Chapter 6
"I should kill you."

Lyna stared out the window of her and Zevran room. The sun wasn't up yet, but her mind wasn't letting her sleep. Between Merrill and the Grey Wardens her mind was to occupied with what morning would bring. She couldn't drag Alistair into the dark bowels of the city. He needed to stay up on the surface and distract the Champion of Kirkwall and the Chantry. If what those scrolls eluded to was true than the foundation of Thedas was about to be shattered.

Arms encircled her waist and a warm puff of breath tickled her neck. "Couldn't sleep." Zevran asked lightly kissing her neck. She shivered with the touch.

"Just thinking."

"About Merrill and what the Grey Wardens need you to do?"

"Of course." She smiled faintly and leaned her back, resting it against his bare shoulder.

"I could still kill someone if you like." Zevran squeezed his arms.

"No, as tempting as the offer is." She turned in his arms. "Though I do appreciate it." She kissed him lightly on the mouth. "You don't have to come with me. You can stay here in the city. See some of the sights without having to worry about looking other your shoulder."

Zevran shook his head. "Amora," he reached up and brushed a lock of pale hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek and jaw. "You can't get rid of me that easily."

"Good to know, I guess." She kissed him.

Mural was beautiful. A golden city shining in a cloud filled blue sky. Lyna took a step back afraid she would tarnish the mosaic. She moved around the edge her eyes following the picture as it rapidly changed from a scene peace to a one of destruction. The sky blackened and turned sickly green and filled with noxious looking clouds. In the last part of the mural dark winged creatures flew from the once golden city- now turned black.

"Dragons!" Varric whispered as he knelt down to examine the mural a bit closer. Lyna didn't bother to look up. The group had been travelling the depths of the city since dawn. She was tired and irritable. So far they haven't found anything except traps, bones, dirt and more traps. This room and pestle was the only thing they had found.

"Appears that way." The picture changed again she tilted her head at the last picture and then leaned forward to see it a bit closer. Forms that looked like hooded and cloaked mages casting some sort of spell, but right next to those were hunched and deformed images. The creatures eyes burned into her. She could hear their voices in concert whispers. A shudder pasted through her. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she bit her bottom lip.

"Darkspawn." Merrill whispered right next to her. And the other reason Lyna was upset. Merrill had all but pleaded to go with them. She wanted to help. She wanted to make it up to Lyna. There was nothing to be made up. She could never undo what she had done. Lyna was done with her past. She had left the Dalish behind. Then way did the Keeper's death hurt so much? Why did Merrill using blood magic bother her? And her rebuilding the Eluvian?! She had more than a few words on that as well.

"Do you hear that?" Lyna whispered into the air. Was that singing? And where was it coming from? Her voice trembled slightly. Her eyes remained glued to the last picture. A droplet of sweat ran down the side of her lovely dirty face.

"No," Merrill said as Varric shakes his head.

Anders nods. "It sounds like singing. Justice doesn't like it. It's agitating him."

Lyna licked her lips and pulled her eyes away from the mural to stare at Zevran, who stood behind. The former Crow placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't hear anything? Nothing at all?" Lyna's brow crinkled with concern as Zevran shook his head as well.

"No, amora, nothing."

"That's not a good sound then I'm guessing." Varric stated. Wiping his hands on his pants he stood up. "This probably means we should leave it alone and get out of here. Sorry, it looks like a dead end."

Lyna didn't response. Instead she stepped over the mural on the floor and up to the pestle in the middle of the room.

Anders grabbed his head and doubled over. "No, no, no!" he shouted pulling at his hair. "It's happening again. Much louder. I don't know if I can contain Justice for much longer."

Varric had seen this before. When Hawke, Fenris, himself and Anders had made the trek to Coreyphus prison a few months back. Anders had heard something and lost control of Justice then too. This wasn't a good sign.

"Lyna?" Zevran adventured starting toward her. She held up a hand, stopping him.

"Stay back." Her voice was strange distant and distorted. Not completely her own. "Stay back, assassin. If you value this woman's life."

Varric took a step back and placed his hand on the elf's forearm. Zevran was tense like a spring ready to snap. "Don't. I've seen this before or something similar to it."

"You have?"

"Yes, just don't try and stop whatever it is. Otherwise, your Warden is as good as dead."

"Warden? What a strange title for this little elfling." Lyna said looking down at her body like it couldn't quite make out what it was seeing. "This little thing is a guard of something. So strange. My the times have changed."

"Who are you?" Zevran asked pulling his arm away from Varric.

"Me, I am that which should not be, but am. I am a prisoner of this place. But I am also freer than any of you. I've see the Golden City, but it was a lie. A Blackened heart rules there. It is not the city of dreams, but nightmares. What do you want here? Why disrupt that which has no need to be?" Lyna turned then. Her beautiful blue eyes were solid white. Her irises were gone. Anders let out a cry of pain and dropped to his knees still clutching his head.

"Don't let it speak!" He yelled through clenched teeth. Merrill knelt down beside him. She placed an arm around his shoulders. "It's voice is poison and it will melt the flesh from your bones."

"Don't be silly, Anders," Merrill tried to soothe him, but the mage was having none of it.

Varric turned his attention back to Lyna. He couldn't help Anders any more than he could help Lyna it seemed.

"That one has touched darkness in more ways than one." Lyna pointed and Anders screamed again. "Creature of the Fade you have changed your stars. The heavens are blackened and burned for you. It does not weep for its lost child. It merely wishes to sleep in peace."

"What are we going to do?" Zevran asked lowering his voice just so Varric could hear him.

"I don't know, Crow, I don't know."

Zevran's hand tightened on the pommels of his daggers. "I'm not losing her, Varric. Not to something like this."

"Well, then I suggest we bloody well show that thing the map out of her body, or she might as well be gone."