CHAPTER 12: Too Close For Comfort
"And here I was becoming rather fond of you watching me closely," said the Antivan, sighing.
"Move, assassin," said the witch.
"Why am I the bait again?"
"You promised your services to me. Consider it a chance to prove yourself," said Kallian, watching with her arms crossed.
Leliana also watched as Zevran walked over to the centre of the chamber. Everyone waited with their breaths held as he stood there. A while passed by and still nothing happened.
Zevran shrugged, turning back to them. "Well, it seems this part is safe."
The Warden nodded, taking a step forward. "Good. Now let's-"
Leliana jumped. Suddenly, a flurry of bolts whizzed down from hidden slots on the walls, ricocheting everywhere. Zevran yelped loudly and curled up in defence. Before the projectiles touched him, however, Morrigan's ward was activated. The bolts scattered on the ground, harmless.
Zevran stayed rock still, hunched over as the last of the bolts pelted the ward and dropped abruptly. The echo of the clattering faded away and left him standing there in a ridiculous position. Leliana covered her mouth to hide a smile. The elf opened his eyes and straightened up, looking around.
"You alright there?" asked Kallian with a smirk.
Zevran cleared his throat. "Yes, yes. Of course. Let us move on."
As they progressed through the freezing passageways, the bard took what time she had to gaze at her surroundings. Her eyes scanned the high stone walls and the stained glass windows, the dust covered shelves and furniture. To be here- to be where the ashes of Andraste herself were laid to rest… it was overwhelming. A great honour beyond compare. Others might scoff and think nothing of it but as a sister, this was a once in a lifetime opportunity she would never forget. Leliana felt both fear and a rush of excitement as they pressed on toward the goal.
After several more ambushes of Darkspawn, they finally reached a wide room lit by rows of torches. A heavy door marked with the symbol of a flame lay on the other side. She followed as Kallian walked forward cautiously. It was empty but they all tread carefully in case there were hidden traps. They had encountered too many unpleasant surprises to be fooled again.
Their breaths rose white and misty in the cold air as they made their way to the door. Leliana shivered in her new armour. Even the worst winters in the Chantry had never affected her so much.
Zevran was the first to react.
"Trap!"
Everyone hit the ground and rolled as bursts of fire issued from the mouths of stone gargoyles on the walls. More bolts rained down, and if not for Morrigan and Wynne's magic, Leliana was sure she would have died. She saw Kallian and the others crawl along the ground towards the door. The bard did the same and ignored the bruises on her body and her muscles protesting in exhaustion.
When they all reached it, Sten pushed the door open, exposing them all to the blast of icy wind. The force was so strong it nearly shut them in again but the Qunari leaned his weight against it. They finally stepped out into the open, standing on a great bridge leading down. It was cracked and crumbling from age but sturdy enough to support them.
"God," said Kallian, wiping sweat off her forehead. "Am I glad to be out of there."
Alistair nodded in agreement. "And look," he said, pointing to the distance. Leliana followed his gaze and felt her limbs relax when she saw the structure built into the mountain wall.
"The Gauntlet."
"As long as we don't have any more traps, I would share your enthusiasm," said Zevran.
Kallian smirked before walking down the bridge. "You never know. There could be more."
"Wonderful," muttered the Antivan, following her.
The rest of them made their way down to the snow covered path leading to the next door. Fallen pillars and stones lay everywhere, and Leliana wondered what the Temple had looked like in its former glory. But as she was pondering this, a bone chilling sound pierced the air.
The heroes froze as a reptilian shadow passed over them to settle on a cliff up ahead.
Maker... she thought in dread.
Up till this point, dragons had only ever appeared in her imaginations. And she realized the stories that described its magnificence had not done it credit. It was beautiful. But terrifyingly so, with its long scaly body that rippled with its muscles, the majestic wings, the wicked spikes and the dangerous tail whipping the air. It gave another cry, the sound echoing throughout the whole valley. The bard stood petrified and watched as it swept its gaze over them.
After a few painful minutes, it finally turned its tapered head away. The beast relaxed on the precipice, tail curling in.
The group kept still to make sure the dragon would stay there. They waited a while longer before everyone agreed silently with nods to proceed. Leliana slowly walked toward the door to the Gauntlet. She breathed shallowly, her eyes never leaving the beast's form. Together, they reached three quarters of the way. Kallian waved everyone's attention to her and nodded. As one, the heroes began running.
Unfortunately, Talon chose that moment to chase a mountain rabbit scampering away. The barking, of course, didn't go unnoticed- with a growl that echoed everywhere, the dragon stood on the edge of the cliff. It launched itself into the air and dove down toward them at full speed.
"Run!" bellowed Kallian.
Even the Mabari abandoned its pursuit and headed for the Gauntlet with his tail between his legs. Leliana sprinted for her life, heart pounding so violently and breathing so laboured that it hurt her chest and ribs. She struggled to keep her breathing even as the air rushing in was freezing to the point of burning her throat. The armour was also weighing her down with each step.
There was another roar and a great gust of wind blew her forwards. Leliana's stomach dropped down when she heard a deep rumble behind her. She put on a burst of speed in a final attempt at survival. The door was only a short distance away.
Maker help me, she prayed desperately.
Kallian, Alistair and Morrigan were opening the door already, but the rest of them…
She saw fear in their faces and felt it in herself as well. Her legs were becoming leaden and weary. She nearly tripped at the terrible sound from behind- the unmistakeable roar of fire. A blast of intense heat reached her and she smelled burnt hair. Leliana stopped and closed her eyes, waiting for death.
But death never came.
She opened her eyes, blinking at the melting snow. The heat was around her and she could feel its intensity- but she wasn't hurt.
"Sten, get her!"
The bard was swept off her feet by thick arms and she watched the crumbling pillars flash past as Sten raced for the door. Leliana could only hang there limply as the dragon snapped its jaws at them. The Qunari lunged and once more, they were plunged into the cold darkness of the Temple.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Cast off the trappings of worldly life and cloak yourself in the goodness of the spirit. King and slave, lord and beggar, be born anew in the Maker's sight," read Morrigan, face contorting in disgust. "What ridiculous riddle is this?"
"A simple one," said Leliana, and she began taking off her armour.
Kallian blinked. "Leliana, what are you doing?"
"The chantry girl has finally gone mad," scoffed the witch, crossing her arms. "That guardian has driven you to the point of false bravery."
"Erm, Leliana," said Alistair, eyeing the wall of flames. "Are you sure about this?"
"Yes. Now come, off with your clothes. All of you."
Kallian exchanged bewildered looks with Alistair but disassembled her armour and took off her clothes. She stood there shivering. But before averting her gaze from Leliana's bare form, she stiffened and stared. The smooth skin on the back was interrupted by old scars not unlike the marks of barbed whips. Here and there she could see the outline of claws branded into the skin.
The Warden gaped as the sister walked forward.
"Wait!" she yelled but Leliana was already in the fire.
No…
Panic gripped and twisted her stomach. Kallian squinted into the flames, trying to make out the bards' outline in the fire. Then she saw her.
Maker's breath…
She was on the other side, unharmed.
Morrigan made a noise of disbelief but disrobed anyway. Everyone walked through the fire and Kallian closed her eyes. When she opened them, she was indeed unscathed and alive.
The elf quickly clothed herself and marched over to the sister. "What the hell were you thinking?" she demanded.
The bard looked surprised, if not hurt.
"You should have discussed it with us first," Kallian growled.
Leliana recovered and frowned at her. "Kallian, we solved the riddle and we're here, unharmed. What's the problem?"
"What if you were wrong? What if you-"
What if you had died?
"Kallian," said Alistair, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Calm down. Leliana's right… we're here. Look," he said, trying to cheer her up. He gestured at the Urn.
But the elf could care less about the ashes. She couldn't slow her racing heartbeat and the panic pulsing through her limbs. A distant part of her mind told her she was being unreasonable but Kallian couldn't let it go.
What's wrong with me? It's not like this is the first time she...
Kallian ground her teeth together and turned to the Urn, glaring at it. They had dragged themselves through the whole Temple, hacking through Darkspawn, drakes and cultists, jumping through rooms full of traps and monsters…
This better be worth it.
She stalked up and opened the Urn, staring down at the ashes grimly. Kallian let her fingers run through the fine powder. She snorted to herself. There was nothing special about it- just the ordinary remains of a dead person. She couldn't imagine how this would cure the Arl but took a pinch of it anyway and walked back down.
The elf stood waiting as the rest of the group each took a pinch of the ashes. She watched as Leliana went up and stared at the ashes reverently. The sister bowed her head quietly and prayed. It was done with such respect and gravity that Kallian felt a stab of guilt for being so dismissive about the Urn. She shook herself.
I can have my doubts about it, she thought defensively. But when she looked up, the eyes of Andraste seemed to burn into her. The elf averted her gaze uncomfortably.
Morrigan muttered while walking up the steps about how it was all the "wishful, mythical beliefs of religious fools". She opened the Urn and placed her hand inside. But before she could retract it, there was a thunderous rumble that shook the whole Temple. Dust and debris rained down on them from above. Kallian exchanged looks with the others.
"What's happening?"
The next sound answered that for her.
The hair on her neck stood on end as the dragon roared. She yelped as a hole appeared in the roof and a massive boulder crashed in. It missed Alistair and Kallian by inches.
"Hurry!"
Morrigan and Sten both took their portions and rushed down.
Kallian cast her eyes about wildly, heart beating like mad.
Where's the damn exit?
"There!"
Everyone sprinted for the door on the far left corner, dodging the smaller rocks falling from the roof. There was another deafening roar as the creature breathed fire.
"The Urn!" cried Leliana, looking back.
Kallian hesitated before running to her, taking her arm and dragging her through the door.
"It'll be fine! We need to get out of here!"
The sister was reluctant at first but the next boulder crashed down near them, sending the two sprawling. Kallian cursed and helped the other woman up."Come on!"
Both of them ran through the opening and down the passageway leading down. It was a winding, turning passage that made her dizzy and sick- especially since she could hear the dragon close by. It had abandoned the last room and was trying to figure out where they were.
The walls shuddered again as something slammed down. Fear cut through her as they picked up speed again, sprinting through corridors and jumping down steps. The rest of the group was a fair distance ahead because of Leliana's hesitation before.
She checked to see the sister behind her and breathed a sigh of relief when the last door let in a familiar blast of icy cold air. They had made it. It had taken them such a long time… but they had made it.
Morrigan raised her staff but nothing happened- nothing visible, that is. Kallian assumed she was erecting wards around them.
Everyone hurried through the exit. Kallian and Leliana followed to step outside on the snow. They doubled over, panting heavily.
Unfortunately, their rest was short lived.
The Warden lifted her head to gape at the huge lizard coming at them. Once again, they found themselves running for their lives. At this point, they were nearly at the base of the mountain- the only thing separating them and the village was a nauseatingly steep slope. Alistair and the others were way down the steps now but Kallian wasn't sure she and the sister would make it.
Shit.
The elf eyed the steps in despair- there was no way they could get down in time. A blast of fire enveloped the two and she flinched. Morrigan's ward was protecting them- but for how long? The dragon was gaining on them fast. Kallian exchanged looks with Leliana.
This can't be the end…
Her eyes flicked from the slope to the steps, then back again.
It was crazy… so incredibly stupid. But it was either that or face the dragon. Kallian took her shield and flipped it over on the snow. Leliana opened her mouth but the elf didn't give her the chance. She pulled the sister down onto the shield and took her own place behind her. The dragon raised its claws to swipe at them but roared as Morrigan electrified it. Kallian braced herself as she pushed the shield over the edge.
It was an experience she would never forget.
The wind blasted her face so hard she couldn't breathe and she had to squint because the cold stung her eyes. They hurtled down the snowy slope at a frightening speed.
"Arghhh!" She couldn't tell whose scream was louder- hers or Leliana's.
The sister clutched Kallian's leg so hard the fingernails dug into skin.
Fuck, she thought as the shield banged against some rocks, making them spiral out of control. The world went round and round continuously and she caught glimpses of the dragon's golden eyes.
Kallian tried to clear her head from the dizziness and stabbed at the ground with Fang. Leliana did the same with her daggers.
"Left!" said the elf, barely in time to avoid slamming into a heap of rubble.
The shield swerved to the left and together, they manoeuvred their way down to the base. Initially the dragon had clambered after them, crashing through the pillars that barred its way. But now it was distracted by the mages, who were both hurling magic at it.
Kallian swallowed down fear as they sped down the last part of the rugged slope. The ground was coming up to them so fast she was afraid they would crash. Most of the time, the wind and the speed made it hard for her to get her bearings. But they finally flew over the last obstacle on the slope to land on level ground. Hard.
Both of them got up with difficulty. Kallian groaned as she stretched her cramped muscles. Her joints creaked and bruises throbbed all over her body. The two glanced over at the dragon to see it swiping at the others awkwardly- there was a dagger protruding from its eye. No doubt Zevran's handiwork.
With the dragon blinded, the group was able to deal damages more easily. Kallian joined them in slashing the legs and belly. It whipped its tail about and hit her armour one time but didn't do much else. Soon they had it crippled and with a feeble roar the dragon collapsed on the ground with a resounding crash.
One deep cut at the neck and it was dead.
Haven echoed with the fading sound of its roar, but otherwise it was deathly quiet in the village. Everyone stood around the beast with their knees still trembling. They had come close. Too close for comfort.
"Lovely," said Morrigan wryly. "Now we can leave this accursed place."
"I noticed you didn't say it was "Too easy" this time. Losing your touch, are you?" said Alistair, earning a withering glare from the witch.
"Might I remind you of your performance back at the Temple? Stunned thrice- knocked out cold by corpses, no less. Hardly foes to be overpowered by, would you not say?"
"I was trying to help Kallian-"
"Ah, yes! The elf. How typical of you to defend yourself with such a pitiful excuse."
"Now, now," said Zevran, chuckling. "We are all alive and well. There is no need for such a dispute."
Alistair and Morrigan still glared at each other and didn't reply.
"One might think this was a lovers' quarrel-"
"What?!" the two spat at him.
"What a preposterous suggestion!" scoffed the witch.
"As if I would... with that bitch!"
"Yes, 'tis unthinkable! It- wait, what did you say?!"
Kallian sighed and banged the sword on her shield, gaining their attention. "Look, you can argue later. Let's move- I don't want to stay here any longer than I have to."
Alistair nodded, giving her an apologetic look. "You're right. Sorry about that... how are you two feeling?" he asked, addressing the sister as well. The two replied that they were fine. "You gave me a fright by coming down the slope like that."
"You gave us all a fright, dear child," said Wynne, tutting. "It was a dangerous move to make... nevertheless, I am glad you are both alive."
"Sorry... we didn't have much of a choice," answered Kallian, rolling her shoulders.
"Well, it was certainly creative of you," commented Alistair, chuckling.
"Not really sure that's the right word to describe it," said Kallian, smiling. She started walking down the path but winced as pain stabbed at her in uncomfortable places.
"Are you alright?" asked Leliana in concern.
"Yes."
"Are you sure? I think you may have taken most of the impact..." the bard said apologetically.
"I don't think I'm much worse off than you are actually," said the elf. She took in the way the sister was limping and grinned.
Leliana smiled back. "You're right about that." Then she chuckled. "But I suppose... in a way, that was quite fun, wouldn't you say?"
"If you ignore the part where we were hurtling towards certain death, then yes."
The bard laughed. Kallian felt the smile on her face stretch as they walked down the path.
"But oh," said Leliana, shivering. "I will be very happy when we are sitting by the fire with hot food and a blanket."
"Same," agreed Kallian. "But I don't think I'll be sitting just yet."
"Why not?" asked Alistair.
"Because my ass hurts like shit."