The weather had cooperated so far. It wasn't as sunny as the Warden-Commander would prefer but she was grateful enough to the Maker that it wasn't raining either. As they neared the Pilgrim Path – the road connecting Amaranthine to Denerim – the density of the trees had increased. Elisa glanced up and frowned slightly as she noticed how little sunlight could pass through. The branches creaked ever so slightly but it was loud enough for everyone to hear in the silent woods.

Anders was particularly edgy as his eyes flickering from one side to another. "Can I just point out how I hate this place? It feels like we're being watched."

Elisa didn't respond. She couldn't blame him. The area felt the same when she passed the Brecilian Forest. She glanced over to their dwarven companions. Fortunately, neither of the two could sense the eeriness and went on with their banter which made the mood less heavy.

Suddenly, Caena stopped and growled. Elisa halted her horse and looked down at her hound. "What's wrong?" Are there darkspawn? She closed her eyes and concentrated but could not sense any of those near them.

Nathaniel stopped his horse beside his Commander's and glanced around. As the wind blew towards his direction, he caught of something burning. "Do you smell that?" he asked.

Loghain, who halted his horse behind them, picked up the scent as well. "Smoke," he muttered as his narrowed eyes scanned the area.

Elisa grimaced as she pondered for a moment then ordered, "Nathaniel, scout the area. If you see anything amiss, return here immediately. I want no heroics. Are we clear?"

The archer nodded and slid off the back of his horse before he went ahead. It didn't take him long to return to their group with his report. "The smoke came from the burning wagons not far from here. Also, there's a large group of bandits near those carts."

"Isn't burning your loot counterproductive if intend to steal them?" Anders commented.

"They're probably amateurs," Sigrun quipped as she gave a lopsided grin, "or stupid."

"Or perhaps something else is going on here." Loghain's hand settled close to the hilt of his sword. He and the rest of the Wardens followed suit their Commander who had gotten off her horse and unslung her bow before she warily crept further until their group rounded a bend in the road.

Just as what Nathaniel told them, a large number of armed men were milling around as though they were watching out for something. "They really are stupid," Anders whispered as he stared incredulously at scene where the bandits would rather stare at the trees than taking what goods remained in the crates near the carts.

One of the bandits caught sight of their group, particularly the Commander of the Grey. This resulted to some running off while those others who remained launched an attack despite the fact that they were at a disadvantage for the Wardens had caught them off guard. It didn't take long to deal with them, and once it had been confirmed that all were dead, Elisa went over to the burning wreckage. Her hound and Second followed behind her while group scouted the nearby area for other possible threats.

Most of the crates were filled with food and other basic commodities, but none of them could have caused the fire. "Found any grenades? What about lyrium?" Elisa asked her Second.

"Neither Commander," Loghain replied, his brows furrowing as he shifted his gaze towards the burning wagon. "The damage seemed too great to come from anything man-made."

"Magic then?" Elisa raised a brow then glanced over to their mage who returned from surveying the area with the other Wardens. "Anders," she called out as her hand gestured for him to come over. When he was standing beside her, she asked, "Know any spells that could have caused this?"

Anders moved closer and examined the wreckage. He immediately felt some lingering faint magic around it. "A fireball, I think," he mused, "or maybe another spell… not entirely sure which, but it definitely involves magic."

Elisa pondered with her brows knitting together. If the mage responsible for this was part of the bandit's group, then he or she wouldn't have burned a merchant's caravan in the first place, unless they're really that stupid. It is possible that they could be dealing with an apostate but for what purpose were they burning the wagons? There's only one way to find out. "Let's keep moving," she told the rest of her companions before she mounted her horse and continued with their journey.

Along the way, they found more dead bodies and destroyed wagons; some were still burning while others were no more than ashes. Soon, the group passed through a path leading to a camp. Elisa slid off her horse and inspected the scattered packs and tents. The rest of the Wardens looked around and when their Commander emerged from one of the tents, she was holding up a parchment. "I think I know who attacked the caravans."

Loghain took the parchment and read the contents which made his brows shot up. "The Dailish?"

Elisa nodded. "The mayor of the nearby village sent out the militia to drive them away. Obviously, that didn't turn out well. The Dalish probably retaliated by attacking the caravans. They have their Keepers who are powerful mages, so it fits well."

Loghain scowled. While he had no problems with elves in general, his experience with the Dalish was unpleasant to put it mildly.

"Elisa! Over here!" They heard Nathaniel call out.

The two Senior Wardens went over to the crouching archer and legionnaire who stood up and stepped aside to show them two corpses – one was human and other was an elf – which they immediately sensed the taint. This made Elisa wonder where the darkspawn fit in all of this. "Perhaps it's the darkspawn were the ones behind the attack," Nathaniel mused.

"Like some kind of frame-up?" Sigrun shuddered. "That's a scary thought."

"You've seen that talking darkspawn back in Kal'Hirol," Elisa reminded her. "These new breed could be capable of anything."

Not far from where the four Wardens stood, Anders, Oghren and Caena wandered around looking for somewhere to answer the call of nature. Well, Caena actually already found one if not for Oghren threatening to make it a new pair of boots if it lifted its leg and pissed on him.

Anders laughed at that idea. "Hah! I'd pay to see that!"

"Shut it sparkle-fingers!" Oghren growled. He was about to reach for his battleaxe if not for the hound running ahead of them and towards a burnt large tree. "Not a bad find you soddin' stone-licker!"

Anders stared up at the tree while the dwarf joined the mabari and the two no doubt were already having a piss contest of some sort. There was something odd about it that was making him twitchy. He considered that it must be the small flames that were still burning some of its branches until he saw the branches move slightly. His entire body stiffened as he stared intently at the tree. I'm not seeing things, am I?

He heard the dwarf scolding Caena who began growling at the tree. "Bah! Don't be a sore loser you soddin' mutt! Come on. Commander's probably lookin' for us." The hound wouldn't have left if not for hearing its master calling out for their group.

"Uh, Oghren…" Anders muttered just before the dwarf moved past him. "I think I just saw the tree move."

Oghren stared at the mage for a moment then shook his head. "And they call me wasted."

"I swear to Andraste's Holy Arse!" Anders exclaimed as he pointed at the burnt tree. "That tree just moved while you and the dog were having your contest!"

Oghren threw his hands up as he continued to walk back to the group. "Bah! It's just the wind you manskirt-wearing sissy-pants!"

Anders eyed warily at the tree once more before he turned and began following the dwarf. However, after a few steps he stilled when he heard the sound of the branches creaking. It's only in your imagination Anders, he reminded himself and turned his head to ascertain himself of that fact. What he then saw though clearly was not his imagination.

The charred tree began to move, uprooting itself from the ground as it paced, slow but menacing, towards the mage. The latter's mind screamed, 'oh shit, shit, SHIT!' as he scrambled back to the group while throwing a fireball or two at it along the way. Unfortunately, the fire spells he sent didn't seem to have much effect on a tree that was already burning from the start.

Elisa raised a brow when she just saw Oghren and Caena returning. "Where's Anders?" Her hound ran ahead of its dwarf companion and began jumping in front of its master while barking loudly. Her brows furrowed as she tried to comprehend what it wanted. "What's wrong?"

Biting lightly at its master's boot, Caena tugged forward before it released its master and ran back to where they left Anders. The Wardens followed it and when they reached their destination, Anders' legs were caught by the roots coming up from the ground.

"Anders!" Elisa shouted as her hound raced forward and jumped over the mage, biting the tree's branch that was acting like its fist. It was enough of a distraction as Loghain, Oghren and Sigrun hacked and slashed at the trunk while Elisa and Nathaniel took out their daggers and began cutting the roots encasing their mage's legs.

"I swear I didn't-"

Before Anders could finish his explanation, his Commander interrupted him. "Fight now, excuses later." She eyed at the monster. They have fought this kind during the Blight. "Set it on fire," she ordered the mage.

"Tried but didn't work!" Anders replied just as the grip of Caena's teeth on the branches loosened, resulting to be sent flying somewhere far from the group. The mabari yelped as its back hit the ground with an incredible force.

Elisa gritted her teeth yet she willed herself to remain calm. Damn it all! There must be some other way… As the three of them ran in different directions so that the roots wouldn't pin them down, her gaze fell on the other three Wardens engaging the monster in close combat. They were constantly moving as well to avoid being trapped by the roots yet their attacks only made little next to no effect on the creature.

The roots...

She suddenly had an idea. "Anders!" She called out and ordered while running beside the other archer. "Enchant my weapon!"

"Which spell?" Anders shouted back as he jumped over a root that sprout out of the ground. In the background, the three Wardens engaging the monster were caught by the roots as they snaked up their legs up to their arms which began constricting them.

Andraste's blood! Elisa swore mentally and yelled back. "Doesn't matter, so long as it can do some damage!" Her forefinger pointed at what acted as the Charred Sylvan's feet "Then at my signal, freeze those." Not waiting for the mage's response, she turned to Nathaniel. "Free Loghain and the others!" She tossed him a vial containing a thick frosty liquid and instructed when he caught it. "Coat your dagger with that." As her bow was enveloped by a light bluish glow, the two archers ran in a separate direction, the Commander away from her comrades while her subordinate towards the three Wardens.

The arrows shot hit what appeared to be the Sylvan's face. Of course, they didn't do much damage but as it shattered into piercing shards of ice, it was enough to catch the monster's attention and stop the roots from crushing the others. That's when Nathaniel moved in and coated his dagger with vial's contents. Starting with Sigrun since the roots had reached her neck, making it difficult for her to breath, he hacked off the roots which became brittle the moment the tip of his weapon touched it.

Sigrun dropped on the ground and gasped once the archer had freed her. "Thanks," she muttered and helped the archer with the others.

Just as everyone was freed, they heard their Commander shout, "now!" And suddenly, the Sylvan was frozen in place. Loghain immediately remembered the spell as something similar the mage used during the darkspawn's siege of the Keep. Tightly grasping his sword with both hands, he rushed towards the frozen creature with the dwarven warrior not far behind him, swinging their weapons with all their might.

The brittle base shattered, causing the tree to drop on the ground. However, none of the Wardens took any chances as they hacked every branch until Anders confirmed that he could no longer feel any form of spirit on it.

Everyone slumped down on the ground either due to their injury or exhaustion. Sigrun had it worse since the roots had squeezed her tight enough to crack some of her ribs. Yet, when her Commander approached, she smiled slightly to assure her. "I'm okay. Had worse before…"

Elisa nodded and allowed their mage to tend to her wounds. Meanwhile, she called out her hound. "Caena!" Normally, the dog would immediately return to its master whenever she shouted that loudly. Yet, she received no response – not a bark nor a whimper. Anxiously, her eyes darted around from one side to another. And just then, she saw the mabari's figure at the far end of where they were. It looked as though it was no more than a lifeless corpse.

The group watched as their Commander rushed forward to her hound. Loghain's gaze shifted to Anders who had just finished healing Sigrun. "Come with me." The order was no more than a whisper but the mage heard it loud and clear.

Anders glanced over to the red-haired dwarf with a bleeding wound on his forehead he received earlier when one of the tree's branches had hit him. "Just give me a minute. Oghren-"

Oghren cut in as he took off a gauntlet and wiped the blood off with the back of his hand. "Bah! This ain't nothin' but a small flesh wound. Go check on that soddin' mutt."

With a nod, Anders followed the older Warden as the two walked briskly towards their Commander. Kneeling beside Caena's body, Elisa struggled so desperately to keep her feature neutral as her trembling hand reached over to touch her hound, only to pull back before it even ghosted over the fur for fear that what she thought was true.

"Commander…"

Out in the corner of her eye, she saw Loghain kneel next to her. One of his hands touched Caena's side to examine if there were any signs of life; while his other hand grasped hers that she had pulled away earlier. He held hers tight and that gave her some form of comfort – one which increased when the hardened look on his face had softened.

"Barely breathing but alive at least," Loghain stated before glancing over to the mage who immediately began casting healing spells on the hound.

Not long after, Caena's legs began to twitch, its eyes half-opened as it gazed up at its master who let out a relieved sigh and a small smile. When it let out a small whine, it felt her hand gently brushed against its fur. "Rest now," was what its master ordered and it dutifully followed as it closed its eyes and quickly fell into a deep slumber.

"We should rest and tend to our wounds first," Elisa stated evenly once the mage had declared that her hound was stable. "More of those creatures are no doubt lurking further in the woods. We could not take them in our current condition."

Loghain closed his eyes and nodded compulsively. He was relieved that his Commander returned to her stoic demeanor. It showed some kind of normalcy in a strange way at least. He glanced up at what little view of the sky he could see past the leaves of the tall trees around them. With the skies aflame with hues of amber and bronze, the sun must be going down. Their group would be more at a disadvantage if they decide to press further. "We can use the campsite the militia left so as to save time from making camp," he suggested. When she gave a nod, he stood up and left her to inform their other companions.

A female warrior with her long auburn hair in a messy bun led her companions out of an old ruin and onto the snowy mountains. A blonde man in a templar armor moved beside her gave his charming boyish grin. She smiled back and lightly pinched his cheek. Their merriment however was suddenly interrupted when a fearsome high dragon flew above with its furious ear-splitting roar forcing everyone to cover their ears.

Some of her companions were persuading her to retreat while the others, specifically the red-haired dwarf, encouraged her to take on the ferocious beast. She looked over to the blonde companion beside her. The look in his eyes told her that he had every confidence to her ability and that gave her enough courage to take on the challenge.

The battle was gruesome but in the end she and her companions emerged victorious. However, as she jumped off the dragon's head and scanned the surroundings, her eyes widened at the sight of her blonde companion's still body twisted and broken on the ground.

"Alistair!"

Bolting up from the bedroll, Elisa gasped as her widened eyes flickered from side to side. Outside, it sounded like someone was calling her through the flap of her tent but, whoever it was, it didn't register to her brain until a figure entered unceremoniously.

"Are you all right?" Loghain asked, his gaze intense as he watched his Commander in her disheveled state. "I heard you thrashing about."

"Loghain…" Elisa spoke his name breathlessly as she ran her hands through her hair. "Yes, just… had a nightmare." She could feel those unsettling blue eyes of his staring at her as though he was reading her thoughts. She wasn't up to discussing the matter. In all honesty, she hoped that this was the last time she remembered that event. So, she immediately changed the subject. "How is Caena? Has he woken up yet?"

"Bouncing around and begging for scraps already," Loghain replied as he opened the tent's flap further to show her hound had already finished munching on some leftovers and now staring at Sigrun while letting out a soft whimpering sound. He had seen her state whenever she had nightmares about darkspawn or the Archdemon and she never looked as distraught as this – something that got him worried. However, if she had no intention of sharing her private thoughts, he will not pry. Besides, he could not find the will to do so when she had that beautiful smile as she watched the mabari. His thought suddenly went into a halt as his brows furrowed and his lips scowling unconsciously. Beautiful? Where did that come from all of a sudden? He was only pulled out of his thoughts when she stood up and made her way out of the tent.

Elisa glanced up at the sky briefly and wondered how many hours did she sleep. She had taken the first watch with Anders and Nathaniel last night up until Loghain had woken up and urged her to take a few hours of rest. She declined the offer at first but with both her Second and fellow archer persuading her, she finally gave in. Though, with the dream she just had, she couldn't say she felt refreshed at all.

"Caena," she called and the mabari immediately bounded over to its master, though not as quick as it normally how she knew him to be due to the pronounced limp. The injured hind leg however did not stop her hound jumping around and barking vigorously.

Sigrun laughed lightly. "Good you're up. I was running out of scraps to feed him."

Elisa chuckled and shook her head. Her hound always had a way of putting her slightly at ease. Looking around, she made a guess that they have a few hours before sunrise. Still, it's best to use the time to get ready. The sooner they finish their investigation, the sooner they can make their way to Denerim.

While Loghain and Sigrun prepared their morning meals, she and Caena walked to the other tents to wake the others up. The hound was tasked to handle the drunken dwarf for she could not stir him no matter how hard she nudges. With her dog, all it took was jumping on top of the drunk and barking loudly. "By all the beards of my ancestors!" Oghren exclaimed as his arms flailed and tried to reach for his battleaxe. "Get off of me you soddin' mutt!" Caena responded with a loud bark before he ran out, clearly knowing that once the red-haired warrior lost his grogginess, he would surely chase it with his weapon.

Meanwhile, Elisa pushed aside the flap of the tent Anders and Nathaniel shared. It was slightly larger than the other tents but not so much that two persons would have little next to no space between them. They could've just set up another tent but they were probably too tired. Not that she was complaining on how they resolved that matter for the scene made her lips form a wide grin. She finally has something to throw at the mage for all the times she teased him about her and Loghain.

Anders, who had his head resting on the archer's chest, stirred as the sound of the drunken dwarf's loud cursing and the mabari's barking entered the tent, and Nathaniel, who had an arm around the mage's waist, had been awaken as well. Both men glanced up sleepily and saw their Warden-Commander grinning madly with her arms crossed on her chest.

"I'm sorry to disturb such a sweet moment but we'll be leaving soon."

The two merely blinked as they stared at her in confusion then shifted their gaze at each other before they finally noticed their position. Mortified, the two quickly moved as far from the other as what the tent would allow. Their Commander just laughed mirthfully at their reactions before she stepped out of the tent.

As she passed by her Second who paused from preparing the porridge and stared at her with a raised brow, she merely replied, "just payback."

End of Chapter 17