Chapter 32:
"Oh, thank the Maker!" a woman said as she stumbled in front of Sylina's party. Sylina glanced at her. The woman's dress was torn and she looked terrified.
"What's wrong?" Alistair quickly asked, moving toward the woman. The party stopped and Sylina took a few steps towards Bodahn and his son Sandal, who had joined them a few days ago after they had left Orzammar. The man had been delighted to meet the Wardens again and told them he would be more than happy to travel with them while they went to the tower and that he was headed that way himself. Sylina had been able to convince him to put a few of their supplies in his cart for their protection on the road and everyone had been pleased with this.
"Stay here," she told the dwarves, who stopped their cattle. The older dwarf nodded to her and she saw Oghren jump down from the back of the cart and grab his battle axe.
"They attacked us! Please help! Follow me!" the woman turned and ran before Alistair could grab her arm.
"Stupid woman," she heard Oghren say and they all walked toward where the woman had fled.
"I don't like this," Leliana whispered as she came up to Sylina's side. Sylina glanced at the laysister before hurrying on. The last thing she wanted now was to talk to her. She had arranged the watch schedule the last few nights so that she was either on watch with Morrigan or Sten and didn't have to talk to Alistair or Leliana. She knew she was being childish, but she didn't want to deal with listening to the Orlesian talk about herself and Alistair. The thought made Sylina sick.
They came upon a clearing and Sylina saw overturned carts and dead cattle. She grabbed her staff and started focusing her mana, waiting for the attack. As they stepped into the valley she heard a crash and Sten say, "It is a trap." She saw a large tree fall behind them blocking off their exit and saw Leliana just roll out of the way. She turned to see people descending down from cliffs and arrows being fired at them. She also heard an angry male voice shout, "The Wardens die here!"
Sylina internally groaned at another attempt by Loghain to kill them and quickly cast fire on everyone's weapons. That would get rid of most of the people. Then she focused on the archers. She threw a fireball at three of them which knocked them down and, judging by their screams, put them out of commission. She turned her attention to the other cliff and, gathering her mana, she cast another fireball and as she saw one of the men break the rank and head toward her she cast frost, freezing him in place. An arrow hit the now frozen man between his eyes and Sylina turned her attention back to the battle. Her companions were making relatively quick work of the rest of the men and she started looking for injuries. She saw that Oghren had a nasty gash and before he could yell at her she cast a rejuvenate on him to help him heal.
"Wait! Don't kill him!" Leliana said, moving toward one of the unconscious men on the battlefield as Sten was about to pierce him with his great broadsword. Sylina glanced quizzically at the laysister and walked toward the man, which as she approached she saw was a blonde haired elf with a funny tattoo on his face. She wondered if he was Dalish. She had read that the Dalish tattooed their faces, though she had, of course, never seen them.
Sten merely grunted and moved away from the elf to look for other 'survivors.' Sylina made her way closer to the elf and Leliana looked up at her as she bent down next to the unconscious elf. "We should get answers," the laysister explained. "This was much better planned then the last attack. And perhaps he will know Loghain's next move."
Sylina shrugged and stood behind the woman as she woke up the elf. She saw Alistair walk up beside her and give her a look, but she ignored him, focusing her attention on the blonde-haired elf. When he started to stir, Leliana stood up and moved behind Sylina. She frowned and took a step toward the elf.
"Mmm...what?" the elf said, opening his eyes and blinking up at them. "I...oh." His eyes scanned the company and Sylina saw that Shale had stormed off to clear the path for the Bodahn. Sten and Oghren were still going around making sure none of the attackers decided to have a second wind. Alistair and Leliana were standing beside her and she saw Morrigan glancing curiously at them while she went through her pack a few feet away. "I rather thought I would wake up dead...or not wake up at all, as the case may be."
"We have questions," piped Leliana and Sylina scowled. Maker, why had she landed herself near the two people she was trying to avoid?!
The elf smiled and appeared to waken properly and become more cheery. "Huzzah, so I am to be interrogated? Ha. Let me save you some time. My name is Zevran. Zev to my friends. I am a member of the Antivan Crows, hired for the sole purpose of slaying any surviving Grey Wardens...which I have failed at, sadly." Sylina blinked at the openness of the elf.
"The Crows?" Leliana asked, glancing at Sylina. "They are an order of assassins out of Antiva. Powerful and renowned for always getting the job done..so to..."
"I know what the Crows are," Sylina snapped, glancing angrily at the laysister, "I was not born yesterday, Leliana! Go help Shale move the damn tree." A look of hurt crossed the red haired woman's face before she murmured something and went to go help.
"No need to get snappy," Alistair chided and Sylina rounded on him.
"I don't need your input, Alistair! I can handle this on my own, thank you very much!" She saw the hurt cross Alistair's face and it hurt her far more than it should have. He slunk away and she turned back to the assassin.
"So you are in charge?" Zevran asked, his eyebrow raising slightly as an amused grin spread over his face. Sylina sighed and ran her hand over her face.
"J-just tell me who hired you? I assume it was Loghain?" She wanted this to be done with and to get on their way. She was feeling worse and worse by the minute. She felt guilty for snapping at Leliana and Alistair. It wasn't their fault she was acting like a child...well it was, but they couldn't help it.
"Yes, I believe Loghain was his name. He was from the capital."
"Right. Well is there anything useful you can tell me?" Sylina asked and she glanced around. Now that they had kept the elf alive she wasn't sure what to do. Could they release him? She certainly wasn't going to kill him in cold blood. She glanced down at him. No, she couldn't kill a man who was tied and bound and…why in the Maker's name was he smiling at her like that? It made her feel worse, more guilty.
"I am afraid I was not privy to the secrets this man kept. Why he wanted you dead I do not know. I was contracted for a job – that I have failed. To this Loghain, and to my Crows, I should be dead..." He saw Sylina hesitate and bite her lip and his smile widened just slightly. "But if you are done with the interrogation, I may have a proposal for you. If you're of a mind."
She blinked at the assassin and glanced around. No one was paying them any attention and she saw Alistair was purposefully turning his back to her. She felt her stomach drop. She felt awful. She looked back and the elf and bent down. "Okay. What is it you want?" she asked quietly.
He chuckled. "Well, to live obviously. Here's the thing. I failed to kill you, so my life is forfeit. If you don't kill me, the Crows will. Thing is, I like living. And you, as a Warden, are one to give the Crows pause. So..." she hadn't thought it possible but his grin became wider. "Let me serve you, instead."
She frowned at him. "Let you serve me? Assassin, you just tried to kill me...and my companions. If I let you live you will only complete the job later. Do you think I don't know this?" She folded her arms and shook her head. She didn't want to kill him. Maker, she didn't. How many men's deaths were on her hands as it was? Killing darkspawn….that was different, they didn't feel. But killing humans? Even now she tried not to look at the elf's accomplices' bodies that surrounded him. She was not cut out for this.
Zevran's smile faltered and he looked at the ground. She saw him knit his eyebrows and when he looked up at her she saw him adopt a serious face. "Thing is, I was never given much of a choice regarding joining the Crows. They bought me on the slave market when I was a child. I think I've paid my worth back to them, plus tenfold. There is only one way out, however, and that is to sign up with someone they can't touch. Even if I did kill you, they would just kill me on principle for failing the first time. Honestly..." the elf looked at her with his large sad eyes and she felt her heart break before he hid his emotions again and smiled slightly. "I'd rather take my chances with you."
Sylina shook her head. She felt conflicted. On the one hand, she didn't want to kill the assassin. On the other, he was an assassin that had recently, as in the last ten minutes, tried to kill her. She sighed and looked back at him. He had a small hopeful smile. She groaned. "Even if I contemplated this, even if I did! What could you possibly do to help us? We are trying to stop a Blight!"
He chuckled and his levity was back. "Well, I am skilled at many things, from fighting to stealth. I can even pick locks," he said, wiggling his eyebrows. "I also know many of the Antivan Crows' tricks and I could warn you should they attempt something more...sophisticated...now that I have failed." Sylina bit her lip at that. Perhaps he could help them stay away from more assassination attempts. There had been far too many. "I could also stand around...look pretty...warm your bed, no?"
Sylina blushed and he grinned wider. She sighed and shook her head. Maker, what was wrong with her? Then she moved behind him and cut his ties with her magic. "Fine. But one sign of you turning on me and I'll feed you to Hesper."
The elf dusted himself off as he stood. "That would be the massive Mabari that took down my Second? Ha, yes, that would be bad." He turned to her and smiled. She noticed he was a hair taller than her. "I hereby pledge my oath of loyalty to you, until such a time as you choose to release me from it. I am your man, without reservation. This I swear." He bowed and Sylina couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips. She sighed and motioned that they should walk towards the rest of the group. As they approached, Alistair turned and stared open mouthed at her.
"W-What is he doing? Why isn't he bound?" he stuttered, pointing at Zevran.
"He is joining us," Sylina said simply, not looking at Alistair.
"What!? You're taking the assassin with us now? You really think that is a good idea?" Alistair demanded as he walked closer to them. He didn't take his eyes off the elf as if expecting him to put a knife in Sylina's back at any moment.
Sylina glanced from Alistair to Zevran and frowned. "If you are so keen to kill him, then do so, Alistair," she said dryly and Alistair blinked at her before stepping back. "Otherwise, stop questioning my decisions!" she growled at him and marched toward the wagon.
"Heh heh," Oghren guffawed, walking up next to Alistair and watching Sylina retreat. "What'd you do to piss Flamefingers off so much?" Alistair glanced down at the dwarf and scowled.