And now the next chapter. I'm doing a completely shameless plug to my DragonAge: The Halla Reborn story herein. Kudos to anyone who can spot it.

Thanks to everyone who continues to read this story. I know the chapters are short, but like I've said before, that's how they are coming to me - in quick little bursts. Unlike the others, this one will take a while to complete.

The Halla Tainted

Chapter 5

"Behind you!" Adaia shouted to her companion as she dropped her bow, pulling her daggers free from their sheaths. She spun around, not waiting to see if the young human who accompanied her heard the warning, as she parried against the arm-like branches that descended upon her from the wild sylvan she battled.

Cursing, Duncan pulled his sword and dagger free, jumping back slightly to avoid the swooping branches of the animated tree that ambushed him. Fear coursed through him as he recalled Adaia's warning that the very trees within the Brecilian Forest came to life, attacking those who trespassed its borders. He had not believed her, thinking that the Dalish huntress sought only to frighten an inexperienced shemlen. As he swiped his sword at the branch, severing it, he vowed to never discount anything the Dalish woman ever told him.

Even if she said that Andraste came back, reincarnated as a dragon, he would believe her wholeheartedly until evidence proved otherwise.

"We need fire!" Adaia shouted as she sidestepped a lunge by the possessed tree, her blades crossing before her, then parting in a sweeping motion, connecting solidly with the branch that reached for her, cutting it from the rest of the creature. Ducking down, the elf rose directly in front of the trunk, driving both blades deeply into the heavy bark.

"Sorry!" Duncan called back, dodging his own foe's attacks. Twisting about, his blades slashed open air. "Fresh out!"

Snarling, the elven warrior viciously cut deeper into the sylvan, keeping well away from its arms, which were not nearly flexible enough to reach closer to its main body to stop the assaults from the elf and her sharp blades. She risked a glance toward the young warden, heartened as she saw him dance away from the sylvan rather than trying to further engage the creature. Smart boy, she thought as she turned her attention back to her own foe. Blades continued to chop at the trunk, having cut through the bark and now splintered the soft, rotten wood beneath. With one, swift motion, she resheathed one dagger, reaching back and pulling an arrow free of her quiver. Speaking ancient words of the Elvhenan, the arrow tip burst into flame. Then, with a quick, sure thrust, she embedded the arrow into the splintered opening in the wild sylvan's trunk. Ducking down, she rolled free from the tree, picking up her bow as she moved from the creature. The dry wood beneath the softer bark burst into flames and the elf turned, leaving it to burn as she rose to her feet at Duncan's side.

"You had fire?" the young man asked, breathless, as he watched the demon possessed tree burn, groaning out its pain as it slumped to the forest floor. Adaia shrugged, not answering him vocally as she pulled her bow up, nocking a flame arrow to the sight.

"You need to open up weaknesses in the bark," she instructed the man as she let loose an arrow, sending it flying into the leafy hallo. After shooting the elf an incredulous look, he did the only thing he could. Raising his blades, taking a deep breath (and sending the Maker a quick prayer that his companion was not nearly as mad as she seemed), he ducked past the sweeping branches, sidestepping the arcing wood, to hack away at the thick trunk of the sylvan.

Arrow after arrow sped in, igniting the leaves of the tree's canopy. Bark flew from the warden's swings, and he thanked the Maker that the creature was unable to bend its branchy arms inward to grasp at him. The thing did, however, stomp forward, causing him to stumble back, once knocking him from his feet and to his back. He heard Adaia cry out something in her people's language, and an arrow embedded itself into the arm that reached down to grasp the young man, the flames dancing upwards, seeking openings in the tough bark. Crab walking backwards, Duncan disengaged himself from the creature, putting as much distance between himself and it as he could. He pushed himself to his feet, dismay flooded his heart as he found himself immobile in a cage of wood, bark and leaf.

A near maniacal chuckle came from Adaia, and he managed to twist his head around enough to watch as the elf continued to send forth a steady stream of blazing arrows. Amazingly, the sylvan did not try to retaliate or dodge any of the missiles, so intent upon keeping him imprisoned as it was. Soon, the creature was blazing, sending forth gusts of flame into the air. Adaia had abandoned her bow and was now hacking away at Duncan's prison, intent upon freeing him before the flames could reach him.

With a fierce yank, she yanked the young man free, pulling him along with her away from the burning sylvan. Breathing hard, glaring at the burning wooden corpses, the pair stood side by side as their foes burned.

Duncan began to suspect that their journey through the Forest to the Wilds would not be quite as uneventful as he had initially hoped.

oOo

"Doesn't it make sense to contact one of the tribes that wander the Forest?" Duncan asked of his companion as they sat for that evening's meal of rabbit and wild roots.

Adaia glanced over at her companion, noisily licking the grease from her fingertips. "Only if you deem to tell me what we are looking for," she advised him as she reached toward the fire to pull meat free of the spitted rabbit.

Duncan frowned; they had been down this road several times since leaving Denerim. He had to admire the elf's persistence. With a shrug, he replied, "You don't think telling them that we hunt an apostate will be enough?"

Snorting, she chewed her food before responding. "Hardly. Knowing how many of my people feel for your Chantry, they more than likely would impede any of our efforts to locate a missing 'apostate'."

Surprised, he looked over at his companion. "Truly?" He held a rabbit leg in his hand. "They would not consider the possibility of a maleficarum running around loose as dangerous to them?"

"Not very likely." She smirked. "The mages of the Dalish know magic your shem Circle imprisoned mages could not even dream of. What is one blood mage compared to the might of ancient Elvhenan?" She shrugged as she brought her food back to her lips. "More than likely, they would take the apostate in, just to…thumb their noses at the Chantry."

"Your people really hate the Chantry, don't they?"

Her eyes darkened to that steel gray Duncan had seen far too much for his liking. "It is your Chantry that called upon its Exalted March upon my people. Destroying the promise made by its very own Prophet." She lowered her hands, her eyes fixing firmly upon Duncan's face. "I remember parties of hunters going out to hunt Templars and Priests that dared wander too close to the Tribes." the smile she cast to Duncan was chilling, and he wondered if she had participated in those 'hunts'. "Trust me," she lowered her eyes back to her food. "any opportunity to cause harm to your fool priests is considered an occasion for celebration."

Sighing, Duncan could only shake his dark head as he resumed his meal. After several moments, he said, "We'll just tell them that we're looking for a runaway human. Surely, they won't care about that?"

A scowl formed upon Adaia's face, and Duncan knew he had her there. Although he was fully aware that he would have to, eventually, tell her the full truth behind their mission, he wanted to wait until they were too far into it. He feared that she would simply up and leave him, and he had no illusions of his ability to find his way through the Forest or the Wilds on his own.

He only hoped that Adaia would not loose patience too soon.