The tower was in sight when Brehan suddenly staggered. "By the Dread Wolf..."
"Brehan?" Saitada asked.
"Darkspawn. At the tower." He narrowed his eyes in concentration, and then shook his head. "A lot of them."
Saitada drew her sword. "Maybe sending seven of us wasn't that bad an idea."
"Let's go," Alistair said, drawing his own blade.
#
Brosca stayed by Lenore, preventing any darkspawn from closing with the mage as she slung her spells. She sent a ball of fire at a ballista being aimed by a darkspawn, sending pieces of wood and hurlock flying.
To her left, Alistair and Brehan were moving forward as Cathiel fired arrows rapidly. She retrieved them as she moved. Saitada was to her right, using her shield as a weapon as much as her sword. She'd lost sight of Jerath, and had to hope the kid was still up and fighting.
She ducked as a bolt of lightning came at her. An emissary was aiming his staff for another blast. A foot of blade suddenly emerged from the emissary's mouth, and then Jerath pulled his sword free. Lenore wondered how the hell he'd managed to get up there, then shrugged and downed a lyrium potion before moving back into the fray.
Jerath was downing a rather well-armed hurlock as they made it to the door. Saitada looked at Brehan. "Numbers?"
"Dozens inside," Brehan replied. "Different kinds. A few feel like those casters."
"Shit," Brosca said.
Saitada nodded agreement. "We move as a team. Focus on getting to the beacon." She looked at Jerath. "You and I will take point. Brosca, stick with Lenore. Alistair, Brehan, you bring up the rear, keep Cathiel free to shoot."
"I'm low on..." Cathiel trailed off as Jerath offered her two quivers. "Never mind."
#
"Hold up," Brosca whispered.
Saitada held up a fist, and the group stopped. She raised an eyebrow at him.
He pointed. "Trap. Gimme a sec." He slid in and used his dagger to take care of the trip wire. It only took him a moment. He nodded to Saitada, then moved back to guard Lenore.
Saitada gestured with the fist at the others, then held up a finger before signaling Jerath. The two of them circled around the barrels to the other side of the large group of darkspawn.
"Now!" Saitada yelled, and Lenore sent a fireball into the group. Brehan and Alistair charged in as Saitada and Jerath came from the other side. Brosca brought his mace down on a genlock that tried to close with the mage and archer as the two kept up a stream of fire.
A moment later, the spawn were down. Saitada looked at Brehan. "More above," he said. He concentrated. "Four groups, a few stragglers. And something weird."
"Something weird? You can't be more specific?" Alistair asked.
"I'll know what it is next time," Brehan replied.
"Keep moving," Saitada ordered.
#
Saitada held up a fist again, then looked from Cathiel's mabari to the mabari still in their cages. She looked at Jerath, then pointed at the cage lever. He nodded, and moved forward cautiously. The spawn started to sniff the air as they caught the sense of the warden. The elf abandoned stealth for speed, and leaped from floor to barrel to the top of the cages, running lightly on the bars before jumping down and moving the lever.
The rest of the wardens closed as the mabari surged out of their cages and started tearing into the spawn. Cathiel gave a joyful laugh as her own mabari tore the throat out of a genlock.
Saitada saw Jerath get surrounded and was moving to his aid when the elf solved the problem by simply tumbling between the legs of the hurlock and rolling back to his feet before taking the hurlock's head from its shoulders. She shook her head and smiled before using her shield to parry a blow from another hurlock.
More darkspawn came out of the rooms ahead, and the dogs gleefully bounded alongside the wardens into the fray. "Good boy," Saitada told one as it pulled an emissary to the ground. Alistair looked to Brehan, who indicated the number of darkspawn in the next room, before looking to Saitada. She nodded, and he kicked the door open. Jerath moved in beside him, a sword in each hand, and put the blades to lethal effect. By the time Brosca and Lenore had caught up, the room was clear.
Cathiel turned to the dogs. "Guard," she ordered. The dogs immediately headed back down the corridor. She looked to Saitada. "If anything else comes in from that whole, they'll buy us time."
"Good thinking. Brehan, what's above us?"
"More of the same. And the weird thing still."
"Let me know as soon as you know what the weird thing is."
#
Jerath's hand pulled her back just as the ballista bolt went through the area she was standing. She cursed. "They've got the corridor covered."
"I can send a spell through."
"They'll skewer you while you take aim," Saitada said. She frowned, and then looked at Jerath. "Can you?" she asked.
He nodded.
"Go."
He stepped backwards and got a running start, kicking off the wall to enter the corridor from several feet off the ground. The two bolts both pierced the air a full foot too low to hit. He landed and rolled without stopping, coming back to his feet in a smooth motion. He used one ballista as a mounting horse, up and over to bring his blade down on the archer. The other genlock didn't even get its sword out before the elf ran him through.
Saitada and the others caught up. "Wow," Alistair said. "So that's why Duncan recruited you."
"Brehan?"
"Maybe a dozen left."
"And the weird thing?"
"Yes."
#
The ogre's teeth tore the spine out of one of the hapless soldiers. It turned as they entered. Blood dripped from its face.
"That's the weird thing?" Saitada asked.
"By the dread wolf..." Brehan whispered.
"I'll take that as a yes," Saitada replied. More darkspawn moved towards them. "Lenore, get the emissary."
The mage gave her a tired nod, and began to form the spell. The wardens moved forward.
Brehan moved with her, attempting to flank the ogre. She started to dart in, and the ogre simply backhanded Brehan, sending the elf flying into a stack of barrels. Saitada dodged a swing from the ogre's club, rolling away. She spared Brehan a glance and saw him moving.
Alistair charged from the ogre's other side. It spun, knocking the man off his feet with a glancing blow before raising its club over its head. Then it let out a howl as Jerath landed on its back, stabbing with both swords. It spun, but the elf managed to stay put as the ogre flailed at him. Saitada took advantage of the opening to charge in and drive her blade into its gut. It knocked her aside, but it's blow was too weak to do more than daze her. It started to step towards her, and Jerath drove one of his swords through the back of its neck. Alistair narrowly managed to roll out of its way as it fell forward. Jerath remained kneeling on its back for a moment before pulling his blades free.
Saitada touched her forehead. Her fingers came away red. "Get the fire going. Lenore, see to Brehan."
"Saitada, there are more coming from below," Brehan reported as Lenore worked the healing spell over him.
Brosca got the fire lit. "There."
"Alright, form up," Saitada ordered. "We've got to carve through these things if we want to go back up the hammer."
She heard Brehan let out a string of elvish before he shook his head. "We may need the hammer to back us up," he said.
#
Jerath saw Lenore take an arrow to the shoulder. Brosca moved to defend the mage. Alistair and Cathiel were back to back. She'd run out of arrows, and had a darkspawn blade in her hands. A blast from an emissary took both off their feet, sending them flying into the wall. He heard Saitada curse as another ogre simply caught Brosca up and threw him at Brehan.
Instinct guided Jerath's sword as he moved through the field. Part of his mind counted. Ten. Eleven. A genlock got past Saitada's guard. Twelve. She tried to counter, and its mace rang against her helmet. The dwarf fell.
More streamed in from the door. He took a breath, and then let the rage take him.
#
He heard a beat of wings. Black blood dripped from both his blades. His side burned, sticky with blood from where he'd taken a glancing blow from a hurlock's blade.
"My my, what have we here?" He turned to see the old woman from the wilds. She stepped neatly into the tower from the balcony. "A bit more to you than meets the eye, hmmm?" She knelt briefly next to Alistair and felt for the man's pulse. "Alive."
He blinked at her, and then went to Saitada. She lay in a spreading pool of red, but she was still breathing. He tightened the strap to her breastplate, using the armor to stem the flow of blood.
"Come, lad," the woman said. "Bring him." She gestured at Alistair. "There is little enough time."
Jerath shook his head, trying to make sense of what was happening. The rage whispered in his mind, words too soft and low for him to understand. He looked down at Saitada. "What about the others?"
"They are unnecessary."
Jerath shook his head. He looked at her again. Something was off, wrong. "They are still alive."
"Not for much longer, I think. There is more red outside than in."
"You could heal them."
"We are pressed for time, boy. Bring the prince, and let's go."
"The?" Jerath glanced at Alistair, then shook his head again. "You..." He came forward, blocking her path to the balcony. "We aren't leaving without them." He said, holding his blades ready.
She cocked her head to one side appraisingly. "You would stand against me?" She smiled slowly. "Do you know what I am, lad?"
He met her eyes. Something swirled behind them. "Powerful," Jerath responded. He took a breath. "And pressed for time."
She smiled lazily, and looked down at the wounded wardens. "This is quite the effort you wish me to put forth. Five wardens. Are you certain you wish to be in my debt, boy?"
"We wouldn't be having this conversation at all if you didn't need me for something," Jerath replied. "Whatever it is you have in mind..." He looked at the others before meeting her eyes. "I can't do it alone."
"You are a clever one." She nodded to herself, pleased. "Five favors. And you will not tell them how they were rescued from the tower, nor of the bargain between us." She moved among the wardens quickly, touching each. "They will live long enough for me to tend them back at my hut." She gave him a sharp look. "You did not tell me your name, earlier."
"I am Jerath, ma'am."
"Ma'am?" She laughed. "He challenges me, then becomes polite once more. Do you know who I am, Jerath?"
"Brehan called you Asha'bellenar." Something in the back of his mind whispered. "The woman of many years."
"Some call me that. You may call me Flemeth." She rose from Lenore's side. "Gather them. And I will need that as well," she said, gesturing lazily at a banner.
Jerath was already moving, gathering the banner. He could feel darkspawn approaching. At Flemeth's direction, he laid the wardens onto the banner. He set Griffon next to Cathiel, and Flemeth gave him an amused look. "How do you..." he started to ask.
Flemeth leaned her head back and rolled it from side to side before she let the dragon form take her. She grabbed the ends of the banner in each of her claws, and then leaned her head down to where Jerath stood. Without hesitation, he climbed onto her neck and settled himself securely. With a beat of her wings, she took flight.
#
He looked down over the carnage of the battle. The anvil had been destroyed. The hammer was absent the field. Fire spread where the laborer's tents had been, and even this high in the air he could hear the screams of the dying. Even the rage felt weary at the sight. A minute later, they were clear of the scene. The dragon backwinged as she approached the hut, and he leaped down from her neck, grunting as he landed. He moved to the banner, helping her set the wardens down gently.
Morrigan emerged from the hut. She raised an eyebrow. "You were successful, I see."
Flemeth returned to her human form and laughed before calling out instructions. "They are wounded girl, and will need tending. See to those," she said, gesturing at the less damaged wardens. "You," she said to Jerath, "bring the dwarf and the other elf into the hut."
Jerath nodded, and obeyed. Flemeth put both hands on Brehan's head, and Jerath saw her hands and eyes glow briefly as the elf's breathing steadied. Flemeth then came to stand next to Saitada, and shook her head. "The armor is all that is holding her together," she said. "I will stabilize her while you remove it," she directed, handing him a knife. Her hands glowed briefly.
He kept his hands where she directed as she finished closing Saitada's wounds. "She'll live?" he asked.
Flemeth reached out and caught his chin in a hand still wet with Saitada's blood, turning him to look at her. He forced himself not to pull back as she examined him. "You took wounds?" she said, without releasing him.
"Scratches," he replied. "Some bruises."
She nodded, but did not release him. "As I said, you will not tell them how they were retrieved from the tower, nor will you tell anyone of the bargain between us."
"What would you have me tell them?" he asked.
"I'm sure a clever boy like you will think of something," she smiled. She turned her head to one side. "I would have expected you to be one of the people..." she said softly, then released him.
He stepped back from her, wiping away the mark she'd left on his chin. "What favors do you ask of me?"
She laughed. "In due time, my boy. In due time."