Chapter 15

The main hall of the mansion was large and open. In the center of the hall, a large, steaming, bubbling cauldren sat inside a blazing fire . A beautiful woman in flowing robes was chanting and throwing bits of things into the brew, which would respond with a hiss and steam. The darkspawn was standing next to her, his impatience evident by the shifting of his feet.

"Hold demon!" Justice shouted.

The woman looked up and glared at them. "What are you doing in my house?" she exclaimed. "You are not welcome!" She gestured into the air and hideous creatures rose up from the blackness of the floor, growling and snarling. "Kill them!" she commanded and the atrocities attacked.

Beth readied her blades and leapt at the nearest creature, striking it with all her might. The creature was a mass of gelatinous flesh and oozed out of the way of her blades. Frustrated, Beth looked for something solid to strike at, but the creature kept undulating, changing shape and affording her no purchase.

Justice was also having problems finding purchase with his blade, when he could slice through an opponent, it would just meld back together, unharmed.

The enemies attacked by sending tendrils of roots to knock them off their feet, or creating needles to fly through the air and pierce their skin.

Anders began casting various elemental spells: fire, water, ice and earth, attempting to find something that had an effect on the creatures. Through pure accident, he froze a creature in front of Beth as she drove her blades into it. The creature shattered into a thousand pieces and did not reform. Beth looked at Anders and he cast another freeze spell at a creature attacking Justice. Justice swung his blade through the frozen mass and it too shattered.

Now that they had a strategy, the three were able to dispatch the rest of the atrocities easily and raced towards the woman and darkspawn.

"Quickly! Come closer to me!" the woman shouted at the darkspawn.

"Yes, Baroness. The First wants to go back," it responded.

As soon as the darkspawn got close to the Baroness, she slit its throat and shoved it into the cauldron. The bubbling brew responded to this latest addition with an explosion that filled the room with a foul smelling smoke.

...

Nate was having trouble sitting still. This was taking much too long. He shifted position and looked at Beth and Anders, trying to see if there was any change in their condition.

"Anders!" Beth coughed and sat up.

"Beth! Thank the Maker!" Nate said as he watched her sit up.

"Commander?" Anders asked, coughing and trying to clear his lungs. "Andraste's grace, that smelled awful."

Both Beth and Anders stood, still coughing and trying to catch their breath.

"Commander? What's happening?" The soldier that spoke pointed to Kristoff's corpse. It was slowly sitting up and looking around.

"Where am I? Why am I trapped in this container?" Kristoff's corpse stood shakily.

"Justice?" Beth asked.

Kristoff's corpse turned its head and looked at her. "Warden." Justice acknowledged. He looked at the others who were staring at him.

Beth looked at Anders, "If that spell cast Justice out of the Fade..."

"The Baroness must be here somewhere too," Anders finished.

"Um...Can you two fill the rest of us in, please?" Nate asked, confused.

"We don't have time. We have to find the Baroness!" Beth exclaimed and, unsheathing her blades, rushed towards the mansion.

A black vortex had appeared above the ruins of the mansion. The dark clouds over the marsh were swirling around it. A red haze hung at ground level and grew denser the closer to the mansion the group got.

"Andraste's flaming knickers!" Anders shouted as they entered the courtyard through the rusty gate.

An apparition stood in the center of the courtyard. The Baroness had transformed into a hideous creature towering over them. She stood on two thick legs that supported an inhuman body waving four arms. Her head swiveled to the sound of Anders' voice.

"You will now pay for your interference!" Her voice thundered throughout the Blackmarsh and lightning began shooting from her hands.

Beth was mumbling as she made her way behind the Baroness. Anders could feel Beth's attempt to drain the mana from the Baroness, but the lightning spells continued unabated. Beth leapt at the Baroness's back, but she swung a massive arm and knocked Beth to the ground.

Nate rapidly fired arrows at the Baroness, but each one was hit by lightning and knocked out of the air before getting close. Frustrated, he maneuvered around to get a shot at her head, but each arrow was deflected. A lightning bolt hit the ground next to him and sent him crashing into a nearby tree.

Justice and the soldiers attempted to strike the Baroness' legs, but one after another they were easily swatted away by one of her arms. Getting on his feet, Justice charged time and time again, dodging one arm, only to be hit be another.

Anders and Velanna were not having any luck with their magic either. Fire spells would be met with a counter spell that was stronger and would push the caster back. Anders switched rapidly between spells, hoping to get at least one through the impenetrable defenses the Baroness had created. Anders was getting more and more frustrated having his attacks balked. He began to concentrate his spells on the Baroness' legs, hoping to get enough hits in to knock it down.

Breathing heavily, Beth stood up and took a step back to assess the situation. The Baroness had begun to conjure skeleton warriors to defend her and the group became busy defending themselves against this new enemy. Beth twirled her blades and hacked through several skeletons, trying to find an opening in the Baroness' defense.

Nate shifted his focus to aiding the soldiers and began firing his arrows at the skeletons. One by one, the skeletons would drop from an arrow through its skull. As each skeleton dropped, another would rise in its place.

Velanna cast spell after spell, the earth rising and falling, roots of trees reaching up to entangle the skeletons, but there seemed to be no end to the enemy. She paused to wipe the sweat from her eyes and spotted Beth high in a nearby tree.

Beth stealthily climbed until she was higher than the Baroness' head. Gathering all her energy beneath her, she leapt from the tree towards the Baroness. The Baroness did not see her until it was too late. Beth landed on the Baroness' back and using her blades for purchase, climbed towards the Baroness' head.

The Baroness let out a mighty scream that shook the ground, and with its attention diverted, the skeletons collapsed, allowing the group to barrage the Baroness with renewed attacks.

"No!" The Baroness shrieked. "I will not allow you to defeat me!" and swinging her arms, she attempted to dislodge Beth.

It took all of Beth's strength to hang on as the Baroness swayed and shot spells at her. She felt the Baroness lose balance and as she fell, Beth plunged both blades into either side of the Baroness' neck and sliced through her thick hide.

The group dodged out of the way as the Baroness crashed to the ground with a mighty thud and lay still. The sky over the mansion calmed and the red mist dissipated.

Anders and Velanna worked through the group, healing the multiple wounds they had incurred. Nate shrugged off Anders when he approached and asked, "Where's Beth?"

"Over here," Beth answered and walked slowly toward Nate. She was covered in blood and dirt.

"Are you hurt?" Anders asked, concerned, his hands already starting to glow.

"I don't think so," she said, "but I need a good bath."

"You and me both!" Anders laughed and Beth smiled at him.

Nate sensed a change between the two. Something had happened in the Fade that bonded them. Nate picked up his bow. "If she decides to be with Anders, I won't stop her," he thought glumly.

Justice stood off to one side, uncertain of what to do. Beth approached him. "The body you inhabit was a Grey Warden. You are welcome to stay with us until we can find a way to get you back to the Fade."

Justice looked at her and contemplated the idea, finally he said, "I can sense this man's memories. A Grey Warden is an worthy occupation, it will be an honor to serve with you, but I cannot go back. I am a spirit. The only time spirits leave the Fade is if they inhabit a living being. Once this body can no longer house me, I will cease to exist. It is already decaying rapidly. I anticipate I only have a brief time."

Beth watched Justice sadly as he spoke, "I am sorry that you got dragged into this. I will do everything in my power to help you. I will find a way to get you back to the Fade."

Anders approached Justice, "I might be able to repair this body and delay its decomposition. I will have to do some research when we get back to the Keep."

"I know someone who has bonded with a spirit, perhaps she can offer some insight." Beth proposed. "For now, I believe we should go back. There isn't anything else to do here."

...

Beth walked behind the two soldiers, lost in thought. So much had happened in the past few days that it was hard to reconcile it. She looked at the forest that surrounded this portion of the Wending Road, it was a beautiful day, bright blue sky shone through the trees, birds were singing and Beth felt at peace with herself for the first time in a very long time.

They arrived in Denerim without incident in the late afternoon. The soldiers had taken their leave and departed for the barracks. Beth followed but instead of entering the barracks, she went around the building to the kennels. Entering the kennels, she was greeted by one of the keepers.

"You really shouldn't be in here," he said gruffly.

Beth smiled, "I'm just visiting an old friend." She ignored the man's attempts to stop her as she headed for Bear's pen.

Bear was leaping and barking excitedly. "Watch out for him. He's a mean one." The keeper warned, then he backed up as Beth opened the gate.

"Hey there!" she said as the dog leapt out of the pen, knocking her down. "Whoa, boy. Too much!" she gasped as the dog stood over her licking every inch of her face.

"Well, I guess you two do know each other." The keeper said, running a hand through his hair. "Enjoy your visit," he said as he went on about his duties.

Bear backed off as Beth sat up. She scratched behind his ears, "I've missed you. Have you been a good boy?"

"He's the best." Grayson said, entering the Kennels and dismissing the keeper. "He's been helping to train both the soldiers and other dogs."

"He looks really happy." Beth said, smiling broadly.

"Oh, I'm sure he is." Grayson motioned at a nearby pen. "There's one of his litters."

Beth stood and looked at the mewling litter of newborn pups. "Been busy, huh?" She said, patting Bear on the head.

"Are you staying in Denerim?" Grayson asked.

"For a short time," Beth responded, "I'm meeting an old friend. Could Bear stay with me until I leave?"

"I'm sure he would enjoy that." Grayson smiled. "The Keepers will enjoy the break while he's away as well."

"Thanks." Beth said happily and patted Bear again. Bear barked and bounced excitedly. Mabari's understood more than many people gave them credit for. "I'll bring him back in a few days."

"Have fun." Grayson said and watched the pair leave the kennels.

...

Beth sat in the Cousland Estate dining room eating with Bear lying at her feet. Fergus was at the palace meeting with the Queen, but he had left word with the servants to take care of Beth until his return. Beth sighed and looked around, sipping on her ale. The room seemed to be different from her last trip, but it wasn't. Her perspective had changed and things didn't seem so dire.

The door to the dining room opened as Fergus followed by Wynne entered the room.

"Beth! It is so good to see you." Wynne exclaimed as the two women hugged.

Fergus hugged Beth, then held her out at arm's length. "You seem so much better than your last visit." He hugged her again, "I'm so glad!" He looked at Bear, who was sitting patiently wagging his romp on the floor. Rubbing the dog's head, Fergus said, "Hey there, Bear! You being good over at the kennels?"

Bear thumped the floor with the stub of his tail and gazed at Wynne. Wynne patted him on the head, "Hello Bear. Thank you for not jumping on me." Bear licked her hand and sat panting.

Beth laughed, "Can we go somewhere more comfortable to sit and chat?"

"Sure, let's go to the study." He motioned to a servant, "Please bring some wine to us."

They got settled on the comfortable sofas in the study. Wynne studied Beth and said quietly, "You have come to terms with the events that ended the Blight."

Beth nodded, "I had a revelation a few days ago." She looked at Wynne, "Actually, that's why I needed to see you."

Fergus looked at the two women, poured the wine and said, "I can leave if this is a private discussion."

"No, Fergus. I would love for you to stay." Beth said and sipped some wine.

"I must admit I was intrigued when I got your note." Wynne nodded and took the wine goblet Fergus offered. "A spirit has been wrenched out of the Fade and now inhabits a corpse." Wynne sighed sadly, "The poor thing."

"Yes, I must see if I can find a way to help him." Beth said.

"How did it happen?" Fergus asked.

"A demon cast a spell to send itself into our reality and the spirit was caught in it." Beth replied.

Wynne stared into the fire that was blazing in the fireplace for a long time. Beth and Fergus sat quietly sipping their wine and waiting for her to come back.

"Unfortunately, there is no way to send a spirit or demon back to the Fade once they are out." Wynne said after a long time. "When their host dies, if they don't move on to another person, the spirit will cease to exist."

Beth sighed sadly, thinking of Justice and wishing she could resolve the issue. Wynne put a hand on her arm, "I'm sorry. I wish I could give you better news." Beth nodded and stared into the fire.