"You are trying to decide if I'm healed up enough for you to yell at me."

Saitada nodded at Jerath. "Are you?"

"I went high, out of the ogre's reach. My plan was to hide and wait for you. Then I heard Hespith."

"Who is Hespith?"

"Branka's former captain." He held out his wrist. The bruising had faded a bit from the healing, but it was still visible. "She was in the process of being turned into one of those things. A fair bit stronger than Sten, by my estimate. She dragged me to Layrn." He sighed. "Right through the middle of a darkspawn encampment."

"How?"

"As long as she had a hold of me, they ignored me. House Branka is dead, Saitada." He shook his head. "What corpses the spawn didn't eat, they fed to Layrn. And Hespith."

"Stone..."

"Hespith said that Branka allowed it; she was so obsessed by the Anvil."

Saitada nodded. "You alright?"

Annoyance briefly settled over his features. "Recently, you sent me to retake a fort from demons."

She sighed. "I didn't send you alone, and we hadn't recently sensed an archdemon." She sighed. "You're fifteen."

"Sixteen."

She blinked. "You didn't say anything."

"Didn't seem important. I'm fine. Hope you didn't yell at Brosca."

"Just glared at him a bit." She glanced up to where Morrigan was watching. "You scared the hell out of us. So, here is what I'm going to do." She smiled. "I'm going to leave you to Morrigan's mercy." She smiled at the look he gave her, and went to go check on Alistair.

#

Morrigan sat next to him. "Your companions seem to think that you are in great danger when left to your own devices."

He shrugged. "Well, I did find trouble."

"And the only reason you were harmed by it is you had to step in to save that fool Alistair." She shrugged. "I have something for you."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that I have a gift for you." She glanced at him. "'Tis a ring. Now, before you get any foolish notions, let me explain. Flemeth once gave me a ring because it allowed her to find me no matter where I went, in case I was ever captured by hunters. I disabled its power as soon as we left the Wilds. Recently, however, I thought to change it. Now, I will be able to find whoever wears it instead."

He put the band around his finger. "It's a sweet gift."

She smiled before she caught herself. "'Tis not given out of sentimentality. I believe you are too important to risk. If you were captured, this ring would allow the rest of us to find you quickly."

"Does it do anything else?" Something about its design was oddly soothing to his eye. It felt warm, around his finger.

"Flemeth used to say that 'twas a link between us, one that I presumed worked both ways. I never tested it, but I doubt she would have lied over such a thing. So it would mean I am linked to you as much as you to I."

He gazed up at her. "So I could find you, if need be?"

Her face looked oddly touched by the question, but her voice was uncertain. "I... do not know. As I said, I never tested it. Perhaps."

"So you are giving it to me purely out of practicality?" He asked the question mostly to watch her squirm. She was beautiful when she stammered.

"I... have no desire to see us part company so soon. Not unless we wish to, that is." She gave him a defensive look. "Do not read more into it than is there. You have supplied me with equipment, certainly this is not so very different, is it?"

"Thank you for the gift." He wondered if she knew she fiddled with one of the straps on her skirt when she tried to hide from him.

"You... are welcome. Perhaps it will be useful some day."

#

Lenore shook her head in amusement. Jerath was more annoyed that nobody had recovered his sword from the dead broodmother than he was about the broodmother using him as a weapon against Shale. Fortunately, he'd been carrying a spare. His spare armor, however, was lighter than the splint mail he'd been wearing earlier. Watching Wynne alternate between hovering over Jerath and fussing over Alistair would have been funnier if she didn't feel like doing the exact same thing.

They had just stepped from a tunnel into a cavern when suddenly a barrier rose behind them.

"What was that?" Oghren asked.

A woman's deep voice came from the other side of the barrier. "Let me be blunt with you. After all this time, my tolerance for social graces is fairly limited. That doesn't bother you, I hope."

"Shave my back and call me an elf! Branka? By the Stone, I barely recognized you!" Oghren spread his hands and smiled.

Lenore saw Jerath's eyes go cold, and he put a hand to his sword. She really hoped Oghren didn't try to get in his way.

Branka's voice sounded almost bored. "Oghren. It figures you'd find your way here. Hopefully, you can find your way back more easily. And how shall I address you? Hired swords of the latest lordling to come looking for me? Or just the only ones that didn't mind Oghren's ale-breath?"

Oghren shook his head. "Be respectful, woman! You're talking to Grey Wardens!"

"Ah, so important errand boys, then. I suppose something serious has happened. Is Endrin dead? That seems most likely. He was on the old and wheezy side."

It was Saitada's turn to go cold. "My father is dead. They Assembly is deadlocked.

"Saitada? You are... seeking my support? You wish to succeed Endrin and become a ruling queen?" Lenore blinked, and wondered for a moment if that actually would work. "I don't care if the Assembly puts a drunken monkey on the throne." Her voice rose as she orated. "Because our protector, our great invention, the thing that once made our armies the envy of the world, is lost to the very darkspawn it should be fighting. The Anvil of the Void. The means by which the ancients forged their army of golems and held off the first archdemon ever to rise. It's here. So close I can taste it."

"But of course there is a catch." Lenore rolled her eyes.

Frustration filled the answer. "The Anvil lies on the other side of a gauntlet of traps designed by Caridin himself. My people and I have given body and soul to unlocking its secrets. This is what's important. This has lasting meaning. If I succeed, the dwarven people benefit. Kings, politics... all that is transitory. I've given up everything and would sacrifice anything to get the Anvil of the Void."

"Does that include Hespith and the others of your house?" Jerath's voice was calm and steady.

There was silence for a moment. "Enough questions!" Branka shot back, her voice angry. "If you wish me to get involved with this imbecilic election, I must first have the Anvil." Her voice grew cold. "There is only one way out, Warden. Forward. Through Caridin's maze and out to where the Anvil waits."

Oghren shook his head. "What has this place done to you?! I remember marrying a girl you could talk to for one minute and see her brilliance."

"I am your Paragon."

The tunnel at the other side of the chamber began to spew darkspawn. Lenore readied her staff, then her eyes widened. "Morrigan, Wynne, the veins. Lyrium." She saw Morrigan change the spell she was in the process of casting as the warriors charged in, weapons drawn.

From her position, she could hear Branka speaking, musing aloud to herself. "I needed people to test Caradin's traps. There is no way to break through except by trial and error. I sent them in... They were all mine, pledged to be my house, and they didn't want to help. They tried to leave me, even my Hespith... But even she couldn't understand that when you reach for greatness, there are sacrifices. As many sacrifices as are needed."

Lenore focused her spell on powering the weapons of her companions. She didn't dare unleash a fireball with lyrium this close to the surface. She'd bring the entire chamber down. Next to her, Morrigan focused her own magic on sending darts of energy at individual darkspawn, firing the spells nearly as fast as Cathiel fired arrows. Wynne focused on their allies, revitalizing their energy stores as they kept up against the waves of darkspawn.

"She shouldn't have gone. She was pledged to me. She swore she'd do whatever it took to find the Anvil. There was no other choice. Most of them were dying of the taint already, but some... some of the women were... transforming." The voice almost became gleeful. "I knew what they would become. There would be an endless supply, fresh darkspawn to test the traps. They could still serve me, let me find the Anvil. It was the only way..."

Her blood ran cold.

An ogre led the last wave of darkspawn. Zevran and Brosca hit it together, movements perfectly matched. Brosca went between its legs, sending his knife into one knee as he smashed his mace into the other. Behind him, Zevran leaped, burying his blades in the thing's chest and sending it tumbling backwards. Its hands started to come up, and Zevran drove Ruck's sword into its brain.

"You have no idea how they carried on, holding my hand and begging to die. They had pledged me their loyalty! They had no right to fight me." The voice grew cold. "The way your order is renowned for its wits as well as its brawn. Perhaps you'll do better than my poor clansmen. There's something about this place... It makes people despair."

If Jerath wanted to kill this bitch, he was going to have to get in line.

#

They entered a room, and immediately began coughing. Saitada glanced back at Lenore. "Lenore, remember what I said about not activating things?"

"Yes?"

"Ignore that. Figure this place out."

One of the golems started to come at them. Shale moved to block it, preventing it from bringing its fists down on Brehan. No sooner had Sten's sword brought it down than another came to life. Oghren tried to move in, but barely managed to dodge the blow as he started coughing from the gas. Jerath barely managed to pull the dwarf out of the way of the thing's fists

Then the gas began to vanish. Saitada drew a deep breath. "Got it!" Lenore yelled. Saitada laughed to herself. The mage sent a spell that knocked the next golem to the ground. Oghren and Brehan brought their axes down on it simultaneously. Alistair and Saitada moved in as the last one was hit by the same spell delivered by Morrigan.

Shale looked around. Lenore smiled at her. "These ones were probably malfunctioning. You are way mightier."

#

This time they let the mages cast before moving in. With Morrigan and Lenore both working their magic, they cleared the room methodically. Brosca and Zevran cleared the traps as the stronger fighters dealt with the golems.

In the last room, Saitada sighed, and looked at Lenore again. "Well?"

She examined the apparatus. "I think... okay... when I activate this, it is going to summon things. We need to kill those things, then..." She bent, examining the pedestals. "Morrigan, look at this. Kill the spirit, and then activate the pedestal?"

Morrigan nodded. "That should disrupt the energy. Enough will break the contraption."

"Look at these resonance harmonics. You know, we could use something like this to enhance a staff's ability to manifest electricity."

"Or increase the inherent connection between the staff and the fade to improve the range of the spirit school altogether."

"I bet if we used something like this combined with the anti-magic wards like at the tower we could..." the two continued back and forth.

"Who besides me thinks those two working together may just be the scariest thing we've encountered thus far?" Brehan asked.

Brosca raised his hand, followed a moment later by Sten, Alistair, Cathiel, and Jerath. Saitada and Wynne exchanged a look, and raised their hands as well.

"I think it's sexy," Zevran said.

"Lenore?"

"Yes, Saitada?"

"Just break the damn thing already."

"Oh, right."

#

They entered a chamber where multiple golems stood. As they grew closer, the largest of the golems stirred, and moved towards them. Saitada held up a hand as her companions went for their weapons.

"My name is Caridin. Once, longer ago than I care to think, I was a Paragon to the dwarves of Orzammar."

Shale moved towards him, slowly. "Caridin? The Paragon smith? Alive?"

"Ah, there is a voice I recognize. Shayle of the House of Cadash, step forward."

Lenore watched their golem ally walk towards the larger golem, its stride almost reverent. Shale stopped at the front of the group. "You... know my name? Is it you that forged me, then? Is it you that gave me my name?"

"Have you forgotten, then?" The sound of the golem's sigh was like a roll of thunder. "It has been so long. I made you into the golem you are now, Shayle, but before that you were a dwarf... just as I was. The finest warrior to serve King Valtor, and the only woman to volunteer."

She couldn't help but think that if her blood grew any colder, ice would start to form on her skin. Shale had been a dwarf once. The implications were... Maker... Lenore exchanged a look with Wynne, and saw her own horror reflected in the older woman's eyes.

"The only... woman? A dwarf?" Any other time, Lenore would have been amused by the shock in the golem's voice.

"I laid you on the Anvil of the Void, here in this very room, and put you into the form you now possess."

"The Anvil of the Void..." Shale said. "That is what we seek."

Sorrow filled Caridin's voice, and though Lenore knew it was likely just fancy, she thought it filled his face as well. "If you seek the Anvil, then you must care about my story, or be doomed to relive it."

Stark awe filled Saitada's face. "You made the Anvil, I take it?" Lenore blinked when she noted similar expressions on the faces of Brosca and Oghren. It occurred to her that to them, this was something like meeting Enchanter Adralla, or perhaps Archon Hessarian.

"Though I made many things in my time, I rose to fame and earned my status based on a single item: the Anvil of the Void." Pride warred with sorrow in his voice. "It allowed me to forge a man of steel or stone, as flexible and clever as any soldier. As an army, they were invincible. But I told no one the cost." Regret won. "No mere smith, however skilled, has the power to create life. To make my golems live, I had to take their lives from elsewhere."

She heard her own voice. "Sounds like blood magic. A dangerous road."

Caridin looked towards her. "The darkspawn were pressing in. Originally I only took volunteers, the bravest of souls willing to trade their very lives for the chance to defend their homeland." His voice grew resonant with anger. "But King Valtor became greedy. He began to force men... casteless and criminals... his political enemies... all of them were to be given to the anvil." He looked down, and she thought she saw sorrow on what served as his features. "It took feeling the hammer's blow myself to realize the height of my crimes."

Saitada shook her head. "So you sealed it away? Orzammar could use it!" Lenore blinked, and gave her a horrified look.

"No! I entombed myself here to find a way to destroy the Anvil! It must not be used again!"

The voice of Branka came from behind them. She waved a metal rod as she spoke. "No! The Anvil is mine! No one will take it from me!" Lenore looked at Saitada, waiting for the signal to attack. She saw Jerath do the same, blade half drawn.

"Shale... you fought to destroy the Anvil once! Do not allow it to fall into unthinking hands again!"

Shale shook her head slowly. "You speak of things I do not remember. You say we fought... did you use our control rods to command us to do so?"

"I destroyed the rods! Perhaps my apprentices eventually learned to replace the rods, I do not know, but if so, then all they need is the Anvil to make all the slaves they need!" Caridin looked at them. "You! Please... help me destroy the Anvil! Do not let it enslave more souls than it already has!"

Saitada slowly shook her head. She glanced at Jerath, then back at Caridin. "You were a Paragon. I'll help if you support a new king."

Branka's face was furious. "Don't listen! He's been trapped here for a thousand years, stewing in his own madness. Help me claim the Anvil, and you will have an army like you've never seen!"

Oghren growled in frustration. "Branka, you mad, bleeding nug-tail. Does this thing mean so much to you that you can't even see what you've lost to get it?"

Lost? She'd thrown it all away. Lenore wished she didn't see temptation on Saitada's face.

Branka gestured at him with the rod. "Look around. Is this what our empire should look like? A crumbling tunnel filled with darkspawn spume? The Anvil will let us take back our glory!"

Lenore found her voice again. "The Anvil enslaves living souls! It must be destroyed."

Morrigan shook her head. "Have you no desire to discover this anvil's potential? It is a marvel, a tool of creation!"

Wynne's voice was appalled. "Even the best of tools may be misused. This is a thing of blood magic, of destruction!"

"Sometimes creation involves the destruction of one thing to make way for another. 'Tis a law of nature that death is the parent to life."

Lenore stared as Zevran nodded. "It just seems a waste to destroy the Anvil, given what it could do."

"And how would you like to become a golem?" Jerath asked, his voice calm, quiet, and all the more threatening for it.

"You would not dare!" Morrigan said, staring at him.

He met her eyes, and smiled. Lenore found herself wanting a place to hide. "How do you know?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

Morrigan took a step backwards. "I would rather not find out. Fine, destroy it if it pleases you."

Jerath turned his eyes to Zevran. The assassin immediately held up his hands. "All right, all right. Perhaps destroying it is a good idea."

"Thank you, stranger," Caridin said. Your compassion shames me."

Branka held up the rod. "Bah! You are not the only master smith here, Caridin! Golems, obey me! Attack!"

"A control rod! But... my friend, you must help me! I cannot stop her alone!"

Jerath drew his blade. Lenore sent a stone fist into the face of the golem guarding Branka. A heartbeat later, the rest of their companions joined the fray.

#

Yanking the control rod out of her hand and using it to brain her had been one thing, Cathiel mused to herself. Kicking her over the side into the lava might have been something approaching overkill. She made a mental note never to piss Jerath off.

With the control rod broken, the few surviving golems stopped attacking. Caridin touched one of the fallen ones. She heard Brehan say something to him, and the golem looked at the dalish man for a moment before nodding. Caridin rose, and walked towards the rest of them. "Another life lost because of my invention. I wish no mention of it had made it into history."

"Yeah, you ain't kidding," Oghren said. "Stupid woman! Always knew the Anvil would kill her." He didn't look at Jerath.

"How is the woman was not able to disable me as she did you, Caridin?" Shale asked.

"I do not know. Have you been altered?"

"I once had a pathetic little mage of a master. He... did something to me. Experimented on me. And then I killed him and it rendered me paralyzed." Cathiel saw Alistair take a small step away from the golem as she spoke.

"Hmm... Perhaps he was bringing forth old memories? And caused you to remember the time when... you fought at my side. The paralysis you speak of always resulted when the master perished. As for your free will... you were always a strong woman, Shayle. I am pleased to see you remained such."

"I don't know what to say. Thank you."

Caridin shook his head, and gave another rumbling sigh. "Do not thank me. All of this... this is my doing, my legacy." He looked at them. "But at least it ends here. I thank you for standing with me, stranger. The Anvil waits there for you to shatter it."

Morrigan glared. "Yes, excellent idea. Just destroy it now, after all this." A look from Jerath caused her to go silent.

Wynne gave Caridin a small bow. "It was good to meet you, Paragon. I intend to ensure that your warnings about the golems are heard by the Circle of Magi."

"Is there any boon I can grant you for your aid?" Caridin's gaze went to Jerath. "A final favor before I am freed from my burden?" Jerath jerked his head at Saitada, and Caridin turned to look at her.

Saitada sighed. "Oghren? You lost Branka to this. What do you want?"

"Huh." Oghren twirled one end of his mustache. "Don't suppose you can bring Branka back? Maybe make her a golem, like you?" Cathiel glanced at the ledge Jerath had kicked the dwarven over. She was pretty sure the answer was going to be no.

"I would not do such a thing to her even if I could," Caridin replied.

Oghren sighed. "Somehow I didn't think so. Then I don't want anything that would remind me of... this. Best it's just done. There..." He glanced at Saitada. "Is still the matter of the election. I mean... we still need a Paragon to get the Assembly's support, right?"

"For the aid you've given me, I shall put hammer to steel one last time, and give you a crown for the king of your choice."

#

"What did you say to him?" Leliana asked Brehan.

"That I will sing for them, when we return to the surface." He put an arm around her as they watched the golem work the anvil. "I want very much to be out of these caves."

"What did it feel like?" When he gave her a confused look, she clarified. "The archdemon."

He considered a moment. "Imagine the most beautiful voice you've ever heard, backed by instruments of the finest make played by the most skillful hands. A song written and perfected by a master composer. Every note performed flawlessly, filled with vibrant emotion. Every word urging you to exalt in the most horrific acts of depravity you can imagine." He shook his head. "I can still hear it, way in the back of my mind. Like a sheen of oil weighing down every other song I know."

"You'll feel better when we get you some daylight."

"Yes." He very much hoped she were right. He didn't want to think about how he'd almost understood the words of the song. Almost followed.

#

"You would not have let him turn me into one of those, yes?" Zevran asked Brosca.

Brosca glanced at him. "Well, I'd have certainly tried to stop him."

"It's monstrous," Lenore said. "It's... wrong. No, I wouldn't have let him. I wouldn't let anyone feel that hammer."

Brosca glanced up at Lenore, and then put his arm around her waist. "Got to you, did it?"

"It and that insane woman and... Layrn was a member of her house, and she..." Lenore's voice went hard. She glanced at where Jerath stood. "You were kinder to her than I would have been."

"I have some notion of what you are like when you get sufficiently riled up," he said. Then he gave her a surprisingly warm smile. "You're a good person, Lenore."

"So are you."

"No. I am not." He touched the hilt of his blade. "If we keep the Anvil, I'll use it." He met her eyes. "That's why it must be destroyed."

She looked towards where Caridin was finishing his work. Then she looked back to Jerath. "I'll see it gets done."

He nodded to her. She returned the nod, and walked to go speak to Alistair.

#

Caridin offered Saitada the completed crown. "There. It is done. Give it to whom you will. I do not wish to hear their names, nor anything more of them. I have already lived far beyond my time. I have no place here."

Saitada took the crown from him. "I will destroy the Anvil, as agreed."

"You have my eternal thanks, stranger. Atrast nal tunsha... may you always find your way in the dark."

She watched as Alistair picked up a hammer and ascended the steps. For a moment, he actually did look like a king, and she found herself smiling. He raised the hammer, and brought it down. The Anvil shattered beneath the blow. He threw the hammer down, and rejoined them. "It is done."

"Good man," Saitada said. She glanced back at the others. Lenore was over by some sort of stone carving, instructing Brosca and Zevran to take rubbings of whatever it was, under the watchful eye of Shale. She sighed. "Let's go back. Believe it or not, I find myself actually missing Ferelden."

#

Lenore dragged Zevran and Brosca with her to check on Ruck. She found him curled on his makeshift pallet, the little vial she'd given him clutched tightly in his hand. They piled stones to make him a cairn, and then rejoined the others.