm and control fell over her face. She felt revolting inside, but on the outside, she was the picture of composed. "They are quite disgusting."
The Warden let out a bark of laughter and withdrew his hand. "They really are." He looked down at the one on the ground in front of them, then nudged it with his boot and grimaced. "And now you need to collect a vial of its disgusting blood." He handed her a small glass vial.
She accepted the tube, then looked down at the darkspawn again. "Thanks," she said, with no small amount of sarcasm. She crouched down and, mirroring her actions from before with the flower, she slid one of her daggers across the creature's throat. A very dark red, almost black liquid oozed out from the gash. It obviously wasn't gushing anymore, but there was enough of it pooling for her to collect almost a full vial's worth. She quickly corked the tube and stood up. Looking down at her potions carrier on her hip she was relieved to find she had one compartment left and secured the vial in it. Then, without a word to Alistair, she set about once again tidying herself and her weapons.
Again, she was faced with amused looks from the others once she was done, but again she walked away before any of them could say anything. All three recruits now had their vials of darkspawn blood, all they needed now was the Grey Warden treaties.
They kept going, through the Wilds, fighting off small bands of darkspawn along the way. Fortunately, there was never more than about seven or eight at a time, they were able to quickly dispatch them. Elissa also remembered, at some point, what her mother had told her about the useful items that people carry around with them. She'd been sceptical about these darkspawn creatures carrying anything that could possibly aid her, but had been pleasantly surprised to find different poultices and potions, and even some coins. So, a quick pat-down of every darkspawn dropped was added to her post-fight regime. Remembering her promise to the quartermaster, she tried to fill her pack with as many weapons, armour, and other interesting items as she could manage.
Eventually, they came to the foot of a massive ruin. It was in much the same style as Ostagar itself, but in a far worse state. They quickly dispatched the darkspawn hanging around the entrance to the ruin, then crept inside eyes darting around for any sign of danger lurking in the rubble.
"There," Elissa whispered to Alistair, pointing towards a large ornate chest at the far side of one of the ruins courtyards. "Is that it?"
"Could be," the Warden agreed, and they headed over to it.
As they reached it though, Elissa was disappointed to see that it had long since been smashed. The lid was caved in and she could see, without even having to try and pry the pieces open, that it was empty.
Suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck started to bristle and she froze.
"Well, well, what have we here?" came a low, feminine voice. It was soft, but still managed to travel through the cavernous ruins. Elissa turned her head to see a tall, pale woman slowly stalking her way down a nearby ramp towards them. Her skirt appeared to be made of scraps of leather and her top was barely more than a maroon coloured scarf. It was unusual for Elissa, who had grown up with everyone around her having to have the newest and highest of fashion, but on this woman the shabby, tattered clothing seemed to work. In fact, the ragged cloth seemed to just accentuate her beauty rather than detract from it.
She tried to remain calm, but she was annoyed to find that the closer the woman got the faster her heart thumped in her chest. And it had nothing to do with the mage's staff strapped to her back. "Are you a vulture, I wonder?" the woman continued, clearly completely oblivious to the effect she was having on Elissa and her traitorous hormones. "A scavenger poking amidst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned?"
Elissa forced herself to at least function like a normal human being and stood up, away from the chest. She slowly stepped through the men, who were all frozen still, and met the woman just as she reached the bottom of the ramp.
The woman grinned. "Or are you merely an intruder, come into these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?" she came to a stop and suddenly stood up straight, arms crossed. It was all Elissa could do to keep her eyes focused on the other woman's strikingly yellow eyes and not let them drift down. "What say you, hmm?"
Elissa shook her head and tried to focus on the question. She frowned.
"Scavenger or intruder?" the woman repeated.
"I am neither," Elissa said. She too stood up straight, as regal and composed as ever her mother taught her. "The Grey Wardens once owned this tower."
"'Tis a tower no longer," the woman pointed out. "The Wilds have obviously claimed this desiccated corpse." She started walking again, slowly stalking around the group until she was standing atop the rubble behind the chest. "I have watched your progress for some time. 'Where do they go?' I wondered. 'Why are they here?' And now you disturb ashes none have touched for so long. Why is that?"
"Don't answer her," Alistair warned quietly. "She looks Chasind, and that means that others may be nearby."
The woman on the rubble gave an exaggerated shudder. "You fear barbarians will swoop down upon you?"
"Yes," Alistair drawled. "Swooping is bad."
Daveth gasped. "She's a Witch of the Wilds, she is! She'll turn us into toads!"
The woman pursed her lips. "Witch of the Wilds? Such idle fancies, those legends. Have you no minds of your own?" She turned her attention on Elissa and studied her for a moment. "You there. Women do not frighten like little boys. Tell me your name and I shall tell you mine."
As polite as ever, Elissa gave a small bow in greeting. "I am Elissa. A pleasure to meet you."
The woman looked surprised, but Elissa could tell she was pleased, and maybe even flattered. "Now that is a proper civil greeting, even here in the Wilds. You may call me Morrigan." Again, she levelled Elissa with a steady gaze for a moment. "Shall I guess your purpose?" she asked. When none of the party answered, she continued. "You sought something in that chest, something that is here no longer?"
"Here no longer?" Alistair repeated. He frowned up at the woman, Morrigan. "You stole them, didn't you? You're … some kind of … sneaky … witch-thief!"
"How very eloquent," Morrigan said with a smirk, and Elissa was having a hard time not mirroring the gesture. "How does one steal from dead men?"
"Quite easily, it seems," Alistair replied. "Those documents are Grey Warden property, and I suggest you return them."
Morrigan's smirk morphed into a sneer. "I will not, for 'twas not I who removed them. Invoke a name that means nothing here any longer if you wish; I am not threatened."
Feeling the conversation rapidly disintegrating, Elissa rushed to cut in. "Then who removed them?" she asked, as politely as she could.
"'Twas my mother, in fact," Morrigan answered, and Elissa was pleased to see the anger leave her face as soon as she was facing her way again, or at least no looking at Alistair.
"Can you please take us to her?"
"Hmm. There is a sensible request," the witch answered. A smirk tugged at her lips. "I like you."
It was all Elissa could do to keep her calm demeanour and not start grinning from ear to ear like a maniac.
"I'd be careful," Alistair said slowly, clearly not quite as much of a fan. "First it's, 'I like you…' but then 'zap!' frog time."
"She'll put us all in the pot, she will. Just you watch," Daveth piped up, and Elissa was almost amused to see that the man was actually shaking.
"If the pot's warmer than this forest, it'd be a nice change," Ser Jory added.
Elissa couldn't help but roll her eyes and hoped that none of the others had seen her. Judging by the smirk still playing at the corner of Morrigan's mouth, however, she got the feeling the witch had seen her.
"Follow me, then," the woman said, bringing the conversation back on topic. She shrugged. "If it pleases you." Then, she promptly turned on the spot and walked off into the trees behind the ruins.
Elissa was instantly after her and, after a small amount of hesitation, she heard the frantic clanging of the men hurrying after her.
It wasn't too far of a walk through the forest, before they found themselves descending into a small clearing, complete with lake and dilapidated hut. In front of the hut stood a wizened old woman, with sunken eyes and gaunt cheeks.
"Greetings, Mother," Morrigan said to the old woman. "I bring before you four Grey Wardens who -"
"I see them, girl," the woman interrupted. "Mmm. Much as I expected."
Alistair let out a snort of laughter. "Are we supposed to believe you were expecting us?"
"You are required to do nothing," the old woman said with a shrug. "Least of all believe. Shut one's eyes tight or open one's arms wide … either way, one's a fool!"
"She's a witch, I tell you," Daveth hissed. "We shouldn't be talking to her."
"Quiet, Daveth!" Ser Jory retorted. "If she's really a witch, do you want to make her mad?"
And once again, Elissa was trying so hard not to roll her eyes at the antics of her so-called comrades.
"There is a smart lad," the woman said. Then she shrugged again. "Sadly irrelevant to the larger scheme of things, but it is not I who decides. Believe what you will." She took a small step forward and, just as her daughter had done, settled Elissa with a calculating look for a moment.
Although, this time Elissa got the distinct impression the woman was looking far deeper into her than just her motivations. She shivered.
The old woman tilted her head to the side. "And what of you?" she asked. "Does your woman's mind give you a different viewpoint? Or do you believe as these boys do?"
"I'm not sure what to believe," Elissa replied as steadily as she could.
The woman raised an eyebrow. "A statement that possesses more wisdom than it implies. Be always aware … or is it oblivious? I can never remember." She chuckled for a moment before settling down and looking deep into Elissa once more. "So much about you is uncertain … and yet I believe. Do I? Why, it seems I do!"
Again, Alistair let out a snort behind her. "So, this is a dreaded Witch of the Wilds?"
"Witch of the Wilds, eh?" the old woman chuckled. "Morrigan must have told you that. She fancies such tales, though she would never admit it! Oh, how she dances under the moon!" She started laughing and behind her, Morrigan was glaring daggers at the back of her mother's head.
Elissa felt her stomach flip at the thought of Morrigan dancing, carefree in the forest, under the silver light of the moon.
"They did not come to listen to your wild tales, Mother," Morrigan said through gritted teeth.
"True, they came for their treaties, yes?" Without waiting for an answer, the old woman turned around and walked over to a small pile of scrolls by the door to her hut. "And before you begin barking, your precious seal wore off long ago. I have protected these."
"You -" Alistair started, but then paused surprised. "Oh. You protected them?"
"And why not?" the old woman retorted. She handed the scrolls to Elissa. "Take them to your Grey Wardens and tell them this Blight's threat is greater than they realise."
Elissa thanked her for the scrolls, but just as they were about to leave she stopped and frowned. "What do you mean the threat is greater than they realise?"
"Either the threat is more, or they realise less. Or perhaps the threat is nothing! Or perhaps they realise nothing!" the old woman started laughing again. "Oh, do not mind me. You have what you came for!"
"Time for you to go, then," Morrigan said, her voice overly pleasant.
The old woman suddenly stopped laughing and turned to face her daughter. "Do not be ridiculous, girl. These are your guests."
"Oh," Morrigan said, deflating slightly. "Very well. I will show you out of the woods. Follow me."
And here ends chapter (chapter?) 5. Hope you all enjoyed it. It's starting to really get into the story now. Next, we'll go through the joining.
Until then!
P.S. reviews always welcome if you have a minute.