Chapter 15
'Catherine!' Garrett shouts as he runs down the alley towards a figure who was limping towards him and supporting herself against the wall of the house. Fenris looked around for Amelie and felt his stomach drop when he couldn't see any sign of the mage. Aveline and Jess followed Hawke as he picked her up and brought her into the light of a nearby lamp. 'Are you okay? Where have you been? Where's Amelie?' He asked in a babble before Catherine literally placed her hand over his mouth; She was wincing and holding her stomach with her other hand, scratches and grazes covered her skin, blood and grime stuck to her clothing. 'Aveline, she's injured,' he attempted to say through her hand as he held her, bridal style. He saw a nearby barrel with it's lid intact and placed her gently on top of it as Aveline and Jess moved closer.
'Catherine, are you alright?' Aveline said softly as she pulled her water skin from her belt and handed it to her. Fenris rubbed his eyes, feeling rather impatient about the lack of information that was forthcoming. He was glad the Smith was safe, that surprised him, but there was no clue as to where Amelie was being held. 'Hawke, you go with Fenris and find Amelie, use Jess to track Catherine's scent,' she suggested, knowing that Fenris was getting quietly irritated, his stance had shifted to more aggressive position the more impatient he got. Catherine nodded and waved Garrett's twittering aside as she almost inhaled the water she was given. She smiled a little at Fenris and winked at him, which did nothing to reassure him.
'I feel like shit, there's guards everywhere. I smell like a sewer because I almost literally had to crawl through one to get away. Then I fell from one level to another and damn near impaled myself, hence the rather crippling pain in my stomach. Amelie was in another cell, I don't know the way,' Catherine spoke quickly and quietly, hoping that her best friend was making true on her end and creating hell for the men that imprisoned them. 'They were using me against her, she refused to fight back because they'd hurt me, the self entitled prick that gave me the shiner is Hadriana's boyfriend,' she hissed, glaring daggers at Fenris. 'This didn't happen in the other world, it's all new territory for both of us. I broke out my cuffs and she insisted that I leave without her, so then she didn't have to worry about me.' Catherine said bitterly, Fenris scowled and his anger grew. He turned on his toes and began to quickly stride the way that Catherine had come, he was going to fix this. Everyone needed to stop paying for his past and the mistakes he made, Amelie especially. Garrett looked at Catherine with torn emotions, she stroked his cheek and nodded. 'It's okay, Aveline will look after me,' she says softly, 'go help the elf, he's going to need it if Amelie hasn't broken free. I have a feeling he's grown very close to her. Make sure that they both get back safe,' Catherine grins. Garrett smiles and winks before he and Jess tear after Fenris who had promptly disappeared around the corner. Catching up with the enraged elf was harder than Garrett thought and it took him a good ten minutes and Jess' nose before they got close. Luckily Fenris had stopped in his tracks at the water, it was a nasty stream filled with human and animal waste, plus other things that weren't pleasant to think about. Fenris was frowning at the side of the of the water, he could see where Catherine had left the water, that was a clear trail, but his nose wasn't as good as a Mabari's and this was where he was lost. Garrett stood next to him in silence and looked up the stagnant, slow flowing dyke and motioned with his head to his dog. Jess woofed quietly and stuck her nose to the ground, then gingerly over the water. They were going to have to follow it up, with a grimace Fenris began to follow the bank, covered in debris. Garrett followed the elf, who was following his Mabari, he wrinkled his nose thanking the Maker that his sense wasn't as good as the elf's or his dog's. It was strong on Catherine but this was pungent, it made the bile in his stomach rise.
'She said there were guards,' Fenris growled as he looked to see if there were any light sources nearby. Garrett nodded and sighed, the elf was tense and a little unpredictable when angered.
'Yeah, trust me, if they're looking for her, and we get our hands on them, they won't be much of a problem,' he says simply as they came to the ledge that the water was, for the lack of a better word, flowing down. The broken glass and metal debris in the small pool that had gathered below the ledge made it more clear on how Catherine had hurt herself. 'We're going to have to make sure to clean that stomach wound really well. I'll have Anders look at her, this water is disgusting and Maker knows what she would catch from that crap,' he said pulling a face. Fenris merely grunts a reply as he gingerly pulls himself up the ledge, trying to avoid getting anything on his hands or body. It was bad enough that his feet were covered in it, he could feel it seep between his toes and he wanted to stick them in a fire and burn the stuff off. Jess bounded up happily and barked at Garrett as he joined them, wiping his hands on his breeches. Jess sniffed the ground and tilted her head, Garrett knelt and looked around as he spoke to her. 'Come on girl, follow the disgusting smell, can't be that hard,' he said half jokingly. Jess licked his cheek and set off trotting towards a large building where some of the foul water was leaking out a gaping hole in the corner of the wall. 'Ah, that seems like the most obvious place,' Garrett says simply. There were voices and shadows moving inside the building and it was in an isolated area, it made sense that the women would have been brought here. He looked at Fenris who stared at the place with fury. 'Come on, we've got a wee woman to res-' he was cut off from his sentence as a large piece of the masonry was blown from the side of the building, there was a crackling blue light, and more of the brickwork was thrown across the street. Screaming followed, plus the sound of people in anguish made Garrett take a step back. 'Cue?' He said in wonder as he watched a few men get thrown out the hole and into the far wall. 'I think she's letting off some steam?' He suggests looking at the elf. 'Safe to say that I think she's okay,' Garrett shrugs folding his arms.
'We need to make sure that she is actually well,' Fenris states simply, he unsheathed his sword and wanders towards the building, his intent clear on his face. Jess and her owner walk with the elf towards the hole, it was a lot higher up than they would be able to climb, it had been blown from the second floor. 'We will have to get in and work our way up,' he says. A man crawls towards the hole and thunder follows him, Fenris raises a brow and tilts his head. Garrett and Jess follow suit and look up towards the man, he was bleeding from the mouth and gurgling. One of his eyes had been literally popped and drooled from the socket. He raised his hand towards the party and then went limp as something hit him in the back and caused him to spasm for a second before going quiet. Then a woman's boot stepped on his spine as she climbed over the corpse, trying to exit the building. 'Amelie?' Fenris said quietly, Garrett grinned at his reaction and nodded as he recognised the mass of curls.
'Oh, hey,' she said half grinning. She had a black eye of her own and she was holding her elbow in a careful support. Her cheek was blooming a large bruise and a split lip, but still she grinned. 'Oh Maker tell me Cat is okay,' she said looking down at them, panic crossed her face as she heard men behind her. 'Uh, on the other hand. Talk later, catch!' She said simply as she jumped from the second story hole. Garrett swore loudly, and ran forward to catch her, but tripped over Jess who was getting far too excited with the situation. Garrett crashed loudly onto the filth ridden floor, Jess yelping as she gets a little squished. Thanks to his quick reflexes Fenris basically drops his sword in order to make sure that Amelie doesn't end up breaking something else. The mage yelps as the shock jarrs her injured elbow as she lands in the elf's arms, she winces badly and moans in pain. 'Fuck,' she complains, 'can I go one day without injuring myself?' She adds.
'You can't go one day without throwing yourself into his arms it seems,' Garrett says snarkily. 'Literally in this case,' he points out. Amelie hisses at him, literally. Fenris rolls his eyes and gingerly puts her down, making sure that she was steady on her feet before letting her go before picking up his sword. Garrett checks on Jess making sure that he hadn't hurt her. 'Come on, let's go before the bad guy's back up arrives,' he says simply.
'I couldn't get the twat that did this to me and Cat. He left when she broke out, I waited about ten minutes, then I started to cause a distraction, focused the guards on me instead of her,' Amelie said softly as she began to half jog, half walk away from the building. 'Fucking hell I am exhausted,' she moans. Garrett feels guilty about snapping at her, and picks her up looking at Fenris they make the silent unanimous decision to begin running.
'We'll just have to come back and slaughter the nameless mass later,' Garrett said in between breathing, 'and we'll get that bastard too, I'll gut him for what he did to Cat,' he murmurs as they run. Fenris hadn't said anything, but he was planning to come back to here after Amelie had been sorted. First Hadriana and now her lover, he would take great pleasure in meeting this man and re-enacting the moment of that witch's death. If he had his way it would be slow, an example of what would happen to those who dared to hurt those he cared about. The shock of this revelation had him stop in place almost tripping over his own feet as he skidded on the damp, algae covered ground. He did care about Amelie. A lot. He panted from running and ran his hand through his hair. Garrett turned around to face him when Amelie pointed out that the elf had stopped. 'Fenris, now is not the time to dawdle my friend. What's the matter, are you hurt?' He asks deeply concerned my the expression on Fenris' face, it wasn't one he'd ever seen before. Amelie looked at Garrett then back to Fenris.
'Fenris? What... are you okay?' She asks. He looks at her, she tilted her head slightly as she met his gaze. Amelie could feel her heart racing in her chest as she notice that his hands were becoming more agitated. 'Fenris, no. Come on, we need to go home,' she pleaded moving so that Garrett had no choice but put her down or risk dropping her. The elf breathed in heavily and took a step back from her, and it was then that she realised the expression in his eyes. He was scared, scared of her. She opened her mouth to speak and reassure him, but the more she stared the clearer it was. It was because his gaze seemed to tear through her, boring deep into soul. Time slowed and she became acutely aware that their breathing had began to synchronize, she edged closer and he took another step back. Garrett looked at Jess who was waiting patiently, he had no idea what was transpiring between these two, but the air itself felt electrically charged.
'I... cannot,' Fenris says running his hand through his hair as he turned away from her. 'He lives,' he spits, unable to speak what was on his mind, running through his head. Conflicted emotions rippled through his body, tormenting him with the ebb and flow of their path. Amelie grabbed his hand as she moved forward quicker than anyone would have thought her to be able of at this time. He tried to pull his hand away from hers but she held on tightly, winding her fingers through his.
'Please, tonight come home,' she begged. 'Don't let the poison take root,' she pleaded. Fenris looked at her, his mouth pulled straight as his fingers teased their way free, his gaze not breaking hers for one moment. She saw the frightened emotion settle in his features the longer he looked at her, it was in that instant she understood. He was scared that this would happen again, that she would be hurt or taken away. The reluctant way he pulled his touch from hers spoke volumes. 'Please, Fenris,' she whispered. 'I don't want you to get hurt,' Amelie said quietly finally breaking the spell between them as she looked away.
'Huic non amittere. Ipse morietur,' Fenris replies simply as he touches her cheek for a moment before striding from her. Garrett shakes himself from the stupor he was in and goes to follow the elf. Amelie grabs his arm with her good hand and stops him. They watch as Fenris disappears into the dark, smoke shrouding him until there was nothing left to see. Jess whined and sat on her haunches as she waited for some sort of order.
'Don't.' Amelie said quietly wiping her eyes after letting Garrett go. 'This is something he needs to do. I am sure he'll be just fine. I killed most the guards, he'll have a few stragglers to contend with, and then a clear trail to the man that did this, he needs closure,' she mumbles trying to make her point clear. She was sure that he was far out of hearing range so she didn't stop herself from speaking the words that had lain heavy on her heart. 'Nolo tibi perdere,' she sighs. Garrett looked at her in shock. He wasn't aware that she spoke Arcanum and he was damn sure that Fenris had no idea.
'Hold on, you understood what he said before he left?' Garrett asks as he raises a brow.
Amelie forced a smile as she cradled her arm. 'Why do you think I let him leave?' She said through the weight on her chest. Garrett kissed her on the temple making her smile more genuine.
'Are you sure that he'll be okay? I don't want to have to send a search party for him later,' he says with concern.
Amelie laughs a little, 'I've never met a man that's been harder to kill. Apart from you that is. I don't know what's supposed to happen, this never happened to me. All I know is that he'll come home,' she said trying to convince herself. Garrett chuckled and nodded, he picked her up again gently and with a look to where his friend had gone, he carried her back to Hightown and safety. Curiously Garrett asked her what Fenris had said in Arcanum, making Amelie's heart jump as she thought about the answer, I will not lose you to this man. He will die. Hearing his words echo in her mind made her throat close in anxiety, but she swallowed the lump as she reminded herself of what she replied, I do not want to lose you either. She just wished that she had said it sooner. Closing her eyes, Amelie tried to fall into the slumber that had been denied her the last few days, she hoped that when she awoke Fenris would be unscathed and by her side.
Not the greatest chapter in the world, but I am trying to set something up. Defo more gore in the next one. Romance too.