Thanks everyone for being so patient with me. I am trying to update as often as possible, so please bare with me. Big thanks to my beta and my wife for all your help. Hope everyone enjoys!

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Damien could feel the magic all around him as the group advanced. It hung thick in the air like a fog of bitter, cold mist snaking its way across his skin. Goosebumps raised along both arms as the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

"Can you feel that?" Daylen asked looking back at the group as he held his staff out in front of him with a small fire floating over the top.

"Feel what?" Kallian asked.

"There's a presence here and it's not friendly at all," the young mage responded.

"He's right. It's strong enough I can feel it without focusing too hard, but I'm sure our fearless leader has been feeling it since we got down here," Alistair said from the front.

"Actually, I knew something was wrong when we entered the main gate of the village yesterday, but the feeling I'm getting here is so strong... it's like I could choke on it if I breathe too deep," Damien replied rubbing the back of his head.

"Senses like that, how did you avoid growing up in the circle?" Neria asked meekly from behind him.

"Growing up on the streets as a thief does have a few perks. Avoiding authority figures becomes second nature," Damien explained smiling back at her as the group continued forward.

The walls of the passageway shimmered in the the fire light as moisture and algae colored it all over. The path began sloping up until they came to a ladder leading up into darkness. Damien could feel the power around them and it was very strong. They were definitely under the castle.

"I go up first with Lyna behind me. We'll make sure the area is safe then everyone else follow," Damien said squeezing past the group and taking hold of the ladder.

"I could go up first instead," Kallian offered.

"Thanks, but aren't you supposed to be killing rats down here for Neria?" Damien asked smirking.

"Jerk," Kallian answered bluntly with a slight smile.

Damien ascended and pushed the door open slowly, hoping the hinges would not squeal too much. Sadly, the iron had rusted and groaned loudly as the youth pushed the hatch open just enough to peek out at the surrounding area. To his relief, there were no guards on duty and no corpses nearby. The area holding their entrance appeared large enough to fight in if necessary and only had one way in, a door on the far side of the room.

Easing open the trapdoor the rest of the way, Damien pulled himself up carefully, making sure not to hit the stone floor with his daggers. Creeping like a cat stalking its prey, the youth closed the distance between him and door quickly and in complete silence as Lyna drew herself up onto the floor. Damien pressed his ear to the door and closed his eyes. If he concentrated hard enough, he should be able to hear anything or anyone moving around in the next room. Although feeling the magic animating the corpses would also work too. He had to focus hard to judge where the sounds and magic was coming from. A slight mistake could spell disaster for a silent operation like this one.

Damien signaled for Lyna to call everyone up as he opened the door a crack to double check the next room.

"Maker, do you feel that? I've never felt anything so horrible," Neria whispered holding her staff to her chest.

"This isn't any different than the harrowing. Just keep your mind clear. We can do this," Daylen assured her as he clambered out of the trap door.

"The next room is empty. Alistair, you're up front with me. Lyna and Kalli are rear guard with Daylen and Neria in the center. Try to keep the noise to a minimum," Damien said pulling the door open and drawing his daggers.

"We're in the storage room in the dungeons," Alistair said looking around stepping to Damien's side.

"Admire the decor later," Damien whispered moving forward slowly. He wondered what was going through Alistair's mind being back in the castle he grew up in. Damien found himself thinking about what Alistair's life might have been like if he had been a legitimate son to King Marric instead of a bastard. Feasts, parties, and a noble title. The goofy templar by his side may very well have been killed at Ostagar with his brother if that had been the case, and most likely would not have had templar training, or joined the Grey Wardens. Of course, that got him thinking about whether or not Cailan knew that Alistair was his half brother. The former king had gone out of his way to send Alistair to the Tower of Ishaal, what would have been the safest place in the battle if things had gone to plan.

"Hold," Alistair whispered holding up his hand. Damien stopped short and dropped to one knee. His ears picked up the sound of shuffling steps from multiple people just around the corner of the next hallway.

"Good catch," Damien whispered back creeping forward to the corner. Peeking his head around, he spotted three corpses reaching through the bars of a cell trying to get to someone or something inside. He turned back to the group waving for them to follow him but he had no intention of letting the corpses get close enough to engage his team.

Using his magic, he threw himself forward at a flying sprint drawing his daggers. The blades ripped through two of the creatures before they had a chance to notice he was there. The third turned to face him just in time for the young commander to drive both blades down through its eye sockets silencing them completely.

"Maker be praised. I didn't think anyone would come," a man said from behind the bars. Damien raised an eyebrow as he looked up. The man inside the cell wore long robes covered in blood, mud, and torn to ribbons. The smell said the man had been imprisoned for several days, but the air around the man reeked of old blood. Even with the grotesque look and rank smell, there was only one thing that held Damien's attention.

"You're a maleficar, a blood mage, aren't you?" Damien asked crossing his arms as the rest of his comrades joined him.

"Jowan? What in the Void are you doing here?" Daylen exclaimed.

"You know this blood mage?" Alistair asked looking over at the mage.

"He was a friend from the circle before he tricked me into helping him destroy his phylactery so he could escape," Daylen snarled. Damien sighed and looked back at the young mage.

"So, he's not trustworthy?" Damien asked looking back at the blood mage.

"No, he's not," Daylen snapped. If looks could kill, Jowan would have been dead ten times over.

"Too bad. We could have used another mage, especially..." Damien stopped as something the Arlessa said slipped back into his mind.

"Especially what?" Lyna asked as all eyes turned to their leader.

"The arlessa said that the mage behind all this was caught. Jowan, are you responsible for the corpse attacks on the village?" Damien asked raising his daggers once more.

"No, I have nothing to do with it. All I did was poison the Arl, but that was where all the trouble started," Jowan confessed lowering his eyes.

"You poisoned the Arl?" Alistair snarled taking a threatening step forward.

"How did a maleficar get close enough to the Arl to poison him?" Damien asked crossing his arms.

"Why would that matter? This bastard deserves death," Alistair snapped. Damien quickly turned and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Alistair, calm down. I know you are close with the Arl, but think strategically. I assume that since he escaped from the Circle, Templars were looking for him, right? So then, how would a wanted fugitive get into a castle with hundreds of guards and soldiers around and poison the Arl? Someone must have sent him to do this. I doubt he has a personal motive to kill Arl Eamon," Damien explained before turning back to Jowan. "So, how about? What's your story?"

Jowan looked scared, like a chicken walking past a butcher shop. Every eye in the group honed in on him and only him. The pressure would get to even a seasoned actor. Add in the exhaustion and torture and there were plenty of ways to trip the mage up if he tried to lie.

"I didn't make it very far before I was captured by a few templars. They took me to Denerim but a noble there met with me and said I could earn my freedom if I would poison the arl," Jowan started. Damien glanced over at Alistair hoping that he would not have to stop his friend from interrupting again. If Jowan confirmed what Damien had started to suspect from Berwick's note, they might have the evidence they needed to take down Teyrn Loghain.

"The arlessa was looking for a mage to secretly tutor her son in hiding his magic, so I was provided," Jowan continued.

"But Connor isn't a mage," Alistair protested.

"He had started to show signs of magical sensitivity. To make sure the circle didn't take him, she searched for a mage that was not part of the circle," Jowan answered.

"Seems like she could have made a better choice. But that doesn't explain why all of this is happening. Honestly, you don't seem powerful enough to raise the armies the village has been fighting," Damien said sheathing his blades.

"All I did was poison the Arl. The first I heard of the attacks was when the Arlessa came down and tortured me, demanding I stop the attacks," Jowan exclaimed.

"In that case, you're of no use to us," Damien said turning back to the group. "Leave him. Our objective is to find the source of the magic that is raising the corpse army and eliminate it." The group nodded and quickly moved on leaving Damien alone with Jowan only long enough for Damien to whisper one thing.

"If I call on you, you answer. I saved your life, therefore, you belong to me," Damien stated quietly giving the blood mage a harsh look. Jowan nodded quickly. Damien nodded back and took off after his comrades. Jowan's testimony may not have been enough to link Loghain to Arl Eamon's poisoning, but that along with Berwick's note might be. Although, Jowan's testimony would not be trusted very much since he was a fugitive and a blood mage. To add credit to his story, they would need the templars that were escorting him to testify as well, if Loghain had let them live.

"Damien, I can feel some very powerful enemies up ahead," Daylen said as Damien fell in step beside him.

"My turn," Kallian stated drawing her blades and looking back at Damien for approval.

"Alistair, defend the mages. Daylen, keep your spells small and keep to mainly support magic. Neria, watch for injuries and do your best to warn us if something comes up behind us. Lyna, cover Kalli and me," Damien ordered as he nodded to Kallian and followed her around the corner, but the enthusiasm that had driven Kallian forward quickly vanished as full fledged demons blocked their path.

"Daylen, enchantments on our weapons now!" Damien shouted lowering his body and raising his daggers. "Kalli, flank left, go!"

The young elf girl hesitated for only half a second before flying forward. Flames encircled their weapons as Damien kicked off the wall and launched himself high enough to bring both blades down on one of the beasts. Another demon moved in on him and swung its clawed hands at him. Damien ripped the blades from the first target and fell backward doing his best to avoid the beast's strike. Digging his heels into the floor, he pushed himself back and hugged his blades to his chest as the demon's claws scraped along the length of the blade sending up sparks as it passed. Somersaulting backward, Damien landed on his feet and immediately charged back in. Slashing forward with his blades, he separated a demon's arm from its body. Suddenly, a demon caught him on the chest and hurled him back ripping his armor and tunic down to his skin. He expected to collide with the wall or the floor, but instead felt someone catch him.

"Are you alright, Damien?" Lyna asked pushing him back up onto his feet.

"Yes, thanks for the catch," Damien replied touching his chest. How could he have let that happen? Usually he would have seen an attack aimed at his chest before the strike got close, but that time he had not realized it until the demon had already connected. Could he be losing focus because of his lack of rest? Could those potions be wearing off, or was this a side-effect of the potions themselves? Damien took a quick breath and spun his daggers in his hands. His chest stung as sweat soaked his tunic and seeped into his open wounds.

Damien watched as Kallian held her own against the creatures. She had not killed any yet, but she had not been hit either. She seemed to be delivering small injuries, killing the beasts with hundreds of small cuts unlike Damien's style of going for the vulnerable points with strong heavy strikes while using his agility to avoid the enemy. Although they used the same type of weapons, their styles could not have been more different.

Heat started to build up in the hall as two rage demons rose from the floor. The monsters looked like red hot coals with flaming eyes and mouths. Glancing at his daggers covered in flames, Damien sighed looking back at Daylen.

"I've got these!" Daylen shouted stepping forward and unleashing a spell of wind so cold and strong it froze the demons solid. Damien rushed forward as the enchantment on his daggers disappeared. He buried the blades into the frozen beasts causing them to shatter into a pile of steaming pieces.

The shades moved in on them despite Kallian's attempts to hold them at bay. Alistair jumped into the melee using his templar techniques to weaken the demons before cutting them down. Damien drove his daggers into one of the last of the creatures reducing it to ash on the floor, but his mind started to fog and he suddenly became extremely dizzy. He fell back to the rest of the group and let Kallian, Alistair, and Lyna finish the last shade.

"Are you alright?" Neria asked examining Damien's chest as he slumped against the wall.

"Yeah, just a little tired I guess," the youth replied pulling one more of the potions from his pouch.

"What are you doing with that?" Neria snapped snatching the vial away from him. Damien cocked his head to the side and his knees gave out and he slid down to the floor.

"What? I just keeps me awake," Damien said reaching out to try and grab it again.

"It only lasts for a few hours and it's very addictive," Neria protested keeping it out of his reach.

"Good to know, but right in the middle of a fight is not the best time to be falling asleep," Damien argued.

"Maker's breath Damien, if you were that tired you should have told us," Alistiar said taking the potion from Neria so she could examine Damien's injured chest.

"Have you forgotten that Bann Teagan came into the castle alone to distract our enemy for us? We didn't have time to rest. We don't have time for arguing either. Just one more vial then I'm done. I'll get some good sleep and we can sell whatever is left of it in the wagon, deal?" Damien stated. He knew how horrible it sounded. He had been around addicts before. Pyre ash had been a very big hallucinogen several years before and the junkies had all said the same thing. 'One more then I'm done' or 'I'll get clean after this one'. It was always one more. But this wasn't that kind of situation, he need to be awake and sharp to keep his team moving and alive.

"How about this instead?" Neria asked meekly as a green light shone from her hand over his chest. Damien could feel his energy returning and the dizziness cleared away.

"What was that?" Damien asked touching his chest. He found the wounds still sore but closed.

"It's regeneration magic. It does the same thing as the potion without the side effects, but I can only cast it once on a person a day or it can damage their muscles and brain," Neria explained with a hint of pride in her voice.

"By the Void, I feel pretty good now. Thank you Neria. I might have to recruit you into the Wardens just like Daylen if you keep this up," Damien said pushing himself back up to his feet.

"Thank you Commander," Neria replied smiling.

000

Damien's chest burned as sweat rolled over the still raw skin where the shade had scratched him. Alistair had a large cut across his back from a corpse that caught him off guard during another one of their skirmishes and Lyna had taken a fireball to the shoulder from a rage demon. Neria had treated the burn but it still hurt her to raise her bow.

"Once we're in the courtyard, the portcullis pulley will be on the right side of the gate," Alistair said as the group lined up at the door.

They had taken the long way around which had been littered with enemies, but they had avoided confronting their main enemy in the great hall since Damien had wanted to handle that particular mess with the entire group. He assumed strength in numbers would be their best bet against a necromancer capable of raising such large armies of corpses.

"As soon as we're through the door, Lyna and Neria, head for the pulley and open the gate. Everyone else, keep the enemy off them until the gates are open," Damien ordered. Everyone nodded and drew their weapons.

The door swung open and the group charged forward into the light of day, but the darkness of their foe awaited them. Nearly a dozen corpses blocked their path commanded about a revenant wielding one of the largest swords Damien had ever seen.

"Remember the plan!" Damien shouted sprinting forward. He knew that none of his companions were in top fighting shape. Half of them were wounded and the rest were exhausted. If the gate was not opened quickly, they would be overrun and killed.

Damien hurled himself over the line of corpses and immediately engaged the revenant trying to take out the most powerful enemy as quickly as he could.

Despite wielding such a large weapon, the demon swung the blade with such ease and power Damien could not out maneuver it even with his magic. He ducked, jumped backward, somersaulted, and dodged to avoid the death dealing blade, but the revenant pursued like a blood thirsty, rabid animal.

Although he was managing to stay an inch or two ahead of the weapon, Damien could not find a window to launch his own attack. Suddenly, the revenant swung a blow meant for his middle. Damien crossed his daggers in front of him hoping to block the strike. The demon's weapons connected with such force it send the youth flying backward. For a split second, Damien thought he might be able to recover, but the rough landing against the cobblestones of the courtyard disagreed. He bounced off the stones violently, rolling his body trying not to hit the same spots over again, but he stopped suddenly as his back and shoulders collided with a fence post.

"Damien!"

He could hear the shouting from everyone else as he watched the revenant approach him. Maker, was he about to die? Was this all his life had led up to, dying in the Redcliffe Castle courtyard while his friends watched?

Damien only blinked and his dismal situation had changed. The armored boots of his qunari comrade had appeared in front of him as the warrior crossed blades with the revenant and drove the beast back away from Damien. A warm light appeared accompanied by muddy, enchanter robes.

"You have made quite a mess of yourself," Wynne said sitting Damien up against the post.

"Good, the rest of you made it in," Damien wheezed trying to catch his breath. Wynne lowered his scarf from his nose and mouth and Damien could see blood staining the inside. He lifted his fingers to his lips and found a few small cuts that stung from the sweat on his face and hands. There was one more place that hurt but he didn't want Wynne trying to bench him when they were so close to figuring out what was going on. AS the old mage examined his back and shoulder, Damien touched the back of his head and found the inside of his hood and his scarf both covered in his own blood from a small gash on the back of his head. If Wynne saw that wound, she would have demanded that he stay out of the final fight for sure. He could survive for a bit longer. It wouldn't take more than an hour to find the source of the necromancy and silence it, at least, he hoped not.